Hey gang, I am hoping to touch base with all of you that I knew to grow and love over the course of my journey. I am a little out of touch with so many newbies and I miss the old gang. If you are out there...drop a line and let's keep each other going.

I am back at it. I hope the scale moves, because those last 10 days on IP (2 weeks ago) when I went up one pound...sent me into a tisy.

Plus I need to get together a plan for the cruise coming up in three weeks.

Great idea for a thread, Darbs!.. thanks for thinking of it!..

When I started IP protocol 8 months ago, I was trying to get in shape for a weekend of working on the Continental Divide Trail Project... I stuck to protocol 100% from the end of May 'til the end of August & dropped weight like I just couldn't believe... I was also pushing exercise pretty intensely & have no doubt that helped... at the time I was more interested in getting my muscles & stamina in shape than losing lbs. but the weight loss was so nice too... anyway, after my weekend in Colorado, working on the trail, I loosened up a lot, on both exercise & protocol... but now, it's time to start thinking about working on the trail again, so I'm starting my push again for that... last year I could almost keep up with those 20 year olds, this year I want to blow them all away!..

hugs

Clarification: When I say "exercising pretty intensely" I mean for ME it was intense... I mean, going from a total couch potato to doing any exercise at all felt intense to me... I never pushed my heart rate to over 70% of max & for sure never got anywhere near exhaustion...

Hey Darbs! I was asking about you last week. Are you doing IP again, or did you go to alternative? I am sure you'll do great during your cruise, what a fun time! How is your daughter doing? 1 pound going up isn't bad at all, you've done so great, you CAN do this! Good to "see" you again.

That's a great idea - I'm with and for me it seems that finally I might been losing weight again....was worth to wait and do right choices (even with big disappointment moments or days or weeks )

Are you back doing Ideal Protein? I thought you had switched over to the Atkins plan and forums. Did that not work for you? Are you still trying to exercise? What have you come up with for a plan so far?

You said you have 3 weeks to the cruise. All I can suggest, for fastest weight loss, is to drop the exercise and to do the program as you did it orginally. There are no tricks or gimmicks to this.

You also need to realize that a one pound change up is not a reason to stop what you are doing. This plan is not about a fast weight loss and ONLY that. This plan is about a lifestyle change, a health change, and a PERMANENT change and the only way that will happen is to follow the plan and let your body do what it does on ITS time. Every time you make a deviation you take a chance of slowing yourself down or altering the outcomes of the process.

I can't think of any great plan for the next 3 weeks before the cruise other than saying, "get in the game." DO the plan the way you did, accept the results you get, they will be the best out there.

During the cruise, will you be allowing yourself a cheat week or will you be trying to stay on plan in some way. If you aren't on plan, you will set yourself back a little and be starting over on plan when you return. That is fine but, decide if it is worth it now, maybe you would rather just do a phase 2 and try to maintain where you are from now and through the cruise. It will be less costly and if you can maintain, you can comeback pretty well prepped for phase 1 and more loss after the cruise. If you feel you must lose more before you go, how hard will you work to maintain those losses while on the cruise? Those are questions you should ask yourself now, as you make a game plan.

REMEMBER, we need our carbs and less fat on this plan. We get at least 25g net carbs (not 10g or 20g) and we need to keep our fat intake reduce (stick to your 2tsp a day of olive oil) NO CHEESE... NO AVOCADO... NO BACON... NO SAUSAGE.. NO DAIRY (milk, butter, cream) ...NO OLIVES ... NO NUTS...NO YOGURT. Some of those are things that you have become comfortable with again during the 2 weeks on your plan or Atkins (based on your other posts). Keep those out of your diet during the next 3 weeks if you really want to see results.

Use the board. Ask for help. We are glad to see you back and want to see you get the results you always did.

Darbs!! yay you are back I missed you.
Great idea. I"m IN.
I started 10/6/10 with 30 lbs to lose. Lost well for Oct and Nov. On 12/1/10 I started back to hot yoga and the scale pretty much stopped moving, .2 to .5 a week. Still a loss I know. The inches for the month of Dec dropped, very satified with that. Jan same on the scale and the inches are slowing down as well, to be expected as I get closer to goal. I still want to drop more body fat. I realize that the scales that measure body fat, I have one, are not all that accurate though I feel it would be a good indicator as to how much body fat I have lost. I am going more by how I look in the mirror I still have too much of the jiggly stuff! haha I am on the 2 month plan I guess you could say. 2 months relatively no exercise. 2 month hot yoga. 2/1/11 continue hot yoga add eliptical and/or light weights on non yoga days. I was (emphasis on was) a bodybuilder about 20 years ago and I know my body and as I add more exercise I know that I need to add A LITTLE more healthy fat to my diet. (1 oz of cheese, a few nuts, flaxseed etc) I have been adding an extra packet on yoga days but with the room being 115 degrees and all the sweating I do I am feeling like I need a little more than protein packets.
What is everyone else doing??

Glad you are back Darbs. I can understand the want of shaking things up and trying something else.

I need this thread also. I just posted yesterday about not sure whether I shade be phasing through 2-4 because I'm going to go to a wedding in the islands in February and another two weeks later in March. My weightloss has been super slow since Christmas and I'm starting to feel anzy. I need motivation and focus. I've stayed in ketosis but know that I eat a little more of allowable foods but to the point it just maintains my weight or I go up and down a pound. After reading some posts I'm thinking I might just move to phase 2 before this wedding and pretty much stick to protocal and allow myself to have the wedding meals and get right back on track. I know it will be tough for me traveling and getting my lettuce and veggies in at the place I'll be staying for the first wedding.

Well I know IP is the best diet out there for me and I just need to push through this feeling of just wanting to move to phase 4 and be done with this.

I'm in! And with ya on this!

Let's get this done. Get ready for that trail! You use just alternatives, right? That is what I will do.



Great to be back. My daughter has lost 25 pounds and her husband has lost 25 pounds in just under a month. I am 100% IP.



So happy the scale is moving for you...I hope it moves for me.



I am 100% IP just like I was the first 16 weeks, but exercise is tough to quick once you see the results of it. I will do no cardio, but I will still work out with the group of teachers that hired the personal trainer for two days a week and I will have an extra packet on those two days.

I am 100% that this is a lifetime committment and never left that mentality....I just was frustrated with the muscle loss and regain. I have not been out of ketosis in 19 weeks and I will stick to the plan that my cruise will be my first time out of ketosis and I am okay with that. I plan on omelets for breakfast, salads and meat for lunch, and meat and veggies for dinner. It will be the margarita tasting and the martini tasting and the pub crawl that will knock me out of ketosis, but I plan on walking every day on the cruise.

I think I was mostly frustrated with my coach, I had emailed and called him over and over (and I never bother them) and they blew me off.

Atkins did not work...I lost 3 pounds over the two weeks, but I have put almost 2 back on this week.

I hope IP works this week or I may break down...I am very hard on myself especially when I follow something perfect.


You are so close to your goal...and you look AMAZING! Keep up the good work.


So far so good today ladies, no hungar at all...all I have had is my shake with green tea but I am about to have lunch (lettuce, cucumbers, and shake with green tea).

I am so happy to be back to the forumn...I missed all of you

We all need to do what works for us, you are so close to goal....and this is a lifetime committment so if we need a time out from time to time, but stay focused and on a maintenence type program and then get back at it...this is forever, right?


Yippee and you are doing so well

Still drying to figure out the reason for D.. I left Whey protein and was eating "normal " food couple days and was ok (no mealrep..) and today I had something with soy protein and again DDDD....could it be sensitivity to sucarlose because it was in that shake. Yesterday I had soy protein chocolate shake with aspartame and was perfectly fine....I hate this Please HELP ME out of this situation ♥

Wish I could give you some insights on your issue but never had to deal with D on IP...

Guess I am back with you for a few weeks as I am trying to shed the pounds I gained back this summer & autumn, mostly related to cravings!

For those who haven't met me on IP Forums, I started IP back in Aug. 2009 at 230# and had dropped to 170# before Christmas. Later in Jan. 2010 at 175#, decided to drop some more and managed to get to 133# in June with struggles over a stay in Disney, a Easter cheat and various smaller cheats. Summer 2010 was about rewarding myself for my new body and induced the unwanted gain back... The head wasn't there yet!

So, here I am struggling again but with a memory on how good 133# was and not pressuring myself as I used to.

And also... happy to meet all of you!
PS: sorry for mispelling some words, haven't written in English for a while!

well i think this is a great idea..i have not been able to stay on protocol since my slip after losing 70lbs...every day i start new and every day i seem to fail...i too am going on a cruise in 3 weeks and all the size 12's i bought are starting to get snug..i feel like a hypocrite, my hubby and kids are so proud of my accomplishment so far but if they only knew how bad i was doing!! Thanks for starting this darbs7

I'm in too - I have kind of dropped off the daily thread with all the newbies that have come in. I've missed you guys!

I'm now 42.2 lbs down which I realize is great, but things have REALLY slowed down in the last month. My WIs for the last month have been -3.4, -0.4, -3, -2.2, -1.2. Now when I type it out, I realize it hasn't been THAT bad of a month, but it just seems like it's dragged on! And that 0.4 & 1.2 loss, those just kind of sucked. It's feeling like you work so hard to be rewarded with one measly half pound gone...

I am recommitting to finishing this - I'm hoping that the last 42 fall off as well as the first 42 did! I'm getting at least 2 lbs cut off in 2 weeks - that should help, right? Right? tap tap tap, is this thing on? :-)

Darbs7, thank you for starting this thread. :hugs:

I remember you...you were just about done with the boards when I was just starting. Welcome back. This is a lifetime commitment and you clearly are showing that commitment.

I have missed you. Pleas don't give up...I know how you feel...just do it. Wow...think how great a size 8 will feel. We all need to be here for each other everyday and make this happen.

This is going to be a great place for all of us to help each other through the struggles of being on this plan for an extended time. I am going to see this through to my goal with a few planned cheats in between. This is about a lifetime, not just getting to goal. I am so excited for you to have your boobs chopped (sorry for the bluntness) you will be so happy with the results. I just bought three new bras size 38 C (I need a bigger band, because I have a ton of loose skin in the bra puff area and I hate to see it overhang...boo hoo....told hubby time to see the plastic surgeon and maybe he can chop the bat wings off my arms)