Is it cheating when I have two restricted foods in a day? I am super hungry today and had the chocolate soy puffs for breakfast and then had the salt and vinegar ridges for lunch...with tomatoes and pickles. I know that I am not supposed to...but...it seems to help when I am having a crazy hungry day (which thankfully don't come often).

I guess in my head I am justifying it by telling myself it is still IP food so it is a heck of a lot better than other ways I could cheat...but I know that it is still not good!

i was told to eat my restricted at night, because that's when I tend to graze. I had a day or two when I felt hungry and was told to eat another protein to keep from going off plan. She didn't say restricted though.

Yep, it IS still cheating...so just say no! It's also enough to keep you out of ketosis if you're not there yet, or kick you out of ketosis if you are, and it can take up to 3 days to make up for 1 day of cheating, so it's really not worth it. On the days you're super hungry, you can add a packet, but make it one of the lower carb drinks if you can, like Peach Mango or Pink Lemonade. I try to keep one of the pre-mades on me for those "break glass in case of emergency" times.

If you just really have a mad case of the munchies, my go to food is cucumber...a whole one only has 40 calories and 8 carbs, and if you sprinkle it with sea salt and 1/2 tsp or so of any of the IP fruit drink mix powders, you get crunchy, sweet, AND salty all at once.

It's done so not much you can do about it now. I did that once and it didn't impact my weight loss two days later, but I didn't risk it again. My coach told me to have the restricted at the time of day which is toughest for me. That is late afternoon when I am on my long commute home.

I know...it was bad. I am now feeling like my butt needs to get on the treadmill!!! I like the idea of cucumbers. I tend to eat a lot of cukes and pickles as the crunch is nice. I am on week 6 and think that I am mentally struggling a bit. It is not that I am longing for "normal" food that "normal" people would crave, but I am wanting more of the IP products that I shouldn't have. UGH!!! I swear I am addicted to those Salt & Vinegar Ridges...love them!
BUT, I love the fact that I am 16 pounds lighter and do not want to go backwards!!! So...back to not being a cheater for me!!! :-)
Love love love all the support on here...even when it isn't exactly what you want to hear but know it is what you NEED to hear!!!

On the days when i am starving and drinking xtra water doesn't cut it, I'll either get an extra unrestricted IP packet or snack on grilled chicken or whatever left over protein I have in the house.

If you're eating a lot of cucumbers and pickles you might be really hungry for nutrients. If you can eat raw vegetables, i.e., you don't have hypothyroidism, it would probably help to eat raw broccoli and cauliflower, etc., or just lightly steamed. Pickles + salty restricted = too much salt hence water retention. You may be artificially creating your own sense of hunger. Hope this helps.