Hi all. I didn't see another thread like this one, so I'll give it a shot. I'm new to the IP diet and have an issue. I'm a musical theatre student and do a lot of dancing. A typical dance class starts with a 15 minute warm-up of alternating two minutes of running with two minutes of crunches/pushups/jumping jacks/etc. and some intense yoga. The rest of the dance class is just as intense with a two minute water break half way through (my teacher allows us to grab a drink whenever we need it, but she makes sure to keep a scheduled one in just in case). I also do an hour of intense (heart rate up, sweating bullets) yoga a day, save for weekends. My problem: on the alternitive (IP packets and a few foods) plan, I get soo hungry on the nights that I dance. I'm not craving anything specific like I do randomly during the day (or when my office orders pizza), I just need to eat RIGHT NOW, even if I just had my last meal of the day. What's going on and how can I fix it (not dancing is not an option, I'm afraid )?

I do 60 minutes (at least) of intense exercise a day.

I make sure I have a restricted item at some point. If I am starving outside my normal 3 packets and 1 meal I have an extra packet. You should probably be doing that until you get used to phase 1.

Make sure to eat salads. They are free and help keep you full!

Kat, I'm ballroom dancing 4-5 nights a week and it's pretty tough to do IP with that level of exercise. It sounds like your level is comparable to mine if not exceeding it. You need more carbs than the program really allows for. An extra packet is good, but it's not just about the protein. I have found the restricted items helpful because they have more carbs. With all that exercise, if you don't get the carbs you need, you'll start burning muscle which is not what any of us want or you'll put your body into starvation mode which is also a bad plan. The trick is how many extra carbs--and then, are we still following IP's plan. My coach suggested that the number was probably 15-20 extra carbs per hour of dance. (Note that most people on IP, barely eat that in a day.)

I might suggest you look at plans like Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson and the Paleo Diet by Dr. Cordain or even the program by the Eades that I can't think of the specific name of. All of these are more lifestyle approaches to diet and so they don't come with the restriction of needing to minimize the exercise levels. There is Paleo plan has one for athletes but I will tell you that it a serious athlete and I'm no where near that level.

If I can be of further help, you might send me a PM because I'm not always great at checking the boards as regularly.

Thanks for the responses! It sounds like I should add an extra piece of whole wheat bread on the days I dance. Since I'm on the alternate plan, I'm allowed two slices of whole wheat bread a day. The extra slice will get me the 15-20 carbs you mentioned, Marionm.


Thanks for the other plan suggestions. I really want to give IP a good go though, so unless I start losing muscle mass I'll stick with it. I entered ketosis today and the weight is coming off fast!

I disagree. I think you need the extra protein. I would add another packet...maybe even another restricted, but if you plan to have the bread I would also add another low carb protein. The protein is what limits muscle loss.

I'm not sure I would go with bread. I tend to think a low-glycemic index fruit would be better or even a squash or sweet potato.

It's just basic physiology that exercise burns carbs first and when the carbs aren't available then it heads for fat and muscle. The problem is with high exercise your body can't convert the fat fast enough and so it uses the muscle.

Ok, no extra bread then. I've already tried adding an extra packet with no luck, so I'll give the extra fruit a try. Thanks again!