Good morning!

I have been doing Ideal Protein for 2 weeks now. Things are going well and I am seeing weight loss.

I have done Atkins before and had great success so I hope to have even better success with this without all the fat!

I have the mind set that as long as I stay in ketosis I should see results. Is this correct? Example, last night I was cooking grilled cheese for my daughter and ate a small piece of cheddar cheese. No carbs, but NOT on program. Will this effect my weight loss?

Also, there are times when I am not able to "cook" my food as I am in the car for hours at a time. I have been substituting meals with Atkins bars as they are much less expensive than IP bars. I know they are higher in calories, fat and have tried to compensate for that at other meals on days I have them. Lower carb IP packs and veggies on the other meals. What do you think about having these bars?

I am ready to start exercising. Is it ok to start exercising at any point?

What should I beware of/look for when starting out?

I have been using the ketosis sticks and have been in ketosis since day 2 and I have the taste/breath of ketosis! I do chew sugar free gum although I is not on program. I also have a diet coke per day. My coach told me these things were "ok" for me but I needed to watch out they may cause sugar cravings. I use them in place of a sugar craving or hunger.

I just want to make sure that I am not messing up the program but thinking things are ok because I am in ketosis.

Thanks so much for all your help and suggestions.

All clinics/doctors vary but this is what I was told...

I am still a newbie.....one week for me (have lost 8 pounds by my home scare, but official weigh in is tomorrow)

-No gum or mints
-No diet drinks at all
-Only 1 IP bar is allowed each day since it is restricted and I don't know how the Atkins Bars compare. Many people use other products with success as long as the ingredients are looked at very carefully.
-I was told not to exercise until after week 3 and at that point it would be light exercise during the early Phase of Phase 1
-I have not used ketosis sticks and they didn't tell me to use them. On the boards some do and some great success stories from people that have never used the sticks.

Good luck in your journey. The great things about the boards is that there are so many people on the program with so much experience that you should be able to find your answers.

I would kill for a diet coke though I would love to hear if people are able to have a diet drink every now and then and still maintain their weight loss.

How has your weight loss been for Week 1 and Week 2?

I have lost 5 pounds. Only in week 2 by a few days.

My coach is not that great...so I feel like I am just kind of winging it!

I have found some great information on this site.

We would love to hear from anyone with experience on the diet cokes, etc!

Thanks.

Here is some info from Wuv, sorry for the repeat questions! I just found your instructions for searching!

WHY IS DIET SODA DISCOURAGED DURING IDEAL PROTEIN DIET?
Very interesting insights from the "Ideal Protein Nova Blog". There is a science behind why this diet works and the things you can do to take best advantage of it.

All diet drinks (i.e. sugar-free, carb-free) are NOT recommended on the diet. The problem that can arise is imbalances in acid/base regulation. The protocol is very alkaline and this is why we do not see complications common to other "protein type diets." Some diet drinks (Crystal Light for example) are mixed with water and these are acceptable. Many others (flavored Aqua-fina, Dasani, etc.) contain a lot of phosphoric acid. This is a very strong acid and will play havoc with the body's bicarbonate buffering system. This goes for diet soda's too, particularly the brown ones.

Flavored seltzers are usually OK, just read the label and make sure it is carb-free and contains no phosphoric acid. This protocol provides so many health benefits besides weight loss, it would be a shame to compromise some of the benefits by consuming these products. Also- remember, an extra cup of water for every coffee you drink!

So what CAN you drink? Drink unsweetened Herbal Tea. Add 2 bags to a large pitcher (1.5 liter) or container and seep for about 10 minutes. Use a funnel to pour into an empty 1.5 liter plastic soda bottle. I usually make 3-4 batches in one night of different flavours, so there is a wide variety of choice throughout the week. It also helps you crave drinking more.

q234 1m,e

I was basically told the same thing & I am on week one. No soda--including diet. My coach did say that I could have a diet lemonade (made with Splenda) from Chick-fil-a. I have had one of those this week as a treat last night and totally felt like I was cheating. It was awesome I won't have it often though

I read somewhere on here that Sparkling Ice flavored water was okay. I hope that's true. It's my little indulgence. I don't have it very often.