Hello all....

Any advice on being sick of it.

I've been IP for 1 year and 3 months now. And I'm so sick of the food. I miss fruit!!! Plain yogurt, cottage cheese, hummus... Simple healthy foods!!!

I lost 50lbs, and gained back 20 over the holidays. And have been holding steady since then. I can't seem to lose anymore. And I keep reading about these people that lose 50lbs in 3 months. It took me 6-7 months.

I don't get it! And I'm just so fed up with the packets. My Coach wants to put me on appetite suppresants now. My BMR is 1856. Which for a woman should be 1000. No wonder I am always hungry and my body is holding on to everything. I kickbox, I spin... I can do P90X.... But I struggle to get below 200lbs.

I'm at wits end... anyone?

I reached a point where I was not losing either, and I took that to mean that my body was saying 'enough already.' I'm just now phasing out, but have been on the program for 15 months, and have heard that a year is the maximum to be on it. Maybe you need a break from it? perhaps someone else can shed light on why the one year is the limit?

The other thing is, with all the exercise you do, your body must need more calories than you're getting with Phase 1. Perhaps adding an extra packet or something will help?

Good luck in whatever you decide...

clearly, your diet plan is not working for you.

when you read about those ppl that lost a gajillion pounds in 15 minutes with no effort, look for the little "results not typical".

what that means is, those ppl were PAID. they were given an assignment: lose as much over 'x' pounds as you can in six weeks (or whatever) and they were given anything and everything they wanted to get that done.

if they wanted a gym membership - it was provided.
if they wanted a diet coach - done.
speed? fen-fen? megadose caffeine? done, done, and here's your pills.

i know real ppl who do this for a living. they lose whatever amount is required, then happily pack it back on and wait for the next client.

what's happened in your case is that your body has adjusted to what you're doing. eating less isn't the answer, you need to eat different. i don't know what "IP" is but from your post, it sounds like you are relying heavily on replacement packages.

maybe look for a different coach?

oh - and your info about BMR is incorrect.

BMR is the number of calories needed to run your body if you were lying in bed in a coma. because of all your activity, you've got more muscle - that means you have a higher BMR. this is a *good thing*.

a 1000 BMR would be a woman 25yrs old, 4'10" tall, weighing 80lbs.

My thoughts...(1) Are you exercising too much? My weight loss was better when I either didn't exercise at all or just did walking. When I did circuit training and bootcamp type classes at the gym, my weight loss stalled. (2) You've lost a considerable amount of weight. Maybe it's time to take a break. Maybe phase off and live life at Phase 4 for a while. You might still lose in Phase 4. And Phase 4 requires diligence to keep the weight off. Maybe go back to Phase 1 after a few months to take some more weight off. It will probably be harder the second time around, but it sounds like you need a break. (3) Your BMR shouldn't be 1000. That is too low for your height and weight.

Whatever you do, don't lose faith. You can lose weight, be fit and be happy. Don't get so discouraged that you punish yourself by eating to soothe. Good luck.

Hi.
I can sympathize with the lack of weight loss with intense exercise. We hear all the time just move more and you will lose. It's a lie and there is no scientific proof to support that claim.

That said - it sounds like you are not in the frame of mind for IP right now. Maybe you can try something else until you decided you are able to embrace phase 1 agian? Atkins? Protein power?

Last year I lost 30 pounds on IP. I never gave up my intense exercising. It did not seem to hinder my losses then.

Now I am back losing the Chrostmas pounds plus 5 more. I am almost there. This time it has been slow. But I continue to work out as I love how I feel and how strong and toned it makes me. My coach tries to convince me to cut back, but I am happy and do have an extra packet as needed for hunger. I lose fat, not muscle. Inches go way faster than pounds.

From your past experience you know IP will work for you. Are you giving Phase 1 and real effort? If not, wait until you can.

Good luck with your choices. My BMR is 1700. I don't eat anywhere near that many calories...

I've done very low cal diets and looked into this one too. I like that they give you enough protein which most diets don't but you live on packets and expensive ones. I have done the prepackaged thing by so many names and have had much better, lasting results eating real food and watching my calories while balancing my carbs and proteins. I have to balance my carbs to not have cravings and have to eat enough protein to support my muscle mass and not get dizzy from blood sugar spikes caused by the carbs but I eat well and real food.

(and that will also carry over into maintenance, which packet plans rarely do)

Ideal Protein, while based on packets in the first 2 phases, does phase off onto real food for maintenance.

Hi there...I am confused. You say you have been on IP for 1 year and 3 months and lost 50lbs. But you gained 20 back....I assume you went off the program and gained the 20? I just wanted to be sure that you didn't gain them while you were actually on the program.

So assuming you went off IP, how long have you been back on?

Have you had your hormones tested? It could be PCOS, thyroid, etc....weightloss is not just about food and exercise.

But I agree that you need to take a break and try something different...I would recommend Atkins, though you still can't have fruit (except berries) unless you are in maintenance. Or you could do Atkins and have a cheat day/weekend every 2 weeks....I did that and lost 40lbs easily many years ago while not feeling deprived at all. (and it was waaay better than packets, lol). I personally plan on doing IP to lose some weight quickly, and then will be moving back to Atkins to lose the last 20lbs. It will be slower, but not as restrictive.

Have your physician run some blood work. Thyroid, diabetes, liver, etc. When a diet (any diet) stalls for a while or if there are just no results or poor results, either it is the plan that is failing, or it isn't being followed properly which people hate to hear if they are...no judgment, no blame...or its systematic and metabolic. Get yourself checked out.

Also, if IP isn't working for you, and you miss food, time to wean off IP and go to real food. Forget the gimmicks of any program, and count calories...there it is, plain and clear.

question to you all - one of the reasons I chose IP was because I was physically incapable of much exercise, and I was told this program did NOT want you to exercise much, at least during Phase 1. Are we getting conflicting messages here? What were you all told?

I can tell you that in Dr. Tran's book he advises gentle, consistent exercise on a regular basis...not to lose weight, but to help tone muscles AND help to avoid regaining weight. Excerpt from page 102-104:


http://www.trantiendiet.com/site/IMG...re_Dr_Tran.pdf

I think you are likely not eating enough for your size and the amount of exercise you are doing. You also seem to be burned out. Why not try something else for a few months and see if you at least feel better. Look at the Paleo plan. It is not restrictive and would let you recharge. You could try IP again later if you still wanted too.
I am also confused about the time frame and the gain. If you went of plan and regained you really have not been on plan for a year and three months.
Also I am very surprised that your coach is recommending appetite suppressants. Surely that is not factored into the plan and if your are truly in ketosis they would not be necessary anyway.

Just to clarify on phase 1 you get three Ideal Protein foods per day and you make your own dinner. On phase 2 you get two IP meals and make two of your own meals, and once on phase 3 and 4 you make all of your own food. So no the packets don't carry over to maintenance, only half way through the program.

I was told just not for the first three weeks and then exercise was fine, but just make sure to have some protein before and after you work out. I started working out about a month or two into the program and I've been on phase 1 for almost six months.

The Paleo plan is a great alternative if you still want to remain in ketosis, but need a change. Also I am really surprised too that your coach would recommend appetite suppressants. Totally not needed on IP and ketosis. Strange.

tejaae,
I have been lurking here on this forum for about a year. Up until now I felt little motivation or need to chime in -- little new to offer. I typically love the input and advice offered here and have always been able to find good anwers to my questions by searching the old threads. The group of folks that are IP specific have great advice but...when someone like "threenorns" chimes in without knowing what they are talking about it can be very confusing and de-motivating.

Like most folks here I have tried a variety of diets since I was a kid -- most with little to no success and none with long term success. That is, until IP.

The struggle you are going through has many potential variables to examine.
A thread back in February explored things that IPers wish 'there coach had told them", may hold some answers for you:

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/idea...-told-you.html

In most cases, I belive that coaches are well meaning but sometimes cannot see all the possibilities -- cannot see the forest for the trees kind of thing.

I would add to these thoughts:
-I wish my coach had told me that Lettice is not just unlimited but manditory.
-At the times when I got stuck I wish my coach had suggested Novi-Cleanse. Only after being stuck for about a month did he finally say "well I guess you could try this". He aparently did not believe in that particular product. When I finally tried it, it worked wonders for me.
-Other things to look at that may or may not be an issue for you:
*I agree with others that you may be too active. This can put the body in starvation mode -- For survival the body will avoid using up fat stores.
*I have also had difficulty loosing during periods of high stress (Cortisol issue?)
*Chewing too much or the wrong kind of gum/mints
*Timing of meals -- blood sugar stabalization is the goal (Can be difficult to find what works best for you)
*Proper amount of sleep (most weight loss happens at nite)

I hope you can find what works for you. You have had some good early success and clearly have the drive and ability. Wishing you the best of luck!!!