So I'm on day 4 of IP and have been reading this forum on a daily basis. I have also spoken to my coach who doesn't seem to be the most knowledgeable...I have also used the search option on this site to find the answers to my questions, but after scrolling through pages and pages I just got frustrated, so sorry if these have already been answered...

So here are my questions:

-gum? my coach says no, even sugar free...but I've read that many people here still chew it and have had no issues.. (i miss my gum)

-egg whites? again, my coach says no. But many people here seem to use them in their adapted recipes.

-vanilla extracts? the ones I have contain alcohol and I know the program says no alcohol, but I see a lot of people use them in their recipes, is there such a thing as an extract with no alcohol? or are these extracts with alcohol okay to use?

-combining IP packets with protein? I see a lot of people combining the two, is this allowed in Phase 1?

-recipes that make little "cupcakes" or "muffins"...since you are using one packet of IP products for these recipes, are you suppose to consume all of them in one sitting?

-can meals be spread out? or do you have to follow the schedule? Can I have 1 cup of veg in the afternoon and the other cup with my dinner, etc?

Sorry if these questions seems a little redundant...but any help/clarification would be greatly appreciated!

here is my humble advice....if you are just starting don't bend any rules at all. For my first four months (that was 2-years ago...have been in maintenance for a year and now trying to lose another 10-15 pounds)...here is what I did 100% faithfully every day...

IP omelet packet for breakfast with 36 ounces of water and supplements

IP shake with lettuce cucumbers celery cabbage and evoo and vinegar with 36 ounces of water

meat (flank steak, pork tenderloin, filet mignon, chicken, fish, shrimp or scallops) with spinach, asparagus, brocolli, cauliflower, spinach, collards, or brussel sprout...steamed or sauteed with evoo and garlic. with 36 ounces of water

tea with small amount of vanilla shake

IP bar

I never strayed one ounce from that for almost 5 months...I did not chew gum or mix packets or taste anything else. I think it helped me because I needed to retrain my mind to control and to look at food as fuel and not fun. Since then I have been on at different times for reboots and have tweaked things but I am on this for the rest of my life now....and the weight I wanted to lose (85 pounds) is GONE!....yipppeee

Hi
Just started IP and am on day 3, felt very sick this morning, and ate a egg white, why can't we eat the yolk. Made kale chips and turnup fries, they are sooooo good. How much can I have of these a day. Thanks

The yolk contains the fat. The Kale chips and turnip fries count as part of your 4 cups of veggies per day.

What I mean by combining protein with an IP pack, is that I've been reading some for the recipes and they will combine, say a chicken breast with an IP soup as a sauce (this is just an example)

I would say no unless you only eat half of it at a time.