I have 5 weeks until my sister's wedding, and I was really hoping to be in the lower 150s by then.

Any suggestions to speeding up weight loss for the next few weeks? I only bought rtd shakes this week. I hope that helps. Anything else I could do? Thanks!

Do you eat restricted veggies or IP foods? If so, cut those out and that may speed things up a bit. There are mixed opinions on this-- some people do better with them and others do better without them. I feel I do better without them so I only have a bar 1-2x/week at the most, and if I wanted to speed things up temporarily I'd probably get rid of them altogether.

Also be sure to drink LOTS of water-- maybe drink more than usual to flush things out more quickly.

I've only been on the program just over 2 months so by no means am I an expert, but that is what I would probably do. Hopefully others who have been on this longer will reply and give you some other tips.

You could try using Ice packs along your spine ... like when you are at your computer or watching tv just lean back on the ice. It really does burn calories as your body warms itself up ... and if it gets to cold in one spot just move the pack up or down.

It's really hard for even a 300lb person to lose 20 pounds in 5 weeks. I suggest you focus on exercise/toning rather than weight loss, because then you'll see more change in your body and won't be as disappointed if you can't reach that high of a goal. If you ever watch the biggest loser, you can see that 4 pounds or less per week becomes normal for someone under 200 pounds (who is working out 7 hours a day).

Definitely avoid the restricted foods. I would only do packets that are of the lowest calories, carbs and fat. I actually just got jello from Nashua Nutrition and this has got to be one of the lowest of everything out there!!.... 60 calories, 0 fat, 0 carbs and 15 protein. I count it as a non-restricted IP item. I'm going to be eating a lot more of it because it is so low in everything. Also, go with meats that are low in everything. And, for me, I think eating a little red meat helps jump start the system.

Sometimes increasing the amount of water and lettuce consumption will help.

Be careful with these - the gelatins and collagen products do NOT have the complete proteins of the other products and should only be used every other day. Some coaches also recommend only using it as a 4th packet every other day.

It might be pretty difficult given your current weight to loose that much in 5 weeks, but I hear you because I want to loose about 12 pounds in 3.5 weeks for my nephew's Bar Mitzvah. I'm flying home and will see people I haven't seen since I practically started IP. Not sure if I will make it, but hope at least to get close. So my plan is no restricted products, and stick with the lower carb/fat products such as shakes, puddings and soups (for the sodium). No restricted veggies, just mostly leafy green veggies. I'd also stick with chicken or fish when eating a whole protein. I'm not a big fan of cutting that far back on fat, but for a short time frame I'm willing to do it. Drink LOTS of water too. Good luck!!

Thanks for the advice everyone!

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

Bootcamp or cellulite reduction program?

I was going to suggest the same thing- sounds like that protocol is an awesome boot camp, I would love to try it myself but I am not sure my red-meat-loving husband would go for it!