Had WI # 3 today and lost 1 lb. All I could think of was this is a lot of freaking work, planning and sacrifice for 1 stinking pound. I've lost more weight before on a 1200 calorie diet with exercise. So, I'm getting a little down.

Here's my history:

WI#1 -2lbs (WI 1 was actually on day 4, so that was pretty good)
WI#2 -5 lbs & 7.5 inches (very happy with that)
WI#3 -1 lb & 2 inches -

And I think my coach was being generous on weeks 1 & 2, rounding up. I should have paid closer attention to the scale.

I get a loss is a loss, but honestly, this was not the result I was hoping for. I am 100% OP. No deviations. Here's my typical day - advice/critique welcome:

Breakfast
Hot tea black with 1 Splenda
Wildberry Yogurt IP packet

Drink 16 - 24 oz water by noon

Lunch
Salad (romaine lettuce with 2 cups of celery, cucumbers and bell pepper). 2 Tablespoons of WF Creamy bacon dressing or a dressing recipe I found on here with Olive Oil, Apple cider vinegar, splenda, water and spices.
IP Ready made chocolate drink

Drink 24 - 40 oz water by 5pm

Snack

IP bar usually around 4pm

Dinner
8 oz protein (measured before cooking) - rotated every night. Last week I had tilapia, chicken breast, ground turkey, shrimp, fliet mignon --- all with dry rub spices, no sauce.
2 cups vegetables, typically grilled or sautéed in olive oil.

8 - 16 oz more water before bed.

That's it. Nothing, I mean N-O-T-H-I-N-G else.

Here's my issue. I get that it's a loss. But maybe I'm better off just exercising and eating 1200 calories. I can handle IP (the cost, the weekly weigh ins, the off-limits food) if the result is better than I can get elsewhere. Granted, the advantage of IP is that it is so black and white. It's not so easy to slip up. But, then, why not better results?

Is there something I'm doing wrong? Is it possible I'm in the minority of those for whom IP doesn't really work great? Are there changes I should be making?

My coach isn't very well trained and she honestly has no clue. To her credit, she's being a good cheerleader, but I don't need a cheerleader. I need a boot camp sergeant to tell me what I'm doing wrong. I've committed to another week, but if I don't see progress, well, I'll have to seriously reconsider whether this is the right program for me.

Thanks in advance.

I don't use as much splenda as you called out, make sure that I excercise (walk at a decent pace) 30 minutes per day at least 4 days per week and quit drinking water after I take my pills at night.

I also do dinner early and have my snack ~9pm each day.

I do the wildberry yogurt in the morning and the chocolate drink as a snack but always try to do a non-restricted packet for lunch - chicken patty, omelet, soup, potato, etc. I rarely measure my veggies, but my eyeball isn't that bad.

I always get my 96 oz of water and add a tea or two in per day.

I've had a couple of two pound weeks, but average over 4 lbs per week and am in week 7.

Being a guy might make a difference, it seems IP works REALLY well for us too.

Stick with it, I am sure it will pay off. The only thing I really see is if you can work in the light excercise with your coach/doctor's approval of course and maybe you are storing a little extra something in your colon?

What is your starting weight? What was your diet like before you began? Is it close to your TOM? Do you exercise?

I totally felt the same way as you so yesterday I told my coach I wouldn't be returning. The results just weren't there for all the effort. I do believe IP works for some people, this site has proven that, but it just wasn't for me. I think I can achieve the same weight loss with sensible diet and excercise.

That is what I was going to ask, when you have more to lose you seem to lose more in the begining.... at least compared to me vs. other people I know around me who have done it.

Week 3 is usually a very low week if you have had good losses the first two weeks. A biology professor once explained it to me. I can't remember exactly how it went but the gist was that when you have lost weight that is not just water weight the body has to deconstruct all the supports that were in place for it. That is when the real work of change is going on and it doesn't show up on the scale. That is why weight loss is not straight forward in one direction.

That said you have lost 8 pounds in 3 weeks. If you actually can do better than that on regular food and 1200 calories it makes more sense to do that.

I gain on 1200 calories so had to follow a more extreme route.

Same here, I gain with 1200 calories a day and with just smelling the carbs. This is the only diet that works for me.

hangdog, If you see my signature, you'll see that I had also had low 3rd week, and the 4th was even slower. Now, I have ( or had ) over 100lb to loose. So, it might have felt that it was a slow week. But when you look at the fact that my average is still loss of a 4lb a week, I am super happy about that.

You have lost 8lb in 3 weeks. That 2.66lb per week which is in the average range if 2-4lb per week.

Good luck with whatever you choose.
I might have felt the same if my average was below the loosing range, but its not and yours is neither.

Hang in there Hangdog!!!

Every body is different. If as you say you can manage this financially, give it at least a full month before throwing in the towel. Do you mind of I ask, are you having a change/decrease in bowel habits (sorry, I'm a nurse, I have to ask). If so talk to your coach about how to get things 'moving' and you might be in for a big surprise next weigh in. I only lost 2.5 lbs this week but lost 7.5 INCHES. My bowels are having a really hard time "adjusting" to the protocol, so I KNOW the scale is not telling the entire story this week!!

Thanks for all the replies. I'll try to answer your questions below.

I didn't think I was using too much splenda, but maybe I'll give the olive oil/splenda dressing a rest. Most days, its one splenda. 3 or 4 days a week, it probably works out to 3. I've been walking for 30 minutes 3 x a week but haven't done more because of all of the "no exercise" advice. In addition, I'm in PT for my shoulder so I do about 30 minutes of strengthening exercises every day. I can certainly add more easily.

Starting weight was 219. I'm female, 5'6" and 42 years old. Before this, my diet was okay. Not a junk food eater really. I did (do) love my carbs. Bread, rice, potatoes were all staples in my diet. Meals were probably pretty healthy until I slathered on the sauces and dressings (IP did open my eyes to that.) Teriyaki sauce, BBQ sauce, salad dressing, etc. Portion sizes were not my friend. I drank a good amount of water before IP, probably 6 glasses a day - whereas now I'm usually at 12. It's not close to TOM, that was actually week 1 and 2.

I would kill for your "slow" week and would be thrilled if my week 1 or 2 had been greater.

I'm definitely going less, if you know what I mean. I had terrible C the first week, but took some meds for it and now I am a little more regular, there's just a lot less of it. I don't feel C anymore. In fact, I took a couple of pills the night before WI just to make sure I had lightened the load, so to speak!!!


So, my game plan:

1) Cut out the salad dressing with splenda and stick with WF
2) Increase walking to 6 or 7 days a week

Anything else? I've decided to commit to at least 2 more weeks. As long as I show SOME loss greater than a pound a week, I will continue until the end of June and re-evaluate from there. We'll see if I get that Woosh everyone brags about.

When I have a big loss of 5 pounds or more the next week is always a small loss not sure why. To me it looks like you are doing everything right but I understand your frustration I've been there as well but try and keep going I am almost at a 50 pound loss and I have had a week in there where I gained almost a pound!! I TOTALLY wanted to quit but I hung in there. Good luck!!

Honesly don't change anything...you are doing fine.

Week 3 is always low.

I did IP to lose my 75 pounds in September of 2010. Week one, down 9, week two down 3, week 3 down 1 and week 4 down 5. Every week after that down around 3 pounds until it was gone by end of January.

Been in maintenance since then (around 29 months).

I go back to phase 1 constantly. I gain 10 pounds like its nothing.

The scale does not tell the whole story. Weight loss is a process and there are times when our bodies need time to make adjustments. That work might be happening around wi time. Nonetheless, the loss you have earned this week will show up on the scale soon.

In fact it already is -- 2 inches!

Hang in there!

Splenda "shouldn't" be a big issue. I just try to avoid things like that if possible.
I'd put more thought into exercise More days per week and ensuring at least 96oz of water as well as the bowel stuff and other suggestions given.

my distrust of artificial sweeteners probably has no real scientific basis.

Your distrust of artificial sweeteners does have scientific basis. Read about some of their side effects,

Stevia = natural. From a plant...try chewing one of its leaves and you'll see!

For me my daily routine is as follows, see if it may help you
B: 7am restricted item
L: 12pm packet with 2 cups veggies
D: 6:30pm 6-8oz protein with 2 cups veggies
S: 8:30-9pm and usually a drink packet