Hey guys!
So, first off, I've been on IP for a week a couple of days and already dropped like 4 pounds! Which is super exciting!

I explained IP to some people and I got yelled at, they said "ketosis will kill you". Obviously, anytime anyone says something can kill me I freak out but IP seems like a pretty reputable program and I am really enjoying my results. Even my doctor is on it!

So I was just wondering if anyone has heard comments like this before, and where its coming from? Thanks!

It's caused by people knowing too little about too much. Basically, the majority of people confuse it with the diabetic state of ketoacidosis, which CAN kill you if you're a diabetic.

Ketosis itself is simply using the body's own fat store as a source of food, instead of eating carbs and excess fats. Yes, there are associated side effects with long term ketosis, but if you're generally healthy and following good medical advice (aka following the instructions on which vitamins, minerals and assorted supplements to take) and common sense (ie asking questions when you don't feel right) you should be fine.

The longer you are on a ketotic diet the more people will comment. This is for a couple of reasons:-

1. They are jealous that you are losing weight so easily and so quickly
2. Most people start to develop a gaunt look the longer they are in ketosis. This is because the fat is taken from the easiest areas first - like the face and boobs. As you reintroduce carbs back into the diet, this hollowed out look disappears and you "fluff" up in the face, boobs and limbs.

Seriously, if ketosis could kill you then how do we have lots of IP veterans who have been on this forum for 5+ years? Not to mention multiple running associations and diet groups advocating low carbing lifestyles.

Yup, what Briael said. Don't feel like you have to defend the program or even explain it to them. Sometimes people are jerks and like Briael said - JEALOUS. IP is perfectly safe as long as you're healthy and you'll soon be feeling better than you've ever felt. You know what they say about opinions... :P

I just wanted to add that you should never go below 850 calories per day. This is the absolute minimum that is safe for you to be on for longer than a month.

IP works because we should be hitting that target IF we are following the diet as expected - having a restricted item, with your healthy oils, the milk allowance for your morning coffee/tea, water additives or splenda/stevia, all your protein and veggies and supplements.

A few people reach the stage where they feel they will lose faster and more efficiently by cutting out the required foods. This can cause problems with both underlying health (hormone irregularity, feeling unwell, lack of energy) and with stalled weight loss.

As you come close to your goal weight you may start seeing issues crop up that you don't like. Having a goal weight in mind is great, but be prepared to listen to your body and believe your eyes when you are your personal optimal weight. Many of us aim far too low - either as social conditioning by media or believing that a post-teen woman can step back into the body of a student. Have goals, but make them realistic ones that you can actually LIVE with once the weight loss phase is over.

I am actually 23, one of the youngest at my local IP so I am a student lol
But I have diabetes and health disease in my family that I need to keep myself away from. Which is why I need to get back to my "optimal" weight because I am way over that right now

Thank you!

Do you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes? Are you on the alternative protocol mrinaliniv02?

No I don't have diabetes at all, but it might creep up on me if I'm not safe! Im on the normal protocol

Being fat will kill you too.

I couldn't agree with you more I found myself falling into this thought pattern I changed my goal to be lower and now that I'm there I wanted to go lower still, so I had a long talk with myself and we agree that it's enough of a loss and I need to maintain. I think it is the fear of gaining and those extra pounds lost gives a sort of safety zone, but in the end it is what looks and feels healthy

Arobed I am also 5'7" and went through the exact same thing - I still struggle just a little with it actually, but am finding my way. 149 feels "right" to my body dysmorphic mind, but 160 is where my body wants to be - 155 is the low end where I start to look gaunt. I have made it down to 149 but my body was very cross with me then. When I have the right amount of muscle 160 is about right.

This is the part that most people don't think down to. We are obsessed with a number, rather than understanding the underlying composition of the body and the role it plays in the actual weight we achieve.

Muscle is heavier than fat. However, it is also much, much smaller. So, that ultra-slender athlete you see on the field or at the track? Probably weighs a lot more than you think.

Media indoctrination is scary. It's teaching girls that eating a small amount of junk food and reaching a caloric intake will give them the perfect body is absolute nonsense. What it will do is make them skinny in body, but unhealthy and with the composition of a much older, less functionally healthy person.

Basic rule ... once you are in a comfortable weight range (and yes, that is what we should be aiming for, not just A number) it's time to focus on reducing the body fact percentage and "sculpting" the body you want by building the underlying muscle structure. This is so much harder than losing weight, both in terms of effort and, more importantly, time.

I saw the comment above that fat is unhealthy, too. Well, it depends which medical science you want to use as a frame of reference. I've seen two Universities (one in the UK, one here in the US) put out research documentation that it's possible for overweight people to be healthier than those who are at a normal bodyweight for their height AND age. The reason? It's to do with WHAT they eat, not how much or how little. Someone who is eating too much of the healthy kind of food may gain weight and it will get stored as fat in the same way as someone eating junk food, but they are not raising cholesterol or blood pressure and, if they are exercising or moderately active, this is not so harmful as a skinny person eating a low calorie, low density diet of fat, carbs and salt. So, choose your poison. If you find it hard to get into the IP mindset, start slowly with eating healthy food. Gradually, as the addiction to carbs and fats reduces, you can make a switch to IP's protocols and slowly work your way down to "hardcore" mode.

Not to be nit-picky, but the statement that muscle is heavier than fat gets quoted a lot, and it's wrong. 1 pound of muscle weighs the same as 1 pound of fat. It's more correct to say "1 lb of muscle is more dense than 1 lb of fat, so it takes up less space."

So two women who are the same height, weight, and bone density can wear different sized clothes, depending on their body fat percentage.

Just putting that out there because I'm a stickler for accuracy.

Yep, you're right. A lb is a lb is a lb, doesn't matter of what.