Someone was interested in help with veggies... I just posted a couple of ideas for zucchini in the Sticky Recipes area. Ü

welcome, Josh!

vallygirl, try steaming your veggies in fat free chicken or beef broth with all your seasonings. 100% improvement on steaming in water. And only 5 cals, less than 1 carb per cup. This also improves the taste of the soups.

Found out about IP from this site, but I'm doing it independently, with no coach. I am 46.

Hi everyone..cool to see so many new people on this forum. The news of this diet must really be spreading. I am certainly happy with it. I lost 4 lbs this week so that makes 21 lbs in 6 1/2 weeks. Last week I lost more inches than pounds, and this week I lost more pounds than inches. Not sure how that works out, but as long as it's a loss somewhere I'm happy! Thanks for all the sharing.

thanks Princass, you nailed it when you said think about New Years and not losing the weight. You just made the decision for me.

I had my first week weigh in yesterday and lost 5.5lbs - I'm so happy. Getting weighed and measured really helped with my motivation and things seem to be easier this week. I even went out for lunch today - had a sald with grilled chicken breast - it was really good - might be because I didn't have to cook it.

So many great stories on this site - I just love hearing from all of you regarding your progress, challenges and solutions. Keep it up!

So if you go out for lunch, what do you do for dinner, just have a soup or pudding or something?

I've seen some posts about using coconut oil? I looked at hte label and didn't notice much difference between that and other oils? Does anyone know why coconut oil is recommended?

Hi everyone! I started IP on Friday October 30/09. I'm 49 years old. As far as how I heard about IP, I basically opened the phonebook and saw their ad. IP's main office is in Gatineau, Quebec and that's where I go.
First weigh in tomorrow after work. So far the first week has been pretty good. I love the oatmeal, that's what I have every morning, the omelet is very good also, that's what I've been having for lunch. What do you guys have for lunch. Breakfast & supper no problems, but lunches at work ????

I made cauliflower "mashed potatoes" tonight to go with my 5 oz of turkey breast. I used to make it all the time, but used cream or milk and butter. Well, this time I used butter spray, sea salt, ground pepper and a tiny tad of fat free half and half. It was really good. I could have it every night! Made me feel like I was having something really special! LOL!

hi there ~

coconut oil - our coaches sell it at there office and we were told by IP worker to use coconut oil for frying and Olive oil for salads etc. i asked why and was told that olive oil goes rancid when heated above a certain temperature...i posted this before and many disagreed, but this is def what we were told....

alcohol - i had a "planned" cheat weekend this past weekend and the nature of my cheat was mainly with alcohol. the decision is based on how worth it is to you. i had been on diet 6 weeks already, never cheated once. had a family wedding event planned long time ago. i decided it was worth it and that the occasion would be more fun with a few drinks. i followed advice i was given and went off for the weekend (sat and sun) but immediately resumed on monday. i did not go "overboard" at all on food. so i did not lose any that week, but i did not gain. it is not like WW where you are allowed an occasional drink!! darn...but i need to do what keeps me going on the diet and christmas will be my next day off...and yes i will have a few drinks then too! but i could not justify losing a weeks work unless it was a very important occasion...

torchlaker - no issues getting back on. never really felt like i went off being such a short time. it felt good to just kick back and have an evening of enjoyment and felt it was kind of a reward for good effort. its all in the mindset i guess, i would not have chanced going off if i didnt know 100% sure that i wanted to be on this diet...

I cheated 2 weekends ago, had a few drinks, and **gasp** stopped for Taco John's afterwards in a moment of weakness. (I think that's the greatest risk as far as the diet is concerned) I still lost though...5.6 lbs. Although the week before that I only lost 1 lbs. So...it averaged out ok.

Wondering what everyone has lost at each weigh in? Mine have seemed to vary A LOT:

Week 1 - 10 lbs
Week 2 - 5.8 lbs
Week 3 - 1 lbs
Week 4 - 5.6 lbs (this was after my cheat)
Week 5 - tomorrow morning...I don't anticipate a lot, if any. I've been so good avoiding my daughter's Halloween candy all evening, but I wake up in the middle of the night (to use the restroom) and zombie walk to the kitchen. Any other night-eaters? Any hints for that? (I did good last night - I was tempted - but went straight back to bed!)

hi everyone! I weighed in again today and lost another 4 pounds so that makes almost 21 in four weeks. News like that makes the strugles worth it. I tried weight watchers and never lost more than 2 lbs a week no matter how hard I treid or how much I exercised. This program works for me because I really don't have to THINK about food as much so I don't get the carvings or frustrations as bad. I'm not sure where to go to find these recipe posts so if someone could help me with that it would be great.

SandraB: I had a piece of pumpkin pie last week (oops) and suffered no ill effects either. Just really had a problem with that one weekend. I thought I had taken enough IP products with me, but I ran out!!

I really hate to put when I started IP -- because I actually started cutting back on my own August 1st. I KNEW what IP entailed, and I was worried I wouldn't be able to give up diet pop and OJ....I actually have lost 24# in 9 weeks on IP...so I am averaging a bit less than 3# a week. It would be faster if I didn't have 2 restricted a day...but that is what gets me thru...and my choice, I guess.

I was never told we could have coconut oil. I have just used olive oil for everything...but not going over 2 T. a day (I was told that was my limit). I take the IP supplements. GNC is a 45 minute drive for me....The multi is about what I was spending on a multi anyhow. I was told by doc this week that I am deficient in D-3. I have been taking 1000uts a day, and she wants me to bump it up to 3000uts. I guess nearly everyone up here in upper Michigan is D-3 deficient (we don't get much sun in the winter...and there sure hasn't been any this fall).

I heard about IP from my doctors nurse. She had told me they were researching a diet last year. When she said I had to buy the products from them, I kinda forgot about it. Been thru that with 2 other diets and everything tasted like *&^&. When I went in to see doc about something else, I heard some girls in the waiting room talking about IP. One gal had had bariatric surgery and had gained some back. She said she was losing as fast as she did after the surgery. I spent the next month researching it (everyone was trying to talk me OUT of it because of the expense). I still hate the expense, but it IS working for me. I think the weekly weighins and personal coaching really help me.

PrinCass: Boy, I never thought about that. Wouldn't it be amazing to NOT say on New Years Eve that I had to lose weight? Gosh, with some luck, I should be at goal by then. BUT I suppose it is like smoking (yeah, I still smoke)....There is really no good time to quit, is there?

Right now, I am not entirely certain what I will do for the holidays. I will be staying at 2 different sisterinlaws, and with my son....and will be gone about 3 weeks. I have not yet cheated with alcohol (and that was tough because nearly everyone on our weekend was having wine in the evening), so I don't know how that would affect me. I bought a pina colada drink but haven't tried it yet cuz I KNOW I would want rum in it.

Thanks for your input about the alcohol....sandrab and ukandewit....I hate it that this get together is before I even finish 2 weeks! But I know myself and I will be able to eat okay...they have already planned the menus around me, but I won't be able to sit there and not have some wine. Hopefully, I will practice moderation. and won't gain anything. Then I'll have 3 weeks before thanksgiving.

Torchlaker...what do you mean by 2 restricted each day?