Ok, hear me out . . .

I have been off IP more than I have been on. A little cheat here, a little tweak there, and now I am here - still 10 pounds from my goal.

I have lost the motivation to be on IP. It is so restrictive and I find it feels "incompatible" with my life on the weekends and so I blow it. Now, that said, I have maintained a reduced calorie and reduced carbohydrate approach.

If i look honestly, I think I must have been underestimating my caloric intake and that is contributing to my "stall" (if one can call it that). I do struggle to eat at the 1200 calorie day range i was striving for (let alone the 900 on IP!!!). So, I can see this is an area which I struggle and in which the rigidity of IP will be beneficial (so I do not eat too many calories).

So, my question is this:

If I start anew, Day 1, Phase 1, will I see a significant loss/drop in that first week (or first several weeks)? Or, since I am already low carb, will I not see those type of results?

I am really looking for thoughtful responses (and not lots of comments about the dangers of cheats etc. -- believe me, I know them well!!). In particular, if there is anyone who is similar in stats (started at a healthy BMI but wanted to lose 20 and is now to the "final 10"), I would love to know your experience!!

I am, obviously, struggling to find my motivation and discipline . . . thanks in advance to all for reading this with an open mind =)

Hi there,

We can't really say if you'd lose or not. My guess is that you would, but I can't dare to promise you that since everybody reacts to a certain diet differently.

All I know is about my experience, I tried many diets before and this worked best for me.

The diet I was on just before this one was the biggest loser's one, where I bought the BL agenda, counted my calories and exercised with Jillian on a DVD, all it did to me was getting me exhausted and only losing 2 pounds a months.

I advise you to try and see what would work for you.

Best of luck.

It sounds like you should be on a different plan. I would recommend calorie counting, because it's free, easy, and it can fit your lifestyle. Really, what's the point of picking a plan that you only stay on less than half the time?

I do not know the answer, especially from experience, but my guess would be that no, you won't see the dramatic loss like you did in week 1 because your body is pretty accustomed to low carb. But I still think you would have a loss, just not a HUGE one.

However, if you were to have a "normal" eating week, or what you could call a "cheat week" and then went onto P1 day 1 (and stayed P1 for a week), I would think you would have a big loss.

That is just my opinion, like I said, I can't speak from experience. One thing that I do notice though is when I eat restricted and then take them away for a couple of days, I see fairly decent drop (in the 1-2 pound range).

I don't think you'd have a big loss because you would probably gain during the normal week wouldn't you?

Well, I don't think I would gain if I had a reasonable diet -- at at or below my maintenance level calories and didn't do so many carbs as to replenish depleted glycogen stores, but that's just my guess . . .

I think you need to be 100% committed or not. not something in between. I think you will see a lose if you phase one it... prob not as much as when you started week 1 cause you are ONLY 10lbs from where you want to be. If I were you I would be dedicated and disciplined for 4 weeks and then you have THE REST OF YOUR LIFE to maintain and have your weekend fun and good carbs daily!

I have had no success with "regular" diets all my life because I am gluten intolerant and also PCOS. This plan is fantastic for me. But if you can lose weight at a reasonable rate on something such as WW, then I don't see why anyone would need to go so restrictive and to such expense as IP. We are all different, this plan is best for those who need an "unbalanced" plan. As leganeagan said there is no half way with this. You are either in it or you are not. If you are one who really needs this approach it does not seem restrictive because the stuff you have to avoid makes you feel pretty blah.

Very true...

I agree, if I could lose weight with a more "traditional" diet, be it WW or JC or calorie counting, I wouldn't do IP. It is very restrictive and expensive. However, I have tried everything in the past and have not gotten the results I wanted, so here I am. I wish I could lose weight on WW, life would be much easier and I wouldn't feel so deprived...

This might help....

A friend of mine has been doing her own low carb/exercise combination and has lost about 90lbs in just over a year. She had 16lbs left to go when she started IP almost 2 weeks ago. Her first week loss on IP was 4lbs.
That said, she was eating whole grains and the occassional fruit smoothies prior to IP...it's possible cutting these out contributed to this initial loss.

she has her 2nd weigh in on Wednesday...as of this morning, she said that she hasn't changed from her last weigh in, so she may have a small (or zero) loss this week.

I have no idea what these results mean (and to be honest she isn't overly upset about it, as long as she is OK with it, so am I) - but maybe it will help you??

I just had a thought. Have you thought about moving to P2 & P3? I know some people have continued to lose through P3 and at least you are having some carbs back. And I have heard that the big breakfast really fills you up. You might feel more motivated if you were moving through the phases.

Also, another idea, what about doing the "alternative" plan, the one they offer to diabetics? I believe on that plan, you follow P1, but with the addition of 1 dairy, 1 fruit and 1 carb per day. You will still lose weight, just a little bit slower. If you think it would fit more with your lifestyle and would be ok with losing a little slower, this could work for you. It is certainly a bit more "livable"

Just a couple of thoughts I had that might help you out and keep in the IP way until you reach your goal.

You are not the first person who started this diet with a smaller amount to lose and a near normal or high normal bmi who has struggled. I am sorry about that.

To answer your question, it depends on what you are cheating with and if you have allergies whether or not you will have a big "renewal week 1". That is because so much of the week 1 weight loss is fluid volume. If you are low enough carb you may be out of ketosis but not retaining a large amount of fluid or glycogen. If you have allergies or are eating a lot of carbs on the cheat days, yes, you could lose a few extra pounds. If it is from alcohol only you are stalling out, no, probably not a big week in store.

It just depends on you and the way your diet is right now.


When you are so close to a normal bmi and ideal body fat for you, your body will be much slower about giving up fat that might be essential.

If you are physically very active and in this range, it might become more of a challenge.

If you think it is just food volume, add more protein.

Is it variety? What are you missing or trying to put back in on the weekend? We might be able to get you some fixes to get you through to the end.

I would keep in mind if you choose to do the alternate phase 1 you WILL NOT be in ketosis and you will likely have back cravings. Many people will lose still, because of low calories and finding they can stick to it with the little bit of extra variety.

Maybe you are at a good weight for your body and dont really need to lose any more. Some people seem to have a weight their body settles at, and it doesnt budge much below it.

I am wondering, after looking at your height and weight, are you sure you aren't right where you are supposed to be.

If you are a large or even medium frame women OR an athletic and musclar women you would be great between 140 and 150 at 5'7.

I think you might need to find someone to do a dunk test or a caliper test (7 point or more would be best) to see where your body fat is. My guess is you are much closer to done than you think and that is part of why this is becoming such a challenge.