Yes! It's very important to remember this. IP works wonderfully, but as any diet you're not going to lose 100 pounds in three months; it's just not healthy for your body. I'm giving myself a year to get down to around 150 (took me two years to gain 90 pounds so I think that's a fair estimate). Just keep plugging along and remember that every pound is a success!

Hi Everyone! Day 5!

So I ended up not going to the concert, but we went to a BAR. I originally ordered a Coke Zero, but they were out, so I had water. I figure the universe knew I needed water! My friend ordered fried okra. And I sat there with my water . It wasn't bad though. I ate my bar before going in, but we stayed out pretty late. I was hungry again when I got home and grabbed a piece of chicken breast when I got home. It was probably 6oz. So I technically wasn't on protocol, but I'm hoping that won't affect anything.

I feel smaller. I was tempted to get on the scale, but I'm holding off until Monday. I didn't poop yesterday, so I'm going to try to get in more spinach. Do any of the veggies in particular seem to get things moving for you ladies?

This morning I had the chocolate ready to drink. Wishing it was more than 8oz. I just made a snack- some cucumber salad that was amazing. I basically diced cucumbers and used them as I would tomatoes. I added onion, cilantro, lemon, salt, pepper, and garlic. I ate it with half a pack of garlic and herb crisps, so I'll have that again tonight. I'm planning on having the chili for lunch with lots of mushrooms and bell pepper.

That bar hop on water is an Non Scale Victory! And I think the choice of chicken when you were dealing with the hangries was a good choice. As you get some time in on Phase 1, you will find those episodes to happen much less often.

I think taking the cal magnesium supplement is a biggie, along with plenty of water, to keep things moving.....

your cuke combination sounds yummy and very OP!! I hope your Monday WI is all that you are wanting it to be!!

If things still seem plugged up after awhile, there is a tea called "Smooth Move" that helps a lot of people out. I'm not sure if there are any veggies in particular that will help, sorry

Happy Friday!

Today was WI day and I love the scale at IP a whole lot more than my scale at home!! Down 8 lbs and 6" my first week! Pretty stoked. I have dieted before but was always really bad for taking measurements so I think I am more excited about those numbers.

Forgot to post a little snippet about myself in my first post. I am 37, married with twin 4 yo girls, living in the frozen tundra of Canada (was -33 C today!). my best friend had tried IP a couple of months ago and after my doctor recommended it I am now OP. My niece is getting married in September and my goal is to fit into an adorable dress I found (they don't sell plus sizes).

Beaka - yay for avoiding the bar snacks! You have some amazing willpower!

That's awesome! Congrats!

So maybe you all can provide some insight...the one thing about this diet that I have trouble with is measuring the protein for dinner. IP protocol says to weigh meat raw since it loses ounces when cooked. The challenge is when I'm not starting with raw meat (cooked chicken at the salad bar, pre-cooked chicken sausages etc). How do I handle that? Do I just guestimate cooked protein will be around 6 oz? I'm also bad at eyeballing things so the whole "deck of cards is 4oz" rule doesn't work for me.

Day 6 - Went from 152 to 146.4. Wow! So exciting! I definitely didn't expect to lose that much.

Beaka: A lot of people recommend the "Smooth Move" tea but that should be a last resort. It is a stimulant laxative meaning it forces your bowels to move. Over time they become dependent on it and you will eventually have a more difficult time going unless you use more and more.

Miralax is a better alternative because it pulls water into the colon and softens your BM's.

Also, for some people, spinach doesn't help them "go" because it contains a lot of iron. I've found cucumbers and zucchini have a lot of water content so they're helpful.

You're doing great!

Hi everybody! Second week was worst that the first, only 1.2 pounds lost. My two-week total for starting 80 pounds overweight is 4.8 pounds and 1.5 inches. The coach checked my journal and thinks my body is hanging on to everything I give it because I'm eating too little. This week I'm supposed to eat a restricted everyday (I hate that idea - I've been doing 3/week), have them in the morning, and make sure I stay below 120 on the glycemic index, but aim for 100 (not 63 like some days) as well as no longer allowed to use the unlimited cucumbers and raw spinach in my 4 cups a day - I can have them - but can't count them in adding up to my 4 cups as I do. We'll see. The coach said she was like me with the Type A personality and trying to work the program and was a very slow loser, so she stopped stressing and just did the max allowed and started losing more. We'll see. That and I start using the Calm magnesium thing to help me be more regular (gracious that would be fantastic!)

Best wishes to everyone!

Hi Greyfaery - thank you for sharing. We are glad you are here. This is the right place.

Get the vanilla crispy square.... It's not restricted and seriously tastes like a rice crispy treat!

Kayweigt

I did IP in 2011, I did not cheat once and my average over the long haul was 1.8lbs/week. I am post meno & hypothyroid and could not lose anything until I tried IP. SO, stay with it. I am back at it, because I gained back all that I lost & then some . But it's a New Year.

Happy Saturday!

So. I am not a vegetable lover. But I am pushing myself out of my comfort zone this week and found that I seriously love turnip fries and kale chips! Can't wait to try turnips in other ways. They really remind me of sweet potatoes. I had tried the cauliflower breadsticks and they were an epic fail! Cauliflower is suddenly super expensive here so when it comes down again I will have to experiment some more. What is your favorite way to prepare veggies?

Another freeeeeezing cold day here again today. Did a little science experiment with my girls. Took boiling water and threw it into the air to watch it dissipate into nothing but fog. They thought it was super cool. I was super thankful to get back inside!

Kayweight - slow and steady wins the race right?! I know it is super frustrating to not get the number you were hoping for but those numbers are going DOWN! I have a question, are you not eating your restricted foods everyday? My IP coach told me that the restricted foods are not optional. Not sure if your situation is different.

Greyfaery - I know you said you had trouble eyeballing food weight but I was told that the size of your palm is equal to 3 oz and your fist 6 oz. figured this might be a bit easier because you have your hand right there to judge against.

Pamela78- Glad you find something you like! I need to try turnip fries too. I loved rutabaga fries but they are now a 2x/week vegetable In 2014 they weren't so I definitely need to find a substitute. I think the beauty about this diet is finding ways to make vegetables taste good without frying, adding fattening ingredients etc. At first it's mandatory and then you just get used to it. There are tons of different recipes online and I found that one of my favorites is cabbage "garlic bread." It's basically big bits of cabbage with oil, salt and garlic that is roasted. Tastes sooo good. Buffalo cauliflower is really good too, especially with WF blue cheese.

That water experiment sounds really neat. Usually it's freezing here in Vermont but we are having a very strange winter. Yesterday it was almost 40 degrees and raining. I think the snowmobilers are not happy at all!