He's been so impressed with how the diet's worked for me (14 pounds lost in 4 weeks so far), he wants to try it out himself. Now, this is a middle-aged man who's always been BELOW the bell curve on the weights chart--6'2" and 155 pounds in his prime, a little shorter now, 30 pounds heavier and MUCH thicker around the waist. That article about the danger of middle fat in middle age was a wake-up call for him. So as of tomorrow it's IP for the both of us.

We can't afford to both be on IP, so I was thrilled to find the Proti-thin foods on Nashua Nutrition (big thanks again to whoever linked to that) and I've made my order this morning. I also have extra vitamins, etc. from Puritan Pride, so we're okay there.

The one thing I'd like to get hold of is that chart that tells you where to take measurements. I know I've seen it somewhere, but I can't seem to dig it up. Any leads?

Wish us luck. He teaches, and is a little anxious about having headaches in class, or having to run to the rest room when he is using all his time between classes to run back and forth between buildings. But I know the feeling of finally getting rid of that blubber is going to make everything else seem inconsequential.

It's my birthday today (DON'T ASK!) and I had lobster for dinner and two servings of vegetable medley instead of the corn, and a huge salad plate at Charlie Brown's and NO WINE. Never in a million years thought I could do that, but it was fine.

Love love love this diet, I can't begin to tell you how much. Wish us luck!

Midlife Meggie,
Good luck to your husband! He has you as a shining example!! Good job in your first 4 weeks. He'll feel so much better! How wonderful for the two of you!

I think it is great to get your husband involved! Mine joined me after I was on the diet for just over a week. He has lost twenty lbs so far and is loving this diet as well. We are doing an alternative IP without the IP foods and have enjoyed putting together healthy low carb, low fat meals together. we keep each other on track when the urge to cheat hits. We've also enjoyed having more energy and getting rid of our "fat" clothes together.
The only dowsed I have seen is that I eat quite a bit less than he does and he loses weight faster. He is much more muscular than I am and I have to keep reminding myself that muscle burns much more fat.

If his experience is like mine, he'll be very pleased with how well it works. Men lose faster (I've averaged about 25 lbs. per month!), so he should see good results right away. I know there are a couple of other guys who post here, and maybe they can chime in, but I never experienced major headaches, or severe crankiness. It took me about 3 days to get into ketosis, and that third day was challenging for sure, but once I was in ketosis my energy levels went way up! Good luck to both of you!

Men are so funny. I told him to stand up straight so I could take his picture in profile. Immediately they suck in their tummies and puff up their chests, as if they could somehow move the fat upwards a few feet. No, I told him, just stand normally. Don't slouch. Don't pretend you're trying to be Mr. Atlas. This is a Before Picture.

I think women invariably think they are fatter than they are and men think they are thinner. Go figure.

C'mon! Guys know that if we suck it in just right, we can move the fat around so that it looks like muscle. Or maybe that was before my six pack turned into a keg!

DH is on Day 5 and starving. He actually felt fine the first four days, but today is killing him, with lightheadedness, hunger and cravings for sweets. Now, this is a teacher on summer break who spends most of his time lying on the bed watching British murder mysteries on his laptop--IOW, his activity level is LOW. Could this be the reason for the delayed reaction--he's still burning up his glycogen reserves and not in ketosis yet? He's already lost about 4 pounds and is very happy with that. I gave him an extra packet this afternoon, which he says helped some. Also, since we are doing IP alternatives somewhat with him, he is getting one Pure Protein bar every evening (my coach allowed 1 restricted item per day from day one), and he is really addicted to the "sweet" in it.

Any suggestions or comments welcome! Thanks.

Do you mind posting the link here? Not sure where you saw it. I have a girlfriend who wants to go on the IP diet and can't afford it. This might be just the ticket! Happy birthday, Meggie, and thx in advance! Great job on holding steady while out celebrating.

It's right up top. http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/idea...deas-tips.html. I am buying some Proti-Thin stuff from Nashua Nutrition http://www.nashuanutrition.com/store/index.php(but do not get their meal replacement drinks--they have fructose and way too many carbs) and the RTD shakes from New Lifestyle (http://www.newlifestylediet.com.) I also buy roasted soybeans at my local Whole Foods, as they are exactly the same as the ones IP sells--1/3 c. = 1 packet of soybeans.

Good luck to your friend. I am on IP with a coach, but we just couldn't swing it financially for us both to be on it.

I think the protocol for men is different. A friend who did the program with her husband mentioned something to me about that. We'll need to get one of the guys who post here to confirm. Paging salesgod!! Paging Josh!!

If he's having cravings he's probably not getting enough protein. If all he's having is the 3 packets + 1 meat/fish protein + veggies etc, he won't be overloading on carbs. What is the meat/fish portion he's having? s it the 5/7 oz on your sheet? If so, try increasing the portion size by 2 oz. He might also look at adding more olive oil, and/or a couple of eggs.

Let him figure out what the right balance of packets is for him, probably keeping to 1 higher carb packet/day. My week 1 information pages said to have up to 5 per day if I needed it.

Hope that helps.

my DH needed 5 packets per day and eventually just had to "start" with Phase II for his Phase I. He has a LOT of muscle mass and was crashing HARD every 2 hours or so. After about 4 weeks, he was finally able to back off into Phase I. I think this is a lot different for men, especially if they carry a lot of muscle and have a high metabolism. But I do think the secret is to stick to another IP packet or a can of tuna, etc. So the carbs still stay below 30-40 each day. The other bars seem to be higher in carbs and/or calories and slowed things down for him.

Thanks so much, Meggie. I'm going to pass your post on to her. She's going to be thrilled!

this Proti-thin foods...is this the same as IP?

SOME of them are identical. But watch out-check the ingredients first. I made a mistake thinking their "meal replacement drinks" were RTDs, but they turned out to be not only powder but full of fructose, very high carbs. So I had to send them back, and there's a 25% restocking fee and with the return shipping I lost a bundle. My fault. Buyer be forewarned.

My doc recommended that daily protein intake should be half of ideal body weight. Since my ideal weight is 210, my protein intake should be about 105g/day. I get there with 4 packets plus my dinner protein. I stayed away from restricteds for the first 3.5 weeks.

I'd say get him off the pure protein bars (they're higher in carbs than the IP bars, have more calories, etc.). If he's hungry or crashing, add another packet, making sure to choose the lower carb packets -- Raspberry Jelly might be good b/c it's one of the sweet ones and only has 2 carbs but 20g protein. Or go with the omelet. Scramble it up with 1/2 oz. of lean ham and cover it with hot sauce. I've found hot sauce (Cholula, Tabasco, Frank's Red Hot, etc.) eases hunger, as does consuming something warm. I don't like the puddings, but they're some of the best for most protein, fewest carbs.

Most of all, add water. I drink AT LEAST 96 oz. per day, and it's usually closer to a gallon. Make sure he's getting all of his salt as well.

(My apologies for not responding to "my page" quicker)