Weigh-In #1

This morning was my first weigh-in. I had successfully completed a week on Ideal Protein and it was tough. Over the last week I've had a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the the other and all they've done is bicker! It was annoying. However, the angel always won. I did not give in to the temptation to cheat and my first week results showed it!

6 lbs gone! Adios! C'ya! Arrivederchi! Peace out! Don't let the door hit cha on the way out!

Seeing that I've been able to get through a week without cheating gives me the confidence that I can make it another week.

This weekend was busy. I picked up a box of Ketostix on Friday from Hy Vee Drugstore (ask the pharmacist). Guess who was in ketosis?? This girl!

Also this weekend I experimented with omelets! I had four omelets as meals - dinner Friday, breakfast Saturday, breakfast Sunday, and dinner Sunday. That's alot of omelets huh?

Here's a few I made....

 Wild Salmon Omelet

Calories: 303, Carbs: 2, Fat: 12, Protein: 40, Fiber 1, Sodium: 422

Ground Turkey Omelet

Calories: 356, Carbs: 1, Fat: 16, Protein: 42, Fiber: 0, Sodium: 230

This weekend was beautiful in Marion, IA. The windows were open, the birds were chirping, the kids were playing and laughing outside, and the dog was all over the place eatin grass and digging up my hastas. Because it was so nice, I took the opportunity to do some work outside and be active. It felt great! It's pretty amazing how you can feel so good and have so much energy and only be eating <800 calories a day. 

Unfortunately, this weather is short lived and it's supposed to rain all week. Maybe I'll have the energy to spring clean??

Overall I can't complain about the last 7 days. My next weigh-in is Monday, May 6th. 

Onward and upward!

~Andrea

RAWR!

RAWR!! This is how I've felt the last couple days! Come too close and I might bite cha! (Sorry Dad)

This diet is making me very irritable and I've had headaches off and on for the last 2 days. Today it is alot better. The headache is gone and I don't feel like biting anyone's head off. That's not part of the diet, right?

Anyways, I have a couple theories of why this could be happening....

• Theory #1 - Caffeine withdrawals. Before starting IP I would sometimes drink up to 5 sodas a day. Saturday was my last soda meaning it's been 5 days. On the flip said, I've been drinking Mio Energy which has caffeine and it has been 5 days. 
• Theory #2 - It was that time of the month. Usually I get a headache or migraine the day of or day before mother nature comes a knockin'. On the flip side, the headaches were on day 3 and 4 of my monthly visit and didn't seem like the headaches I'm used to. 
• Theory #3 - Ketosis, which is due to the sudden drop of carbohydrates that forces the body to use the fat deposits which is the whole goal of Ideal Protein. On the flip side, from what I've read, this can take up to a week. And according to the other signs of ketosis, I don't feel like I have those...yet. 

Well whatever the cause may be, I'm glad the headache is gone today. Through my research, alot of people use Ketostix which is a way to test if you're in Ketosis. Apparently, you can pick these up at a pharmacy such as CVS, Walgreens, or Walmart. Maybe I'll give em a try.

Four more days until weigh in #1!

~Andrea

Day 1

Yesterday was Day 1 on IP and I would have to say it was successful. I took all the vitamins (10 total) which are spread out three times a day, I drank well over 64 oz of water, and I followed the diet to a 'T'.

This is what an average day will consist of (the packets flavors will very).....

Breakfast: Vitamins and the IP Packet, Chocolate Shake.
Lunch: Vitamins and the IP Packet, Broccoli and Cheese Soup + 2 cups of broccoli w/ sea salt.
Afternoon Snack: 1\3 IP Packet, Dill Pickle Zippers (*this meal is only allowed the first couple days on IP)
Dinner: 8 oz ribeye w/ sea salt and pepper + 2 cups of asparagus in olive oil.
Night snack: IP Packet, Chocolate Pudding.

Basically you have 3 IP packets a day while in Phase 1. These can be things such as shakes, puddings, soups, omelets, bars, puffs, etc. You are in Phase 1 until you hit 90% of your weight goal. For me, this would be 63 lbs.

Lunch yesterday was a little difficult for me. I actually put the broccoli in the soup to make it thicker and I could barely eat the entire thing. I was soooo full however, I made it happen afraid that if I didn't, it would be hurtful to the process. I plan on speaking to my coach about this.

I told myself I was going to put my scale away and just surprise myself when I have my official weigh-in at RVC but everyone knows I'm not good with surprises so I jumped on the scale this morning. Believe it or not, I was 3 lbs down from yesterday! I'm telling myself that it's my body coming down from the sodium party I had last weekend plus all the water I drank yesterday but we'll see! Only time will tell!

On to Day 2....
~Andrea

Day 1, 4/22/13

Last Hurrah!

This weekend, I had my last hurrah! I ate my favorite things...and some.

Friday for lunch I stopped at Milios. I had a skinny godfather with mayo, chips, and a cookie. For dinner, Bryce wanted Carlos O'Kelly's so I had chips and queso and the Fajita Cheese Crisp.

Saturday, my dad took me to Granite City, my favorite. I had my Asian Chicken Salad and a cup of their Cheddar Ale Soup. Dinner I ordered in from Tings where I got Mongolian Beef, egg fried rice, and crab meat rangoons.

Sunday wasn't as crazy. Bryce wanted breakfast so we did an early dinner at Perkins. I had the Eggs Benedict with pancakes.

I'm satisfied. Was it worth it? Partially. I'm glad I got my cravings out of the way however I was up 1.2 lbs on my scale which means my beginning weight at RVC will be up as well. Hopefully that 1.2 lbs will slide back off.

This weekend I prepared my house for starting IP today. I cleaned out my pantry, freezer, and refrigerator and removed pretty much everything so there would be zero temptation to cheat. The only way I'm cheating is if I'm going to eat condiments! Haha!

Today is day 1. I've had my first round of vitamins, had my breakfast (chocolate shake) and drank 24 oz of water. Feeling good and not hungry. Tonight I'm going to take my before pictures. I've been back and forth with this because I hate pictures of myself but I've seen people's before and after shots and they are amazing. I want my story to be amazing also...

....and it will!
~Andrea

Consultation

Yesterday I had my consultation at the chiropractor office I'm doing IP through. My consult was with the chiropractors wife who runs the IP program. Wednesday night I actually went to Mercycare in Marion, IA for their informational meeting. They were also running a special that if you signed up after the informational session, they would take 50% off the consult fee of $150. This sounded good to me. However, after the informational session I felt like River Valley Chiro in Cedar Rapids, IA was a better fit for me. RVC seems really family oriented and more personal. They also 'coach' you. Shelley, the chiropractors wife, sends out supportive emails and recipe ideas. This is what I need.

The consultation was exciting and depressing at the same time. At the first consultation you fill out some paperwork about your medical and diet history. After review they do a little explaining of how the diet works.They then take your weight, BMI, and determine your body age. This was the depressing part. I'm not sure exactly how it works but Shelley said my body age was 59 years old meaning my body is working as hard as a women at age 59. Eeek! Now if that isn't motivation to do this then I'm just a lost cause. After that, another women came in and did all my measurements - arms, chest, waist, hips, and thighs and then the fun part....I picked out food. The first couple weeks you don't get that much to choose from other then some shakes, soups, pudding, and a couple other items. Along with getting my first weeks food, I also got my vitamins that I will take daily, some sea salt, and my mixers that I will use to mix all the protein packets in.

This first consultation totaled $372.93. Weekly I will return to get weighed and pick out my weeks worth of food. The average cost for these visits will be around $90/week. Kinda pricey but probably only a small increase from what I'm spending on groceries now. 

Even though my consultation was Thursday, I chose my starting day to be Monday, April 22, 2013. I chose this thinking I would just devour every possible food I love. Ridiculous I know. I haven't done anything crazy yet however, I am trying to decide what my 'last supper' will be. To tell the truth, since I already weighed in, I don't want to stray too much from my starting weight.

Anyways, because I don't start until Monday, April 22nd, my first weigh in wont be until Monday, April 29, 2013.

Until next time....

~Andrea

Trials and Tribulations

I'm Andrea and I have a weight problem. Isn't that how it goes? I'm a 30 year old single mom and I have baby weight I've been trying to lose for the last 8 YEARS!

I'm starting this blog to keep track of my new diet: Ideal Protein! I heard about it through a couple people I work with. If you don't know already, Ideal Protein is a four phased medically designed and professionally supervised muscle-sparing weight loss protocol. The average person has a weight loss of 3-7 lbs/week. The IP Weight Loss Method stabilizes the pancreas and blood sugar levels while burning fat.

Two of my coworkers (Mike and Sara) are just finishing up. They look amazing. Mike is almost unrecognizable and looks like he lost a whole person! I think he's lost about 60lbs. Sara has never looked so slim - down 40lbs! Two more coworkers just started a couple weeks ago. Amanda, my best friend had her first weigh in Monday and lost 8.4 lbs in 6 days!  I've been doing My Fitness Pal for over a year and only lost 10.4 lbs! Grr!

Well I have the same ol story as pretty much the majority of those overweight! I've tried various different diets and work out regimes and always fail. I'm hoping IP will be the one that works! Wish me luck!

For more information on IP, go to: http://www.idealprotein.com/us/home
River Valley Chiro: http://chirorivervalley.com/custom_content/c_161318_ideal_protein.html

Keep Moving Forward!

~Andrea