My Roast Recipe

We have been eating chicken a whole lot so we are trying to put more variety in our evening meals.  DH and I also lost less this past week than the week before.  Reading some of the forums, I saw someone mention that her husband loses more when he has red meat in his diet.  I thought that was interesting, so we'll see how this week goes.

One of our favorite meals is roast beef with carrots and potatoes.  Of course the carrots and potatoes are out--not to mention that I usually simmer the beef in beer and that's out too!  So to give our roast more flavor, I decided to add in some freshly roasted garlic.

My (Modified) Roast Recipe:

• Roast (your choice!)
• Mushrooms (optional - or add some other allowed veggies)
• 1-2 Heads of Garlic (how much garlic do you like?)
• Beef Stock
• Green Onions
• Rosemary (fresh or dried)
• Thyme
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive Oil

First, you roast your garlic!  Set the oven to 400.  Remove the very outer layers from the garlic.  Cut off the very top of the head so that it leaves a small opening in the tops of the garlic cloves.  Place your garlic in some aluminum foil, then pour some olive oil over the tops of the garlic.  Salt and pepper generously.  Enclose the garlic in the aluminum foil and bake for about 30 minutes or until the cloves are soft.  Yum!

Heat up some olive oil in a roasting pan.  Salt and pepper your roast.  Once the oil is nice and hot, brown all sides of the roast.  Take the roast out of the pan and set aside on a plate.  Add about a cup of beef broth to the pan and stir with a whisk to get all the good stuff off the bottom of the pan.  Then add your roast back in, followed by the mushrooms, green onions, rosemary and thyme.  Go ahead and pop your garlic cloves out and put them in the pan too.  They should come out very easily.

Add some more broth and/or water, to cover the roast about halfway.  The cover your pan and keep at just a simmer.  The cooking time will vary depending on how large your roast is.  I like to let mine cook for 3-4 hours so that the meat falls apart.  Check every once in a while in case you need to add more water/broth.  

Enjoy!

Tasty Boiled Shrimp Recipe

DH and I wanted to have some seafood tonight, so we stopped by the local seafood market and bought some shrimp.  I used to boil my shrimp in beer, but I had to try something new to make it work.  I was inspired by a recipe on Food.com - but I altered it to be a little more flavorful.  It wasn't as spicy as I usually have, but it had a really good flavor.  We were quite happy!

Tasty Boiled Shrimp Recipe:

• Shrimp (we cooked 4 pounds)
• Old Bay Seasoning (about 5-7 Tbs)
• Apple Cider Vinegar (1/4 cup)
• Lemon Juice (just a squirt)
• Whole Cloves (I used about 10)
• Salt & Pepper (not much--kept it mild)
• Water (cover the shrimp plus 1-2 inches to spare)

Put the shrimp in the pot and add the other ingredients.  Turn the stove to high and start to stir the shrimp.  As the shrimp begin to float, they are done!  If you are serving hot then drain and serve immediately.  If you want to have them cold, drain them and ice them for about an hour.

We enjoyed ours with just a touch of Sriracha sauce, but they were good naked too!

We had some leftovers which will go into either a stir fry or a soup.

Rosemary Shredded Chicken Recipe

I am definitely mixing things up in the kitchen.  I have a few stand-by meals I like to cook, but I'm trying to use more herbs and spices and see what I like.  I have long neglected rosemary as a seasoning.  I use it when a recipe calls for it, but otherwise it just sits in my spice cabinet.  So last night I decided to slowly simmer some chicken in chicken broth and used rosemary as my main seasoning.  It was absolutely delicious!  The rosemary was so fragrant :)

Rosemary Shredded Chicken Recipe:

• Chicken (I used skinless, boneless breasts)
• Chicken Broth/Stock--fat-free, reduced sodium
• Mushrooms (optional)
• Green Onions, chopped
• 1 Celery Stalk (cut in half - removed towards the end of cooking)
• Garlic (I used about 4 cloves, but you can increase/reduce to your liking)
• Ideal Protein Sea Salt (I used generously, but again to taste)
• Pepper (to taste)
• Dried or fresh rosemary (to taste)

Begin by filling a pot part-way with chicken broth.  Then add your veggies so they can begin seasoning the broth while you cut up your chicken.  I just cut each breast into 3 parts, but you can put them in whole or cut up.  Season your chicken and stock and add the chicken to the broth.  My breasts were mostly covered by the broth.  

Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally until the chicken starts to shred when you stir.  Add more broth or water as needed to keep the chicken moist--the chicken does not have to be completely covered with broth.  I cooked this on low heat for about 3 hours.  Taste to make sure the seasoning is right!  Once you are ready, shred the chicken with a fork--the broth should be pretty reduced.  

Enjoy!

Favorite Site for Ideal Protein Recipes

I've been doing a lot of research to find Ideal Protein recipes.  The drinks and puddings are fine, but they get a bit old.  Finding new ways to use the IP packets has definitely made this easier for me.

My favorite site by far is 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet.  It is a diet forum and they have sections for so many different kinds of diets!  The Ideal Protein section is hidden in the "Packaged Meals and Clinics" area.  There are pages and pages of recipes.  One area I particularly want to hi-lite is Rainbowsmile's "MiX'N' iN THE KiTCH'N" - she is a cook who enthusiastically and adventurously concocts these wonderful creations for IP, including CAKE!!!  Her recipes are not to be missed!

I've been enjoying my Wildberry Yogurt Muffins and my Unrestricted Pancakes recipes.  I'm hoping to make some Lemon Poppyseed Muffins and some chicken nuggets this week.  One thing about dieting is I know I can't stick with it if I'm feeling totally deprived.  These recipes help keep me on track and losing the weight!

I'm also saving up to buy a dehydrator.  I've heard so many people rave about zucchini chips--I definitely have to try them!

Weigh-In 3

Yesterday was my 3rd weigh-in since starting Ideal Protein on 9/3.  Here's the breakdown:

9/6/2013:  WI 1  -3.4
9/13/2013:  WI 2  -5.8
9/20/2013:  WI 3  -3.4

That brings my total weight loss to 12.6 pounds!

Next weekend we are taking the kids to the beach, so I won't weigh-in again until the following Monday (9/30).

I'm feeling pretty good.  I don't feel hungry, and I don't really feel tempted to cheat.  I feel good.  I try to change things up at night for dinner, and I've been experimenting with some IP recipes I've found online.

Surviving Ideal Protein On The Weekends

So one of my biggest worries about the IP program was the weekends.  I usually sit around most weekends and relax.  We tend to have friends over to play a game on Saturday nights, but otherwise it's relaxing time with the family.  I know that I eat from boredom, and weekends are usually time for me to start munching.

I have survived two weekends on IP so far--and they've been easier than expected.  I have kept myself relatively busy, which helps.  I have also given myself permission to pick up cooked food for dinner on Friday or Saturday night (or both!) rather than cooking or feeling deprived because I can't go out to eat.  Yes, I know I can go out to eat, but I'd rather save the money and not feel like I can't order what I want.  We have gotten chicken schwarma on the weekends and some boiled blue crabs.  Delicious!  It definitely feels like a treat.  We pick something up and bring it home to enjoy with salad and veggies.  We will continue to pick up at least one dinner on the weekends--it gives us something special to look forward to and it feels like a reward for being good all week!

Hanging out with friends helps too.  But be careful--we've explained to our friends that we're dieting and it's really important to us that we stay on track.  Our friends have been really supportive.  Sometimes friends and family don't understand, but you need to stick to your plan.  One thing I keep in mind is that cheating could knock me out of ketosis--which takes about 3 days to get back into!  So that's 4 days that I won't be losing any weight AND 4 days of pricey food just to get back on track.  Is that piece of cake worth 4 days and a good bit of money?  For me the answer has been a resounding "no" so far.  I think there will come a time when I will need a day or weekend off the plan, but I want to be selective.  My weight loss is important to me.  I want to see this through.

Our coach told us we could have two pieces of Orbit gum per day.  She said that it was to help with ketosis breath, but I like to chew them when I really need a little pick-me-up or distraction.  You can use any sugar-free gum, but definitely make sure you look at the carbs.  Orbit has 1 carb per piece.  I like the fruit flavors best.

I would definitely recommend thinking ahead about your IP foods.  Mix those puddings and jello in advance.  Set up a shelf on the fridge for your foods.  Chop up veggies and prep your lettuce.  It's worth the extra effort so that when you are hungry, it's very easy to grab what you need.  This has been one of the keys for me--especially during the week while I work.

I'm also hoping to start back on my artwork soon.  I think it will give me something to think about and concentrate on.

Ideal Protein Foods

I promised to tell you what I thought about some of the IP foods:

Wildberry Yogurt Drink - Not bad.  It has bits of berries in it and it was slightly frothy. I blend it with the water and then just a few ice cubes to make a smoothie.  It was a lot less than many other kinds of diet shakes I've had, but I was okay with that.  This is my go-to breakfast.  It got better for me by week two.

Chicken Soup - bleh.  It was a cream soup.  It smelled okay, and the first bite was okay.  It had a mild flavor, but there was something about it that made it hard for me to keep swallowing.  I followed the directions and just did the 8 oz of water, which made it on the thick side.  I would probably add more water and some seasonings too if I try it again.  The consistency was also weird for me.  Yes, it was creamy, but it was kind of like a foamy/creamy combination.  I don't know.  It was just weird for me, especially with some lingering nausea from my multi-vitamin.  By the bottom of the bowl, I was really having to force myself to swallow.

Apple Cinnamon Soy Snacks – pretty okay.  I kind of even liked them.  They were slightly sweet, and slightly bland.  I felt like it was plenty for a snack.  I would probably order them again.

Orange Drink – This wasn’t bad.  It was a little foamy, and I could taste a little bit of powder, but the flavor was decent.  It's actually a little on the sweet side, and I've heard some people call it orange julius.  

Omelet – bleh.  I tried to make it with sautéed mushrooms and bell peppers, but I just couldn’t manage the omelet.  A lot of people swear by the omelets, but I just couldn't handle it.  It goes to show that everyone's taste is different, and you should try everything to find what you really like.

Southwest Cheese Curls – I like these.  They are a little bland at first, but after a few they really start to have a spicy bite!  And the bag is really large, so it’s a good snack to either split up or if you’re feeling hungry.  This is my go-to snack.

Chicken Noodle Soup - I liked this better than the Chicken Soup.  This is more of broth-based soup, and the flavor was okay.  At least I was able to finish the whole thing.

Butterscotch Pudding - surprisingly decent.  I actually enjoyed this pudding.  It had a good pudding consistency (after being chilled), and had a mild, but good flavor.

Vanilla Drink - It was okay.  It was just a generic vanilla drink.  It wasn't bad and it wasn't great.  I like my other drinks better.

Chicken Potage - It was pretty decent.  It had a few dehydrated veggies in it, which was a nice touch.  I liked the flavor well enough.  It was better than the other soups.  My coach said it was like chicken pot pie, but that's a bit of a stretch.  It's not bad though.

Vanilla Pudding - It was okay.  It was kind of bland for me, but my husband likes it.  This is his go-to lunch.  I've heard it's better with cinnamon sprinkled on top.

Raspberry Jelly - This tastes pretty much like jello.  It has a nice flavor and consistency.  I eat this often.

Strawberry Wafer - Yummy.  It does have a coating of chocolate on it.

Vegetable Chili - This was really good.  We added a little left-over chicken we had from the night before and it made it pretty tasty.

Crispy Cereal - There's hardly any cereal in it, but I didn't mind the flavor at all.  It was a nice alternative to shakes.

Rotini - These are plain pasta.  It's a small serving, but I liked being able to have some pasta.  I cook the pasta and then add a little sauce from Walden Farms.  It's not bad.

Those are the foods I've tried so far.  My husband tends to have the Vanilla, Chocolate, or Cappuccino drink in the morning and a pudding for lunch.  I tend to have the Wildberry Yogurt Drink in the morning and then I change it up for lunches.  It depends how much variety you need as well as how easy you want the program to be.  Sometimes we feel that the less we have to plan or think about what we're going to eat, the easier it is for us to just do what we need to do.

Ideal Protein Recipes

Ideal Protein Recipes:

I was hesitant to try recipes with the packets. I'm not sure why. I guess I wanted to get a feel for the foods to begin with as well as get a handle on the diet itself.  So I decided to try a recipe this week.


Wildberry Yogurt Muffins - These mini muffins absolutely hit the spot!  They are not the best muffins that I've ever had, but they were pretty tasty, and it was sooooo nice to have some muffins.  The serving size was also nice.  It makes two servings (meals):

• 1 pack IP Crispy Cereal, finely crushed
• 1 pack IP Wildberry Yogurt Drink
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 packet of Truvia (I used Splenda)
• 1/8 tsp Cinnamon

Grease a mini muffin pan with cooking spray.  In a medium bowl, mix 1 pack IP Crispy Cereal with 1/4 tsp of baking powder.  Add 1 pack of Wildberry Yogurt Drink, add 1 beaten egg, and add 1/4 cup of water.  Mix carefully until muffin consistency adding water if necessary.  Don't over mix.

Spoon into pan until 3/4 full.  Mix Truvia packet and cinnamon then sprinkle on top of muffins.  Bake at 350 until golden brown (about 10 minutes).

Makes 12 mini muffins.  Serving size is 6 mini muffins.

They definitely have made me consider buying the (expensive) Ideal Protein cookbook.

Ideal Protein Starting Stats

Here are my stats:

Original Consultation on 8/30/2013:
Weight:  254.2

Began IP on 9/3/2013

1st Weigh-In on 9/6/2013:
Weight:  250.8

2nd Weigh-In on 9/13/2013:
Weight:  245.0


Not bad at all!  Although I have full body photos, I don't think I'm ready to share those.  I've only taken ones for the start.  I figured I would do them once every few weeks.  I have been taking a selfie of my face every day since I started.  I think I possibly see a difference, but maybe I'm seeing what I want to see.  What do you think?

Weigh-In and Ideal Protein So Far

Things have been going well so far!  I definitely feel different--I don't feel as hungry and I don't have as many food cravings.  I do feel tired sometimes, but nothing too much more than usual.

We had our weigh-in yesterday and things are good.  My husband lost another 8 pounds, and I lost 5.8, which brings my total weight loss since 9/3 to 9.2 pounds!  Men always lose faster, and I'm not terribly jealous.  I'm just happy with my own weight loss.  I am following the program fully--no cheating so far.

I think I've gotten used to the schedule and I'm fairly happy with the food.  A lot of times I just stick to the simple and eat the same thing every day.  This week I'm branching out with a couple of IP recipes.  I made some muffins with the Wildberry Yogurt Drink and Crispy Cereal mixes.  I actually enjoyed the muffins a good bit.

I have not noticed any changes in my appearance or in the fit of my clothing yet.  I'm sure that will come within a couple of weeks.  It's hard to believe that I'm losing weight this fast and this consistently.  It does terrify me a little--what if the weight loss stops?  The program is pretty restrictive, and I worry that if I plateau or anything that I would question why I'm on it at all.

Hubby is open to the idea of just losing some of the weight, but I really want to go full out and get down much closer to my ideal weight range.  It's going to be a long, hard road.  I plan to lose 104 pounds and that would still mean I'm about 15-20 pounds heavier than the higher end of my ideal weight range and BMI.  But I would also be massively excited to be that size!  But we'll see.

I think the only problems I'm currently facing are leg cramps and boredom.  The boredom is always a problem and I try to keep myself occupied so I don't start reaching for food.  The leg cramps suck.  I will wake up at night with leg cramps and I get them in the pool too.  I'm trying to get in more potassium, but so far I still get them.

Overall, I'm extremely happy so far with Ideal Protein.

First Weigh-In!

Yesterday was my first weigh-in appointment since we started Ideal Protein.  It was day 4, so I'm sure most of the loss was water weight, but I'll take what I can get!

I lost 3.4 lbs!  Yay!

So far, so good.  Day two was the worst--I had headaches all day.  So did my husband.  We also had some diarrhea, but that has faded too.  By Day 4 we both felt pretty good.  We get tired sometimes, and we've been going to bed fairly early.  I think the energy level will slowly rise as our bodies get used to it.  It was definitely a detox process.  I actually haven't been very hungry between meals.  I definitely feel hungry by the time I have lunch and dinner, but generally everything fills me up.

The food has been okay.  You kind of have to try a lot of products to find which ones you like.  I will put together a list of what I've tried and let you know what I think about them.

It really helps that my husband and I are doing this together.  We enjoy sitting down for dinner together--and I always make sure that dinner is yummy.  I'm a little nervous about the weekends--I have a tendency to eat out of boredom or out of emotion, and I don't do much on the weekends.  So I will have to make a big effort to stay busy.

I did have a moment last night when I thought, "screw this!"  I was tired and wanted something easy rather than having to cook when I was tired.  I thought that it sucked that I couldn't eat out or eat what I wanted when I wanted.  Food has been a big part of my adult life.  When I'm down I can eat and when I'm full of yummy food, then I feel satiated--even when my life is crap.  But now I have to figure out other ways of dealing with my life and my issues.  I have to create new coping mechanisms.  I also considered whether it was worth it.  Was being thinner and healthier worth the loss of food in my life?  Ultimately, I chose to move forward with my diet.  I don't know how things will work out, but I know that if this doesn't work for me, then I will either stay obese the rest of my life or I will have to have weight loss surgery (which I can't afford).

Today, though, I feel better.  I feel pretty good, and I'm eager to find out how much I lose this week.  I should be in ketosis now, so I should be burning fat!  Yay!

Ideal Protein - Day One

Day one on Ideal Protein is almost done!  Hurray for small victories!  Here is my journal from today:

Day 1

Tuesday, 9/3/2013

Woke up tired, but in a ready state of mind.  Blended the Wildberry Yogurt drink with water and ice to make a smoothie.  Drank my smoothie, then had a cup of Peppermint Tea with some splenda.  Took my vitamins.  Feeling pretty crappy at the moment.  Stomach feels queasy.  Burps taste like my multi-vitamin.  I hate vitamins.  I've been drinking tons of water and I think it helps a little.  I finally had a stick of Orbit gum and that's helping a little too.  I just feel extremely tired and still have a bit of upset stomach.

I kind of wish I could take a day or two off while my body adjusts.  Note to self - don't start this kind of diet on a work day.  Start on a weekend so I can adjust at home in comfort.  And sleep it off.  Unfortunately I have a meeting this afternoon so I can't go home for the day.  Instead, I will go home for lunch.  Maybe getting up and moving around will help me a little.

Breakfast: Wildberry Yogurt Drink - It was okay.  Not bad, not great.  It has bits of berries in it and it was slightly frothy.  I mixed it and then left it in the fridge overnight.  This morning I blended it with just a few ice cubes to make a smoothie.  It was a lot less than many other kinds of diet shakes I've had, but I was okay with that.  I may have to consider eating something solid for breakfast though--like an omelet or something.

I've heard the first three days are the hardest.  I can get through this!

Lunch: Chicken Soup - bleh.  It was a cream soup.  It smelled okay, and the first bite was okay.  It had a mild flavor, but there was something about it that made it hard for me to keep swallowing.  I followed the directions and just did the 8 oz of water, which made it on the thick side.  I would probably add more water and some seasonings too if I try it again.  The consistency was also weird for me.  Yes, it was creamy, but it was kind of like a foamy/creamy combination.  I don't know.  It was just weird for me, especially with some lingering nausea from my multi-vitamin.  By the bottom of the bowl, I was really having to force myself to swallow.

I enjoyed the salad.  I had plenty of crunchy veggies.  I also tried the Walden Farms Italian dressing.  It wasn't bad.  I may have to figure out something other than soup for lunch.  I'm looking forward to trying different items and seeing what is tolerable for me.  I have a feeling it's different for everyone.  I think the meal helped bring my energy up a bit.  I still feel tired, but then again I slept horribly last night.  I think I feel slightly better.  I have two training sessions I'm presenting at work today, so I will probably have a snack either before or in between.

I'm actually not terribly hungry.  The Apple Cinnamon Soy Snacks are actually pretty decent.  I am feeling a little better this afternoon.  I talked to my brother briefly and he said that day two is the worst!

Snack: Apple Cinnamon Soy Snacks – pretty okay.  I kind of even liked them.  They were slightly sweet, and slightly bland.  I felt like it was plenty for a snack.  I would probably order them again.

I feel pretty tired this afternoon.  I’m not lightheaded, but I’m not able to concentrate very well.  My boss is letting me work from home tomorrow so that should help.  I went ahead and started prepping for my meals tomorrow.  Day two is supposed to be the hardest, so I picked the ones that I’ve heard the best things about.  Hopefully that will help me.

Tonight I’ll be cooking some sautéed chicken breasts in olive oil, garlic, and green onions.  It should be yummy.  I haven’t decided if I want a salad or veggies or both.  Maybe I’ll sautee some of my broccoli and have a small salad to go with.  Tomorrow I may treat myself to tomatoes or green beans (can only have twice per week).

I think the rest of my evening will be smooth sailing!