Welcome Newbies! Helpful info for week 1.

[SDC2]

Welcome to your Medi weight loss journey and welcome to this forum. You've made a great decision by chosing this plan. If you read through some of the threads you will read many success stories. This is the plan that works.

I thought it would be helpful to give you some tips about week 1 from those of us who have made it through. Week 1 is the toughest week of the whole program, but many of us have made it happily through, so don't be discouraged. Once you see your week 1 weight loss you will be very encouraged and motivated. Please feel free to post any helpful tips or experiences you have had.

What to expect from week 1
Your body is going through a dramatic changes in week 1 and is going through excessive calorie and carb withdraw. You may experience headaches and weakness. This will go away, so hang in there. You may experience feeling jittery from the appetitite suppressants or even have trouble sleeping. Your clinic is the best place to ask about this. You may need to start your suppressants slowly. You will begin feeling better around your 5th day.

Survival Tips

1. Drink lots of noncaloric liquids. I personally think water is the best and try to drink 75 to 100 oz per day.

2. Be sure to eat all of your 500 protein calories. Eating less than this can put you into starvation mode and shut down your metabolism.

3. Do not eat veggies or fruit in the first week. After the first week look at your medi materials to see what veggies and fruits are allowable as not all are. Some veggies/fruits have to much starch/sugar and will throw you out of ketosis.

4. If you are hungry, get some College Inn low sodium chicken broth and drink it freely. A 32 oz carton only has 20 calories. It will help with the hunger.

5. Try to add variety to what you are eating. For breakfast make egg white or egg beater omelets with different ingredients such as canadian bacon, lean ham, turkey sausage, veggie slices or fat free cheese. Change it up.

6. I ate lots of cooked frozen shrimp, which I thawed and ate with a cocktail sauce I made out of 1 carb ketsup and horseradish. Shrimp is low calorie and you can eat a lot for the calories. Skinless grilled chicken, turkey, fish and crab are good choices too.

7. Read labels carefully. There are carbs in things you would never think of and stay in touch with the things you are allowed to have in week one.

8. Get some EAS Advantedge protein drinks. BJ's sells them by the case. They are 110 calories, 4 carbs, 2g fiber and 17g protein. Many have reported that they help with the headaches. Try to limit these to 1 per day as you need to eat solid food.

9. Be sure to take your calcium suppliments while you are in ketosis.

That is all I can think of for now. I invite others to share as well. I will post a grocery list that I came up with, but it includes items that are not allowed in week one. Be sure to visit the recipe thread after week one.

Good luck. You will do amazing!

Susie

[SDC2]

This list I made to help me with shopping after week 1. Copy the list to your computer and print it out when you are planning on going shopping, then highlight the items you want to buy.

My Medi Weight Loss Grocery List

Meats/Seafood
Chicken Tenderloins
Tyson Mesquite Grilled Chicken Fillets
Perdue Cooked Chicken Strips
Lean Pork
93% Ground Beef
Filet Mignon
Lean Deli Meats – Ham, Turkey, Lean Roast Beef
Tuna
Fish
Shrimp
Scallops
Crab
Hebrew National 97% Fat Free Beef Hot Dogs
Turkey Sausage
Canadian Bacon
Turkey Pepperoni
Beef Jerky (100 calorie packs)
Oberto Beef Pepperoni Sticks

Dairy
Dannon, low sugar, low carb yogurt
Veggie Slices
Mozzarella Cheese
Laughing Cow Lite Swiss
Eggbeaters
Grated Parmesian Cheese
Fat Free Cottage Cheese

Vegetables
Artichokes
Asparagus
Green Beans
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Celery
Cucumber
Eggplant
Green Onions/Scallions
Greens (collard, kale, mustard, or turnip)
Leeks
Mushrooms
Okra
Onions
Peppers (any variety)
Radishes
Salad Greens
Sauerkraut
Snow Pea Pods
Spinach
Summer Squash
Turnips
Water Chestnuts
Watercrest
Zucchini

Fruits
Apples
Blueberries
Cherries
Grapes
Grapefruit
Orange
Peach
Rasberries
Strawberries
Tomatoes

Condiments
Mustard
1 Carb Ketsup
Fat Free Mayo
Jalapeno Peppers
Banana Peppers
Fat Free Sour Cream
Butter Spray
Horseradish
Frank’s or Moore’s Buffalo Wing Sauce
Walden Farms BBQ Sauce
Walden Farms Peanut Spread
Davinci Gourmet Sugar-Free Coconut Syrup
Thai Garlic Chili Paste
Seasonings
Low Carb, Low Fat Salad Dressings/Sprays

Misc
Dill Pickles
100 Calorie Almond Packs
Chicken Broth
Miracle Noodles
EAS Protein Drinks
Sugar Free Gelatin
Old Bay Crab Cake Classic
Guar Gum
Sugar Free, Fat Free Pudding Mix
Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla, Chocolate or Original
Almond Meal/Flour
Whey Protein Powder

[Jeffery's girl]

Thank you for the information Susie. Chicken broth was a life saver during first week!

[Jeffery's girl]

Originally Posted by SDC2

Welcome to your Medi weight loss journey and welcome to this forum. You've made a great decision by chosing this plan. If you read through some of the threads you will read many success stories. This is the plan that works.

I thought it would be helpful to give you some tips about week 1 from those of us who have made it through. Week 1 is the toughest week of the whole program, but many of us have made it happily through, so don't be discouraged. Once you see your week 1 weight loss you will be very encouraged and motivated. Please feel free to post any helpful tips or experiences you have had.

What to expect from week 1
Your body is going through a dramatic changes in week 1 and is going through excessive calorie and carb withdraw. You may experience headaches and weakness. This will go away, so hang in there. You may experience feeling jittery from the appetitite suppressants or even have trouble sleeping. Your clinic is the best place to ask about this. You may need to start your suppressants slowly. You will begin feeling better around your 5th day.

Survival Tips

1. Drink lots of noncaloric liquids. I personally think water is the best and try to drink 75 to 100 oz per day.

2. Be sure to eat all of your 500 protein calories. Eating less than this can put you into starvation mode and shut down your metabolism.

3. Do not eat veggies or fruit in the first week. After the first week look at your medi materials to see what veggies and fruits are allowable as not all are. Some veggies/fruits have to much starch/sugar and will throw you out of ketosis.

4. If you are hungry, get some College Inn low sodium chicken broth and drink it freely. A 32 oz carton only has 20 calories. It will help with the hunger.

5. Try to add variety to what you are eating. For breakfast make egg white or egg beater omelets with different ingredients such as canadian bacon, lean ham, turkey sausage, veggie slices or fat free cheese. Change it up.

6. I ate lots of cooked frozen shrimp, which I thawed and ate with a cocktail sauce I made out of 1 carb ketsup and horseradish. Shrimp is low calorie and you can eat a lot for the calories. Skinless grilled chicken, turkey, fish and crab are good choices too.

7. Read labels carefully. There are carbs in things you would never think of and stay in touch with the things you are allowed to have in week one.

8. Get some EAS Advantedge protein drinks. BJ's sells them by the case. They are 110 calories, 4 carbs, 2g fiber and 17g protein. Many have reported that they help with the headaches. Try to limit these to 1 per day as you need to eat solid food.

9. Be sure to take your calcium suppliments while you are in ketosis.

That is all I can think of for now. I invite others to share as well. I will post a grocery list that I came up with, but it includes items that are not allowed in week one. Be sure to visit the recipe thread after week one.

Good luck. You will do amazing!

Susie

susie, on my second week do I get 500 calories plus the calories for added fruit or vegtable?

[McBoo]

Originally Posted by Jeffery's girl

susie, on my second week do I get 500 calories plus the calories for added fruit or vegtable?

Not Susie but at the clinic I go to the fruit and veggie calories are in addition to the 500 calories of lean protein.

Hope that helps.

McBoo


Susie,

Thanks for starting this thread it will make it a lot easier for the newbies.

McBoo

[Jeffery's girl]

Originally Posted by McBoo

Not Susie but at the clinic I go to the fruit and veggie calories are in addition to the 500 calories of lean protein.

Hope that helps.

McBoo


Susie,

Thanks for starting this thread it will make it a lot easier for the newbies.

McBoo

Great!
Thanks

[SDC2]

Originally Posted by Jeffery's girl

Great!
Thanks

Jeffery's girl,

McBoo is right. Since you are done your first week this might be helpful to you. Below are a list of meals that I have compiled to comply with the plan. If you have any questions about them or would like a recipe, just let me know. I made the eggplant parmesan tonight (from the recipe thread) and my husband (who is not even on the plan) loved it.

Taco Salad
Fajita Salad
Crustless Pizza
Chicken/Beef/Shrimp/Scallops & Veggie Grilled Skewers
Fettucini Girlfredo with Tuna, Chicken or Shrimp
Chicken Noodle Soup
“Medi-ramin” Soup with Chicken or Shrimp
Grilled Chicken topped with Veggie Slice and Sauteed Mushrooms
Crabcakes
Buffalo Chicken Tenderloins
Shrimp Cocktail (sauce - 1c ketsup and horseradish)
Breadless Phili Cheesesteak with Beef or Chicken
Asian Lettuce Wraps
Chicken/Beef/Shrimp Stirfry
Crustless Spinach Quiche
Spicy Thai Chicken with peanut sauce
Hebrew National 97% Hot Dogs and Saurkraut
Eggplant Parmesan

Many of these recipes are listed on the recipe thread. If there is one that is not and you are interested in please let me know.

Susie

[justdoitlady]

I just started Week One yesterday----And....discovered this bulletin board. Your timing on creating this thread is wonderful. Thank you. I have copied your grocery list, the tips for Week 1, and suggested meals for Week 2 to stay on plan into Word and printed them out. I went to the grocery yesterday without such a list and bought some of the wrong things....this will help! I need to drop 40 pounds. I was at the point of ----"It is either get into a supervised program or go for the bariatric or lapband" I would rather make a change to my lifestyle than go through surgery.

Appreciate the help!

[Jeffery's girl]

Originally Posted by SDC2

Jeffery's girl,

McBoo is right. Since you are done your first week this might be helpful to you. Below are a list of meals that I have compiled to comply with the plan. If you have any questions about them or would like a recipe, just let me know. I made the eggplant parmesan tonight (from the recipe thread) and my husband (who is not even on the plan) loved it.

Taco Salad
Fajita Salad
Crustless Pizza
Chicken/Beef/Shrimp/Scallops & Veggie Grilled Skewers
Fettucini Girlfredo with Tuna, Chicken or Shrimp
Chicken Noodle Soup
“Medi-ramin” Soup with Chicken or Shrimp
Grilled Chicken topped with Veggie Slice and Sauteed Mushrooms
Crabcakes
Buffalo Chicken Tenderloins
Shrimp Cocktail (sauce - 1c ketsup and horseradish)
Breadless Phili Cheesesteak with Beef or Chicken
Asian Lettuce Wraps
Chicken/Beef/Shrimp Stirfry
Crustless Spinach Quiche
Spicy Thai Chicken with peanut sauce
Hebrew National 97% Hot Dogs and Saurkraut
Eggplant Parmesan

Many of these recipes are listed on the recipe thread. If there is one that is not and you are interested in please let me know.

Susie

Thanks Susie! I would like the recipe for Hebrew National Dogs and Saurkruat please.
I have read mixed reviews about the miracle noodles but would love to try them. Do you have a special way to prepare them?

[SDC2]

Originally Posted by Jeffery's girl

Thanks Susie! I would like the recipe for Hebrew National Dogs and Saurkruat please.
I have read mixed reviews about the miracle noodles but would love to try them. Do you have a special way to prepare them?

My recipes are very simple. I love the bavarian saurkraut, but there is sugar added. Read the labels very carefully and find a saurkraut that is low in carbs. Some have a lot of carbs and I am not sure why because the ingredients are only cabbage, vinegar and water. I suspect they add sugar, so beware.

This is hardly a recipe, but...

heat up the saurkraut and slice the heated hot dogs. Sweeten the saurkraut to taste. Add in the hotdogs and you are done. You can add extra seasonings like caroway seeds. Enjoy!

I love the miracle noodles, but know some people who do not. I think you have to be a person that is willing to compromise your tastebuds in order to lose weight. I am so used to doing without that they are a real treat to me. I have them almost every day. You have to decide for yourself.

Susie

[Jeffery's girl]

I just purchased some Hebrew National Hotdogs. Thank you Susie for the heads up on how to prepare them. Have you or anyone else shopped at a whole foods store? I have one about an hour or so away and would like to know what items to purchase before I make the trip. I have searched my area and can't find the College Inn broth. I'm sure I can find it in Birmingham.

[Jeffery's girl]

People are asking me if the injections make a big difference in the weight you loose. I have been getting the mic twice a week and plan on getting the other one once a month. We would like to know what everyone on the plan thinks about the injections. Thanks

[teacherdli]

Originally Posted by Jeffery's girl

People are asking me if the injections make a big difference in the weight you loose. I have been getting the mic twice a week and plan on getting the other one once a month. We would like to know what everyone on the plan thinks about the injections. Thanks

I plan on getting the two mic shots for a while. I feel a difference when I get them both, although my friend also doing the plan only gets one as she doesn't notice a difference. Same with the B6/B1 shot. I get that one each week (even though it hurts) because I notice it helps me fight off colds, etc. as well as gives me energy and makes me feel better. I have a low immune system so this really helps me. However, I know many people who don't do that shot and it hasn't changed anything for them...they didn't feel a difference from it. I think each individual gets a different reaction from the shots. I know this is really much advice on what to do, but thought I'd give you my opinion.

[Jonpryor99]

Originally Posted by Jeffery's girl

People are asking me if the injections make a big difference in the weight you loose. I have been getting the mic twice a week and plan on getting the other one once a month. We would like to know what everyone on the plan thinks about the injections. Thanks

I get the one MIC shot when I go for my visits but have never gotten a 2nd one. I have gotten the B6 injection in the hip a couple of times but it never seemed to do much for me so I stopped getting them.

[NikonGirl]

Thanks for the info on week one of Medi Weight Loss. I have my initial consultation tomorrow and I have been reading these threads for the past couple of days. You all sound so positive--I have HOPE!

Thanks.

[Medi_NJ]

These are great tips!! I'd like to add some more:

1) Have your medi staff professional print out our new "Week 1 Survival Guide" and "Week 2 Survival Guide". They are packed with excellent tips!!

2) Try our Medi shakes!! They come in chocolate and vanilla, are high in protein, and extremely low in carb. Again, have your clinic print out our colorful recipe sheet for creative ideas of what to add to your shakes.

3) If you feel any sense of jitteriness, please cut back on your caffeine while on the medi program.

4) Yes, if you do eat less than 500 calories, this could slow down your weight loss.

5) Traditional ketchup and cocktail sauce is high in carbs., so please watch your nutrition labels. Heinz does make a lower sugar ketchup, though.

Enjoy your weight loss!

Originally Posted by SDC2

Welcome to your Medi weight loss journey and welcome to this forum. You've made a great decision by chosing this plan. If you read through some of the threads you will read many success stories. This is the plan that works.

I thought it would be helpful to give you some tips about week 1 from those of us who have made it through. Week 1 is the toughest week of the whole program, but many of us have made it happily through, so don't be discouraged. Once you see your week 1 weight loss you will be very encouraged and motivated. Please feel free to post any helpful tips or experiences you have had.

What to expect from week 1
Your body is going through a dramatic changes in week 1 and is going through excessive calorie and carb withdraw. You may experience headaches and weakness. This will go away, so hang in there. You may experience feeling jittery from the appetitite suppressants or even have trouble sleeping. Your clinic is the best place to ask about this. You may need to start your suppressants slowly. You will begin feeling better around your 5th day.

Survival Tips

1. Drink lots of noncaloric liquids. I personally think water is the best and try to drink 75 to 100 oz per day.

2. Be sure to eat all of your 500 protein calories. Eating less than this can put you into starvation mode and shut down your metabolism.

3. Do not eat veggies or fruit in the first week. After the first week look at your medi materials to see what veggies and fruits are allowable as not all are. Some veggies/fruits have to much starch/sugar and will throw you out of ketosis.

4. If you are hungry, get some College Inn low sodium chicken broth and drink it freely. A 32 oz carton only has 20 calories. It will help with the hunger.

5. Try to add variety to what you are eating. For breakfast make egg white or egg beater omelets with different ingredients such as canadian bacon, lean ham, turkey sausage, veggie slices or fat free cheese. Change it up.

6. I ate lots of cooked frozen shrimp, which I thawed and ate with a cocktail sauce I made out of 1 carb ketsup and horseradish. Shrimp is low calorie and you can eat a lot for the calories. Skinless grilled chicken, turkey, fish and crab are good choices too.

7. Read labels carefully. There are carbs in things you would never think of and stay in touch with the things you are allowed to have in week one.

8. Get some EAS Advantedge protein drinks. BJ's sells them by the case. They are 110 calories, 4 carbs, 2g fiber and 17g protein. Many have reported that they help with the headaches. Try to limit these to 1 per day as you need to eat solid food.

9. Be sure to take your calcium suppliments while you are in ketosis.

That is all I can think of for now. I invite others to share as well. I will post a grocery list that I came up with, but it includes items that are not allowed in week one. Be sure to visit the recipe thread after week one.

Good luck. You will do amazing!

Susie

[Medi_NJ]

Don't forget the snacks and fat a couple of times a week in addition to the fruit and veggies. Don't concern yourselves with the actual calories...just follow the suggested examples and serving sizes. Remember to eat these in addition to your 500 calories of lean protein (or 800 calories of lean protein, depending upon what you were told for your specific plan).

Originally Posted by McBoo

Not Susie but at the clinic I go to the fruit and veggie calories are in addition to the 500 calories of lean protein.

Hope that helps.

McBoo


Susie,

Thanks for starting this thread it will make it a lot easier for the newbies.

McBoo

[Jackie0180]

Hi everyone! Today is the first day on my road to a healthier, happier, sexier Jackie. I am so thankful I found this thread! I had my last night of carb overload last night and I am ready to take on this challenge. I went shopping last night and found myself in publix for a long time because i stopped and checked carbs on EVERYTHING.

I woke up this morning thinking ok, this is it...its happening and I am going to DO THIS! I am very excited but I also know this is going to be a very hard week.

Thanks for the great tips and I will continue reading all of the great advice!

[DelaneyJane]

Thank you for this! I've made my appointment with a doctor for April 2, so I'm waiting until then to start anything, but thank you for listing all of the great tips!

[Jackie0180]

tomorrow is day 7...weigh in day...I am excited yet nervous bc I have worked so hard this week on everything and I am so scared that I won't be happy with the result tomorrow and I will lose motivation...I guess it's just one of those things you have to get past as a person who has battled with weight most of their life.

I will be on tomorrow to post my results!! I am staying positive!

[mathteacher]

Originally Posted by Jackie0180

tomorrow is day 7...weigh in day...I am excited yet nervous bc I have worked so hard this week on everything and I am so scared that I won't be happy with the result tomorrow and I will lose motivation...I guess it's just one of those things you have to get past as a person who has battled with weight most of their life.

I will be on tomorrow to post my results!! I am staying positive!

I will be honest, I was a little disappointed with a 6 pound weight loss my first week. I have been doing medi for 5 1/2 weeks. It was all worth the 20 pounds that I lost in 5 weeks. No matter what the scale says tomorrow, hold your head up and know when you reach the end and all of the weight is off that is what is most important. You will feel so much better.

[Ash347]

this thread is so helpful in order to prepare for the week coming up... what do you actually eat the first week though?
Thanks!
Ash

[SDC2]

Originally Posted by Ash347

this thread is so helpful in order to prepare for the week coming up... what do you actually eat the first week though?
Thanks!
Ash

Ash,

You should have been given a packet from your clinic detailing what you can have on week 1. I think every clinic/patient is different as my clinic allowed me to have a few things not normally allowed because of my exercise load. For sure you can have lean, no sauce added seafood, poultry, beef and pork. You can also have cheese, cottage cheese (I believe this is restricted to 1 per day). The EAS Advantedge protein shakes are especially good for week one. They help with the headaches and shakes. Make sure you get the one that is 110 calories. Also the low sodium chicken broth is good. I ate a lot of shrimp with a cocktail sauce I made by mixing 1 carb ketsup and horseradish. You get quite a bit of shrimp for the calories. For condiments and other dairy products, you need to look at the carbs. You need to stay very low carb the first week to get into ketosis. The first week also helps to take the carb cravings away. Hope this helps. You may want to visit the March thread where the majority of us Medi-ites hang out. Good luck. You can do this!

Susie

[orlando2002]

Originally Posted by SDC2

Ash,

You should have been given a packet from your clinic detailing what you can have on week 1. I think every clinic/patient is different as my clinic allowed me to have a few things not normally allowed because of my exercise load. For sure you can have lean, no sauce added seafood, poultry, beef and pork. You can also have cheese, cottage cheese (I believe this is restricted to 1 per day). The EAS Advantedge protein shakes are especially good for week one. They help with the headaches and shakes. Make sure you get the one that is 110 calories. Also the low sodium chicken broth is good. I ate a lot of shrimp with a cocktail sauce I made by mixing 1 carb ketsup and horseradish. You get quite a bit of shrimp for the calories. For condiments and other dairy products, you need to look at the carbs. You need to stay very low carb the first week to get into ketosis. The first week also helps to take the carb cravings away. Hope this helps. You may want to visit the March thread where the majority of us Medi-ites hang out. Good luck. You can do this!

Susie

Ash, in my clinic they said you can only eat chicken, beef, fish or seafood, low fat/low carb deli meats, eggs and only cottage cheese once a day, no other type of cheese.
You can have the low carb/low fat/low calorie shakes.

I CANNOT have any sauce, low fat/low sodium broth until week too.

The first week is hard, because you do not have a lot of options, but it is just one week, after that will get more interesting ......

Check the package you got when you went to the clinic.

Good luck

[blopez]

I am on week 3 and I already fell off the wagon - slightly but I have noticed the change. In my first week I lost 6.7 lbs and my second week I only lost 2.5 lbs. I had a few bites on non-medi loss food. I felt bloated and it was that TOM. I told my counselor and was told to just keep it up and stay on the good food and not to snack on the wrong foods. The only thing is is that I am now on week 3 and snacked again. I am now out of ketosis. Does this mean I have to start from scratch and eat only proteins without any veggies/fruit? Can anyone help me?

[McBoo]

Originally Posted by blopez

I am on week 3 and I already fell off the wagon - slightly but I have noticed the change. In my first week I lost 6.7 lbs and my second week I only lost 2.5 lbs. I had a few bites on non-medi loss food. I felt bloated and it was that TOM. I told my counselor and was told to just keep it up and stay on the good food and not to snack on the wrong foods. The only thing is is that I am now on week 3 and snacked again. I am now out of ketosis. Does this mean I have to start from scratch and eat only proteins without any veggies/fruit? Can anyone help me?

blopez,

That is the best plan of action. Go back to week one eating until you are back in ketosis. Fortunatly you are finding out early on that eating off plan has it consequences.

Good luck hopefully it will only take 2-3 days.

McBoo

[Ash347]

Awesome! thank you! My appt is actually this thursday at 4pm at the Orlando clinic. Does a meal plan of some kind come with the packet?
Thanks for these tips.. it makes me less nervous!
Ashley

Originally Posted by SDC2

Ash,

You should have been given a packet from your clinic detailing what you can have on week 1. I think every clinic/patient is different as my clinic allowed me to have a few things not normally allowed because of my exercise load. For sure you can have lean, no sauce added seafood, poultry, beef and pork. You can also have cheese, cottage cheese (I believe this is restricted to 1 per day). The EAS Advantedge protein shakes are especially good for week one. They help with the headaches and shakes. Make sure you get the one that is 110 calories. Also the low sodium chicken broth is good. I ate a lot of shrimp with a cocktail sauce I made by mixing 1 carb ketsup and horseradish. You get quite a bit of shrimp for the calories. For condiments and other dairy products, you need to look at the carbs. You need to stay very low carb the first week to get into ketosis. The first week also helps to take the carb cravings away. Hope this helps. You may want to visit the March thread where the majority of us Medi-ites hang out. Good luck. You can do this!

Susie

[crobyninc]

I just completed week one and lost 12.6 pounds. It was a great week and I feel great. What can I expect to lose this week? BTW, this site is wonderful.

[SDC2]

Originally Posted by crobyninc

I just completed week one and lost 12.6 pounds. It was a great week and I feel great. What can I expect to lose this week? BTW, this site is wonderful.

Wow, that is great! Everybody is different, so it is hard to tell. I lost 25 pounds in the first month, if that helps. Now that you are done week 1, please join us in the March thread. There is also a recipe thread with Acute phase recipes.

Susie

[Tcrow47]

Okay, so....

I had the appointment, got the shots, walked out with a big bag-o-pills....
Now come the questions....please help!

1) My major concern in week one is to maintain the allowed caloric intake, zero the carbs, but don't spend too much time worrying about fat grams, sodium, etc.... Is that correct?

2) Never have been a breakfast person and can't eat eggs or cheese. So, is it better to spread all the calories out over the day (choosing from the allowed protein sources, of course) or have two or three set meal-times?

3) Irritable Bowel - I'm familiar with restrooms all across the country because of this. What effect will this diet have with that condition.

4) When you look at a prepackaged food and the nutritional table says 3mg carbohydrates per 3 oz serving, how much carb is that really? Is that a lot?

5) Some of the Zero Calorie drinks that the program includes (those that I 've been able to find, anyway...) are in fact zero calories. However, they still list 1% carbohydrates. Is that a negligible amount, or should I just stick to (God Forbid!) water.

These many, many more questions are coming soon!


Kidding aside, I'm really excited about the program and am looking forward to good success. I'll take any tips you experienced types care to provide. Looking forward to meeting you all.

Troy