General Diet Plans and Questions General diet questions, support for various diet plans other than those listed below.

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Old 11-26-2013, 01:49 PM   #1  
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Red face Can I survive with....?

I had been on Ideal Protein last year for a month and lost 20 pounds (but lost more than 400$ which made it impossible to continue)

I was researching about whey protein powder and have come up with an idea since ideal protein is apparently the same "basis" of whey powder.

I've been drinking whey powder mixed with berries, almond milk and spinach.

Can I survive just drinking this until I can afford to go on ideal protein again (in February) if I drink this 4 times a day (or more?)

not sure if there would be anything missing (I'm vegetarian by the way, so I don't eat meat anyways)

any tips or suggestions would be appreciated!

thank you!


p.s. as some basic info: I'm 25 years old, female, weigh 205 (for my height, I'm supposed to be around 135 - 145)

thanks!
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Old 11-26-2013, 02:44 PM   #2  
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That would be less than ideal, but you probably already know that. Not least because after you would reach your goal, you'd have to learn how to eat proper foods again without gaining all the weight back.

You should probably google "protein sparing modified fast" and read more about that. You need vitamins and minerals and essential fatty acids on top of the protein.

Also, there's more to a diet than just weight loss. If you don't get the needed nutrients, you might suffer from depression, lose skin elasticity and hair, and who knows what kinds of damage can be done to your system.

I honestly don't think that's a good idea at all, and I've been on a PSMF diet. I ate proper foods though and only occasionally had a protein shake. It is very effective, but you have to know what you're doing and for how long. Until February is way too long without planned diet breaks.

So, I guess the answer would be that sure you'd live, but at what cost?
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Old 11-26-2013, 03:04 PM   #3  
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thank you very much for the info!
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Old 11-27-2013, 02:25 AM   #4  
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Mind you, having high protein meals during calorie restriction is still a good idea.

What I would do if I were you is to have meals that do have plenty of protein but not a lot of starches most of the week. Since you're a vegetarian and not a vegan, you can have low fat cheese which can actually have more protein than meat and fish! Try not to snack, but eat it with plenty of non-starchy veggies (all colors) and add a tiny bit of olive oil. You can have the whey shakes as meal replacements as well. Keep track of your macronutrients using some service like My Fitness Pal or one of those. I use a Finnish one, so that's not going to help you :-) You don't have to do that forever, just long enough to get the hang of what kind of nutrient content the meals tend to have and how many calories you get in each day.

I think you should aim for at least 100g of protein per day. That's a rough estimate. If you lift weights, then it should be more (closer to, let's say, 150g). Then keep carbs and fats low, but it is much better and much easier for you if you don't try to restrict them too much. Let's say both under 50g. Then have a meal with starchy vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes, bread and pasta if it doesn't trigger you into eating too much) once or twice per week (a meal where you don't limit the carbohydrates). Multivitamins and minerals would also be a good idea. Since fish oil is out of the question with you, I think flax oil might be good?

Stay away from sweet stuff as much as you can. I know fruits and berries are healthy, but in moderation. It's better to try to keep your blood sugar steady throughout without too many spikes.

And I say to you the same thing I keep banging on about to everyone else is to learn how to cook and prepare nice meals so there is no need to resort to processed foods. It's cheaper and healthier and more rewarding on so many levels to prepare foods from raw ingredients.

And most importantly, be kind to yourself and tend to your body with love :-) After that, everything else kind of falls into place.

Best of luck on your journey!

Last edited by SparklyBunny; 11-27-2013 at 02:41 AM.
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Old 11-28-2013, 12:42 AM   #5  
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You can do IP much cheaper by using alternatives. If you are in the US check out Nashua Nutrition.
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Old 11-28-2013, 08:08 AM   #6  
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Your homemade shake idea might be okay for a snack or one meal a day, if combined with a balanced diet for the other meals. However, it's lacking thousands of nutrients that we get from real food and your body will not function well for very long. As SparklyBunny mentioned, "you'd live, but at what cost?"

Have you considered counting calories, joining Weight Watchers, or trying another diet that is more balanced and affordable?
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Old 11-29-2013, 11:37 AM   #7  
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Great question, I personally love whey protein...but know it was designed to help build muscle and provide protein specifically for those involved in weight lifting.

Check out dietdirect.com or check out the alternatives section for other sites and information. Ideal Protein is great, but cost is a huge issue. Many sites sell products similar to IP at a cost of $10-15 box or less then $2 a packet.

Any questions please ask, the results are the same...just a lot more in your pocket book!
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Old 12-01-2013, 01:37 AM   #8  
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As has already been pointed out, you're going to miss out on a lot of micronutrients if you're eating the same thing for four meals a day. A lot of cravings happen when your body is lacking nutrients. For example, that smoothie has no fat in it. You'll be missing fat soluble vitamins that you can only get from fat, along with a ton of other vitamins and minerals that aren't found in those four specific foods. Your calories will also be extremely low. A scoop of whey protein is about 100 calories (assuming you're using the isolate), 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk is 40-60, spinach is virtually nothing and berries, depending are they kind, are probably another 60 calories. Best case scenario you're looking at about 800-900 calories a day.

Now, health professionals will put people classified as "morbidly obese" on a very low calorie diet to help them lose weight extremely quickly. We're talking people with a BMI over 40 who are pretty much confined to bed or chair for most of the day. And yes, often these diets are mostly liquid but they're given a lot of supplements to make sure their diet is adequate in key nutrients so they don't become deficient. Your smoothie would not be supplemented this way.

I think that sounds like a great smoothie and I enjoy something similar to that for the occasional breakfast or post-workout snack, but I don't think it would be in your best interest to subsist on that until February. There are lots of great foods you can eat that are still lower calorie and vegetarian. Is there are a reason you feel the need for your diet to be so restrictive? Why not just eat real food in a balanced way? There are plenty of cheap (or free!) plans that will help you monitor your diet and don't require such a monetary commitment.
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