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The thing that consistently turns me off Ideal Protein (aside from being a vegetarian) is the number of zealous followers. I'm always suspicious when I see posts on here raving about how good IP is from users with exactly 1 post count. Or "success stories" posted in the goal threads with uniform pictures from people who don't post on the other boards.
That's not to say the plan doesn't work, I'm sure it has successfully helped many people lose weight. But when IP is being marketed to me using fairly honest forums with user-generated content like 3FC I am completely turned off. It just seems so sneaky to do it that way. Maybe some of these posters are genuine, but I suspect its more likely someone at IP headquarters sitting behind a computer desk creating fake profiles. Unfortunately after working in online marketing for several years, its gets easy to spot the signs.
Last edited by LaurenBelle; 05-09-2012 at 09:50 PM.
The thing that consistently turns me off Ideal Protein (aside from being a vegetarian) is the number of zealous followers. I'm always suspicious when I see posts on here raving about how good IP is from users with exactly 1 post count. Or "success stories" posted in the goal threads with uniform pictures from people who don't post on the other boards.
That's not to say the plan doesn't work, I'm sure it has successfully helped many people lose weight. But when IP is being marketed to me using fairly honest forums with user-generated content like 3FC I am completely turned off. It just seems so sneaky to do it that way. Maybe some of these posters are genuine, but I suspect its more likely someone at IP headquarters sitting behind a computer desk creating fake profiles. Unfortunately after working in online marketing for several years, its gets easy to spot the signs.
I totally agree with you. I'm glad I'm not the only one who finds all these miraculous stories in the goal section from people with less than 5 posts and these very stereotypical photos suspicious.. it just doesn't ring true for me. There's far too many of them for a start. I've been thinking this for ages but didn't like to say it in case I upset someone lol. Again I don't doubt it does work and people do have great success and at least some of those threads are genuine.. but I think there's a lot of fake out there.. like how HGC used to be marketed..
I started IP march 20. I'm down more than 20 lbs. averaging 2 to 3 lbs a week. Had trouble at about 4 weeks with diarrhea but working with diet coach we traced it to magnesium overload and have made subtle adjustments that have mitigated the problem. It's expensive, and I have been glad to discover more inexpensive alternatives for about a quarter of my program. But I have to say it has been an effective approach. Sure it takes discipline, it's not very forgiving of cheats, and results are not instantaneous, but I am also learning good habits in portion control and healthy choices. So on balance I have to say thumbs up on IP.
I often save 1 cup of lunch veggies for snacking. Or I have my snack packet then -- a pudding or a drink. Or those dill zipper things which I love. Or dill pickle slices which are "free" -- sometimes too a big belt of pure water is incredibly satisfying.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mjohnson1003
Does anyone eat anything between lunch and dinner? Today is my 5th day and I think I get more hungry each day. I thought you were never suppose to be hungry on this diet!
I often save 1 cup of lunch veggies for snacking. Or I have my snack packet then -- a pudding or a drink. Or those dill zipper things which I love. Or dill pickle slices which are "free" -- sometimes too a big belt of pure water is incredibly satisfying.
The first few weeks I was ravenous, and I purchased fat free chicken stock and would chop up some chives and yummmmy! I'm not hungry any more now - like someone else said, I have to force the last snack. My coach got on me about not getting the snack in.
To the original question - yes, I love it. I watched a few acquaintances go through the program and I knew as soon as I could afford it - I would do it. Now that I've come to grips with how much I was spending to stay fat, it doesn't seem as expensive -- I'm spending the same and losing weight - yippee!
Hi I'm Jane , it is Day 6 for me and I feel great... I haven't stepped on the scale yet... that will come Monday morning. I have found a new love of mushrooms, I never ate them before at all, also cucumbers... This is definitely a beautiful lifestyle change ...Supper tonight Pulled Pork/ mustard/ mushrooms ( sauteed) brocolli and cauliflower ... beautiful.. Only thing is I don't have a weight scale for food... so I am guessing my supper meat portion... I figure if I am off a tad it isn't going to hurt much... Have a great day
I noticed something..I have my protein drink..which is 0 sugar 0 fat... and I lose my ketones... I never get further than small ketones before I have a shake in the morning, I check after I have my shake and I am negative for ketones. Confusing since I take in NO sugars all...
I have been IP for 8 weeks now, and lost 35 lbs. Several people I work with have had excellent results too. Watching people you know loose week by week and be happy about a diet was a good recommendation to give it a try. I know I will sound like one of those snake-oil salesmen, but I really beleive this diet is changing my life...went from 249 to 215, knees don't hurt, can walk more without being short of breath, can do up/down stairs easier, have more energy, sleep better, my heart arrythmia seems gone, so am on less meds....its all good! The first 3-5 days were the worst...and the best motivator to stay on the program is the losses each week. Go read the posts under IP...that many people from that many places can't be wrong....look at it on you tube. I highly recommend this diet.
I noticed something..I have my protein drink..which is 0 sugar 0 fat... and I lose my ketones... I never get further than small ketones before I have a shake in the morning, I check after I have my shake and I am negative for ketones. Confusing since I take in NO sugars all...
Because this is such a low calorie intake diet with the normal protiens for sparing lean body mass, you should not see anything other than a trace amount of ketones spilling into the urine after the first 3-5 days. Once you are in ketosis, you are using the ketone bodies from the breakdown of fats as energy for your body. If you follow the program trace is all you should see, any more is a problem
Anybody know where I can get the Ideal Protein food and just buy it a box at a time? I used to do this diet and I miss those Cookies-N-Cream bars like crazy! I don't want to do a whole "plan" or commitment, but I can't find anywhere to just buy a box of those bars!
The thing that consistently turns me off Ideal Protein (aside from being a vegetarian) is the number of zealous followers. I'm always suspicious when I see posts on here raving about how good IP is from users with exactly 1 post count. Or "success stories" posted in the goal threads with uniform pictures from people who don't post on the other boards.
That's not to say the plan doesn't work, I'm sure it has successfully helped many people lose weight. But when IP is being marketed to me using fairly honest forums with user-generated content like 3FC I am completely turned off. It just seems so sneaky to do it that way. Maybe some of these posters are genuine, but I suspect its more likely someone at IP headquarters sitting behind a computer desk creating fake profiles. Unfortunately after working in online marketing for several years, its gets easy to spot the signs.
I decided I needed to do something 'structured' about losing weight at the end of March, and started researching - stumbled across the local clinic for Ideal Protein in my city, and the Ideal Protein website. After some serious reflection I joined up. I almost immediately found the 3fatchicks IP forum here, and the thread about being able to do IP using a variety of alternative products. Since IP is expensive for my budget, I decided to do that. The first week on 'IP Proper' products got me into ketosis, and I proceeded from there on alternatives. So far I've lost 18 lbs. I'm in my 9th week. I'm 61 and menopausal, and seem to be losing more slowly than many of the others - but I am losing. My energy has been good, and by and large I feel good. The first week was definitely the hardest, and then of course I had to develop the 'routine' of eating this way. Eventually it becomes habit.
I never visit or post in the other sections of this forum because I only come here to get 'reinforced' about my IP diet... why read and post elsewhere when I'm an IPer? I never visited 3fatchicks before I found IP, so have no past knowledge of it.
I'd love to be losing faster... but I'm a lot lighter than when I started at the end of March - and without IP I probably wouldn't have stayed the course this long.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aimee G
Anybody know where I can get the Ideal Protein food and just buy it a box at a time? I used to do this diet and I miss those Cookies-N-Cream bars like crazy! I don't want to do a whole "plan" or commitment, but I can't find anywhere to just buy a box of those bars!
I've been on IP for just over a week now and have already lost 10 lbs. I have to admit the first 4 days of the diet were MISERABLE... I really craved those carbs! My doc told me the withdrawal symptoms (headaches, cravings, etc.) were perfectly normal and part of the re-set phase of this diet. Now I can look at a whole plate of pasta and not care! My sister lost over 60 lbs. and she was my motivation for doing this. I love the diet -- HATE the hype -- and it's a bit expensive, but have found some alternative products thru this message board. My only fallback is I am highly allergic to sucralose, so had to give up all the sweet stuff on the diet. Oh well! I heard that IP products sold in Europe and Canada use Stevia instead of sucralose, but you can't buy the products overseas from a distributor, only from private parties. Anyone who knows an IP user overseas, can you let me know? I would be happy to exchange products, buy from them and pay extra for their time, or whatever. Thx!
Woo-hoo! Week 3 weigh-in and I've lost 15 lbs total so far! Funny thing is I'm actually getting used to the food on this diet. Found quite a few IP bars that don't have the sucralose so I can indulge in sweets (Double Chocolate Bars...heaven!) I also went to lunch with my sister, she had a full plate of pasta and I had salad, and I wasn't jealous of her at all. This is the first diet that's actually worked for me. My advice to anyone reading this and thinking of doing IP is: get over the cost (yes, it's expensive, but so is a triple bypass operation later in life), get over the hype (yes, there are zealots out there, just throw some veggies at them and they'll go away - haha), and STICK TO IT, no matter what. Also thx to all the supporters out there on this message board who have helped me through those first tough weeks.
The thing that consistently turns me off Ideal Protein (aside from being a vegetarian) is the number of zealous followers. I'm always suspicious when I see posts on here raving about how good IP is from users with exactly 1 post count. Or "success stories" posted in the goal threads with uniform pictures from people who don't post on the other boards.
That's not to say the plan doesn't work, I'm sure it has successfully helped many people lose weight. But when IP is being marketed to me using fairly honest forums with user-generated content like 3FC I am completely turned off. It just seems so sneaky to do it that way. Maybe some of these posters are genuine, but I suspect its more likely someone at IP headquarters sitting behind a computer desk creating fake profiles. Unfortunately after working in online marketing for several years, its gets easy to spot the signs.
Well, it is good to be cautious - but I rarely go outside the IP forum here on 3fc, since it's such a great resource for making IP sustainable 'long haul'. I have lost 53lb in 15 weeks (slow week lately). It is HARD the first 3-4 days, but gets easier as soon as you get over that hump!
The thing that consistently turns me off Ideal Protein (aside from being a vegetarian) is the number of zealous followers. I'm always suspicious when I see posts on here raving about how good IP is from users with exactly 1 post count. Or "success stories" posted in the goal threads with uniform pictures from people who don't post on the other boards.
That's not to say the plan doesn't work, I'm sure it has successfully helped many people lose weight. But when IP is being marketed to me using fairly honest forums with user-generated content like 3FC I am completely turned off. It just seems so sneaky to do it that way. Maybe some of these posters are genuine, but I suspect its more likely someone at IP headquarters sitting behind a computer desk creating fake profiles. Unfortunately after working in online marketing for several years, its gets easy to spot the signs.
Well, I must say that I am a real life person . I have been on IP since Feb. 22 and as of last weeks weigh in, I have lost 57.2 pounds and almost as many inches. I don't post everyday but I am here everyday for support. This is the only weight loss program that I have actually been able to follow, and with consistent weight loss. It is not always easy, I'm hungry right now and it would be easy enough to fall off the IP wagon, but I am doing this for me and my health and it's really not worth it to sabotage myself. Good luck to you in what you feel is the right lifestyle change for yourself
...Supper tonight Pulled Pork/ mustard/ mushrooms ( sauteed) brocolli and cauliflower ... beautiful.. Only thing is I don't have a weight scale for food... so I am guessing my supper meat portion... I figure if I am off a tad it isn't going to hurt much... 
Week 3 weigh-in and I've lost 15 lbs total so far! Funny thing is I'm actually getting used to the food on this diet. Found quite a few IP bars that don't have the sucralose so I can indulge in sweets (Double Chocolate Bars...heaven!) I also went to lunch with my sister, she had a full plate of pasta and I had salad, and I wasn't jealous of her at all. This is the first diet that's actually worked for me. My advice to anyone reading this and thinking of doing IP is: get over the cost (yes, it's expensive, but so is a triple bypass operation later in life), get over the hype (yes, there are zealots out there, just throw some veggies at them and they'll go away - haha), and STICK TO IT, no matter what. Also thx to all the supporters out there on this message board who have helped me through those first tough weeks. 
. I have been on IP since Feb. 22 and as of last weeks weigh in, I have lost 57.2 pounds and almost as many inches. I don't post everyday but I am here everyday for support. This is the only weight loss program that I have actually been able to follow, and with consistent weight loss. It is not always easy, I'm hungry right now and it would be easy enough to fall off the IP wagon, but I am doing this for me and my health and it's really not worth it to sabotage myself. Good luck to you in what you feel is the right lifestyle change for yourself 
