Hey all, I am wondering exactly what is it that makes IP successful?
Let me explain I am not trying to start any trouble or attack anyone, but I honestly don't understand. My mom did the plan, loved every minute, lost weight fabulously. She said there was a video presentation and her coach has explained everything about how the metabolic process works that makes IP so successful.
I have been on IP for 5 weeks, and to me, it's just another diet. I don't believe in magic diets or hocus-pocus. My coach is very dissappointing, just another corner weight loss clinic, she has not been helpful at all.
I follow several threads on 3FC, and people keep saying "IP works if you stick with it". Yes, it's great, I see so much success....but honestly Slim Fast works if you stick with it, so does Atkins, or WW, or many other diets, if you stick with it.
I thought it was some secret formulation, but have read so much about folks doing the diet with alternatives, so it doesn't seem to be the IP brand of food so much as a packet based, low carb, low calorie diet. I read about some of the packets having collagen and amino acids, but different clinics have varying rules for the food, it does not make sense.
I am very realistic. I look at this diet, and see the facts. Average daily calories is 800-1000, from protein, some fat, and limited carbs. Of course you will lose weight, and mathematically, at a rate of 2-3 pounds per week.
So help, please....I just don't understand what is so special about it??
Hey all, I am wondering exactly what is it that makes IP successful?
Let me explain I am not trying to start any trouble or attack anyone, but I honestly don't understand. My mom did the plan, loved every minute, lost weight fabulously. She said there was a video presentation and her coach has explained everything about how the metabolic process works that makes IP so successful.
I have been on IP for 5 weeks, and to me, it's just another diet. I don't believe in magic diets or hocus-pocus. My coach is very dissappointing, just another corner weight loss clinic, she has not been helpful at all.
I follow several threads on 3FC, and people keep saying "IP works if you stick with it". Yes, it's great, I see so much success....but honestly Slim Fast works if you stick with it, so does Atkins, or WW, or many other diets, if you stick with it.
I thought it was some secret formulation, but have read so much about folks doing the diet with alternatives, so it doesn't seem to be the IP brand of food so much as a packet based, low carb, low calorie diet. I read about some of the packets having collagen and amino acids, but different clinics have varying rules for the food, it does not make sense.
I am very realistic. I look at this diet, and see the facts. Average daily calories is 800-1000, from protein, some fat, and limited carbs. Of course you will lose weight, and mathematically, at a rate of 2-3 pounds per week.
So help, please....I just don't understand what is so special about it??
Some/maybe most people will lose on just about any diet...a lot of us on here have not been succesful even with 100% compliance on many other plans (WW, Jenny Craig..etc) over the years. ( I actually GAINED weight on WW...3X.
If one is insulin resistant or has what is called syndrome X, or some other metabolic manifestation where the glycemic index is important in metabolism...daily low glycemic index and high fiber PLUS low calories are key. There are many here who have NOT been able to lose with out the biochemical design of this diet. You maybe someone who will do just as well on any calorie reduced diet. If it doesn't matter where your cals come from...it's a blessing!
Some of us have spent years on less than 1000 cals a day to lose 5-10 lbs and then stop losing in spite of adding significant exercise and compliance.
I wish I knew the answer also. It is definitely a mystery!
My father did Atkins somewhat successfully a few times. The last time he was on it, he was losing extremely slowly and he was getting frustrated. I should start by saying he is the most disciplined dieter I have ever met! Head strong and determined. He did everything right. After a little heart episode, both his doctor and I talked to him about IP. He didn't want to hear it. It made absolutely no sense to him, mainly because IP had more carbs than Atkins. The "no exercise" part of IP literally had him chuckling uncontrollably in his hospital bed. He thought the whole idea was stupid and would just go home and stick with Atkins and "walk more."
After a month of getting no where, I packed up extra packets, along with a case of EAS shakes and Pure Protein bars, and brought them to his house. Convinced him to give it just 1 week. Only 1.
He half-heartedly agreed and the rest, as my family says, is history.
That was in July, and as of the middle of September, he had lost 64 pounds! 11 weeks!
He used mostly alternatives so, you are right, there is nothing special inside of the foil packets. But something about the ratio of protein/carbs/fat works.
Last edited by Princess Peacock; 10-10-2013 at 05:02 PM.
Some/maybe most people will lose on just about any diet...a lot of us on here have not been succesful even with 100% compliance on many other plans (WW, Jenny Craig..etc) over the years. ( I actually GAINED weight on WW...3X.
If one is insulin resistant or has what is called syndrome X, or some other metabolic manifestation where the glycemic index is important in metabolism...daily low glycemic index and high fiber PLUS low calories are key. There are many here who have NOT been able to lose with out the biochemical design of this diet. You maybe someone who will do just as well on any calorie reduced diet. If it doesn't matter where your cals come from...it's a blessing!
Some of us have spent years on less than 1000 cals a day to lose 5-10 lbs and then stop losing in spite of adding significant exercise and compliance.
Very well said 65x65
What makes it so "magical" for me is that it is SO black and white it makes it easier for me to stick to - weight watchers I can drink my daily points in beer if I so choose
it is much easier as well when you are seeing an 2lb loss a week compared to when i was eating 1000 calories a day - and loosing 2 pounds every three weeks - something in the balance of carbs/proteins and keeping my body in keetosis
By sticking to it until I am ready to phase off - I am also changing the way I think about food - eating in restaurant, parties, social events - I am starting to feel like the food isnt important anymore - that I am not being deprived
lol maybe there are some hallucinogens in those little silver packets - I dunno - but after so many years of habitual diet failures I just want to cry with happiness every time I step on that scale
I think you have to be all in (yes that opinion differs) but this was my last chance to get heathy so I was ready to do it right - I have enough years of p*ssing around and making excuses for my addiction - want to get it done as quick as possible so I can start the rest of my life in maintenance
I use the clinic products but did change clinics due to having a "cashier coach" - hold out for the right coach - it will make a difference
He used mostly alternatives so, you are right, there is nothing special inside of the foil packets. But something about the ratio of protein/carbs/fat works.
Is there any information somewhere about the actual ratio of protein/carbs/fat?
I have the nutrition information printed out for IP products, maybe figure out the total daily ranges for an average IP day and try to duplicate it?
I am considering switching to alternatives because my coach is awful and because of the cost, but I want to get a plan in place and food stocked beforehand.
Hey all, I am wondering exactly what is it that makes IP successful?
...
I follow several threads on 3FC, and people keep saying "IP works if you stick with it". Yes, it's great, I see so much success....but honestly Slim Fast works if you stick with it, so does Atkins, or WW, or many other diets, if you stick with it.
...
I am very realistic. I look at this diet, and see the facts. Average daily calories is 800-1000, from protein, some fat, and limited carbs. Of course you will lose weight, and mathematically, at a rate of 2-3 pounds per week.
So help, please....I just don't understand what is so special about it??
For me those other diets would get me to a point and I would get stuck. But that is because I am insulin resistant, so IP works for me because it shuts down the pancreas and stops insulin production. I never hit a plateau in this diet not once. It was an amazing difference. Perhaps if you are interested you can read Dr. Tran's book it is available as a download on the website: http://www.trantiendiet.com/ I found it really enlightening in figuring out why IP works.
I remember going through the presentation and all the talk about the pancreas not working right and our bodies burning fat instead of muscle, etc....Here's the practical thing that I have experienced:
I have lost weight in the past, just about as much as this time around. I have unfortunately gained it back, plus! When I lost the weight I never got rid of it in the places on my body like on IP. I lost 45 pounds about 5 years ago. I ended up in a size 10. I thought I looked great. But, I still had a solid straight trunk. I figured I just don't have the type of figure that goes in, in the middle. Plus, it took me almost 2 years to lose that amount. I did so on a low carb diet, eating healthy...fruit, veggies, lean meats, whole grains limited, dairy. I had a hard time sticking to it and had constant cravings! I was so hungry even after I ate!
The difference with IP for me is that my weight has gone down slightly more than 45 lbs, but I am in a size 6! I have almost no cravings. I do get hungry and look forward to my meals and treats, but it is not the uncontrollable, all consuming "wanting" I have had on past diets. Also, I have a waist! My body does go in there. For some reason, on IP the fat has melted off of me. I am a smaller size at a heavier weight than before.
I think there must be something to the protein side of this and the fat burning that makes the difference. Maybe the cravings are also better because of ketosis, but also because of the reduction in sugars/carbs now?
Those are just my thoughts and experience so far. I am down 53 lbs since May 13th and I am so happy I did this it sometimes makes me want to cry.
Somewhere around here is the cute printable chart someone made that shows what nutritional info to aim for when choosing alternatives. If I can find it, I will try to link it (unless someone else more computer savvy than me can do it?). I printed out a copy for him and also gave him a list of foods I had made by reading the alternatives thread. The items he ordered were within those same guidelines. Everything he ordered came from Nashua, but you have to be careful when ordering because they sell tons of things for every dietary need imaginable, and not all of them conform to IP protocol.
I switched to alternatives because my coach was more of a friendly cashier - sweet, but clueless. I loved IP chili and found several on Nashua's site; however, only one of them was comparable - the ProtiDIET (not the ProtiTHIN one).
I think 65x65 hit the nail on the head. What drew me to IP was the science behind it. I've been on other plans/diets/etc but none of them made sense to me like IP does.
(WW, Jenny Craig..etc) over the years. ( I actually GAINED weight on WW...3X.
I gained on WW too!! My second meeting I was sitting there about to cry, wondering what I was going to do, because I had done everything by the book! The theme of the meeting was roadblocks and what happens in our daily lives to throw us off track, and how should we deal with those road blocks. Well, one girl stood up and said that a major road block for her was losing so slowly and having to work with 2 girls who were doing Ideal Protein because those girls were losing so fast, etc., etc., but that she preferred to "slow losses" because she got variety and all the IP girls got to eat was broccoli!!
Needless to say, I went home and researched IP, found a local clinic, and gave it a shot.
On WW, I had to have a GAZILLION points per day. There is something not right when you have points to make up at the end of the day, and end up having to eat 3 WW ice cream sandwiches just to get your points in!
There is a lot of great reading...the ratio of protein/carb fat et al IS very important. A few things that may interest some of you are:
1. The Thyroid Diet- Mary Shoman ( I believe she has had some other books published also)
2. Anything by: Dr Jenny Brand- she is from Australia, and is a PhD nutritionist who has dedicated over 20 years to studying the glycemic index at the Univ of Sydney. A newsletter is available on line that you can sign up for. There is also a lot of information available on line that explains glycemic index and glycemic load...which involves foods higher on the glycemic index that do not have the same bad effects when eaten with other high fiber foods at a meal. There is a lot of research that takes glycemic index to a higher level by examining that
Australia is now labeling all foods with the GI. Light years ahead of the US. With all the sugar in processed foods NOTHING we eat today resembles processed foods of 25 years ago..in either variety or make-up.
Google and read about syndrome X as well as other autoimmune processes like diabetes and hypothyroid. There are a lot of connections in most of this...but some physicians have been slow to connect the dots and get on board. Thank heavens...mine is not one of them. She has been so supportive.
DAK1lls is also correct about where the weight comes off of many of us...I have the same build now as I did when I was 45 years younger...all that middle "stuff" is gone(!) after years of failure...and being told I "must not be compliant...{WW}" ...No one who knows me would say that...but the WW people sure did!!
It was easy-peasy to do this diet. 100%. Told anyone who thought what I was doing was "too restrictive"..."It's easy to do something that works." Now I can even buy jeggings in the Jr department, and YES.. have bought a bunch of them...and LOL... have a "thigh gap"...now how's that for a 65 YO lady??! [Sorry if that visual is TMI!!] My daughter in her 30s pointed it out to me in August...but I had no idea that was a big deal til I saw something in the local paper about it last week. My DH also saw the article and he literally LOL... and showed to me saying.."well...read this...it describes your legs!" I also recently bought a girls size 12 lands end quilted vest for fall. (Cheaper by about $20.) Nothing used to button zip or meet in the middle on me. Everything does now. Granted...I'm a shrimp height wise...and I only use these examples to demonstrate how much weight came off my midsection. It's amazing...and NOTHING could get me to reverse my reduction of carbs. and lower glycemic way of eating. I've learned, that is key to keeping the weight off my midsection. I'm a lifer.
I hope for any of you ladies reading this and struggling to get the weight off...this is also key for you because it will work. Get your head in the game though, because it's not a "diet" and then it's over.You'll always need to monitor carbs and glycemic load if you suffer from this. It's a metabolic issue.
kcandponies: 65X65 reminded me of something else I'd like to mention. I have mentioned this several times in past posts since joining 3FC. Syndrome X (metabolic syndrome) is something I take very seriously. That is the reason I started IP in the first place. I was getting heavier by the month. My belly fat was out of control and growing, and growing. I felt lethargic and depressed. Even though I had lost weight in the past as I mentioned, my belly fat persisted.
I lost my mother, grandmother, and uncle to diabetes and heart disease. All in their 60's. I will be 50 next year and I was heading down the same path. The pain of losing loved ones to something that is highly preventable stays with me. It is overwhelming to even consider leaving my grandchildren and children at such a young age. My doctor put me on notice that I was extremely high risk for these same conditions. I was already showing elevated risk on some cardiac tests and had migraines and dizziness. I would get out of breath walking up the stairs. I know that any diet could probably help me lose weight, but for some reason the belly fat is gone now. I am so anxious to go for a visit to see my doctor so I can impress him with the new healthier me! This is quite seriously a life & death thing for me, as well as others. That is why I try so very hard to do this and stick with it. I remind myself every time I crave a bite of something off plan, that it just is not worth it, and one day I can have a little bite and it won't put me off track.
I am also very insulin resistant, so just a regular balanced diet that creates a calorie deficit was not working for me. I worked with a dietician for about 6 months earlier this year to try to lose weight. I learned tons about portions, how to make good choices with whole grains and all, exercised religiously and was overall very committed to the meal plan she and I set up. I lost 15 pounds over those 6 months - it was very slow going, and she was the one who actually recommended IP because she suspected I was insulin resistant.
In the last 8 weeks I've lost just under 20 pounds on IP - more than what I lost over 6 months doing a regular portion/calorie controlled diet, which on the surface seemed like really healthy eating. Just didn't work for me. I have tried other things in the past, including WW, with similar results to what I got with the dietician, slow loss of maybe half a pound per week versus my average of about 2.5 lbs per week on IP. That's magic to me!
As others have said, for those of us who are insulin resistant, the "magic" is ketosis. It curtails our appetite. Any compliant packets will work along with following the IP protocol. There is no magic in the silver IP packet.
This protocol also worked better for me than the Atkins diet did. I think mostly because the rules are so clear. There is more "wiggle room" on Atkins. Given wiggle room, I will take it!
The cute graphic is in the alternative thread. Most of the alternative threads have a clear list of what to look for in products.
As others have said, for those of us who are insulin resistant, the "magic" is ketosis. It curtails our appetite. Any compliant packets will work along with following the IP protocol. There is no magic in the silver IP packet.
This protocol also worked better for me than the Atkins diet did. I think mostly because the rules are so clear. There is more "wiggle room" on Atkins. Given wiggle room, I will take it!
The cute graphic is in the alternative thread. Most of the alternative threads have a clear list of what to look for in products.
As a way of explaining something that has been so recently controversial.....The insulin resistance makes it easy for some of us to be 100%. The change in our bodies is dramtic...it is magic for us. Not at ALL necessary to use IP packets...but to nail the formulation and stick to it yields an unbelievable change.
If you are not Insulin resistant or syndrome X...just the low cal componet of the diet will do it for you. And the ability to use a more forgiving approach or diet will work just as well as long as overall cals are low enough. That's all the restiriction your body needs. You are the lucky ones ... don't take that for granted...ever.
What is the Secret?
