IPers on maintenance, on a break, or cycling with another diet - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

Birman · 03-05-2010, 03:59 PM

(Note: Renamed thread, to reflect Lilita's excellent observation.)

This thread is for those currently or previously on the Ideal Protein Diet (aka Matol diet, Tran Tien diet) who are taking a break, either short term or long term.

Perhaps you love the IP diet, but just want some time off. Or, perhaps you have met your weight goal and are on maintenance now. Or perhaps the IP diet wasn't right for you, but you want to keep the support of your new IP friends. Or perhaps you want to alternate the IP diet with other diets. This is the place to post!

All others welcome too!

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Will edit to post attachments of a synopsis of each plan those in this thread are on.

swilk · 03-05-2010, 04:59 PM

Thank you for starting this. It's nice to have the support of everyone even though we're straying from IP!

skittlescda · 03-07-2010, 04:50 PM

I'm pleased with the IP diet and plan to incorporate it with the "No Flour, No Sugar" diet. I've had a very difficult time tolerating the gluten and whey in the packaged food and have experienced very bad constipation along with stomach pains/cramping, back & flank pain. I have irritable bowel syndrome and I always do well when I start a diet but normally a few weeks into something my body just starts reacting badly. If I eat alot of veggies, friuts or salads then I start having problems. It's a roller coaster. I'm having surgery March 19th so I need to get my body back on track and feeling better before then.
I definitely will stay on the IP plan but not be having the 3 packs per day and will go off all vitamins and just back on the ones I was taking before I started IP (they didn't bother my digestive system).
I hope we hear more from people on this thread.
Trish

Birman · 03-07-2010, 07:45 PM

Hi Swik and Skittlescda! Nice to see you here.

I will be more active here once I actually start transitioning over from the IP diet. That will be within a week or two. Until I am ready to leave IP I don't even want to THINK about the foods I can eat on my other diet. (Cheese, toast -- how I miss thee!)

I added attachments to the initial post for both the IP maintenance phase, and for the Suzanne Somers diet (which is my regular diet). As people join here on different diets or a different type of maintenance plan, if they would be willing to to share a synopsis with us, I will attach them to the initial post so the info is easy to find. That way we can easily understand and discuss what everyone is doing.

Birman · 03-07-2010, 07:53 PM

Skittlescda, can you give us a synopsis of the "No Flour, No Sugar" diet you plan to do? The more we know about it, the better we can support you.

Birman · 03-07-2010, 08:13 PM

Some have asked me about my "regular diet". It's the Suzanne Somers diet. It is taken from a French diet, and is based on food combining. I find it to be a superb diet. Very satisfying. After the first week or so (fast loss if one has previously been eating carbs) I tend to settle into an ongoing weight loss of 1.5 - 2 lbs per week. That's with eating really yummy food -- and lots of it!

While I will post some information here, if anyone is considering doing the diet, I would highly recommend that they read one of Somer's diet books. That way you will understand it much better, be more convinced of how well it works, and get better results. Most of her books are similar. One of her best ones is: Get Skinny on Fabulous Food.

The following info is taken from the Everydiet website:

Suzanne Somers Diet Basics

There are two phases to the diet. In phase one, which is focused on weight loss,
dieters are advised to eliminate what Somers refers to as “funky foods”.

“Funky foods” include sugar, white flour, honey, maple syrup, carrot, avocado, banana, sweet potatoes and more which are outlined in her books. Nuts, whole milk and yogurt are also to be avoided.

Many of the foods to be eliminated are high glycemic index and the idea is that by avoiding these foods the blood glucose levels will remain more stable which allows the body to burn fat more easily.

In addition food combining principles are incorporated into the diet plan. Foods are divided into four food groups which are proteins/fats, carbohydrates, vegetables and fruit. The rules for combining these foods are as follows:

Always eat fruit alone and on an empty stomach.
Combine vegetables with fats and proteins (no carbohydrates).
Combine carbohydrates with vegetables (no fats).
Wait 3 hours between meals of different combinations.
Dieters are also advised to consume frequent small meals and to eat at least three meals per day with no precise guidelines provided for serving sizes. Caffeine and alcohol are to be avoided in phase one.

Phase two of the diet is aimed at maintaining weight loss. Dieters are allowed to include red wine and chocolate in the diet in moderation and more leniency is allowed regarding food combining. Dieters are allowed to deviate from perfect food combining occasionally such as by adding some olive oil or cheese to a pasta dish.

If you are considering doing this diet, I would recommend going to the Amazon link above and reading through all the reviews. That will give you a good idea of whether this plan is a right fit for you.

skittlescda · 03-08-2010, 07:17 AM

Hi Birman, I'll post something later today. I weighed myself this morning and I'm down a pound and a half and so far (it's only 7am) my stomach seems better. I'm going to try a different approach this week, not full-time IP diet only. I know now that my body just needs so whole grains and dairy. I have bought fat free chicken, cottage cheese and swiss cheese and I'm going to find some grains I can eat with skim milk for my breakfast. I'm going to eat healthy with no sugars or flours, watch my carbs, fats and calories and then weigh myself a week today. At lunch I will probably still have chilli or maybe a soup with veggies...we'll see how I feel. As I said before, I have a surgery coming up in less than 2 weeks and I have to get my body back feeling well and functioning properly lol.
Have a great Monday ladies (and gents).
Trish x0x

skittlescda · 03-08-2010, 10:22 AM

Hi Ladies, See below, the best I could find are links to reviews on Dr. Gott's "No Flour, No Sugar Diet. It's nothing fancy and complicated but it's working for me (I'm still having the occassional IP pack, shake, pudding) I have intolerances to certain foods and this is helping me alot. I purchased the diet book 2 weeks ago, it's easy reading, great food lists and meal plans along with about 50 very good recipes. This isn't a "quick" loss diet....if you are happy to lose 1-4pounds per week this is the normal (not like the IP diet) although I'm losing more weight since I've been following this one and seem to be overcoming the very bad constipation and digestive problems I was experiencing on IP.

Trish

http://www.dietsinreview.com/diets/D...No_Sugar_Diet/

skittlescda · 03-08-2010, 10:45 AM

http://www.happy2beme.com/index.jsp

Here is another good link with many very good recipes and articles....good information I think!

swilk · 03-09-2010, 05:53 PM

Hi Ladies!
So, I'm transitioning off of IP more quickly than I had intended. Sunday was such a terrible day that I couldn't wait any longer, and have been in phase 2 since yesterday. Since I'm not going into maintenance, but trying to transition to another diet, I'm using this week to start to reintroduce foods that I will be eating soon in VERY small quantities: peanut butter, cheese, nuts, milk, etc. (sorry Birman for the tease!) I've been having little samples in the afternoon, and it's actually not having the negative impact on my weight that I thought it might: I've been holding pretty steady the past two days (not losing, but I haven't jumped up like I thought I would).
I will say, I feel SO much better even in the past two days. None of my symptoms have completely gone away, but they're decreasing day by day. My self-esteem is oddly better now too that I'm not obsessed with losing large numbers every week and I am "allowed" to eat healthy but IP-forbidden foods. I'm ready to lose at my own pace, even if just one pound a week, and I'm okay with that. Sure, I still have about 30 more pounds that I want to lose, but I'm comfortable with how I look, and I've gotten lots of compliments and remarks the past two days at work about how good I look. I'm also starting to exercise now that I can stand up without feeling like I'm going to keel over and pass out; I'm starting a class tonight at a local gym.
I still haven't decided what diet I'm going to transition to; we're discussing Weight Watchers because it has a similar support system to IP with weigh ins and a "place" to go. Plus, I don't feel as restricted in what I can eat, which to me makes all the difference. Just because I can eat cake doesn't mean I will, but knowing that I can and it's not the end of the world brings me an inexplicable level of inner peace and calm. I'm so glad we are all transitioning at relatively the same time, and I look forward to hearing about your progress and sharing mine!

skittlescda · 03-09-2010, 06:23 PM

Hello. Swilk you sound alot like me, my self esteem has so improved. I know I'm going to stay on track and continue to eat healthy and work towards my goal weight. I know that I look better and I sure do feel better and that is what's important to me. I've weaned myself down on the IP packs....I'm still having a shake or pudding or bar occassionally but most importantly I'm eating very healthy now. I'm not sure I'm going to follow any particular diet just the basic's for healthy low fat, low sugar and because of my gluten/wheat intolerances....no breads, cakes etc. I haven't had a piece of bread, potatoe, rice, crackers, chips, sweets nothing starchy since Jan. 25th when I started IP and I don't miss them at all and have no plans to add them back into my diet anytime soon. My face hasn't been bloated since and I'm aware more than ever now that those foods will be the death of me because I get quite sick when I eat them and have been told that it will only get worse. For breakfast today I had two small fat free, sugar free 40 cal yoghurts and lunch I had a greek salad....which is what I have at least once a day. Tonight it is another salad, green beans & mushrooms and a filet of haddock. Later tonight I may have a IP shake or drink but lately I'm not feeling up to an evening snack. IP got me on track and I'm going to keep buying some of their products....puddings, a few of their bars and shakes and possibly keep on hand a few chili's and spaghetti's for quick lunches. Sorry to go on and on but I'm feeling so positive and wanted to share.
Keep me posted Swilk....I look forward to reading your posts!

swilk · 03-09-2010, 08:56 PM

Good for you, that sounds great! I have a friend with Celiac's disease, so I know how brutal a gluten intolerance can be. It sounds like you're making the right choice for your body (which also has some added healthy-eating benefits!). I am SO DONE with the IP food though, minus the pre-made vanilla shakes. I bought a HUGE box recently, and we'll continue to use those after we're officially off the diet. I'm just so tired of the taste of the food, I can't wait to be done with it!

We're definitely going to try and avoid breads, pastas, etc. as much as possible. We really just want to be able to eat healthy foods, such as fruits, yogurt, nuts, etc., that we weren't allowed to have on IP, including the restricted vegetables! And, even though I'm still trying not to eat bread, I'm ready for a diet where if I do have a slice of bread, it's not the end of the world. Like you said, I know now that I can be a smart, healthy eater. Just because I'm "allowed" to eat something doesn't mean that I will, but I no longer have to obsess over what would happen if I did. I tried Weight Watchers in the past, and I don't think I was mentally prepared (I lost about 10 pounds in 6 weeks, but I didn't make great choices with my points). I think now, with the pattern I've established with IP, I can eat well AND lose weight. I admire you for just striking out and committing to independently eating well. I really want to stick with a "diet", because I do have a lot more weight I want to lose, and the structure really helps to keep me on track.

On another note, I started my step aerobics class tonight... LOVED it. First time I've done aerobic exercise in about 6 months (I broke my leg back in September and was on crutches until December; I was recently cleared for exercise and I've been taking it slow out of sheer terror of re-injury). I felt so energized and strong (and completely exhausted!), and I'm already looking forward to my class on Thursday!
Cheers to being happy and in a better mental state!!

Birman · 03-09-2010, 10:53 PM

Trish, thank you for posting info about the No Flour, No Sugar diet. I had seen that link on my own, but didn't post the info earlier, because that same site got some key info on the Suzanne Somers diet very wrong. For example it said it was very low calorie. Nothing could be further from the truth. One can eat a lot on the SS diet. That's why I like it! That, and the cheese!

Anyways, since you have approved the info, I made and attached a synopsis of NFNS to our starter post for easy reference.

As a side note, just want to mention that while I really believe in the value of touchy-feely-pat-on-the-back type of support, it is not something I personally do well in writing. Hence, on a message board I typically leave that for those much better at it than I, and instead do other types of support (organization, providing information, etc.) I hope that's okay with you guys.

Quote:

Originally Posted by skittlescda

I definitely will stay on the IP plan but not be having the 3 packs per day and will go off all vitamins and just back on the ones I was taking before I started IP (they didn't bother my digestive system).

Trish

Trish, they say we're supposed to be having those 3 IP packs per day until we reach Phase 2, at which time we replace our lunchtime pack with real food. However, I'm not 100% convinced we need to wait until Phase 2 to have a real-food lunch meal, in order to keep losing weight on this diet. I have eaten real food the whole way through, and I'm doing well.

Dr. Tran Tien says that the reason we eat a food packet ("protein substitute") instead of real food is because proteins "do not occur in an isolated state". He says:

"Since there is no ideal protein, 'ideal' meaning a pure (no fats and carbohydrates) and complete protein containing all essential amino acids, the solution is to use an ideally reconstituted protein. That's why the protein diet is based on protein powder substitutes that are mixed with water." pg 65

Okay. That make sense to me --- UNTIL we see that Ideal Protein sells packets with fat and especially carbs. Take a look at the Ideal Protein nutritional fact sheet attached. We see products with 4, 5, 8, 11, 12 net carbs. (That's not even including the once-a-week spaghetti and stew which are over 15 net carbs.) I did buy some of the soup, because they do have high quality proteins, with very low fat and carbs. But I really don't see how the rest of this IP stuff, which are definitely not "pure" proteins according to Dr. Tran Tien's specification, meets the reasoning for why we should eat food packets on Phase 1 instead of food.

Secondly, we are supposed to eat 4 cups of low carb / low glycemic vegetables per day on this plan. While the veggies are low in carbs, they still do have carbs. When we eat a meal, what's the difference whether we get a small amount of carbs from a low glycemic vegetable or from a protein?

Perhaps there are differences that I am not aware of, and real reasons to stick mainly to the packets for Phase 1. I would be interested in hearing about them if there are. But I think most likely if we eat real food that is high protein (and high quality), low carb, low glycemic index, and low fat, we will do very well on this diet. And it certainly is much more pleasant to eat real food!

Regarding dropping some of the supplements, Trish, that concerns me a little. We are going to need higher amounts of some things than is contained in normal supplements. Potassium, for example. Are you getting enough of everything?

I too agree that it is important to be in good condition before your surgery. Have you considered taking a couple of weeks before to eat balanced?

Birman · 03-09-2010, 11:17 PM

Glad you guys are feeling positive! Me too! And… like you guys I too am feeling more self esteem. I was telling a friend that walking into the grocery store last week I felt proud to be slim -- "slim" at 200 lbs!

We had a good laugh! I do feel better though. And... hopeful. Lilita posted in another thread that she considers the IP diet a tool in her arsenal. I do too. As I continue my weight loss process, I will pull out my secret weapon for a month or so whenever I feel the need for a jumpstart.

This Friday I will complete my 30th day of IP. That's enough for now, I think. I should have dropped just under 200 lbs by then, which will be EXTREMELY exciting for me!

Then, on Saturday, I will start transitioning to Somersize. Can hardly wait! I am going to have sour cream for breakfast!

Though one can eat fruit, bread, pasta and stuff on Somersize, I am going to hold off on that for a couple of weeks until my weight is stabilized under 200 lbs. From past experience I know that as soon as I switch diets, I put on 5 lbs due to more food in my body, and more water retention due to the carbs. So, going to hold off on the carb meals for a while. Will start by increasing food amounts, and... adding FAT

Here is another NSV from my month on IP. I want to exercise. I actually want to. That is darn rare for me! A month or so ago, Swik, I wouldn't have been able to relate to your comment that you are looking forward to your exersize class on Thursday. Now I can. Saw the doctor today for a sore shoulder. Told him that I am eager to get exercising so he needs to get my shoulder fixed while I'm still chomping at the bit!

My overall goal is to be Fit by 50. For me, that comes this September. I want to be in great shape by then. Will need your support to be able to do that. So… I'm counting on you guys.

Birman · 03-09-2010, 11:35 PM

Swilk, I owe you an apology. Been spelling your name wrong! Just found that now when I tried to add "swik" (who is non-existent) to my buddy list. Didn't ever see that "l" before. And to think that just earlier this evening I was raving to my husband about my great new glasses!