I was on Ideal for about eight months and lost about 40 lbs. I was happy with my success but the cost became very inhibitive. I was doing well but decided to try weight watchers instead. Needless to say, weight watchers didn't work out and i have fallen off the wagon pretty badly.
After many failed diets and an inability to lose more than five pounds, i'm considering going back to what i know worked. I'm committed to making a more permanent change in my lifestyle (life is a whole lot more normal). Has anyone had good results with IP alternatives? If yes, what have you used?
I need to lose a great deal of weight at this point and really need some help and support. Any ideas, suggestions or tips are greatly appreciated!
I did ip out if a clinic last year phased off and gained most of the weight back. Nov 15 i started back on using alternatives and have lost a fair amount in 6 weeks. I however adapted the ip alternative plan for diabetics - im not but it allows me to choose a fruit/ dairy/ carb per day, some people on here frown about it as its not "100%" OP however this is a support site not judgement and i don not promote how i do things but willing to share if it helps another. Still losing 2-3 per week and im happy with that. This works for me however may not for you. I buy my ip alternatives from costco or walmart. If your in the USA you may have more options. There are many feeds on here that will allow you to see what products others use. From what i see from others they have the same weight loss as those who go to a clinic do. Hard part is staying accountable to yourself.
Hey Brittstar! there are a bunch of link to alternatives in the tops section but to answer your question YES!alternative products work ! I am paying less than a third of what it cost me on IP products. Basically what I did was pull up the nutritional label on the IP products from the www.plainprotein.com and tried to match as closely as I could with other products on www. lindora.com and www.nashua.com I use the pure protien bars from wal Mart as my bar substitute. its been really really easy and I have had the same success with it. I'm going to attach the comparison sheet for you. As Billister says stay accountable. Pick a weigh in day and post your weigh in on here Attachment 43728
I was reading some previous IP Alternative posts and some people mentioned Syntrax Nectar. Has anyone tried any of those flavors? Which do you like the best?
-Brittany
Hey Brittstar! there are a bunch of link to alternatives in the tops section but to answer your question YES!alternative products work ! I am paying less than a third of what it cost me on IP products. Basically what I did was pull up the nutritional label on the IP products from the www.plainprotein.com and tried to match as closely as I could with other products on www. lindora.com and www.nashua.com I use the pure protien bars from wal Mart as my bar substitute. its been really really easy and I have had the same success with it. I'm going to attach the comparison sheet for you. As Billister says stay accountable. Pick a weigh in day and post your weigh in on here Attachment 43728
Hi Maezy,
Wow, thanks for posting that comparison sheet! I have been thinking about doing alternatives for at least some things, and that sheet will come in handy! I saved it to my desk top. I bought some EAS Carb Shakes at Wal-Mart the other day, and thought they were pretty good. The savings as opposed to buying the chocolate drink from IP were also pretty good!
I'm glad to see you posting again! Hope you are doing well, post-surgery...take care of yourself!
tam67green thx! I am doing MUCH better than I was so I am happy. Ive been ordering from Nashua but found some great plain drink mix at Sam's that is very comparable to IP. I figure with flavorings from ToRino and extracts. I'll let you know how that goes. I love the Pure Protein bars esp the peanut butter ones. Billister You are on IP ! doesn't really matter whether it is regular protocol sheet or alternative protocol sheet.
I was on Ideal for about eight months and lost about 40 lbs. I was happy with my success but the cost became very inhibitive. I was doing well but decided to try weight watchers instead. Needless to say, weight watchers didn't work out and i have fallen off the wagon pretty badly.
After many failed diets and an inability to lose more than five pounds, i'm considering going back to what i know worked. I'm committed to making a more permanent change in my lifestyle (life is a whole lot more normal). Has anyone had good results with IP alternatives? If yes, what have you used?
I need to lose a great deal of weight at this point and really need some help and support. Any ideas, suggestions or tips are greatly appreciated!
I lost all but the first week of weight loss here while using alternative products. I learned so much I decided to write a blog in order to help others who wanted to 'go alternative' .... see the link in my signature below. You may find it useful.
Definitely take the time to read through the alternatives threads, there is a lot of information but those of us on alternatives have taken a lot of time to answer questions there, and you may find answers you didn't even know you were looking for
I have been on alternatives since week 10 (going into week 23 now) and my losses didn't change at all - plus I didn't have the added stress of meeting the high cost of IP every week! You have to do a lot more legwork yourself, check every label and ingredient list, and keep track for yourself what is restricted and what is not, but after a while it becomes second nature.
Not only they are cheaper and they work just as well, many of them are positively DELICIOUS!!!! Better tasting than IP!
(I should note that bars and restricted products were not among the ones I sampled so far; the reason is that I am avoiding soy and also I am fairly sensitive to sugar, so I think they will bring my cravings back/up. Therefore, so far I've only tried some alternative puddings, shakes, drinks, and soups.)
Learning to Fly, I noticed you are from Ontario. So am I! Do you mind sharing what you have tried? I'd really like to lower my costs as well! I just placed an order from Protein Well for the chocolate drink, hot cocoa, vanilla pudding and the chocolate dream bar. Hope they taste good!! SO much cheaper!
Agreed! There are many reasons why someone would be on the alternate protocol & absolutely no reason why it wouldn't be considered 100% OP
Thanks ladies makes me feel better! I have had some people say some nasty things as im not diabetic however my doctor wanted me to do it this way. It works for me however lots of people say its not OP because i have fruit dairy and carbs. Not all 3 every day but at least one choice a day. Lost a fair amount in 7 weeks so it works for me. However thank you it means a lot to me that people are still supportive.
I was reading some previous IP Alternative posts and some people mentioned Syntrax Nectar. Has anyone tried any of those flavors? Which do you like the best?
-Brittany
Hi BrittStar,
I bought Syntrax Nectar, Fuzzy Navel flavor. It was not a big hit with me, but I should have known. I have not liked the fruit flavors so much in any drink powders. It wasn't horrible, but not something I wanted to drink daily. I am very tempted to try a chocolate flavor of the brand. It has really good stats as far as alternatives on IP goes.
I have really liked the EAS AdvantEDGE Carb Control shakes from WalMart or other stores like Safeway carry them too. I buy Proti-thin or Weight Loss Systems items (bars, sloppy joe, chili, chicken soup, hot chocolate) from Nashua as well. Chicken soup I like the WLS ones - the proti-thin ones just aren't salty - flavorful - something isn't as good about them.
Anyway check out the alternative threads :-) there's lots of info to be found. I stumbled into IP via alternatives (long story) so I've been doing it this way from day one. I've been happy with the process and the foods I've found.
Just wanted to say welcome. There are many of us who use alternatives. I did the clinic for almost 3 months and have done alternatives for the last 6ish weeks. I took a planned break for 1.5 weeks over Christmas and am now back at it to get off the last 15 or so. As far as the diabetic version...that is most certainly OP, and I think that everyone has to find what works for them. For me, for example, I really needed the "break" (I was purposeful about maintaining not going crazy) and now I feel ready to grind away for another couple months. What matters is that you find what works for you and keep at it.
Last edited by CortneyMarie622; 01-01-2013 at 10:22 PM.
IP Alternatives
