Quote:
Originally Posted by swilk
(Post 3185094)
Birman-- I was just reading through the posts, and saw your link to an old post you had written. In it, you mention your concerns that this diet isn't 100% healthy for an extended period of time. My boyfriend and I have had this thought in the back of our minds for a while, especially after being advised so by our friends who are doctors, and we've been feeling more strongly lately. I've been having some health issues the past two weeks that I feel are directly related to the diet (I felt SO GOOD while we were on vacation and eating normally), and we're considering going off soon and transferring into a diet that is more balanced and more conducive to my health needs. We're still very committed to eating healthy and losing weight, I just think I've reached a point where it's not worth the negative side effects that I've been experiencing anymore (and he's fed up with the daily headaches and feeling of being "out of it" that he's had for a while now).
I noticed that you said that you were alternating between IP and "your regular diet". Would you mind elaborating on what your regular diet is? We're really looking for something that's going to allow us to continue to lose weight, even if it is at a slower pace, but that will allow me to take medications that I need to take and to experience fewer flare-ups and side effects than I've been experiencing.
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Swik, I am sorry to hear that you and your boyfriend are having problems on this diet. :(
My sister-in-law who originally told me about the IP diet last summer, lost 40 lbs on it. She had to quit it though, because she got so sick on it. Right after she started eating normally, she immediately felt better. (Sound familiar?) She was planning on starting IP again a couple of weeks ago, but after just one day on the diet she got so sick that she immediately dropped it. Now, I am NOT saying that I think this is an unhealthy diet. I don't. Dr. Tran has a Ph.D as well as an MD (and seems to be an honorable fellow), and when I read his book it seemed solid. While I do think that most likely this diet is safe enough for most healthy people for a modest period of time, fact is that it IS imbalanced. Dr. Tran himself says that. And given how few calories we eat, and how fast we lose weight, I consider the diet a bit extreme. There is probably some risk involved with that. (Of course, there are risks to being obese too.) So yes, after I am down about 20 lbs or so on IP and have a nice jump start, I will switch back to my regular diet for a while.
To answer your question, my regular diet is the Suzanne Sommers diet. It is based on a traditional diet from France. As we know, Dr. Tran is from France, so it is perhaps not a co-incidence that the SS diet is similar to Dr. Tran's maintenance plan which involves separating fats from carbs.
Usually I lose about 1.5 - 2 lbs per week on the SS diet. It's not as fast as the IP diet, but one can eat balanced and healthfully on it. Like, you can eat bread, fruit, and pasta. (Or … cheese and sour cream :D ) You can eat almost any healthy food on it if you do it in the right combinations. Heck, I can eat a whole avacado on it every day and still lose weight! Overall. the diet is very easy to do, you can eat yummy food (lots!), and it works well. If you like, I can PM you a brief synopsis of the plan. But if you are actually considering do it, I recommend that you get one of her books. Reading through the book will give you a much better understanding of the diet, so you will likely get better results. Knowledge is power. :)
In a week or so I will be switching over myself. When I do, I'll probably start a thread for IP'ers on a break, on maintenance, or cycling with a different diet. That way I can stick around here with my new friends. :)
(Or, you could go ahead and start one!)
