I was wondering if anyone knows how many calories, fat, carbs and grams of protein a day we are supposed to be taking in? I did this diet back in August for 3 weeks, lost 10 pounds, now I'm back on it to lose another 10 (baby weight!). It was hard the first time, but it's not as hard this time, but I can't help to wish that I could have 1 "bad day" a week, where I could eat something "special" such as dessert or a real snack like popcorn.

I was just curious to know if Ideal Protein has ever indicated how many calories, fat, carbs and protein we should have per day?

thank you to anyone!

I too am interested in this info!

I have no clue. I just follow protocol.

I'll take a stab at this if you all remember that none of this is hard and fast. All of it depends on your choices.

Calories are easy. If you follow the plan exactly you'll get about 800 calories, plus or minus from day to day.

Carbs: Whew! First of all, I was told to count total carbs not net, and that makes sense to me. Besides the fact that this program is very low in fiber (a personal gripe). It is quite possible to stick to 25 carbs a day if you chose packets and vegetables wisely. Never have an IP product that is over 3 carbs (take that, restricted bars). If you cut out milk, it helps, too. Spinach and romaine are low in carbs and have excellent carb to fiber ratios and each is high in Potassium, especially spinach. Please don't do as some have and eat only celery and cucumbers as vegetables. While celery has nutrients, you'd be cheating your system badly if you exclude broccoli and cauliflower as well as other nutrient-rich vegetables. If IP products total 7 then you have 18 grams of carbs to play with.

Fat: First of all you need it so don't think of skimping. 9 grams of EVOO equals 2 teaspoons. Meat has more fat than most fish, except salmon. Organic chicken breast and pork are lower than beef tenderloin or filet. Remember that all vegetables have a little bit of fat which can add up to 1 or more grams; and one fish oil supplement has 1 gram.

That's the best I can generalize. It's all about choices.

here is a spreadsheet with numbers so you can track your daily intake.

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?...CMr939oK#gid=0

Great question.....I'm having a heck of a time getting a straight answer from coach(s) or the company. So, I asked my MD who says:

1) find out the calories you need per day to reach/maintain your goal weight www.onemorebite.com has a good calculator.

2) divide your goal weight by 4 which gives you the number of calories from protein.

3) Take the original calorie number from item 1 above subtract your number of protein calories and the rest of your calories should be 30% carbs and 20% fat. So, 1200 calories is 50/30/20 protein/carb/fat. Does this make sense? Also, drink the same amount of water in ounces as your goal weight.

Ideal Protein gave me a great kick-start and I'm still using some of the products...BUT...there is not enough fiber....I like my fiber from food and I need tons of it.

Well, as a semi-retired IP'er () I will tell you this...follow protocol and don't worry about it.

Sounds simple, but it's true. IP focuses less on calories/fat/etc. because if you are staying under the appropriate carbs, the rest should fall into line automatically.

As far as "one bad day a week" goes. Do you really, really need it? I did IP for 3 months and never really cheated. My only "cheat" was to have an extra bar or shake if I needed it. When something yummy, like a dessert or popcorn, or whatever came up, I just said to myself - not never, just not now. Think about it, that bad day is going to go through your system and be gone. It may take you out of ketosis and it may set you back from your goal. What do you have to show for it? By all means, try it if you want to, I can guarantee that after the initial gratification is gone, you will wish that you made another choice. Hang in there, you can do this!!

I kind of look at IP like that too, a great kick-start. After all, when I lost 45 lbs I was able to walk a little easier, which jump-started my exercise routine.

I too worried about the fiber. A lot of people on IP have trouble with that, I was fortunate enough not to have had that issue. I don't know if it was the amount and variety of veggies I ate or what. You can get enough fiber from veggies if you eat the right kinds and amounts, but, it is difficult.

It's pretty unlikely to get 1200 calories while on IP. I usually was between 650-900.

but it is a good question, when you phase off IP so we can maintain our weight and don<t have the packs to fall on...