Many of us have followed the IP protocol on "alternative" products. You need to read through these threads, there is a ton of good info on products that fit the program, where to buy, and what you should look for. It's a lot to read, but it took us a longer time to put all that info together!

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/idea...s-vol-1-a.html

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/idea...ht=Alternative

Hello Everyone,
I hope this is the right place for this question. I read a recipe on here for cauliflower tater tots. One of the ingredients was a Land O Lakes 3 cheese seasoning. I couldnt find it, but I did get a cheese seasoning in the popcorn isle with 0 calories, sugars, etc. My coach said it was fine, but the next day I didnt lose any weight!
Anyone had any experience with something like that? My gut says to stay away from it. But those poppers sure were good!!!! :-)

Your best bet is to post in the daily thread, you will get more responses there.

But to answer your concern - you SHOULD NOT weigh yourself every day, especially if seeing the scale stand still ONE DAY is going to cause you concern. Weight can fluctuate by a FEW POUNDS over the course of a week, even when you are on a weight loss program. Yes, it can be fun to see the scale drop every day, but weight loss is NOT a constant, steady drop. You will level off for a day, a week....but if you are following your program the weight WILL come off. Too many things can affect your scale numbers on a daily basis - water intake, stress, hormones, the weather....just look at your scale trends on a weekly basis, make sure you are sticking to the program, and it will be fine. One day of having popcorn seasoning is NOT going to derail you from the program.

Hi! I have many of the same questions. I was ok with the wildberry yogurt drink (I made it with more water). And I like the broccoli cheese soup and chicken noodle soup. Chocolate drink - soso, Vanilla drink - soso, Orange drink - awful, etc. My coach told me I can't save things for later. I'm also confused about the snack. (I'm on the alternate Phase I for diabetics). Do I have to eat the snack? I guess I'm not answering much for you, but...know that you have company with your questions!

As was mentioned before, your best bet is to post in the Daily thread - the most people will see it and you will get a greater response.

Regarding IP foods, your taste buds have to adjust a bit - remember we are used to eating foods that have been "flavor enhanced" quite a lot. Plus any protein-powder based food has a bit of a different taste. We aren't doing this diet because the food is amazing - we do it because we need a fast, effective way to get weight off. Your tastes will change, there are packets that I hated in the beginning but loved after a while.

Regarding the snacks - yes you do need to eat it. The diet (even the alternative plan for diabetics) is too low in calories for you to be able to skip food. You need to make sure that you eat everything on your sheet, every day. Regarding WHEN you eat - on the diabetic plan you shouldn't be saving any of your foods for later - the plan is designed to help your body maintain a more even insulin response, and that is why your "extra" foods are broken up over the course of the day. On the regular IP plan we have a bit more flexibility with when we eat foods, but it's because we don't have the same concerns in terms of insulin response.

I found out this last weekend that my hubby and I are expecting our fourth and hopefully last child. I succeeded in losing 25lbs while on IP, but was not at my goal weight when I received this news. I spoke with a couple of coaches at my clinic and one told me that I could follow Phase 3 of IP, the other said I should follow Phase 4 of IP, and then also gave me a copy of Phase 1 Alternative for suggestions. I am very confused. I really enjoyed how simple Phase 1 was to follow and I knew exactly what to do. I know that I cannot "lose weight" but I do not want to lose the ground I have covered. Please if anyone out there can help me out I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you very much.

Hi
Congrats
I replied on the daily thread.
Based on other folks with very good coaches, you should go immediately to Phase 3 and Phase off. You can follow Phase 4 through pregnancy.
There is a great thread for Phase 3 breakfasts. It is very helpful & you'll figure it out quickly.
The most important thing now is a healthy baby!

Can you use this Granola as an IP snack? It's naturally made at a local orchard store. I started Phase 3
Rolled Oats,almonds,honey,Soy seeds,pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, vanilla, and salt.

The IP "schedule" recommends dinner followed by a late night snack. I'm curious as to others who do the dinner "last" (my husband and I cook our dinner after the kids in bed around 7:30, eat by 8:30). Could this be slowing down my weightloss? I've been losing 2-3 lbs a week (which seems a little lower than the average). My coach said she prefers we follow the IP schedule but wondered if doing it in my order should show the same results?

Thanks.

When I started hitting plateaus I switched mine around, I had protein and vegetables for lunch and breakfast and then just a snack for a dinner and the scale kept moving..

whatever happened to Scorbett anyhow?? she was always on here

Lowcarbcanada website is good
Shoppers and safeway sell proti-diet products.
I know there's an actual walden farms website that delivers to canada.

I have found some IP products online on ebay and kijiji .

Hope that helps.
Good luck my fellow Canuck!

Hi, my husband and I just started the IP diet last week. We are doing it on our own though because it is too expensive. We got some of the paperwork from a friend who paid for it. I looked through the alternatives thread and the faqs for hours last night, but there is just SOOOO much information on here that it's hard to sort through. I have A LOT of questions that I was hoping somebody could help me with...

1. We were told to get 25-30 carbs per day, no more no less. Is this accurate? I saw some discussions about net carbs vs total carbs... we have been going off of the net carbs on the EAS shakes that we are doing. I am not sure whether or not we are doing net or total for our veggies.. which leads me to my next question..

2. Where does everybody get the carb values for veggies? All the websites I look at are different. So what is a good website that lists carb values for both COOKED AND RAW veggies?

3. As far as alternative supplements, I was told that the ionic fizz was the same as a 5 calorie emergen-c (1x/day), pro omegas are fish oils, and body biotics are pro-biotics..? Is that accurate? We are taking regular vitamins, do we need liquid vitamins? And do we need the potassium citrate in addition to sea salt? And do we need a calcium supplement in addition to the vitamins?

4. Do we need to pay attention to calories at all in phase 1 or just carbs?

5. My husband wants to know if you can have both tea and coffee everyday or just coffee? And if you can substitute egg whites for an EAS shake (at breakfast or lunch)?

6. What exactly is ketosis? We didn't get any paperwork on that... it sounds like you guys are using pH strips..? Do we need that?

7. My husband was also wondering if taking raspberry ketones and/or acai berry with the diet would help with quicker weight loss? I am worried for some reason that it will deplete his nutrition or something... any thoughts?

8. LASTLY, our sheets are apparently old because they said to eat 5 oz of chicken or beef or 7 oz of seafood for dinner. The new sheets on here say 8 oz for everything, so should we increase our portion size starting this week?

I apologize for asking so many questions... but I would greatly appreciate it if someone would take a few minutes to read through them and give us some more information so that we can do this the right way! Thank you so much!!

1. - can't answer, I generally am in ketosis at under 50 carbs.
2. myfitnesspal.com is a great site for logging food and will give this information for you.
3.can't answer
4. carbs
5. I think both, although I only drink water, so someone else should answer. I think the rule is drink your water, and if you drink tea or coffee, drink equal amounts water in the day.
6. Ketosis is the process that burns bodyfat instead of glycogen. When you go lo-carb, you deplete the glycogen that your body normally burns for fuel. There is a transition stage the first week while your body switches in which you usually feel bad. I do not use the strips. I can tell from the taste in my mouth that I am in ketosis.
7. don't know.
8. I have 8 ounces, love my protein.

I can't answer all your questions but will try to give you some good info.

1. If you follow the Phase 1 sheet you don't need to figure out your carbs. Just eat your 3 packaged proteins per day, your 8oz of your own protein and 4 cups of the allowed veggies. (there is an alternative requirements guideline that amberjules came up with in order to purchase your own packaged proteins from a source other than an IP clinic. Follow these and you are golden. There is a lot of speculation as to how many carbs a person should have, you can google it and get a wealth of information and differing answers. Just stick to the P1 sheet)
2. N/A
3. I have never heard of ionic fizz. I simply followed the P1 sheet and took the supplements advised by IP. I started out with their supplements and was able to match up similar supplements from an outside source. You can find threads on this topic that will give a lot of good info. The iodized sea salt is in addition to the potassium citrate supplement.
4. You only pay attention to calories when selecting your packaged proteins. You do this by using the alternative requirements guidelines. When you buy from IP they already have done that for you. It takes a little more work on your side when you don't buy from IP, but there are many alternative products threads for ideas and sources to purchase on your own.
5. You can continue to have coffee or tea. IP protocol states to have an additional 8oz of water for every cup of coffee or tea with caffeine that you drink. If you google this topic online you will find disagreement on how much of a diuretic effect a few cups of coffee or tea really has. It however does not hurt to add a little extra water to your daily intake. From what others have reported, it is very helpful with your losses. I use coffee in my chocolate drink every single morning.
6. Ketosis is the state of fat burning. Being in ketosis helps to eliminate cravings as well. You will find a lot of information online about ketogenic diets. Start reading, reading, reading! The strips you can buy are not reliable, but if you follow protocol you will be in ketosis in no time. drd is right...you get a funny taste in your mouth and your breath may smell, as well as your urine and body odor. This will not last forever as your body becomes more efficient at burning fat.
7. Per the P1 sheet, if you have any drinks or anything extra they must be 0/0/0....which means 0 calories 0 fat 0 carbs. If the drinks you mention fall into that category they are ok. Remember, no aspartame either!
8. You can find new sheets in the stickies above. They changed the amount quite some time ago. So your friend has old sheets.

A couple of tips:

I attached the alternative guidelines for you. I hope it shows up below.

Check out the stickies at the top of the page in this forum.
Read the first post of the Daily Chat thread that Lisa starts each day. She has posted links to many sources or info and common questions, etc.

Good luck to you and your husband. It is wonderful you are doing this together. I lost 57 lbs in 5 1/2 months and my husband lost 60 lbs.