at I cant say weather alterantives work or not..what i can say is: I lost 7 pounds in 4 days trying to use just whey shakes for protein packets and then eating my one meal at night plus my water salt and oil of course..
But i failed..I could barely chok dwn the whey shake..and after 4 days i gave up..becausei couldnt deal with the stress of knowing i had to come home to a disgusting shake for lunch..and i had to dread it all day..

So alas..after failing at this..im now curiosus..How much did it cost to sign up and how much per week for food?

At my clinic I paid 150 to sign up and it cost 27 dollars for a box of food with 7 serving in it. You need 3 boxes a week. On average about 90 dollars a week plus the costs of your own groceries (veggies, ect.) Honestly it is worth every penny. Most of the food is great and even though the list of allowed food is small there is amazingly lots of things you can make. You are full and energized all the time.

I just started 4 days ago and had my consultation on Monday. The cost for the initial visit was $240 which included my folder with literature, 3 bottles of vitamins, a shaker, a water bottle , sea salt, and 21 packets of food of my choice. The consultation was an hour long. I go again for my week 1 weigh on Monday and will pay $84 for 21 packets. I need to remember to buy 3 more packets because they will be closed on July 4th. I am worth the investment and medically I need to do this to reduce the stress on my knee.

At my clinic I paid $300 for the consultation and 10 days worth of food in a "starter" pack. It came with just about 1 packet of everything to try and it came with all the supplements, the shaker and the real salt.

After I went through my starter pack, I started buying the boxes, and they are $28 each, containing 7 packets. I have only bought boxes 2x and each time I bought more than I needed so that I could have a variety. I spent about $350 on boxes between the 2 weeks, but I am set for food for a LONG time. I didn't want to just buy 4 boxes (I eat 4 packets b/c I exercise) and have the same 4 things day in and day out. So I shelled out the money up front to have variety. Now I will just buy a box here and there when I run out, and I have everything that I like at hand.

Of course, you have to buy some protein and veggies, but your grocery bill definitely goes down. So this helps counteract the cost of the packets. And even though it is very possible to eat out, I have found that I am not spending any money on restaurants b/c I would rather eat at home. So there is definitely savings there. My husband & I used to go out most Friday and Saturday nights for dinner and the past 3 weeks, we have not.

Based on your posts, I feel like you are at your wits end and personally, I feel like it would be worth the money for you, especially for peace of mind. I am so glad to be doing this diet and feel like the packets are worth it, because they really do taste good. Everyone has different tastes, but when you find what you like, they are very tasty!

I think you should bite the bullet and make an appointment. You won't be sorry. It has only been 3.5 weeks for me, but I can already tell you it was one of the best decisions I ever made.

I"m sorry you're going through all of this. I know it can get frustrating, but maybe take a step back and keep going with it for at least 2 weeks? I know it's tough with the postal strike to get packets, but is there anything else you can try so that you don't get burned out on whey shakes and give up? From reading your prior posts about Atkins products, to now, it just seems like you might get frustrated a little easily and not give things the proper time to take effect.

That being said, the actual Ideal Protein program with a coach might be exactly what you need. You'll get a VARIETY of packets, and someone who can guide you through those times when you feel frustrated. Good luck!

For what it's worth: I tried to go to alternatives twice and always came back to IP products. I'm sitting here sipping my chocolate drink blended with ice and it's fabulous. The taste of IP stuff is worth the cost (for me).

I am drinking my wildberry drink made with ice and am so satisfied with the taste and just that little touch of sweetness!

I paid $230 for first appointment, got 3 bottles of supplement, shaker, real sea salt, and 9 days worth of food. For the first couple of months I could buy the individual packets but they have now changed and you have to buy the whole box. packets were $4 each, boxes are 27 so for 3 boxes it is $81 a week.
Tonight my snack is going to be the white cheddar ridges.... going to try the pudding cakes tomorrow if I remember egg whites.

ive already ordered a whole wack of alternatives before i got frustrated..from nashua and blah blah blah..you know the issue..So im going to wait until i get the alternatives first..

I paid $250 for the first week. $100 of that they said covered all my "consultations" or " weigh ins" for as long as I'm on the program. I also got a bottle of calcium potassium, a bottle of multivitamin packs, sea salt, and a shaker. I weigh in once a week and always pay $81 for the next week of food. They said when I move to phase 2 it will be $56 a week then $27 when I hit phase 3. So, it's costly but totally worth it, plus it makes me want to stay op because so much money is at stake!

In Calgary Alberta I paid $250.00 for my initial consultation. This included 10 days of food, three bottles of supplements, a shaker, sea salt, an IP resusable shopping bag and my hour consultation.
I pay approx $ 27.00 per box of food - $30.00 per box of ready mades.
My coach contacted me via email, text message or phone calls every day for the first two weeks. He is always available to take calls, texts or emails, for questions.
It sounds like you are having some frustration.
Yes it isn't what you ideally want to eat. But I think of it as, I am not doing this forever. I am sticking this out in the short term, for long term gain.
The support I feel is essential in the success, the coach is there to offer suggestions and support and motivation to stick on the program.

While I have been a very slow loser, my coach is always there to keep me going, offer encouragement, and offer suggestions to help me obtain my goal.

My coach has injured himself and my in person consultations will be done by someone else tomorrow.... I hope she is as good as he is

Porthardygurl have you check with your family doctor to see if he can refer you to a place? I am in Quebec and the consultation costs are covered by Quebec medical. You have to pay for the food.

The cost for the initial visit was approx. $240 which included information, 3 bottles of vitamins, a shaker, a water bottle , sea salt, and 21 packets of non restricted food. I am able to exchange packets for ones I prefer or would like to try out. My first consultation was an hour long.

On average for phase 1 week worth of food will be $84 for 21 packets. Also need to factor in your weekly grocery bill for veggies and protein. In addition, there will be the cost for replacement supplements about every 3-4 weeks. Cant recall how much I paid them a few weeks ago. Will need to purchase my sea salt in the next week or so.

Over the past few weeks, i have purchased additional packets so I have a variety on hand or on long weekend when they are closed so I run short of IP food.

PortHardyGurl - I just received a big order from Nashua Nutrition of ProtiDiet and ProtiThin last week and a shopping trip to Target and Walmart in the states to buy Pure Protein bars, Pure Protein Choc Drink Powder and Pure Protien and EAS Carb Control - RTD drinks. I am fortunate to live close to the US border so I shipped my items to a parcel pick up company just over the american border and picked up my food from there. Just paid $12 gst, $5 for parcel company service charge and basically gas and travel time. Well worth it and I circumvented using Canada Post while they are on strike.

I am planning to supplement my IP program with alternatives due to variety of foods and cost.

I find the most challenging is trying to dwindle down to the alternatives that are comparable to IP packets as I am terrible with deciphering the ingredient lists and nutritional information. For example, i realized there are some of the ProtiDiet and ProtiThin items I ordered had aspartame or MSG in them. Pure Protein bars are slightly higher than IP but I do love the Pure Protein Choc PB bars - bought 3 boxes from Target. but if it is half the cost and a tad higher than the IP bars - I am fine with the difference.

I find having an IP coach keeps my accountable with someone physical to check in with but I do find this forum a wealth of information and much more informative than my coach. She bascially weighs, measures me and reviews my food journal and sets up my next weigh in. The cost of the IP program is what keeps me committed as I feel I am so invested financially into this program whether it is IP or my alternatives.

Hope this helps!

I am in Quebec too, my Dr at the medical clinic told me it wasnt covered for me. Maybe because I didnt have high bp, or diabetic problem. I even asked my private health insurance, they said it wasnt covered unless I had a prescription by the Dr and it was a life or death situation.