I buy them by the box at Target here in the states; they're about 1.75 ounces each.

Lisa, you are right they are 1.76oz.

Holy s#$& wuv look at your new pic you better pat yourself on the back honey because you my dear look GREAT!!!!

I haven't used these yet and they sound great, however just looked up the nutritional info and they have 20 g carbs, of which 12 g are sugar alcohols.

Are you on Phase 1 of IP?

Good to see you are still Lurking around!! Hope you are maintaining well!!

JellyMae you look wonderful. Yes i'm still around lurking as usual. I have been maintaining for 6 months now and doing great. I'm still at my goal weight and enjoy eating a little more variety of foods.

That is great WUV's mom, 6 months maintaining! Nice to see you don't seem stressed over it either, I am hoping maintaining becomes a natural way of life for me soon.

Just realized I have been maintaining for two months myself. But the difference is I am not doing it on purpose, I just want to get the apple to the end of that stupid pencil!!

Jelly, you look fantastic!

Pat

Excellent article here about 'net carbing'.. sugar alcohols, etc..
 

Hi guys. Haven't posted in a day or two, so thought I'd give an update. :)
I decided on the weekend that I was going to switch over to the alternative products, due to the cost. I found my local Shoppers Drug Mart carries some ProtiDiet products, so I got some of those, as well as some Atkins shakes to tide me over for a few days. I prefer some of the other products I found through Doctors Best Weight Loss... lots of items there that are appropriate IP program alternatives. They've been shipped already, and hopefully I'll get my 'stash' today. I've also bought an Omron HBF 514C body composition scale, so I'll be able to track my progress at home.

Like everyone else who is going the alternate route, I've been paying very careful attention to ingredients and carb/protein/fat/sugar/calorie etc. in order get alternate products that are as close a fit as possible to the IP plan. In reviewing labels and ingredients, I found myself a little confused about the true 'net carb' worthiness of sugar alcohols, so did some further research. I'm glad I did... it's info that's very useful.

I came across this article which talks about 'net carbing' and the impact of various types of sugar alcohols, glycerine, polydextrose, etc. I was aware of some of this info, but this article really goes into detail and is very informative. Some of you may find it useful.

Cheers to all, and I hope everyone here is having a good OP 'Alternate IP' program day.

http://www.mendosa.com/netcarbs.htm

Are the pro-thin bars from Nashua allowed during phase 1?

I feel like the sugar content will knock me out of ketosis.
Of course, it'll be limited to one max per day, but if a carrot can knock someone out of ketosis, I feel like these bars are worse.

I have used both the protithin and protidiet since the beginning. It hasn't stopped my loss at all. I just used the link WUV posted comparing the products to ip. One a day-can't do without my 'candybar' fix! I didn't even eat candybars before ip. I think the link is posted on this thread several pages back-think it says compare Lindora, but has all the brands. Enjoy! Much rather have a bar than a carrot

Sorry Chloe222 - I must have missed your question earlier. I don't know for sure why the Netrition shipping quote was so high for me. However, I found most of the exact same items I wanted from there were available at Doctors Best Weight Loss, which is also somewhere in the USA... their shipping charge was about half of what Netrition was quoting. I had to put in my postal code for the shipping quote at the Netrition site, so maybe I'm farther away from where they're located in the USA as compared to where DBWS is located? That's the only thing that makes any sense to me. But obviously DBWS will be getting my business! :)

I do not believe that any of the vegetables on the no-no list will automatically knock you out of ketosis. The carbs in the IP restricted bars can be right up there, too. It is the combination, over time, of all of these foods that counts. If you were to eat two cups of carrots or corn every day along with a restricted, well then I would say bye-bye ketosis. But not one carrot. :carrot: (See what a nice guy he is?) By the way, I am NOT advising anyone to eat carrots. Just dance with them!

I am! Started IP with Alternatives Jan. 7th and have been eating a bar a day since week 3.

I didn't realize that Shopper's Drug mart had proidiet products. i will have to check more closely next time I'm in.

I'll also have to check Drs Best weight loss site.

A very interesting article on sugar alcohols. I find the bars with higher sugar alcohols give me the a strong aftertaste so I avoid them.

Pat

I am still waiting for my new alternatives. Last week lost 3 pounds.

Hi Pat. Just a note that I was able to find a couple of different types of Protidiet bars at Shoppers Home Drug - nothing else. I could have easily overlooked them, but was picking up different protein bars to check the nutrition labels, etc., and luckily happened to notice them. But as I also found Atkins shakes, that got me equipped for a few days. BTW, I 100% agree with everyone who says the Protidiet bars are tasty! Yum! :carrot: (I'm doing a happy dance with Mr. Carrot :) ...my problem will be in wanting to eat more than one). My Omron scale was delivered earlier this am, along with my other protein drink mix... I chose a Natural Factors Whey Factors High Protein Formula, which includes BCAAs and is BSE & rBGH free. Seems to have lots of good health benefits, as well as fitting very well within the profile of what we need to be IP 'shake compatible'. Had a chocolate one for breakfast this morning. It was quite good, but it worked out best to put it in the blender. Didn't mix all that well in my shaker cup. But I don't need them to be portable anyway, so it's no big deal for me. More important to me that they have a good nutrition profile as per 'suitable alternatives' and TASTE good! (Now I've got to figure out how to use my fancy new Omron BHF body composition scale.... :)

I learned quite a bit from that article about sugar alcohols... many things that I wasn't aware of, and will certainly know better to watch out for now.

Have a great day.

ProtiDiet Peanut Butter and Smooth Caramel Crisp
 

I know I've already given my opinion on the Proti Diet Peanut Butter and Smooth Caramel Crisp bars and how much I love them but I had to fill you guys in again. They've changed! And are even better! Before they were a bit hard and had a lot of the "crisp" but were still my favorite out of all the ones i've tried. The 10g of fiber helps. Now, they are more like a snickers bar with a bit of chewiness to them. YUM!! I strongly recommend them! I ordered 3 boxes today so i'm stocked up :)

Eve,
Great article! I'm very interested in learning as much as I can about carbs so I/m well prepared at phase 4. It really helps me have discipline when I understand the "why" its particularly good for my body. I used to have an all over achiness and stiffness as well as arthritis starting in my spine and feet. Still there but since I started IP, well, perhaps around week 3 or 4, I started noticing the absence of discomfort and it keeps getting better.

I bought the same scale - hope it gets delivered in the next day or two.

ITA. When I understand "why" it's important to do something, I'm much more apt to see things through. I also have some arthritis in my feet, and over the past couple of years have had arthritic-like pain in my knees as well. I've been trying on my own to cut out sugar and starches for the past year or so and it has helped a lot with that joint pain. I'd also been eating relatively gluten-free since January '12, but it's not my utmost priority at this point. But while my aches and pains have decreased, my 'solo' efforts at cutting sugar/carbs/gluten haven't budged the scale downward, so I figured I'd better do something more disciplined. I don't want to be at this same place ( or worse ) a year from now, which is entirely possible if I don't get serious and follow-through with this.

I've figured out how to use my Omron scale .. it's not that complicated when you follow the instructions - :D - so I'm going to post my first WI results. I've gone from 209lbs to 202.4lbs. :carrot::carrot: Some of my other measurements on the Omron are pretty eye-opening... that's actually the main reason I went for the more 'comprehensive' full body composition scale ...I thought seeing viscereal fat, body fat %, muscle %, body age etc. would help motivate me to stick the long haul with this. It makes everything somehow more serious.

I officially told my clinic today, that I am starting alrenatively as of monday. I won't be weighing in with them from now on. I have 4 days left of IP Products. I did a lot of compare shopping over the past few days at the walmarts here in town and costco, now I need to look at shoppers for products. But even so for the amount I was paying weekly on IP Products, I can get 18 Days worth of alternative product for about $12-14 cheaper. For me that makes it a whole lot more worth it in the end. I will be spending my money a lot wiser. I just hope it works for me as it has been for all of you. I do not own a scale so that'll be something I will have to purchase.
Today I was only down 1.2 which was kind of depressing, I am so close to being under 200 I can hardly stand it.
But let this journey begin!!!

Just an FYI for those of you that use the Muslce MLK shakes from Costco. This week there is a coupon for $5.50 off..........

Posting re using alternative product
 

I'm just wondering if it's preferred that those of us who've opted to go the alternative product route, do all of our posting here? ie. including WIs, etc.?
I've only been around for 1.5 weeks, so 'inquiring minds want to know'. I don't want to go where I'm not wanted! :D:p

I think it is a good idea, to do it here. :)

It was the ProtiDiet Peanut Butter bar that I bought a couple of days ago at my local Shoppers Drug Mart. Absolutely yummers. Can't believe this is part of a *diet*. :D:D

Wuv, no I wasn't aware of the Easter Challenge. I'm pretty new here and hadn't noticed it as yet. Thanks for the info.

Thanks Lindsay. :):)

Well here is the link to it!
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...0SXp4Wnc#gid=0

How do you eat just one? They sound so good, I'm afraid to order them!

Very nice weight loss!

I look forward to getting my scale - received confirmation just today it had shipped - I hoped it would have shipped last week when it was ordered, but it will be here soon, in time for my next weigh in.

I will be watching to see how you like the scale.
It would be nice to have all the info it gives if it is not too complicated to get it set.

Re posting in one place. As WUV everyone is certainly free to post wherever they like.

But at one point there seemed to be an awful lot of alternative threads popping up all over and somepeople were having difficulty sorting through them.
So i opened this thread to try to keep things as organized as possible.
I keep bumping it up if it drops low on the board.
There is lots of helpful info people are posting on here.
I hadn't noticed about the fibre in the protidiet peanut butter bars. I am really looking for ways to add fibre to what I am eating. I'll have to check at Shoppers.

Pat

Re: Protein Jello alternative...
 

I experimented with a sugar-free jello powder tonight... I will avoid asparatame in the future by trying the Kool-Aid + clear gelatin option next. But I liked the results when I added between 2-4 egg whites to the gelled jello (just pour it on top) and whipped the whole thing up thoroughly with my immersion blender. It creates a very airy, light texture that is more like a jelled mousse. And I added plain protein powder as well and whipped that in. The stuff I have is non-flavoured and I bought it in bulk a while back. I know that 2 tbps provides about 24 g protein. So with the egg whites the whole dish had about 27-31 g protein. It's so light that I ate two servings... which gives me about the right amount of protein. It's best to refrigerate the whipped concoction for a while before sampling it, so that it's completely re-gelled again. 15 minutes in the freezer did the trick and resulted in an airy mousse-like texture. I found it quite tasty and look forward to trying it with the Kool-Air + clear gelatin option.

creative use of knox gelatin - use w/ veggies?
 

I haven't tried to make any jell-o products yet...just brainstorming...what if you used Mio flavorings (berry pomegranate, peach mango, tangerine, etc.) w/ gelatin?

Just checked nutritional info on Knox gelatin: 1 packet supplies 25 cal, 0 gm fat, 0 gm carbs, 15 g sodium, 6 g protein. So perhaps mix 3 packets with Mio flavored water, you would have a reasonable jello-alternative and have volume to boot for those who need to feel full, like me :). Noticed you can also buy Knox in 1 pound bulk cans on Amazon, never saw those in my local grocery stores.

Wondering how it would be if I added some of the 4 c of daily veggies steamed and maybe enhanced with flavored stevia or cinnamon or something...have to figure that out...I could use the extra fiber and sometimes come close to not getting all 4 c veggies in. Maybe steamed zucchini in the berry pomegranate as the zucchini becomes so mild tasting...

Ideas?

I eat them very slowly in small bites so I can savor every little bit! It's the best start to my day!

I haven't used MIO as yet. Do you recommend it? Can you acheive a nice strong flavor base with them?

I've enjoyed many jello vegetable salads in the past. I think with a little experimentation it's quite workable. Once you get a suitable 'base' jello flavoring established there's no reason not to add vegetables to it... diced cabbage, celery, zucchini. Good idea. Definitely worth some experimentation.

I did this last week actually. I used Knox Gelatin made as instructed, but added in unflavored protein powder and my choice of Mio to taste. It's pretty good. My DD liked it too...she's 8. The protein powder did settle a little, but not too bad.

bump

Hi Pat,
I'm also looking to add fiber - my body needs it and on IP, I can't use my previous psyllium fiber mix. If you come up with anything wonderful, please let me know. Right now I use Miralax, sometimes Duclolax.

thanks,
Chloe

I learned about Mio from these boards. A few of the highly successful folks on these boards recommended them. Yes, you can get a deep flavor. There are also other flavorings, check out Capella and DaVinci flavor drops. I learned about these on 3FC also.

Do you have an approximate ratio of gelatin powder to unflavored protein powder I could start with as I experiment?

thanks!