I went to a presentation at two different clinics after hearing about the program from my primary care MD, who had gone to a presentation for doctors and thought it was medically sound. I was pre-diabetic, 300 pds and with chronic fatigue, I was simply unable to exercise my way out of it, so this program became a life saver for me, literally. The fact that he approved helped me to feel safer in my choice.
I'm glad I went to two IP clinics because at one, the nurse who gave the talk spent 80% of the time talking about people who cheat and how she always knows and bla bla bla, and the other clinic was the one I ended up choosing, a chiropractic clinic. The atmosphere was completely different. The people were knowledgeable, friendly and supportive, and excited about health.
The presentations were free and I think they had little samples to taste at the one I chose. Once you signed up, the initial workup was $90. You then bought a bag with almost one packet of everything, supplements, shaker and salt - don't remember the exact cost, but it was whatever the individual packets would have cost. Initially, they only sold whole boxes, but over time they switched to packets, which was a great improvement and encourages people to try new things.
I saw my coach every week (no charge) and she really was very helpful. I didn't think that keeping a log was going to work, but it helped me to see just what I was eating. It's easy to forget. I could write my comments, questions, weekly weight, etc., and see progress over time. They had handouts of recipes that either the staff or clients had created, which helped. I created lots of new ones myself and got into a routine after a few weeks that served me for 14 months. They also had a potluck where clients and staff came with food prepared either with IP or in the protocal and that was great!
They had the gizmo for doing the metabolic rate, water %, etc., but I'm not sure how reliable a measurement they are. One instrument was free, then they got a fancier one and charged.
One area that could use improvement is to help people figure out when it is time to stop. I know it's a personal choice, but for me, I was about 155 pds, but after seeing 2 plastic surgeons and being told I had about 20 pds of excess skin, decided my virtual weight of 135 was a better measure of my BMI and the fact that I could wear size 10 jeans. That's when I chose to start the phase-out. Otherwise, I just didn't know how to decide. I'm thinking you could go too far with this, to an unhealthy state, and with people who have had a disconnect with their bodies for years, it is difficult to tell by the mirror or the scale.
Another area that could use help is the skin - if there are ways to minimize the excess skin during the process, it would be helpful. In my case, I'm 59 so my skin is not as elastic as it used to be and losing 145 pds, it was inevitable. But there is not alot out there on the internet about how to help with this, so any research IP can do would be appreciated.
Now I'm in Phase 3, have started exercising and my coach has shown me some simple things I can do to target the excess skin areas, etc. This program has saved my life and I am so very grateful for it.
In my case, my initial coach went to a different clinic and I got another coach, who was just as wonderful. The coach can become an important person to you throughout this journey. When I hear about coaches on this board who chastise and denigrate people who have cheated or are struggling, I want to scream. We are grown women and don't need to be treated this way. Respect, knowledge, support, ideas, creativity...that's what we need in a coach.
Sorry for the long post. This program has meant a lot to me.
Thank you for wanting to improve your program!
