I am going to the city today..I have been VERY Good with my Ideal Protein and was wondering If having 1 cup of coffee with cream in it... would be OK.. I am week 6 and have been very regimented, but would LOVE a cup of Tim Hortons with cream... any thoughts ???

This is why I don't like the IP diet.

Nothing personal against you but the IP diet doesn't teach you how fat loss works. Instead it tells you ketosis is magic and sells you expensive supplements.

In my opinion it is perfectly fine to have coffee with cream so long as it fits in your caloric budget.

I would guess though that you posted this here and not in the IP section for a reason ... I know from expereince you're not going to get much support over there for going off plan.

I wish I knew. I do agree with JohnP that just simply counting calories has been so freeing for many people, myself included. I can eat anything I choose, and in the process, it has taught me what foods have the most bang for their buck, what foods to combine together for maximum benefit....and most importantly, there is no treat out there that I can't have in moderation! I coffee with cream might be a whopping 150 cals. Almost NOTHING.

To the original poster (sorry, lost your name), I let myself rationalize my eatting until I hit 300 pounds, rationalization isn't for me any longer so I'm committed to 100%. But you may have different needs and different goals.

John is right, you aren't likely to get much support from IP (or any group) for going off program because we are all afraid of the rationalizations. I doubt one cream in one coffee will do much for or against weightloss, what I would be afraid of is the one "cheat" doing something to your willpower.

I don't know much about this IP diet... I just find the conversation interesting. I don't take cream because I eat clean..so I guess in a way I restrict food, but only in the sense of not eating processed foods. I have a treat once in awhile...like on a Saturday afternoon, you know once a week, want a snack size drumstick mcflurry, half full please. I don't call it a cheat, I call it my treat. I still lose weight.

Eat and drink what you want. I've been drinking mine black going on 13 weeks and 95 pounds lost as of this morning. I have also learned plenty and I have not counted a single calorie that has not worked for me in the past it sounds like it works for you John and that is cool

It is all about choices. But I am an over eater and I like the strictness of IP it keeps me focused. Making a generalization about what IP people do and don't do or know is kinda lame. People are people and put different levels of thought and time into things. I would not suggest at an AA meeting that a drink once every six weeks is okay either. Again OP have the cream if you want. It is not going to kill you, it probably will not effect your loss either. To me it is what else will you or I rationalize and do that is not part of your weight loss plan whatever it is.

To be honest.. i think you should do what you feel like you should do...Dont wait for people to tell you to do it or not do it. You need to make a decision for yourself. Just think about it from a rational point of view ..ask yourself a few questions?

1) Is the calorie content worth it?
2) Is the fat content worth it?
3) Is it going to kick me out of ketosis
4)Is it going to stall my weight loss
5) Does it comply with my diet...

The only thing i will say..is that you are allowed to have 1 oz of dairy according to the IP protocol...

My point is: Dont rely on everyone to make your decision..because one day you wont be eating such a restricted diet..you will go back to a balanced diet once you have lost weight and you will have to make these kind of calls in life all the time without people telling you if its right or not..so why not start now? Make a decision thats based on whats best for YOU

I am doing IP alternatives, and not completely strict about it either. I also track my food on my fitness pal, mostly to know I got all my nutrients, and how many calories/carbs are in things, etc. I suppose I'm doing a mix of IP, Atkins, and calorie counting.
I've never dieted before, used to be skinny before i hit 35, now almost 40, i need to drop 10-15 (down 9)
I have learned a bunch on here, thank you all, but I must say there is a lot of "just follow the sheet and don't ask questions" about this diet. Just my 2 cents.

I hope the OP has gotten enough feedback, I removed the posts that were off topic. Yes, this was started in the weight loss support thread and honestly, very few people know about the IP diet outside of this sub forum. So the answers would be general, not IP related.

I've closed this thread for now.