http://www.foodiefiasco.com/chocolat...-high-protein/ (this seems like a decent homemade alternative? Or no?)

I love this diet and its working, which is why I have been Leary about changing anything. But! Money is getting tight for me on IP, (also a full time student and not currently working) and honestly I feel daunted by alternative foods, having to think about protein, carbs, fat, calories, fiber on top of understanding what to order and from where. I have spent hours scrolling thru the alternative foods thread and understand there are a few quest bars that are restricted, but i honestly dont know what other alternatives there are. I need a variety of food to sustain, and i like the soups and oatmeal, on top of getting a peanut butter or chocolate fix once in while with the IP restricted bars or PB puff.

Some of the alternatives seem pricey too, although maybe not as pricey at IP. Do any of you make your own food such as the link i posted above? Does it looks like it would fall in the boundries of IP!?

What else do you eat on a normal phase 1 day? Did you still see an Ip coach tho you were on Alts? Are they ok with that? I need just a general "get me started" easy guideline. Without having to dig thru pages and pages of conversations. I am getting the basics down (0.5 grams - 1 gram of protein, 30-40 net carbs, 800-1000 calories per day). Anyone who could please help I would certainly appreciate it. Please?

MANY of us have had success using alternative products - but it DOES require extra work. Whether you were trying to "make" IP compliant foods at home or purchasing off-brand products, you still have to make sure that the macros are in line with IP products. As far as coaching goes - those coaches make money providing services AND products...we can't expect them to provide us a coaching service when we're not also purchasing product from them (kinda like Jenny Craig). Some coaches will state that part of why they won't support clients using alternative products is that they can't guarantee anything about those products, and aren't trained in the composition if anything doesn't work as it should - I don't necessarily buy into that, but that's my opinion

As far as choosing products, the alternatives threads really ARE the best place to find suggestions for what to buy and where to buy it. The first post in the thread has the breakdown of calories, carbs, and protein which you would compare to a product label and confirm if it's IP-compatible. Most of us order from Nashua Nutrition, the Proti-Diet, Weight Loss Systems and Health Wise lines are almost entirely Phase 1-compliant with the exception of a couple of products. And I get a LOT of variety! Bars, cookies, omelets, oatmeal, savory snacks, chili, cappuccino...as well as your standard shakes and puddings.

We've never really been able to put together a comprehensive guide to alternatives, because there are SO many products and everybody's tastes are a little different. But you'd be VERY safe going to www.nashuanutrition.com and choosing from the 3 product lines I mentioned above - just use the breakdown in the first post of the Alts thread to guide you as to what is restricted and what is not. Then just follow the IP phase 1 plan! Easy peasy.

I cant thank you enough. That helps, and gives me a place to start. Did you by chance check out the link? 15 grams of protein, 3 net carbs. I think if made with stevia it would be compliant? Its ok if you dont hVe time. What you suggested already helps a lot .

Looks tasty, but I don't think it would be very portable as a bar as it's just gummy peanut butter and protein powder mixed with almond milk. It would have to stay in the fridge and be eaten pretty quick once taken out.
Sun Warrior protein powder has to be purchased from a rep (its a MLM thing - or at least it used to be several years ago, when someone tried to get me into it).

I have used Vega Protein Smoothie Powder instead of some of the IP drink shakes as it has no soy & dairy and a very short list of ingredients - it's also only 80 cal, 0 fat, 3 net carbs, and 15 protein. It also cost me only 15.00 for 12 servings - that's in the bag - you can get the bigger tub & it's probably cheaper yet. They have a vanilla, a chocolate, a berry, and a tropical mango pineapple flavour. Not sure how much Sun Warrior is these days, but it was NOT cheap last I saw it.

Anyhow, it's your choice, but I 'get' the expense part of it. To cut down on that you might want to up your use of eggs & whites which is all IP and way cheaper than packets or even replacement alternatives. Then you can just save your money for your favorite IP bars or crisps to intersperse during the day.

Liana

I would ask your coach whether or not you could still see them if you use some alternatives. I asked my coach about it and was told that they can't continue seeing clients who use alternatives, however they also have a "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Since then I've been buying only 2 boxes a week from them (I use Quest bars as my third) and they haven't said anything. If your clinic is okay with it (or at least semi-okay, like mine) it can save you some money - and also give you more options for food. I personally could not live without my Quest bars!

If you really want to try this recipe, I suggest you calculate the macros based on the ingredients you actually use. It specifies "2-4 tablespoons sugar, erythritol, or stevia (depending on how sweet your protein powder is)" but doesn't say which of these the protein/carb/calorie counts are based on. If you make 4 bars using 4 T sugar, you then have a minimum 12 grams of carbs per bar right there.

I've been doing mostly alternatives for almost a year and have to say that this just doesn't seem worth the trouble. You can get very good bars for ~$1.50 a piece. Save that work for things you can't buy, like cauliflower tortillas.

Yum. Cauliflower tortillas. I have been meaning to make cauliflower pizza crust but havent had a lot of time to try. Maybe this weekend. And yeah, if i make the bars, I would likely use stevia and I would have to do a better job of totalling the carb count than the recipe alludes to. I have been looking thru the website for alternatives and have found a lot of great ones and am amazed at the cost. Most cases they are less than half the price of IP. Seriously, I cant thank you all enough.

The other thread that provides some helpful insight re:alternatives is the What are you eating today iPeeps? thread.

You will see the references to various brand items, e.g., EAS ready to drinks, Syntrax, Pure Protein bars, Designer Whey, etc. , and you see how other successful dieters on IP are incorporating the alternative products. You could pick out a week of menus from that thread, and then buy the protein items online... I find Walden Farms and Proti Diet and other products at VitaCost.com, and Nashua Nutrition is a popular source for IP folks here on 3FC, too.

I mostly use IP, but I have been trying out alternatives here and there, preparing for the day when I decide to go all alternative. I have another 5 or 6 months to reach goal, and like you, I don't have an unlimited budget for diet food.

The cost drives a LOT of people to alternative products - and it CAN be done fairly inexpensively!

For example, if you were ok with two shakes and a bar every day, you could pick up the following from Target:
EAS Carb AdvantEDGE shakes - $5-7 per 4 pack (so average $1.50 per shake - $21 for 14 shakes)
Target brand chocolate protein bars (restricted) - about $7-8/box (about $1.25 each -$8.75 per week)

Very easy to make it work for around $30 per week if you source out your products well - you might sacrifice variety, but the program CAN be very accessible to a tight budget!