[lasttime]

I am waiting for my pay check and then I will go ahead and sign up for Ideal Protein diet in about 2 weeks. However it is my first time and I don't know much about it. I called today and the lady briefly explained to me how it works. she said it is 80-100 dollars per week. Is there any other fees I need to know about and if some body has the time please explain to me how the diet works? She mentioned supplements and vitamins, how much are those and are they required?

[scorbett1103]

Originally Posted by tarashoar

I am waiting for my pay check and then I will go ahead and sign up for Ideal Protein diet in about 2 weeks. However it is my first time and I don't know much about it. I called today and the lady briefly explained to me how it works. she said it is 80-100 dollars per week. Is there any other fees I need to know about and if some body has the time please explain to me how the diet works? She mentioned supplements and vitamins, how much are those and are they required?

I don't know if it's the same for every clinic, but here's what my cost was:
- $300 initial setup fee, included first week of food packets and one bottle each of the multivitamin, Cal-Mag supplement and Potassium-Calcium supplement, plus one small jar of the RealSalt.

- about $80 per week if you do 3 packets per day

The 3 supplements above are ABSOLUTELY necessary - this diet is extremely restricted and you need that supplemental nutrition to keep your body functioning correctly. You can probably find a comparable version of the Cal-Mag and the multivitamin at GNC or other vitamin supplier for cheaper, but I have yet to find a good alternative to the Potassium-Calcium. If you are looking for alternative supplements you need to make sure that the FORM of the nutrient is the same, not just the dose (for example, the IP supplements use Calcium Citrate, but many calcium suppplements are Calcium Carbonate or Oyster Shell).

There is a lot of great info on these boards about how the diet works, why it works, and even some alternative products you can use that are lower in cost but comparable to the "official" stuff. One of the more seasoned IP folks can probably explain it better than I can! Good luck!

[Lizzy63]

Hi, Tarashoar - Many people on these boards use alternative protein products, which I think can be less costly. Search for a thread on alternatives. Don't know much about this, since I use the IP products.

Also, you will probably spend less at the grocery. I find that I only buy produce and meat or seafood. I pass on all of the expensive, processed food in the middle of the store. That does help to offest the cost somewhat.

Good luck!!