Thinking about trying the IP diet....
 

hello all!

I found this forum searching for information on the Ideal Protein Diet. I am very interested in doing it but the cost is something that is really holding me back. Have people had alot of success with it? Are there any bad/negative things about the diet that you can say? I am looking to lose about 50-60 pounds...about how long would this take?


Thankyou!

It works, it's worth the money and its fast.

The first week is tough, but all worth it in the end!

Every body is different, so there's no way to determine how long your body will take to give up the weight - I can tell you that MY experience has been a loss of 30lb in 9 weeks - I am shooting for 60-75lb loss total, and hoping it will take about 20-25 weeks total. But the weight comes off differently for everyone.

The diet isn't for everyone - your best bet is going to be to read through the Newbie sticky thread at the top of the forum - read about what you can and can't eat, how the diet works, and the FAQ. I had a friend who just couldn't stomach the allowed veggies and had to quit the diet. But the diet works if you can adjust your tastes and follow the program.

Yes it works. Yes it is worth the money. Yes you will lose weight faster than any other diet (at least that was the case for me).

That being said, this is a VERY strict diet. You cannot eat anything that is not on the list of approved foods. There is no deviation, no cheats, no exceptions. If you are serious about losing weight and have the determination to stick with and will be motivated to stick with it by seeing fast results, then it is worth every hard earned penny.

:)
I didn't even know what IP meant.... until today.
perhaps I should try.
took me 6 months to lose 18 lbs. working out 1.5 to 2 hours every day and counting calories eating normal food.

)
 

Yes, it really works. Take it from someone who tried almost everything (short of lap band) and had given up all hope.
Yes, it's costly. But after several weeks, once you learn the ropes, you could switch to alternatives (as long as you are able to be accountable to yourself or someone you're close with) which would save you a lot of $$$.
I think that most people average about 3 lbs per weeks ... a feat that takes 5 weeks on WW. (just sayin')
If this program could convince a cynic like me.... it's the real deal!
Let us know what you decide.

It absolutely works! I have lost 33+ pounds in 11 weeks. The IP product is not cheap, but then I rarely go out to eat any more, and I don't buy processed foods at the grocery (just meat and veggies), so I think money-wise it's not really that costly overall.

You really do have to be committed to sticking to the plan. If you review the info, and feel you are really ready, then go for it!

I was a bit put-off by the cost aspect at first, too. However, I decided to give it a shot. Even though the initial output is significant, my grocery bill has gone down dramatically as all I am buying now are veggies and proteins. Cost savings from eating out less are going to make this all break even for me.

Maybe splurge and try it for a month or six weeks. If it's not for you, then you at least gave it a shot. I definitely would recommend buying a long-term quantity of food at first. Having a lot of variety in the packets has made this process a lot more enjoyable for me.

Good luck!

I agree that I spent a lot at first and had a bit of a "stockpile" of different things so lots of choice. I haven't hardly spent anything on food lately because I've switched to alternate bars and shakes, and so my big expense has been vitamins and a few treats I like. But I think it was good for me to have started IP, go to the coach, find this site etc. NOW I think I could do the alternative plan for the last part of my journey, and then the journey of life, but I really appreciated having a coach. Unlike Weight watchers etc. there are no other weekly fees. If wuv, who has been on 70 weeks, had to pay $14 a week for that, like at weight watchers, that would have cost her $980 in fees and she's still going... if you need to be on for a long time, and have to buy food to eat anyway, I can't see that this is more expensive than other choices out there.

Of course it works. Every diet works if you follow it. I can't think of any diet that doesn't work if you follow the plan as they have laid it out.

Is it worth the money? In my opinion no but I don't personally need someone I go and see every week. If you need someone to hold you accountable than it is 100% worth it.

Another option to consider (which I think is better) is Lyle McDonald's Rapid Fat Loss.

Regardless of what diet plan you follow you should always first consult with your physician and tell them what you're planning on doing.

I don't need someone to hold me accountable, but I did appreciate someone with a medical background who could do the things I couldn't do at home -- like check my blood pressure etc. I also had a few things I wasn't doing well, like having enough salt, because I never used to use salt and didn't understand how important it was to take it. I didn't have the knowledge that I needed at the start, so having a coach was helpful for me. As I am learning more, I'm more confident I could do this independently now. Having a site like this definitely helps, but not everyone has a 24/7 community to ask questions to, share recipes etc. For some people, going to a clinic is helpful. Others, like yourself, have the knowledge to do this solo.

I agree with most of what you said here, but in my case every diet didn't work if you work it. I lost weight painfully slow on ww, following it to a T. ...atkins, kept my blood sugars down somewhat, but I lost at a snail's pace because I was eating too many cals, following that to a T also. :) IP is working for me! I, myself, am not going to the clinic anymore because it was just too expensive for me. If I could afford it, I would go to the clinic but the good part is that there are many people here that are on alternatives that are losing quite well, so hopefully that works for me. :)

Yes it works and yes it's worth the money. The cost of the products replaces food you would be buying anyway. My cholesterol went down from 262 to 185, I'm thinking that has to be saving me money in future medical expense, my thyroid medicine was reduced, saving me almost $30/month. In the long run, I think you can't put a price on good health. I've lost 54lbs in 14 weeks. I didn't lose that in years of following ww perfectly.
A word of warning though, I now enjoy clothes shopping more than I should, there's an added expense I never expected. I'm changing sizes about 3-4 weeks. Buying at thrift shops and garage sales until I reach goal. Give it a try and see if it's right for you, everyone is different. It takes a lot of discipline, but the results speak for themselves.

I will echo everyone else -- yes it works and yes it's worth the money (especially at first). But you have to be in the right frame of mind to do it. I'm an incredibly picky eater and my mom always said I was on the "white diet" because I generally ate things that were white -- pasta, bread, sweets (white sugar) you get the point. So it was quite an adjustment to eat veggies in this quantity 2X a day. But guess what...I did it and now I really enjoy vegetables (who knew). I liked the coach aspect for accountability as well as this website, but it did get pricey, so I switched to mostly alternatives Sept 1 (10 weeks in). I needed those 10 weeks to get the knowledge to understand what to buy on my own.
I've only got 5 lbs left to lose. I probably could have lost quicker but phased off for a vacation and a funeral, but as soon as I got home was right back on plan again.
The other thing I like about this diet is that I've retained a lot of muscle. The last time I was this weight I looked like a bag of bones (it was ~3 years ago). This time I HAVE ABS lol. So I would point that out as a definate advantage over just a counting calories/all calories are equal type of diet.
Let is know what you decide!

Excellent points I hadn't thought of. A good coach can make a big impact on the value equation.

What you decribe with Atkins is certainly possible but most people don't follow atkins correctly. You're supposed to continue reducing carbs if you don't lose weight which ultimately reduces your food options to the point where it becomes extremely difficult to not lose weight. Having said that I do agree with your unspoken point that many people, especially those with a lot to lose, will just give up in the face of slow weight loss because they figure it just isn't worth it.

IP worked for me. Johns right that you can lose weight on any diet IF you follow it. The problem is with emotional eaters, it's really difficult to stick with any plan.

I've tried WW, Atkins, LA Weight loss, Seattle Sutton, counting calories, working out, and diet supplements but IP is the only one that I could actually stick to. All the others I would cheat on and end up binging on all the stuff I missed. Then I would start the diet again and make viturally no progress because I would cheat again.

I'm on week 13 and haven't so much as had a bite of anything that wasn't allowed.

The program is expensive, but was worth the expense to me initially. I switched to alternatives after the 2nd week because of paycuts at work, and I'm still losing 2-4 lbs a week.

I think this is an important point. For those of us who are emotional eaters, who eat all those carbs/sugars, a lot of diets don't do what IP does, which takes away those cravings, by limiting what you eat, and forcing you to eat so many veggies, and changing what your taste buds like.

I'm amazed by this, and even during stressful times, I'm not reaching for the sugar products/carbs. And it's only 2 months in. And the weight loss can be very fast too (especially if you weigh more).

I find this diet very easy to follow, and unlike other diets, I don't want to cheat. I'm using alternatives, and I've used this site as my coach. It would have been better to have a coach at first, but as money is tight for me, I did it this way.

I think one negative is for me is that there's not a vegetarian option that's clearly spelled out. I struggle finding veggie proteins that are good. I miss the beans and nuts, but those aren't allowed. Once I go into maintenance, I'll incorporate those back in though.

My coach is not a medical person, so there is no benefit from this (doesn't take blood pressure, etc). She just weighs and measures and provides food and accountability.

The quick loss you see following ip is motivating. This encourages people to stick with it.

I did the first few weeks of an ip diet on my own using whey protein. I had excellent results. I only went to the clinic to increase the variety of protein options available and because I have known the coach for a long time and felt if I was going to recommend ip to others I should check out the service! She is great, and I liked the continued ability to weigh in etc.

Actually, you have that backwards. With Atkins you start with less than 20 gr carb for induction...and go up from there.
I didn't want to post that in this thread because its so off topic, but I couldn't let that go unchecked as I see a lot of us heading to the LC bandwagon to be able to maintain our weight losses. (Myself included) I have a LC background and its serving me well on IP. You already know about ketosis etc. you know how having a cheat can effect the science of this diet etc.

With that said, I agree with someone who said "how do you put a price tag on your health?" And yes, any diet will supposedly work if you follow it, but YOU have to be ready to do it. Good luck

I'm just starting week 4 and the results have been really fast. I made my decision based on the spectacular results of a woman I met in passing. I then searched the internet for reviews and spent a great deal of time on this particular site and over and over everyone had great success and positive things to say. As others have said, this is actually saving me money because I don't eat out and Starbucks misses me and my $$ tremendously ;) I am really bad at planning multiple meals and eating healthy on the go. I'm also not fond of veggies nor am I a very experienced cook. I absolutely love that most of my eating is already figured out for me. I'm only on the hook for figuring out 6- 8 oz a day of protein and 4 cups total of veggies. The items I'm responsible for do take some planning but I'm finally moving beyond celery and cucumbers and chicken stir fry and kabobs. My hope is that by learning to make actual food for only one meal per day or divvying it up to better suit my hunger levels, I believe will help me once I'm done with this program. Every time I try a veggie recipe that I think will be the grossest thing on the planet, I'm proud of myself and I have yet to actually make something that I didn't like. Also, my family is starting to lose weight as well because I've asked them to not bring junk food around me, I never buy junk food, we eat out very infrequently and actually sit down for dinner as a family many times per week (we used to do the whole fend for yourself PB&J or cereal most nights). My oldest daughter is now going to join as well and although I cringe at paying the cost for 2 people I feel good health and confidence is SO worth it. The one thing that I struggle with it not being able to run or lift weights. I used to jog or run intervals to relieve stress and we're not supposed to do anything that strenuous. My dog loves that he gets walked really, really fast 2-3 miles everyday LOL. Long winded response but this program is easy to follow but it requires a lot of commitment and discipline. Best wishes!

Has anyone had a bloated feeling on the IP diet? I've been on it for two weeks and can't get past this bloated feeling I get, so then I have stopped doing the diet right now to see if it goes away.

I go to boot camps 3x a week and they said that's fine, but I might have to increase my protein...eat an extra bar etc..good luck to you and your family!

You definitely want to add a packet/product when you exercise - this diet has us eating about 600-900 calories per day, not enough to give your muscles fuel to recover from exercise if you don't add more food. You should be having an extra packet within 1/2 hour of finishing exercise - and if your boot camp is moderate to intense, you may also have to add 1/2 bar about an hour before to give your body some carbs to burn.

My coach told me that it was a 1200 calorie diet. Daily burn is 2600, leaving 1400 to burn. But according to my BodyMedia Fit, I'm not even hitting 2600 now that I am no longer working out.

Phase 1 of IP is about 600-900 calories if you are having 3-4 packets plus the 8oz protein and 4 cups of veggies. I've tracked on myfitnesspal.com just to get in the habit for when I move into the later phases.

Thank you. I was trying to look that up. Is there a PDF of the newest Phase 1 food guide dated later than 3/20/12?

And I am a bit bummed today. I was up 2/10 of a pound. At this rate, I will gain 36 pounds in 6 months. I do not want the scale going up. I am meticulous about weighing everything. I have not messed up. I do have a cold now though. And I was just put on meds for low thyroid and adrenal fatigue.

Thanks for all the great comments
 

I just started Ideal Protein last week and I admit I am a bit nervous but I found this forum and knowing that I am not in this alone is very reassuring. All the great success stories are keeping me motivated! :) THANKS!

Here are two random days I pulled from my diary on myfitnesspal.com (I use them because they have the IP products already loaded into their database):

Day1:
Breakfast: IP vanilla pudding (90 cal) plus 2 egg whites (32 cal) = 122 cal
Lunch: 2C chopped zucchini (40 cal), IP choc soy puffs (150 cal) = 190 cal
Dinner: Big mac salad w/ground turkey - Turkey (340 cal), 1/2c red peppers (20 cal), 1/4 cup mushrooms (4 cal), 1/4 cup onion (17 cal), 1 cup chopped pickles (40 cal) = 421 cal
Snack: HealthWise strawberry shake = 90 cal

Total calories: 823

Day 2:
Breakfast: IP caramel crunch bar: 150 cal
Lunch: IP mushroom soup (90 cal) plus 1 cup mushrooms (15 cal), salad (12 cal) w/ 2 tsp EVOO (80 cal) and 1 cup chopped cucumber (16 cal) = 217 cal
Dinner: 8oz chicken breast (240 cal) on salad (12 cal) with 1 cup peppers (38 cal) and 1 cup zucchini (20 cal) = 310 cal
Snack: IP vanilla pudding: 90 cal

Total calories: 767