HI all, I am new to IP, and this board. my third week weigh in is just a few days a week. My question is in regards to coaching. I don't really feel like where I pick up my IP food they are that knowledgable, she doesn't really know the program and when I ask questions she doesn't have any answers. THankfully I have a cousin who is in another province who has been on the prgram for a few months and she has been helpping me along. I pretty much get weighed and measured and then i'm out the door.

So.... do you find your coaches helpful, should I be looking for another place to purchase from. What does your coach do for you?

My coach is a Dr. Every week he measures and weighs me, and reviews my food diary for the week to see if there's anything I could do better. When we review the results, he does provide some more "science" as to what my numbers mean, what a certain increase/decrease may indicate, etc. I think he's a good coach.

I wanted a coach who was a Dr because I had read about potential issues of being in ketosis for too long, plus I have PCOS. More importantly, I wanted that accountability and discipline of being monitored on a weekly basis. I do think, though, that I will eventually switch to alternatives (without coaching) due to how much cheaper it is (I can barely afford the program as it is). But I probably won't do that until I feel it's safe to do so (e.g. confident in my discipline, unconcerned about ketosis issues, pcos under control, etc).

If I was in your shoes, I would probably switch to another coach or go to alternatives, but you have to figure out what's best for you.

My coach is very nice but the visit is no more than a weigh in, math calculation of loss, that-a-girl phrase, and purchase of food. It takes 10 minutes, tops!

I get my information on this site. I wish it was more informative but it is not for me which is why I will phase them out and move towards alternatives shortly. Still enjoying the ease of getting what I want from the office and enjoying my success on IP products.

I have created my own little alternative program where I use alternative shakes and of course cook my own veggies and lean meats because I can make a shake for a dollar a serving or less. I feel like a big part of what makes this diet successful is how restrictive it is and the accountability of being weighed in at a clinic. So I joined weight watchers for the meetings and weigh ins. It is 10 dollars a week and they have an online tracker as well for food, exercise, and weight loss.

But after doing this diet and being on the forums for 1 week a word of caution. There are a lot of people here who sell the products, or who are coaches for IP now, and will harass you a bit about doing alternatives. They have been unsupportive to say the least.

I'm frankly under-whelmed at the lack of information in my weeklies. The las 3 weeks, there wasn't even a coach in the clinic. To a lot of my questions I get an I don't know answer, which is frustrating. I really want to stop going but I'm terrified that I won't be able to hack it on my own once I reach the maintenance phase!

Thank god for this forum!

That's horrible that you have been treated that way. No one should be harassed because they choose alternatives. We all have the same goal and should support each other. I've been on alternatives since August and haven't experienced that here. Although, I may not read all the same threads as you. I typically stick to the 100% thread and the daily. I also lurk on the maintainers thread since I am approaching goal, and will read some of the new threads occasionaly.

Really? I'm sorry you have experienced this!


This has been my experience as well. I used all IP Products back in 2011. This past January (when I started a reboot) I started out using all IP , but soon discovered how much $ Hubby and I could save using Alternatives! So far no one has commented on not using IP Products!

I have seen a LOT of support on this forum FOR using alternatives.

What I think people don't support is mixed messages about exactly what program a person is doing. I've seen posts about foods that just flat-out aren't allowed on P1

That is very different than "harassing" about utilizing alternatives

Absolutely agreed. Without the support I got on this forum, I may not have had the courage to "go rogue" 8 weeks into my journey and switch to alternatives. I got nothing but support and encouragement, and advice when I needed it that I could no longer get from a coach.

The only resistence I have seen in my time here is the same - when posts show up about having foods that are quite clearly NOT compatible with phase 1 as it is written.

WELCOME!

Here are some things to consider.....................

Do you need the accountability of an Official WI (weigh-in) at a clinic??? If you need this, then you should continue to go to a clinic. There are others on this site who honestly don't need the accountability of the WI, but choose to go to a clinic because they want the one-on-one support when they get to maintenance = P4. This also makes a lot of sense.

If you feel you would do best through a clinic and don't like yours, hopefully there are other IP clinics in your area. Call one of them and explain that you really aren't getting great information/help with your current clinic and ask how they conduct their meetings. Most clinics will let you switch without charging you another start-up fee because they will still get money from you weekly for food.

If you don't need a clinic or there aren't other options in your area and you decide to go it alone or what some on this site affectionately call "rogue"..... you still have a few options.............. Plus, most people that spend time on this site find it's a lot like having a "counselor". There are great people here that have wonderful ideas, tips, recipes, suggestions, advice, and all the motivation/inspiration you could ever need.

If you go it alone, you can continue to purchase 100% IP products on-line at:
http://www.plainprotein.com/
Some people like to stay with the 100% IP products because they know they work and they don't have to do a lot more research, etc in trying alternatives. They also sell the supplements here on this site and regardless if people choose to use alternatives, they still use the IP supplements because they are so important to the program. Also, people might still buy the IP products they really like in conjunction with alternatives.

Most people go to alternatives because of cost - about 1/2 or a little more than 1/2 the cost. Also, there is a larger selection to choose from. I use alternatives because I'm somewhat a picky eater and there wasn't enough of the IP food that I liked and I needed more variety. Also, I wanted to find more non-restricted food that I liked. Most people order from:
http://www.nashuanutrition.com/store...FQfhQgod3nwAeQ
If you decide to go to alternatives, you need to spend some time reading the alternative Thread and educating yourself on the process. Here is that Thread:
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/idea...s-vol-1-a.html

Hope this helps. Let us know if you have any other questions.
Please keep us updated on what you decide.
Best of Luck to you on your WL (weight loss) journey!
~Jen

Sorry, for your experience.
I had responded to your post a few days ago, but I don't think you saw it because it was at the end of the day on a Daily Chat Thread........
With the people that you've seen be successful with maintaining large weight loss, how many minutes do they do of cardio/3x week? And how often do they do the weight training weekly. TIA!

Agreed. This forum helped me decide what alternatives to use as I follow the IP plan.

I have a history of diets, stomach stapled, and gastric by pass. My body adapted to surgery within weeks. I have eaten such a low amount of calories for the past few year that my body holds on to fat. (per 3 drs.) Yo-Yo dieting and starvation. I lost 165 lbs, 5 yrs ago and I have gained 60lbs. I am a poster child for Ideal Protein and am commited. I do not cheat. I have only lost 7 lbs. in 3 weeks. My friends have dropped 24, 15, 10 and 10, and continued to lose each week, 9,6,5,7. I am frusterated but determined.

Everyone loses at a different pace, so don't worry about your friends losses. Check out Scorbett and Lisa's weekly losses in their signatures. It will give you an idea of how it can very from person to person and week to week. Hang in there, you are doing great!

This isn't the best thread for introducing yourself. http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/ideal-protein-diet-236/ . This link is for all the IP threads, save it as a favorite. The daily chat thread is a great place to introduce yourself and also a good place to ask questions.

So, Lisa, scorbett, anyone. I have been thinking about this for a few days and I guess I just want some advice. Do people take breaks from their clinics? I'd like to put this relationship on hold and come back when I need to phase off. Does this happen? I'm horrified about starting the next phases on my own.....

People go rogue all the time (switch to alts). Different clinics probably have different rules about returning later. I'm still going to mine but we had to come to an understanding b/c there are so many products I'm not using. Scorbett left hers (she'll tell you her story).

I certainly don't need the P1 support right now but I've decided to stay due to my maintenance track record. Everyone has to make their own decision about that. I'm going in every-other week and buying 1 week supply of food. We just don't discuss what other products I'm using but I've mentioned others that "can work" and she has access to my MFP diary.