For me, eating has a lot to do with flavors and savoring food. I do not enjoy sweets that are just sugar. So, it is ironic that I started to eat so many sugary tasting things on IP and similar diets. I can understand that a lot of people like to eat sweets and that these diets try to cater to that. But I also think that it is crucial to learn to enjoy food for its taste rather than something to sooth and escape. So, I would not spend that much money on something artificially sweet. I'd recommend eating Lindt 90% dark chocolate or any of their other dark bars, like sea salt, chile, or orange zest. Yes, it has more calories and evil carbs and fats, but it actually tastes when you melt it in your mouth and it goes really well with a glass of red wine. I'd wait for maintenance to enjoy that and it would be healthier, too. And cost the same, wine included. And once you learn to enjoy it as a treat, you do not need to eat the whole bar, you actually will be satisfied with one piece or one row. Because it fulfills many different senses.

I tried the bar this week. I think I will be completely satisfied to have it once a week (probably Saturday night) as a treat. Like Alison, phase 1 is a long haul for me and I enjoy having this as an option.

For those of you that have had it, was it worth the extra calories/carbs? Taste-wise?

Bingo, you made the point better than I did. Thx.

Please point out who here is getting "hated on." No one. Just because people do not like the idea of this latest product and are choosing not to eat it, does not mean they are "hating on" other people.
I absolutely refuse to eat the tomato basil soup packet - Does this mean I am hating on people who do choose to eat it?
People lately are WAY over-sensitive. Eat the chocolate bar if you want to AlisonS. Eat a truckload a week of you chose to. No one here is going to "hate on" you.

Couldn't agree with you more. I have added this to my next order. My coach said it's in addition to whatever packets you have for the day (so you would be having 4 IP products if you chose to have this treat). I will either break it up and have 1 piece per day or if I have it all in one day, I will do the lower calorie packets. That's what I will try. To each his own.

Meshellee: My coach said it is to replace your restricted packet for the day, once per week, not in addition to your 3 packets that day.

My coach told me one bar (six pieces) per week, no more than that. So last week I did 3 pieces of one bar on two different days. For what its worth, it was a real treat.
I won't abuse the protocol rule for it, but its nice to have something to break things up a bit a couple of times a week.

Aside from the nutritional issues with this, I just didn't think that the chocolate raspberry bar was that tasty. I love chocolate (dark, milk, bitter, etc.), but this bar didn't impress me at all. It was marketed as this incredibly decadent treat, but it just tasted a bit waxy to me. I didn't think that it was worth it. If I am going to have a restricted item, it might as well be a really good one.

Anita

Dark chocolate with 90% cacao in it is good for your heart and is low in carbs, since it is relatively high in (good) fats. A thin bar with 8 pieces would probably be comparable to the bar with 6 pieces, cost much less, taste better, and be overall healthier. I bet though, the IP bar is much, much sweater. Good to establish an addiction.

90% Lindt per square: 60 cal; 5.5g fat, 1g protein, 3g carbs of which 1.25g is fiber

Thanks for all the info on this.

Once again - I wish all the clinics were saying the same thing.

LOLO Thanks for the tip on the Lindt 90% chocolate. I am in maintenece so I could do this. The question is: do I want to tempt fate and risk losing control?

I think for PMS chocolate craziness I will try it. That is truly the only time I really find myself looking for something chocolate to eat. It I can't control myself: I won't buy another bar.

That has been my thoughts on this product. Anything to keep people "buying" instead of purchasing real food. If it was mostly meant for P4, there is already REAL food (Lindt is a good example) & the bar was unnecessary.

To each their own, of course...I have better ways to spend my dollars.

To clarify: I meant I would try the LINDT bar. Now that I am in Phase 4 the IP food is WAY TOO SWEET for me. I tried to eat an IP bar this week as a snack: some caramel nut thing: I actually spit it out - grossly too sweet.

It is amazing how my tastes are changing again.

That's interesting because my coach specifically said it doesn't have the nutritional values that the other packets do, so it is in addition to your daily packets but only 1 bar per week.

I would double-check with her just to be safe. This is what IP Headquarters emailed my coach when the announcement came out:

"We have redefined the classic chocolate bar to bring you the Ideal Protein Raspberry Chocolaty Bar, a decadent reward for dieters on all phases, particularly dieters enjoying the freedom of Phase 4.

This chocolate reward is permitted as an occasional treat to replace one restricted food per week.

Reward your dieters success with our newest addition!"