I never used the chicken dijonnaise, or the stroganoff as at that time they were not gluten free. Neither was the potato puree and several other things on there now. Canada list may be different from US list?? not sure.

I had a drink every morning - either the peach/mango one or the wildberry yogourt one or pina colada. Sometimes a pudding if I got tired of a drink. Sometimes if I felt hungry (I'm not a morning person so this was rare) I would have an omelette pack Fine herb with veggies like a handful of spinach & green onion to make it look better. That was usually a weekend thing as my DH & I used to have GF pancakes Sunday morning pre-IP. For lunches it was usually a Broccoli soup packet (sometimes made into a tortilla - packet recipe hacking, lol) and always a stirfry of whatever veggies - sometimes I used Franks Hot sauce and Braggs Aminos for flavour and sometimes just used Chinese 5 spice powder and braggs. On occasion an omelette packet with lots of veg. I also did the big salad and veggie thing with a IP pudding for dessert at lunch sometimes.
Couldn't have any of the ridges or curls (any salty snacks) as they weren't GF at the time.
For my restricted I took a chance on the lemon poppyseed bars once in a while although they were not guaranteed GF and I see there are no bars on the list at this time, so I wouldn't suggest them now. I did use Vega Protein smoothie powder sometimes for a change. There are other GF alternatives out there and soy-free as well but you will need to check your ingredient list very carefully...

Sorry but it is very boring and I had to concentrate on doing interesting things with my dinner meal and making that the focus, while the other 'meals' were just for fuel. Remember though that this is only a temporary 'contract' and once you have lost and are starting maintenance a whole new world opens up. I know you are already used to a restricted way of feeding yourself, so you get the concepts; I'm sure you can do this with a fair bit of help from your coach and IP head office. Make sure she emails them with any questions that you may have. They are very helpful and were a useful resource for me. Ask questions on the video daily links as well then check back with them, as they do answer in their online forum but it can take 3 or 4 days. Don't worry about the sugars in the packets as compared to what most people take in they are very minimal.

Liana

What an inspiring story Cheryl! Congratulations on your awesome success so far! It's so wonderful that you have the support and success of your friend to lean on. Best wishes for more happy dancing days ahead! :carrot:

Thanks again Liana. I am not getting the videos yet :-(, since the new spam laws in Canada IP is having problems with their mail outs and 1.6 weeks in I haven't seen one or had any contact.

I am starting to think I should do this on my own with the help of this board and alternative product. These really make me sweat (serious hot flash, whatever you call it) every time I eat them and I had a huge boil type breakout on my face, and then I'm shaky and still hungry. I think the Splenda is really getting to me and I think many of the products are too high glycemic for me who is like the princess and the pea....off I go to find good alternatives (gluten, soy, sucralose, sugar free, oh and very low carb) :dizzy::):dizzy:!

Hello I'm a new member and going to start iP diet but w alternative as I cannot afford IP. I'm a vegan so this might be difficult as protein is needed.
If you all can give me as much help as poss. This veg girl would be so appreciate.
From I have read on this site it basically works like this:
B- shake/water
L- 2 cups of veg and a shake or protein meal
S- shake
D- protein and 2 cups of veg
Please correct me if I'm wrong..
As for vit I'm confused on what I should get, help is appreciated
Thank you all and I'm looking forward to all you advice

Love the support here! I just began AGAIN. Feel like I've been doing the whole yo~yo dieting routine for the past 3 yrs. I am committed to staying on track in maintenance this time. Today is DAY 1 on Ideal Protein.

New, but with delayed start. Advice?
 

Went to my consultation today and am loaded up and ready to go. BUT ... have a 4-day weekend trip planned this week, and a 3-day weekend trip NEXT weekend.

My coach advised me not to start until after I get back from the second trip. Since I won't have had much experience in eating in a controlled environment, much less eating in restaurants a lot.

So I will eagerly wait to start, I suppose, but wondering if anyone had any advice for me to take advantage of the next 10 days and gain some traction into a revised way of eating. I'm thinking to lower the carbs, increase the veggies and ease in to things.

I've been lurking on here for a few days to get some ideas and have been pleased to see how kind and helpful everyone is.

Nervous about the accountability, but think it's what i need!

IP Newbie
 

Hi everyone!
I'm on Day 3 of IP and was so ecstatic to stumble upon this forum for support and suggestions. I find that my appetite has not shrunk much and that I'm having trouble sleeping at night due to hunger pangs. Any advice on how to stave this feeling off?

vegaconda, there's a vegetarian (and vegan) thread for IP - it should be up near the top of the date listing for ip threads since I just posted. Lots of good ideas there...
chirp: lower your carbs and increase the veggies, ditch dairy and fruit and keep your proteins low fat and you may lose 7 or 8 lbs before you even start your IP plan...
staceymj82, a lot of us just went to bed early if we were used to snacking at night. You could also take a carafe of lemon or mint water to keep on your night table in case your tummy wakes you in the middle of the night. Hang in there, it will come around to your brain's training soon, lol.
Welcome, ycarijo!

Liana

Ready to start IP
 

Hi Everyone, I've just ordered my first batch of IP and am more than ready to get started as soon as it arrives. I was so happy to see you all here. It's very encouraging to read about everyone's successes. I was in a dressing room and overheard the woman in the next room talking about having lost 85 pounds and IP is what she used-So I had to give it a go. I'm so tired of all the dieting mind games-what's reasonable to do what's not-whatever works for you at particular stage in life. I look forward to being in touch with anyone who'd like to be!

Ycarijo, Thank goodness for members like you! That was so great that in a few sentences you helped so many people-congratulations on reaching goal. I'm getting ready to start as soon as my products are delivered-Thanks for your inspiration!

Jenlajen - welcome and congrats on getting started! IP works wonderfully if you stick to it and it sounds like you are ready to take charge!

There are tons of recipes and ideas in the 1st post of the daily chat and be sure to ask any questions, the people here are very generous with their knowledge. You couldn't ask for a better support system!

Thanks for the kind remarks - I finally went to a rumba workshop last Saturday - it was wonderful to dance again!
My IP buddy sorority sister is doing well on the program - she has lost almost 21 lbs and has been on the program a week less than me!

I hope you are settling into a rhythm and making progress too!

Starting IP on 9/1/14!!!
 

Hi Everyone! I have just received my IP products and will start on Labor Day-Normally I would not start on a holiday but I have to work at my office all day so I won't have time to stop and snack on things and drinking water all day will be a breeze. I am 50 years old. 244 lbs. This really feels like the largest I have ever been and it's hard to move now. I just want to hide. Age has led to everything drooping and sagging and with all this extra weight, I've had it! I'm too young to feel so old. I am very excited about starting the program and I really look forward to getting started. It's a long time since I felt good and a long time since I have tried to look good. I don't want to give up-I want to feel good again. I look forward to meeting you all on here and maybe having a tight support group. I see there are many people on here who have met goal and know how to do this right-I'm ready to listen! Thank you all!

Hi Ruth Ann, thank you so much-You have had amazing results! I look forward to hearing more about your journey, where you had a hard time and how you got through. I've spent so much time feeling hopeless-Obviously it can be done. I want my 50th year to be the year of change! Thank you for reaching out!

Hi all! I'm not new to IP but probably a stranger to many people on the forum by now :)

I started my IP journey in June of 2012 and lost just over 70lbs in about 8 months. I was maintaining well, but then a series of major changes kinda put me in a tailspin. We moved, I started a new job with totally different hours than I was used to, and went back to school to finish my degree. My new job involved a lot more sitting at my desk than before as well. It all added up to a regain of about half of what I had lost.

I spent the last few months getting the gains under control and finally found the right calorie level for the amount of exercise I can reasonably fit into my schedule right now. So my reboot is really a tool to get back down to "fighting weight" again, knowing that I have a solid maintenance plan in place.

I will say that one of my biggest errors in maintenance was falling out of touch with this forum! The people here are helpful, the accountability is an absolute necessity. Connecting here is going to be the single most useful tool in your journey, and I look forward to walking the path with you all :)