It is scary Viking_Jim. IP is awesome at dropping the weight but they have a very important maintenance protocol that must be followed afterward. I think many of us thought we could maintain our own way and fell back into bad habits. The bad habits that got us fat in the first place. I thought if I was a "runner" that I would never be a fat person. Ha! I gained 20 lbs over 6 months while running 3-5 times/week. I'm sure some of that was muscle but probably not much. I'm still trying to get those up lbs off. IP was not a one time fix and I will have to work on maintaining a healthy weight for the rest of my life. It's like being an addict! That realization depresses me a bit but it's the hard truth.

I don't see it as a failure in IP itself. I did great 2.5 years. I can't blame a diet for that. Then society norms kick in. It depends on your triggers. I figure it just like any addiction. Your body biochemistry will always happily take you back to X pounds.

We got into eating ice cream. The whole family contributed. I also am on call with irregular schedule. Not having good options available at times. Stress eating.
I can't even say lack of knowledge. I read about most main real food diet books, podcast etc. I understand completely at a deeper level than most typical dieter what happened but I didn't stop it.

I have heard it explained trying to use will power is failure because it is finite and will always let you down. That where I got the change can't to wont.
start looking at donuts as skull and cross bones. Have to get mental attitude to processed foods and processed carbohydrates like how a vegan is about red meat. We all know how vigilante vegans can be. Maybe we dont need to be that bad but something similar.

I too did ideal protein 2 years ago after I had my son,; like many of you I not only regained the weight plus 15 more pounds. now I have been trying to restart for over 3 weeks and like most of u, "life is getting in the way." Im getting so angry and frustrated with myself. The first time around I did it 100%, now I'm playing around. Every time I cheat I then get more and more angry at myself and cheat even more. I told myself I was going to recommit yet im not, I'm maybe doing 50%... I'm soo frustrated and I feel like I need someone to "hit me in the head" and wake up. Any advice or ideas are greatly appreciated

I be honest. I see where you are coming from but because of listening and reading of people who are advocating a more CKD approach. I am not so frustrated by numbers like that. You can likely save a ton of money and stress about foods by looking at the Dr. Kiefer body.io carbnite program: http://carbnite.com/ where you after period of carb suppression you consume some carbs only at night. If your like to workout it might be every 2-3 days you get some evil carbs. He even has a podcast specifically to help women navigate the low carb/ ketogenic approaches because they respond different. Or look for Vinny Tortorich and his no sugar no grains approach: http://vinnietortorich.com/tag/no-sugar-no-grains/ . They both have programs that are pretty simple to follow and they don't get frustrated with food choices. You should not have an emotional meltdown from food choices. That has been my largest shift in thinking.

I did IP before 4 years ago dropped over 80#. Worked great for me.
I had a shift in thinking about food even though I failed to keep it off (life happens and we all need resets of our thinking periodically)
I became very read in the real food movements. Primarily JERF, Primal, or Paleo. Don't get the google search terms get you hung up on fads or complexity.

I went back to IP a couple of months ago, and I am struggling with the fact of eating such a high priced, overly processed engineered food. That uses known ingredients that can be problamatic across a large cross section of the populations. Gut health and hormone cascade is not taken into consideration only controlling insulin. Although IP standards have evolved since my first go around they still aren't really looking at a holistic approach.

It has done me great. 2 months dropped over 30 pounds and my response to carbohydrates has been normalized. It has gotten me an my wife to break some habits we got into while moving, and working on our new home.
I think I am done with IP, it works without a doubt but I think they are missing huge parts of the equation of how humans are supposed to be living. Most diet programs do, so that flaw isn't unique to them. Being so focused singularly on one element of taking care of our meat suits we are missing huge chunks of interrelation effects in other areas of our lives.

I just can't wrap my head around how this is normal to be eating the soy, gluten, starvation calories, barely any fat without recognizing the role of fats and cholesterol play on hormones and the brain. Zero consideration for dietary adaptation and keeping your body in a state variablity. Not to mention the super high levels of processing involved in just making the products.

Humans are designed for variability. Even our hearts when they are in the healthiest state have high degrees of variability in it function. That seems counter intuitive read the literature on HRV (heart rate variability). People who hearts have created low variability are direct signs for the wheels coming off in a cardiac sense.

I would say I personally think it the best engineered food program on the market. They put themselves out of reach of many people who really might benefit from it because they put a premium $$ on their goods. I know the whole sale price of the boxes, I had family members run a IP clinic for a period. Cost is the #1 failing factor for clients from the clinics perspective. I have asked 3 of them that question and that is the largest drop out rate or client barrier reason by far. I without a doubt would recommend it to people who don't don't really care about food quality and sourcing. I won't discard my current stock pile of foods. I will consume them but I won't be getting any more. It will be a low carb keto approach with periodic carbohydrate disruptions to keep from getting metabolic adaptations using real food from the perimeter of the store using the paleo no sugar not grains philosophy for me.

bump

Wylothar- have you done the carbnite solution? how has it compared to IP?

So back in 2012, I lost 30 pounds in 10 weeks with IP, I felt great, but then school started so I couldn't afford it anymore, so I stopped WITHOUT phasing out (HUGE MISTAKE). I did maintain that loss for 6 months! Then my grandpa died, got a new boyfriend, school+ internship. Today, I'm here 3 years later 80 pounds heavier I've tried all the diets out there and none of them worked... I need the strict guidelines of IP! So I'm starting again on Monday! My bf will help me and this time I'll succeed and phase out properly! I'm thinking too about all the food I won't be able to have, but do I want to be in the same place (or even worst) in three years? NO THANK YOU!

I've gained it all back so many times I can't even count. I get back on track on Monday and then fall off the wagon the next Saturday.
I've been sick for the last few days, and although I haven't binged, I haven't been eating on plan, just no energy or interest in preparing anything proper.
So far today I haven't cheated, so need to get through this one weekend, and I know if I can do that, next week will be a piece of cake, then just one more weekend and by then I should be over the major cravings and should have seen enough results to keep me motivated to finish off. I know if I could just commit to 6 weeks I could be at or very near my goal weight.
Here's to a healthy, 100% on plan weekend to all!

I haven't yet. I am working through my ip products.
I am going carbnite using paleo (jerf) foods. I either going with carbnite or anabolic diet by Dr. Mauro Di Pasquale. They are very similar and have both books.

I get one constant impressions from carbniters and AB dieters, is zero tendency to be neurotic about the foods.

Adaption and the low carb hormone down regulation doesn't happen either because of hermetic effect of the timed recarbing period.

Marks daily apple recent podcast was discussing how some evidence of long term low carb dieters who don't break dietary ketosis periodically experience insulin resistant.

It isn't easy maintaining and reducing while working f/t and coming home after work tired and back always hurts and then making time for an evening stroll and gym for 40 minutes at least after that. Not having tons of pure energy is quite a challenge. I wish i still had the energy of a 20 Something y/o female. Now I am almost 50 and must workout so much harder to just MAINTAIN my oversize European body type. I totally hate this problem and every day of my life is a challenge to not go over my Maintenance weight #. But I am really trying to lose 40 Lbs but it just isn't happening yet...

I read Peter Attia's blog and info he gives on LC diets...he says it is not a diet but a NEW way you must eat---forever--and that we have gotten into bad carb/sugar habits becuz the food companies make it easy, cheap and available everywhere to get and eat! and that it is addicting!! He says to realize that you are starting a new chapter and it is not the way you are eating temporarily, but the way your grandparents used to eat!---and he said not to look at it as temporary---but a new normal---a new normal way of eating...that is the key to not gaining it all back//and then some!!

Yep... that, and learning how to handle emotions without resorting to food. Check out the maintainers menus for some new normal ideas for when you get to your goal.

Hi. I'm back visiting this forum after a long time away. So far I've only had time to read the first 2 pages of this 26-page thread, but am very interested in what you all have to share, because Yes, I am embarrassed to say I gained it all back. I lost 40 lbs on IP, and sadly am now right back at my previous weight.

What I am struggling with now is, do I want to try IP again, or should I try a different diet? Maybe IP is not the correct fit for me? I really don't know. It is so discouraging. it would be embarrassing to go back to my clinic/coach, but I'd be willing to do it if I felt I had a good chance of keeping it off.

Well, bluegirl.... you did lose the weight on this diet, so it DOES work for you. The gaining it all back is due to other 'problems' with changing your meal plan in maintenance from you old way of eating, no? Don't be embarrassed, just jump right back on it and you will lose again and we can help you out with the maintenance part . Refuse to Regain is a good book to get a hold of & read to help you learn to eat healthy-normal and feed your body well. Go to the clinic and get the help again or if you think you can handle the extra planning, do it with alternatives and our help.

Liana

Even though I have not restarted with IP I have lost and regained with MANY (really all ) other eating plans. Sigh... I wanted to mark this thread as a reminder to be vigilant - daily.
I think there is such a thing as a little "healthy fear". As a Christian I have been praying that God would change my heart towards food.
I seem to relate eating to comfort/celebration/sadness/boredom/loneliness
For me it has almost become an Idol
I want to be free from the constant focus on eating.
<<<insert praying emoji>>>