Is it possible to maintain weight loss after Ideal Protein?
 

My husband and I are thinking about joining Ideal Protein together. I've heard from people in the past though that you have great success while on the diet but as soon as you get off of it you gain all of the weight back. I'm curious if you loose the weight and then went to a program such as weight watchers (which I have had success with in the past) if it would be possible to keep it off?

I'm afraid of joining and spending all of that money (I hear it's crazy expensive) and then turning around just to gain it all back.

I'm wanting to lose the weight so I can be at a healthy weight when we start trying to get pregnant in June I just don't want to lose all of that weight and then gain baby weight plus more back.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinion on the IP program.

I lost 118lbs on ideal protein. kept it off for two years, without a lot of thought to it. The maintenance part certainly works as well as the rest of it. i recently had a baby and of course gained some back. About 45lbs which my doctor said is fairly average. When i was done breastfeeding i went back on it and now only have 23lbs to go :)

It doesn't tank your metabolism like many other diets because you maintain your muscle mass.

on a side note, many IP babies exist. careful while you are on it, it tends to make women very fertile lol

Regains definitely happen...on ANY diet. Weight management is a lifelong process for those of us who are not naturally thin, and since we are human, there will be slips along the way.

I would say that the idea that you gain all the weight back as soon as you come off of a diet like IP stem from a few circumstances:
- People who didn't phase off properly. IP eases you back into more "normal" eating with a 3-phase process after you've lost the weight. It serves a purpose - you need to slowly increase your calories to re-stoke your metabolism. Super low calorie diets DO slow your metabolism down, but not irreversibly. If you don't phase off properly, and jump back into a 1700 calorie diet, your metabolism hasn't revved back up yet and so your body will turn those extra calories into fat.

- People who got so excited about their new weight, they forgot that they aren't naturally thin. It's SO easy to think that just because you lost all the weight, that your body is going to behave differently toward calories than it did when you were heavier. It won't. We still have to manage our weight even after weight loss - it's lifelong.

- People (like me) who slipped off track a little here, a little there...stopped weighing on a regular basis and checking in with support sources like this forum....and suddenly a "normal" weight fluctuation of 5lbs was an extra 20/30/40 lbs because I got too fast and loose with my food, didn't adjust my calories for changes in schedule/less activity, and wasn't keeping an eye on myself.

The fact that I (and quite a few others) chose to return to IP to get my weight back under control says something. The program works. And the maintenance plan works - I cannot blame IP for my regain, I am responsible for it. But I'm also responsible for getting things back under control again and learning from my mistakes so that I don't stumble in the same way next time.

No diet is bulletproof. No diet journey is over when you lose the weight. But in IP I found a tool that works when I fall and pick myself back up again :)

You actually should be LESS likely to gain it back as a result of this program even though it does happen with all of them.
Why is it less likely...because on this program, you are fixing your overworked pancreas so it doesn't flood your system with excess insulin that gets stored as fat and is needed to create fat storage. Phase 1 of this program is designed so your body more appropriately handles blood sugar maintenance by releasing only the amount of insulin you need to lower blood sugar. Most of us with excess weight have a pancreas that is not working efficiently, is overworked and as a result is causing even more weight gain by the excess insulin getting stored as fat.

I don't know any other more traditional diets (think balanced diet, lower calorie intake and exercise regimen) that focuses on the science like this to fix root causes of excess weight.

I agree with Scorbett. You can maintain. I did a pretty good job of that for more than a year. Then, I got sloppy - stopped checking in on the maintenance thread, stopped weighing regularly, etc... I think it's really about having the discipline to monitor closely and make corrections before things get too far out of control.

A lot of us are back here (after more than 2 years for me) because we know it works!

IP works. What catches many people out is

1. not phasing out properly. IP is four phase for a reason. It isn't designed to make you pay more money, its intent is to convert your body back to using carbs as the primary fuel once you have lost the body fat you desire to shed. It takes time for your body processes to come back online in the best way to manage carbs after being fat burning fiends on IP. In the process, phasing out properly teaches our bodies how to correctly manage insulin reaction to blood sugar, rather than overproduction forcing any excess calories into fat storage.

2. Resuming the former diet that had us put the weight on in the first place. Part of any successful weight loss program is the understanding that you cannot simply go back to eating what you want and keep the weight off.

3. Adjusting your expectations of how food is going to taste AFTER the diet ends. Most of us are here because we crave sweet, salty, fatty foods. During IP our tastebuds often change. Where once sweet was an overriding desire, that will change if you allow it to.

4. Learning your personal food triggers. We all have times when we reach meltdown point, and often cannot resist the temptation to console ourselves with food, but being able to anticipate them and find an alternative method of coping with negative emotions is something that will ensure success.

In conclusion: Yes, you may regain weight .. but that will be up to you. If you are a regular browser of the forum here, you will see that many members are "rebooters". They regained some (or a lot) of the weight they lost, but chose to get a grip on it before it got worse. IP gives us the tools to get over indulgence back under control. Many of us will be fighting against weight gain for the rest of our lives so need to develop a plan for a healthy post-loss maintenance - whether it is Weight Watchers, Primal/Paleo type diets which follow many of the nutritional ketosis rules, increased exercise, calorie counting. So many options. :)

By the way, if the expense of the program is an issue for two of you doing it together (and I understand that as both hubby and I are on it) check out the Alternatives threads for some considerably cheaper (and just as effective) non-IP products.

Best of luck in your weight loss journey!

So many great answers.

I just want to add this:
I chose to give IP a try before succumbing to weight loss surgery. I know a handful of people who have had WL surgery. Many regain from it, as well. Look up the 5 year success rate.

And then read the books State of Slim and Refuse to Regain. You'll see that anyone who has struggled with weight throughout their life will also struggle with maintaining lifestyle changes.

The positive thing about IP is that it works and reboots work, as well. Those most successful in maintenance must make it a lifetime priority. This is true of any diet.

And...it has been found that those who have been overweight are often stuck maintaining on fewer calories than their never-overweight counterparts.

I, for one, have chosen to drop the weight and then spend the rest of my days learning how to maintain a normal weight.

I'll second everything everyone has already said! Really great answers.

I've been maintaining for 8 months which really isn't very long. But I knew going into IP that I could never go back to the way I used to eat once I lost the weight. The great part is that I really don't want to go back to eating that way. I feel good eating in a way that fuels my body well and lets me keep my weight stable.

As with any diet, you have to make a commitment to keeping the weight off. If you go back to eating the same way that got you overweight in the first place you'll regain, simple as that.

Yes, I did without to much effort but I did change my lifestyle. Then I had a baby and I doing my first real reboot and being in phase 1 so far is like riding a bike. Just deleted some of my maintenance meals and I'm starting to remember my old "tricks" like my go to tea etc...:)

Good luck!

May I ask what is your go to tea? Thanks :)

Great answers and I just want to reply in regard to the cost. I spend less money on food overall when I am on IP. You can manage costs by buying frozen veggies when there is a sale, buying meat in bulk, etc. Also you're eliminating a lot of food costs people don't tend to think about...a trip through the drive thru costs $6-$8 for a full meal. Going to the deli and other places for lunch would regularly run me $12-15. That's more than I spend on IP products for a whole day! It makes me better at planning for grocery costs because I know about how much I'm spending on IP products each week, and my grocery choices are limited.

AMEN!!!!! I too got a little too lax in watching what I ate, quit weighing myself regularly and quit coming back here for motivation. Next thing I know, my clothes are fitting a little TOO snug - hate that feeling! AND, I NEVER went back to exercising after I took the weight off. This time, after my reboot, once the weight is all off, I'm rejoining the gym and making exercise a way of life - just like eating healthy has to be!

Chocolaty chai tea from superstore. Oddly Splenda egg nog syrup works great in it. :)

Even though Ideal Protein provides an effective eating plan for maintaining weight loss, I have found it more useful to mentally separate losing weight and maintaining my loss. I threw everything I had at Phase 1 weight loss--re-arranged my life, invested in the food and any props to help. Once I realized I needed to do that ALL OVER AGAIN but in a different way in maintenance, I have had more success and believe it's possible to sustain IP weight loss. IP says it--the program is no vaccination against weight regain. For all the hard work of following the program, it's quite natural to slip into thinking we'll default to heathy eating. If only!

As others have pointed out elsewhere in this forum, IP provides the tools to deal with regains of any amount. Many of have regained from a diet plan and never ever want to repeat that diet. Not so with this one. For that reason alone, I think it's more effective than other plans at keeping the weight off in the long run.

Great replies and I agree. I'm new to Maintenance and "funday eating." IP provides the ways to enjoy food and then restart again back on Phase 1 for a day or two before going back to Phase 4. I find the posts here about alternative Phase 1 foods helpful too and I'm jotting everything down! You need to go through phases 1-3 first so you can Learn how to cook lean meals. I was a fast food person before and now I'm eating a lot better. I did switch to a new Coach who basically said to workout daily now that I'm on maintenance and I'll just go see her when I gain about 10 pounds so I can be followed for a month on Phase 1. Otherwise, I'm on my own! I never want to go back to my highest weight! The IP email videos are great too and your coach should be signing you up for them. I learned a lot about how the body works and new recipes to try. Lastly, I am a Weight Watchers Lifetime member and I don't want to go back there as I think I would feel like a fish out of water! Their plan is full of sugar. Good luck!