Hi Juniper: I haven't lost all that much weight, but there are others who have and who are in maintenance or close to it... You might want to copy & paste your question there in the maintenance threads since they will have more experience on this. I know some have looked at the idea of surgery after a year or two of maintenance to let their skin 'bounce back' as much as possible, and others are just 'happily' resigned to the fact that a flap of saggy skin is still way healthier than a flap of fat-filled skin.
A lot depends on your age and how badly you scar and how your skin condition is as a whole. Some people have very resilient skin and it bounces back quite well.

I'm soooo excited. Only one more day until I attend the introductory workshop for IP.

I've been cutting down my consumption of wine, dairy and upping water so to be a bit more prepped for the start.

Juniper - unfortunately, what you already understand (it varies) really applies - genetics, age, how much you need to lose, how long you were overweight - all these play a role so there is no definitive answer.

For myself, I can tell you I was scared to death when I phased off in October - I had elephant skin - large areas of wrinkled skin...flaps on my arms, legs, and belly - but keep in mind, I've been overweight since I was 5 years old.

I started running / training for a 13.1 and have seen a HUGE improvement in my body shape and skin. I still have problem areas, but muscle is starting to fill some of those areas in and I see definition as opposed to flaps.

The other thing I've seen / read is that you will really have a much better idea after a 1 year of maintenance...they generally don't recommend surgery (tummy tucks & the like) until that time.

Does anyone know where I can find a list of IP products and their descriptions to whether or not they are restricted or non-restricted?

This spreadsheet has the IP foods as well as alternatives. I don't know how up-to-date it is as I'm not the owner.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...tmlview?hl=en#

bump!

Newcomers willfind lots of good info in this thread!

Hey everyone, I've just finished my 4th week on IP. Been going through the reams of info and inspirational stories on here and finally decided to say hi.

Just wanted to thank you all so much for all your guidance and inspiration. I'm mostly OP, with just a couple hacks to reduce the costs a bit.

I am 15 lbs down, with 20 more to go. Looking forward to wearing those size 8 clothes again!!!

Have a great week, everyone!!

Welcome!

I've only been on the boards about two weeks - but having a place to read and post has been really helpful to me.

HI ladyejan, thanks for the welcome! Congrats on starting the program!
Hope you are not minding your first week - I found I did have some headaches but not too bad.

I've done pretty good until today. I had to go to the post office and shopping at our local natural food store. With shopping time built in, it was 1-1/2 hour walk. Usually a slam dunk for me.

When I got back I was soooo tired. I stretched out on the bed at 11 am to doze until lunch at noon . . . and slept right through my alarm until 3 pm.

They tell you not to exercise on Phase 1 of IP, but I wasn't walking super fast or anything - just my usual pace.

Tomorrow is my first official weigh-in, and I was planning on walking to the clinic, about 45 min one way.

Sorta rethinking that now.

Thank you for sharing!!!

On Tuesday's weigh in I went from 167.5 to 164.3 in just three days of being on IP.

I've been good at staying OP, and I'm excited to see what my numbers will be next week.

Hello! I figured this would be the place to introduce myself. I have been doing IP with alternative products since 1/4. This is my first time trying IP after having tried just about everything else. I had never even heard of Ideal Protein until a friend of mine who had lost almost 100 pounds linked to an article in which Ideal Protein was named the best diet out of several that were surveyed. I was intrigued and started doing some research and eventually came upon this forum. I couldn't afford to do the program through a clinic but was thrilled to see a wealth of information from people being successful by using alternative products. As you can probably see from my stats, I have a VERY long way to go but I'm confident that this is the way to get me there. I've been lurking around here for a few weeks but decided to register and post to keep me honest and accountable.

IP can be extremely successful and you will find lots of folks here on 3FC who have lost lots of weight following IP - I find encouragement in the success of others - it's inspiring!

Also - remember that IP works based on body chemistry - after the first few days following the protocol, your body makes that shift into ketosis, and your fat burning pistons kick into gear. Messing around with a cheat here and there will really interfere with that body chemistry. If you can wrap your head around the idea of following the program 100 percent, you will watch the pounds melt away. You will look forward to waking up every morning to check the scale. You will discover new stores of energy, and you will feel good. If you play hit and miss, you will be greatly disappointed as you waste time, and losses are slow or your weight just holds or worst of all, you have an uptick.

Make the commitment and let the program work for you - you will never regret doing that, I promise you!!!

Introducing myself - I am starting IP on Friday through my chiropractor's office. I was supposed to start on Monday but I came down with a migraine on Saturday and I am just feeling better today. I am nervous and excited and truly hope this is my last diet!!