It took me 9 major diets over a few decades (and 2 attempts on the IP diet) to FINALLY figure this whole "how to successfully diet" thing out. I've made every mistake possible in the past. However, every time I tried to diet and failed, I did learn something -- and eventually I was able to find ultimate success by avoiding (mitigating) all my past pitfalls. Next step is to maintain my great weight loss for a long period of time -- that's my next challenge!

Hi All! I'm hoping for some advice! About three years ago I started IP and had lost about 40 pounds in less than 3 months. I was feeling great, butttt I met my boyfriend about 2 months in and by month 3 I was so tired of going on dates and not being able to drink wine/enjoy food. We had a special Christmas date and I decided to cheat, just that one day!, before going into maintenance mode. And ever since that day I could never go back 100 percent. I ended up eating on protocol during the week and on the weekends enjoy, pretty successfully, and got down to my goal weight. I went from a size 14 to size 2, sometimes 0 and 125 pounds! For a few months I was pretty steadily at 125 and felt terrific. But slowly the cheat days turned into weekends turned into weeks and I gained weight. I started working out A LOT so I was maintaining the 30 pounds I had put on. But then I got a promotion and started not making my workouts and stress eating. Flash forward to today and I have put back on all put 2 pounds of the weight I lost on IP. I'm definitely more muscular now, but I'm still incredibly unhappy in my own skin. It makes me so sad to look at pictures of me before and now! When I lost the weight initially, I did the program with my mom, who also successfully lost weight and then met her boyfriend and put it back on. She has committed to starting back with me on Jan 1st.

Here lies my problem! I'm ready to start TODAY. I don't want to feel uncomfortable around the holidays and in my New Years Eve dress, etc. BUT I also want to set myself up for success. My boyfriend's family always brings out the REALLY nice wine (Leonettis!) for Christmas and Thanksgiving. We have a family brunch at a local fancy restaurant that I look forward to every year.... the typical holiday stuff. I definitely feel I can eat healthy but I have been looking forward to this wine all year long! And, like I mentioned, I want to set myself up to be successful. Has anyone else had this experience before? Is it better to just eat healthy and start up again on IP January 1st? Or try incorporating it in knowing I'll be cheating on the Holiday get togethers? Or stop making excuses and do my best to get through the holidays (toughest time of the year for me on the toughest weeks of the program ha).

My favorite option is do to IP on my own and know that the holidays I will eat in moderation and have some vino and start back up with my clinic on Jan 1st with my mom by my side. BUT I'm not sure how that would affect my metabolism/overall restart. And if I do this, can I still workout? Would that entail an extra packet?

Sorry for such a long post--- any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

Let me preface with....I'm 30, and back in 2006, I lost 90lbs on my own, just watching what I ate and exercising A LOT. I got down to 140 - I maintained that for 6 years! I know how to do it.) But since getting married 5 year ago, I've crept up 25lbs.

Currently....I'm only 13lbs away from my goal and thinking life after IP. In my mind, when I started this 3 weeks ago......this was a tool for me to get off 25lbs of weight I gained over the last 5 years quickly - and get back into the maintaining I know how to do.

However, I was thinking - once I'm back at my "normal/goal" weight - I will go back to eating a balanced diet - keeping it healthy, but enjoying life along the way....and going back to Crossfit - which is a killer workout (and helped me lose 10lbs this summer, but I quit once school/coaching started).

Here's my dilemma.....what I am reading is that this eating style is now a way of life (minus the IP packets after phase 3)....and if you deviate it from it, you will gain everything back and more. So now I'm almost regretting doing this if that's the case......I know HOW to eat sensible, exercise and keep my weight within 5lbs of where I want to be. I'm just becoming terrified that is not how it will be now, which is making me want to quit completely and go back to the calories in and calories out method that does work too.

Help! Please tell me I don't have to give up everything I love for the rest of my life....that I can have pizza nights...and birthday cake, and delicious adult beverages on vacation....or is it just the people that go back to eating TOTALLY unhealthy and never exercise that gain everything back and more?

Please advise!!!

I didn't do IP but I did medifast which is somewhat similar. I lost 80 pounds and eventually even started running and participating in 5K's. I gained all my weight back over 2 years after I was injured and unable to work out. Then my injury caused other problems that caused me to be very depressed so I ate because I am an emotional eater. It was the exercise that was helping me to stay on track with food and motivation and maintain my weight. That is just me. It wasn't because of the way I lost the weight. It was what happened afterwards.

Ok so I talked to a friend who is in maintenance and I'm gathering it's those people who go back to terrible eating 24/7 and no exercise that gain it back. Seems to me if you ate sensible...healthy yet enjoyed life be food too, along with exercise....you could keep it off.

Which is what I plan to do and is what has worked for me when I maintained 90lbs off for 7-8 years! Just recently gave up working out because I got real busy with my job and coaching.

There are plenty of examples of people who have successfully kept the weight they lost off. I think the ones who gain back are more noticeable because they come back to 3FC in greater numbers for support through their efforts to re loose the weight. The maintainers thread is active, but it is a single thread. Meanwhile there are at least 3 different threads that have been active over the last few months for those who have come back to try again.

Few of us got here because we had good habits before IP. If we blindly follow the program and don't work on the issues that got us here in the first place, maintenance doesn't have a high chance of success. This is at least the 3rd time I have lost 100+ pounds in my life. It wasn't the other diet's fault I eventually regained, just as it wouldn't be IP's fault if I regained. I have to fix the mental part this time or I will eventually be right back where I started, again.

Jenni- START TODAY! You won't be sorry! Come join us in the 2015 Rebooters thread or the 2015 Heading into the holidays thread. There are a bunch of us on P1 during this time of year.

I faced the same issue as you, I was ready to start in Oct. I contemplated waiting until Jan. simply because of the time of year. But then I thought, why wait and possibly weight EVEN MORE than I do now? I figured, any weight that I could lose between then (Oct) and Jan. would be gravy. Even if it was only a couple of pounds. Here I am, on my 6th week of my reboot and I am already down 12#. AND, I even had a cheat meal in there. I am so, so, so glad I just got started. I do not think it is a decision you will regret.

There are 6 full weeks left in this year. Let's say, that since you are starting right now, you will stay fully compliant for Thanksgiving, but schedule a cheat for Christmas. You will have 4 full weeks OP. You've done this before, so you full well know that you can EASILY lose 10# by Christmas. Then you have your Christmas day cheat and for arguments sake, let's say you hold steady between Christmas and New Years. Wouldn't you rather go into Jan. 10# less than what you are now? That is that much less you have to lose next year. That much less that you have to worry about.

My suggestion to you is to start RIGHT NOW and lose as much as you can during this trying time of year. That is what I am doing. And you know once you get started and seeing results and picking up momentum, you will be motivated to keep going.

I found, for myself, that once I was ready to go back on P1 and I had made up my mind to do it, I was extremely impatient and I knew I would start right away. I simply didn't want to wait.

PS- I exercise 6 days a week. I take in an extra packet each day after I work out.

Also- I have been using alternatives (Quest) this time around and am just as successful as I was using IP products. I know you and your mom will go to the clinic together in Jan. but you can use alternatives between now and then.

The Quest protein powders are delicious and there are tons of recipes floating around how to bake them into little cookies, cakes, pancakes, etc... You can get Quest at any Vitamin Shoppe, GNC or even on Amazon. They also make a chip, which is an unrestricted item and really fills the void for that salty, crunchy snack.

Jenny thank you SO MUCH for this. You are TOTALLY right. I have so many cute clothes hanging up in my closet-- I'm going to use my week of work next week to organize them to get motivated! I ordered some alternatives on nutmegstatenutrition last night. I'm definitely going to join the rebooters club! Thank you so much for the inspiration . Even if I have a couple of "cheats" if I'm down 10 pounds I'll be so much happier than just sticking with this "eating clean" that's been making me gain weight anyways!

I am going to be a complete party pooper and post this - alcohol and ketosis do not mix! Honestly if the alcohol is that important, wait until after the holidays to start. Or phase off with at least a week of P3 prior to indulging.

On phase I of the Ideal Protein Diet, drinking alcohol isn’t just discouraged, it is completely banned. Why, you might ask?
When a person is in ketosis (fat burning) during the diet, alcohol can have a severe and dangerous effect by causing a severe drop in your blood sugar. This can potentially be deadly.


Ingestion of alcoholic beverages is forbidden on Phases 1-3 of the Ideal Protein diet. Having a drink constitutes a "cheat". First cheat, dieter gets a warning. Second cheat, dieter is disqualified from the program. REMEMBER, this protocol is about changing behaviours. If you cannot give up alcohol for a short period of time, do you think you will be successful in Phase 4? Put it in perspective: If you are a female dieter who wants to lose 30lbs, and you want a glass of wine, we would ask you - "Do you have children?". If you answer yes, then we would ask - "Did you drink while you were pregnant?" The usual reply is "My God, no!" We would then ask, "How long were you pregnant, 9 months? We are just asking you to give it up for 10 weeks in order to lose30lbs, then you can enjoy it in moderation forever!" Suddenly it doesn't seem so bad after all.

Dr Tran states there are 5 major reasons why people gain weight:
1. What you eat - poor eating habits such as skipping meals and bad food combinations.
2. Your genetic and hormonal makeup.
3. Your emotional state - many people "eat their emotions".
4. Certain medications.
5. What you drink - were talking about how much alcohol here!

The calories in alcohol are considered "empty calories". This means they provide absolutely no nutritional value whatsoever and no cell in the body can use ethyl alcohol as a fuel sorce. Moreover, alcohol is a toxin which the liver must transform into non-toxic substances. During the weight loss phases of the diet, the liver is "busy" transforming fatty acids into ketonic bodies(ketogenesis) and transforming certain amino acids into glucose as well as the glycerol fractions of tryglicerides (i.e. gluconeogenesis). Now, getting rid of this "toxin" becomes job #1 and our fat burning is compromised ... it slows down your weight loss!
Alcohol contains 7 kcal/gram so it's sort of a cross between a carbohydrate (4 kcal/g) and a fat (9 kcal/g). A "shot" (1.5oz or 45ml) of 80 proof liquor contains 125 kcal from the alcohol (if it's a "sweetened liquour" then there can be way more). A 6oz glass of "dry table wine" contains about 150 kcals. So having one glass of wine EVERY day will add an additional 4500 kcal/month (or over a pound of fat).
Beer is perhaps the worst type of alcohol to drink, as far as weight issues are concerned. There are two primary reasons for this.

1. The main sugar in beer is maltose. Maltose is a disaccharide coposed of two molecules of glucose, this means it's very high on the glycemic index and will trigger a "double shot of insulin"!

2. Beer 'tastes like more'. It does not quench thirst because alcohol is a diuretic, the more you drink, the more you "pee". It is not uncommon for some folks to drink 3 or more 6-packs of beer during the 3-4 hour course of a football game. Try drinking that same amount of water, you couldn't! Incidentally this is the same 'trick' soft drink companies use: They put large amounts of sodium and caffeine (also a diuretic) in their sodas, thus you never quench your thirst (it actually makes you MORE thirsty) and you drink more.

Alcohol is produced by fermentation, involving millions of yeast cells. When these cells die, their DNA and RNA are released in the solution. DNA and RNA supply large amounts of "purines", molecules that will be metabolized ultimately to uric acid (wine and beer, particularly "Weiss beer - wheat beer" have very large amounts of these). Now folks with "Syndrome X" generally have higher than normal levels of uric acid in their blood already, so drinking alcohol will further increase this and the risk of gout will go up. Coupled with this, the metabolism of alcohol requires energy (i.e. ATP). When ATP gives up its "energy" (high energy phosphate moieties) AMP is produced. AMP is a purine also, so excessive AMP production will further in uric acid also (fructose can also do this as cells in the body cannot use fructose directly either).

Finally, and perhaps most important, alcohol can inhibit the mechanisms of gluconeogenesis to a significant degree. Now the body cannot transform the glycerol (produced by alcohol metabolism or contained in the beverage itself) into glucose for use as fuel. Instead it is converted into triglycerides (fat) and is usually deposited in the liver. As Dr Tran says: "Drinking alcohol is like handing the adipocyte the ingredients to make fat on a silver platter"!

Now in maintenance consumption of alcohol in moderation generally poses no problem whatsoever and can be enjoyed, but not every day. However, during Phases 1 and 2 there can be serious problems.

Remember alcohol will inhibit gluconeogenesis to varying degrees, depending on the individual. The IP diet (phases 1 and 2) does not supply enough carbohydrates for the needs of all the glucose dependent tissues of the body and the body uses this process to supply the glucose requirements of these cells.
In this manner hypoglycemia can never occur once the person is in a state of strong ketosis. It is an absolute "fairy tale" that a diet such as IP (a very low carbohydrate diet or VLCD) can cause hypoglycemia! People who say this can happen do not have a very good knowledge of basic physiology. BUT, because your body is very dependent on the multiple mechanisms of gluconeogenesis during Phases 1 and 2 to keep the glucose-dependent tissues functioning, inhibiting this process could be very dangerous and could lead to severe hypoglycemia.

Bottom Line: Drinking alcohol during the weight loss phases of the Ideal Protein Diet is strictly prohibited, and a dieter who refuses to comply should be dismissed from the program. They must be told up front there is NO negotiation on this point, the consequences could be serious.

You are so welcome! I think you made the right decision All of my nice clothes were my motivator too. You will feel so much happier going into the holidays with having lost weight.

I know this is a pretty old thread and this reply may not get any attention but I thought I'd give it a try because my issue is kind of on topic and tbh I'm kind of scared to start a new thread here

I did IP initially in 2009 and had wonderful success. Since then I've tried it about 4 more times. Each time I've tried it I've lost 15-20 lbs in and around four months. Always gaining it back

I'm overweight but I don't seem to be overweight enough to see better faster results as I don't think even my best success on IP was as successful as it's supposed to be (not complaining just explaining)

Anyhow, about two years ago i started having digestion issues. Convinced this had nothing to do with the diet because at that time I didn't start IP until about two weeks after the digestion issues began. Went to the dr, had a colonoscopy and endoscope, found some stomach inflammation and diverticulosis. Change of diet and colonoscopy took care of that. Then last year I started IP again and digestion issues flared immediately. I persisted with IP because I've read it's actually ideal for someone who has digestion issues. It took months and on this to resolve.

I should get to my point lol I want to start IP again because I've gained some weight. I'm scared digestion issues will begin and tbh people freak out when they learn I'm on IP. It's supposed to be medically safe but people in my life blame this diet and I'm just not convinced that it's a culprit nor a contributing factor.

So I guess I'm asking, have I damaged my digestive system doing this? Do you think your body 'remembers' diets and during a restart it says oh no not happening? Do you think my decreasing losses are because I've done the program so many times? Do you think I've damaged my metabolism by doing this?

Thanks for reading my post! I look forward to some feedback and thank you in advance. Sorry if this reads a little oddly, I'm tying on my iPad and it's not the comfiest

I know this is a pretty old thread and this reply may not get any attention but I thought I'd give it a try because my issue is kind of on topic and tbh I'm kind of scared to start a new thread here

I did IP initially in 2009 and had wonderful success. Since then I've tried it about 4 more times. Each time I've tried it I've lost 15-20 lbs in and around four months. Always gaining it back

I'm overweight but I don't seem to be overweight enough to see better faster results as I don't think even my best success on IP was as successful as it's supposed to be (not complaining just explaining)

Anyhow, about two years ago i started having digestion issues. Convinced this had nothing to do with the diet because at that time I didn't start IP until about two weeks after the digestion issues began. Went to the dr, had a colonoscopy and endoscope, found some stomach inflammation and diverticulosis. Change of diet and colonoscopy took care of that. Then last year I started IP again and digestion issues flared immediately. I persisted with IP because I've read it's actually ideal for someone who has digestion issues. It took months and on this to resolve.

I should get to my point lol I want to start IP again because I've gained some weight. I'm scared digestion issues will begin and tbh people freak out when they learn I'm on IP. It's supposed to be medically safe but people in my life blame this diet and I'm just not convinced that it's a culprit nor a contributing factor.

So I guess I'm asking, have I damaged my digestive system doing this? Do you think your body 'remembers' diets and during a restart it says oh no not happening? Do you think my decreasing losses are because I've done the program so many times? Do you think I've damaged my metabolism by doing this?

Thanks for reading my post! I look forward to some feedback and thank you in advance. Sorry if this reads a little oddly, I'm tying on my iPad and it's not the comfiest

Hi nineonline I am on my tablet & have to get back to my patrol, but will get into more detail later today after work & sleep. Fear not!
Liana

Hi nineonline:
"Went to the dr, had a colonoscopy and endoscope, found some stomach inflammation and diverticulosis. Change of diet and colonoscopy took care of that."
What did they do during the colonoscopy - were there polyps removed or ?????
Describe your change of diet. That may tell us what was eliminated from your diet to help your condition. Once you have a list, you can approach a coach/clinic for exact ingredients in products.
I was very limited in IP products because I have to be gluten free, and a few others who are sensitive/allergic to soy could not use IP products at all. You can do this with alternatives as well, but you need to know what foods bother your condition so you can choose healthy veggies and proteins that 'agree' with you.

Please get back to us and we can help on this...
Liana