My sister-in-law is a doctor and she runs IP from her clinic. All of her husband's family have lost 60-70+lbs on it. She, herself, went from a size 14 to a small 8 and when she visited us she commented to my husband that he should try it, because it's a way for sedentary people to lose fat without losing muscle.

Hubby is 2-years into retirement from the military so he was getting antsy about losing all the muscle a 20 year stint built up, so they had a long discussion one evening where she went into detail about what the diet is and how it works. I was mildly interested but heard the word "soy" and zoned out.

Once I saw hubby drop 20 lbs in 3 weeks I decided to get over my prejudice towards artificial sweeteners and soy products and join him.

Thanks whirly_girly for starting this post! I have a total of 125lbs I would like to lose and I love the idea of having a support group of people with the same goals.

I swore I was going to lose weight before I turned 40. At 42, I finally broke down and went to my Dr to discuss other weight loss options since WW, Jenny Craig and Atkins had not worked for me. I REALLY did not want to have WLS but something had to give. He recommended IP. Took me another 3 months to finally make an appnt.

Funny, people mention pregnancy...one of my friends used that analogy and it was the turning point in me signing up. Something just clicked in my head that this is not forever....although it kind or really is. Maybe not so strict but eating cleaner and healthier than I ever have in my life.

Hi Crowsmuse, I'm near Woodinville. There is an Alternative IP plan the clients use, for diabetics I believe. It does have fruit I hear. I'm not on that plan. I use food packets that are not true IP brands, but are very similar in calorie, carb, fat, protein, andsugar percentae content. I don't go to a clinic and WI, I don't have a coach, I'm doing this on my own - well on my own with basically this board to help me learn with the materials in the stickies and reading past posts by others.

Haven't set my mind to 100 yet, but the number is between 60-97.

Deciding point: huge career change = better time than ever. Plus I've been in hiding: haven't left my house in weeks, and the one time I put on clothes to go out, i looked in the mirror and decided "No way."

Don't be discouraged from going out, Southern. Just imagine how nice it will be for you to be seen shrinking out of those clothes and don't be ashamed of taking control and showing the world that you are headed for a lifestyle change.

You may also inspire someone else to lose weight and get healthy. It's amazing how little we realise that our actions affect others.

Speaking of inspiration...

I just wanted to say thank you. I completely understand the difficulty in relating to folks who have a lot less to lose (I imagine it/we(?) can be more than a little annoying sometimes), but I for one am SO grateful to each of you for being part of this community. Your humor, wisdom, perspective and persistence inspire me. More than once, as I've been frustrated, overwhelmed, tired or just plain wanted to *eat* I've thought of one of you; the dedication you've put into making this change and the success you've had and it's kept me on the straight and narrow.

THANK YOU!

My decision to start IP was based on a lot of things. I've struggled with my weight pretty much since I hit puberty. The last time I lost significant weight, it was using South Beach concepts (not their packaged foods), and I lost about 40 pounds in 5 months. I swore I wouldn't see the 300's again.

Then I got pregnant (we were trying while I was losing). I nursed my son so I dropped the baby weight pretty quick but then it crept on and I was tired all the time. Turned out my thyroid went hypo and I had no clue til I went in for my annual when my son was one. The weight has slid back on over the last few years. When I started IP I was at the second highest weight I've been.

I heard about it because it's at two of my docs, but also from a couple friends who started in January And literally melted away. Once I looked into it I decided this was what I needed to do. Yes it's hardcore and I miss avocados and cheese but I like the discipline and the structure.

There were a few things that lead me to IP...First was hello I needed to lose 100+ pounds and have been on Ww for years with gaining and losing the same 10-15 lbs. for me it is so easy to go off that program and make things work! I know only fooling myself. Second motivation for me this time is my only son is a junior in HS and has never seen his mom thin. I don't want to be fat mom in the graduation photos....also DH can retire which means more us time and I want to be able to do things with him, travel and be comfortable. One of our dreams is to drive cross country stopping wherever we want and doing whatever we want...I don't want to be held back by my weight and lack of energy at that weight.

Love the ease if IP the structure is what I really needed. I am a planner and list maker so morning food prep is easy when everything is right in front of me.

For me, I guess it was my second "brush with death" last November when I was hospitalized with my second episode of blood clots in my lungs. My recovery this second time was a lot harder than the first time and I went into a deep time of depression that lasted most of the winter. After we got the depression stabilized, I guess I finally got tired of feeling sick and tired. I started the diet right before my 37th birthday in April and haven't looked back since. In fact, I got the BEST compliment yet just yesterday. A woman who knew me a few years ago saw me and said I looked wonderful and that I looked HEALTHY. Healthy! That's what I want! I will have to be on blood thinners the rest of my life but I don't want these blood clot episodes to define me. I want to celebrate my 40th birthday in a couple years knowing that I finally took control of my life and my health. I just want to be happy and healthy.

My son graduated a couple of years ago and I volunteered to be the photographer so that I wouldn't have to be IN the pictures. when he started 8th grade I was thin. 155 pounds. The principal mistook me for one of the kids one day when I to went to pick him up for school. He asked me where my hall pass was. Lol. By the time he graduated high school, I was Obese. How is that for an almost overnight change. Ditto also on being healthy before 40. I'm 38 and that was one of my motivations. I want to run a half marathon by the time I am 40-42.

What got me on IP was seeing a coworker, whom I hadn't seen in a few months, success. I asked him about the program. When I learned the little exercise reqirement during the loss phase, I thought I can do this. So many of the other diets I have been on required cardio workouts. Thereby not just focusing on one aspect of my life but - well three. I didn't drink much water, didn't exercise, and didn't regulate eating habits pre-diet. The exercise was a big deal at 170 lbs to lose, and fitting it into my schedule was easy to forget to do. I know I need to exercise, but one hurdle at a time. I will get exercise back eventually. Anyway my coworker didn't tell me about any clinic, or coach. I looked on line and Diet Direct came up. I figured that was what he did, and placed an order. Then their forum was all messed up for their Wonderslim products, I found 3FC and Ideal Protein. I discovered the differences between the two - and IP let me eat more real unpackaged food than the WS diet. So, I used the order I first received, and moved to Nashua and other alternative products after that.
I am in my early 50's, I've been through most of the diets out there. This one is easy to follow, the results are so fast, and drinking so much water is more difficult for me than what I eat. As with any weight loss program, if you go back to your old ways you will gain back the weight. This is my 2nd time doing IP. This time I will not hit goal and revert back to old habits. I have excuses for why I did it the first time around - but this time no excuses.

Hi Halfagain

This is why I like the Beck Diet Solution book. It breaks through all the excuses I can come up with & gets me into "no matter what" mode.

Left to my own devices, I'm all about instant gratification. But that doesn't keep me healthy.

Bump! I don't want this thread to get buried! There are so many of us who can benefit from it. Let's keep it going!

Bumping this up!! It's a great thread and we need to keep it going.

What got me started with IP was a series of a1c blood tests. I was hovering n the pre-diabetic range for years, and the number finally went into the diabetic range. My doc suggested that weight loss might get the number back down so that I would not have to add more medications. I go back for my first post-IP blood work in mid-October, hoping to be 40 lbs lighter by then.