thank you for the update.. I'm soooo gonna enjoy tonight

I made homemade chicken soup with (of course) chicken, rutabega, cabbage, turnips and other veggies I couldn't eat. I ate the broth with the chick./rutabega/cabbage/turnips for 3 or 4 dinners and lost 5 lbs that week. So, go for it. It's also a cheap dinner.

When I eat pickles as my veggie, I don't use the sea salt that day. Figure I had plenty of sodium from the pickles.

How many pickles are considered a cup? I could definitely eat pickles all day!

Wingnut stated that she does what works for her and I whole heartedly agree with her. I started IP Jan of 2012 and due to income I had to search for an alternative and by the grace of God and the information I collected from IP and everyone on this thread I have continued to lose weight.

I have lost 32.5lbs total and I feel great. I am thankful for IP becouse if it weren't so expensive I would have cheated but becouse it was expensive I didn't and now I have control of my cravings.

I do add things that are not accepted by IP, however I weigh and measure weekly and if I don't lose i look at what I ate that week and tweek it. I feel great and that is what matters this is our journey and everyone will take a different path.

Thanks for backing me up. Sometimes I feel like a renegade. Probably some left over guilt from my not so understanding ex-coach.

Glad you have control over your cravings. I have found that, too.

Molly

In Phase 1, you are suppose to have 3 IP packets a day. I keep reading people are using the EAS carb control as alternatives. Are people drinking these 3 times a day? If you are only using it for one of your meals, what are you using for the other 2?

Have 2 drinks and 1 bar per day.

I am on day #5 today and I feel the best I have since starting this protocol. I am strongly considering doing this on my own with alternatives because the cost of the IP foods seems ridiculous. I will wait until I have my first WI to see how that goes but so far so good. I am a person who likes routine and can eat the same things day after day and not get bored or sick of them. The biggest thing for me is giving up my flavored waters. The person at the IP store in my town, not sure if I would call her a coach, said it was okay to drink it but after reading on here a bit I am not sure since it has some ingredients that may be counter productive. I have done Weight Watchers before and it has always worked and it was easy to follow. Over the past 2 years or so I feel like I have slowly put on about 8 pounds that I just couldn't get off nor could I stick to anything. I have 2 friends at work who did IP and had very good results, 1 a year later has kept off almost 50 pounds and looks fabulous. I will see what my loss is on Thursday and make some decisions about going on my own with the alternative shakes and bars, those work well for me with my work situation and commuting. I save a big salad with veggies and chicken for dinner and that satisfies me. I am encouraged by reading all of the alternative products so I may just do that because of the cost.

Has anyone tried Allmax ISOFLEX RTD? I went to 3 health food stores (Peterborough, Ontario area) and all said that EAS is no longer being sold in Canada. I looked at walmart yesterday also. The Allmax ISOFLEX RTD are $3/each which is pricey but I can't seem to find anything else in this area? Suggestions?

I use the EAS shakes for breakfast and lunch, but have a salad and veggies with it for lunch. If I don't use the EAS shake with lunch, I've been having about 3-4 oz protein in my salad. It seems to be working well. I could use some new veggie ideas though. Love all of them roasted and steamed, but it gets kind of boring. My salad for lunch today was LAME! I am excited for a burger this evening.

I found this product and wonder if it would work as an alternative?

http://www.vitacost.com/syntrax-nect...der-cappuccino

I am not using alternatives now, but in the future I would like to know what works....

Hi MidwesternMolly,

I'm also a Molly.

I went to alternatives a month ago from 2 months on IP products only. Actually, I am using this brand in the Chocolate Truffle flavor. The only thing with the protein powders like this, is they do not make the thick shakes like the IP drinks or puddings. The will stay thin and when blended with ice, they are just slushy. If you want them just for a liquid drink, they are okay. Keep in mind, they do have a bit more protein than you find in the IP products. I have not had any problems with losses and using this brand.

Hello Molly - I agree on the using the protein powders in shakes (just didn't like the watery texture). Have you ever found anything that compares to the IP puddings to use for shakes? I love my spinach shakes....

Molly, I've never had the IP shakes, but have had several of the alternatives, and the Pure Protein is very thick and rich.