Ive only been on official IP for a few weeks, but I am seriously considering switching to alternatives for financial reasons.

I'm just not sure how to tell my coach. I'm definitely nervous! For those that did switch, how did you word it to your coach?

(forewarning: I am horrible with confrontation of any kind)
how does your clinic work? is it a straight fee for everything? could you do a week where you only by a box or two from them and still go for weigh-ins? or is that not a possibility? maybe explain that you found a comparable XX product (just one thing like the chocolate soy balls) and you want to do those this week, or even bring them in to ask if thats a suitable swap even though you know that it is and see how she reacts. then you'll know if she is willing to work with you or if it has to be a "clean break"
the coaches have to know that it is a huge financial investment, around $100 a week isn't pocket change.

I know the money is a lot but know that even if you aren't close to your coach there is an "accountability factor" when you have to have some one else see your numbers and measurements. the motivation is a lot harder on alternatives. You will need to up your discipline if you are "just" doing it by yourself- though the boards are always here

IF you are going alternative, you should not tell your coach...you would just stop going to them. When you go alternative...coaches no longer see you, because they make the money on the sales of the food.

Give it a little longer with the coach....

I lost my weight in 2010...I did the first 5 months with my coach and lost 60 pounds...I did the next 3 months with alternatives and lost another 20.

I have been maintaining for the last 17 months.

I gained for the first time this summer...up about 15 of the 80 lost. I tried in September for 3 perfect weeks with alternatives and lost nothing.

Today I am going back to my clinic for the first time in over a year.

I just think the IP foods are better. I will keep you posted if it works.

Plus when we are spending more money we are just more perfect with everything.

Mind you all these words are coming from someone who has been at this for years...100% IP, 100% alternatives, reboots, maintenance...lots of experience with this.

Good luck to you.

I just stopped going to see my coach and didnt tell her why. I liked her as a coach, but the funny thing is she never even reached out to me to see why I stopped.

My weight loss has been consistent since I switched to alternatives. I still do the IP supplements which I order online.

Good luck!

The coaching fee was paid up front ($200 fee.) Just don't go weigh in. My coach has clients who don't weigh in.

I continue to buy IP products when I go for a weigh-in. But I do supplement somewhat with online purchases. I feel indebted to the doctor and her staff and wouldn't feel right just switching completely. I owe my progress to them, not just the products but the encouragement. I know we all have different experiences, but I wouldn't be where I am today without them.

I had the "talk" with my coach a little while ago - she knew when I started that finances were a HUGE factor (I work, my husband is a full time student, and we have 2 little ones). She was willing to keep seeing me as long as I was buying some product from her. But she also cautioned that since she is trained on IP products, not alternatives, that she could only advise on IP - if I ran into questions, stalls or issues, she can't really help with alternative products.

It makes sense - they are a business, and while we do pay an "up front" fee, they make money via selling product. We are using services without paying for them when we go on alternatives 100% but still expect the coach to weigh us in and advise us. Also, they are not trained on the alternative products, and can't necessarily provide the same support, product knowledge, or confidence in results.

For me, alternatives are working very well but there are still some IP products I prefer - I buy those from her and I also help the clinic a little (with open houses, recipe questions, etc) as a trade-off since i'm not purchasing even close to the amount of product that I was. It works for us

I chickened out and didn't tell my coach that I was also using alternative products. I WI every other week with her now and I bought enough boxes to last me until I start phasing because there are some IP produces that I absolutely LOVE like the crispy cereal and strawberry wafers. I am going to start phasing off at the beginning of November and I will tell her then.

Also, I haven't looked at any Alternative stuff. But I decided from the start that I was going to do IP the way that it was tested. Often times the cheap comes out expensive, and I would rather not prolong this journey in order to save some money.

I've just started buying some alternative products online, still buy some items at my clinic and WI once a week. They have noticed the difference in my spending and I was told that I'm welcome to come weigh in and buy only what I want from them. I had a bad experience with one of their staff a few weeks ago and impulsively decided I didn't need them and would switch to alternatives. Now that I know the price difference and have started using them, I know I'll eventually switch 100% alternatives, I'm thinking after my vacation at the end of this month. My plan is to just stop going..no talk. Most of the staff there have been nice, but not really a lot of help. All of my major questions have been answered by the awesome people on these boards.

I don't think my clinic will see me without purchasing food from them. I haven't found anything that I absolutely, completely love, so I don't think I will miss switching to alternatives.

The cost is so different. I can go in Nashua Nutrition and buy 21 boxes for ~230' which would cost me around ~1700 on IP! My car is crap, I still have student loans I'm trying to work on paying before I graduate... That savings can be used for very productive things!

I don't think I'll worry about accountability... If I want to cheat or not, seeing some lady once a week won't stop me.

That's how I felt about it too - I was really only feeling bad about switching because my coach is super nice, and she has a better scale than I do If the day comes when she isn't willing to do my WI's anymore, I will just invest in a good body comp scale and continue to get all of my advice and help here - I learned more on these boards in a day than I did in a month from my clinic!

I missed my weigh in last week as I knew that I was going to order some alternative products. My coach reached out to me yesterday to make sure everything was ok.

I told my coach that his help has been great, but that I am a full time working mother, with two children under the age of 4. I was using my lunch break to go weigh in once a week, but some projects have been given to me, so I don't have the capacity to do that anymore. They also don't allow children in their office, so it's difficult for me to come in on the weekend between my errands and my daughter's dance classes.

I was honest and told him that I had found some alternate products that cost less, and had the same nutritional value as the IP products and that I was going to try them out of convienance. I also told him that if I found that the alterate products did not work, i would be back because I was committed to losing weight, but also needed to have it fit into my finacial and family committments.

He wished me good luck and told me that he hoped for success, but also welcomed me to come back whenever I needed to.

I was nervous to tell him, but at the end of the day, it wasn't a big deal.

Hope this is helpful to you.

Thanks,

Dawn

I haven't yet decided whether to tell her this week or next week, but I plan to gush about how wonderful help she has been and how sorry I am to leave, but that I...haven't yet decided whether to say I am quitting the diet, putting it on hold and will contact her when I start again (which will subsequently never happen), or that I just like buying more than 21 packets per week that she allows me - because I like the variety. The last one is the actual truth, PLUS she annoys me something awful, but I won't tell her that.

But for anyone planning to break up with their coach, I advise to praise them, praise them, praise them. Make them feel like the most amazing thing ever (gave the best advice ever and whatever else they did so fabulously), and say you'll miss them terribly and you feel crushed to say goodbye, and everyone will part happily.

Learning to fly...I wonder if we had the same coach lol