Having been on Medifast for 13 weeks, I was interested to see how the IP program compared nutritionally since the price seemed better and people seem happy with the results. I read the nutritional information and ingredients in the IP products and was frankly shocked at what I saw....the use of high fructose corn syrup, high sodium levels (500 in the Sloppy Joe), and the use of Wheat. Everyday I have a conversation with myself about what I am eating on Medifast....it is not the way I expect to eat when I move into transition or maintainence....I do not plan to consume pudding, bars, brownies, cookies, or mac & cheese....but, my weight loss strategy is not the same as my transitional or maintainence strategy...however....I do plan to adapt the ratios of protein, carbs, fat, sugars and sodium....sharply reduce or attempt to eliminate white foods like sugar (including corn syrup), grains, wheat (I am not gluten sensitive, just see the relationship now between weight gain and the crap that goes into wheat production)...my prelimary take on IP is that it is full of the cheap fake food substances that are wreaking havoc on the American Diet. At least with Medifast, there is some attention paid to the quality of the fake food we are consuming. That said, every day I continue to seek inspiration from weight losers such as are in this site....I find the weight loss process exceptionally difficult, confusing, exhausting....but I am determined to persist until I reach or go below my goal.

So nice that there are different plans for different people and they are all working for all of us.

Dale Carnegie said to never criticize, condemn, nor complain.

I'll leave it at that.

Have a wonderful day and I wish you much success in your weight loss journey.

Like you said Olay "people seem happy with the results". As someone who is on the third week of Ideal Protein I must say I'm very happy with the results!

In case you missed it there is a Medifast forum you may be interested in. Good luck to you.

I think you are absolutely correct. I cringe when I read the ingredients. I chose IP because it was a fast weight loss method. When I reach goal, I do feel that I should complete a full body detox.

I really think that you'd be better off on a site that you agree with rather than criticize others on different plans. BTW...most of us are not finding this plan, difficult, confusing or exhausting.....

Looking back on my post Lisa, I'll admit I could have taken a different tack...I was not personally criticizing you or the plan you have chosen. I am expressing legitimate concern about food ingredients especially in pre-packaged food delivery programs (and especially because I am using them myself). Being critical of food ingredients when we are trying to lose weight and break habits and food types that lead to weight gain should be a natural part of the conversation (instead of a non-conversation and a response that also, in a passive-agressive way, criticizes and condems). Any thoughts on Corn Syrup, how high sodium impacts weight loss, if wheat and gluten are a detriment to long term weight maintenance?

Olay, both programs are fake food. You've made an interesting judgement. I peeked at the nutrition labels for Medifast and found chocolate pudding with partially hydrogenated canola oil and the first ingredient of fructose. Obviously the mac n cheese has wheat. Another difference is the Medifast foods appear to have the vitamins already in them, which might lead to vitamin imbalances depending on foods selected and vitamins taken. Both programs have their pros and cons, depending on your beliefs around food ingredients.

We all chose what we think will be best for us, choosing to read labels and weighing the lesser of the "evils" around ingredients or relying on expert advice.

As you read thru threads here, you will see that many dieters avoid the IP products with their sensitivity, whether it is wheat or soy or sugar or salt, just like they will likely avoid those items in maintenance.

Good luck with your weight loss journey.

Thank you infoplease. You bring good points to the discussion...the same concerns that I also have about Medifast...I get that Medifast is also fake food....and I'm not very convinced that the protein (mostly from processed soy) is a qualified source...and the fructose -- how does one really get away from desiring the "sweet" if you are still consuming it, even in weight loss? I admit that I will continue to stick to some type of pre-packaged food service because it meets my needs to lose weight quickly, with less focus for now on preparation and shopping....but always in the back of my mind is the thought that because I have to do this long term (145 pounds is a long way to go)....and then transition and then MAINTAIN....am I doing the right thing....and don't get me started on the state of food in our corporate agricultural society (LOL)

Interesting thread. I used IP to lose the weight. I used the maintenance to keep it off fully for 8 months and mostly for over a year. IP products may not be the best thing for a person but most of us do not become significantly overweight because we are choosing to eat the best thing for us
IP is great for taking dieting in baby steps. You don't have cook EVERYTHING just veggies. But if you take the time and experiment with recipes and cooking that one meal per day it is much easier to expand that habit into other meals once you've hit maintenance.
It reorganizes your eating schedule (I'm sure medifast does this as well) into eating 3 small meals and 1 regular meal. If you stick with something akin to this schedule in maintenance it does keep the weight off.
Really the diet is a reset. Smaller amounts. Orderly eating ( measuring, timing etc). It is much easier to stick to a maintenance plan when you already have some of the habits in place such as cooking, recipe searches, orderly eating. Than it is when you try to attack it while dieting. There is the added motivation of maintaining your newly svelte self and one is much more in control of their diet when they are firstly in control of portions. Second to this is quality of the portions. Yes, in the long run (see: maintenance) making healthy (unprocessed) food choices is imperative. But it is one step at a time to get to that point.
Both medifast and IP are processes and neither is something that is healthy to live on for life. They are both but a means to an end. Good luck with your choice.

I have resigned from the debating society. I chose the Ideal Protein plan. I am not here to debate the plan or compare to other plans/other foods.

I personally choose not to eat the bars and cookies because I don't want to learn to rely on sweets. I just re-reviewed food ingredients of the main IP foods I am eating. None have fructose. Only one has wheat and I will be cutting that out because I have chosen to move to gluten-free, as my digestive system appears happier this way.

I spent a lot of time deciding whether or not to start IP because of the highly processed nature of the food packets. I get migraines and my main trigger is processed foods. I have also read much of what the naturopathic community has to say about soy protein (not good for human consumption) and I was hesitant for that reason. When I was so miserable and NOTHING else was working, I decided that being on the IP food would be temporary and would help me get back in control of food, which was so very out of control.

Losing 50 lbs since August definitely demonstrates that. I made the decision that short-term exposure to these foods was worth it. What I was eating to gain too much weight was equally as bad for me, in a different way.

Again, I am not debating. Just stating what brought me to IP and what keeps me here. No matter what program people choose, it works if they stick with it. This one is working for me.

Just checked some of the labels to see which ones have high fructose corn syrup...couldnt find one. I noticed the high sodium items are also restricted items (only 1 per day), the non-restricted's weren't bad.

I don't understand the wheat issue for someone without a food allergy.

From what I understand IP and Medifast are very similiar. Not sure why anyone would go to an IP SUPPORT forum to bash it if they haven't done the program.

I also haven't seen any corn syrup in IP products. Maybe I am missing one?

And, carrying around the extra weight on my body has been so much harder on my body than 5 or 6 months of processed food.

LIKE LIKE LIKE.
IP really teaches how to incorporate veggies and the eases you back into full meal planning. Baby steps...as you said.

I too was hesitant to do a diet that doesn't allow me to eat all natural foods, no sugars, etc. But then I thought that umm, that's the way you IDEALLY want to eat, not the way that got you this overweight. And in the short run, it's better to lose weight and get healthy, and then worry about the all natural foods.

I chose IP because of the veggies. Having to eat 4 cups of veggies and lots of lettuce, is the way I want to eat long term, and when I looked at other similar quick loss diets, that wasn't the case. I love too, that I cook one meal a day, which gets me in the habit of cooking, and just cooking enough for one person without tons of leftovers too.

And I've lost almost 70 pounds since starting in August, and I feel great. So I've got no qualms about IP and any of the fake stuff I'm using at this point.

And like Lisa, I avoid all the sweet stuff. I even put coffee in my shakes to tone down the sweetness.