I've been doing this diet for a while, and following it to plan. However, I have only really used the IP supplements because I don't have the money to buy their food every week. I've been using EAS AdvantaEDGE Carb Control shakes, and Pure Protein bars for the majority of my diet, but I've noticed that they use soy protein in them. I read from somewhere the affects soy can have on women. I can't afford to buy IP products every week, but can't afford to not do this. Does anyone know of any other alternative products that don't have soy protein included in their ingredients?

what side effects does soy have?

I've heard it toys with a women's estrogen levels, and has been linked to cervical cancer, apparently.

I know 0 about alternatives, so take this with a grain of salt. But I remember comparing just the raw nutritional numbers between this BioChem Chocolate Fudge Protein Powder (no soy, it's whey based protein) the the IP chocolate drink mix (which also is whey based) ... and the raw nutritional numbers were pretty similar. I think this product did have a bit more sugar, 7g vs IP's 4g. But I think it could still work. Even drinking this 3x a day and getting your sugar grams up to 21, it's still considered a low sugar diet (which would be anything under 60g a day). My strict IP Diet, gets me to 27g of sugar a day -- just my 4c of broccoli I think contains 10g of sugar in terms of nutritional components.

This whey protein powder made by Bio Chem. Amazon probably sells it -- and it got a lot of good reviews on Amazon too.

I bet you could get to IP-like numbers if you used this to make chocolate drinks 3x a day and then had the 4 c. of veges and 8 oz. lean protein and lots of water. I realize that not everyone can afford the IP packages, so you make do with what you can afford.

There are many of us here who have lost weight following the IP protocol, but using alternative products. If you use the Search feature, you'll find several threads where this is discussed... here is one:

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/idea...phase-1-a.html

My blog was also designed to help those who are looking for suitable alternative products - the link is in my signature line below.

There are some IP dieters that have partially restricted or totally eliminated the use of products that contained soy. I found myself consciously selecting a range of products, so that I would limit it at least to some extent. Again, if you use the Search feature you should be able to find the appropriate threads.

That's true, there are people that lose weight with alternatives, I think is a matter of trying what your body accepts with no issue or side effects... For instance wheat doesn't bother me, I don't feel bloated nor have allergies, etc.. However a lot of people complaint about wheat... I grew up drinking soy milk, my mom would make it from scratch, nowadays a lot of people complaint about soy. Our bodies are unique and have a different way of processing products, I can tell on my own body, I'm allergic to processed meat, it seems there's a chemical that's used that makes my joins icky, I have to detox of this to feel better, so I avoid all process meats, my body is fine.

MANY (certainly not all) IP products have soy so if you want to avoid it, using IP would be no different than the Alts you are using - either way you would have to carefully read labels.

Several IPers avoid soy for either allergies or thyroid issues which seem to be affected (or caused?) by a lot of soy.

If you are avoiding soy you should also post on the daily thread and ask for guidance on product selection as well as posting on the alt thread. You may reach a larger audience than with the title of this thread!

@scottysgirl7682,
I wonder if the soy problems would affect someone on a short term diet. I have no expertise here, but I ate pretty much whatever would help me stick to the diet until the weight was off. Then I switched to eating natural unprocessed foods. I've heard about the health problems associated with soy, but I haven't read any studies that confirm it is bad for you--seems to still be debated. But I make sure it is organic, non GMO, grown somewhere besides China.

Using alternative products is really no confession. Many do it with much success!

There are whole threads here on the topic which I encourage you to read. Be sure to get your advice from folks who are doing/have done it.
There is a nice chart with what to look for in a restricted/nonrestricted so look for that as well.

I cut both soy and gluten.
Neither the wheat nor the soy are the same now as they were in our childhood (particularly soy-almost all is GMO)

Anyway, I cut gluten and soy last January after my thyroid went haywire.
I switched to syntrax nectar, which is a common recommendation on the alternative thread.

For restricteds I use Quest Bars and Simply Chips. The company that makes simply chips also makes a soy-free bar Simply Whey Bar (but also one with soy, so read ingredients). You can get them at Netrition.com. Simply Chips/Whey bars are made by a Canadian company so they are probably even easier to find for folks in Canada

So much info is available on this site. Just dig in & do some research!

I agree with JLUS, the title of your thread really doesn't suggest the topic. Be sure to post the question again in the daily chat and do a google search for soy 3Fatchicks and see what comes up

so, is it feasible to simply replace the three IP protein supplements with three protein shakes in a day?

If they match IP "standards" yes
You can find a nice chart in the alternative thread

thanks!! ill check that out. is it primarily low carb protein supplements?

Fish, surely.

Yes but look in the alternative thread for the specs & also be sure if you have IP questions you get answers from folks following the IP plan (whether IP foods or alternatives)
Some protein powders/drinks may be too,high in protein to match IP.

One question I have is... How many carbs can an item have to be considered restricted? I have a list of IP products that highlights what is restricted and what isn't, but I can't really get a ballpark carb limit. Does anyone know?