I have 200 lbs to lose and love the idea of Ideal Protein but I keep reading all these negative things about it and how it's impossible to keep the weight off once you reach goal. Heaven forbid you gain any weight back because you have ruined your metabolism and you will never be able to get it back off. Weight loss is so freakin hard and I just need to find something that is somewhat simple. Is it possible to lose a lot of weight with the program and keep it off long term? I would love to hear from anyone who has had success

In one word, yes.

This is no different than any other program in that if you go back to your old eating habits, you will gain it back.

This program has 4 phases to help you transition and maintain. I recommend adopting a low carb lifestyle after losing the weight to make it easier to maintain but many people maintain without going lower carb. For me, I find it easier to maintain on low carb and I feel better - no inflammation.

Yes Brandi it works.
But as Rochelle said, one can't expect to go back to old eating habits and not get the old results.
This is not like an HGC diet. It can actually reverse things like metabolic syndrome, T2D, help with PCOS and infertility, etc. IF one continues with a relatively lower carb lifestyle in maintenance.

I think most of the 'bashing' you hear is from people who may have tried the diet for a while, but do not continue to transition properly thru to maintenance and fall back into old eating habits (eating for emotions, or eating unhealthy foods again).
That's not to say that those of us who have successfully lost the weight (and I know some who have lost 100+ lbs personally - not just through these boards) and kept it off for a while haven't slipped up once in a while due to 'life.' But we know how to get right back to our healthy maintenance plan and what works to take a few regained pounds off.

You are welcome here for support and encouragement and a little bit of a kick in the pants if that's what you need once in a while.
This can be done with an IP coach and products, or can be done with alternatives using a similar protocol. If you are new to this I suggest finding a good coach in your area for the first while and reading these boards so you know what to expect and how to make things easier.

Liana

Yes, it is possible. I lost 35# in 2011 and kept it off for years. However, in 2014, I had received some very poor nutrition advise and ended up gaining back 25#. I rebooted in 2015, lost the weight and have been maintaining ever since.

As both Ro & Liana mentioned, you have to change your lifestyle to maintain your weight loss. Like any other diet, if you go back to eating junk and the food that got you overweight, then of course you will gain it back. But if you make healthy lifestyle changes and see it as a new way of life, you will be successful in maintenance.

Saw this quote and thought it summed everything up nicely:

If you’ve already lost weight, you must be forever diligent. Your fat cells are not gone, they have merely “shrunk” or “emptied out