Has anyone ever heard of--or better yet, tried--the Idiot Proof Diet? I have found some posts on other message boards out in Internet-land from many who have had a lot of success doing it. It is $27 for 90 days. I already paid for it (curiosity got the best of me!)--I don't know that I'll actually do it, but I really wanted to see what the menus were like. It seems like basically a high-protein diet, so it's not necessarily something to stick to for the rest of your life, but maybe just to use as a sort of jump start.

I did a search on 3FC to find info about it, and it seems there used to be a thread about it, but the link leading to that thread is no longer active, so I couldn't really find any info here.

I know what types of responses I'm going to get here, so let me just say that I already know the following:
- for the healthiest results and higher chances of maintaining, weight loss should only occur at 1-2 pounds per week
- the only way to healthfully lose weight and keep it off is with a sensible diet and exercise
- diets that are strict or force you to completely cut out any foods are more likely to fail because you get frustrated/deprived and end up binging or cheating more often
- it all comes down to calories in vs. calories out

I was just wondering if anyone had tried this or knew anyone else who has tried it. I hadn't heard of it until just today, so my curiosity has certainly been piqued--guess their advertising worked

I vaguely remember hearing something about it, Jilly, but I don't know any details. Please do let us know what it's all about, if it's healthful and sustainable, and how you feel about it!

I've seen the website and wondered about it myself. Definitely let us know what it's about if you decide to do it or even what you learn from browsing the site. I think curiousity gets the better of a lot of us.

Yay, the link to the older Idiot Proof Diet thread works now (it's from March). I read that, and I would have to say that I still think I am going to try it. "Calorie cycling" is a new concept to me, so rather than take the time to learn about it and figure out what I can or cannot eat each day or each meal, I'll just let the site tell me what to eat based on my food preferences.

All of the foods seem normal--the only strange combination I see is an omelette with pasta as one of the meals, but that's only on one day, so I think I'll survive It says you only need to do 30 minutes of walking twice a day as your exercise, but I will continue going to the gym for my elliptical machine

It says there is no limit on the foods it gives you to eat, and that there is no calorie limit. I'm sure you'd be eating fewer calories anyway, though, even if you loaded up at each meal since it's primarily fruits, veggies, and lean meats.

I'm going to start this diet on Monday (even though it is the 4th of July!) so that when I finish the 11-day meal plan and reach the 3-day "eat anything you want" period, it will be on the weekend (since I think this will be harder for me to stick to on the weekends anyway). That way, I can eat whatever I want every other weekend and begin my new menu cycle on Monday.

Also, just as a side note for anyone considering this or who thinks it's a rip-off, it is $27 for 90 days. However, you should certainly not need it for MORE than the 90 days. I'd be happy if I just had access for 3 days! You can generate new 11-day menus whenever you want and print them out, so I already have three 11-day cycles, and I have only been a member of the site for a day. Once my 90 days runs out, I will have plenty of menus with tons of variations, and I will never have to renew my membership. So basically, I paid $27 for the website to think for me and tell me what to eat Not bad for the same price I could pay for a book that just gives me recipes and ideas. That may work for lots of people, but I have read the South Beach book, and I'd just rather have this where I don't have to do the thinking--I haven't got time for thinking nor for cooking, so this is perfect.

Gosh Jilly...I wish you wonderful luck..but why would you want to go on a diet that you know can only be temporary because it is very unlikely you will be able to stick to it for a long time. And if you do the 90 day cycle eventually you will go back to your old eating habits and regain the weight and have gone through a very tough to stick to plan (pretty much punishing yourself).
Why not just try to cut back on sugar, and make small sustainable changes like extra walking, switching chips to popcorn that type of thing..eating lower calorie things that you enjoy.
I know you already spent the $27 so you will disagree with me because you have done it but it just sounds like killing yourself on Atkins or something to me for 90 days with the likelihood of weight gain at the end.
Sorry.

Like I said, though, it's NOT Atkins. Very few meals are all protein. There are some days where one meal is only chicken, but most of the meals include veggies and/or fruits, and there are even a lot of days where you have pasta with spaghetti sauce. It's also not a 90-day cycle--it is a 14-day cycle: 11 days on the plan, followed by 3 days off. You can print out as many different 11-day meal cycles as you wish--I already have way more than 90 days worth! You eat 4 meals a day--once I have reached my goal, this will still be something I can continue to do. I do not currently eat potato chips or anything of the sort. I watch my calories, fat, and sodium intakes, and I eat very little junk food. It's not a "tough to stick to" plan for me--I eat 4 times a day as it is already, so I'll just replace my morning cereal with eggs or oatmeal or whatever (depending on the day) and leave the bread off of my grilled chicken sandwich at lunch and cut the cup of soup I sometimes have with it. It's really not an insane plan, and once I have reached my goal, I don't have to stick to it completely anyway because I will want to be maintaining, not losing, so I will have to up my calories slightly anyway. I'm not trying to be defensive, really; I'm just trying to explain that it's really not all too drastic of a change from how I am eating anyway--primarily lean meats, fruits, veggies, and occasional whole-grain pasta (it doesn't specify whole-grain, but that's what I eat anyway). That's what everyone says is a healthy plan anyway, so why not incorporate those same foods into a calorie-cycling plan like this? Couldn't hurt to try...

I know no matter what I say, plenty of people will think it's a dumb idea. I KNOW the basics of dieting (I know, I know, it's a lifestyle change, not a diet, but it sounds funny to say "I know the basics of lifestyle changing" )...I have been overweight my entire life, and if you read my first post here, you will see that I know all the basic guidelines. However, I PERSONALLY need something strict to keep me more accountable. I don't need "cut back on sugar and increase lean meats" or whatever like South Beach and such--I need this where it tells me WHAT to eat every day so I know I am not going to mess it up. I have been doing limited calories, no refined sugar, low fat, yadda yadda yadda, and I still manage to mess it up. This is just something more specific and detailed that I need personally--like a very specific plan. I'll let ya'll know how it works out for me, but I know a lot of people can't handle such a strict plan. That is why I say personally, for me, this is what I need to try.

Hi all, couldnt help but add my 2 cents when I saw this thread....

Jilly, from the little bit you shared about your new plan, and from the details you shared about yourself, I think you will do very well on your plan. First of all, because, you know yourself. You've read thru the menu plans and you see foods that a, make sense to you and b, are foods you would eat.
AND you know, you don't have time to figure out meals w/ all the elements.

That is why I think you will do well. And as you say, probably incorporate most of it into your permanent lifestyle.

I have a girlfriend like you who has a very busy lifestyle and is not interested nor has the time to plan things. So she either eats very similiar meals or buys frozen. This works for her. She is happier than when she is on a plan that she must make choices for hreself.

One of the biggest things I've realized that took me too many years to realize was that I really did know what would work me .... I just believed that if I kept trying, I could make "portion control " work. When I finally realized my food triggers would always trigger cravings for more is when things got much easier for me. I say, if its done in a healthy manner, it doesnt matter how we do it as long as we are doing something different than what makes us gain.....

Thanks for letting me put in my 2 cents

Hi, guess I'll chime in with two cents and say I found your description of the plan interesting, Jilly. I'd like to come back and see how you're doing with it. Your reasoning in wanting the menus seems perfectly sensible and the plan itself sounds sensible ... I also know people who want structured menus and that works for them, so for such a low price, why not?

Calorie cycling is something I hear bodybuilders talk about now and then. Seems to work ... I also think you'll do very well with this.

Jilly it sounds like you know yourself and the food plan would be one that you could stick with as you would be making small changes ie leaving bread off the meat or whatever and eating much like you do now.
So you know yourself and if you could do it or not. I know I couldnt but thats me. I hate following meal plans. Other folks are different..so that may be good for you!
GOOD LUCK! Keep us posted on how it goes.

Jill.....good luck to you....i am starting this plan on the 4th myself....i have done it before and had great success, though i blew it after the 11th day the first time and ate all get out the 3 days offl..l.....but i only have myself to blame as i did NOT eat sensibly as i am sure you will....i like the food very much myself and i eat at 8, 11, 2, and 5.....this keeps me from getting hungry as it seems i am eating all the time...i like that it is EASY, no counting, and it is food i truly like.....i did replace the "chicken" with boca burgers myself, as i don't care to cook chicken every day or so for myself, and it still worked....
i only did this for one month, as i got really toooooo cocky.....i did lose 14 lbs though, and now i plan to go to it for real this time....please keep in touch...you are the only one i know who does this and i do need the support too!!!
ellie

oh by the way, i am new here but one thing i think may be important to some is that the "idiot proof diet" is LOW FAT, LOW SUGAR, etc. which is in my own oppinion far better for dieting than just the low carb, high fat...but that is just my oppinion...

how do you all get your graphs??? some of them are so cute.....

ellie

BigJimBoy--thanks so much for that link! It has a lot of great options for recipes and stuff to help spice things up if/when I get bored with the menu. It also helped a bit with my hamburger/hotdog question (to bun or not to bun?), even though no one had any definitive answers, but consenses seemed to be that a bun is okay (since it's an alternative to a sandwich, which has bread).

Ellie--I am starting it on the 4th also! That way, my 3 "eat whatever you want" days will be on a weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday). Since it's harder for me to stick to my diet on the weekends, I think this will make the most sense for me. I have to pack all of the food I eat during the week as it is (since I work 2 jobs and have no time to come home in between), so sticking to the plan should be pretty simple for me during the week. Also, by starting it tomorrow (July 4th), I will be on my 3 "off" days when my parents and sister come to visit me at the end of the month, so we can still all go out to eat, and I can be pretty much guilt free in eating "normal" foods Definitely keep in touch, though (feel free to PM me), so we can cheer each other on, share ideas, and have someone else who knows exactly what we're going through! BTW, to get the tickers (graph thingies), just click on 3FC Features toward the top of your screen in the purple bar, choose "Signature Weight Tracker," and set it up in there (it will tell you to copy and paste the codes into your signature so it will show up in your posts). Good luck!

I went grocery shopping yesterday--stocked up on fruits and veggies (a few fresh and a lot of frozen, since I only have time to go shopping once a week), ham, canned pineapple (packed in juice instead of syrup, of course), and eggs. I already had frozen turkey burger patties, ground turkey, and boneless skinless chicken in my freezer since I don't eat much red meat anyway (I will probably even have a turkey burger on the days I am allowed a hamburger). I know getting in 10+ servings of water a day won't be a problem since I pretty much have that much now, so I think I'm on the road to success! I also hit the gym 3-4 days a week for 30 minutes on the elliptical machine. I know I should incorporate some weights, but I don't have time right now, so maybe in the future when I cut back on hours at my secondjob. For now, though, looks like everything is a go!

I was curious about the diet but when I went to their site could not even read anything about it ... it immediately started downloading when I tried to just look at it past the uninformative graphics on the first page. I dislike being forced to download something without looking at it, so this is a negative for me and I'd advise anyone not to click on ANYTHING unless you want this diet in your hard drive before you can stop it. But maybe that was just my experience and it doesn't do that for everyone ... dunno.

The plan seems similar to the WW Core plan, IMO, but gives detailed instructions for those who want the structure, yet there's flexibility in there, too, so no one goes hungry (or nuts eating exactly what they are told all the time).

A negative, IMO, was the day(s) (sorry, I forget the specifics and may not be correct on this) of ONLY eating fruits and vegetables. That, IMO, is NOT healthy and a really bad idea. If I were going to do this diet, I would just substitute one of the days.

I don't think I would, though, but wish all the best to Jill and Ellie on it ... seems like a pretty good plan. Will be interested to read more about your adventures on it.

Not meaning to come back here and comment negatively or rain on anyone's parade ... but since it's the "Buyer Beware" section of the forum, thought I'd give my view, which actually isn't that negative, and limited and not too favorable impression of the diet's website, which I actually didn't get to see because of my aversion to downloading when I just click something that does NOT say "download now!"

Thanks!!! We're in the midst of a site upgrade, so some of the sections are a little confusing at the moment, lol, but within the next week, we should have everything back in place, plus a lot of new articles and diet features that we've been working on. We're really glad you've found it useful

Well, here I am on Day 1...eating my "Delicious Egg Omelette" and pasta as we speak (I love that they never just call it an omelette, but always a "delicious egg omelette" ). This is the only really strange combination I have found on my menu, so I'm glad I'm getting it out of the way on Day 1 when I'm still all gung-ho about the diet and not wanting to substitute anything

Anyway, thia omelette really is delicious--I just used eggs (duh) and some frozen chopped spinach, frozen chopped broccoli, a few canned diced tomatoes (rinsed to try to limit the sodium), some Mrs. Dash, crushed red pepper, and onion powder. This is probably more veggies in one meal than I have had in the past motnh combined I'm not big on veggies, so we'll see how that pans out throughout the course of the diet...

I'm also supposed to have a banana smoothie today, which is awesome because my boyfriend thinks it sounds good, too, so I can make it for both of us. I don't really consider this a meal--more of just a snack. Same as the mixed nuts--I can't call that a meal. I had been eating 3 meals and a snack normally, though, so this is fine for me.

As for sauce for the pasta, I don't like to use the kind you buy in jars at the store because of the high amount of sodium. Instead, I had a small can of "no salt added" tomato sauce and added Mrs. Dash, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, a little crushed red pepper, and oregano, which totally does it for me I'm finding I may have undercooked the pasta a bit--my own disasterous culinary skills at work

Anyway, I'm really glad I'm not going to a picnic or anything today for the holiday--no goodies to have to pass up! Happy 4th, everyone!