hello all!

I found this forum searching for information on the Ideal Protein Diet. I am very interested in doing it but the cost is something that is really holding me back. Have people had alot of success with it? Are there any bad/negative things about the diet that you can say? I am looking to lose about 50-60 pounds...about how long would this take?


Thankyou!

It works, it's worth the money and its fast.

The first week is tough, but all worth it in the end!

Every body is different, so there's no way to determine how long your body will take to give up the weight - I can tell you that MY experience has been a loss of 30lb in 9 weeks - I am shooting for 60-75lb loss total, and hoping it will take about 20-25 weeks total. But the weight comes off differently for everyone.

The diet isn't for everyone - your best bet is going to be to read through the Newbie sticky thread at the top of the forum - read about what you can and can't eat, how the diet works, and the FAQ. I had a friend who just couldn't stomach the allowed veggies and had to quit the diet. But the diet works if you can adjust your tastes and follow the program.

Yes it works. Yes it is worth the money. Yes you will lose weight faster than any other diet (at least that was the case for me).

That being said, this is a VERY strict diet. You cannot eat anything that is not on the list of approved foods. There is no deviation, no cheats, no exceptions. If you are serious about losing weight and have the determination to stick with and will be motivated to stick with it by seeing fast results, then it is worth every hard earned penny.

I didn't even know what IP meant.... until today.
perhaps I should try.
took me 6 months to lose 18 lbs. working out 1.5 to 2 hours every day and counting calories eating normal food.

Yes, it really works. Take it from someone who tried almost everything (short of lap band) and had given up all hope.
Yes, it's costly. But after several weeks, once you learn the ropes, you could switch to alternatives (as long as you are able to be accountable to yourself or someone you're close with) which would save you a lot of $$$.
I think that most people average about 3 lbs per weeks ... a feat that takes 5 weeks on WW. (just sayin')
If this program could convince a cynic like me.... it's the real deal!
Let us know what you decide.

It absolutely works! I have lost 33+ pounds in 11 weeks. The IP product is not cheap, but then I rarely go out to eat any more, and I don't buy processed foods at the grocery (just meat and veggies), so I think money-wise it's not really that costly overall.

You really do have to be committed to sticking to the plan. If you review the info, and feel you are really ready, then go for it!

I was a bit put-off by the cost aspect at first, too. However, I decided to give it a shot. Even though the initial output is significant, my grocery bill has gone down dramatically as all I am buying now are veggies and proteins. Cost savings from eating out less are going to make this all break even for me.

Maybe splurge and try it for a month or six weeks. If it's not for you, then you at least gave it a shot. I definitely would recommend buying a long-term quantity of food at first. Having a lot of variety in the packets has made this process a lot more enjoyable for me.

Good luck!

I agree that I spent a lot at first and had a bit of a "stockpile" of different things so lots of choice. I haven't hardly spent anything on food lately because I've switched to alternate bars and shakes, and so my big expense has been vitamins and a few treats I like. But I think it was good for me to have started IP, go to the coach, find this site etc. NOW I think I could do the alternative plan for the last part of my journey, and then the journey of life, but I really appreciated having a coach. Unlike Weight watchers etc. there are no other weekly fees. If wuv, who has been on 70 weeks, had to pay $14 a week for that, like at weight watchers, that would have cost her $980 in fees and she's still going... if you need to be on for a long time, and have to buy food to eat anyway, I can't see that this is more expensive than other choices out there.

Of course it works. Every diet works if you follow it. I can't think of any diet that doesn't work if you follow the plan as they have laid it out.

Is it worth the money? In my opinion no but I don't personally need someone I go and see every week. If you need someone to hold you accountable than it is 100% worth it.

Another option to consider (which I think is better) is Lyle McDonald's Rapid Fat Loss.

Regardless of what diet plan you follow you should always first consult with your physician and tell them what you're planning on doing.

I don't need someone to hold me accountable, but I did appreciate someone with a medical background who could do the things I couldn't do at home -- like check my blood pressure etc. I also had a few things I wasn't doing well, like having enough salt, because I never used to use salt and didn't understand how important it was to take it. I didn't have the knowledge that I needed at the start, so having a coach was helpful for me. As I am learning more, I'm more confident I could do this independently now. Having a site like this definitely helps, but not everyone has a 24/7 community to ask questions to, share recipes etc. For some people, going to a clinic is helpful. Others, like yourself, have the knowledge to do this solo.

I agree with most of what you said here, but in my case every diet didn't work if you work it. I lost weight painfully slow on ww, following it to a T. ...atkins, kept my blood sugars down somewhat, but I lost at a snail's pace because I was eating too many cals, following that to a T also. IP is working for me! I, myself, am not going to the clinic anymore because it was just too expensive for me. If I could afford it, I would go to the clinic but the good part is that there are many people here that are on alternatives that are losing quite well, so hopefully that works for me.

Yes it works and yes it's worth the money. The cost of the products replaces food you would be buying anyway. My cholesterol went down from 262 to 185, I'm thinking that has to be saving me money in future medical expense, my thyroid medicine was reduced, saving me almost $30/month. In the long run, I think you can't put a price on good health. I've lost 54lbs in 14 weeks. I didn't lose that in years of following ww perfectly.
A word of warning though, I now enjoy clothes shopping more than I should, there's an added expense I never expected. I'm changing sizes about 3-4 weeks. Buying at thrift shops and garage sales until I reach goal. Give it a try and see if it's right for you, everyone is different. It takes a lot of discipline, but the results speak for themselves.

I will echo everyone else -- yes it works and yes it's worth the money (especially at first). But you have to be in the right frame of mind to do it. I'm an incredibly picky eater and my mom always said I was on the "white diet" because I generally ate things that were white -- pasta, bread, sweets (white sugar) you get the point. So it was quite an adjustment to eat veggies in this quantity 2X a day. But guess what...I did it and now I really enjoy vegetables (who knew). I liked the coach aspect for accountability as well as this website, but it did get pricey, so I switched to mostly alternatives Sept 1 (10 weeks in). I needed those 10 weeks to get the knowledge to understand what to buy on my own.
I've only got 5 lbs left to lose. I probably could have lost quicker but phased off for a vacation and a funeral, but as soon as I got home was right back on plan again.
The other thing I like about this diet is that I've retained a lot of muscle. The last time I was this weight I looked like a bag of bones (it was ~3 years ago). This time I HAVE ABS lol. So I would point that out as a definate advantage over just a counting calories/all calories are equal type of diet.
Let is know what you decide!