IDEAL PROTEIN DIET

mcatheri

After being on this site for a while I have concluded that we each have to find what works for ourselves because what works for one does not work for another. Three years ago I went on a 1400 calorie/day diet and vigorious exercise 6x/week and it took me a year to lose ~30 lbs. (I was 51 at the time.) I swore I would never gain weight again because the process of losing it was frustrating, not to mention boring. It was easier to quit smoking!

Needless to say, I gained the weight back. After talking to my doctor and a nutritionist, and conducting research including finding Dr. Oz's comments on one of his shows, I went on the HCG diet early January and I lost ~27 lbs. by Feb 15. The diet is very rigid and very low cal, 500 calories, and I followed it exactly. I'm on the 2nd 3 weeks, the last phase, and I feel wonderful and look better. I suffer from multiple GI issues, including colitis. I have eliminated 1 medication and reduced another by half for my gastritis. I am eating most types of foods now and if I don't eat processed food or too many nuts my colitis is not as severe. I was able to walk throughout the diet, including walking 18 holes of golf.

For me, I think HCG acted as toxin elimination as well as changed my mindset on how to choose foods without giving up flavor, variety and the occassional treats. Happy days for me:happy:

Health_Gal

Nooooooo!

Good luck with your weight loss goals, but the HCG diet is not a safe way to jump start the process.

The only reason people lose weight on that plan is you are only allowed to eat 500 calories a day. HCG has been scientifically proven to do NOTHING to help with weight loss or to make it safe to eat only 500 calories a day. It will not protect muscle, reset your metabolism or do anything else the snake oil salesmen that sell it claim. Dr. Simeons was a quack doctor. His "HCG protocol" has absolutely NO scientific backing and is not worth risking your health on.

The HCG diet has been studied by many scientific organizations, and they all concluded that HCG, even the "real" injectable version, is no more effective than a placebo, and eating only 500 calories a day for weeks, as recommended by that plan, can cause more health problems than it solves.

The MFP moderators have been cautioning members against attempting that diet because it is so dangerous.

Please read the articles on these websites before you try HCG. I know some people that put their faith in the HCG diet, and became very ill from malnutrition as a result. Then they regained more weight than they lost. Now they wish they never heard of HCG.

The Government is now in the process of getting all that fraudulent stuff off the market, and it's about time!

http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm281333.htm

http://www.myhealthnewsdaily.com/hcg-diet-dangerous-1428

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hcg-diet/AN02091

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/truth-about-hcg-for-weight-loss

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/weight-loss-cure-dont-want-you-to-know

http://www.dietscam.org/reports/hcg.shtml

http://www.tucsonmedical.com/pages/hcg.php

mcatheri

I am not promoting the diet. I'm saying it worked for me. I am eating ~1700 cals/day now and doing/feeling great!

Josh

Dear Posters,

MyFitnessPal strongly recommends that our users follow the calorie guidelines automatically assigned by our site, unless they are under the direct supervision of a doctor. We are currently reviewing the medical literature on the HCG/500 calorie diet and reserve the right to moderate against discussions of this diet at any time in the future.

For the time being, HCG discussions remain an option for members in private Groups. Please remember that even in Groups, all site wide rules must be correctly moderated, or the Group runs the risk of deletion. Specifically, endorsement of purchasing prescription supplements or medications without a prescription is in violation of the MyFitnessPal posting guidelines, which can be reviewed here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/welcome/guidelines

Thank you all for your concern. We're definitely looking closely at this issue.

Health_Gal

I am not promoting the diet. I'm saying it worked for me. I am eating ~1700 cals/day now and doing/feeling great!

You lost weight because you ate at a starvation level for weeks.

The HCG diet is a PROVEN SCAM! It does NOTHING for weight loss!

It's too bad the FDA didn't get that stuff off the market YEARS ago!

Phrak

I am not promoting the diet. I'm saying it worked for me. I am eating ~1700 cals/day now and doing/feeling great!

You lost weight because you ate at a starvation level for weeks.

The HCG diet is a PROVEN SCAM! It does NOTHING for weight loss!

It's too bad the FDA didn't get that stuff off the market YEARS ago!

Just shows you how strong a placebo effect can be. You have to inject HCG to get any benefits, ingesting the drops does zero. But the body will beleive what the mind tells it.

mcatheri

I will be sure not to post anything again on this site. Thanks.

Health_Gal

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Just shows you how strong a placebo effect can be. You have to inject HCG to get any benefits, ingesting the drops does zero. But the body will beleive what the mind tells it.

Injected HCG won't do anything for your weight loss either. The whole HCG diet theory is nothing but a 50 year old scam.

http://www.dietscam.org/reports/hcg.shtml

deb54

VERY INTERESTING.... I have been on MFP for 14 months and have lost 61 pounds and have exercised all the way...hmmmm....diet and exercise works...

cobes24

I had been trying diet and exercise and using MFP for over 2 yrs, but that scale wasn't moving. I've been doing IP for 2 1/2 wks, have lost 16 lb, and feel really good. I'm not hungry, no cravings, I have more will power than I've EVER had in my life, and I'm seeing results. I'm a nurse practitioner, and the family practice clinic next door to the urgent care where I work started selling IP about a year ago. Most of their staff are on the diet, and they look AMAZING. Their results are what motivated me to try it. Also, my A1C had been creeping closer to "pre-diabetic" than I was comfortable with at my age, and I knew I needed to do something about my diet.

To clear up a couple things: IP is a medically supervised diet, (in the US at least--in Canada I understand it can be done in non-medical health clinics?) and from reading I assume each clinic must determine which parts of the diet they are going to stress. 1000 isn't the magic number--at least not with the clinic where I go. In fact, they never told me a number--I follow the guidelines, and my calories are different every day--usually 7-800 or so. They also didn't tell me NO exercising, just that if I do, I need to have a small snack before and after, since my average day doesn't have enough calories to allow for exercise. That works FINE for me, since I found that when I exercised, I justified eating total crap.

I like to exercise, but honestly, at 250 lb, it HURT. If I can drop 50-60 lb quickly and safely (medically supervised remember...I'm not just sitting alone in my apt eating lettuce, I'm actually accountable to my provider and health coach) so I can get back to kickboxing and running and all the things I loved before grad school and a sucky ex-husband gifted me with an extra 60 lb...well then it works for me.

As for the cost--IP is meant for short term use, it's not a gimmick to get you to buy their food forever. We also have found a lot of good replacements online, so once my current IP supply runs out, I'll likely be using mostly other products, but continuing the weekly weigh-ins and such so I have that accountability. One thing unique about their foods is the high protein value to foods typically devoid of it--I have soup every day that has only 90 cal and 18 grams of protein, and if I'm munchy, chips that are 120 cal (for a good portion) and 15 g of protein. I also find the cost motivates me to stick with it--I've been lots of places in the last 3 wks where I would usually indulge in snacks or a few glasses of wine, etc but have NOT cheated. I don't want my investment to go to waste.

I'm retraining my brain, learning to have discipline when it comes to food, and I don't intend to stay on it forever. Everyone knows diet and exercise works. DUH. To someone who has been overweight my entire life, snarky self-righteous comments like "Well just eat better and exercise more, I did it" are incredibly counterproductive. If that's what's working for you, awesome. This is what's working for me (and pretty much everyone I work with) right now.

Health_Gal

Very low calorie plans might take off weight fast, but it is not without dangers:

http://drsuetalks.blogspot.com/2011/04/dangers-of-very-low-calorie-diet.html

jewelltg

I will be starting IP tomorrow. I have all my products and I am ready to go. I was told by my physician that I am pre-diabetic and need to let my pancreas rest. I saw this plan and it seem just like what I need at this time in my life. I have tried a variety of different solutions but I have still failed to lose the 50 pounds I have gained over the past 7 years.

frugalmomsrock

I would be very suspicious of any diet plan that does not allow you to exercise. They probably say that so you won't pass out on the 1,000 calories a day they allow. And too high of a percentage of protein in your diet can cause health issues in some people

It sounds a bit too much like the dangerous HCG diet scam to me

I would vote "NO"

Actually it is the best advice for people eating ultra low calorie diets. This is why 90% of the people cant lose weight on this site eating their 1200 calories and exercising 5-6 times a week. You either take a moderate deficit approach and move, or take a large deficit approach and dont move. You cannot succeed on alot of activitity and ultra low calories.

That's because you're supposed to be EATING the exercise calories CREATING only a moderate deficit. DUH!

Phrak

I would be very suspicious of any diet plan that does not allow you to exercise. They probably say that so you won't pass out on the 1,000 calories a day they allow. And too high of a percentage of protein in your diet can cause health issues in some people

It sounds a bit too much like the dangerous HCG diet scam to me

I would vote "NO"

Actually it is the best advice for people eating ultra low calorie diets. This is why 90% of the people cant lose weight on this site eating their 1200 calories and exercising 5-6 times a week. You either take a moderate deficit approach and move, or take a large deficit approach and dont move. You cannot succeed on alot of activitity and ultra low calories.

That's because you're supposed to be EATING the exercise calories CREATING only a moderate deficit. DUH!

Which is fine, thats not part of this program. Also good luck being accurate with your exercise calorie calculations. MFP, HRM are so grossly wrong.

kelrun

I am on day 8 of the IP diet and I am having excellent results. As of my measurements yesterday, I am down 4 lbs and 3.75 inches. I am an avid runner (did my first half marathon last September in 2hr 42 mins), spinner and overall workout-aholic. I have been working with a trainer for the past few months and have been baffled at why I have not been losing weight. I have been following MFP very well... no results. So, the next thing to think about things in my diet. As most people have, I believe now that I have a gluten intolerance and have been a victim of "Wheat-belly". THe first two days were hell. I had a headache and I was hungry. (I was also on my period, so I am sure that had something to do with it). Yesterday I went spinning and worked out with my personal trainer and ate the normal prescribed day's food and felt fine. I actually had more energy. I am doing this through my chiropractors office. I am also new to the whole concept of chiro (thought they were kind of flaky), but I had my first adjustment 2 weeks ago and so much of my pain (plantar Facitis) has disappeared. So, I see myself as making a full body change and I feel so much better and more energized for it. As for as the investment, my first payment was $312 and now I just buy food weekly as I see necessary. The investment is definitely keeping me on track. I am happy to answer any questions on my experience. I am not an expert and I am only on week 2, but am more than happy to share.

jgww

I just wanted to update some of you who are misinformed about the Ideal Protein diet. The reason you are only "allowed" somewhere between 800-1,000 calories a day is because, if you follow the diet precisely, all the calories you take in are essential in your every day weight loss goal. You literally expend every calorie you consume. Where as in other diets you take in extra, wasted calories. A lot of nutritionists call these "empty calories." There are no "empty calories" on the Ideal Protein diet. And contrary to popular belief, I have seen multiple individuals who were border-line diabetic and even diabetic excell on this diet plan.

In the later phases of the Ideal Protein diet, you are allowed to consume more carbs and more calories which enables you to exercise regularly.

This diet is safe and healthy and was created by a doctor who developed it strictly for athletes and marathon runners. Also, if you do not phase out correctly, you can gain the weight back. But if you go through every phase (1-4), you shouldn't have any problems maintaining weight for life. This diet regimen retrains how your body thinks and feels about carbs and proteins.

In my opinion, it must be tried before criticized. And as with any diet, do your research. This one is great! My start weight was 132. And I know that doesn't seem very heavy, but a normal goal weight for someone my height is 99-119 lbs. I would like to weigh 109. And I have lost almost 10 lbs. so far!

kelrun

On day 25 and happy to report a loss of 10 pounds and around 9 inches!!! I am thrilled. I am totally into the grove of this kind of eating now and for the most part it is really easy. I am working out fairly normally which is a fair amount (spinning, lifting and running 3-4 times a week). I wasn't too large to begin with, just out of my comfort zone. I am 5 pounds from goal and am so much happier and comfortable with myself. Big kudos to this program!

FreeBiscuits

PEANUT BUTTERRRRRRRRRRRR

Health_Gal

Good luck with your weight loss, but eating less that 1,000 calories a day is really putting your body into the danger zone -- ESPECIALLY when you are doing heavy exercise. Even if you feel good, you can get sick FAST when you cut your calories too low.

Many doctors would not approve of a plan that relies so much on protein. Eating too high of a percentage of protein can put a lot of stress on your body. (See http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-protein-diets/AN00847 )

Just because a "doctor" created or recommended a diet, that does not necessarily mean it's safe. There are doctors that would do anything to make big money selling books, diet kits, etc that promise quick weight loss

msbelinda

Just because a "doctor" created or recommended a diet, that does not necessarily mean it's safe. There are doctors that would do anything to make big money selling books, diet kits, etc that promise quick weight loss

I totally agree with that -- my friend's Dad is a Dr. (with something like 35 years of experience) and he did the Lemon juice/cayenne pepper/maple syrup/water fast. I mean, come on!!