Dear Friend,
You have great questions and they come up frequently whenever we talk about weight loss and Ideal Protein. Many people will give you advice and make blanket statements without really understanding what they are talking about. Of course they mean well but I think you are one step ahead because you are open to asking questions, so good for you.
The fact is many people who object to “processed foods” don’t even read the labels for Ideal Protein so they don’t even know what they are objecting too. Further, they DO eat processed foods and lots of them and somehow these foods don’t count. This is going to sound harsh but here it is… It’s denial. It’s what people tell themselves so that they don’t have to do the work to change. Change can be scary but change is only as hard as you think it is.
I don’t like to think of ideal Protein as a diet because really it is a life-style change protocol that incorporates a few tools to help transition you to a healthy way of eating.
Ideal Protein products are a TEMPORARY and a MEDICAL INTERVENTION… after a relatively short intervention (weeks or a few months) the Ideal Protein Protocol will last your life-time with ONLY YOUR OWN FOOD AND HEALTHIER FOODS THAN YOU ARE EATING NOW!!! How anyone can argue with this solution is beyond me when you consider the alternative… a life-time of obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, auto-immune disorders, cancer, other chronic illness, etc.
FIRST, and right off the bat, most people who give advice about Ideal Protein without knowing anything about it don’t even understand the most basic facts of the protocol and that is:
- The IP food is only a small portion of the Ideal Protein Weight Loss Protocol which focuses MAINLY on you eating your OWN FOOD… 4 cups of low-glycemic vegetables, unlimited lettuce, cucumber, celery and 8 oz of your OWN PROTEIN. Plus you take supplements to keep electrolytes in balance, pH alkaline and replace any nutrients and drink water to stay properly hydrated and flush out toxins. Through four phases you add back complex carbohydrates, lean protein and end up eating only your own food, no Ideal Protein foods.
- Ideal Protein Weight Loss Protocol focuses on you CHANGING YOUR LIFE-STYLE AND EATING HABITS.
The protocol is an anti-inflammatory, anti-candida, low-sugar, low-fat, adequate protein, restricted carbohydrate program that targets fat and spares lean mass.
You lose, on average, 2-3 lbs per week. It is not a crash diet. It is a muscle-sparing program that targets fat loss (and we monitor your body with a bio-impedence device). It is essentially a CLEANSE!
Further, many people are on prescription medications and think nothing of what those ingredients are doing to their bodies, not to mention the chronic conditions related to obesity and what THAT is doing to their bodies.
The Ideal Protein ingredients contain significant protein, are low in carbohydrate and low in fat. There is no MSG, no aspartame and there is a variety of protein sources (milk, whey, soy, collagen, egg, pea). The products are made in pharmaceutical grade facility.
Some IP foods contain sucralose which is rapidly removed from the body so not in the same category as aspartame which is in most diet sodas.
One of the main things I see people do to harm their health is eat large quantities of food that they see as “healthy” and in the wrong combinations. They look me in the eye at 50 pounds overweight and tell me they know better, they eat healthy. Here’s what they eat:
Yogurt, Cheese, Bagels, Fruit, Carrots, Hummus, Oatmeal, Cereals, Breads, Crackers, Chips, Beans/Lentils/Legumes, a variety of processed treats (M&M’s, Chips, Cheez-Its, Ice Cream)… not enough lean protein and NEVER enough cruciferous vegetables, green leafy vegetables and other low-glycemic, nutrient dense, antoxidant, pH balancing vegetables. Most people say they eat vegetables but when I get them to write down what they eat and how much they eat it is not nearly what we REQUIRE on Ideal Protein Weight Loss Protocol.
I hope this helps with your “pro and con” considerations. Essentially with Ideal Protein you take a few weeks or months of a safe medical intervention with a beginning and an end to reach your goal and learn to eat whole organic foods in better combinations that will support every cell in your body to function at its best to provide you your best health, energy and vitality possible.
Best in health,
Coach Joyce
Did you take your supplements? What else can you tell me about your week? Are you getting 8 hours of sleep? How have you been coping with stress in your life? Are you drinking all your water? Are you eating all your vegetables? Are you measuring your food?
