1 Month Down!

Today makes 1 month that I have been on IP, and I have lost another pound (bring my grand total to 17 pounds down)! Today, I am writing about the problems that I have experienced and my most favorite things about the Ideal Protein diet in the past month.

Problems While on IP
On IP, you are required to drink at least (if not more than) 64 ounces of water daily. Although this was not a problem for me in the beginning of the diet, it is becoming a problem for me now. During the first 1-2 weeks, I did not stay as full as I do now. I satisfied the remaining hunger by drinking 80 ounces of water daily. I started noticing the curb in my appetite and cravings around the beginning of the third week on the diet. Upon finishing my meals, I am so stuffed that I can not even finish half my 16 ounce bottle of water (I try to drink 1 with breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and then one with Crystal Light during the day--totaling 64 ounces). This gets me off of my drinking schedule, and forces me to consume a ton of water at night before I go to sleep (yuck). When I have to consume a lot of water at night, it makes me feel sick and entirely too full to lay down and go to sleep.
The only way that I can fix this problem and consume the appropriate amount of water daily is to stick to a strict water schedule. On some days, I can consume 2 bottles of water in the morning and knock out half of the day's worth if I eat my mid-day snack later than normal; however, this makes me starving by the time lunch comes (which leads into my second problem).

When I'm hungry, I don't feel like eating. Hunger is a feeling that I am becoming accustomed to satisfying with water, and I do not feel like eating until it becomes a physical pain in my stomach that is so bad that I'm either getting headaches from or that I can't bear any longer. Eating is becoming something that I partake in for the sole reason of fulfilling a bodily need. I do not eat for pleasure or fun anymore (although the food tastes great), and it doesn't bother me. I listed this as a "problem" because I can sit in pain from hunger and preoccupy myself for hours before I'll finally get up and make lunch or dinner. This is not a healthy eating habit in the long run because eating 3 large meals daily at awkward times of the day will do nothing for my metabolism when I resume a normal diet and consume the recommended 1,500 calories/day (for the average 130 pound person).
I still have not figured out how to solve this issue. I would get on an eating schedule, but I'm a full-time student with a different schedule every day. I hope that this issue will resolve itself when the Summer Semester comes to a close in 2 weeks.

Although this next point is not a problem, it is definitely not a plus either. IP is a very expensive diet. At Woman's Center for Wellness, I paid $200.00 for my initial 30 minute appointment. The initial $200.00 down also paid for all of my follow-up appointments for the duration of the program (which really isn't a bad deal). On average, I pay around $104.00 per week for IP food packets, and then an additional $80.00-$100.00 at the grocery store weekly for water, vegetables, and other miscellaneous items that are required for the diet. Also, the 3 vitamin containers are around $30.00 a piece (so far I'm almost out of the cal-mag and the multi-vita). On your first visit, you will pay around $400.00 total (this includes all visits to the Wellness Center, vitamins, and the first 13 day's worth of food). That night, you will spend around $100.00 at the grocery store, bringing your grand total to around $500.00 for the first week. Every other week after that will tally around $200.00 total. I definitely would not be participating in this diet if it did not work.

Favorite Things While on IP
My favorite thing about IP is that the diet works. Before IP, I tried Weight Watchers and CalorieCount.com, but neither did the trick. Losing 17 pounds in 1 month is no small achievement. On average, people lose between 2-3 pounds per week on other diets. This totals between 8-12 pounds per month. I have lost 5-9 pounds more than the average person would lose in one month, and when you're planning a wedding, every pound counts!

Another great thing about the diet is that the food really is good, and it fills you up! My favorites are the cappuccino drink, peanut butter crunch bar, potato soup, vegetable chili, and the chocolate drink. I eat a variation of these 5 foods every day, and I never get tired of them (especially the peanut butter crunch bar... yum). When you finish your meal, you will not be hungry. As I said earlier, I have trouble finishing my water when I finish my food because I am always too full to drink anything.

So, there you have it. 1 month down, and my favorite things as well as the problems that I have faced in the past month on IP. I still have 28 more pounds to lose, so wish me luck!