OK, so what is “My Alternative Plan”? What is it that I do that I can save $$$ instead of shelling out tons of it for Ideal Protein? Well here it is, broken down, including the price of items roughly and my total cost per day, and per week, and per month (My food cost including dinner is roughly $300/month). I will advise that IF I do the snack items I have listed, those run about $11 for a box of 7, so that’d be an exchange from the cost of the shake to the cost of the snack on occasion. Just putting it out there.
Breakfast Shake – GNC Amp 60 Wheybolic Protein powder, one scoop (a serving is 3 scoops and is 60g of protein, so I cut it into 1/3)
Lunch Shake - GNC Amp 60 Wheybolic Protein powder – I recommend chocolate, as the strawberry tastes like Pepto Bismol…yech, and 2 cups veggies, which I usually end up slicing up a cucumber to munch on the rest of the day at work.
Dinner – 6-8 ounces of meat, preferably lean, 2 cups of vegetables
Snack – Wonderslim product, either pudding, oatmeal, or a meal replacement bar, but more likely Proti-Diet chocolate dream bar, which is lower in carbs, higher in protein, and tastes better.
My “Daily cost” is as follows:
Shakes ($0.86/shake, so total $1.92 in shakes)
Lunch veggies: Cucumbers usually run about $0.75 or so
Dinner Meat: OK this varies, obviously. Canned tuna is like $1, and steaks are obviously more, so I won’t try to break THAT down.
Dinner Veggie: Most commonly a mix of green and red bell peppers, red or yellow onion, or asparagus. Typical cost is AROUND $3 total for the veggies (for me and hubby)
Total cost per day for me? $1.92+$0.75+_______+$3.00= roughly $5.67 before meat, ends up being probably about $10/day on a given day if I do steak, and closer to about $8/day for chicken or fish…ball park on that gets me to about $10/day=$70/week=$280/monthish+supplements ($9/month)=$290/month total
I also take supplements, including One-A-Day, Calcium Magnesium, & Potassium Gluconate. These run me about $15 for the three bottles, and those bottles last me 50 days, as they contain 100 pills and I take 2 pills per item, per day.
I would now like to point out that one PACKET on Ideal Protein (keep in mind you’re supposed to have THREE of these / day) is $4.00, so you’re looking at $12 before you add in the 4 cups of vegetables and 6-8 ounces of meat…just saying…
Wow I can’t believe I wasn’t going to do the math for this, $12+$0.75 (cucumber)+MEAT+$3(dinner veggies)=$15.75/day pre meat, we figured about $4 for a steak and $2.50 for chicken etc. (I rounded up I think)so say $20/day, just about double my cost. Their supplements are also more expensive, sold in 30 day supplies. I rant about this in another post, but suffice it to say the cost is like, $50/month or so, an additional $40/month compared to what I pay, roughly. So IP cost is…20*7=$140/week+$10/week=$150/week total cost*4(weeks)=$600/month total
So I can say “neener neener I save $310 on food every month”. Also unless I’m mistaken, folks have to go pay to weigh in on a special scale that’s like $15/week or something, but that could be specific to the clinic.
Do you really take 2 multi-vitamins a day? I didn’t know that anyone should take more than one/day. Does it matter which multi-vitamin brand? Looking forward to launching a new me!
Yeah you need to take two. Check under the vitamins section to see what the IP Vitamins consist of and you will why so many multi vitamins. It’s because you lose tons of vitamins by not eating bread etc
What was your average weekly weight loss?
It was an average of 1.5-3.5 pounds
What Snack bars do you eat. I have been have one IP Caramel Nut bar per day.
I love Wonderslim’s Meal Replacement bars, specifically the Cinnamon or Fudge Graham. For a good chocolate fix, ProtiDiet makes the “Chocolate Dream Bar” which is epic!
do you worry about sugar alcohol
To a certain extent I look at sugar alcohols, but I’m aware of the fact that nothing is going to have artificially sweet flavor without having some sort of sugar alcohol in it, if that makes sense. If I look at something and it has we’ll say, 12g of sugar alcohol, I’m not going to write it off as “sugar free” because the sugar alcohol has to break down SOMEWHERE. Most products I use have a mix of sugar and sugar alcohol in them if I’m not sticking with natural options (fruits etc. rather than bars)
Thanks for the help. I”ve been on IP for 4.5 months. I’ve lost 51.5 lbs. I never did the 3 items a day. I’ve always had an IP for breakfast and IP snack. Lunch – Always salad with some protein and dinner small protein and some veggies. I drink about a gallon of water a day. I’m now looking for alternatives for long term maint. I would like to lose about 18.5 more lbs.
Congrats on your continued success! If I remember correctly, Ideal Protein starts with 3-4 packets/day and works it down until you’re completely on normal food, with a phase-out period before maintenance begins. If you’re looking for a breakfast and snack, then Wonderslim would work great for you, although I caution against the veggie omelet. Don’t do it, trust me on that one!
Have you tried any other shakes besides the gnc one?
Yeah, I use Wonderslim Mocha Cream, Hazelnut Cream and their Hot Chocolate drinks. I also love the Bariwise fruit drinks during the summer, I can only have chocolate with so many meals before it starts feeling like a chore to drink chocolatey drinks! Haha!
Hi Kara,
Thanks for sharing your experiences on your blog. I did IP a year and a half ago and lost weight, but quit because it was so costly. It’s great to know that there are alternatives that aren’t so costly.
I’m going to Mexico in 3 weeks (a sudden trip) and I would like to follow your suggestions. Did you loose as much with the alternate products as you did with IP? Do I have to order Wonderslim and Pro Diet products online? Sorry if you answered this in your blog, I haven’t read the whole thing yet.
Any suggestions on a quick start? haha I had been following another eating plan, but I gain back everything I loose when I deviate even just a little bit from it.
Thanks for any suggestions!
Kelly
Kelly:
Yes unfortunately you have to order from DietDirect or Netrition. On the bright side, the shipping is usually only 2-3 days, so if you ordered tonight, theoretically, you’d still be getting product by Friday. On my Alternative Vendors list I have a $10 discount to Dietdirect for your first registration and order.
I lost probably 80-85% as fast on my alternatives compared to Ideal Protein people, but I didn’t restrict myself as much on milk or oils like the protocol called for. I lost about 5 lbs week 1, then averaged like 2-3 lbs each week after for a month, then down to 1-2 lbs/week after that until I hit goal. I deviated. A lot. Like, a lot a lot. But I always made sure I was careful about how I was deviating, if I needed chocolate, I’d get a bar.
Oh! A “quick start” you CAN do is the EAS shakes you get at Walmart, or Atkins Meal Replacement bars and shakes. Low enough in carb to throw you towards ketosis while you wait to get your Wonderslim stuff.
Let me know if you have any other questions!
Hi Kara. Love your blog. Quick question. WHEN specifically do you take each supplement and how much at each serving? Thanks so much
Kori:
Thanks for loving my blog, I’m a fan too
Although I might be biased! I took my morning pills (multi-vita, calcium/mag, biotin, potassium) after breakfast, then another potassium after lunch, and then my evening pills (multi-vita, calcium/mag, potassium) after dinner.
Here are the supplements I take: http://think-slimmer.com/research/supplements-theirs-and-mine/
Awesome!!! Thank you so much!!! Do you take 2 pills each after each meal? Or is it 1 pill each time? Just want to make sure in doing it right. Also biotine? I don’t remember reading about that. Should I be taking omega 3′s too?
I was taking a total of 2 multivitamins, 2 cal/mag, 1 biotin (because it’s not in any of the multivitamins but it is in ideal protein’s multi-vita) and 2-3 potassium gluconate. I’d take 1 of each pill, twice a day. Omega 3′s are recommended by Ideal Protein, but I’ve honestly never taken them. I hear they help move fat and some other great properties. If you do decide to take Omega 3′s, refer to the Ideal Protein PDF on supplements prior to purchasing, just to save yourself the headache of returns etc.
> Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2013 11:20:12 +0000 > To: pandoraeternity@hotmail.com >
Hi Kara -
Do you count lettuce as part of your 2 cups of veggies? I know IP doesn’t but would like to use my salad as part of my daily intake.
Thank you for putting this site together – I was spending so much on IP…money I really didn’t have to spend!
Thanks!
Linda:
Even if you are no longer on Ideal Protein you really need more than salad for your daily intake. Lettuce has almost no nutritional value, and that’s something we’re already super lacking in when it comes to this diet, so every veggie is important. You can sure use your salad as a snack, but don’t stick with it solely as your 2-cup.
Thank you!
Hi Kara. I am trying to put together an alternative plan for IP and saw your site!! It’s great – thanks for all the research that you’ve done. One question i have (which I’m sure I’ll have plenty…) is what do you mix your shakes with? Do you use water, milk, almond milk???
Kristie
Kristie:
I use water when mixing my shakes, or a blend of 1/2 water, 1/2 skim milk if I want a lightly more milky consistency. I’ve never actually tried almond milk (I have a half gallon glaring at me from my fridge door right now) but that could be a viable option as well.