Lydia,

Congratulations on the 30#! That is so great.

I have to say that the Idiot Proof Diet is definitely on to something. The first week I followed it, I lost 9#, stress free. I did my time off and started again and did not do as well the second time around. I am not faulting the diet, it is me. I have lots of trouble staying focused and there has been many family issues that I have had to deal with lately. So my lack of planning and being prepared has been my down fall. It is definitely not a diet that you can stay on long term, no way. It is not practical, and probably not the healthiest. But for a jump start or a quick weight loss, I would recommend it.

Good luck.

Besh

Lydia - how long did it take you to lose those 30lbs? That is fantastic.

Besh - can you give me a hint on what types of foods the menus include on the Idiot Proof Diet? I went to the website, but it doesn't give you too much free info. Stop by SS - we miss you.

Hi again,

Raeanne, thanks for missing me! I did post on SS thread yesterday before I posted here. I had fun answering all of BJ's questions. The IPD customizes your food based on choices that you make from a list of food they provide you. When you sign on a screen pops up and lists 3 foods like, honeydew and cantaloupe, hotdogs, veggie platter. You choose one of those foods and it repeats this process 14 times so you generate a list of 14 foods. It is a strange combo, but it is all stuff that you like because you chose it. Then it will generate 11 days of eating. You eat 4 times a day, but you only eat 1 item until you are comfortable, not stuffed. A sample day would be, an egg omlet, chicken, fruit smoothie and a pastrami sandwich. It is different every day. There are very few rules. You do it every day for 11 days and then you take 3 days off and generate a new menu and start again after your 3 day break. During those three days you can eat whatever you want. Sounds funky, but it shakes up your metabolism. They say that people tend to eat the same thing everyday at the same time and your body gets comfortable with that and may not work as efficiently as it could. It does work, but the meals get a little boring. It think it would be easier to follow if you lived alone and did not have to prepare food for anyone else!

Lydia, I have been reading this book called "Living the Low Carb Life" by Jonny Bowden. He reviews all of the low carb diets on the market and gives his take on them. It is really pretty interesting. Last night I read about the Fat Flush plan. He gave that plan 5 stars (highest rating). He says it is one of the best ones out there. Can you tell me a little bit more about how you liked it? Pros, cons? Thanks.

Besh

Raeanne ~ it took me about 6 months to lose 33 lbs. I cheated a little too much over the summer and gained back about 5 of that.

Besh ~ the Fat Flush plan was hard to get started on because I had to give up a lot of my daily staples ~ soda, sweets, alcohol, coffee (I substitute with an organic faux-coffee). It is basically a low carb menu with an emphasis on good fats (flaxoil). The plan allows for fruits and after the first 2 weeks (detox) you add in good carbs such as spelt bread and sweet potatoes. The great thing about this diet is that I was still losing weight even up to the 6 month mark, sometimes up to 4 lbs. a week, other weeks didn't show a loss. I still follow most parts of the plan, but am having a hard time losing those last lbs.

I'm eating so much healthier these days which is why I hate to switch over to another plan that may not be as healthy. Still mulling over the IPD. Thanks for the info!

The Fat Flush link below will answer more of your questions.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fat Flush Message Board

hello, i was interested in starting this diet, but will it still work if a person has 100 to loose or does it stop after a while on it ??

Pianorick, you will not be able to stay on this diet long enough to lose 100#. It is not healthy and it gets boring. Best to just eat less and exercise more. It sounds so easy doesn't it! I wish I could follow my own advice! Good luck.

Besh

Besh, do you think this would work well for a vegetarian? Of the 3 choices they give each time, is one of them always vegetarian friendly?

I am by no means an expert on this plan. Believe me, I did not last very long on it. I don't think it would work for a vegetarian. The choices are things like hot dogs, chicken, I can't even remember, it was almost 2 years ago that I did it. All I can tell everyone is that it is not the healthiest way to eat. If you want a quick fix, then go for it. But as far as healthy long term weight loss, I would not advise it.

Besh

I'm so glad I read this about the Idiot Proof Diet. I almost just want to do it for the quick fix, but I really do like eating healthy. I've been on the South Beach Diet since May 2006. So far I've lost 15 lbs. But I kept cheating and not being too strict with what I ate so I wasn't losing for a while. Now I'm doing a combo between SB diet and Oprah's 12 week boot camp. So in the last 2 weeks I've lost another 5-7 lbs. to equal a total of 15 lost.

Just curious, someone mentioned the Fat Flush Plan, do you know at all how that compares to the SB diet? Is it pretty similar? I guess I should read that book someone talked about. Thanks for mentioning it. Great thread, very informative!

Hi everyone! I am new to chatting online and also to this new "Idiot diet". So here goes...I noticed that when I picked fish as one of my foods they listed a certain type of fish. Can I use any fish I want as long as it is healthy? The fish they picked can be rather expensive.

Thanks for the info on IPD, Besh. After reading the Blog I think I'll skip it. I'm losing 2 lbs/week pretty steadily by following a high fiber diet. I try to eat 4-6 times/day. I lift to speed my metabolism and to prevent bone diseases. I do cardio (very mild) 3 times per week. I've lost about 65 pounds. It's slow going but healthy and easy to stick to. I aim for 35 grams of fiber per day.

Another good jump start diet can be found at: http://www.lillieross.com/

I have been on this for 4 days and feel fatter according to how my clothes. I KNOW that Weight Watchers works, but I wanted something to drop a few faster before an event. I will weigh myself tomorrow am and if I have lost NOTHING or if I have gained, that is it......and it is back to WW. I read on other sites where people notice a difference in 4 days, so wh shall see.

I also have a few questions that their "everything you need to know" handbook does not cover. Perhaps you can help. Thei may soud stupid, but here goes:

1. Is artificial sweetener OK? RE: Splenda? It has 0 everything.

2. What about hot tea? It says only ICED tea in allowable beverages

3. Can I substitue "like items" that are allowed in my meal plans for other days......scrambled eggs, vs hard boiled eggs? Pastrami slices vs. ham slices? etc. Both types of eggs and deli meat are in my overall 11 day diet, so can I use one of the others in place of the one on a specific ment?

I think that is it. I look forward to a speedy response.

lgimnich@aol.com

I am very much interested in your responses to the posting by lgimnich@aol.com regarding the Idiot Diet. In fact, I notice that there haven't been recent postings concerning this diet at all - has interest subsided, is it no longer being marketed, or what? I, too - am interested in a speedy response.

Thank you!

- Joe -

I stumbled across this site and wanted to add my experience with IPD. I am 57 F and have failed at every diet plan out there and am becoming insulin resistant and pre-diabetic as a result. My blood pressure was on a consistent rise over the past year. It seemed that every diet I have tried, as soon as I go off or mess up I gain back everything I lost. Pretty discouraging.
I was ready to give up but saw and purchased IPD and began August '07. I have about 50 pounds to lose and have lost 19 in three months (I probably lost most of it in the first 6 weeks). It was the easiest weight I've ever lost although I have become complacent (since I lost a significant amount) about preparing the meals ahead of time and have therefore gone off alot.
I do like the food choices because they do not require much preparation, they are simple foods. I had forgotten that at the very beginning I chose the original foods that would be included in my 11 day choices. I wish I could go back there now and perhaps change up a little for variety.
Other pluses I find with IPD is that my blood sugar and blood pressure especially have dropped to very good numbers. I do not feel that this in an unhealthy diet. If you feel you need more carbs, enjoy those in your 3 days off. I am really sensitive to all carbs and feel so much better with just the fruit and vegetable carbs with the oatmeal and WW bread I have once in 11 days.
This diet has the same focus for me as Fat Flush but is easier because it tells me exactly what to eat. When I have a plan in my head but am rushed for time, I eat whatever I can get my hands on. With this, the foods are not hard to prepare and can easily be readied ahead of time for the entire day.
Several other strong points that I believe IPD has are:
1)the idea of shuffling calories and food types so that your body is always adjusting instead of going into starvation mode; I usually lose weight when on my 3 days off even if I know I am eating more than I should. Even when not following the 11 day program in October, I still lost a couple of pounds!
2) the blood sugar stays much more level so all the carb cravings I was having prior to IPD are mostly not an issue. This is the first diet to not leave me yearning and craving to eat more. I can stop because my blood sugar isn't screaming for atttention.
3) I appreciate the exercise advise also and that it differs for the 11-day and the 10 day IPDs. It is much easier to walk when you aren't carrying around extra #s and when you feel a little more energetic from stable blood sugars.
All that to say that I think IPD is a good goal for lifetime eating with moderate changes like adding brown rice, sweet potatoes, peas, infrequent splurges for holidays, etc., once you hit your weight and/or health goal. The 10 day program could easily be a lifetime program.
I hope this is helpful to someone.

Overall, would you recommend this diet to a person who has about 25 lbs to lose? Or is there another one? What about one for a nursing mother?

Hello...Just browsing though the net looking for feedback on the IPD. I see it comes with a diet generator to pick your foods and a 45-page E-book. I wondered if one really needed the E-book or would the diet with exercise be enough? I found the diet on Ebay for $10 without the E-book. I just want to drop about 20 lbs and am familiur with general diet tips.

I am about to start the IPD. My daughter and several friends are on it and losing weight and not gaining it back.
From what I hear on the IPD is:
That you can go back and change your food choices to mix it up a little, but you only get the foods on their list.
There is a list of foods you can eat at
http://www.idiot-proof-diet-handbook.com/What_Foods_Make_Up_The_Idiot_Proof_Diet_.html
There is also a vegetarian Idiot Proof Diet.

Hope this helps.

Besh, LOL

Hi Everyone,
I'm new here and this sounds like a wonderful place to be!!
I wanted to ask if anyone has tried a high fiber diet? I need to try something as I need to lose 50 lbs.Any suggestions? Thanks a bunch!

I followed this diet about 6 months ago. I was around 150 lbs at the beginning. After 1 month of following the diet strictly (plus 30 minutes of aerobics 1-2 days a week) I went down to 130 lbs. Unfortunatley for some reason I strayed from the diet, drank more than one glass of wine a day and packed on the pounds again. I'm ready to start over. This is an effective diet to lose weight, but not so sure if the "all you can eat" sausage and bacon is really good for me in the long run. My husband and I have been doing the 50 million pounds challenge for a few days now and are ready to start the "Idiot proof diet" instead. We are still hungry after the meals. At least with the "Idiot proof diet" you can eat until you're satisfied.

Hi. I Started the IPD's Beyond Calories (their $16 add on to lose weight quick) on April 1 (no, this is not April fools). It is now Monday, April 6 and I lost 5 pounds. This plan differs form the IPD 11 day plan in that it gives you a list of 4 food catagories from which to choose your foods from: They seem to be: Group 1 - Fruits; Group 2 - Proteins; Group 3 - Vegetables; and Group 4 is all the other groups combined. Each day there are 6 meals (yes, you eat 6 times a day on this 10-day diet). Each day they tell you to choose x number of foods from group 1 or group 1 and 3, etc. for each of the 6 meals. Each day is a different combination of 6 meals. You are allowed to drink any beverage and as much as you like, as long as the beverage is less than 10 calories per serving. Each food group has enough choices to meet everyone's needs--even a vegetarian. Also, you can eat meal 6 for breakfast, and meal 1 for dinner; you just can't change the foods in each meal. There are no sugar, bread, rice, or potatoes on this quick loss plan. Sometimes the day tends to lean towards a mostly protein day, or a mostly salad day. Vegetarians can have nuts and eggs and beans as their protein choices. After you do the 10 days, you can start over again. Or, you can take 2 days off (eat within reason whatever you want) and then go back on. As far as meal portions, it tells you to only eat until you are JUST satisfied. The portions should be smaller because you are eating 6 times a day. So far, the biggest problem I have had is fitting in the 6 meals (which ideally should be spread out about 2 hours apart). On three of the days I fell asleep before eating meal 6. My 5th day on the diet was a stress day, so I had a candy bar, a mini slice of pizza, some BBQ chicken wings (I removed the skin), and did not follow the plan for that day (I had good intentions). However, I still lost 5 pounds. I am back on it for day 6. I will let you know how I do after day 10 of the first round.

Hi, I am just about to start the Idiot Proof Diet tomorrow. The generator for day one has listed bowl of oatmeal as part of meal one, but does not mention milk, however, milk is mentioned as part of meal two. I know you are not allowed to mix and match the meals, so my question is does the bowl of oatmeal in meal one mean with milk? Sounds silly this is meant to be idiot proof and I have questions before I even start and as you probably aware site has no help mail. Do you know the answer? Can I have a bowl of porridge made with milk when only oatmeal is mentioned in the meal? Thanks Jackie