Ditched Ideal Protein, using Creole Diet

Haven't updated this in some time. I stuck with the Ideal Protein diet for several months and did lose about 30 pounds. But this isn't a diet I could stick to for any longer for several reasons. One is the cost, at $27 per box of food, with a box being 7 meals, it was just too expensive to continue. A second reason is the taste of the food. Many of their items do have an aftertaste, and some, like their soups, just don't taste good at all. There are some that are quite good, like the puddings, the ready mix shakes, and the cappuccino, but you can only eat these for so long.

So after a few months, I now have struck out basically on my own. I follow the advice of the Creole Diet which basically involves eating many small meals in a day, balancing the proteins, carbs, and fats at each meal, and incorporating foods that you love to eat, so that you stick with this diet for the long term. It's basically not a diet, just a healthy way to eat, which allows you to lose weight and maintain the weight loss for the long term. Eating this way I lose weight a little slower, but have little desire to go off of the diet, and it is much easier on the budget. Eating this way for the last six weeks, I have lost an additional 10 pounds. This included about 2 1/2 weeks of vacation/visiting friends, so I thinks it's pretty good. When visiting or vacationing I didn't have to worry about special foods, I just practiced portion control, and tried to balance the amount of protein, fat, and carbs at each meal, as best I could. During that time, I didn't gain any weight, so I thought that was an accomplishment.

I do use meal replacements, such as protein shakes and bars, that are readily available at Wal-Mart and other stores, at a much cheaper price than Ideal Protein. I use this for the in between meals, like mid-morning, mid-afternoon, and evening meals.

Overall, it's worked very well, and I will continue with this program indefinitely. I'm trying now to incorporate more exercise into my routine, which is challenging in this intense heat. But if I can do it now, then come fall and winter, it will be a breeze.