Frequently Asked Questions

Like any other diet, yes.In the initial days, as you are changing your eating habit as well as your routine, you may experience discomfort, hunger, cravings, etc. (owed to keto flu). But worry not! Your Ideal Protein coach is just a text away to give you the right advice in such cases.

Yes. Ideal Protein is the perfect program for those taking Semaglutides for weight loss. Patients on these medications have great results and are encouraged to maintain hydration, which can be more challenging if the patient experiences nausea or vomiting from these medications.

Ideal protein is the perfect complimentary protocol for those who have reached their goal and do not want to continue taking the medications long-term.

With most Ideal Protein clinics, you will need to pay an initial fee of $350 – $450.

With BioIntelligent Wellness, your initial consultation comes free of these upfront charges.

Your coaching visits are only $15 a week and that also covers electronic coaching between your visits. Also, while on Ideal Protein Phase 1, it’s feasible to budget for around $93 a week for the foods, and for Phase 2, you can expect $62 per week for food. Visit this page for more details on Ideal Protein cost.

In Phase 3 or maintenance phase, no Ideal Protein products are required and it’s up to you to decide if you have favorite products you wish to continue using in maintenance.

Ideal Protein is not high-protein but high-quality protein. Ideal Protein, an adequate protein diet, incorporates the perfect combination of highly absorbable protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals – all the necessary ingredients for healthy weight loss.

Absolutely!

The program itself is clinically tested and all the products are approved by FDA. The best part of Ideal Protein protocol is, although it follows a ketogenic approach, it overcomes many of the shortfalls of a typical keto diet.

However, it is important to complete a health profile to ensure it is healthy for you to participate. Depending on your health history and active conditions, your doctor may need to sign a release for you to participate.

Ketosis is a state of body metabolism where your body burns fats (ketone bodies) as the primary source of energy instead of carbohydrates. Your body will be using your stored fat as the primary energy source.

Phase 1 of Ideal Protein puts your body into ketosis. The only difference is, here your body gets the optimal high-quality protein needed for maintaining lean mass and other nutrients essential for the body’s biochemical activities. With the needs of your body met, you are able to burn your stored fat with ease.

Making an investment in your health is priceless. Below are approximate costs for the services, tools, and education we provide to get you on a healthy diet for life.

Starting costs: Approximately $200*

• Support: $50 initial visit (60 min)
• Supplements: initial supplements: $68 average
• Ideal Protein Foods: most people will spend $90-108/wk on IP foods during phase 1

*Contact us about our current special – we offer discounts to make it hard not to try the protocol.

Weekly: Approximately $ 102-117

• Phase 1:
• Support: $15 weekly coaching fee
• Ideal Protein Foods: most people will spend $90-108/wk on IP foods during phase 1 of the diet.
• Phase 2:
  • Support: $15 weekly coaching
  • Ideal Protein Foods: costs on average $29-58/week

• Phase 3:
  • Support: $15 weekly coaching
  • Ideal Protein Foods: Phase 3 does not require you to purchase any Ideal Protein foods and lasts for up to 12 months.

Note: As you progress through the program, each phase requires fewer Ideal Protein foods.

Monthly:

• Program Fees: $18 monthly program fee: Includes unlimited readings on our body composition analysis (BCA) machine, daily support videos, unlimited electronic support with your coach and more.
• Supplements: $68 average

This program is for everyone -whether your goal is to lose 10 pounds or 100 pounds. We also offer a 21-day protocol for people already at their goal weight who want to address cellulite.

It depends on how much weight you would like to lose. Most of our dieters lose between 2-7 pounds per week. During the first two weeks of the Ideal Protein Diet Phase 1, most clients lose at least 6-8 pounds. BioIntelligent Wellness dieters average 2-5 pounds per week for women and 4-7 pounds per week for men.

Altogether there are three phases to the protocol, but you will lose all the weight during phase 1 of the Ideal Protein diet.

There are four phases to the protocol:

• Phase I: Weight Loss
• You will be on Phase 1 until you hit your goal weight
• Phase 2: Stabilization
• Typically, two weeks of for stabilization and reintroduction of carbohydrates. Depending on the amount lost, this phase may be extended.
• Phase 3: Maintenance
• This is your maintenance or “Lifestyle” program. You will not be required to use the Ideal Proteinfoods during this phase; however, your coach will continue to support your achievements and new lifestyle with our 12 month maintenance support program. You are not required to continue the program for 12 months however, we have found that our most successful dieters utilize this phase to expand their diets while learning how to make lifestyle changes that are supportive of their goals and teach them to keep the weight off.

Yes, we have many successful dieters; some who travel as much as 80% of the time. The Ideal Protein foods are conveniently packaged and travel friendly.

The whole foods you are required to consume can be found at any restaurant and grocery store. Your coach can offer you the option of a virtual coaching appointment (via Zoom, telephone, FaceTime or Skype) if you are not able to come into the office for your weekly coaching visit. Your dedicated coach will help guide you based on the parameters of your life, no matter how hectic it is. The coaches maintain electronic contact with you between appointments, so you are never left wondering what to do – whether it is what to order if going to restaurants or how to navigate business luncheons.

The IP protocol is designed to be as easy and convenient. Delicious IP food options and easy to prep recipes are available at your fingertips. Your coach will customize the diet to you, your palate and lifestyle. This is a diet that you can design around your lifestyle. If you’re someone who loves to cook, we have gourmet cookbooks featuring amazing recipes to satisfy any palate, cooking videos and a private Facebook group where our dieter’s post their favorite meal ideas. If you don’t love to cook, we’ll make it easy and help you work it into your life.

Fill out the Ideal Protein intake form.Once we have received the completed intake form, we will call and schedule your program start appointment with your designated Ideal Protein Coach

Yes! We have had many successful young adults on this protocol. This program is ideal for pre-teens and teens because it teaches young people how to eat. There are kid-friendly snacks and we have a designated coach for our young dieters.

This program is a good strategy for a structured plan that will get quick clinical and composition results and offers both the young adult and parents the support they need to achieve their goals.

The advantages are that it’s structured (no guess-work for the parent or the young adult), it’s vegetarian and was originally designed for Olympic athletes for healthy fat loss.

You will meet with your coach once a week for 20 minutes, complete a BCA reading, review your journal and losses, discuss the upcoming week and create strategies for success and pick out foods for the following week. These visits may also be held virtually to accommodate your busy life and schedule. Our coaches are available between 6am and 8pm for coaching visits.

Many of our dieters report better energy than before starting the diet. This is a mildly ketogenic diet and most dieter’s take 2-3 days to get into ketosis. Once in ketosis, you will not be hungry as the body will be breaking down your stored fat and using those calories in addition to the foods consumed. Many of our dieter’s actually struggle to consume all of their required foods on Phase I of the diet.

The first few days, until you get into ketosis, you may feel a little hunger however, the first week you are allowed to consume an additional Ideal Protein food if needed and we will also provide you with a list of unlimited vegetables that can be consumed at any time you are hungry. During your initial appointment your coach will give you some helpful hints to support you during the first few days.

You will be eating a combination of a few Ideal Protein foods in addition to whole foods. The Ideal Protein foods are non-GMO and designed to be highly absorbed. The Ideal Protein foods tend to be used as snacks rather than meal replacements.

Not even close! The Ideal Protein foods are all non-GMO and were designed for absorption. The foods are tested based on the international bioavailability scale to be between 96% – 297% bioavailability. This means for the same number of calories; you receive up to 3 times the amount of nutrients. Essentially, you would need to eat up to 3 alternative products for every Ideal Protein food. That would mean up to 3 times the number of calories to equal the same nutrient value.

Yes! You will have extensive supporting recipes and your coach can customize the selections to your palate and lifestyle. As part of your program, you will receive daily videos and will have access to a database of recipes and videos through your My Ideal Protein platform.

More importantly, we have the largest database of Ideal Protein recipes on the internet and you can find them here on our Ideal Protein Recipes pages. These recipes are easy-to-prepare and offer variety to every palate. Additionally, there are comprehensive cookbooks to download for FREE.

Within the first week! On average, most dieters will lose at least 6-8 pounds within the first 2 weeks.
While individual results vary, our dieters typically lose between 3-7 pounds per week. Men lose 4-7lbs per week and women 3-5 lbs per week.

Even more remarkable than the weight loss, this program focuses on fat loss which is even more visible.

There are over 70 products in the Ideal Protein product line and something to please every palate. Whether you crave salty, sweet or zesty; we have something for everyone’s palate. You can see the full product line here.

You will not only achieve your weight-loss goal but also learn valuable information on how your body stores and burns fat. That, along with nutritional information and education will give you the tools needed to keep those unwanted pounds off forever and enjoy the renewed skin, body shape, health and energy you deserve.

Dieters who phase off of the program maintain their weight loss following the maintenance program. The protocol features 3 phases -you will be losing the weight during phase 1 and stabilizing the weight loss during phase 2. Phase 3 will transition you into your new lifestyle while maintaining the weight loss. We will equip you with a lifestyle change that will reinforce the tenants of maintaining your weight loss. We offer up to a 12 month maintenance program to support you in maintaining your new shape.

Alcohol is not permitted while on Phases 1 and 2; and it must be strictly avoided while you’re in ketosis. During ketosis, your liver is busy converting the fatty acids being released from your fat cells into ketones that can be burned by your body for energy.

It’s also busy converting protein (and sometimes fats) into glucose for those organs that must have glucose to operate. As well as busy doing all the other functions that it is responsible for. Alcohol is a toxic substance. Your liver immediately focuses on removing it from your body and puts other things on hold – such as creating the glucose your brain and other organs need. Hypoglycemia can result and if it happens while you’re driving, it could be especially dangerous and even life threatening.

The BCA Machine will accurately measure your body fat, lean mass and hydration. This will be performed at your weekly coaching visit (may be scheduled at another time if your session is held over the phone) and will help you track your success beyond the scale achievements.

Because our focus is fat loss rather than solely weight loss, these readings are an invaluable tool for both the dieter and the coach.

The clinical accuracy studies were conducted comparing DEXA scan for adults and hydrostatic dunk tank for youth populations. Copies of this study may be obtained from our office. While burning body fat, we will also track your lean mass to ensure you are losing the majority of fat mass, so you maintain your success. You will be provided with a log in and password to view your readings as well.

Your primary care physician or prescribing physician will be managing any and all changes in medications. Often times, providers will establish guidelines in your physician’s release form as to when you are to follow up for visits/medication checks.

If you are on medications for blood pressure and or blood sugar, you will be monitoring your readings twice daily and both you and your coach will be reporting your progress to your physician. In most cases, you will probably need to be seen for medication checks once a month if on prescriptions for hypertension and/or diabetes medications. We typically see appreciable drops in values in the first three weeks

Gluten is a protein found in wheat and related grains causing a wide variety of mild, to very serious symptoms in gluten-sensitive individuals.

As part of Ideal Protein’s initiative to meet the dietary needs of gluten-sensitive dieters, they’ve created specific products tailored for the program. Now it’s easier than ever to select gluten-free alternatives on the Ideal Protein Weight Loss method by identifying the products with an easy-to-spot printing of “certified gluten-free” symbol on over 40 of their packages.

The Ideal Protein products that are certified gluten-free are produced in a Celiac-certified facility and on equipment certified to be free of gluten-containing grains. Dieters who have Celiac Disease must select from only these selections.

However, many of our gluten-sensitive dieters can consume the full line of Ideal Protein products without complications.

Our primary goal is to keep our dieters safe while on the protocol. If you’re on medications that will likely need to be adjusted, we are required to have your prescribing physician release you to participate. We will work with you and your doctor to ensure we work as a team to reduce your needs for prescription medications. Your physician will be responsible to safeguard your prescription is adequate, reduce and eliminate as needed.

We have a team of excellent certified coaches to help guide you to your goal. You will meet with your designated coach once a week for 20 minutes. Your coach will measure your body composition, review your logs to help accelerate your losses, review any upcoming challenges and give you tips and recipes to help you be successful throughout your lifestyle change. We’re so committed to your success, if you need help between appointments, we recommend you text or email your coach.

Yes, we have a virtual program and our coaching visits may be held by telephone, FaceTime, Zoom or over Skype. Our coaches offer electronic support of texts and/or email between your weekly visits.

To be followed until 100% of your weight loss goal is achieved.

The Phase 1 diet plan incorporates measured portions of lean protein and approved vegetables, unlimited select vegetables, and 3-4 Ideal Protein packets.

Ideal Protein Phase 2 is to be followed for two weeks after the goal weight is reached. Phase 2 replaces one of the Ideal Protein packets with additional protein and the second half focuses on reintroducing carbohydrates. The approved vegetables and unlimited select vegetables remain the same and one to two Ideal Protein packets. As you transition through each phase, we will be replacing Ideal Protein foods with regular foods, so you are educated and positioned to be successful in controlling your diet after the three phases.

Every diet must have a beginning and an end. Phase 3 is the maintenance or “lifestyle plan.” This phase teaches you to enjoy the freedom of eating your favorite foods while maintaining your new shape!

Phase 3 is to be followed for up to 12 months. We believe there is a difference in being on a diet and living a lifestyle. Phase 3 teaches you how to balance real life and avoid regaining weight.

Yes. People with high blood pressure are often overweight and will benefit from the protocol. However, they will have to be mindful of their medication dosing and will be required to monitor their blood pressure twice daily and work with their physician to monitor their prescriptions. Additionally, they may need to monitor salt intake, as prescribed by their physician.

Diabetics have so much to gain from our protocol because regulating glycemia is at the very heart of our method. While we cannot reverse

• Type I Diabetes, we can help those afflicted to lose weight.
• However, our Ideal Protein weight loss method can help reverse Type II Diabetes or, at the very least, diminish the condition’s vulnerabilities.
• People who suffer from hypoglycemia can also follow our weight loss method or our alternative plan.

Still, diabetics need be particularly vigilant on our protocol. In the first few weeks, people suffering from hypoglycemia should not exercise as much as usual in order to facilitate the reeducation of their pancreas and give their body a chance to readjust to its new eating habits. As well, they should stock up on the Ideal Protein Peach Mango drink, in case they find themselves during a low blood sugar crisis, which is predictable in their case. When it happens, they should sit down, breathe deeply and reach for an Ideal Protein Peach Mango drink. It will calm them instantly. They must be confident in the knowledge that their body, more specifically their pancreas, will, in time, soon, readjust itself to function as it was originally intended by nature.

Our protocol is most likely safe but still, we recommend that your physician is consultant prior to beginning. Remember, Ideal Protein foods are real foods, drugfree with no stimulants. Each Ideal Protein envelope is the equivalent, nutritionally, to a chicken breast, a small filet mignon or a filet of fish.

We successfully offer this program to youth over the age of 12. Younger children will require a physician’s release to participate. If a parent wants to replace his child’s unhealthy snacks with healthy foods, including Ideal Protein foods, the parent must ensure that the child understands the reasons why they are being deprived of these foods. If not, the child may react adversely by wanting those unhealthy foods even more than before.

In short, you will be consuming approximately 900-1100 calories from the foods you eat. Unlike the other keto diets, Ideal Protein diet provides adequate amounts of protein to protect you from muscle loss. Ideal Protein diet also provides the recommended daily intake of vitamins and minerals.

On average, you need 2,000 calories each day to meet your body’s needs, and 900 of these calories are going to come from the Ideal Protein diet. The remaining 1,100 calories will come from fat taken from your own fat stores!

There is no problem with a person being on the protocol who has had a history of gout. High uric acid levels are a part of Syndrome X and the program will help them long term. If a patient has a history of gout, it would be prudent for the doctor (MD or DO) to put them on a drug (Allopurinol 300 mgs once a day) for at least the first month of the program. We have only 2 recorded cases that going on the diet may have precipitated a gout flare-up. Therefore, if the docs employ this strategy — it may prevent a dieter “from quitting the program, because of a perceived negative effect” before he or she can get the full benefit of our program. Allopurinol is very inexpensive and is very well tolerated and has a long history of safety and efficacy. I think what may have happened with the 2 noted cases, they were going to have a flare-up anyway (perhaps increasing protein in the diet suddenly, may have aggravated it, or maybe not). In any a case, using Allopurinol as a pre-emptive measure would be prudent, in my opinion.

Lithium and sodium (chemically very similar) affect each other in an inverse manner. That is as you increase your sodium intake your lithium levels will decrease and if you cut down on salt, your lithium levels could creep up. Lithium unfortunately has a “narrow therapeutic index” meaning the blood level has to be “just right”. Too little and there is no benefit to the patient. Too much and it can be very toxic (usually nausea is the first symptom of too high level). The only really good way to monitor this is do a lithium blood level (Quest of Lab Corp routinely do these). Start the dieter on the program and draw a lithium level at about three weeks. Tell he or she to keep track of the salt they are using. If the blood level comes back a little low, tell them to “back off on the salt a tad”. If it comes back a little high, tell them to use more salt. Hopefully it won’t be a big deal, but at least we’re watching things. It is recommended to repeat the test in a month.

During the first TWO WEEKS of the program, the glycogen stores have been depleted and the dieter is consuming only the barest of necessary carbs for the brain, adrenal medulla, nucleated blood cells and a couple of other cells, that CANNOT use ketonic bodies as a fuel source, they MUST have glucose.

Ideal Protein diet is great for gastric bypass/lap band patients…both for losing weight and to provide a great source of protein in a very small volume of food, Lapbanders will do well with that.

Yes, however we would recommend the dieter get approval from her primary care MD. Estrogen levels can fluctuate and we don’t want to stimulate a hormone receptor positive cancer. A 3rd party clinical study was done on breast cancer survivors that showed this program to be safe and effective. See case studies for details

Patients on Coumadin certainly MAY do the diet, over a couple of months, especially if they supplement with some good Omega-3 oils (i.e. fish oil, cod liver oil) and decreasing their blood sugar via the “protocol”, their dosage of Coumadin can usually be reduced. However certain vegetables (due to their high vitamin K content) can cause certain clotting factors to increase thus necessitating a need for an increased dose of Coumadin (Warfarin). Attached is a list of the “K” content of various foods. Patients should pick the vegetables that have the lowest levels of “K” and it should not pose a problem with the diet.

Good recommendations would be: mushrooms, zucchini, peppers, garlic, only iceberg lettuce, celery, etc. I would advise to keep this list handy and the “docs” can give it to patients who must take Coumadin. Also, there’s a pharmacist’s trick, if necessary, the patient can take a “baby aspirin” per day. This will cause the levels of Coumadin to rise in the blood without increasing the dose of the drug. Note: This should only be done if absolutely necessary and the patient should be advised to watch for signs of bruising.

Many people (medical professionals included) have a wrong idea about “ketosis”. They confuse this with the pathological condition of “ketoacidosis”, which can be a life-threatening condition. Ketosis just refers to the state of metabolism the body is in when it is using fat for the primary energy source, this is how our ancestors survived during times of famine (we live off our fat reserves). It is perfectly normal and healthy.

We all do a little “ketosis” every night when we sleep. As we fast during the night, blood sugar drops. To maintain proper glucose homeostasis, the body does a couple of things:

• The liver can release some glycogen which is converted to glucose
• Some muscle can be catabolized, and glucose can be produced via gluconeogenesis
• Fat cells can release some of their contents (triglycerides) and these can be metabolized in the liver to ketonic bodies (a high energy fuel source) and glucose.

We simply, through the diet, keep the dieter in the state where the body is using its stored energy (fat) for the primary fuel source. We give the MINIMUM adequate amount of high-quality protein only to spare the muscle (remember the body can break down muscle to get glucose and this is what happens in many other diets and is the main reason why deters typically yo-yo. When you lose muscle, your metabolism slows, and you are more likely to regain your weight.

People who are lactose intolerant do not produce the enzyme lactase are therefore cannot digest the sugar lactose (a disaccharide composed of a molecule of galactose and glucose). If they ingest lactose, they typically can get cramps or gas. This is NOT an allergy, so they wouldn’t have a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction.

Our Ideal Protein products that contain whey isolates (most of the drinks) only contain about 0.05% lactose and this small amount usually does not cause any problems with these folks. I would have them avoid the products that contain whole milk protein (the cappuccino, the chocolate drink, the omelet, the crispy cereal, puddings, etc). The other option is to let them try a “small amount” of some of these foods and to see if they in fact do experience any discomfort. They can take one of the many Ideal Protein products for lactose intolerant people that contain lactase (i.e“Dairy-Eze” or “Lactaid”). But most of these folks just opt to avoid the foods containing the whole milk protein.

Yes. We may recommend you modify the intensity over the first 3 weeks to allow your body to adjust to the program. Your coach will add an additional Ideal Protein food for each 40-60 minutes of exercise. They may also recommend you avoid anaerobic exercise as it requires your body to utilize glycogen for fuel and your levels will be insufficient while in ketosis.

While individual results vary, most dieters will average between 2-7 pounds lost per week. Your body composition analysis will reveal the amount of muscle mass you carry and the more muscle mass, the fast the weight loss. This is why it’s so important to maintain your lean mass while on the diet

The required supplements are intended to ensure you receive all of the essential vitamins and minerals to meet the minimum RDA set forth by the ADA. There are other supplements that you may already be taking that seem like a great replacement for the Ideal Protein supplements but they’re not the same. Most vitamin stores sell supplements that contain fillers to extend their shelf life. These fillers affect the absorption rate of the vitamins and as a result can significantly slow down your weight loss. The amount of money you may feel like you’re “saving” can end up costing you more by requiring you to stay on the diet longer to reach your goal.

Most people think of high-fat when they think of a ketogenic diet. Ideal Protein is actually low-fat and high-fat foods are eliminated while on the weight loss phase of the diet. When you consume high-fat foods, your body must burn through those calories BEFORE burning your stored fat. When there is less dietary fat to work through, your body turns right to your fat stores for energy. It’s simple and that’s why fat loss on Ideal Protein is more predictable and quicker than a typical Keto diet.

Yes. People with high blood pressure are often overweight and will benefit from the protocol. However, they will have to be mindful of their salt intake, as prescribed by their physician.

This program is for everyone – whether your goal is to lose 10 pounds or 100 pounds. There is also a two week protocol for people already at their goal weight who want to address cellulite.

• Increases the use of preventive screenings and services
• Improves healthy eating among employees
• Increases physical activity among employees
• Improves stress management among employees
• Improves general health and well-being
• Improves productivity
• Improves the sense of being a team
• Improves morale & attitude
• Decreased absenteeism
• Reduced turnover rate
• Decreased injuries

All employees are eligible for voluntary participation in the weight loss program.

Family members, significant others and friends are eligible to participate per guidelines set by the organization.

Select participants may be required obtain medical clearance from their primary care provider to participate in the Ideal Protein corporate weight loss program.

Corporate Wellness program activities typically take place in appropriate designated spaces on-site. This may include conference rooms and other available indoor and outdoor areas.

Coaching visits may be scheduled for onsite at your workplace, at either our Carlsbad or Solana Beach location or may be held virtually via Zoom, telephone, FaceTime or Skype.

Corporate Wellness program activities may be scheduled as a one-time event, an ongoing employee benefits offering or a combination of thereof.

Coaching visits may be scheduled during the following times:

• Before work
• During work, provided scheduling and workload needs of the company are met
• Between work (lunch and breaks)
• After work

We offer a variety of programs, from lunch & learns, corporate fitness, structured weight loss programs focusing on improving vital health markers, metabolic testing as well as health & wellness coaching.

The Ideal Protein Weight Loss Program is typically offered as an onsite or offsite, structured 8-16-week program. The program may be structured with or without a fitness component. This program consists of activities that include health awareness, lifestyle change, and measurable results. Depending on level of participation and program options selected, the activities in each area may include, but are not limited to:

a) Program Launch/Info Meeting
b) Initial One-on-One Coaching Visit (60 minutes)
c) Weekly One-on-One Coaching Visits (20 minutes)
d) Program Conclusion Celebration

Yes. Ideal Protein is the perfect program for those taking Semaglutides for weight loss. Patients on these medications have great results and are encouraged to maintain hydration, which can be more challenging if the patient experiences nausea or vomiting from these medications.

Ideal protein is the perfect complimentary protocol for those who have reached their goal and do not want to continue taking the medications long-term.

Yes. People with high blood pressure are often overweight and will benefit from the protocol. However, they will have to be mindful of their medication dosing and will be required to monitor their blood pressure twice daily and work with their physician to monitor their prescriptions. Additionally, they may need to monitor salt intake, as prescribed by their physician.

Diabetics have so much to gain from our protocol because regulating glycemia is at the very heart of our method. While we cannot reverse

• Type I Diabetes, we can help those afflicted to lose weight.
• However, our Ideal Protein weight loss method can help reverse Type II Diabetes or, at the very least, diminish the condition’s vulnerabilities.
• People who suffer from hypoglycemia can also follow our weight loss method or our alternative plan.

Still, diabetics need be particularly vigilant on our protocol. In the first few weeks, people suffering from hypoglycemia should not exercise as much as usual in order to facilitate the reeducation of their pancreas and give their body a chance to readjust to its new eating habits. As well, they should stock up on the Ideal Protein Peach Mango drink, in case they find themselves during a low blood sugar crisis, which is predictable in their case. When it happens, they should sit down, breathe deeply and reach for an Ideal Protein Peach Mango drink. It will calm them instantly. They must be confident in the knowledge that their body, more specifically their pancreas, will, in time, soon, readjust itself to function as it was originally intended by nature.

Our protocol is most likely safe but still, we recommend that your physician is consultant prior to beginning. Remember, Ideal Protein foods are real foods, drugfree with no stimulants. Each Ideal Protein envelope is the equivalent, nutritionally, to a chicken breast, a small filet mignon or a filet of fish.

We successfully offer this program to youth over the age of 12. Younger children will require a physician’s release to participate. If a parent wants to replace his child’s unhealthy snacks with healthy foods, including Ideal Protein foods, the parent must ensure that the child understands the reasons why they are being deprived of these foods. If not, the child may react adversely by wanting those unhealthy foods even more than before.

In short, you will be consuming approximately 900-1100 calories from the foods you eat. Unlike the other keto diets, Ideal Protein diet provides adequate amounts of protein to protect you from muscle loss. Ideal Protein diet also provides the recommended daily intake of vitamins and minerals.

On average, you need 2,000 calories each day to meet your body’s needs, and 900 of these calories are going to come from the Ideal Protein diet. The remaining 1,100 calories will come from fat taken from your own fat stores!

There is no problem with a person being on the protocol who has had a history of gout. High uric acid levels are a part of Syndrome X and the program will help them long term. If a patient has a history of gout, it would be prudent for the doctor (MD or DO) to put them on a drug (Allopurinol 300 mgs once a day) for at least the first month of the program. We have only 2 recorded cases that going on the diet may have precipitated a gout flare-up. Therefore, if the docs employ this strategy — it may prevent a dieter “from quitting the program, because of a perceived negative effect” before he or she can get the full benefit of our program. Allopurinol is very inexpensive and is very well tolerated and has a long history of safety and efficacy. I think what may have happened with the 2 noted cases, they were going to have a flare-up anyway (perhaps increasing protein in the diet suddenly, may have aggravated it, or maybe not). In any a case, using Allopurinol as a pre-emptive measure would be prudent, in my opinion.

Lithium and sodium (chemically very similar) affect each other in an inverse manner. That is as you increase your sodium intake your lithium levels will decrease and if you cut down on salt, your lithium levels could creep up. Lithium unfortunately has a “narrow therapeutic index” meaning the blood level has to be “just right”. Too little and there is no benefit to the patient. Too much and it can be very toxic (usually nausea is the first symptom of too high level). The only really good way to monitor this is do a lithium blood level (Quest of Lab Corp routinely do these). Start the dieter on the program and draw a lithium level at about three weeks. Tell he or she to keep track of the salt they are using. If the blood level comes back a little low, tell them to “back off on the salt a tad”. If it comes back a little high, tell them to use more salt. Hopefully it won’t be a big deal, but at least we’re watching things. It is recommended to repeat the test in a month.

During the first TWO WEEKS of the program, the glycogen stores have been depleted and the dieter is consuming only the barest of necessary carbs for the brain, adrenal medulla, nucleated blood cells and a couple of other cells, that CANNOT use ketonic bodies as a fuel source, they MUST have glucose.

Ideal Protein diet is great for gastric bypass/lap band patients…both for losing weight and to provide a great source of protein in a very small volume of food, Lapbanders will do well with that.

Yes, however we would recommend the dieter get approval from her primary care MD. Estrogen levels can fluctuate and we don’t want to stimulate a hormone receptor positive cancer. A 3rd party clinical study was done on breast cancer survivors that showed this program to be safe and effective. See case studies for details

Patients on Coumadin certainly MAY do the diet, over a couple of months, especially if they supplement with some good Omega-3 oils (i.e. fish oil, cod liver oil) and decreasing their blood sugar via the “protocol”, their dosage of Coumadin can usually be reduced. However certain vegetables (due to their high vitamin K content) can cause certain clotting factors to increase thus necessitating a need for an increased dose of Coumadin (Warfarin). Attached is a list of the “K” content of various foods. Patients should pick the vegetables that have the lowest levels of “K” and it should not pose a problem with the diet.

Good recommendations would be: mushrooms, zucchini, peppers, garlic, only iceberg lettuce, celery, etc. I would advise to keep this list handy and the “docs” can give it to patients who must take Coumadin. Also, there’s a pharmacist’s trick, if necessary, the patient can take a “baby aspirin” per day. This will cause the levels of Coumadin to rise in the blood without increasing the dose of the drug. Note: This should only be done if absolutely necessary and the patient should be advised to watch for signs of bruising.

Many people (medical professionals included) have a wrong idea about “ketosis”. They confuse this with the pathological condition of “ketoacidosis”, which can be a life-threatening condition. Ketosis just refers to the state of metabolism the body is in when it is using fat for the primary energy source, this is how our ancestors survived during times of famine (we live off our fat reserves). It is perfectly normal and healthy.

We all do a little “ketosis” every night when we sleep. As we fast during the night, blood sugar drops. To maintain proper glucose homeostasis, the body does a couple of things:

• The liver can release some glycogen which is converted to glucose
• Some muscle can be catabolized, and glucose can be produced via gluconeogenesis
• Fat cells can release some of their contents (triglycerides) and these can be metabolized in the liver to ketonic bodies (a high energy fuel source) and glucose.

We simply, through the diet, keep the dieter in the state where the body is using its stored energy (fat) for the primary fuel source. We give the MINIMUM adequate amount of high-quality protein only to spare the muscle (remember the body can break down muscle to get glucose and this is what happens in many other diets and is the main reason why deters typically yo-yo. When you lose muscle, your metabolism slows, and you are more likely to regain your weight.

People who are lactose intolerant do not produce the enzyme lactase are therefore cannot digest the sugar lactose (a disaccharide composed of a molecule of galactose and glucose). If they ingest lactose, they typically can get cramps or gas. This is NOT an allergy, so they wouldn’t have a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction.

Our Ideal Protein products that contain whey isolates (most of the drinks) only contain about 0.05% lactose and this small amount usually does not cause any problems with these folks. I would have them avoid the products that contain whole milk protein (the cappuccino, the chocolate drink, the omelet, the crispy cereal, puddings, etc). The other option is to let them try a “small amount” of some of these foods and to see if they in fact do experience any discomfort. They can take one of the many Ideal Protein products for lactose intolerant people that contain lactase (i.e“Dairy-Eze” or “Lactaid”). But most of these folks just opt to avoid the foods containing the whole milk protein.

The required supplements are intended to ensure you receive all of the essential vitamins and minerals to meet the minimum RDA set forth by the ADA. There are other supplements that you may already be taking that seem like a great replacement for the Ideal Protein supplements but they’re not the same. Most vitamin stores sell supplements that contain fillers to extend their shelf life. These fillers affect the absorption rate of the vitamins and as a result can significantly slow down your weight loss. The amount of money you may feel like you’re “saving” can end up costing you more by requiring you to stay on the diet longer to reach your goal.

Most people think of high-fat when they think of a ketogenic diet. Ideal Protein is actually low-fat and high-fat foods are eliminated while on the weight loss phase of the diet. When you consume high-fat foods, your body must burn through those calories BEFORE burning your stored fat. When there is less dietary fat to work through, your body turns right to your fat stores for energy. It’s simple and that’s why fat loss on Ideal Protein is more predictable and quicker than a typical Keto diet.