My Success with the Ideal Protein Program

In my last post I shared a Lemon Ginger Detox Drink and mentioned that I would also let you know how I got my body to shed some pounds, so today I’m talking about My Success with the Ideal Protein Program. No new recipe today, but I will share my top 5 recipes on The Foodie Affair’s blog for 2014 in this post!

 

2014 Top Viewed Recipes and Ideal Protein Program - The Foodie Affair

 

I don’t set yearly declarations, although I do motivate myself throughout the year to accomplish professional, personal, and of course blogging goals. Some of my aspirations take longer than a year, so I don’t like to lock myself into a 12 month period. I mention that tidbit because I finally tackled and found answers to a personal goal that I’ve been struggling with for well over a year.…

WEIGHT GAIN

With all the ads that I see daily on weight loss, I know that I am not alone in this battle, but this has been a recent event for me, and more troubling as I approached my 50th birthday back in October.

Raspberry Detox Smoothie the second most viewed post on The Foodie Affair’s site for 2014

 

Raspberry Detox Smoothie - The Foodie Affair

 

I have worn the same size of clothes for decades, but that’s not to say that I have a natural fat burning metabolism.  I have always exercised to keep fit, which has helped me stay healthy and trim.

Four marathons logged on my running shoes, completed a triathlon and participated in dozens of half marathons! I have workout buddies that I can rely on, don’t frequent fast food establishments, and although I love to cook, I keep what goes into my mouth at a reasonable healthy level and I keep my sweet tooth in check too.

In my 20’s I could skip a dinner or lunch and be on track. In my 30’s I exercised more. The calories in/calories out concept worked quite well.

Now on to my my 40’s it began to get more difficult, so I would cut out extra starchy carbs. As I hit my late 40’s NOTHING worked and I was GAINING weight no matter how many miles I ran!

My clothes were snug and I started to feel like a sausage that needed to bust out of its casing. Not pretty or comfortable, especially since I refused to buy larger clothes. I was getting so FRUSTRATED and felt desperate as I searched for answers.

After getting a complete physical and learning that there were no underlying health issues that would contribute to weight gain, yay, good news.

On the other hand, I was not closer to learning why I couldn’t lose weight.

Breakfast Casserole with Soy Chorizo was the third most viewed recipe.

 

Breakfast Casserole - The Foodie Affair

 

I was told several theories like I needed to eat more because my body was in starvation mode. I was also told that I should just accept the weight gain because that’s just life and that’s what happens when you age.

It was also explained to me that there is no magic pill (yes, a doctor actually said that to me)!  I knew none of those answers were acceptable. Its science folks and I had to find what would work for me!

This past year I quit training for marathons and began seeing a personal trainer to help me learn to get comfortable with the weight room at the gym.

True fact, I was getting stronger, but the layer of fat would not budge.  I was so determined for weight training to be my answer; I injured myself by straining my shoulder and messed with my sciatic nerve.

I ended up with a darn cute bubble butt (thank you squats), but still had a chubby gut.

This is exhausting, right?!!

The fourth most viewed recipe were these French Toast Fruit Kabobs 

French Toast Kabobs - The Foodie Affair

 

FINALLY, I met a doctor that introduced me to a four-phased program (Ideal Protein) that consists of eating moderate amounts of protein along with low sugar and low carbohydrate foods.

It’s a very strict and regimented way of eating, and it works!

In addition to the set diet, body measurements are monitored along with muscle mass, BMI, percentage of water weight and other important details besides what the scale reads.

In a nutshell, this program encourages ketosis, which forces your body to use fat for energy instead of carbohydrates.

I started the program the first week in November and shed 15 pounds in 8 weeks, and then I went on vacation and enjoyed the holiday season (yes, I tasted these and these cookies), and maintained my weight loss. I also continued to cook for my family their favorite dishes!

This Emeal Review & Greek Flank Steak Slow Cooker Recipe was The Foodie Affair’s fifth most popular recipe for 2014

 

Greek Flank Steak Crock Pot - The Foodie Affair

 

I still have a lot to learn and have not completely reached my goal, so I will continue with the program, but want to share my story with anyone that may be experiencing the same frustration and offer some encouragement.

Maybe you just need to add exercise to your daily routine like walking or you might be able to cut out soft drinks to see improvement.

Whatever you do, don’t give up on your health goals, keep experimenting and you will find what works best for you.

Ready for the number ONE recipe?? Nacho Cheese Sauce recipe is rivaling my all time most viewed recipe, Shredded BBQ Chicken Crockpot Recipe.

 

Nacho Cheese - The Foodie Affair

Sandra The Foodie Affair Post Signature

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16 Comments

  1. Thank you for your blog post. I read it thinking that you’d be posting recipes you ate while on Ideal Protein. Not a single recipe listed was anything someone on Phase 1 of Ideal Protein could eat. I wish you luck with your weight loss, but this was a just an attempt at boosting your readership numbers for your advertising rates.

    1. Hi John, thanks for taking the time to comment on my site. Are you currently on the Ideal Protein program? If so, then you will know that that program goes hand and hand with pre-packaged food. That is something I can not maintain, so I understand why you are searching for real food to accompany the program. I have since transitioned to low carb “real” foods, which this site has plenty since 2014. Please take time to look at some of my other recipes on my site.

  2. This is a wonderful post Sandra. Thanks so much for sharing your journey. It’s always difficult to lose weight as ‘girls of a certain age’. I always struggle to find a balance and I found that exercise is a key ingredient. It’s nice to know we are not alone. Happy and Healthy New Year!

  3. Thanks for sharing your journey! It’s always so inspiring to read about others stories. Last year I hit the 40 lb. weight loss marker and it felt AMAZING!!! As I’ve gotten busier, it’s been harder to maintain – I’m looking forward to 2015 being another great year and getting back on track! Congrats to you!

    1. Wow, Yvonne, 40 pounds is awesome! Congratulations on your success. I’m going to have to pop over and see if you wrote about your journey on your blog. I love learning how people manage their weight loss goals.

  4. I think it’s great that you found the key to successful weight management for you. I think we are all a bit different in how things work for us. For me, I really don’t do well on diets that exclude any food groups, but do better on plans that work on portion control and calories with added exercise and some weight training. I guess it’s all about finding what works for you, right? This is an inspiring story and thanks for sharing!

    1. Thanks, Renee! Yes, everyone responds differently, which is why it’s so important to not give up if one plan or tweak isn’t working. In my case, I now see that I had to change things up every decade or so. I don’t think you should give up any food group either (including cocktails! – haha). This plan is very strict at first, but you phase into enjoying everything.

  5. Thanks for the inspiration Sandra! Thank you for a deliciously wonderful 2014 and looking forward to many more delicious recipes in 2015! Way to go on staying on track with your high protein/low carb diet.

  6. I totally agree that high protien is the way to lose weight. I always follow a high protien and very low carb diet when working on shedding pounds. I’ll be checking out the link to the protien weight loss method you shared. Very interested in reading it! Thank you for sharing Sandra!