Revive Reviews: The Ideal Protein Diet

We have been ditching the fad diets all year and when I sat down to write this blog I struggled with what to say that we haven’t already said.  The Ideal Protein diet is really no different than any other fad option out there.  It’s another low carb, low fat, low calorie diet that takes you through 4 phases with the first phases being very restrictive in carbohydrates and gradually adds them back throughout phase 2, 3 and 4.  The concept is to deplete the body of its glycogen stores so that is starts burning fat stores for energy.

While in theory this will work, what they leave out is that you will also be losing water weight and you will decrease your lean muscle mass.  The bottom line is that when you deprive your body of calories it is going to break down muscle and fat for energy.  Then the same ol’ story goes when you reintroduce carbohydrates to your body- water is also taken up by your cells, which increases your overall weight.

The excitement around Ideal Protein is really because it’s the new kid on the block – which makes it intriguing like the new toy we just couldn’t wait to open on Christmas morning; play with for a little while, only to find that it really doesn’t live up to our biggest hopes and dreams.  It’s just another toy and to be honest it really isn’t as fun as good old Lego pieces where you can be creative and create whatever you want with a little imagination and time.

During the diet you will be asked to purchase protein powders, meal replacements, other food products and a bunch of supplements to top off the nutrients you are not getting from your diet

Utilizing meal replacement bars or shakes for one meal per day works for some people and is supported in some research.  While my experience is not documented in any research study, what I have found is that my clients are happy to use the meal replacements for a while, sometimes even months but eventually they get sick of them and don’t want to use them anymore.  This ends up leading us right back to where we started which is working on the building blocks to balanced eating, so that it can be maintained for life (ie. No more diets)

I do want to emphasize there is nothing wrong with a journey of exploration.  We are all humans and we need to learn things in our own way.  Some people learn by listening, others by observing and others by doing.  Regardless of what the experts or evidence says we may not resonate with the message and have to experiment on our own.  One of the first things I tell my clients is that I am not here to judge them but rather help them succeed in achieving their goals.  Ultimately this is your journey in life and if meal replacements are something you wish to try then find a dietitian who is well versed in the area of weight loss and work with him/her to establish a plan that works for you.

Ready to Ditch the Diet for Good?