Joseph - ITG Diet Wellness Coach and Operations Director

Weight loss is a challenge. And New Year's Resolutions aren't usually fun for very long.

Did you make a 2019 resolution to lose weight, get in shape, change your eating habits, challenging yourself to the max? Now that makes for a double or triple whammy! If you have fallen short of your goals, had a tough time making changes, or just felt lost and confused as to what you should do next, a REBOOT is for you.

In light of the new year and "dieting season," there are many articles and news pieces published every day comparing a typical keto diet to other weight loss plans. On average, about 6,000 articles, documents and reviews are posted daily dealing with health and weight loss. Sifting through all that material on the internet can dig up a lot of information, both educational as well as misguided.

While the ITG Diet Plan does get you into a light state of ketosis, there are differences between ITG and simply eating foods according to a keto lifestyle. A typical keto diet is a way of eating rather than a weight loss plan, allowing many foods that we restrict while on the ITG Diet Plan. 

We know this time of year is full of holiday cheer, and holiday cookies, and holiday cakes, and cocktails... the list goes on! How do you make it through without indulging, or if you are in Step 3, overindulging in those sugary filled little treats?

ITG is ready to help you get to your goal weight in 2019! Have you made a resolution to be happier and healthier? Are you already on the ITG Diet Plan and need to make a resolution to help keep yourself on track to reaching your goals?

So you haven't started a diet plan just yet and are planning to start one in the coming weeks. We know there are many choices out there. In today's world of quick fixes, pills and shots, bad advice posted all over the internet, and crash diets to lose weight as quickly as possible, it may seem like a very tough choice. From my own personal experience, the ITG Diet Plan is the only one with coaches who will actually educate you on how foods are processed in your body and monitor your progress each week. It definitely was the only diet that really worked for me and allowed me to keep those extra pounds off!

Throughout the holidays, many of us tend to overindulge on so many different types of foods, especially ones high in calories and carbs. There are also occasions when some of us may stress-eat (sometimes because of those holidays!) When we overdo it and eat too much sugar, we tend to get tired, feel uncomfortably full and bloated, or even disappointed and angry with ourselves for letting those foods get the better of us. But can we gain weight by cheating on our diet in just a single day?

Even those of us with the strongest willpower seem to have periodic lapses in judgement when it comes to indulging in snacks and junk foods. American reliance on these processed foods is a big reason for the obesity epidemic today. It seems scary to realize that we depend on foods with no good nutritional value to get us through everyday life. We then find ourselves craving more and more of those foods just to feel better, even if the feelings only last a short time with the rush of sugar in our systems. Ultimately, these foods affect our health in a negative way. Why is it so hard to give up junk food and fight the urge of salty and sugary cravings?

If you’re like one of many people we speak to each day who wants to start the ITG Diet Plan, but you exercise quite frequently and are worried about your routine, then this information is for you!

The ITG Diet Plan is a low-calorie diet. When you exercise vigorously, your body requires many more calories than the plan provides you with. The calories from ITG Foods, combined with whole foods from the store, falls into a range which is perfect for losing weight and maintaining muscle mass. However, while on the plan, exercise can change the way your body processes foods as it adjusts to lower levels of sugar and converts to using your stored body fat for energy.

Summer is right around the corner... and with the beautiful weather comes lots of great summer parties! Cookouts and barbecues, and even birthdays and graduations, revolve around eating, drinking and socializing. Many people enjoy an opportunity to make that great new recipe they found and use these parties as an excuse to try them out. When you show up at a party for 20 people, there is usually enough food to feed an army!

You're faced with all these delicious dishes that you never get to eat, because you are on a diet. What will you do? ITG is here to give you some tips that will help you stick to your diet and survive those summer parties!

Cauliflower has been gaining quite a following recently! A couple years ago when I was on the ITG Diet Plan, my cravings for pizza and rice were satisfied with the substitution of cauliflower. I began buying heads of cauliflower to try recipes in the ITG Recipe Section: Cauliflower Flat Bread Pizza, Cauliflower Fried Rice, and Buffalo Cauliflower, among others. I still to this day use this versatile veggie long after I reached my goal weight, especially since I never felt weighed down or "puffy" after eating several cups of it, which tends to happen with regular rice and dough!

Ready to take some time off of work and enjoy some fun in the sun? Planning an excursion across the globe to visit exciting new places? ITG is here to help no matter what Step of the plan you're on!

Remember that just because you're going on vacation, you don't have to sacrifice your diet. ITG Foods are travel friendly and can be packed in your suitcase or carry-on bag when flying. If you are driving, even better! Bring along those ITG Foods and fill a cooler with ice packs and lots of veggies and pre-cooked lean proteins for snacks and meals on the way.

Are you new to ITG? Feeling extra hungry in the first few weeks? Have you been on the program for a while and have a rough few days of cravings here and there? Whether you're on Step 1, 2 or 3 of the ITG Diet, have no fear - we're here to help you stick to your plan and reach your health and weight loss goals and stay there! We have tons of helpful tips and tricks to help you beat those hunger pangs that seem to come with weight loss territory. You definitely should not have to starve in order to lose weight, so read on to learn more about creating your very own ITG Survival Kit. Help rid yourself of those hunger pangs and stay successful on your plan to reach your goals quickly and efficiently!

Everyone these days seems to be so busy between careers, school, kids, and so many other things. One of the problems I usually faced as so many others do is that I sacrificed my diet for convenience of ready to eat foods from the store, fast food dining and restaurants. Even when I cooked for myself, I used items chock full of carbs and unhealthy ingredients instead of sticking with the basics. How could I pull off cooking for myself when I started the ITG Diet so that it would be easy for me to stick with?

You're starting the ITG Diet, or have been on it for a few weeks. You're learning something new about foods, nutrition, and how your body reacts to the foods you eat by gaining, maintaining, or losing weight. You can really feel when you have a bad day, and you know when you're doing well because the clothes get looser and your energy levels increase.

There are many tips and tricks that we teach during the initial consultation for new ITG dieters. Some may become new habits for life, and others will be helpful ways to combat hunger, help you stop yourself from overeating, and general tips to stay successful while on all Steps of the ITG Diet Plan.

I’ve always had a problem with mindless eating. Whether I was driving for work, watching television at night, or sitting in front of a computer, I always had to have something to snack on. Most of the time – no, scratch that – ALL of the time, those snacks were full of carbs and sugar. It was really easy for me to stop at a gas station or a fast food joint and grab a couple bags of chips, candy, fries, or a milkshake at least once or twice a day. I never thought that I was overdoing it in the snacking department, because I was always extremely hungry whenever it came to mealtimes! Without keeping track of what I ate, I got into a bad habit of not even knowing what I was putting into my system.

Have you hit a plateau in your weight loss? Do you feel like you’re doing everything right to lose weight and it’s just not working? At ITG, occasionally some of our dieters will have a rough week. They know when they’ve cheated with the carbs, but if they’re not cheating, the typical problem is usually they’re not drinking enough water. The coaches here at ITG Diet always tell our dieters, “Water, water, water!” If you are experiencing times when your weight doesn’t seem to budge, make sure you look at your water intake and increase it as necessary depending on activity level and even during hotter weather.

Did you happen to watch Super Bowl LI? Did you stick around for halftime? Lady Gaga put on a great show, jumping off the stadium roof, dancing, changing costumes... all while singing live in front of millions. She trained for months to be able to put on this 15 minute non-stop spectacle. And then on Monday, the stories about her body started coming in... 

The holidays are upon us once again, and ‘tis the season to enjoy spending time with family and friends. There are work parties, family parties, school parties, and so much more going on throughout the month to keep track of. The problem with the holiday parties? Keeping track of all the food you may eat along the way. How can you make sure that the overabundant temptations of candy, cakes, snacks, and wine at each get together won’t derail your diet?

We’ve seen it time and again: men put on a few extra pounds, and whenever they feel like it, they lose them just as fast. Sometimes, they barely have to be motivated to drop the pounds or even seem like they’re trying. Women, on the other hand, tend to take more time and have a slower rate of weight loss than the opposite sex. There are few reasons why men lose weight much faster than women.

So you’re making the trek to visit family and friends soon? Going on a business trip? Starting to have hunger pangs? It’s a familiar scene in any travel situation: you’re waiting for your connecting flight in an airport near the snack stand, or sitting in a car for hours looking for the next rest stop to grab something, anything, to eat. You’ve been doing very well on your diet over the past couple months, up until now. Traveling makes many of us crave snack foods; it takes us back to driving cross-country for vacation with the parents and siblings, eating an assortment of chips, cookies, candy and soda. The snacks help to pass the time and give us something to do with our hands during a long trip. Whether you’ll be taking a car, plane, bus or a train, there are many temptations to be avoided in order to stay on track with your diet. Keep yourself happy and healthy by following some of these travel tips.

Have you noticed the size of dinner plates at restaurants or even in your home these days? If you happen to have a set of china passed down from a grandmother, take a look at the plate sizes. They have drastically gotten bigger over the years! Obesity didn’t seem to be such a problem back when your grandmother was cooking healthy, home-made meals for the family. The American obesity problem stems from eating the wrong foods in large quantities…on big dinner plates. Here are some tips to help lose weight by making some simple changes in the way you eat your meals.