Joseph - ITG Operations Director

It happens to all of us. Whether we see it coming or not, it can creep up quickly. You look back over the past week, the past month, or maybe even the whole year and you realize you've been going back to old eating habits. When eating gets out of control and you no longer seem to care about what goes in your mouth. Clothes are getting tight. You have no energy.

You have finally hit that point when you realize it: You have fallen off the diet wagon.

Sometimes it seems that there just isn’t enough time at the end of the day to sit down and enjoy a healthy, home-cooked meal. There’s the planning, shopping, prepping, and cooking – all of that can end up taking a lot of time to accomplish. If you’ve got a busy schedule and can’t always find the time to cook a healthy meal, you may have turned to a meal delivery service, or ordered take-out from a restaurant. You’re trying to stick with healthy choices but are these options going to help, or hurt, your progress?

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!

We've heard about people using intermittent fasting to lose weight. We've also heard of starvation crash diets to lose weight. While some of these methods may produce short-term results, they don't last very long and aren't sustainable forever. When you're on the ITG Diet, your body is using fat as its main fuel throughout the day, rather than lots of sugar and carbohydrates. What happens if you start to skip meals?

Exercise is important when maintaining a healthy weight, especially in Step 3 of the ITG Diet. But what about exercise when you're trying to lose weight in Step 1?

There are a lot of opinions out there about how important exercise is, or is not, when trying to lose weight. It's not as simple as calories in versus calories out though. When you're in ketosis, intense exercise can have a detrimental effect on your weight loss progress and how your body ultimately burns off fats and carbs. It's important to understand why too much intense exercise can slow down your progress.

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.

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!

If you're working on reaching your goal weight quickly and efficiently using the ITG Diet Plan, you may have been learning the importance of understanding nutrition labels and how to decipher them. Over the years I've spent coaching the program, I certainly have learned a lot about labels myself. Remember, years ago, we were taught how bad fat was for us? "Fat will make you fat!" Starting in the 1980s and continuing throughout the 1990s, "reduced fat" and fat-free foods gained their foothold in our lives. The low-fat diet was born. However, looking back now we can start to see that fat isn't quite as bad for us compared to what was being pumping into these foods to add flavor without that fat: sugar and salt.

It's something we all look forward to... the day finally arrives, and congratulations! You are in Step 3 of the ITG Diet Plan, Maintenance!

If you've made it to Step 3, kudos to you for reaching your health and weight loss goals! Now, let the fun begin. Step 3 allows one Reward Day a week when you can, within reason, eat whatever you've been looking forward to all week long.

What fun foods have you been looking forward to on your Reward Day?

If you're like me and many other people, pizza might be up there on the list of priorities. However, normal pizza shop and even frozen pizzas from the store are extremely high in carbs, sodium and fat. They have very little dietary fiber.

Weight loss is a challenge. Living a healthy lifestyle and developing new habits can be really tough. And New Year's Resolutions aren't usually fun for very long. Last year is now in the past, so let's look forward to the future and reach those goals this year!

Did you make a 2022 resolution to lose weight, get in shape, and change your eating habits, challenging yourself to the max? If you have fallen short of your goals, had a tough time making changes, or just felt like you're at a standstill, a REBOOT is for you.

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.

Ready to reach your goal weight in the new year? ITG is here to help you get there in 2022! Many of us have gained weight this past year due to Covid-19, being at home more often, and turning to unhealthy foods and drinks during bouts of stress eating. Have you made a resolution to be happier and healthier next year? 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!

Are you ready to survive Halloween? Are you passing out candy, or taking the little ones Trick 'r Treating?

This is the first year decorating my house for Halloween AND the first time I've bought a massive bag of candy to pass out. As I was choosing what to buy for the kids, I thought of how I was going to make sure I wouldn't eat any of it before the big day.

Here are some of my tips to help you make it through the holiday and still have fun passing out candy!

Proteins are the building blocks of the body. They are broken down into many forms of amino acids and directed to areas that protein is needed. Your hair, skin, muscles…almost every part of your body needs different proteins to grow, repair and replenish. Many diets to lose weight cut back on fat, calories and much more in an effort to drop the pounds. The ITG Diet is all about lowering your carb intake and upping your high quality protein intake. But do you know the reasons why protein works when it comes to weight loss?

You're starting the ITG Diet, or have been on it for a little while. 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.

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?

Back in the days before I lost my weight and changed my habits with ITG, I wasn't a big believer in using supplements as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle. Rightfully so, as I had done a lot of research on the quality of over-the-counter supplements in vitamin shops and drugstores. Since supplements aren't regulated by the FDA, there can be ingredient and quality issues; you aren't always getting what you think. For example, some protein supplements do indeed contain protein, but that protein was absorbed and utilized by animals, and not humans. There are other supplements that have been tested off the shelves and they contain nothing but dried and ground grass and weeds, with no benefit whatsoever to the human body. Other supplements contain nutrients, but not in the levels listed on the bottle. However, when I started with ITG and learned the importance of proper supplementation, good manufacturing practices (GMP), and medical grade quality ingredients, my eyes were opened as to what a good supplement can do for the body. Want to know my favorite supplements? Keep reading!

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.

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?