I am on phase 1 and am finding that I am extremely thirsty all the time, wake up dried out in the morning, eyes are dry etc. My first thought was to cut back the salt but I still have the same results. My mouth is dry all the time.

I am finding the shakes and puddings bother my stomach a bit, I think I have a bit of a lactose intolerance from the whey. Are lactose supplements ok? I take rolaids or sometimes a diet ginger ale to settle my stomach.

Lastly I am finding on this diet I am extremely tired at the end of the day and sleep early and like a baby all night. I think my energy is low? Have taken an extra potassium pill but its still an issue. I find when I get up to walk around I get quite dizzy. Any recommendations for the issues I am experiencing? I am quite active, gym, sports etc so I'm not sure what to do but I do feel hungry a lot! thanks.

How many day on IP ?

I started IP two days ago. Do I have to consume all foods that are suggested? I'm finding I can't finish my lunch or dinner because it's just too much. Anybody have that issue?

You do need to consume all of your food. You might try breaking it up into a few more smaller meals thru your day.

If you are on the regular Phase I (not an alternate model) try:

Breakfast Ideal - Protein packet
Mid morning snack - veggies
Lunch - small salad with veggies and a protein packet
Afternoon snack - veggies
Dinner- your choice of :meat, fish, poultry with a small salad and veggies
Late evening snack - protein packet (try for something dense or higher calorie like a chocolate drink, pudding, mango drink, yogurt, jello)

If that is still to much at 1 setting you can try to split the parts of lunch and dinner out again but, you will probably be eating every 2 hours IF you are up a 16 hour day.

I did have some similar problem with not wanting to eat, being too full to eat when I was in a very heavy ketosis. Make sure you are getting in plenty of water AT LEAST 2 liters (64 oz) and up to a gallon a day.

This could be anyone's "guess" so, you should probably talk to your doctor. Do you know if your thyroid is operating as it should? If not ask your doctor about that too. Dizziness can be from a health condition or a nutritional deficiency.

Magnesium and potassium can cause what you are describing. Usually you need more of each to get over this. Also, you probably need more water. This diet does use up a lot of our water and electrolytes making us very dry, thirsty and fatigued. You actually need MORE not less salt... are you taking 1/2 to 1 tsp a day? Having more REAL SEA SALT or a brand called REAL SALT will help the body and you won't retain fluids. It will help with fatigue, headache, and dizziness.

If you are quite active, my guess is you are losing to much fluid and electrolytes and not getting enough calories.

Many of us were told do not exercise on this diet or, if allowed to exercise, keep it to low intensity workouts - things that keep your heart rate in the 60 - 70% category.

Thanks so much Carla! I'll try your suggestions.

Hi everyone I am new to IP and dont know much about foods. I was wondering if anyone knew if we can have polish bigos (hunter's stew)? i know it has tomato paste but other than that its just cabbage, sauercraut and sausage and meat scraps, well ... and some seasonings I guess I feel so guilty bc I had some and now Im worried it will push my weigh loss back by days Please if anyone has any idea about this....help

I was asked to post this here since so many people have questions about the working out deal...so here goes

Here is some useful info...


HEART RATE TRAINING ZONES
The whole point of using different heart rate zones when training is that each training zone has a different effect on your fitness. It is worthwhile taking the time to understand the benefits of training in each zone.

The value of each training zone should not be underestimated and although it may feel strange the first time you do an ergo at 65% (because it doesn't hurt and you're not sweating like a pig), resist the temptation to pull harder and just keep at it, it's on your program for a reason.

The Energy Efficient or Recovery Zone - 60% to 70% (this is where IP suggests you stay)

Much of the benefits from heart rate training involve the body's energy systems and one of these systems is responsible for the long term supply of energy to your working muscles.

Fat is an abundant source of energy for the endurance athlete. Training within this heart rate zone - best accomplished by doing long, slow ergos, (or runs or water-work) - develops the body's ability to feed the working muscles more efficiently.

The other major advantage to training in this zone is weight loss, because you are almost exclusively burning FAT. You will also be allowing your muscles to re-energize with glycogen, which has been expended during those faster paced work-outs.

Underestimate this training zone at your peril.

The Aerobic Zone - 70% to 80%

When you train in this Heart Rate zone, you are training your cardiovascular system. Within this range, the body's ability to transport oxygen to, and carbon dioxide away from, the working muscles can be developed and improved.

As you become fitter and stronger from training in this zone you will get the benefits of some fat burning and improved aerobic capacity. 75% training often feels good.

This zone is also ideal for developing local muscle strength.

The Anaerobic Zone - 80% to 90%

This is the zone in which an enormous amount of benefit can be gained.

Somewhere between 80 and 90%, your individual anaerobic threshold is hiding. Between these heart rates, you use very little fat, instead you start to use glycogen - which is stored in your muscles - as the main source of energy.

Unfortunately, one of the by-products of burning this glycogen, is the rower's worst enemy, Lactic Acid.

There is a point at which the working muscles are producing lactic acid at a faster rate than the body can remove it. The heart rate this happens at, depends on you as an individual but when you do hit this point - known as Anabolic Threshold it will be accompanied by a rapid rise in heart rate and a slowing of your pace - sound familiar?

Through the correct training it is possible to delay the Anabolic Threshold either:
# by increasing the heart rate at which you reach it or
# by increasing your body's ability to deal with the lactic acid for a longer period of time.

The fitter you are the nearer you will be racing to your Anabolic Threshold. But beware, pulling a 1:45 split does not mean you are rowing at your Anabolic Threshold if the training you have been under-going is incorrect.

Assuming you are fit you will be racing at just below, or right on, your AT (depending on the length of the race). Sometimes elite athletes can hold a pace above their AT but for most mere mortals "going off too hard" will only result in you "blowing up" half way through a race - something most of us have experienced at some stage, and it's not pleasant.

The Red Line Zone 90% to 100%

In this zone you will only be able to train for short periods of time. It effectively trains your fast twitch muscle fibers and helps to develop speed.

It is worth being aware that to develop this speed you must first have developed your ability to deal with lactic acid.

This zone is reserved for racing sprints and only the very fit are able to train effectively within the red line zone.

Remember, training very near your maximum HR can be dangerous.

Calculation of Maximum Heart Rate

The easiest and best known method to calculate your maximum heart rate (MHR) is to use the formula

* MHR = 220 - Age
between 60% and 70% of your MHR... is where you are tapping into the fat reserves more.

BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR BIRTH CONTROL.

I tought I should post it here because many Newbies didn't know this information.

Ideal protein diet is really messing up our hormones so when on this diet, you need to use condom AND birth control, not only birth control..

Unfortunately, boredom does set in around the 3 week mark. Also, unfortunately, there is no way to avoid eating the salads and veggies ( at a minimum you need the veggies).

What we can do is try to make veggies more interesting and incorporate them into other meals and at different points in the day. My coach allows me veggies with breakfast, as snacks between lunch and dinner. Also, you can make rhubarb as a dessert.

Make veggies in a variety of ways: saute, grill, steam, roast, bake, boil, broil, pickled or raw are a few options.

Make a variety of salads:

spinach: bacon crumbs (about 1 oz) and 2 hardboiled eggs sliced with fresh slices of red onion, fresh mushroom, some chopped red pepper pieces if you like. Use an italian vinegrette or doctor up a Walden Farms Italian (they have a few types) or use the walden farms bacon ranch dressing (doctor it up by warming it in the skillet you prepared the bacon in, adding a touch of salt, some white pepper, and a dash of garlic)

caesar (use a walden foods caesar dressing or the dressing from our recipes2 thread)

farmers style: mix of romaine and green leaf or butter, sliced grilled chicken, some tomato slices, broccoli, celery, cauliflower, cucumber, mushroom, a few pieces of sweet orange pepper, some slices of yellow squash. It will be a variety of taste color and texture.

IP Friendly Nicoise Salad: chopped romaine hearts, a total of NO MORE than 2 cups for the combination (tomato, green beans, boiled turnip or rutabaga), red onion, homemade marinated or natural mushroom pieces, red onion, tuna, bacon pieces (optional), you can sub cauliflower boiled for the turnip or rutabaga if you want more tomato and green beans. THIS IS AN OCCASIONAL SALAD based on the majority of the ingredients coming from your occasional list. The dressing I would use on it is:
Vinaigrette
1/2 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (use less oil if you can or use sparingly on on the salad. Maybe on the side and fork dip the salad)
1 medium shallot, minced
1 Tbsp minced fresh thyme leaves
2 Tbsp minced fresh basil leaves
2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano leaves
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (annie's organics makes an IP acceptable one)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper


Fiesta Salad: a mix of chopped romaine and iceberg, seasoned taco meat (see recipes thread for a taco seasoning) or use grilled fajita meat, finely chopped cauliflower lightly pan sauted with tomato and onion and some taco seasoning, 1/2 cup (per serving) of black edamame (tastes like black beans), a little finely chopped tomato, some grilled or pan sauted green pepper, onion (DO NOT COOK LONG OR CARMELIZE THE ONION), and mushroom

Asian salad: romaine, cucumber, bean sprouts, red pepper, tomato, snow peas, sea kelp noodles, bok choy or napa cabbage finely shredded, finely chopped green onion, steamed green or red pepper thinly sliced, ****aki mushrooms lightly pan cooked, use a WF asian dressing doctored up or a little sesame oil and soy sauce. You could add terriyaki chicken or shrimp to this to this.

Marinated cucumber and tomatoes


Grilled vegetable salad... any mix of grilled vegtables seasoned with olive oil, salt, peper, italian seasoning and apple cider vinegar or a zero carb red wine vinegar.

Those are just a few ideas to get you started!

For veggies: Have zucchini or kale chips, crispy baked green beans, pickled okra, cucumber or celery slices, raw broccoli/cauliflower/or asparagus ( these last ones can be dipped in a homemade dressing or a doctored up walden farms onion or ranch dip). These are great snack items

For meals: cook turnip greens, southern style mustard or collard or dandelion greens, spinach, broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, roasted veggies,baked cauliflower/broccoli. zucchini, roasted fennel

STUFFED: mushroom, bell pepper, tomato, zucchini, eggplant,

Lettuce wraps

cooked cabbage, sauerkraut, pan seared brussel sprouts or roast brussel sprouts

turnip fries, faux mashed potatoes (use turnip or rutabaga. THIS IS AN OCCASIONAL item and should be looked at in the context of your entire week before you make it... you can't have more than a couple cups total PER WEEK of items with occasional veggies), Faux potato salad (using turnip, rutabaga or cauliflower

Cauliflower rice or couscous (this can be used often during the week)


Doctor up the IP PACKETS:

Add veggies to the fine herb and cheese IP egg packet for a nice breakfast scramble or omelette

Boil some veggies or steam them then mix whole into a soup or puree and blend into an IP soup. It gives the soup more flavor and works in the protein too.

Make your own vegetable broth or chicken broth and then make a homemade vegetable soup.


Hopefully this gives you some ideas to work with.

Most of the recipes I read used the following list of ingredients. The authors created the recipe more or less to taste but, based on 1cup of mayo and 1/2 cup of a milk/buttermilk/sour cream.

I suggest experimenting with the list below, some quantities are suggested but that is all they are... suggestions.

1 tsp lemon juice or vinegar (white or apple cider) adds tang
1 tsp or 1 packet of sweetener (if you like it sweeter not necessary for most)
½ to 1 tsp chive, use more if fresh chopped
½ to 2tsp parsley, use more if fresh chopped
½ tsp dill use more to taste if going fresh
1/8tsp onion powder
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp salt more or less to taste
1/8 tsp pepper adds some bite… you could substitute cayenne or white pepper
1/8 tsp paprika can add sweet, smoky or heat to mixture depending on what you choose
¼ tsp mustard powder adds a sharpness

for 1cup Walden Food ranch dressing as the mixing base
If made from scratch you would add the above ingredients to 1cup may and ½ cup sour cream or low fat milk or low fat buttermilk


You could try ordering the walden food products online via netrition. I think they are a flat 5.00usd shipping fee.

http://www6.netrition.com/cgi/prices.cgi?manu_id=394

You might want to get your thyroid check, it's just a simple blood test. I take thyroid meds and when my levels are off I see hair loss. Just adjusting the med's corrects this.

Good Luck

I make the WF ranch taste better by adding 1 packet of splenda to about 1/2 cup of dressing, adding some dried dill weed and dried parsley (to taste), and just a touch of French's mustard (not too much). I guess it robs it a bit of its ranch flavor to add the mustard, but let's face it. WF Ranch isn't exactly Hidden Valley.

About two weeks ago, I made some homemade ranch using skim milk and WF mayo, and a combination of parsley, dill, onion & garlic powder, and a bit of black pepper and sea salt. It's pretty tasty. There are numerous ranch dressing recipes on the web that will give you an idea of what to use and suit your taste. I don't mind using my 1 oz. of skim milk in the dressing since I'm not much of a coffee drinker. I like it better than the bottled WF Ranch.

My Doc told me that as you lose fat and body mass it takes a while for your blood volume to catch up (that is, decrease) so when you get up to walk around you get a bit of a head rush. He suggested trying to drink a bit more water and make sure I'm getting enough salt. I was already drinking a lot of water (about 96 oz.), but adding another 16 oz. and being careful to get enough salt have helped.

As far as feeling hungry, I've found that somedays I'm fine between lunch and dinner, and somedays I really get hungry mid-afternoon (depending usually on whether I've been to the gym that day). On those days I add an another packet (usually a drink or the jelly) and more water and the hunger disappears.

Meetchella, you should look into the enzymes that IP carries, or get your own at a local shop. I got mine at Whole Foods. It really helps with the digestion of the packets. You take 1-2 before your packet and it should help with the upset stomach.