Thank you! I am heading to pharmacy tomorrow to pick up some pills and I'll check it there. Also, I don't measure my salt, just use it with everything. I have been back to working out since saturday. I'll actually go have some salt now.

I was having the same issues with feeling dizzy. My coach recommended that I take in more than the half tsp of salt and it has worked. My blood pressure is much closer to normal and I have more energy. It sounds like, from what I have read here, that the longer period is normal. Mine starts with 2-3 days of spotting and then goes into a full-blown period for 6-7 days. That is much longer than I used to experience. My coach said it is something about the amount of estrogen stored in fat, though I'm not sure of the exact details.
Have a great Wednesday everyone!

Thank you! My mom is wonderful and I can't imagine not having her around, she is my everything buddy. She is my rock, so as the saying goes, turnabout is fair play.

Don't you love the smileys? You did a nice job incorporating them throughout your post, how fun!

At times vanity gets ahold of us all, but feeling better is so much more important to me than how I look. Glad you found us, welcome! Keep up the good job on your weight loss!



CW...So happy for you! Can't wait to hear how it went! BOOO TOM!! (don't let it spoil this special time!!)

I am having a frustrating day!! Not sure quite what was going on today but I have had cravings allllll day! I lost total control tonight and ate a bag of micro popcorn, talk about carb overload. OMG!! I am so mad at myself that was just not worth it at all. Not sure what I am missing but This is the first time that I have had such intense cravings and I have been scrounging for food. Im going to try to start over fresh tommorow and just get back on track!! Has anyone else gone thru this??? I feel severe guilt. Im dreading standing on the scale at my saturday WI! Uggghhh!!

I was there 2 saturday's ago when i had a chicken salad sandwitch followed by feta cheese and followed by a cookie. Guilt was so bad that I pretty much didn't sleep all night and I think I might have been in tears; just felt like a total looser and how horrible to actually sabotage myself. Almost went there this past friday but ended up throwing everything out. Right now I am thinking about the cherry garcia icecream in the freezer and oh the dibs too.

and its not starting over, remember you have already gotten rid of most of the stuff from before...your body just needs to get rid of this. workout tomorrow and you'll be in ketosis in a day or 2.

Its o.k, tomorrow is another day...don't beat yourself up BUT stop it now!! I mean it in a nice way...just stop OR you are going to make me walk in the kitchen too . I am going to have a tinny bottle of pellegrino and call it a night.

This was an issue for me 2-3 weeks in... I monitored my blood pressure and it was quite low, so I adjusted my medication. Also increased water and sea salt intake. IP suggests salt in a glass of water to counter dizziness... it should work in about 15 minutes. Be careful of dehydration... remember that if you have coffee, you need to offset each cup with an extra glass of water (which I didn't realize when I first started the diet.)

Also read that the 3 week mark was definitely a period of adjustment for your body... that it was just figuring out that tapping into your stored fat was going to be a long term endeavor and not just keeping you going until the next mammoth hunt...

I'm having a hard time getting in all my water each day. I feel like I'm peeing constantly! Ideally we're supposed to drink 10 glasses a day. How do you guys do it?

Hi, TDM, I only drink 64 oz. a day, the minimum. I fill up a pitcher first thing in the morning and try to drink 16 oz. with each meal or snack. Lately, I've been trying to drink most of it before 6 p.m. so I don't have to get up at night and save just a little to get my supplements down at dinner and bedtime. I make sure the pitcher is empty before I go to bed.

Ladies, I've said it before but it is worth repeating. The IP protocol is shocking your system back into place, hormones included, SO your period is affected as well. PLEASE use extra precaution (i.e. condoms) while on this program because the pill alone is NOT effective enough when doing this. Your periods will be weird for a bit until your body adjusts. USE OTHER MEASURES unless you want an IP baby ;-)

Add more oil to your diet... More omega 3s or a bit more olive oil, flax seed, or Udo's oil... we need it for our brain to feel satiated and work properly.

Are you working out at all? I am going to the gym again and walk on the treadmill for an hour at least and I can down some water then. remember one thing...by the time you feel thirsty you are already dehydrated, so even if you are NOT thirsty have some. Maybe ad some lemon to the water? There is also flavored Stevia if you like (I believe that is allowed)

Penguin - good job on handling the stress of the week in a totally healthy way! Woohoo!!

I've been colder than usual since being on IP. I think my body is burning my fat layers, which kept me insulated. LOL

For those of you who had a slip - it's OK, don't beat yourself up. Can't go back and undo it, so move forward and make today a better day. You can do it!

here's why I think you may be colder...

Have you ever noticed that after eating you would get cold too? Here is why. When you are digesting food all the blood has to flow to your stomach to do it's thing (which by the way is why you should not work out, or swim etc, immediately after eating... what cuts your digestion in that case is that working out makes your blood go to your muscles ...away from processing your food in your tummy)

Anyway, so my thought is your body is sending the blood to melt the fat instead of keeping you warm, because it needs to do that for energy

How do we get the water in?

Well I drink one liter on the way into work, another before lunch, and another before dinner and one more before bed.

I pee ALL day and sometimes feel like I'm swimming.

I made it to the gym again this morning, yay!!! Missed yesterday, but I don't feel too bad as there was no class and I really don't enjoy the gym without the classes. Spin again today, tomorrow is sculpt class and Friday is spin again, I will be there four days this week. Gotta work on the muscle tone now.

Insanity is way to intense of a workout to do while on IP. My doctor doesn't want my heart rate to get up and stay up because this messes up the Ketosis state that you are in. I would either cut the frequency in half of your workouts or modify the moves so that you have plenty of rest time in between moves. I've done Insanity and know that it is High Cardio, you aren't consuming enough calories for that.

I have water bottles that are .5L each and so I make sure I drink at least four of those. Plus I eat ice alot throughout the day. Which also helps when I'm hungry.