You're welcome! Smart move with the google doc; I use Evernote -- a web. app w/ PC & Mac desktop apps. It's all in sync and I can get to my info anywhere.

I also LOVE evernote and I have an android phone so google docs works as well!

A quick question.. from the info here (and on the bottle) it sounds like it would be safe to have 2 of the IP Potassium / Calcium tablets a day? I ask because I have been having some light headed issues (generally a few seconds after getting up) it passes quickly but still an issue. I had read that Potassium may be a fix for this... any thoughts?, please and thanks..

A fun fact ... that's called orthostatic hypotension.

Are you getting the full recommended amount of sea salt, 1/3 or 1/2 teaspoon/day?
If not, start with that.
If yes, add an additional 1/8 teaspoon for a few days to see

The IP Potassium-Calcium supplements have 3 times more potassium in them than the potassium supplements I've listed. Potassium can only be sold over the counter in amounts up to 99 mg elemental potassium (K); more than that requires a prescription and/or supervision. It's why IP won't sell you the K-Cal supplements without regular coaching appointments and also how some clinics could be setting up themselves and their patients for problems with minimally attentive visits.

Please, please, please do not take more than one of IP's potassium tablets per day without speaking to your coach or a doctor who knows your health status and health history.

Are you getting the full recommended amount of sea salt, 1/3 or 1/2 teaspoon/day?
If not, start with that.
If yes, add an additional 1/8 teaspoon for a few days to see

Please, please, please do not take more than one of IP's potassium tablets per day without speaking to your coach or a doctor who knows your health status and health history.

I thought I was but I just a good look at a 1/2 teaspoon measure and maybe not... I was having 2 pinches with lunch and 2 with dinner and then some in my water some days. I read somewhere about actually measuring it out for the day and getting it in.I think I'll try that and thanks for the extra warning re additional tablets... That's why I asked..

I'm glad you asked -- glad for you, and happy that it gave me a chance to put the warning in for others. I'll add it to the original post.

I have been doing IP for 4 weeks now. Have lost 11 pounds. The past week i have been extremely fatigued, feeling like arms and legs are very heavy. I mentioned it to my coach and was told not to worry that it's likely something going on with me - not the food. Also my hands have been swelling, which is not normal for me. Again she said not to worry. Well I wasn't quite sure of that, so I started looking at the vitamin bottles and comparing labels to my own vitamins. 800 mg of potassium is a very large dose and can be dangerous with one of the side effects being heavy feeling and/or weakness in arms and legs. I believe this high of potassium dose, should be taken under a doctor's supervision. Not sure what i will do at this point. Any ideas or suggestions? Any medical people out there know if 800 mg of potassium is too much?
Thanks

is it ok to take all your supplements in the morning or the evening instead of spacing them out all through the day??

Hello All! I just started the IP diet yesterday and I feel pretty good so far! I am using a coach that doesn't offer the IP vitamins and she told me instead to use theirs.

I was hoping for some guidance here about the vitamins I was given. Does the below look all right to you? Am I missing something or getting too much of something? Many of the vitamins in Pill A) are again in Pill B) ... can I overdose?!

I am to take 2 different types of pills a day and 3 of each type a day. They are as follows:

Pill A)
Biotics Research Corporation
Osteo-B Plus
Serving Size 3 Tablets

Vitamin C 120 mg
Vitamin D 200 IU
Vitamin K 65 mcg
Thiamin (B1) 1.5 mg
Riboflavin (B2) 1.7 mg
Niacin 20 mg
Vitamin B6 2 mg
Folate 400 mcg
Vitamin B12 6 mcg
Biotin 300 mcg
Pantothenic Acid 10mg
Calcium 500 mg
Magnesium 200 mg
Zinc 5 mg
Copper 2 mg
Manganese 5 mg
Purified Chondroitin Sulfates 200 mg
Boron 3 mg
Sugarcane Extract (Saccharum officinarum) (shoot) 30 mg

Other ingredients: Stearic acid (vegetable source), modified cellulose gum & magnesium stearate (vegetable source)

Pill B)
Biotics Research Corporation
Bio-Multi Plus
Serving Size 3 Tablets

Vitamin A 7,500 IU
Vitamin C 100 mg
Vitamin D 400 IU
Vitamin E 30 IU
Vitamin K 35 mcg
Thiamin (b1) 10 mg
Riboflavin (B2) 10 mg
Niacin 20 mg
Vitamin B6 10 mg
Folate 400 mcg
Vitamin B12 10 mcg
Biotin 300 mcg
Pantothenic Acid 25 mg
Calcium 200 mg
Iron 18 mg
Iodine 150 mcg
Magnesium 100 mg
Zinc 15 mg
Selenium 50 mcg
Copper 2 mg
Manganese 2 mg
Chromium 50 mcg
Molybdenum 10 mcg
Potassium 99 mg
Boron 1 mg
Lithium 20 mcg
Rubidium 25 mcg
Vanadium 5 mcg
Citrus bioflavonoids 10 mg
Lysine 30 mg
L-Methionine 30 mg
N-Acetyl-L Cysteine 10 mg
Coenzyme -Q10 1 mg
Superoxide Dismutase 20 mcg
Catalase 20 mcg

Other ingredients: Stearic acid (vegetable source), modified cellulose gum & magnesium stearate (vegetable source) and food glaze

Thank ya'll for any and all help you can give me!!

You can register on idealtogo and they sell the actual IP brand vitamins, or check the alternative thread if you want to get your vitamins. I'm currently researching the potassium bicarbonate thing (I take potassium gluconate 2x per day at 550mg each time, totals 1100mg rather than 800mg bicarbonate), so I'll probably blog my findings, if I have time today.

Thanks Kara!!! I had bought these vitamins before I was able to see all the supplement facts in them, so I was just hoping it contained everything I needed and not too much of what I didn't!

Hi All. This is my first post on this site, but I do it as a precautionary tale about the potassium supplements. I have read all the posts questioning if you can take too much Potassium. And the answer is YES. I did the IP protocol for about 2.5 months (and did lose the 27 pounds I wanted to lose) and complained to my coach for the first 4 weeks that I was always fatigued, a bit lightgheaded and that my muscles hurt when climbing a flight of steps (and I am used to climbing 10 flights at a time just for exercise). At first they told me to take an extra Potassium pill and when that didn't work, they said I was probably dehydrated (but I religiously drank 80-100 oz. of water a day). I was having surgery and happened to need pre-op bloodwork (thank God). The bloodwork revealed high potassium levels (called hyperkalemia). Normal potassium level is 3.9 to 5.2 mg/dl. My normal is roughly 4.7. After a few weeks on IP, my potassium was 6.5. Having a blood potassium level higher than 7.0 can be dangerous and requires immediate medical treatment to prevent heart-related issues. When would I have reached 7.0? Sadly, the symptoms I was experiencing are the exact symptoms of either high or low potassium levels, yet IP coaches were telling me to take more potassium. I stopped the potassium supplement after my 4th week and within 2 weeks, my potassium was back to normal. So, please, learn from my experience - if you are questioning how your body feels, trust your instincts and get bloodwork done to make sure your electrolytes are what they should be while taking these mandatory supplements. I should state that my center mandates that you buy supplements (Multi-vitamin, Potassium and Cal-Mag) from them as part of the program.

I cringe every time I hear of a coach telling a client to take EXTRA potassium.

There IS benefit to taking the IP potassium supplement AS DIRECTED (once per day). IP potassium is in a particular form that is easier on our bodies to absorb, and gentler on our liver and kidneys. There's good science there.

However if a coach ever tells you to take MORE than the recommended dose, your first call should be to your primary care doctor for bloodwork and a MEDICAL recommendation. Too much potassium CAN be dangerous, and IP is a diet that is pretty carefully balanced (high protein diets already put you in a high potassium state) so you should seek qualified medical advice before messing with that balance.

I second this!! It always scares me when coaches tell people to just double the potassium. It almost seems like that is a cure-all if you are feeling fatigued. The negative outcomes it can have are alarming, especially the havoc it can cause to your kidneys as said above.

Thanks for the spreadsheet! It is awesome!