Anyone ever very irritable on IP?
 

I have been on IP for 6 weeks, 100% OP. Last Wednesday I felt like I was going to commit mass murder if anyone irritated me! I even wrote HATE THIS DIET in my journal- take that, IP auditors!!:devil:

So I ate 2 candy bars, Taco John's, and Dairy Queen frozen hot chocolate for supper. I was able to go back 100% OP the next day.

I seriously don't recommend this approach, since that one slip cost me any weight loss for the week, not to mention headaches.

Has anyone else felt like causing extreme mayhem? How did you handle it?

Wk 1: -3.4
Wk 2: -1.8
Wk 3: -4
Wk 4: -1.8
Wk 5: -3.4
Wk 6: 0 :(

I know exactly how you feel! I'm almost four full weeks in and I swear I'm going to snap half the time. :devil:

I was 100% OP until this week - accidentally ate some cheese (didn't notice till it was too late) on Tuesday and had veggies last night that apparently had sugar sprinkled on them (thanks for nothing Outback! :mad:)

I guarantee you my family would say I'm losing it.... my mom who is on the diet seems to be handling herself so much better than I and my poor dad (who I work with) has to deal with me being a total b*tch 90% of time. And my boyfriend... well he just gets to brunt of it at the end of a hard day.

Honestly, I don't handle it well (I snap, yell, pout, etc.) but I just try to remember that if I can make it through, life will be so much easier. I can eat things I want again, and I can wear clothes I'd never been able to before and be proud of how I look. It's not easy but it helps to imagine what I'll do and what I'll wear when its all said and done.

I've also made a countdown (since I decided there was NO way I'd be on this when I go to New Orleans mid July) of how many days I have left. I did it on a small legal pad so that each morning I can tear a page off and see "xx" days left. Granted that's the number of days before phase 2, and I'll still have phase 3 after that, but it gets me to feel better. It makes it easier.

I wish you the best of luck - I know it sucks most of the time but it's for a good cause and the results will be worth it. Just try not to stray from the plan and hopefully it will get easier to cope with the frustration and moods. PLUS think about how expensive it is to cheat! As someone with three student loans and car payment (living at home because I can't afford to move out).... $80 wasted is NOT worth a few good bites of food.

Also, I find coming here and reading people's supportive comments helps :)

I get that way at least twice a week. I get so mad and irritated that I feel like I am going to get divorced. My poor husband is trying to be nice and helpful and keep me on track and I just try to kill him. The other day I said I wanted nachos and he said no (he was driving home from work). I yelled at him, called him every name in the book and then hung up. After a few minutes I went and cooked myself some chicken and veggies, ate like I was supposed to and was fine. Poor man is getting a beating!!

Yeah Me, Me & Me. Today I went to the Goodwill store to find some inbetween sizes while im dropping the weight. I told the lady to hold the items. Of course when I came back I saw one of the customers purchasing a familiar looking shirt that I wanted. Of course by the time I got to the register my clothes were no where to be found. I was so pissed I could have turned up the counter. Well I bee lined out of there before I hit her.

Not at all uncommon. A lot of females on this protocol talk about having major moodiness, consistent with PMS. It can also affect your menstral cycle. They talk about some of this at: http://www.iwlnow.com/?page_id=82 (Pertinent part copied below).

Oh yea! Especially around when it's time to eat! I get moody and no one can say or do anything right. My poor daughter, fiancee, coworkers, friends, parents, etc! My mom tells me I need a drink (think vodka or wine), but I will not give in!

LOL love it! I am sooo glad I am not alone. I will show this thread to my poor husband and children.

Too bad I can't tell this to the old lady I flipped off the other day. I even gave her the "double eagle"; very dangerous, since I was driving at the time...

The 7-week itch.

Sometime after like week 5 or so, some kinda sorta hate this diet. Not everyone. A lot of people sail through this with no issues. But, some of us are more hormonally challenged. I hated this diet weeks 7-10. Seriously. But, then I got back on track. I had to re-boot because the way I was heading I might have slipped and that was not what I wanted. I was very much appreciative of the weight loss and how I was looking, getting into smaller sizes, etc. So, everything was working, what was the problem? I honestly cannot tell you except that it hit some of us really bad.

I had also noticed that this was a time of slip ups for people. Sometime after week 5 or so, people were struggling with will power and many would slip or cheat.

This diet really messes with your hormones and unfortunately that does not stop. I hated the diet when I first started, the first few days. Weeks 7-10 were challenging and just last week I was really angry at it. Unfortunately when this hits, you cannot phase off immediately. I was angry at myself for not phasing off earlier and lost some of my discipline. I felt like I had gone past my expiration date which was not the case, just my PMS laced perception.

It happens. Hang in there. Eat something when the crabbies hit. And often the bewitching hour is late afternoon before dinner. Don't reach for something you will regret. Just eat extra packets. Eat extra restricted if you have to. Do what you need to do to get through but hang in there, check yourself and do what you can to get yourself back on track.

I think we come into this diet with this great energy, dedication and resolve but over time we lose some of that. I found that I had to reboot and it took me a while - a week or two- to get back on track.

Now, I also struggle with MIO. I don't think I do well with Splenda. So that was cut out as part of my reboot and things improved, basically the insane cravings that came with PMS. But, lately because I lost my discipline and won't drink water, I had to add it back. Consequently my cravings are up and my last PMS was dreadful. Yuck.

So, hang in there, it's always temporary and will pass but see it as a test and do what you need to do to get through and feel better and successful. You got this. Remember, you are in the driver's seat, not your mood or a craving. Take back control of the steering wheel.

Well, if you are moody and irritable then that is great! It means the diet is working and burning fat! Lucky us, women store estrogen in our fat cells - as we burn off the fat on this diet during ketosis the estrogen gets released into our bloodstream and we RAGE!!!!

It's a shame to blow the good progress on a cheat, that's $36-$48 down the drain. It takes another 3-4 days to get back into ketosis...3-4 days * 3 packets/day * $4 packet. Next time just remember that you are burning fat and work now to come up with another way to cope with the "estrogen rush".

I don't know how much estrogen I am producing at my age. But, I did have some awful moods at first. I also felt very stressed at times. But, it seems to have lined out after three months.

Thanks so much for the feedback. I sure hope I can keep myself out of jail for the next couple of weeks. It has been a couple of years since I PMS'd, so I just have to keep swimming, right?

It's very timely that this was *bumped* up this morning, given my cranky whining post on the daily chat a few minutes ago. lol
I think I'm right in line with 'Purple's' theory that week 7 s*cks! I hope this blows over quickly, as I really want to achieve my goal!

Lmbo!! Staying out of jail. That is great. I am so glad that school is over in three weeks and I can stay out of the real world all summer! Otherwise I may have to call someone to bail me out of jail!

Emotional for sure. From happy to sad, energetic to exhausted, content to sad. Trying to just feel the emotion and let it go and let the next emotion come.

Stay OP!

Oh-oh.... next week will be Week 7 for me. I'd better beware. :)

The moodier I am, the more I lose. :devil::angel:
Bad news/good news type of thing.
(Though it sure doesn't help when you are in the middle of a mood swing.)

I opened my cabinet today at lunch time, very hungry and said I'm getting sick of this $hit! I'm in week 6. I've also found myself extra hungry lately. I also mowed the lawn, split and stacked some wood. The mower is a rider so not too much exercise from mowing but the rest kicked it up a bit and I over ate a bit, not too bad and all IP and one of my three approved alternatives. Still made me angry. I wanted to make two packets of broccoli cheese soup. Mixed in one packet and the second packet I pulled from the box was veggie chilli, so the soup was okay with double the water and I had the chili too after the soup. My coach told me week two to have 5 packets a day and up to 7 if I needed them so I feel like I did okay. Remember I am probably much heavier than lots of you when you're thinking about the 5 packs and alternatives.

Checking in here makes me feel better too.

On a side note the hungry I am feeling now is nowhere close to the hunger I used to feel and I know my blood sugar level is much steadier now than ever.

You are doing GREAT usmcvet! I was struggling with severe hunger last week too. I mentioned it to my coach today, and she made some changes in my diet. She was upset that I did not e-mail her during the week. She reminded me that this is not a starvation plan. She looked at my journal and we discussed my job(teaching very active 1st graders) and she said that I was not taking in enough calories for the amount of calories I was burning. If you are hungry to the point of being uncomfortable and anxious, you need to talk to your coach. Your activities were strenuous...big time!!! Perhaps you need a plan for when you do overexert. Keep up the great work!

Thanks NewPath. I love teachers. :hug: You have a very important job. My kids have always had great teachers. I am only 193 pounds from goal :o:dizzy:

Oh just remembered my snap out this morning. Even before IP I've been struggling to get my kids to eat better. This morning my wife asked the kids what they wanted for breakfast. They all wanted a bagel, okay but then they wanted cinnamon and sugar. Part of me was jealous and part of me was really upset at the crappy choices. They ended up having scrambled eggs and milk.

I remember weeks 7-10. Very emotional time, but it does get better, so hang in there everyone.... you can get through this !!!

So I always comment on when women are crabby its probably our stored estrogen being released but usmcvet reminds me that when a man is truly hungry...The Hulk is unleashed! My hubby is the nicest, most laid back guy - but do not, I repeat DO NOT let him skip a meal!

LizRR- You commented on my post on Monday, when I began to go "postal" on everyone and everything...without warning, followed by the "moods". Your reassurance really helped me to plow through the grouchiness knowing that it is part of the process....certainly not a show stopper. Thank you for your devotion and dedication to all.:carrot:

Holy wow!! That happened to me last summer, but I still never got back on track 100% (and it showed). I gained everything back.

Buahahaaaa.. i thought it was just me for a while! I was so sick and tired of reading all these happy posts i thought i was going to push grandma infront of the bus! My poor poor fiance and son.. they have had to deal with me and my mood. I started video journaling just to cope.. OMG it was bad. I almost even went to the Dr. to get on anti-depressants. But just out of now where my mom changed to the positive about a week ago. IDK what it is.. the mondane of the diet and the lack of light at the end of the tunnel or what... but i hear ya... i woulda coulda cut anyone that looked at me wrong! Especially when its about 30 min before it's time to eat.. o H no.. DO NOT stand in between me and the kitchen ... I will mess you up! I think it is the hormones but DANG! Feeling better now you are not alone! Your misery has company! lol Hang in there!