I am absolutely STARVING this week - 1/2 an hour after I eat I am shaking and my stomach is growling and I feel like passing out. I'm forcing myself to go 2 hours between meals - what choice do I have anyway - and I'm shaking from hunger.

Everything is EXACTLY the same as last week. I'd say this week I'm hungrier than Week 1.

And I have those ketosis strips and I keep showing only trace amounts of keytones.

Anyone else go through this at some point?

It's so funny how coaches are different - mine told me no gum or mints are allowed of any kind - the same one that told me no colored sweet peppers besides green - or enteric coated Advil. I understand the peppers are OK, and I think the Advil is too - on the rare occasion I need to take one.

I don't trust the strips 100%, honestly! But since I'm starving and shaking as well I thought they might be right this time.

I'm just waiting for my housecleaner to leave so I can have my chicken patties!!!!

How do you just eat egg whites? I have no clue. . . . sounds pretty gross - is it?

My coach said no gum either, but I still chew a piece of Extra usually once a day after lunch

I bought a box of egg whites but had no idea what to do with them LOL - I should give that a try. I never really cooked much before getting on this program - it's making me learn to cook - which is a good thing!

Are we allowed an actual whole egg on top of our protein allowance or is it either or - which would explan the egg whites only as a snack.

I just wanted to do gum/mints for the icky ketosis breath.

Make sure you check the carb/sugar content on the gum and mints. Some of the sugar free ones have a couple of grams of carbs and if you have 5 a day, you end up adding 10 carbs total.

If you kind of take apart the IP diet, two of the big reasons it works so well are 1) that dieters often find it easier to stick to a diet when packaged foods are involved, and 2) low-carb diets are generally pretty effective (although often hard to stick to for a long time.)

Unlike the Atkins diet, the IP diet is (to my understanding, at least) both low-carb and lower-fat. In practice, this means that you'll lose weight more quickly than with a generic Atkins diet but many people will also find they're a lot hungrier under the IP diet, and more likely to have frequent "stomach trouble" as well.

The strict IPers may flame me for what I'm about to say, but I've lost at least 35 pounds on seven different occasions, so I've earned my stripes enough to say I'm learning to be more concerned with finding something I can live with long-term than just getting the weight off (so I can pack it right back on again.)

My advice would be to add in a little extra fat with your meals. Yes, it's a no-no with IP, but I think you may find your diet much more liveable. A *small* handful of almonds or walnuts, or maybe a 1-oz piece of cheese, possibly even just at the morning meal, may be worth a shot. Also, I don't know how much fiber you're getting, but if it's not a lot then even a small fiber supplement might go a long way.

Just remember: Some diets are very strict, but most of that strictness is to keep people from sabotaging their weight-loss without realizing they're doing it. It's OK to tinker with even a "strict" diet if it means the difference between meeting your goals or missing them.

I wish you luck! I know you'll find a way to make it work, whether it's through experimentation or just pure willpower alone.

Sometimes I'll add a few tablespoons of chopped veggies into a frying pan, sautee, and add the egg whites. Egg scramble! Definitely a good little meal to fill you up.

I had a super hungry week and after a few days of white knuckling, I amped up my lettuce! I ate ALL of my meals on top of a Big Ol Salad (Well, I called it a BAS). My meat, my planned veggies, everything went on top of a big bed of lettuce. It helped.
Now, if I have a hungry few hours, a BAS is in the works for the next meal (and those chicken patties work really good on a bed of lettuce, too, along WITH your other planned veggies).

And wuv is right about the salt. You shouldn't be shaking or light headed. Are you getting all your salt AND fat?

They're actually good. You can mix some spices and veggies in with them too.

Fried egg whites are definitely a comfort thing for me. Sometimes, you just need a good fried egg with salt and pepper.