evemomma - I'm actually allergic to Tylenol, haha! I'm allergic to life (and beer!). I have a chronic pain condition (that's MUCH improved now) but I was on a pain management schedule of ibuprofen every 4 hours for awhile, so it's my go-to pain reliever. I've tried Aleeve but it has absolutely zero effect on me, not sure why?

You might want to try the IP Alternative Plan (the one for diabetics). This plan is just like the regular IP plan, EXCEPT, you add 1 serving each of bread, fruit, and dairy per day. I had headaches and low energy levels past week 4 on the regular IP plan, and when I switched to the Alternative Plan, I felt a lot better Just some food for thought! Good luck!

karkrazy13, I'm actually doing IP alternatives (started this week) and I'm feeling SO much better! I also cut the rotini out of my daily plan and for whatever reason (gluten? too many carbs?) I'm feeling like my old self, AND the scale is finally moving again. Thanks everyone for all of the advice I received - it really made me look at things and make adjustments.

SO glad to hear you're feeling better!

...and this thread turned into a wealth of information for anyone who starts feeling crummy on IP

To summarize:
- might be water (almost all the time, drink MORE!...but, yes, it's possible to have too much and the "big C" complicates things)
- might be gluten (Liana or Lisa can point you to threads with more info)
- might be soy (Lisa's the go-to here
- might be sucralose or other sugar substitutes
- might be a medication overuse headache (evemomma has experience with this one)
- and you might consider switching to the alternative P1 plan (and darthkitten is now an expert on this

Great summary, sarajoyus! I wonder if we should change the title of the post to "Feeling crappy on IP" - ha! I have a couple friends who are doing IP ahead of me and they both had weeks where they felt pretty crappy, too - so I know others struggle with it on this diet. I tried every suggestion - half of which I don't think I would've come up with on my own - and for someone who doesn't have a supportive coach, the advice here is invaluable.

I simply want to say, that your Princess Leia kitty makes me smile every time, Darthkitten. Thanks for that!

Liana

Haha, canadjineh! Thanks - isn't she the cutest? A photographer did a series of adoptable kittens dressed as fantasy characters not too long ago. I sometimes google the images just to get a giggle on a bad day.

Just to clarify... Are you doing the IP Alternate Phase 1 plan (with a dairy, grain and fruit)? Or doing IP using alternative products that match IP requirements?

Either way, glad you are feeling better!

JLUS - it did sound confusing, didn't it? I'm doing the regular IP protocol but using alternative products (so no dairy/grain/fruit). I'm actually thinking about living a predominantly grain-free lifestyle when I hit my goal weight and just ordered a new grain-free & paleo cookbook!