I'm just finishing up day one of my first TO that I think was as unnecessary as it was necessary. I think there are several reasons I was plateaued for a week or so (Lean Cusines for lunch without getiing in extra H2O, week before that time, working outside alot, etc.) but also think it was a good idea that I finally did a TO. After all it's been about 11 weeks. Anyways...

I spaced all of my alotted food out throughout the day so I ate teeny tiny meals all day. I ate half a lite here or there. I even froze my TO juice into popsicles thinking that that may give extra satisfaction. But...

I"M STARVING! My stomach is growling at me to feed it! Is there ANYTHING I can add? I'm extremely prone to migraines and have been fighting a headache all day already. Not to mention the other stuff that I get when I don't eat enough like nausea and dizziness. I told my COD and they couldn't give me any advice. I've been drinking water like mad and am completely water logged. I even drank some diet pop thinking the carbonation may help make me feel full. I've been chewing gum too. Nothing. I need to eat something.

Suggestions? I have this horrible feeling that tomorrow will be worse.

Go ahead and add some more green veggies. A lot of CODs are letting green veggies be unlimited in TO now. Personally, I love cucumber slices with lime juice or lime powder on them. Also, don't forget the power of a hot cup of tea. Hot liquids make your tummy feel full. Good luck!

Are you truely hungry?
Most if not all stomach growling noises are air passing through the intestines etc. :-)
Obviously there's a feeling of hunger, but if you just go by noises you might not be hungry -
Just an idea?

Good point SD... Somtimes is hard to tell if it's hunger, or just gas..

I would also add that a lot of hunger control is mental... Our bodies are accustomed to having a certain amount of food at certain times of the day.. We're slowly but surely changing that through this plan and at first there can be a lot of resistence..

It takes a lot of telling yourself "NO, dammit!!!" We crave our comfort foods and sometimes the will is too weak... But I've found that if I really steel my mind against it, and make good choices, like having some green veggies instead, I feel a whole lot better.. There are two victories there... One will be when you get on the scale, and the other is the feeling of self worth and accomplishment at knowing you CAN resist!!

When I used to do TO I always did it using fruit instead of the juice so if I got to the point of feeling so hungry I was going to faint, I would eat another orange or some more cantaloupe. This never effect my TO results. I even told my COD I did this and they didn’t even reprimand me for doing this!

You're right Dan. In the beginning it's soo much will power and sticking to your guns with eating. Honestly give it a few weeks and you'll feel much better, even after a few days you should.

When I started this I got the worst headaches - no caffine. I was used to a Mt. Dew to start my day off. I haven't touched one in 11 days. Headaches disapeared quickly.
To fix my hunger I had to move around my foods for the day - eat more in the AM & mid day than at night. That seems to help with hunger through out the day.

Since this is about TO - I did the same - split that protein up through out the day and splurge on green veggies if you have to. Green beans are a good filler and low cals - if you do the frozen or fresh. Heck - I tell people all the time to supplement their dogs diet with green beans if they're overweight - cut back food and give green beans if hungry :-) They're almost a "free" food (in moderation :-)

Good luck mgresso, I KNOW you can do this !

I just started TO as part of the COD's July 4th challenge and I'm already hungry. I didn't realize that it wasn't like the first 2 take off days with unlimited protein and green veggies. I'm doing cantaloupe because they were out of the juice which I'm not complaining...I'm not a fan of that juice! Yuck! The contest is for the biggest loser between now and July 4th and the winner gets a free Curves membership and a free massage from a local spa. If I win, I'm giving the prizes to my mom seeing as how she's paying for all this. After my 2 TO days I go into actual food but instead of having a protein and other food for lunch I'm having a slim down shake. Has anyone done these things? Do they work? I hope so cause they were very costly.

I've walked a mile and a half this morning and plan to try again this afternoon if its not too hot and will walk another mile and a half this evening.

I'm still stuck at 189. Kinda stinks but at least I'm not in the 190s again.

Here is my 2 cents worth. First let me say, that my COD has deemed that I am not medically eligible to do either a TO of FF. As much as people talk about how TO is a real part of the LAWL plan, you do not have to do a TO to be successful. For the COD's it is another way for them to make more money selling you their juice. I know many people use fruit or other juice alternatives.

I have lost 32.4 pounds by following the plan. I am confident that I will continue to lose the weight I need to without falling back on a TO. In fact, when I read about the experiences of others, I often think that TO's hurt more than help. By that I mean, people feel so restricted on a TO, that they may make poor food choices just after coming off a TO. As time goes on and a person loses more weight, TO's are less likely to result in any real weight loss.

Good words, Lynn... I think you make a really good point, but I also feel that if done right, a TO helps with flushing the system AND the brain... I find that doing a TO gets me back on track mentally...

But I think you're right that, if misused, they can be counterproductive... I'm as guilty as anyone for using TO as a crutch, to make up for evil ways, post-weekend.

JD... Sounds like your COD is high on the insentives for the challenge.. Pretty cool deal..

Yeah the incentives are great--and I was jumping at a chance to compete. Maybe it'll light a fire under my bootie. Here's hoping that I can lose it and not feel so guilty for buying all the extras that Lynx was talking about.

I agree, I think everyone's body reacts to TO differently. Per the advice of my COD I have stopped doing TO and am now just rotating weeks with Slimdown. One week I use Slim down as a meal replacement and then I eat my regular plan for two days. The next week I eat a modified plan (lower calorie foods), then start over the next week with Slimdown. I will probably do TO in the future, when I really hit a major plateau, but for now this plan is working for me.
My advice is ...listen to your body. We are all so different with different lifestyles. It's taken me a while to get in tune with what works and you will too!

Oh...and when I did do TO my COD said I could eat unlimited veggies off a special list. They were all green veggies like grean beans, lettuce, asparagus, cucumbers etc.