Hang in there you can do it. I don't even like Pizza but I went home for luch today and checked the mail, there were flyers for pizza in our box and I started looking at all the specials and thinking to myself Gosh that sounds so good.
Dig deep for your motivation. You can do it.

Has anyone else realized that they are bruising really easy. I seem to wake up since starting this diet with bruises that I have no idea where they came from. I looked in the mirror this morning and have a huge bruise on my thigh with no recolection of how I could have gotten it. Weird. Also for those of you who are Ketostick (ers) I have been using them for a few weeks now and I can be in Ketosis in the am and by afternoon it shows nothing. Why? I am having choc pudding and spinich for lunch every day, why the change? if anyone knows please share.

OK - SandraB, SylvieG and me!! (sounds like a song...doesn't it??) We are struggling. I told myself last night that I need to put my "big girl panties" back on...and finish this thing up!! I think we need to think of the time we have put into IP (the money we have spent)...and do we want that to go to waste?

So - I had my dr. appt today....3 month checkup. Won't bore you with the medical stuff, but I did ask some questions about IP. Let's see....

1)I told her I couldn't afford the diet anymore....that I had ordered Lindora. Her response was that she would like to see the package from Lindora. The thing she liked about IP was that the ingredients were pure...not a lot of artificial ingredients or preservatives (I think SuperSweet addressed this on the other forum).

2) I told her that some of "the gals" are doing the alternate plan. She said the alternate plan was for diabetics...not non-diabetics. BUI - she did say she would try to work something up where I can add food instead of products (see, I KNEW she wouldn't throw me by the wayside)...she mentioned tuna fish and eggs.

3) I mentioned that my feet and hands were always cold and that others had complained of this also...and that my dr. in Cleveland had checked my circulation and that it was okay. She suggested warm drinks (I don't drink many warm drinks)...spicy food (like salsa)...anything to raise the thermogetics (is that the right word??). She also ran a thyroid test to see if my synthyroid is working.....

4) I asked her what I could eat (using my hands)...and she suggested soynuts while watching t.v. (yeah, she said NO to popcorn...).. I don't have to buy them at her office....just soynuts period. She said the carbs were negligable....

5) I told her I have been "going" ever since I started eating sugarfree chocolate covered almonds or peanuts before bed. I go every day. She thought it was the nuts...rather than the chocolate....and perhaps I could have a few plain almonds at bed.

Basically, she wants me to buckle down and finish what I started and have 2 weeks on maintenace before I leave for St. John on March 26th. She wants me to succeed so bad....and you all want me to succeed...and I want you all to succeed!

Ogdog - did you eat the pizza? A pizza shop near me makes the most amazing "Rueben" pizza for one month a year. It has a sauce, corned beef,saurkraut and cheese...and did I mention....Only from Feb.17 to March 17th (St Patricks Day). I think I could probably pass up regular pizza right now....but knowing that Rueben Pizza is coming out in 14 days....oh geez!

SandraB - I haven't been below 153 since Dec.15th (when I went off IP)...so I know what you are saying. I also don't want to use IP just to maintain...too expensive. So - ok...we need to do something here. Why waste the money we have already spent and NOT see it to the finish? (OK - I sound really big and brave today....what happens when the muscle cramps start and I quit going to the bathroom....again??). I am going to try my drs. ideas, too.,,,and that is why I shared them!!

Wouldn't Lane Bryant (the store) have bras in there? Maybe I should go there! Size G, huh? My niece is a Size G. Here I am complaining about DD! (but the thing of it is....I don't want big boobs now! I wanted them in my
20's and 30's. I was a 32A when I started dispatching in 1975...they couldn't even find a police shirt that fit me !!)

The Clarisonic is a cleansing brush....based on the Sonic toothbrushes. I think the bristles rotate something like 400 times a minute (or was that a second??). I'll bet if you go to qvc.com, there is a video on it....

I had my facial today....and decided something (altho haven't worked out how I am going to do it financially). My beautician massages arms, hands, shoulders and neck while different lotions are doing "their thing." Ya know...it was the most relaxed I have been since the middle of December. Maybe we should try a massage once inawhile to take down our stress levels. I LOVE massages, but they always seem like a luxury-item so I get about 2-3 a year. I NEED something to take down the stress level....and it might help with my chronic headaches too.....(now I just have to figure out HOW to do it).

I better go make some dinner and drink more water!!

I have a comment and then a question for our pharmacist - elishatamar......
Someone mentioned not finding the high mg of potassium that are listed on the IP bottle of potassium-calcium. (800mg) So in looking for a replacement myself I noticed that most of the bottles list the amount as "99mg (from 595mg of potassium gluconate)" Is it possible that the 800mg on the IP bottle is the before amount (as in the 595mg above)? So taking two of the potassium I bought would be almost 1200mg? How much is too much potassium? I was reading about side effects, etc. (never good)

I also realize that there are a ton of different types of potassium - gluconate, bicarbonate, chloride, etc. and that it is just a matter of what the potassium molecule is bound to to get into our systems. (right?) Do you think one is a better source than others. The bicarbonate is supposed to help decrease our acidity too, right? So if taking "gluconate" should i take some baking soda too?

thoughts?

Thanks!!!

I hear all of you with the frustrations of the sagging skin etc. Isn't it funny how we could care less about those things at a higher weight and now that we care more about our appearance, these things bug us? I am using a face firming serum as well as a body sculpture creme to help with the dimples. Anyone wanting to know more, I will send you a link. Both are very popular in Puerto Rico where women really pamper themselves and strive for perfection.

I didn't eat the pizza. I hate to say this not because of my own will-power but because of y'all!! Thank you! Thank you!! Thank you!!!

Melissa, I've always bruised very easily so I can't help you there. I haven't noticed any more, but I do have bruises (living with 5 big dogs can't help this matter). Vitamin K is good for bruising, not part of our vitamin regimine. Possibly post on the other forum and ask SuperSweet abouth both the bruising and the ketosis, she seems to have a lot of answers.

Sandrab, SylvieG, and Torchlaker. How about we make a pact to go back on Phase I together? Let's jump back on the horse and finish this diet together! We can do it! Let's use the rest of our friends on here as inspiration. Again, WE CAN DO IT!!

Hello everyone, been very busy at work this week so have not had time to post.

I might just join you for a few weeks to get back on track. Some days I find that I am in the "all or nothing mode" and need to find the right way to manage.
I think the biggest problem was not going through all the phases and just going from Phase I to maintenance.

I am going to do Phase I for a couple of weeks (EAS shakes and low carb protein bars) and then go through the other phases to get myself back on track.
I think some of the problem is the not smoking thing, but do not want to gain back what I lost and need to get motivated again. I have not even been exercising on a regular basis so I need to get my act in gear!!! I found out that I am anemic and have to go on iron pills. Hopefully this will help with the lack of energy but will not do anything for the lack of movement that I always have in Phase I. I will have to add some Citrucel twice a day to help with that problem.

Elishtamar: any idea how long it will take to start to feel better from the iron pills? I am going to use SlowFe, slow release tablets. I am assuming that it will take a few weeks.

I know we can all get back into the swing of things!!! We all know it is worth it, but have to buckle down and stay at it like we did in the beginning especially because the warmer weather is on its way and we all want to be able to wear summer dresses, shorts etc, to be able to show off all that we worked for!!!!

It is very hard during the winter months (especially for those of us that live in the cold and dark for months at a time) to find the drive to stick to things, or even to sometimes get out of bed.....or at least I do, but with only 6 weeks of winter left (according to all the critters that saw their shadows earlier this week) we can do this!!!!!!

Got to run!!!! I hate it when work interferes with my chatting!!!!!!

No, when the bottle says 800 mg K, it actually means the K, not the compound. The reason that you can't find high mg K in just your neighborhood vitamin store is that it's assumed you get most of your K in your daily food intake, because 800 mg is a LOT. You know how people can be, if a little is good then a lot must be better, so having something like this on the shelves without supervision can be very dangerous.

As far as which compound is better... I really don't know. Each has its own advantages. For example, take calcium carbonate vs. calcium citrate. Calcium carbonate has a larger percentage of calcium in it, but it's not absorbed as well into your system, so it pretty much equals out on how much you actually get. Your body is very good at maintaining its pH (it has to be), so I wouldn't worry too much about the acidity vs. alkalinity of the supplements.

Ottawa, I wish I could help you with a number on how long it will take to start feeling better, but it will probably be a few weeks. You might want to add more spinach and other high iron foods to your diet in the meantime, because your body assimilates it much more easily when in food form, rather than pill form.

Hi Friends! I almost gave up today! I almost didn't log on to this forum. I was ready to throw in the towel for good! Then I came here to read all your posts and I find I am not the only one that is struggling!

Here's my confession/rant (I need to get it off my chest):

I came back from my 2 week trip to Texas with my suitcases full of new IP products. I sneaked a peak at my scale (the first morning back) and I had gained TWELVE pounds!

I did strict IP for one day, lots of water, plus Miralax and psyllium fiber capsules.

I lost 4 pounds overnight. I started the 2nd day great (yesterday) having an IP shake for breakfast , a big green salad with grilled ahi tuna for lunch, IP soynuts for snack. But by afternoon/evening I had a headache and I "caved in" and had a Wendy's hamburger, french fries and diet cola. Later that same evening (last night) I had more french fries and a beer.

My "excuse" is that I was having a very stressful day. I was taking an all day class with a big test in the afternoon. It is a mandatory recertification for my job as an ER nurse that I take every 2 years. It is Pediatric Advanced Life Support class and we do a big review on how to care for critically ill infants and children. Oh, and if I don't pass it, I can't work as an ER nurse and I will lose my job. Just a little stressful, ey?

Then in the evening I went to a basketball game (San Antonio Spurs vs. Sacramento Kings) with my boyfriend. He was trying to be supportive/keep me from eating the wrong thing but I insisted on the hamburger, fries, more fries and beer. I was soooo hungry and had a headache and I was almost shaking with low blood sugar. And I was so glad to be done with my test and felt like "having a good time" at the game.

As I am writing this, I realize that I had a very unusual day yesterday. I should have "planned" on not doing IP until after my test and after the big game. And there is no way to expect that I could have got back into my IP routine so soon after coming back from vacation.

So as I said above, I almost "gave up" this morning and was going to forget about trying to get back on IP. Then I started thinking I could do the "alternate" IP Phase I just so I could have some friggin' toast this morning (I would have had to go out an buy some bread first LOL).

But I didn't have a list of the alternate food groups so I logged on to the Phases thread and while I was here I came an read all your posts expecting to read how great everyone was doing. Well, some of you are doing great!
But some of you are struggling just like I am.

So I am going to get back on Phase I (again!.) I only have 10 or 15 more pounds to go! What was I thinking? Gain back the 25 pounds that I worked so hard to lose?

No way! So thank you again and again for being here and sharing your successes and struggles.

I am still wearing my size 12 jeans! And yet I feel so fat! My "vacation bloat" is all in my abdomen. It looks like a swallowed a basketball (LOL.)

So anyway, back on IP Phase I. I am not going to try the alternate plan......too tempting with the bread, oatmeal, fruit, cheese choices which were some of my favorite foods before IP. I used to have huge portions of "healthy" oatmeal before IP.

I agree that the winter weather makes it really hard to eat "lightly." In the past I would be baking cornbread, garlic bread and casseroles "to keep the kitchen warm." Oh and big pots of mashed potatoes, spaghetti and chili.

So I guess I have "changed" in that I no longer cook that way. My last grocery list was very short (salad ingredients, vegetables, sliced ham, eggs, chicken breasts, shrimp, chicken wings and olive oil.)

Wow, I feel better now! I am going to go drink a big glass of water.

Torchlaker, SandraB, Ogdog and Ottawa: I'm in! In three weeks and a day from now, I will be heading to Walt Disney World with my husband and 2 sons and would like to loose as much as possible by then! Will try to stick to maintenance while I am there... temptation will sure be high!

As Bob the Builder says: "Can we do it? ... Yes we can!!"

Ogdog - I am in!! Yesterday was a good day...altho the muscle cramps have started....taking more potassium (Elisha -- is it okay to take 3 of those IP ones a day??)

Lilita...I am glad you read the posts and felt differently. I did the same thing this a.m. AND read your post. I realized that I was cheating cuz I was so under stress (well, NOT like your stress...geez, that must have been awful!). I tried to go right back on IP when I got back from Ohio...got the headaches and muscle cramps again...and wasn't 'going' (should we just call this pooping!!)....and then I started adding things in to lessen the "side effects." It just went downhill from there. I am now going to start carrying the bars with me in the car or in my purse...like I did in the beginning. Better to err on the side of a restricted...that to err on the side of french fries, huh?

Oh geez..Ottawa....I hear ya about the iron pills. They bound me up bad years ago (and I wasn't on any kind of diet then....I was actually thin). I just bought some fiber tablets yesterday....I just cannot get drinks down (citracel, metamusil, IP drinks, milkshakes, etc.)....I just need to remember to drink a whole bunch of water (very hard for me...).

So - It looks like nearly all of us are struggling. It does give me comfort to know I am not struggling alone....but I sure wish you all lived closer to me...then we could just bull%$#@ about our troubles. I NEED to stay off the computer and sew some clothes...or pick up the house....or exercise! It is just too easy to sit down and start reading or writing.

So - what were your thoughts about things my doctor said??? I will certainly share what she tells me about using food instead of packets...but right now, I guess I will do the packets - whether it is IP or Lindora (which haven't come yet!!). I also ordered ketostix....never used them before cuz we were pretty sure I was in ketosis...NOW I don't want to wait a week between visits to know. I know once we get into ketosis again, the cravings should subside.

I also think we are all dealing with a lot of stress....and we know stress will hold pounds on our bodies. The thing is....stress (in whatever form) is an everyday thing now in most peoples lives. Maybe we could throw out ideas of things that "work" for us to help us with stress. My first idea -- is to try massage again (for both the stress,headaches and fibromalygia). I am fairly relaxed today from the neck massage yesterday. I also remember having a massage in October at our sewing retreat...and I stayed pretty relaxed for a few days. I wish I could afford massage AND acupuncture both...cuz acupuncture worked well for me, too. The downside to my "idea" - is that I am struggling to just pay for IP. I bought a yoga DVD last year....and watched it....(I guess that doesn't count, huh?). I know a lot of people swear by yoga.

OK -- off the puter and onto things that need to be done. We CAN and WILL do this...and will reach our goals! Remember summer weather!!

About the ketostix......Even though you aren't seeing the color change all day, you are still in ketosis. The amount of water we are drinking is enough to dilute the ketones to where they aren't concentrated enough to register.

Ottowa(I think): I have been anemic all my life. I don't know if you've ever taken iron before, but believe me, it plugs you up big time. You might have to up your laxative intake.

OK, guys, I'm in with you too!!!! Phase I with renewed commitment!!!! Whoever said the thing about us being close to wearing Summer clothes hit a nerve with me. I'm not going to spend this Summer again in loose shirts and long pants. This will be our best Summer yet!