What a coincidence -I made my 1st smoothie w/lettuce this morning too! And it tasted like.......lettuce I think I got the balance of liquids wrong. I'm going to try the mocha-spinach smoothie from the "Fun with purees" thread next. Hopefully, the coffee will drown out the spinach taste. I am determined to crack veggies in smoothies!

I use lemon to balance out bitterness in tea -you could try that sometime. Apparently salt works to balance bitter flavors as well

how funny! I wish spinach was part of the 'free lettuce' catagory because it's much better than romaine. I'm just trying to get more lettuce in the diet to see if it helps with the big C instead of taking CALM daily and eating Bubbies pickles. Just like the options! Plus, it's been very filling this AM. No tummy rumbling yet!

I used romaine lettuce as a filler as I was getting hungry after my morning workout. It didn't taste nice, but it was indeed filling! My daughter sweetly requested that I NOT put lettuce in her smoothie!




Speaking of working out, I was thrilled when I realized that my Gaiam TV subscription included hundreds of fitness videos as well as incredible selection of yoga videos. For all those who like the Leslie Sansome Walk at Home series, most of them are available thru this site. I like the variety of home workouts & being able to stream to my tablet or thru our Roku. You can get a free 10 day trial if you are interested in trying them out

Today is Day 2. I am doing IP with alternatives. All I can say is HOLY HUNGRY BATMAN!!! I pray this gets easier! It is even harder today than yesterday!

MarylandMom - It DOES get easier..I swear!! Day 2 and 3 were the worst for me! I legit wanted to die on Day 2, I was just miserable. Stick it out and don't cave. If you have to, have an extra (non-restricted) packet to get you through. Much on cukes, do whatever, just push through and it will get better. I had to force myself to eat my snack last night...as I do with most nights. I'm just not hungry for it, I just eat it because I'm supposed to. Not sure if that's good or not..LOL

I just started on March 10, so you aren't far behind me!

Hang in there!

MarylandMom - CarbLover is right. It does get easier by about day 4 or 5. Hang in there & try not to let it get to you. Drink lots of water & munch on lettuce if you have to.

Well, sorry to say it will get worse before it gets better. But it will get better.

I've found (about 12 weeks in now), that I'm not hungry terribly hungry between meals, and for the most part I've gotten away from that "mouth hunger" where I just feel like nibbling without actually being hungry.

However, when it's meal time I am STARVING. My body just wants to be fed at regular times now, and it's pretty insistent. And that's OK, because it fits with the regimen and keeps me on track. When it's meal time I eat the right things; when it's not mealtime I don't eat - and don't really want to eat. Simple.

to help with the hunger -- spread out your meals, try not to eat everything all in one sitting especially the veggies. In-between your breakfast and lunch, have a salad (romaine lettuce and most letuce is unlimited) with your 1 cup of veggies. Then have your lunch (IP Packet or alt) and then last part of your 1 cup veggie with another salad. Also drink a lot.. i mean A LOT of water to help fill you.. also warm tea rids the hunger pangs. Then you can decide to have your snack before dinner or after dinner (desert). For dinner make sure you are eating the size proportioned meals for you. 6-8 oz lean meats and 2 cups of veggies.

Hang in there.. if you need more advice.. turn to the threads -- those helped me to gain ideas for meals.

xox dani

Ducking my head in here - is it okay if I join y'all? Not doing IP - I am doing a modified version of Wonderslim using foods/shakes from the grocery store, but the group for WS is pretty much missing. It was recommended in that thread that I try here for support.

Thank you everyone for all the words of encouragement and advice! I WILL get through Day 2! One day at a time. I have been reading all the recipe threads all morning (instead of working...oops!) and have a whole list of new things I want to try. I desperately need to place an order for some IP unrestricted alternatives like the Protidiet soups and oatmeal because I don't know if I can stomach 2 shakes a day long-term.

Someone mentioned drinking hot teas...I am not a tea or coffee drinker. Share with me your favorite brand of tea...I'm clueless! I can put Splenda in it, right?

It will get easier! Just focus one day at a time (I know that sounds cliche), but it will really help you get through the first few days. Before you know it, a week, a month will have gone by!

I'm also doing IP using alternatives. Sometimes it gets boring so you have to be creative. I haven't bought any products low carb other than the protein powder (Pierce) and the Detour bars from Costco. Other than that I stick to low carb veggies, lots of salad and of course, protein at dinner. Drink lots of water also!

Good luck!

MarylandMom,
Repeating what everyone else has said......those first 3 days were horrible and I came this close to quitting. Keep on keeping on...that hunger..man oh man. I knew I hit ketosis when that hunger went away. I know you don't want to be overly aware of your hunger but, use it as a tool, when it disapates you know you are in the sugar spot (Ketosis).

Check out nashua for the alternatives, it takes a couple of days to come in. Variety is nice when you are following any diet. I like the weightloss system chicken and vegetable soup you can find on nashua. It's unrestricted too!
http://www.nashuanutrition.com/store...eam-7-box.html

I used to make green smoothies all the time. It's an acquired taste I think. I always enjoyed them but at the time I wasn't carb counting and when you factor in the fruit, well, nuff said.

I have used Leslie's Walk videos for the last 5 years. They are great!

Maryland Mom -- I get liptons tea. My favorite is Chai Tea, green tea, white tea, or black pearl. Then i also stock some at work .. i use celestial herbal teas -- Cinnamon Apple spice and wild berry zinger (which i drink cold)

and yes, you can use a splenda with those.

I don't know where in MD you are, but I have some soups at home that I am not using. (I kinda souped myself out over this long, cold winter.) If you want to try to meet to buy some off of me until your order comes in, let me know.

As for tea, I am a sucker for decaf Lipton iced tea. I do put some Splenda or Stevia in it. I usually have a glass after dinner. I also like chamomile tea when I drink hot tea; I enjoy the mild flavor.