I also have been having periods of being dizzy....really bad on Monday! I think i will start measuring my salt, i sprinkle it on almost everything, but propbably still not getting enough....am going to try the salt in glass of water when a dizzy spell comes.
I know the feeling....my 1st WI I was sooo excited and then absolutely amazed at not just the lbs. I had lost but the INCHES that had dropped off too.
I went out and bought a 32oz. water bottle, after I have finished it TWICE I know that I have gotten in the minium amount of water, I need that visual thing!!! LOL

MOTIVAT8EDMAMA: If your Mom decides to join you on IP you will have such fun, my daughter & I started the same day and we check in everyday to see how we have done. I have gone to her place to clean out closet and dressers and she has come here to do the same things. She is about 30lbs lighter (for now, hee hee) than me, so anything she shrinks out of she hands over to me!!!
We have had a great time, so encourage your Mom to do this with you.

Are there any other Mom/Daughter duos out there???

Have a great Wed. everyone

Thanks for all the water tips. I'm working hard today to consume all my water. Does anyone have a hard time swallowing the vitamins? The Cal Mag is a horse pill. Complain, complain, complain.

Well today is my Week 7 weigh in and measure. I feel like I hit a brick wall this week. As of Sunday I hadn't lost any weight this week and I haven't weighed since. My TOM is being dumb and has been trying to start for 3 days now with no luck! I feel rather screwed up at the moment. I'm also getting sick of Phase 1. I'm ready to move on. Only 10 more lbs until I hit 90% of my goal. I think I can, I think I can!

Oh well, I guess its just one of those discouraging days. I'll report this evening and hopefully there will be a loss. I guess I should be happy though because I am wearing a pair of Size 12 dress pants and they are loose!!

Having to swallow all those supplements was very difficult for me the first week or so... it was probably the hardest thing for me to get used to. But after a couple of weeks it wasn't an issue.

Hi, Novak! Congrats on reaching the 130's!

I have had a stumbling block. I cheated for the first time (as far as a major cheat goes) yesterday. It was my husband's birthday. He has been after me almost since the beginning to quit the diet because he says "It's not healthy!" He has been my only detractor since the beginning. It was his birthday, so I had a thin slice of cake and half a scoop of frozen vanilla yogurt. Today I am doing Phase 1 to get back in the saddle. This morning I woke up with major joint pain and tingling in my right hand from arthritis. It has not bothered me while on this diet. Wow! I didn't realize what a little sugar could do as far as inflammation goes. Makes me want to stick to the diet even more!

BevS You have been incredible on this program, as well as real help to others. You should be pleased with yourself for getting right back on track. A little cheat won't set you back after all this time, and may have been a good reminder what the ol' sugar train can do.
Atta girl!!!!

BEVS- Just reading your post and was interested to hear that when you had only a small slice of cake and one scoop of frozen yogurt that you had joint pains.
Now my BIG QUESTION is: I have a friend that has rheumatoid arthritis in her toes, ankles, hips, shoulders, she is very bad.. Do you think if she went on IP that it would help her AR pain?? I am going to see her next week (haven't seen her since i started IP-she doesn't know) and I am sure she will ask me what I have done to loose weight!!! I would like to tell her that aside from the weight lose it might help her rheumatoid arthritis!!!
Thanks to anyone who could help me on this.

Hi all,
It is so exciting to hear everyone's successes! And like everyone else I cannot wait to hear CW's story--guess it will be 2 weeks before she can make time though!

Penguin: thanks for the idea about the ice, I miss having things that I can chew!

Dalai Mama: the cal-mag is a tough one, that is for sure. I take it along with a salad that has some vinegar/oil dressing and it seems to slide a bit more easily.

regarding veggies: it's getting easier for me as my hubby is making them into things so we don't have to eat them (or look at them) in a big 2 cup pile...pretty intimidating. Last night we had cauliflower "greek rice". Chopped it raw in the food processor, to about rice size. Roasted on a cookie sheet for a bit, then tossed in a combination of olive oil, lemon juice and thyme. Along with a big greek salad and chicken breast marinated in lemon and oregano. And a couple days ago he made cream of broccoli soup: 3 bunches of broccoli, 2 chicken IP packs, a little non-fat chicken broth, green onions, some spices. Now the problem with that one is that we are only to have 2 cups pre-cooked (which is to my estimate only about 1 cup of the soup) and it's so good I want more!

Bev and Journeysend: my sister had lots of problems with arthritis and it turned out to be gluten and nightshades, which is all cut out of our diets (I think?) at this point. So it could be the flour in the cake that got you, and not (just) the sugar. I admire you for only having the small slice...If I started with a small piece, I would end with eating a LOT more, so good for you!

The water is tough for me. I am trying different herbal teas and decaf black tea and making it into iced teas. This seems to help because the flavor makes it more attractive.

It was something like $24.99--it came up to about $1.20 per Tetra Pak / Drink. Please note that if you go to Premier Nutrition's website, it will state that they are available at "select Costcos" and that may mean mostly CA. I'm glad we got them here in the Phoenix Metro area.[/QUOTE]

We have them in our Washington state Costco's...

Good Afternon fellow IP friends.

I am into my 3rd week of IP and so far so good. I started counting calories in January and that worked but wasn't getting the results I was hoping for. And IP is so much easier with my busy life.

My concern is that I will cheat this weekend with it being Mothers Day and we always have a huge grill out and gathering at our house with lots of food that I can't have!!!

I just keep picturing myself in a cute sun dress this summer. Hopefully that will continue to work for me as I sit and watch my family eat all my favorites without me!!!

Have a great day!

It takes alot of time to catch up with this group! I just finished 7 days of call and things were better. I appreciate all the advice on how to spread things out to cover long shifts in the hospital. Congratulations to everyone, although it sounds like some challenges, the success is incredible!

I would personally shout from the mountain tops the difference this diet has made with my arthiritis. I have psoriatic arthiritis, another form of auto immune arthiritis. I get Remicaid infusions every 6 weeks and methotrexate because of the inflamation in my hands and right hip. Although I have only been on the diet 3 weeks, I have found myself waking up with my hands almost normal size and minimal pain in my hip. (It actually only hurts when I lay down.) I just saw my rheumatologist this AM and she could not believe how great my right hand looked. (And I am down 16lbs since I saw her last, but official WI tomorrow!!!) I truly think it is a compination of the diet and just getting the weight off.... if your friend is interested, I would be more than happy to share my experiece. I know the frustration she feels.

So, now I have to confess to my HUGE cheat. I drank a 16oz Diet Soda. I was dying and needed the caffeine to survive.... what kind of redemption should I seek? Will I see a major setback?

CW - I can not wait to hear her husbands reaction! I have thought about her for the past several days and can not imagine how excited her family has been!

Thanks for all the support!

Thanks for the kudos. I really appreciate your input.

I have osteoarthritis so I really couldn't say for sure. But I bet it would help. Another thing that has been helped for me is I haven't had GERD since I started the diet (not even last night). I was suffering most nights with it before to the point of vomiting up black bile in the middle of the night on some occasions. (Sorry if that's too much information.) I was really starting to worry about getting esophageal cancer from the damage being done so I had started taking ranitidine every night, but that can lead to your not digesting your food properly, which leads to a whole new set of problems. Now I'm only taking my vitamin supplements and my thyroid medication. I just got my thyroid retested and am curious to find out if my levels have changed. Oh, yeah, my rosacea and acne have completely cleared up since I started the diet.

Wow! Your husband cooks for you! And the recipes sound delicious. Lucky!

You may be right about the gluten. I have continued to eat tomatoes, green peppers, and paprika on this diet without arthritis pain so I probably don't have a nightshade problem. I have a couple of friends who are trying to go gluten free, and they say their arthritis is much improved. It may well be the gluten and not the sugar. Or it may be a combination of the two.

Ok everyone Our reunion was great ! My husband could not beleive how much weight I lost . HE kept saying your so skinny ! you look beautiful and so sexy.LOL . I jumped into his arms when I saw him . We are enjoying our two weeks togther before he leaves . He got to surprise all three kids . I got it all on video . It was an awesome day ! I keep catching my husband stairing at me and smiling . He keeps telling me how proud he is of me . I love him so much and Im so proud of him ! god has blessed me with such a wonderful husband .

HOW WONDERFUL!

I am so happy to read that ...so sweet!

Congrats to you and all your family... how fantastic you must feel!

Sending hugs and love!