Hi everyone,

I am starting day 3 and have been having problems with feeling weak, dizzy, and hungry. I have followed the program to the letter and added an extra packet mid-afternoon (for a total of 4/day as suggested by my coach). I am also kinda nauseated right after I eat the cream of chicken soup, which is disappointing because I really like the taste. I tried eating a few baby dill pickles in between meals or after eating the soup, and this seems to help some. I am also drinking extra water(80-90+ oz/day) and decaf tea in between meals.

I know from reading the newbie, FAQ, and other threads that many people don't feel well the first few days but I could not find any specific suggestions about what to do about it, other than what I've tried (extra water, extra packet). I even tried searching the forum but all it gave me were 3 threads with hundreds of posts to sift through in each.

I called my coach yesterday but I got her voice mail. She hasn't called me back yet, so I am a bit put out with her and feeling kinda abandoned. She doesn't have a regular office schedule and no other staff since she rents an office within a physical therapy clinic. Anyone else having issues with their coach?

Any suggestions or feedback would really be helpful. I don't want to give up because I really think this program will work for me if I can just get through these first few hard days.

Thanks!

Karen

Sorry to hear you are miserable. I started ideal protein January 26th of this year. Days 3 and 4 were very rough. I had nausea, dizziness and the worst headache of my life. I am a nurse practitioner and I was in the middle of a 63 hour long ER stint and thought I would die. I stuck it out and on day 5 I felt better, then day 6 even better and by day 7 felt just great. Hang in there, it will pass. It is from carbohydrate withdrawal. Put a teaspoon of sea salt in a cup of water and drink if you haven't already. It is supposed to help with the dizziness but it didn't help me. Hang in there. I have been faithful to the diet, I feel great and am close to my goal weight.

Hang in there, think of the bigger picture and how great you will feel in a few days time. I am doing a similiar diet in Ireland and am allowed free vegtables so I used stock up on them, green and red peppers,mushrooms, broccoli etc. Can you add these to your diet, to bulk it up a little? Thats if your allowed, again maybe the irish protein diet thing I am on and your one differ slightly!

I had my worst day on the 5th day so far when it was supposed to get better.The 3rd day wasn't that bad for me.I experienced headaches and was very hungry up until the 5th day, but as of today (day 6) it really seems to get easier.
I feel fuller longer and don't feel dizzy...

Day 3 was the hardest for me. It's the day I switched over into ketosis. That crappy feeling only lasts a few hours, but it's like having the flu. Don't be alarmed, just go lie down somewhere until it passes. After that, the high-energy, feeling-good phase starts, so hang in there!

As for the nausea, make sure you're eating all your veggies. Maybe have a little extra, or some of the twice-a-week veggies. It sounds like you're having what I had, which is the body being upset about going from too many carbs to too few. Have some more veggies, it should make you feel better.

Aaand the dizzy - drink more water. I had that one too. Drinking enough water made it go away.

Hang in there - these symptoms will pass, it gets much easier, and then the pounds start falling off. Good luck!

Hey Y'all;

Yep, Day 3 and the headache is there, just kinda hanging in the background for now. I also feel kinda blue. I miss having my old favorites, I miss the routine --I am kind of routine bound that way. I want what the perseverance will bring so continue to think about that. Blueberry pudding.... ugh! Any ideas to help a very expensive mistake choice?

I'm going to do this, the rewards are going to make it all worthwhile. I know that.

Day 3 and 4 are rough then in ketosis I was on a natural high feeling fantastic and had so much energy!
I hope you feel better soon! Good Luck!

Yeah... that first week is a bummer!

For weakness and nausea: extra sea salt helped me (actually, I had table salt but you are supposed to have sea salt); Also, adding an extra potassium and taking 2 instead of 1 (in says you can do that on the bottle);

For the headache: I took Tylenol.

For hunger, my Coach told me that it was very important for me not to be hungry. Some suggestions for extra food, if needed were: lean, low-sodium, cooked ham slices (no sugar), hard boiled egg whites, dill pickles, celery and of course, the extra packet like you already had!

It shouldn't be too much longer and you should start feeling considerably better soon. Good luck to you!

Thanks to everyone for your support. I finally got hold of my coach today and she said to do what I've already been doing and to add a 5th packet mid-morning.

I'll let ya'll know how it goes...

Karen

I felt horrible on my third day and on into my fifth day. I called my coach and she suggested another packet and also upped my potassium/calcium. When you are feeling "light headed, dizzy, lithargic, etc" you need more protein or potassium. I decided that I did not want to feel yucky so I upped my packet to 5 a day for a day or so and also my potassium/calcium pill. I feel great now, I am now back down to 3 or 4 packets a day. I have only been on the IP program for 10 days.

My clinic let me return the unused packets in flavors I didn't like.

Once you start seeing the scale dropping, the boredom and the missing the old food, and everything else fades into the background. :-)

Adding sea salt really helped me.

Good Morning... try adding another package of food if you have to you can have up to 5 in a day for the first week only..don't let yourself feel that badly... also watch the tea drink a little more just water...its a great journey
enjoy your weight loss...

THIS 1st week is hard but Today I Had My 1st Wi And I Am Really Proud Of Myself I Lost 6.7pounds And I Felt So Good About It I Know I Can Do This Only The 1st Few Days Were Really Hard But With The Feeling I Had When My Coach Told Me That I Lost Weight *i Know I Can Do This* Good Luck To All