I am in the middle of my third week of IP and I can't tell if my losses are due to reduced calories or if I've actual gotten into ketosis. My breath isn't horrible...I do feel hungry...I dunno...I guess those are the two things I always hear people talk about in reference to ketosis. I have followed the plan pretty darn near close to perfectly.

Will I feel differently?

I never felt different, i just followed the plan. I have never checked to see if I am or not. I just followed the sheet so after being on it 11 months I would assume that I have been.....lol

Whatever you are doing... it's working!!!!

I'm glad to hear that it doesn't really seem like something to worry about. Phew!

You should NOT feel hungry in the middle of your 3rd week. So, revisit how you've "followed the plan pretty darn near close to perfectly" and see if you're getting enough to eat.

Some people don't feel differently. But some signs are, bad breath, feeling COLD, lots of energy and NOT feeling hungry, not needing as much sleep or unable to get to sleep (happens at the very start), vivid dreams.

Many years ago when I was on Atkins, I bought these little strips of paper at GNC. You could pee on them and if it turned a certain shade it indicated ketosis. I assume it would work for you too.

Yup, the ketostix are one way to find out. They do have a reputation for not being 100% accurate but as long as you go into it with an open mind a bit of information can be better than nothing.

I've found the breath thing is a sure test - as is the taste in your mouth. And, uh, pee smells different/stronger too.

Not everyone gets the bad breath - I never do (I've asked my husband and 7 year old son - both would tell the truth, lol). The constant starving feeling goes away, but of course we'll be hungry when we haven't eaten for awhile. I also find that some days I'm "mentally hungry" vs. "physically hungry". Sometimes that can be a difficult difference to discern. If you are truly following the sheet (correct portion sizes, no nibbles of off plan things, ect) then you are just fine.

I couldn't tell my first time on IP but now having restarted a couple times I can. I don't have bad breath, just feel like I do. Like I constantly feel like I need to pop in some gum. And my mouth is slightly dry. It is very subtle for me.

I don't use the stix as I can always tell by my increased energy. In addition the hunger goes away. Of course I get hungry if it's been more than about 4 hours since I've eaten. I did have the bad breath at first, but eventually that does go away too. It's the low carb/low calorie that helps you loose. As long as you are OP 100% you are in ketosis. However if you are only "pretty good" then you might be dealing with carb creep and that can knock you out of ketosis, which will increase your hunger.

Like wuv said, you should be in Ketosis if you're following the sheet. My coaches dont even mention it at all because people become too worried they're doing something right or wrong and tend to overanalyze it.

I still feel hungry but mostly when I havent eaten for 4-5 hours. I have my breakfast at 6:30 in the morning and by 10-11am i'm really hungry. I like to have my pudding at 11ish, sometimes earlier, and then my salad with veggies around 1-2pm. Then by the time I get home around 5-6 i'm ready to eat again. Having a hard boiled egg while making dinner holds me over and then my snack about an hour after dinner. Even if you break up your lunch packet for throughout the day such as the pudding-zucchini muffins. They make 4-6 and you can have 2 as a morning snack, 2 as an afternoon snack and have a huge salad for lunch.

Overall, I think people think they're always going to have high energy and not be hungry if they're in ketosis but really it depends on the person. Everyone has their good days and bad days. I still have my lazy crummy days, but I think its just stress.

Indeed, this is very individualized. For me the hunger thing hasn't really gone away. It's decreased but rarely gone. But I have the breath/taste in my mouth/energy combo.

I'm lovin the energy, I must say.

Thanks for the replies, all! When I say I follow the plan "pretty near perfectly" I was including a little extra protein I have at lunch. I get a little shaky without it. Maybe I'll toss a couple of shrimp or an egg on my salad. I'm definitely not adding extra carbs. I think this may be related to the fact I'm still nursing my [2yo] baby. We are down to one nurse a day, as of yesterday, so this is changing. Also, sometimes, instead of milk in my coffee I use a couple tablespoons of the vanilla RTD box. Is that going to sabotage me?

eta: I am feeling super energetic and dry-mouthed, which are symptoms some of you identified. So, maybe?? (Can you tell how bad I want this to work????!!!!!)