Day 5,6,7 were great...starting to feel more energy, not hungry, few cravings but early this morning at 4:00 am I woke up starving...didn't do anything but went back to bed and all day I was hungry even after eating my protein and other food that I was supposed to eat. I had to have my snack right after work instead of waiting for after dinner. I feel OK now but can start to feel hunger coming back again and it is only 8:30. Anyone else experience huge hunger after the initial few days?

Yes, my husband. He's also in his 8th day.

I don't know what causes it. He's a bit better today. He does tend to get migraines and he says the medication he takes for them can make him hungrier. I ended up giving him an extra packet for a couple of days, which helped.

Are you sure you're getting enough sea salt?

it has happened to me twice and both times it was because I had eaten too many carbs and pushed myself out of ketosis. Are you staying at 30 carbs or less for the day? If you get knocked out of ketosis, your body can no longer access its fat stores and you are suddenly living on 800 calories which is starvation level.

If you can post some information about what you are eating and drinking, we may be able to help you find a solution. Are you feeling hungry (growling stomach), or weak, or both?

my meal yesterday was water, water and more water..definitely got my 8 cups in which is SUPER hard for me but I'm doing it. Breakfast - pink lemonade and coffee, 1/2 sweetener, bit of milk, lunch mushroom soup with cauliflower and broccolli mixed in with a side of cucumbers. Dinner - 5oz steak with grilled mushrooms, asparagus, and a bit of broccoli. I think I am staying within my 2 cups each meal but don't do an exact measurement. I had a restricted bar for my snack in the evening. I've been taking my vitamins regularly. Most of my days have been like that. No cheating, lots of water - only one restricted item per day. I think yesterday might have been my first day with only 3 packets but I felt fine all day until I woke up at 4:00 am starving. I ended up having 4 packets today just so I didn't go to bed hungry and end up starving all day again tomorow.
I think I'm doing everything right but maybe not. Oh and I'm not really weak per se but my stomach feels very empty and growly and I get a bit of a hungry headache.

Hi Kea66,

I had the same thing happen to me on Sunday. I had eaten a restricted item for the first time on Saturday, my day 11. Sunday I was STARVING all day. I made it through by having 2 extra protein packs.

Looking back I see that we may have also have made the same mistake by not having enough lettuce--you mention vegetables, but you don't mention lettuce. Where are your salad choices? We can have unlimited lettuce in addition to the two cups of veggies, and I think this may make a big difference to the hunger factor.

I skipped the lettuce on Saturday night and Sunday because my gastric system was rebelling against not having enough soluble fibre because of no grains, and the salad was making things worse. I suspect not having the lettuce left me hungry. It does add a fair amount of bulk that can be missing if you're not eating it. This may be part of what you experienced.

For my part, I am adding the lettuce back in, adding some soluble fibre, and staying away from the restricted foods for now. So far, so good. Today and yesterday were fine with only 3 packets. Here's hoping tomorrow goes well for you, too.

Jackie

hi Kea66,
It sounds like you are doing a good job on the veggies and water and supplements, and that is really important. Good job on working so hard to get the protocol down--it's a lot to learn all at once!!

I concur on Jacqueline's comments on the salad, especially because it is the best way (in dressing) to get your olive oil in. Oil is really important to making you feel full, so don't skimp on the salads and appropriate amount of dressing.

There are lots of good dressing recipes in the recipe thread which make the salads have a great variety. And of course you can also put some/all of your veggies in/on the salad (grilled asparagus, shaved zucchini, etc.) And the lettuce is really meant to help you feel more full, especially the first few weeks as your body is figuring things out.

I would also recommend staying away from all restricted items for the first 2-3 weeks (or more). By then, you'll have a better understanding of what is working for you, and whether your body is so carb sensitive that they may not be an option for you for awhile. (I pretty much cannot use them, or I can only eat a bite of one every few days)

The headache could also be low salt, so be sure you are getting all of that in too. Since you are drinking so much liquid, it washes the salt out of your body and you need to replace it (think of it like when you sweat a lot on a hot day--you need to replace electrolytes, not just water).

Keep up the good work and don't feel too overwhelmed--the first couple of weeks are hard just trying to figure things out. But you CAN do this!

You're on Day 8 and you're already using restricteds? This might be the source of your problem, as restricteds aren't recommended for the first 2-3 weeks.

I agree with the others re: restricteds. I didn't have any until the 4th week and to this day only indulge in 3-4 per week. I went through a hungry phase a few weeks back and ended up having an extra protein for a few days to get me over the hump. I also realized that I probably wasn't getting all the oil I needed so I started taking Omega-3s every day. Haven't been hungry since.

I'm on day 8 also had my one week weigh in yesterday I'm down 4 lbs and lost a whopping 10 inches in a week.

Breakfast:
IP Chocolate drink
coffee with splenda and Land O' Lakes Mini Moo's (10 cal 1g fat)
recommended supplements

10 am (I don't do this everyday)
green tea w/splenda

Noon
IP chocolate drink
2 c. seleted veggies (sea salt)
unlimited salad
light Dressing which I make my own it includes apple cider vinegar, olive oil, minced garlic, sea salt, Seasoning (no salt) and dijon mustard

afternoon snack
chocolate drink
recommended supplements

dinner
7 oz lean fish or 5 oz lean chicken sea salt/seasoning (no salt added)
2 c select veggies with sea salt
unlimited salad with light dressing
recommended supplements

Water: I drink the recommended 10x 8oz plus more if I get hungry.

When I went for my weight in my coach encouraged me to get the restricteds. The same when I went in for my initial consultation. I hadn't been eating the restricteds. But I notice I do get hungry so I had switched from the omelets and soups to just the IP drinks cause I felt they held me up better. Although there are days when I don't get hungry. My coach did mention that being I only have 20 lbs to loose it's ok if I don't do restricteds but she did say if you have more to loose you should to the restricteds. I got hungry at 10 am so I ate half a restricted bar to hold me till lunch time. I'm going to start bringing extra lettuce with me I find the Iceberg holds me up and it's inexpensive to buy by the head so that's what I will do.

Please consider using romaine lettuce. I know it may be a little more expensive but it is infinitely more nutritious. And it tastes good -- slightly sweet and crunchy.

Costco where I live has 6 romaine heads for about $3.

I have to throw my two cents in about the restricted foods too. My coach wouldnt even consider letting me taste one until week 3. Salad really helped me get past the hunger as well. Try the Walden Farms dressings. They have quite a few to chose from.

Good luck!

Thanks everyone. My coach said that it was OK to have restricted foods from the beginning but maybe I should cut them out (although I just picked my food for the next week and there are restricted items) I will try to eat more lettuce. I haven't been doing that every day but now that I have found that I really like the WF blue cheese dressings, I'll be eating salad more.
What vegetables are the lowest carbs? My main veggies are asparagus, zuccini, mushrooms grilled with olive oil and garlic. I have them almost every day along with cucumbers. I found some hot and zesty dill pickle slices that are delicious and have 1 calorie and no carbs for 2 slices. they are my new go to snack when I feel like eating something.
I'll maybe not pick any restricted items next week and see if it is any better. I love this forum..I was "this" close to quitting yesterday cause I was so freaking hungry! Today is a better day

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/atta...1&d=1282441370

And please check out Tips for Newbies.