side effects & general hints from those that know!

I have felt really ill all week. Very tired and dizzy alot of the time. Literally couldn't keep up with the kids yesterday - just wanted to sit down. Does this get better? Maybe did too much exercise this past week (my first on LL - but did a bit less exercise than I normally do so did try to cut back a bit!) any suggestions?
 
Hi Marley

Too much exercise, so earlyin the diet can certainly make one feel wobbly. Probably best to keep it to a minimum, some gentle walking, stretching, swimming, etc., without over-exertion until you get settled into the diet. Even then, be careful, as you are on so few caolories you don;t want to use them all up - then your body will really go into starvation mode and hold onto everything to ride out the perceived "drought", slowing down your weight loss.

Good luck and I hope you feel better soon. :)
 
Here are a few from me, an LL veteran of exactly two weeks!

1. Your first week - clear your diary, take a duvet day or two if you can and load up on magazines, DVDs, smelly candles and whatnot. Your body will be changing fuel supply and while some people feel fine, I had headaches, nausea, wooziness and was incredibly tired. Drink the water and hang in there. Do not meet friends in restaurants or cafes! Until you get into ketosis (after which you will probably feel loads better - I did) you may be physically hungry. Being around lots of food may make you feel miserable, so be kind to yourself and meet friends at their homes or yours. That's not to say become a hermit for all of Foundation! Just in the first week.

2. If you have IBS or a sensitive stomach:
- Stick to the Fruits of the Forest water flavour. All the rest contain Inulin which is harmless but can irritate your stomach and cause, um, painful and embarrassing problems that can *really* mess with your day!

- However, if you suffer with constipation, the inulin, to all accounts, helps things along if you get me.

- The bars can also give you a windy belly the next day. I found the first bar I had caused the worst problems; after that they weren't so bad. But I only have a bar if I know I'm not going anywhere or doing anything important the next day ;)

- Examine all the tablet medication you normally take before starting the diet. Some tablets contain sucrose, which can knock you out of ketosis. There should be sucrose-free alternatives available if you ask your chemist.

3. If you don't want your entire office to know you're dieting, just take your porridge, soups and bars to work. You can make the soup in a mug and just tell people it's (drumroll) a Cup-A-Soup.

4. Once you're in ketosis for a while, don't stay away from food completely. Go grocery shopping, prepare food in your household. I haven't found it too hard, it makes me feel less of a freakazoid whose only contact with food is opening a sachet(!) and it helps me think about the food choices I've made. If you see something particularly yummy, and all you can do is think about eating it, consider how you used to eat it (in my case: as quickly as possible) and imagine how you might eat it now (slowly, savouring every bite). I don't know if this is LL-allowed and it might be "dangerous food talk" so do take this with a pinch of salt (pun unintended!). I find it helps me look at my attitude to food though.
 
Last edited:
Hi everyone-My first post! I love the forum, it's been a real help & inspiration ! Iam coming to the end of wk 5 & have had a few minor side effects, a more major one seems to be that my TOTM has disappeared! Has anyone else experienced this ?

Hi - Just saw this and thought I'd say - mine disappeared, or rather didn't appear, in week 32! Been normal to this point. xx
 
Beeswax - useful post and some great observations.

I would add that some of us have the converse issue where lots of inulin actually helps ;).
 
I kept my relationship with food knowing that this is for life.

I have had dinner parties, been to events, stayed in hotels when normally I would always have eaten everything from dinner, full English breakfasts, even down to the biscuits or muffins at coffe/tea time.
Once you get your head round this it really isn't hard.
For me it wasn't an option to try and stay away from food or people eating because I know that can't last forever.

9 months later I'm still at goal and happy and healthy, so that's what has worked for me.
 
I kept my relationship with food knowing that this is for life.

I have had dinner parties, been to events, stayed in hotels when normally I would always have eaten everything from dinner, full English breakfasts, even down to the biscuits or muffins at coffe/tea time.
Once you get your head round this it really isn't hard.
For me it wasn't an option to try and stay away from food or people eating because I know that can't last forever.

9 months later I'm still at goal and happy and healthy, so that's what has worked for me.

That's fantastic Blenda, and congrats on all your hard work and weight loss! That's exactly how I'm hoping I will be - only at the end of week 2 here and have kept social interaction to a minimum but hoping to step it up now as I can't just go into hibernation for three months!

And just to clarify - I was advising to stay away from food just in the first week. You hear a lot about 'emotional hunger' on LL but in the first week, before you're in ketosis, the hunger is very much physical and for me it was about making the process of getting over that barrier as painless as possible.

Since ketosis I've been very happy around food, especially SMELLING it! Haven't tried being in a restaurant yet but with the Christmas season approaching (sorry, I know it's only September...!) I'm sure I'll have lots of practice. :)
 
4. Once you're in ketosis for a while, don't stay away from food completely. Go grocery shopping, prepare food in your household. I haven't found it too hard, it makes me feel less of a freakazoid whose only contact with food is opening a sachet(!) and it helps me think about the food choices I've made. If you see something particularly yummy, and all you can do is think about eating it, consider how you used to eat it (in my case: as quickly as possible) and imagine how you might eat it now (slowly, savouring every bite). I don't know if this is LL-allowed and it might be "dangerous food talk" so do take this with a pinch of salt (pun unintended!). I find it helps me look at my attitude to food though.


Lovely post Beeswax! I even gave you some Rep for it. :D
This last point I think is crucial in the success of LL as a program with the counselling it provides. Many people choose to cut the food aspect out of their lives completely while in abstinence - in essence avoiding it at all costs, and not fully exploring and embracing the thought processes that drove many of them to end up where they were in the first place. It is; I believe absolutely crucial not to play the avoidance game, but to embrace our shortcomings and recognise those faults. After all... we all learn from our mistakes.
You have a very healthy attitude to LL even so early on, Well Done You! :) !!
 
Lovely post Beeswax! I even gave you some Rep for it. :D

Aw hey thanks! I've just had a look at your photos and they're TOTES AMAZING. Very motivational, congrats on your weight loss *and* mindfulness! Also loving your style; I had long pillarbox-red hair in my teens but it got way too high-maintenance for me...

This last point I think is crucial in the success of LL as a program with the counselling it provides. Many people choose to cut the food aspect out of their lives completely while in abstinence - in essence avoiding it at all costs, and not fully exploring and embracing the thought processes that drove many of them to end up where they were in the first place.

Well exactly. It's scary but how can you cope with food if you hide from it? Here in week 3 my cravings have sort of morphed into a desire to cook(! very undomesticated, me) really yummy, nutritious and satisfying things post-LL. And all very different from what I've been stuffing my face with in the last few years too.

You have a very healthy attitude to LL even so early on, Well Done You! :) !!

Well thank you. I am quite proud as I famously quit EVERYTHING. Very easily discouraged, so I'm glad I've stuck it out. Even though I'm discovering some unpleasant truths about my behaviour it's healthier to face them than to bury them and fret.

Thanks a lot, your words have really meant the world :)
 
Hey Bee

We went through exactly the same thing :) If you go back over my blog from the early days, I describe the same things you are going through, the urge to cook, especially healthy things!! There is another thread in the Maintenance section, don't read if it makes you want to cheat, but a few of us make jams and bits, which I did during abstinence to keep my cravings at bay, also because one day I can have a taste!!

You really do have a fab attitude towards LL and I have no doubt you will successfully reach your goal.

Jez
xx
 
Aw, thanks Jez! I will plunder your blog for tips ;)

I have another tip:

Predict the future!
If you're tempted to lapse, don't tell yourself not to. Just stop for a second and consider your two choices: lapse or don't lapse. Try to imagine how you'll feel a few minutes into the future, after either decision.

How will you feel after you've eaten that chocolate bar? Fulfilled? Happy? Depressed? Disappointed in yourself?

And how will you feel if you resist? Hungry? Deprived? A little bit proud of yourself?

I've found this technique really helpful, and the answer becomes clear without me having to scold myself (which takes a lot of energy!), and each time it happens it strengthens my resolve.
 
Last edited:
I like this Bea, very useful! x x x
 
Great posts bee, i do this also and it really does help.

My side effects were headaches, cold, lethargic, dry skin and a full on period which i haven't had in 18 months since having a coil fitted.

Thankfully most of these only lasted a few days and am now waiting for the energy levels to increase!
 
Lovely post Beeswax! I even gave you some Rep for it. :D
This last point I think is crucial in the success of LL as a program with the counselling it provides. Many people choose to cut the food aspect out of their lives completely while in abstinence - in essence avoiding it at all costs, and not fully exploring and embracing the thought processes that drove many of them to end up where they were in the first place. It is; I believe absolutely crucial not to play the avoidance game, but to embrace our shortcomings and recognise those faults. After all... we all learn from our mistakes.
You have a very healthy attitude to LL even so early on, Well Done You! :) !!

Wow such a lot of information in this thread! Very very useful.

I am only in my first week and for now I also stay away from food if I can, because it's just simply very tempting and easy for me to give into it! But further down the line I think it may be useful to be around food and use those situations to evaluate how I react and used to react to food and quite frankly abused it.
 
Water consumption

Just a quick tip from me as I've been struggling with my water consumption - both remembering to drink, and remembering how much I've drunk! I tried keeping a chart but I'm running around all day so it was hard to keep track.

So now I do this:

Bought some cheapo soft neon plastic bangles (mine were about £2 from New Look). Each morning when I get up I load eight bangles onto my left arm.

Then I carry my little 50cl Evian bottle with me wherever I go (two Evian bottles = 1 litre). I drink all my water from this as it's more portable and less intimidating than a full-on litre or two-litre bottle.

For every bottle of water I drink, I take one bangle off my left arm and stick it on my right arm. The idea is that by the end of the day I'll have eight bangles on my right arm and none on my right.

And that's how I keep track! No charts, pen marks on hands or anything.
 
What a good idea. Simple and effective.
I'm sure lots of us will pick this one up.
Thank you B. Could be any bangles to match your outfit for the day. No-one else would ever know what they're for - and they are very fashionable at the moment aren't they?
Primark have a good selection too.
 
Back
Top