side effects & general hints from those that know!

[slim sharrie]

Okay - will do. Thanks anyway.

[In search of me]

Thanks for all the advice/hints & experiences!

[meghan1409]

Right, well I'm in week 4 or 5 of Development now... so I guess I've been doing this around 4 months and a week. I've lost just over 5 1/2 stone so far, and the side effects to date have been:

1) A little bit of nausea in the first few weeks, but only in little waves.
2) Going to the loo a LOT, but also has slowed down considerably after the first few weeks.
3) Wind! From both directions, quite a bit... apparently this is quite a common one.
4) Loose skin - like Mini said, I think a lot of its bound to be genetics. I'm 21 and my skin's a state, to be honest. I will absolutely be considering a tummy tuck/body lift when I'm finished, if the NHS will do it. As a rule of thumb, if your skin was tight before, it should come back to being similarly tight after a few months of finishing.

I think that's about it. None of the negatives come close to the positives, though. Hope thats helpful!

[meghan1409]

I dont know how I forgot to mention this... but the side effect I've found most traumatic is the hair loss.

I used to have quite thick hair, and would molt a certain amount every day... but towards the end of foundation (maybe week 11) I've lost ridiculous amounts in the shower and am pretty self conscious about it. No one else has noticed, but I feel a huge difference in the amount thats there.

However, it IS temporary. It WILL grow back, and it's normal for this to happen.

[sarahk]

ahhhhhhhhh hair loss no one told me that, and i have not seen it in the LL litriture

[Size10wannabe]

Been on LL over a week now.. and had headache to end all headaches around day 3-6, dodgy tummy for a few days, very tired in the evening, very cold all the time, but now the energy boost has kicked in so that is amazing.. can think more clearly and have more energy and a spring in my step than I have for a long time...

[dalite]

yes im a farty one very smelly but everyone thinks its very funny (ive got four small kids!!)

[Donnalou86]

Bad breath - due to ketosis, use gold spot or something that doesn't have citric acid in - oh and drink more water!

I have been using superdrug's own breath spray for the past two weeks (since giving up on carrying around mouthwash!) and when you mentioned the citric acid it clicked with me. The past two weeks I've been having a rumbly tummy and feeling hungry, and my losses haven't been as good as usual. Could this be because of the mothwash as I'm not using gold spot?

[bettyboopchic]

hi has anybody heard of the literlife effecting your thyroid.up to week 10 was doing fine but not loosing as much as i would have expected .i had no energy and my arms were like lead,my totm was every three weeks and heavy .i thought it was because i was only drinking about 3 litres a day .i had lost two and a half stone but suddenly i felt really lethargic when i spoke to my counseller she said it could be my job but i hadnt been working so much.Now i 've just found out i have an under active thyroid although it is in my family it does say low iodine in my diet could be a cause.really want to carry on but dont know what to do just started to take the tablets the doc gave me .has anybody else come across this please bettyboopchic

[Blonde Logic]

I have not heard of a thyroid being affected either way? What did your doctor say about continuing?

[gazz]

hi the doc didnt say anything but found looking into it on the nett a lack of iodine in the diet can trigger it off.did come off literlife for a few days but trying to get back on it .A lot of symptons of literlife ie feeling the cold ,constipation ,tiredness heavy periods can also be thyriod related .i have a lump in my throat and although it runs in my family especially in women a change in diet can do it .I couldn't work out why my mate had all the energy on this diet and i couldnt stop sleeping.i was only losing weight 1 week out of 3 so i was getting fed up but if i hadnt gone on literlife and lost the 2 and a half stone and the under active thyroid kicked in how much weight would i have put on .by bettyboopchic

[sarah-louise x]

i found since starting LL 5wks ago i have very itchy skin and once i start i cant stop! no amount of moisturizer has helped tho it has calmed down now x

[gheckogirl]

bettyboopchic

hi - I have had an underactive thyroid for over 3 years (at least) and have done LL before (this is my 2nd attempt!) I am on medication and my new counsellor has said that there are a number of people who go to her meetings who have the same condition. I'd like to meet with others who are affected by this as all i know is that, the 1st time i did LL 2 years ago, I lost 3 stone in no time, but i have gradually put on 4 stone in the last 2 years!! I am assuming that the underactive thyroid is not helping - I have been told by GPs that it doesn't help in losing weight if you suffer from this condition, but i think it's essential to keep on top of weight control as it is so closely linked to metabolism. the other factor is exercise - i am trying to work it all out - I'm only on week 1 of my 2nd go at LL, but as i go through the next few weeks I'd like to keep up with anyone else who is finding the same difficulties with an Underactive Thyroid and weight loss!

Thanks

GG x

[slendablenda]

Hi I also have an underactive thyroid and am on medication. My GP says it's fine to do LL as the medication replaces what the thyroid should be doing. My LLC knows and doesn't consider it a problem.
I have lost 7st.3lbs in 5 months and feel fantastic !!

[Minerva]

One tip is... don't over do this. I was on LL for 9 months and developed severe lethargy and found myself slightly aenimic, as did my boyfriend after doing LL for a long time.
No matter what they tell you - these foodpacks *aren't* completely nutritionally sound, you do miss on a few vitamins and such.

If you have a long way to go, I suggest taking a break after about 5-6 months, do RTM properly, try to work on your relationship with food (most importantly work on self-perception and image issues too! Being curvy really is not the end of the world - it's actually healthier!) for a couple of months after RTM. Then depending on how well you've done, and how much you still want to lose you can do a Refreshers.



Other things I've noticed while being on LL long-term is ... you feel the cold ALOT more. And your stomach never stops rumbling! ... Not out of hunger, but it just gurgles all the time.