Hey all. I'm on Induction, day five. My appetite has gone down from the past couple or three days and now I think I'm eating pretty much "normally" (I guess about 1600 calories a day).

I am drinking plenty and I'm not eating frankenfoods. I'm eating my 3 cups of veggies a day and not overdoing it on cheese. In fact I'm usually under 3-4 ounces. I might have cheese once in a day.

I've also been having an SF Jello a day, so am having a little tiny bit of aspertame.

I am BLOATED. Granted TOM is about to start. But I'm not just bloated in my lower abdomen as is normal for TOM. I mean the bloating literally starts underneath my bra and goes all the way down. I feel like I'm six months pregnant.

My upper abdomen is actually pushing up against my bra.

Is there some reason for this that anyone can think of?

OH! P.S.: It's not that I'm not losing weight. I've lost eight pounds so far. About two or three of those pounds were probably from my carb pigout the day before I started; carbing up always makes me retain water. But if I'm retaining water, it isn't showing in the scales. It's very very weird.

I can't really put this delicately, so... are you pooping? If not, try some fiber (ground flax meal, etc.) and see if that causes some relief.

Thanks for your reply! I have been going, but probably not as much as usual (sorry). So maybe that is it after all.

Flax makes the poop more ...dense. Try magnesium 500 mg. over the counter and the flax. It's the only thing that works for me.

I have a flax muffin every day. They're really yummy! Keeps things moving right along, too!

If you decide to use flax or psyllium husks, though, be absolutely certain to drink extra water. Without sufficient water, these substances can cause constipation to become worse.