Simeons HCG protocol--June 2010

[GeneaX1]

Originally Posted by metqa

cottage cheese, during P2, ought to be fat free, made from skim milk, if you can find it. the extra sugar/starch in it (I usually see extra gums, not much sugar) are not an issue during this phase, the fat content is the concern.

Fat free doesn't tastes as rich or creamy, it is very slippery because of the added gums and the mouthfeel is less than desirable, but it does have No fat and that's what we are aiming for with our protein choices. If blended, or prepared in a savory way, the unpleasant texture is less noticable. I've not done it, but I considered rinsing my curds to get rid of the gums and slippery texture and using just the curds. I'll have to try that once I get home and let you know how it turns out. though I don't know how that would affect the calories, since there would be more curds per volume, for the same mass.

I will say that I don't think choosing 1% over fat free is a huge deal, because any other type of protein you have on this diet is not fat free either. I don't know that they had all those choices of fat free vs 1% vs 2% back in Simeon's day.

That said, not all fat free cottage cheese brands are the same. If you didn't like one, you may still like another.

Update: If you check the labels, 1% cottage cheese still has WAY less fat than beef or chicken.

[nifer6]

Well feeling better from my illness, finishing up my antibotics tomorrow, so I'm gonna start loading + HCG tomorrow and Saturday and start VLC on sunday. Now when you guys mention how much you've lost at the end of P2 are you talking about the Weight after loading or your weight before loading as your baseline? Had my HCG shipped to me, and we've had some hot weather here, so I'm hoping that hasn't effected it anyway....we'll see.

Has anyone did Mystic type tan during the protocol with any issues?

[hcground1]

Originally Posted by nifer6

Well feeling better from my illness, finishing up my antibotics tomorrow, so I'm gonna start loading + HCG tomorrow and Saturday and start VLC on sunday. Now when you guys mention how much you've lost at the end of P2 are you talking about the Weight after loading or your weight before loading as your baseline? Had my HCG shipped to me, and we've had some hot weather here, so I'm hoping that hasn't effected it anyway....we'll see.

Has anyone did Mystic type tan during the protocol with any issues?

For me personally, I think in terms of what I weighed BEFORE I started loading, which was 140.5. But I believe the standard protocol is to consider your weight AFTER loading as your beginning weight. Either way, you're going to lose bunches and it's awesome!

[hcground1]

I am so proud of myself... I have known for a long time how bad sugar is for health, but it's never occurred to me to use something as a substitute. I've NEVER been a fan of artificial sweeteners and believe most of it is downright poison. But since beginning the protocol I've been using stevia (albeit sparingly) for some things here and there. Also, my children don't tolerate gluten at all which makes cereal in the morning especially difficult as most of the gluten free ones either taste bland or cost too much. I've been making my own homemade granola for almost a year now, and it's really good, but it uses a lot of sugar..... so today I made my first experimental batch of GF peanut butter granola with stevia and applesauce instead of the sugar and you know what? It's really good! Well, that's what the kids said, I haven't tasted it.

If anyone wants the recipe just let me know! It's loaded with coconut, walnuts, peanuts, and GF oats! Not low fat, but it's NO sugar!

[Victrola]

Hey, I'm back in Onederland today! I've been hovering at a couple pounds over LIW so thought that's where I was stabilizing for the most part other than those days where it jumped.

Nothing like PMS to bump up your weight, huh?

[hellsbelles]

nifer - I started tracking my weight loss after I loaded. It was easier for me to track how many days I had left by doing it that way but I think you can do whatever you want. Plus it makes me feel like I've lost that much more weight which is nice when I'm eating practically nothing all day lol!!

victrola - glad to see you're back in onederland - I know you're excited !!! TOM is here for me, just started today. Hope everything goes ok while it's here....

[debkeversole]

if i lose it i count it!! but on my first round loading i actually LOST on my loading days! go figure

[Victrola]

I think that Atkins appetite drop has kicked in today. Blah. I mean, it's a good thing! But, still.

[ncgirl37]

I think my hcg will be here tomorrow according to the tracking info...I hope so. On an unrelated note, I am a paralegal and a travel writer. Someone contacted me about covering a ghost tour at a historical city near me which I would love to go on. Normally, I would charge to write the article but I negotiated a free tour for myself and my family. We get to do something we have never done and go see a city about an hour away we have not been to...sometimes its worth it to barter LOL.

[hellsbelles]

What city are you visiting? I love ghost tours

[shebasmudder]

Originally Posted by hcground1

I am so proud of myself... I have known for a long time how bad sugar is for health, but it's never occurred to me to use something as a substitute. I've NEVER been a fan of artificial sweeteners and believe most of it is downright poison. But since beginning the protocol I've been using stevia (albeit sparingly) for some things here and there. Also, my children don't tolerate gluten at all which makes cereal in the morning especially difficult as most of the gluten free ones either taste bland or cost too much. I've been making my own homemade granola for almost a year now, and it's really good, but it uses a lot of sugar..... so today I made my first experimental batch of GF peanut butter granola with stevia and applesauce instead of the sugar and you know what? It's really good! Well, that's what the kids said, I haven't tasted it.

If anyone wants the recipe just let me know! It's loaded with coconut, walnuts, peanuts, and GF oats! Not low fat, but it's NO sugar!

If the kids like it, it must be yummy !

Originally Posted by debkeversole

if i lose it i count it!! but on my first round loading i actually LOST on my loading days! go figure

I count whatever I lose, too.

[hcground1]

Ok -question time. I have been doing some research on when to end P2 and move into P3 and the answers I've found have me wondering. I am a member of another support-type hcg group/forum and I was told by a LOT of people that it is bad news to end a round too close to TOM. I was told you should make sure you start P3 at LEAST 5 days before TOM is due, or wait till at least 3 days after it leaves, and if you do not you will have a miserable time stabilizing. Have any of you heard or experienced this for yourself? Any advice? My round HAS to end by July 7th, but the TOM thing messes everything up because It's due July 5th. That would mean I can't go till after, and I have to stop no later than June 30th, or would it be June 28th to account for the 72 hours thing? I'm really confused!!! HELP!

[GeneaX1]

On an unrelated note, I am a paralegal and a travel writer. Someone contacted me about covering a ghost tour at a historical city near me which I would love to go on. Normally, I would charge to write the article but I negotiated a free tour for myself and my family. We get to do something we have never done and go see a city about an hour away we have not been to...sometimes its worth it to barter LOL.

How fun! What a great idea.

[shebasmudder]

Originally Posted by hcground1

Ok -question time. I have been doing some research on when to end P2 and move into P3 and the answers I've found have me wondering. I am a member of another support-type hcg group/forum and I was told by a LOT of people that it is bad news to end a round too close to TOM. I was told you should make sure you start P3 at LEAST 5 days before TOM is due, or wait till at least 3 days after it leaves, and if you do not you will have a miserable time stabilizing. Have any of you heard or experienced this for yourself? Any advice? My round HAS to end by July 7th, but the TOM thing messes everything up because It's due July 5th. That would mean I can't go till after, and I have to stop no later than June 30th, or would it be June 28th to account for the 72 hours thing? I'm really confused!!! HELP!

I am om my 2nd P3 and did not have TOm during the last one. My plan for Round 2 was to start P3 BEFORE TOM, but he came early and I wanted to do my 21 days of dosing. So I started P3 in the middle of TOM and have not once gone above my range, in fact, the highest I have gotten is .6 above LDW.

[GeneaX1]

Originally Posted by hcground1

I am so proud of myself... I have known for a long time how bad sugar is for health, but it's never occurred to me to use something as a substitute. I've NEVER been a fan of artificial sweeteners and believe most of it is downright poison. But since beginning the protocol I've been using stevia (albeit sparingly) for some things here and there. Also, my children don't tolerate gluten at all which makes cereal in the morning especially difficult as most of the gluten free ones either taste bland or cost too much. I've been making my own homemade granola for almost a year now, and it's really good, but it uses a lot of sugar..... so today I made my first experimental batch of GF peanut butter granola with stevia and applesauce instead of the sugar and you know what? It's really good! Well, that's what the kids said, I haven't tasted it.

If anyone wants the recipe just let me know! It's loaded with coconut, walnuts, peanuts, and GF oats! Not low fat, but it's NO sugar!

Share!

[hcground1]

I use Lara Farm Cream Hill Estates GF oats, I get them from Amazon. I've used the Gifts of Nature GF oats, but I think they're very bitter and just plain gross.

8 C oats
2 C chopped nuts, whatever kind/s
2 C shredded coconut (unsweetened)
1/2 C flax meal
1/2 C warm water
1 C olive oil or coconut oil
1/2 C applesauce (unsweetened)
2 Tbl vanilla extract
1 tsp stevia powder (This is the extremely potent stuff) to taste
1 C peanut butter
1/3 C baking cocoa powder (I didn't measure this, just eyeballed)

Preheat oven to 275.
In a giant bowl mix the oats, nuts, coconut, and flax. In a separate bowl mix everything else. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix till evenly coated. I use my hands for this, it seems to work best. Line your biggest cookie sheet with parchment and spread the granola evenly. Bake for approximately 55 minutes. My oven runs hot, so I put the rack at the setting just above the center and cook it there. I stir every 15-20 minutes or so. You don't want it to get too brown, if fact it should just be golden by the time it's done. It will continue to get more crunchy as it cools. Once it is completely cooled, put it in an airtight container. Enjoy!

You can leave out the cocoa and just have PB granola. If you want to add any chocolate chips, or banana chips that is yummy too!

Hope you like it, my family LOVES this stuff, and they said it's just as good with the stevia, but I didn't taste it. I'm still in P2!

[donnakd]

I just realized I hadn't checked in today! Day 4 of VLCD was great! Minimal hunger! And my weight was 200.0 this morning! Hoping to have lost weight in the morning, will know soon. Will let y'all know!

[Starcat]

Woohoo! Last dose weight was under my goal. P3 starts Sunday.

[metqa]

Originally Posted by GeneaX1

I will say that I don't think choosing 1% over fat free is a huge deal, because any other type of protein you have on this diet is not fat free either. I don't know that they had all those choices of fat free vs 1% vs 2% back in Simeon's day.

That said, not all fat free cottage cheese brands are the same. If you didn't like one, you may still like another.

Update: If you check the labels, 1% cottage cheese still has WAY less fat than beef or chicken.

What brand do you buy? When I went for cottage cheese they had Fat free and then 2% and then 4%. I didn't see 1%. the Low fat CC I found has 2.5g of fat per 1/2 cup.

I only mentioned it being fat free cause P&I said the Cottage cheese had to be made with Skim Milk, and I thought Skim milk was 0% fat, BF buys 2% milk and I buy 4%. I never looked for or saw 1% milk and was not surprised to not find 1% cottage cheese.

Is the taste/texture of 1% Cottage Cheese much different from Fat free? How would you describe the difference and the benefit of using it over Fat free?

Oh, I bought both the store brand Fat free, and Friendship Brand Fat free, I really didn't like either but was able to enjoy it when I tried adding spices and savory seasonings. But then I went and had Full Fat Cottage cheese after P2 and I don't think I can stomach the fat free again. It will be true deprivation now that I've tasted the real deal!

[GeneaX1]

Originally Posted by metqa

What brand do you buy? When I went for cottage cheese they had Fat free and then 2% and then 4%. I didn't see 1%. the Low fat CC I found has 2.5g of fat per 1/2 cup.

I only mentioned it being fat free cause P&I said the Cottage cheese had to be made with Skim Milk, and I thought Skim milk was 0% fat, BF buys 2% milk and I buy 4%. I never looked for or saw 1% milk and was not surprised to not find 1% cottage cheese.

Is the taste/texture of 1% Cottage Cheese much different from Fat free? How would you describe the difference and the benefit of using it over Fat free?

Oh, I bought both the store brand Fat free, and Friendship Brand Fat free, I really didn't like either but was able to enjoy it when I tried adding spices and savory seasonings. But then I went and had Full Fat Cottage cheese after P2 and I don't think I can stomach the fat free again. It will be true deprivation now that I've tasted the real deal!

1% is not as rich or creamy as full-fat, that's for sure, but it's still pretty good. The biggest problem for me was in the texture. I think someone else commented that the fat free can be rubbery and almost dry or something. It's also tasteless compared to full-fat. I do think that 1% is TONS better.
I love cottage cheese, but I just couldn't stand most of the fat free brands. I think I've come across 1 that was tolerable, but nowhere near as good as 1%. It seems that some stores just carry more variety of things like this than others. You can google 1% cottage cheese though to see a few brands.

[LowcarbFan]

Originally Posted by Kathy

Thank you to everyone who responded about which brand of homeopathic hCG you use. It appears the majority of you who do the homeopathic version are using Mediral - Weight Loss Formula.

Netrition found a reputable manufacturer who can supply us with an hCG product that has the same ingredients and dosage as the Mediral - Weight Loss Formula. Netrition is in the process of placing an order. No pricing or estimated time of arrival is available yet. I will post when Netrition has this product in stock.

Thank you Kathy! I have been thinking about trying hCG but have been reluctant to buy it because so many have gotten the fake stuff so you don't know who you can trust. I trust Netrition and will be ordering this when it comes in. At least I will know I am getting the real deal!

[debkeversole]

Originally Posted by hcground1

Ok -question time. I have been doing some research on when to end P2 and move into P3 and the answers I've found have me wondering. I am a member of another support-type hcg group/forum and I was told by a LOT of people that it is bad news to end a round too close to TOM. I was told you should make sure you start P3 at LEAST 5 days before TOM is due, or wait till at least 3 days after it leaves, and if you do not you will have a miserable time stabilizing. Have any of you heard or experienced this for yourself? Any advice? My round HAS to end by July 7th, but the TOM thing messes everything up because It's due July 5th. That would mean I can't go till after, and I have to stop no later than June 30th, or would it be June 28th to account for the 72 hours thing? I'm really confused!!! HELP!

End of my third round happened and guess what?? next day here was TOM unexpectedly so i took 7 days interruption went back on hcg for a week and ended far away from TOM and stabilized wonderfully that time HTH

290 again today!! i am loving this!

[debkeversole]

Originally Posted by Starcat

Woohoo! Last dose weight was under my goal. P3 starts Sunday.

WHOOOHOO ONEDERLAND here you come!!

[ncgirl37]

My hcg should be here today...I hope so. I felt really large yesterday. I went with another paralegal from my office to a teen court fundraiser one of the local high schools was having. Mostly law offices, law enforcement, etc...I honestly felt like everyone just looked through me. Maybe it was in my head but I felt so overweight like no one even saw me...sigh. anyways. I am so ready for this.

[wishbone]

Weighed in this morning at 203. Onederland....I can smell you!!! I am so excited!!

To Everyone....have a great day! And to those who do not post over the weekend...Have a Great Weekend!!!

JAN

[Gracie514]

Originally Posted by GeneaX1

I will say that I don't think choosing 1% over fat free is a huge deal, because any other type of protein you have on this diet is not fat free either. I don't know that they had all those choices of fat free vs 1% vs 2% back in Simeon's day.

That said, not all fat free cottage cheese brands are the same. If you didn't like one, you may still like another.

Update: If you check the labels, 1% cottage cheese still has WAY less fat than beef or chicken.

I also buy the 1% cottage cheese at my local grocery store. I can't stomach the fat-free at all and the fat contents have a minimal difference. I also eat 3/4 cup to make up the calories. I have always lost after eating the cottage cheese so I'm not going to worry about eating it fat-free. That stuff tastes like glue!!!

[shebasmudder]

Originally Posted by LowcarbFan

Thank you Kathy! I have been thinking about trying hCG but have been reluctant to buy it because so many have gotten the fake stuff so you don't know who you can trust. I trust Netrition and will be ordering this when it comes in. At least I will know I am getting the real deal!

Is there fake homeopathic hcg out there ? Netrition is planning on offering homeopathic, not the hcg that requires a doctor's prescription.

[metqa]

Wow, I didn't even know there was a 1% cottage cheese.
so it really makes that big of a difference taste wise, eh?

No one wants to share what brand they buy? Oh well, guess I'll google some brands then. Then I could maybe special order it if I need.

ETA: Google has shown me that cottage cheese is one of those things you can make yourself.Going off to procrastinate on house hold chores while studying how to make cottage cheese!

[GeneaX1]

I don't always remember brand names unfortunately. I was googling, and the nice thing about the brand from Friendship Dairies is that they have a link on there that will tell you where you can buy it. Sam's Club and Whole Foods apparently both carry their 1% cottage cheese. There were a bunch of other stores too that aren't local to me, but may be for you. (Even if a site doesn't have a similar list of stores that carry their brand, you can always email/call their customer service and ask. That's worked for me many times to get a list of local stores carrying something you want.)

[metqa]

I think our Publix CArries Friendship Brand and I have to go by there for some Almond breeze anyway. I'll check out the selection. Thanks for the tips
BTW, after looking at it, I don't think i"ll be making cottage cheese anytime soon!