HCG Alternative Plans week of 1/17/2011

[minimonkey]

Here we go Ladies -- a new week, a new thread!

[minimonkey]

Well, folks, I am still bouncing around that same darned pound. I didn't end up cheating yesterday, and that was very tough... surrounded by goodies, and somewhat in the mindset that it was going to be an interruption of protocol... but I had the option to stick to protocol, and I took it. I was hungry, tired, and shaky by the end of the evening, which hasn't happened to me yet since starting this.

[Danceruk]

Yay a new fresh thread

hmm that dosent sound too good mini ...maybe up your proteins and have a little more.

Your soo close to your goal..hmm..maybe something like JUDDD alongside..sure the real experts will chime in!!

Got such boring food tomoro..be glad to get to the store!!

[minimonkey]

I am going to try decreasing my drop dosage today -- I've read a lot of people saying that can help, and perhaps that is the problem. Also, this was a setpoint for me for a period of time, so I guess it isn't surprising that my body wants to hang on here.

I did notice that when I first hit this weight earlier in the round, I really didn't *look* like I had lost ten pounds... but now I really do. My body is thinning out and firming up, and I can really see the difference now, even though the scale hasn't moved much.

So, long story short, I am still seeing results, and am going to ride this thing out for the full 40 days if I can stand it, tweaking it if necessary to allow me to continue.

I am considering doing an apple day today -- it is already 2 pm, and I haven't eaten, so if I am going to do this, I better get to eating some apples!

[minimonkey]

Dancer -- I've been doing mostly protein... I think I am okay on that front. That said, 500 calories isn't much, no matter how you look at it. If the shaky stuff continues, I will definitely consider doing an up day or two, and seeing how I fare with that. I feel ok today so far.

[DrunkenSailor]

Hey, mini, thanks for starting the new thread.

It's great that you're seeing and feeling a difference even if it doesn't show on the scale just yet. Have you considered raising your fat some to let your body know for sure it isn't being starved? Maybe some higher fat meat, or coconut oil, or cheese, or something.

(though if you go that route, take a probiotic! it's normal to have significant stomach and bowel issues after being low fat for awhile.)

Whatever you do, you've already done great!

p.s. I love your costume pics too!

[minimonkey]

Thanks, Sailor, about the pic! I do enzymes, probiotics, etc. pretty religiously -- I have a lot of gut problems just in general, due to having Lyme disease and also from spending 3 solid years on high dose antibiotics... they saved me from disability, so I am not complaining, but they did further damage an already damaged gut.

I think higher fat and protein may be the way to go -- not much higher, just a little. I nixed the apple day idea -- we only have 3 apples, and I am too lazy to go get any... plus, that sounds a bit awful. If need be, I will do one later in the week.

[Deb294evr]

Thanks Mini I dropped the ball today.. whoops!!... I did not work today, and forgot it was MONDAY... how crazy!!...

I'll add our old threads in case folks need to find them...

Original Thread:
HCG - Non Simeon's Protocol

More recent threads:
HCG Alternative Plans week of 12/27/2010
Next
HCG Alternative Plans week of 1/3/11
Next
HCG Alternative Plans week of 1/10/11

[Deb294evr]

So I am finding what Carina is finding to be true also.. On my UP days, I have to treat them like a diet also, or all I do is stay the same.. I can enjoy my UP days, but I can't go hog wild on them. On my down days all I would be doing is losing what I gained on the UP days... JUDDD would be PERFECT for maintenance!!!

SOOOOOOOO... today I started charting my cals closer.. This is a DOWN day.. so I am staying under 1000 and closer to 800. Tomorrow I will try to stay under 1500. I will see if this allows me to lose at a moderate rate.. IF I don't feel like I can do it this way, I will adjust... HENCE the continual experiment..

I will go read the rest of the other thread and see how everyone is doing..

[julieboolie]

Originally Posted by minimonkey

Well, folks, I am still bouncing around that same darned pound. I didn't end up cheating yesterday, and that was very tough... surrounded by goodies, and somewhat in the mindset that it was going to be an interruption of protocol... but I had the option to stick to protocol, and I took it. I was hungry, tired, and shaky by the end of the evening, which hasn't happened to me yet since starting this.

Sorry you're still stuck. The shaky/tired thing sounds like you need to eat more. Not sure what, maybe just more calories overall? Have you done an 800 cal day? Sometimes our bodies actually lose better on slightly higher cals. Hope it gets going soon!

Deb-yep, that's my problem with they "cylcling" too. I don't have a net loss, just up and down the same 2lbs. I did enjoy the higher weekend though , but don't know if it'll hurt or help in the end. Love being my own guinea pig ! Hope you lose well this week too!

Dancer-glad you're feeling a bit better. oranges, but too many hurts my tummy. Sigh.

Man, bernice has been attacking me today. Can't figure out what I ate to make my tummy go crazy. I made this spicey chicken curry dish then froze the leftovers. Had it for lunch yesterday and it was REALLY spicy!! I think that's the culprit. But, hey, it's always good to clean out once in a while (sorry, TMI)!

Feeling good, a tad hungry, but like that feeling of actual hunger.

Oh, and on a fun note, I wore my original goal jeans today. Size 8's, but smaller 8's from a Jr's store. They fit, a tad tight, but looked so good today!! Woo-hoo! I used my Kohl's cash to go buy my size 6 goal jeans. I love the Levi's 515. Got a pair of size 6 longs hanging on my closet door. And, they fit. Zipped, buttoned everything!! I think another 5lbs will make them comfy and worthy of showing the world!! Today they're all muffin toppy and tight, but in a week or so, lookout!! .

Dh took the girls to the zoo, so it's quiet here at home. Reading up on the weight training progam I plan to start once I'm eating more normally again. Glad I have the book. The exercises themselves would be too much to try and remember on my own.

[minimonkey]

Julie -- whoohoo on the size 6s fitting... that's tremendous!

Deb -- thanks for adding all the other threads... I didn't want us posting on the old one, and then the posts getting lost... glad I didn't overstep my boundaries there

Julie -- I just ate a fairly big portion of beef... (some leftover steak, and some leftover roast beef. ) It definitely feels good to have something substantial in my belly! That's probably all I will eat today, but it was fattier than anything I've eaten in a while. I don't mind the slow losses, really... but I don't want to go into starvation mode. I know that one all too well from my teenage years, and it damages the body.

I am trying a lower dose on the Hcg today too -- am wondering if maybe switching over to the brand new bottle would help too... maybe mine have lost potency?

You may be right that I will lose better on a little more food. I am willing to give it a try, but it feels so much like cheating that it is hard to wrap my head around it.

[nitenurse]

I must have posted on another site; anyway, checking in to mark my spot.

[julieboolie]

Ok, just tried this sauteed cabbage I made yesterday. YUMMY! Had to share. It can be modified to be closer to protocol for those less rogue than me .

3 thin slices cooked bacon (70cals for the kind I used - already cooked) - chopped up.
half head of cabbage, cored and sliced thin
chicken broth (I used homemmade - delicious!)
half onion
garlic (powder is fine if you don't have fresh)
amino acids (or soy sauce)
ginger (used ground)
vinegar (apple cider or balsamic)

1.cook or warm the bacon (mine was already cooked - so I just warmed it) remove and crumble.
2. Add onion (and garlic if using fresh) to the pan/dripping (didn't have much, but pour it off if there's a lot) and cook for a few min until starting to soften. (could skip the bacon all together to keep it fat free, and just use broth to cook with).
3. Add the cabbage and the chicken broth. Add as much as you need (I think it's like 1/4 cup I used in the end). Cover and let it cook down a bit.
4. Season w/ s&p, garlic, ginger etc. Cook a bit longer, about 5 min.
5. When nearly done, splash w/ a bit of vinegar at the end.

I made it last night b/c the cabbage wouldn't fit in the fridge. It was so good!! Never really cooked w/ cabbage before this past week but I think I've found a new love!!

Anyway, just wanted to share. Wish I could go eat the rest, but I'm portioning it out. Made 3 portions. Should plug it in to ****** and see where it comes it. I'll come back and post if I do that .

[julieboolie]

Ran the number. 312cals for the whole batch. I had about a third of it w/ dinner.

[julieboolie]

Mini-Good! steak!! Hope your body appreciates it . The dose thing surprised me too. But I notice it more in the hunger control part. Yep, I know what you mean. Like you're cheating, but in reality you're only eating about 700 cals! Starvation to most people!!

Hope for a good loss for us all tomorrow!!

[paulabob]

Marking my spot.

[Somewhat Damaged]

Well, the aftermath from all the nut butter and fats has been rough. I've lost and gained the same few pounds on the scale a few times this round.

I've got about 7 days worth of hcg left on this round, so I'm going to finish it out, take a few very, very controlled p3 days, and then finish out my last and final 20 day round (I promised my husband I would only do so many rounds). Trying to get my head in the game but it's not quite there... Maybe I will feel better tomorrow.

[paulabob]

OK, if you forget your afternoon dose, should you up your evening dose of drops? Thoughts?

Total scatterbrain today!

[minimonkey]

I don't know, Paula -- I actually did that yesterday, and felt pretty awful after... but not sure if it was the drops, or something else. I decreased my dose today, and I also opened my new bottle (the old one was almost empty, and perhaps had lost potency?) and I do feel better overall, I think.

I don't know enough about how homeopathics work to say... but I do know that more is generally not better.

[minimonkey]

I'm hoping the new drops and the dose correction helps. I start school tomorrow, and it is going to be a pretty brutal semester -- a lot of running from place to place, and a lot of overall energy expenditure.

I am feeling physically quite weak today -- and I don't think I quite buy the Dr.S. explanation on this one... I haven't lost all that much weight, all things considered.

The up side is that I won't have time to obsess about what I'm eating and what I weigh, etc.... but the down side is that I do need to have energy to function well. Part of me is rethinking the 40 day plan, but I am on a roll, and I would really like to just get to goal and be done with this. Maintenance should be pretty easy, assuming all goes as planned.... I am so used to lowcarb that it takes next to nothing for me to do it by the book, so P3 should be pretty easy.

Sorry I am posting so much ... this whole experience is so new for me, that I feel the need for a lot of feedback.

[mermaid]

Did okay today. Not feeling especially great. Still trying to cope with a lot of hunger.

Congrats Julie on your jeans!

[minimonkey]

You are doing great, Mermaid! The first few days are the hardest for most people, or so I've read.

If the hunger doesn't stop, a lot of folks recommend adjusting your dose... sometimes it needs to go up, sometimes down. Hang tough... I'm proud of you for doing this!

[mermaid]

Originally Posted by minimonkey

I'm hoping the new drops and the dose correction helps. I start school tomorrow, and it is going to be a pretty brutal semester -- a lot of running from place to place, and a lot of overall energy expenditure.

I am feeling physically quite weak today -- and I don't think I quite buy the Dr.S. explanation on this one... I haven't lost all that much weight, all things considered.

The up side is that I won't have time to obsess about what I'm eating and what I weigh, etc.... but the down side is that I do need to have energy to function well. Part of me is rethinking the 40 day plan, but I am on a roll, and I would really like to just get to goal and be done with this. Maintenance should be pretty easy, assuming all goes as planned.... I am so used to lowcarb that it takes next to nothing for me to do it by the book, so P3 should be pretty easy.

Sorry I am posting so much ... this whole experience is so new for me, that I feel the need for a lot of feedback.

Don't worry about posting too much. It sounds like you're really struggling and it's good to keep in touch and get some support. I hope things even out for you tomorrow.

[mermaid]

Originally Posted by minimonkey

You are doing great, Mermaid! The first few days are the hardest for most people, or so I've read.

If the hunger doesn't stop, a lot of folks recommend adjusting your dose... sometimes it needs to go up, sometimes down. Hang tough... I'm proud of you for doing this!

Thanks Mini! See, now I'm posting a lot too!

[paulabob]

Originally Posted by minimonkey

I am feeling physically quite weak today -- and I don't think I quite buy the Dr.S. explanation on this one... I haven't lost all that much weight, all things considered. .

Are you taking potassium? Need more protein or fat? Just some thoughts.

[minimonkey]

I am taking potassium, and I am mainly eating protein....thanks for the ideas, though... that was one of the first things I thought of, too.

I actually think my drops had lost potency.... I opened a new bottle this afternoon, and used those... and whammo! Suddenly I feel great again, just like I did during the first week of this! I don't know what happened to them, but it really did feel like the drops had stopped working. The new ones are the exact same kind as the old ones, but I feel a million times better.

No wonder I felt terrible if I was basically on a 500 calorie starvation diet! Maybe this will break the stall, too.

[lostfox]

Hey girls,

Checking in late, I have low energy today, just stressed and sick, and tired... lots going on with all of you, sorry if I'm light on the responses just now. I'll be out first thing in the AM also, another busy day...

I've been doing some thinking on my long stall, and about a year ago I had one large mercury filling removed, without any precautionary measures. I have one more left to go. Anyways, it was around then I was at this weight or within a couple pounds below it. I've been thinking for a while that some of the toxins were stored in my fat cells, and I've just been unable to break through to eliminate them, without some more active support in the detox. As if, the toxins go to circulate in my bloodstream as soon as I'm getting ready to break out of this range, and I'm naturally driven to eat to store them back up again, as I need more support to eliminate them.

Thinking of doing a water fast. Taking activated charcoal, to try to attract and draw the toxins out of my bloodstream as they're released from the fat due to the fast. And the fast will be naturally detoxing anyways. I will probably stay on the hcg during the fast simply to prevent myself from losing good fat (boobs, lol!) - as well as any other good fats that could be prone to go, like in the feet.

I'm not sure if I'll pick up some activated charcoal at the store tomorrow, or wait for my shipment, because I ordered some in with my irvingia. I also feel like 'starving' the virus that has been draining me for a while now. As well as some other healing that I hope a fast can help with.

Finish the fast, then ease into kind of a detox diet, perhaps just steady low calories for a while, like 1000-1200, and that's when I'd start the irvingia. Then shift it up with calorie cycling. Hopefully these plans will bust me out of my plateau and into better health within 2 weeks. All I can say is... I really need this! If I check in a bit less, it's probably because if I'm fasting it's a bit of a different state of mind. But I still want to get back within a day or two with some responses to what all of you are up to lately.

Any tips you guys have on assisting with detox would be great, btw!

[Turkeywings]

Hey guys. I had girls night out on Saturday, I upped my water but went off pla. I had a grilled chicken salad, no cheese, dipped my fork in ranch. Two double SF red bull & vodkas, then by 2am they did a jack in the box run & I had 6 jalapeño poppers & ranch! Aghhh! I was up a lb the next day. I really flushed myself with water & ended having another grilled chicken salad because I was away from home all day, by 3pm I had to eat something. I was down a lb today, so I'm hoping I just stalled myself a few days & didn't totally ruin my reset oh and my period made a surprise appearance 10 days early, so that can't be helping either.

I'm struggling this round, 2 weeks left to go.

[minimonkey]

Lostfox -- wow, that makes a lot of sense, really. I swear by bentonite clay for detoxing... generally it is good to take psyllium or another fiber along with it, and drink a lot of water. It is great used with charcoal... both help to bind up and eliminate the toxins. They will bind you up, though, so be sure to take a fiber with it, and an herbal "help it along" agent if need be, too.

Chlorella is supposed to be a good chelating agent for metals... and there are several good nutritional formulas out there that are specifically designed for metal detox -- if I were you, I'd do some research on that and consider taking one of those --- mercury symptoms are pretty awful from what I've read. I still have a mouth full of mercury, and have not been able to do anything about it yet.

I am a big fan of fasting for detox.... I've found it really helpful. Good luck, and please keep posting when you can and let us know how the fast is going!

[minimonkey]

Turkey -- all things considered, it doesn't sound like much damage done, and I hope you had a good time! Just jump back on the wagon.... you've done rounds before, so I suspect your body will be pretty forgiving about the resetting....from what I've read, it is really the first round that is critical to overall success.