Simeons Protocol-After the loss-Q's??

[Kimberli33]

Hi ladies-
I have a few Q's/concerns and hope some of you can help me...
I did A R1 P2,P3and P4 about a yr. ago and lost 25-30lbs.I was amazed at the weightloss and totally "got"P2.My P3 was short...and P4 lead to being back where I started from...My weight took a few months to regain and I've been unable to lose sucessfully at anything else since.
I've hit 40 and dont know whether my age,the hhcg diet,or lack of commitment is my problem but the weight barely budges now(even when I diet strictly for weeks)
I've decided to give hhcg another try as I KNOW it works great...I LOST almost everything I needed to lose in 30 days...but how to maintain???Do I DO hhcg rounds for life?
Ive read pounds and inches and will reread but your experience is a plus.Explain how you maintain your wl please.TY

[mysterious_5122]

How long was your P3? In my opinion and many others here - P3 is the MOST important phase of the program. It should be no less than 3 weeks, and you should be maintaining within 2 lbs of your LDW. If you had trouble maintaining during this phase, I would pinpoint this as your culprit. Let us know what your P3 was like and we will give you more suggestions if we can.

[Kimberli33]

Originally Posted by mysterious_5122

How long was your P3? In my opinion and many others here - P3 is the MOST important phase of the program. It should be no less than 3 weeks, and you should be maintaining within 2 lbs of your LDW. If you had trouble maintaining during this phase, I would pinpoint this as your culprit. Let us know what your P3 was like and we will give you more suggestions if we can.

1 week

[shelbyla]

I think the key to maintenance is really being strict about keeping yourself on track with your weight. This does not mean that you need to "diet" constantly but it DOES mean that you CANNOT go back to eating cr@p or other bad habits and expect to maintain your loss. It means that you need to weigh yourself rigorously. Don't skip it because you are afraid of what the scale says--that way lies disaster. If you've indulged, take your medicine like a big girl and do your correction day if necessary. It means that you need to stay away from processed foods and white flour and sugar. Have a taste for a special occasion or in an emergency situation but don't drive through McDonalds 3 times a week or get into the mini-Snickers daily and expect to keep the weight off. It means that you need to understand and monitor what your body likes and what it doesn't and also understand that this may change over time. Don't say, "Well I had XXX in my last p3 and it didn't bother me then, so it's ok to eat it every day because I like it..." It means that this is lifestyle change and doing what you did before will get you exactly what you got before--extra pounds that you don't need. It means that while exercise may help tighten and tone, it's not a free pass to overeat or eat things that aren't good for you. This is a tough journey--it's not for wimps, as anyone who has done a P2 can attest to!--but with continued attention to your body and your weight, it IS possible to keep the weight off. Best of luck to you!

I also agree that the abbreviated P3 probably didn't help.

[mysterious_5122]

Originally Posted by Kimberli33

1 week

I say your lack of time in P3 is the issue. Regardless of what you did after, your body wants to go back to your previous setpoint. I'd say do another round and make sure you maintain at least 3 weeks at your LDW to play it safe.

[jessicaspector]

1week. eeeeeek! i would try again and do it for 4 weeks!

[nmbnancy]

Originally Posted by shelbyla

I think the key to maintenance is really being strict about keeping yourself on track with your weight. This does not mean that you need to "diet" constantly but it DOES mean that you CANNOT go back to eating cr@p or other bad habits and expect to maintain your loss. It means that you need to weigh yourself rigorously. Don't skip it because you are afraid of what the scale says--that way lies disaster. If you've indulged, take your medicine like a big girl and do your correction day if necessary. It means that you need to stay away from processed foods and white flour and sugar. Have a taste for a special occasion or in an emergency situation but don't drive through McDonalds 3 times a week or get into the mini-Snickers daily and expect to keep the weight off. It means that you need to understand and monitor what your body likes and what it doesn't and also understand that this may change over time. Don't say, "Well I had XXX in my last p3 and it didn't bother me then, so it's ok to eat it every day because I like it..." It means that this is lifestyle change and doing what you did before will get you exactly what you got before--extra pounds that you don't need. It means that while exercise may help tighten and tone, it's not a free pass to overeat or eat things that aren't good for you. This is a tough journey--it's not for wimps, as anyone who has done a P2 can attest to!--but with continued attention to your body and your weight, it IS possible to keep the weight off. Best of luck to you!

I also agree that the abbreviated P3 probably didn't help.

Well said Shelby. You are exactly right !!
I did a 3-4 wk P3 and was in P4 for 3-4 wks and stayed at my LDW. Then vacation struck, I started off watching what I ate, then ate everything in front of me, never weighed and by the time it was over (10 days) I was carrying a candy bar in my purse!!! and up 8 lbs.

[Solstyce]

Shelby is right. As hard as it is to face, you didn't gain back 40 pounds overnight or by accident. I also gained 40 pounds over the past 5 years, and I know what was to blame- over indulging, not weighing myself because I didn't want to know how much I weighed, and lack of exercise.

That's why this time I feel like I have the tools to maintain my weight.

I know I can't return to eating junk and being lazy if I want to keep looking this good!

[LaraSuzz]

I honestly feel like the key to weight mainenance is skipping meals occasionally and never going back to careless eating. Be consious of what you consume. Sometimes I would find myself takinga bite and then say this is not worth eating. Listen to your body, follow the caveman diet....
Protein, veggies, nuts, fruit, dairy... and have white foods once in a while.

There's no harm in a bun once in a while but if you let it get out of control your body goes through withdrawals without it. I rememeber never being satisfied always wanting more. Thats what sugar and bad carbs do to you.
There were days when if I didnt eat until 11am I would start shaking and I'm sure my blood sugar was taking a dive. I also remember trying Atkins and 2 days later I was in bed with nausea and the worst headache ever. This is detox from poision... Its a serious addiction and right now you have a fresh start to keep the momentum going. Make it count!

[julieboolie]

Originally Posted by shelbyla

I think the key to maintenance is really being strict about keeping yourself on track with your weight. This does not mean that you need to "diet" constantly but it DOES mean that you CANNOT go back to eating cr@p or other bad habits and expect to maintain your loss. It means that you need to weigh yourself rigorously. Don't skip it because you are afraid of what the scale says--that way lies disaster. If you've indulged, take your medicine like a big girl and do your correction day if necessary. It means that you need to stay away from processed foods and white flour and sugar. Have a taste for a special occasion or in an emergency situation but don't drive through McDonalds 3 times a week or get into the mini-Snickers daily and expect to keep the weight off. It means that you need to understand and monitor what your body likes and what it doesn't and also understand that this may change over time. Don't say, "Well I had XXX in my last p3 and it didn't bother me then, so it's ok to eat it every day because I like it..." It means that this is lifestyle change and doing what you did before will get you exactly what you got before--extra pounds that you don't need. It means that while exercise may help tighten and tone, it's not a free pass to overeat or eat things that aren't good for you. This is a tough journey--it's not for wimps, as anyone who has done a P2 can attest to!--but with continued attention to your body and your weight, it IS possible to keep the weight off. Best of luck to you!

I also agree that the abbreviated P3 probably didn't help.

^^^ I agree w/ Shelby!!^^^

I think maintenance is different for each of us. Just like how we each gained the weight differently, lost it differently, we all maintain it differently. Some exercise heavily, some moderately, some not at all. Some are sensitive to carbs and can't even have fruit or they gain, some can have some - a bit here and there, some can go back to eating like everyone else does and maintain with little effort. We're all different.

The key, as others have said, is, that however you choose to eat long term, hopefully in a healthy whole food approach, to weigh yourself regularly. Going a week w.o weighing will make recovering the gain very difficult. Being willing to "nip it in the bud" and get that new gain right back off will be key to maintaining for life.

I've been down 100lbs for 8 years now, and it hasn't been without effort. I don't eat like "everyone else" but I don't look like most of them anymore either .

The hcg plan has helped me get down 25lbs farther than I've ever been before. I am really excited to be here and hope to be able to maintain it too.

Maintenance is even harder than losing weight in the first place. It's totally doable, but doens't "just happen". Just like losing weight, you need to "make it happen"

[LilacBruze]

Your situation reminds me of the first time I did Atkins. I lost the weight so fast... in the blink of an eye really. It was amazing. I was suddenly almost thin. I tossed out all my fatty clothes and bought sexy, slinky ones.

And then I quickly gained it all back. Plus another 20 or 30 lbs.

Why?

Because I didn't change the habits that made me fat. I dieted until I lost what I wanted to, and then went right back to eating crap. Processed and refined crap. I had no balance between good food and crappy food. I had no portion control. I didn't count calories or weigh myself regularly.

IMHO, while HCG is the most amazing diet and diet supplement ever, it is not enough to permanently keep you thin. If you don't radically alter those habits. Even with resetting your metabolism, you have to be mindful of calories, you have to take steps to correct your weight, and you have to be diligent in maintaining.

It's a lifestyle change, there is no doubt.

[Sunny7]

Originally Posted by LilacBruze

Your situation reminds me of the first time I did Atkins. I lost the weight so fast... in the blink of an eye really. It was amazing. I was suddenly almost thin. I tossed out all my fatty clothes and bought sexy, slinky ones.

And then I quickly gained it all back. Plus another 20 or 30 lbs.

Why?

Because I didn't change the habits that made me fat. I dieted until I lost what I wanted to, and then went right back to eating crap. Processed and refined crap. I had no balance between good food and crappy food. I had no portion control. I didn't count calories or weigh myself regularly.

IMHO, while HCG is the most amazing diet and diet supplement ever, it is not enough to permanently keep you thin. If you don't radically alter those habits. Even with resetting your metabolism, you have to be mindful of calories, you have to take steps to correct your weight, and you have to be diligent in maintaining.

It's a lifestyle change, there is no doubt.

very well said LB---i did the same, lost fast got rid of clothes--didn't change eating habits, i did this more than once----

it sure is a lifestyle change---which i finally did do about 10 years ago, but i let carb creep happen a little, but hcg is taking it off, i just couldn't lose on lowcarb like i once did, but i can maintain, so once i get the rest of this off with hcg---i will be back to LC and my lifestyle change--

hcg is amazing like you say

[RedsSkinnyJeans]

Great thread.

Smart women.

Totally agree.

[C'Marie]

Originally Posted by RedsSkinnyJeans

Great thread.

Smart women.

Totally agree.

YUP. I even take my scale on vacation.

[Chris42]

Love this thread. I'm getting ready to go into P3, I need all the help I can get.

I have done this through a Chiropractor's office, but obviously last Friday was my last visit with him(32 days). He just said "if you need anything, call, and good luck."
I have had MUCH more support through this forum than the Chiro...Thanks to all you guys, I know what to do--when.

Chris

[Sunny7]

Originally Posted by Chris42

Love this thread. I'm getting ready to go into P3, I need all the help I can get.

I have done this through a Chiropractor's office, but obviously last Friday was my last visit with him(32 days). He just said "if you need anything, call, and good luck."
I have had MUCH more support through this forum than the Chiro...Thanks to all you guys, I know what to do--when.

Chris

good luck to you Chris--you can do this---keep posting and have fun in p3 with all the greater selection of foods---but be careful--no sugars or grains