WWYBLD? (What would you big losers do?)

[Balance101]

I'm already worried about what I'm going to gain in September when we head to CT for a long weekend, yet I'm being realistic. I know I'll be overdoing it and want to plan ahead. I'll be in P4 and Casinos, alcohol, italian food, and a certain little chocolatier in the mountains near a little Bed & Breakfast (w/ wonderful food) are planned. A round 2 will follow soon after.

The question is, should I count the long weekend as my loading days and start on P2 as soon as I get back, or if I should do correction days to get back down to LDW before I start another round? I will have 3 weeks of P3 before I go and by the time we get back it will be one week into P4.

[shelbyla]

Originally Posted by Balance101

I'm already worried about what I'm going to gain in September when we head to CT for a long weekend, yet I'm being realistic. I know I'll be overdoing it and want to plan ahead. I'll be in P4 and Casinos, alcohol, italian food, and a certain little chocolatier in the mountains near a little Bed & Breakfast (w/ wonderful food) are planned. A round 2 will follow soon after.

The question is, should I count the long weekend as my loading days and start on P2 as soon as I get back, or if I should do correction days to get back down to LDW before I start another round? I will have 3 weeks of P3 before I go and by the time we get back it will be one week into P4.

How long after you get back were you thinking of starting? Do you have enough time to continue your P4 for 2 more weeks when you get back? If your timing doesn't work for a full P4, I would load that weekend (don't forget to pack your drops/pellets/injections) then start when you get back. I did exactly this before my second round--I was on a cruise and loaded the last two days. I DID have the full 3 weeks of P3 and the full 3 weeks of P4 though. Lost 24 pounds in 39 days on my second round.

[Balance101]

Originally Posted by shelbyla

How long after you get back were you thinking of starting? Do you have enough time to continue your P4 for 2 more weeks when you get back? If your timing doesn't work for a full P4, I would load that weekend (don't forget to pack your drops/pellets/injections) then start when you get back. I did exactly this before my second round--I was on a cruise and loaded the last two days. I DID have the full 3 weeks of P3 and the full 3 weeks of P4 though. Lost 24 pounds in 39 days on my second round.

I still have a lot to lose, so was hoping to not have to wait the 2 weeks if it won't hurt anything. I can though, if you guys think it will mess me up some how. I am going to IL to spend Thanksgiving with my husband's family and wanted to lose as much as possible by then.

Another thought was to just stay on P2 until my CT trip and do an interruption for 4 days. The trip is the only reason I'm stopping P2.

[edit: I just realized I won't be able to bring my drops on the plane. It's a 4 oz glass bottle.]

[Balance101]

So this is what I found:

Unforeseen Interruptions of Treatment

If the interval lasts less than two weeks the patient can directly resume injections, and the 500-Calorie diet, but if the interruption lasts longer he must again eat normally until he has had his third injection.

When a patient knows beforehand that he will have to travel, and be absent for more than four days, it is always better to stop injections three days before he is due to leave so that he can have the three days of strict dieting which are necessary after the last injection at home. This saves him from the almost impossible task of having to arrange the 500 calorie diet while en route, and he can thus enjoy a much greater dietary freedom from the day of his departure. Interruptions occurring before 20 effective injections have been given are most undesireable, because with less than that number of injections some weight is liable to be regained. After the 20th injection an unavoidable interruption is merely a loss of time.

I'm on day 44. If I do this, I would stop the drops 2 days before I go while still eating 500 calories a day and then after 4 days, just get back on without loading. This would allow me an extra 4 weeks of P2 before my trip to IL. I read on another forum about someone who did this and lost better after the break. I guess it's the refeed thing. It works for some and not for others. I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed!

[C'Marie]

Yes, you could do an "interruption," but those are not supposed to be overindulgent ala Load foods, they are supposed to be like P3. It is entirely possible that during that brief 4 days you could gain 10-12 pounds. No kidding. If that's ok with you, that's up to you. It is certainly not ideal to go from P2 right to P4++ as your weight will swing wildly.

[Balance101]

Originally Posted by C'Marie

Yes, you could do an "interruption," but those are not supposed to be overindulgent ala Load foods, they are supposed to be like P3. It is entirely possible that during that brief 4 days you could gain 10-12 pounds. No kidding. If that's ok with you, that's up to you. It is certainly not ideal to go from P2 right to P4++ as your weight will swing wildly.

P5!

C'Marie have you overindulged since you lost your weight? Did it come off easily?

I know that this isn't ideal, but I have a way to go and I'm trying to figure out which way will get me the farthest. If I get to 177 next week and then do 3 weeks of P3 before I go on vacation, I guess I would gain less on my weekend?

So, say I weigh 177 and gain 5 pounds to 182. If I continue on P2 for 3 weeks and lose another 9 pounds (I've been averaging 3 pounds a week) to 168 and gain 10 pounds to 178, I'm still better off from that perspective aren't I?

I would go right back onto P2 when I got back. I know this isn't the ideal situation, but I'm just being realistic for what I know will happen on vacation. Still trying to decide. Would love to hear from some of you guys that might have had an experience like this.

[emel]

I went to an all-inclusive Bahamas resort during R1P4. My timing was similar to yours---I had completed 6 days of P4 when the trip began. I practiced enjoying myself without going crazy on food.

I started each day cleanly---coffee and water, and then a breakfast of eggs, fruit, the cleanest meat I could find, and a couple bites of something less perfect.
Lunch was salad-based with clean protein, and maybe some bites of something gooey.
Dinner I relaxed a little and had tiny servings of several starches if they looked good.
I had either a creamy after dinner drink or a small dessert most nights, but not both.

The poolside bartenders were awesome. They made me a special slushy drink that was way lower in sugar than the standard recipe (vodka, lime juice, simple syrup... they backed down on the syrup for me...wasn't that nice of them?)

I gained 4 pounds in the 10 days. Didn't take my scales with me. Ate cleanly when I returned and lost all but a part of a pound of the gain right away. Then I started another P2 when I had another good window of time for it.

Meal Example for trip:
B:2 eggs benedict, left the muffin on my plate, fresh melon, steamed corned beef, couple bites of plantain
L:salad with real dressing, strawberries, steamed shrimp or conch salad, couple bites of fresh pineapple of sometimes a bite of husband's conch fritters
D: filet, salad, steamed veggies, couple bites of peas and rice, maybe a bite of fried calmari, and maybe a cup of creamy soup for a starter. A 2 inch square of chocolate cheesecake OR a white russian for dessert.

I had a ball. As long as I didn't rush my treat foods and took the time to savor the smaller portions, I didn't feel deprived at all. Hope this helps.

[Balance101]

It does help emel, thank you!

[Millenia98]

Balance, I didn't want to overwhelm you with info, but I've gone on two HUGE trips on HCG phase 3. I took my scale both times. I kept telling myself that I didn't go on the trips to eat and sit back with a big belly. You want to look and feel your best while you're partying away at the casinos too, you know? Eating way off of your norm will make you feel icky, so even if you're tempted, just think about how you'll physically feel if you mess up too much.

Like Emel posted above, I completely agree 100%. I went to Italy, Spain and Vegas on P3. I didn't have one dessert on any of the trips b/c I knew that would spike me.

I had eggs benedict minus the muffin, bacon, cheeses, coffee. Then, for lunch wings (no fries), turkey, pork, chicken with some cheese. I had chicken soups w/out noodles, cottage cheeses.

At restaurants, I would order large steaks and a soup/salad for appetizer. That'll leave you nice and satisfied. For alcohol, I would always have vodka soda, or crown and diet coke. Most of the time I had patron on the rocks or vodka on the rocks. I didn't have many mix-ins.

So, don't worry. You don't have to gain. Make the smart choices every day from the samples we gave you. Really try to stay away from the sweets and desserts.

[C'Marie]

I said you could gain 10-12 pounds IF you went straight from P2 to P4 without a P3. The suggestions Emel and Millenia gave you are spot on. IF you go from P2, do a full P3, and then are into P4 a little, what Emel said is perfect. A bite here, a bite there, you should do fine. If you stay in P3 and stay low carb, what Millenia is perfect. IF you go longer on P2, do only the 2-3 days without the hcg, and jump into an eating marathon (LOL) then you could see the scale go wildly up quickly.

I know you want to lose as much weight as possible before you go, but really gaining too much too quickly when you are gone will depress the heck out of you. At least watch the first couple of days and then "load" the last couple and jump back on P2 when you get back if that's your intention.

Yes, I've gained on vacation. Yes, it came back off relatively quickly following correction days and lean days. Sometimes a pound or two stays for good until the next round depending on how long it is before you start getting it off. Don't let 4 days turn into 2 weeks.

Hope that helps! Have fun!

[emel]

Hi, me again... just noticed the part about italian food.
Italian restaurants suck. I'll either eat a heavy protein snack beforehand and get a plain salad, or I'll order the marsala or picata and scrape off most of the sauce.

My sister's favorite italian place will serve me meat sauce on top of steamed plain broccoli instead of noodles.

[Balance101]

Originally Posted by emel

My sister's favorite italian place will serve me meat sauce on top of steamed plain broccoli instead of noodles.

That's an excellent idea. We are going to a seafood restaurant, which I'm not big on so was going to get bolognese. I'll ask for it on broccoli! Thank you!

Thanks for all of the advice guys. And I don't want to let you down, because you are being very helpful, but I have to be honest... I do plan on eating pizza and belgian chocolate, and drinking alcohol. I want to. The little tricks that you've all shared will help me to keep it at a minimum at least.

I'm just going to have to be sure that I can live with the consequences without regrets or it won't be worth it.

[Balance101]

And I need to figure out how I'm going to approach it. A P2 interruption (actually a planned cheat) or a full P3 and a few days of P4 before I go.

[C'Marie]

Emel, that's an excellent tip! I had a similar experience, I ordered at a noodle place in Hawaii, and asked for no noodles, just the teriyaki chicken on top of veggies. (everyone goes to a noodle place for the noodles, right? LOL - the veggies on all the platters were just a garnish - but they did it for me!)

[Millenia98]

Originally Posted by C'Marie

Emel, that's an excellent tip! I had a similar experience, I ordered at a noodle place in Hawaii, and asked for no noodles, just the teriyaki chicken on top of veggies. (everyone goes to a noodle place for the noodles, right? LOL - the veggies on all the platters were just a garnish - but they did it for me!)

You have no idea the requests I have made. I make sure they know I'm coming through for them in the end though! ($$$) lol

[porkfatrules]

I spent my first three weeks of P4 on vacation, and stayed within my window beautifully. I had a two meal/day strategy -- Most days we got up, went for a brisk walk (45 minutes at least), then came back and ate breakfast. I ate a huge, protein-y breakfast, often a big omelet, or eggs and bacon, occasionally Eggs Benedict. No fruit, no juice, tried to keep it big and fairly low carb. No lunch, because (1) breakfast was late in the morning, so not hungry yet, and (2) who can eat after a huge omelet? Then, at dinner I'd eat anything I wanted, but try to leave some behind if it was especially sugary or starchy. I had a travel scale and my weight was really, really steady --

Hope your trip goes well!