Simeons Protocol -- P3/P4 Week of 8/22/11

[LilacBruze]

Originally Posted by Cruzcrzy

WTG LB

I am up this morning(stats to the left), but, within my window. I discovered yesterday I had been overestimating my BMR calories. I have been eating around 2000 when it should have been 1670. I wish I could say mine was water weight, but, I think it was a true gain. The last time I was at today's weight was 12 days ago. I am going to really watch my calories this week and hopefully be back to a solid 150 by Monday. Are you headed into P4 today?

Marie, do you calculate your BMR plus the activity level to get to your calories? My BMR is 1610 calories, but when I multiply it by 1.2 (Harris Benedict equation for sedentary or "sloth" activity level as I call it), I get 1932 calories, and this is the caloric level I try to maintain every day.

ETA: I think I am going to stick with P3 for a little while longer. Although my glucose numbers have been terrific, I am worried about my blood sugar spiking if I introduce starch and sugar. My diabetes is dictating I be a low-carber for life.

[julieboolie]

Wow!! You guys have been busy!! I've got to run, so I can't reply to everyone, but I am so happy you're all doing so well!! Yeah for stabilzing and being all different shapes and sizes! Beauty is shown in all different ways!!

Originally Posted by makeupmom

I am on D21 of P3 and thinking about moving into P4.....I have a birthday coming up on the 23rd of sept and a wedding in the first part of October and I am trying to figure out my next round of P2,P3 and P4....any suggestions from you more experienced hHcg'rs?

Thank you!

Even if I only lose a little weight each P2 I am in this for the long haul until all of my weight is gone so I am not looking for larger losses than this first time out. I do realize it may actually slow down in subsequent rounds.....I am just so happy that the scale has come down after struggling for the last 3 years with it only moving in the upward direction. I also appreciate how much better I feel!

You'll be fine to move on, especially with your expectations. You're very stable and I wish you much success!!

Originally Posted by Cruzcrzy

LB,

I am feeling a bit out of control too, lol. I am eating ALL legal foods and having no problem stabilizing(see stats to the left) YET, but, I am finding myself eating because I CAN, and lots of it. There are so many yummy things in P3.

This is perfect!! Push the calories up, and keep the weight the same. Exactly!! You're doing great!!

Originally Posted by Millenia98

Certainly! That’s perfect for you. I looked at all of your pictures and I was struggling trying to find where 174 fits into that tiny frame lol. But those bones are somethin’ else when you’re 5’10, girl!! : ) You look great.

Haha! Well, I’m only 5’5, but I think I’ll be happy at 160 myself. I also where a size 12 but good GOD, you look very petite. I, like you, could live at a 8/10. Sounds comfy. I don’t care if it’s still obese to some people, but I’ll be normal weight according to the charts, I workout, have lots of muscle, I look and feel great, blood is awesome, glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, etc. And that’s all that matters! Here in NYC, all the ladies weigh 110 MAX, but I don’t want to be there. I’ll be starving and struggling all my life if I do that. I think coming from 310lbs in 2006 to 160 (only 15lbs away) is amazing.

Did you say you used to weigh 310lbs? You look amazing!! No hanging skin or anything!! WTG!!

Originally Posted by paulabob

Here's me at 176 last summer after round 1 and you can see why my goal is 110... Latest picture of me at 129, and you can see where I can still take another 20 off easily! I think the numbers are meaningless, but the pictures are worth a 1000 words!

Verbqueen - you look fantastic!

You look great Paula!! You've come a long way baby. Don't sell yourself short (pun intended ). Great job stabilizing!!

I did my GYCD and added an extra serving b/c I was really hungry. Dropped my normal 2.5lbs back to my LDW+0.8. Quite happy with that. It's P3D22 for me.

I'm wanting to start the New Rules of Lifting for Women (NROL) program, basically harder core weight training than I've been doing. There are 8 stages which go about 6 months when done 3x/week. I know it'll mess w. the scale, but I'm ready for it. I plan to start Monday. So, although I'm due to move on to P4, I have looked at the meal plan in the book, and may use some of their suggestions too. This should be an exciting challenge. I love lifting weights and am not afraid of heavy weights eitehr. I bulk up quickly (darned hormone imbalance) so I need to be a bit careful, but I am convinced muscle is the way to go!!

Have a great weekend. I'm going away w/ dh for our anniversary (belated).

[dbunny]

Up 1 pound today... I do suspect it is the lack of Bernice.. she has not been here much lately. Or it may be the 3 slices of pizza I had:blush: I am going to hold off on the correction day until tomorrow. We are going out for dinner tonight (should have thought about that before the pizza!) so I will try to be clean as can be today.

Shelbya~ I have the linebacker shoulders, too! Make most men look like twerps .. Being 5'10" has its advantages, but sometimes I dream of being a petite little thing. My goal is a size 10ish and/or high 160's.

[LaraSuzz]

Ok thank goodness I didnt gain today, after my first p3 day up 3 I was afraid to get on the scale. Even tho I ate legal probably just salt etc. I'm still going to be carefull starting off with coffee and some cheddar cheese for breakfast.
I am the "biggest" of the girls in my family as far as broad shoulers and frame go. But I'm only 5'4' and no one ever believes I'm that height. They instist I'm at least 5'6' which is funny to me. My sister and mom are small framed and have no butt... I am happy to have a different frame and I really like being different and taller. I think its sexy and it makes a girl stand out lol.

You guys are doing so well! KUTGW!!

[makeupmom]

One thing I have noticed for myself is that when I am below my BMR I gain and when I eat at my BMR or just above (even if my food choices are not perfectly on program) I will lose back to the 2 pound window......interesting and I don't quite understand why that is but I will accept it! My BMR with the equation (drawing a blank on the name) is 1741...BMR without it is 1451....if I eat to 1451 = gain...would not have thought it would be that way.

[verbqueen]

Today is the last day of my first week on P3, and I ate a lot of calories yesterday, 2100ish, and stayed the same--LDW+.6. Could it be that my body is perhaps settling down a bit?

I'm gonna try to follow Shelby's lead and eat even a few MORE calories today, and just see what I can handle. I really don't want to retrain my body to get by on very few calories. I've been doing that for YEARS with all the yoyo dieting--don't want to do it any more!

[Millenia98]

Originally Posted by julieboolie

Did you say you used to weigh 310lbs? You look amazing!! No hanging skin or anything!! WTG!!

Yep, I sure did! I've lost 135lbs total in these years and 33lbs with HCG alone. Thank you!!

[Millenia98]

I'm barely hanging on within my window, but TOM is here full-on (gained a little every day this week). Should I do a correction day??

[ljspears]

You know the cause - I would drink plenty of water and eat clean...it will drop

[Millenia98]

Originally Posted by ljspears

You know the cause - I would drink plenty of water and eat clean...it will drop

I don't think so though. I'm not usually the type to gain those typical 5lbs during TOM. I'm worried it may be real weight, but not sure

[paulabob]

Originally Posted by Millenia98

I don't think so though. I'm not usually the type to gain those typical 5lbs during TOM. I'm worried it may be real weight, but not sure

You are still in your window, though, so not sure why you want to do a CD. I would wait until you are actually out of your window. But then I usually end up with 5 or so CDs in a P3, so am never anxious to do one!

[julieboolie]

Millenia- Impressive girl!! WTG!! I'd wait and see how tomorrow goes. You've got a bit more wiggle room and I worry about too many CD's causing your body to become less sensitive to them (meaning if you do really need one, it may not work as well if you do too many). See how it goes. If you are over your window then do a CD. Keep it clean and you'll be fine!

All packed up and ready to go. Dh is in the shower and we'll be leaving for Tucson soon. Yeah!! Dressing up, nice dinner, ahhh.

KUTGW girls!!

[Cruzcrzy]

Originally Posted by LilacBruze

Marie, do you calculate your BMR plus the activity level to get to your calories? My BMR is 1610 calories, but when I multiply it by 1.2 (Harris Benedict equation for sedentary or "sloth" activity level as I call it), I get 1932 calories, and this is the caloric level I try to maintain every day.

ETA: I think I am going to stick with P3 for a little while longer. Although my glucose numbers have been terrific, I am worried about my blood sugar spiking if I introduce starch and sugar. My diabetes is dictating I be a low-carber for life.

Yes, I did calculate it that way. Mine is 1391 x sloth too I've been eating over my BMR and think I have a true gain not just water weight Time will tell. I guess I need to be thankful I discovered it!
If I am not back down by Monday, I will give up my full fat greek yogurt for a few days.

I can understand your hesitancy to go into P4 until the timing is right.

[dbunny]

Uh oh... bad day/meltdown day yesterday. Up 3.5 over window. Enough said... steak day for me.

[Jodarina]

Originally Posted by paulabob

I have that problem every P3 until 10-14 days in, then all of the sudden I can eat MORE calories than it says I can without gaining. But it's very frustrating at first, gain, gain, CD, gain, gain CD, repeat!

Not sure how far into your P3 you are? But it does get better!

I surely hope that happens for me cause I had another gain today and now I'm up 1.4 over LDW. GY CD today. 2nd CD so far, this is P3 D12. Yesterday I ate at the high end of my calorie range which netted me a gain of .8. The day before I ate at the low end of my calorie range which netted me a gain of .5. They are not HUGE gains but consistent and by golly they add up fast and knock me right out of my window! I ate at a Japanese restaurant on Fri night ( ate chicken and steamed veggies with a ginger sauce w/o sugar) very P3 but thought maybe sodium was behind the .5 gain yesterday so held off on the CD for today's weigh in. I'm so frustrated and the morning weigh in is becoming a daily source of real stress. I SO love P3 and P3 foods but this is the 2nd round now that I have had consistent gains like this on P3.

[paulabob]

Originally Posted by Jodarina

I surely hope that happens for me cause I had another gain today and now I'm up 1.4 over LDW. GY CD today. 2nd CD so far, this is P3 D12. Yesterday I ate at the high end of my calorie range which netted me a gain of .8. The day before I ate at the low end of my calorie range which netted me a gain of .5. They are not HUGE gains but consistent and by golly they add up fast and knock me right out of my window! I ate at a Japanese restaurant on Fri night ( ate chicken and steamed veggies with a ginger sauce w/o sugar) very P3 but thought maybe sodium was behind the .5 gain yesterday so held off on the CD for today's weigh in. I'm so frustrated and the morning weigh in is becoming a daily source of real stress. I SO love P3 and P3 foods but this is the 2nd round now that I have had consistent gains like this on P3.

Were things better your third week of P3 last time?

Also, maybe I misunderstand but if you are 1.4 above LDW there's no need to do a CD yet. Maybe you meant 1.4 above window instead.

Restaurants are always hard. Even with P3 items they're chock full of unknowns and sodium...I always gain.

[LilacBruze]

Hello, everyone!

Went for my tattoo yesterday, ended up just getting the outline done. What started as about as big as a softball is now the size of a dinner plate and then some. I don't want to show a pic now because it is just the rough outline but it has a big sign that says "Welcome to Onederland" on it and the years 1992 and 2011 because 1992 was the last time I weighed under 200 lbs. I will definitely share when it is done but that won't be for at least 3 months since I am looking at 3-4 more sessions and 3 weeks healing time between sessions.

Up a bit today, still in my window. I ate completely clean yesterday so I think I am retaining due to the swelling in the VERY large area I just had attacked with needles.

Oh, okay I will show a pic or two but again, keep in mind this is just the preliminary outline with no color or shading or accenting yet.





I know tattoos are not everyone's cup to tea but if this doesn't show I mean business about my dieting, then I don't know what does!

[paulabob]

Lilac, that's some beautiful ink!

I'm .2 above window, but waiting for tomorrow. Think I"m going to do a steak and cheese. It's really the high protein thing and not a normal P3 CD, but it sure sounds fun. If it doesn't work for me I'll do yogurt on Wednesday.

[Cruzcrzy]

WOW, that is gorgeous and it's not even filled in yet. Congrats! WTG with being in your window. I had a nice loss, so it was water gain, thankfully. My NSV is I walked 46 minutes today. Viva Las Vegas! Have fun. My dh and I love Vegas.

[Millenia98]

AWESOME tat!! I love it and it's so personal to you.

[LilacBruze]

Thanks! I can't believe I fell asleep while getting it. This has happened to me before, lol. I was so comfy on the table and the guy put in a movie and before I knew it, I was zonked out. He had to wake me up to move, lol.

Marie, maybe now that you are eating the appropriate calories, any gain you had will come right off! Too hot to walk here, and I am too much of a sloth anyway, lol.

Have a birthday party to go to at my in-laws today. Will be having steak salad and greek yogurt with strawberries and whipped cream for dessert. My mother-in-law is SO considerate when it comes to what people like or need to eat. Any time I have been on a diet, she has worked hard to accommodate it. I my mommy-in-law!

Bun-less Cheeseburger with turkey bacon for breakfast today. I was craving it!

[Cruzcrzy]

LB, you have a wonderful mother-in-law.

My exercise is mainly to build strength and endurance. My incentive is that I am having cosmetic surgery in November. I will be having a breast lift, and tummy tuck/lipo. I want to go into the surgery as healthy and strong as possible to help with my recovery. The recovery will not be fun, but, I believe it is worth it.

[LilacBruze]

You are sooooo lucky! Those are the things I want and need too, but there is no way I can afford them. Congrats to you, and I can understand wanting to be as healthy as possible. Question... lol perfect segue... have you given the compression garments a thought? You know I swear by them and they make a specific line just for post-cosmetic surgeries such as those.

[Cruzcrzy]

Originally Posted by LilacBruze

You are sooooo lucky! Those are the things I want and need too, but there is no way I can afford them. Congrats to you, and I can understand wanting to be as healthy as possible. Question... lol perfect segue... have you given the compression garments a thought? You know I swear by them and they make a specific line just for post-cosmetic surgeries such as those.

My surgeon will be supplying me(included in the surgery cost) with the post cosmetic surgery garments. I will be required to wear them for quite awhile. This is a dream for me that I never thought would be a reality. I am very thankful.

[C'Marie]

It's been days since I've checked in, have been under SO much stress that I've kind of checked out on life LOL. I am working hard at getting my frame of mind and my weight back in control. Muscle soreness, medication, water retention, and just plain old overeating has jumped my weight back up to completely unacceptable levels!

I did a modified steak day yesterday and went down 2.2, and today I am doing something called an Atkins Fat Fast, which is basically around 1000-1200 calories, 75-90 % of that being fat. I'm doing that simply because I don't want to do two actual CD's back to back. Monday may end up being an egg day or a GY CD. I have to get this nipped in the bud.

My attitude STINKS right now, and I don't even know why. It's like I'm digging my heals in and being rebellious about everything and I can't put my finger on WHY or what is making me so emotional. So time to reign in those d@mn emotions and do what I need to do anyways. If I had a beer I'd be crying in it . Time to go take some GABA I guess. Boo freakin' Hoo. It's either laugh or cry and I'd rather laugh, so there..... LOL.

[Cruzcrzy]

Marie

I am sorry you are struggling. Is going back to P2 an option if you are needing something more structured or not really due to your physical therapy?

[KelliC]

Good evening, we are back from 9 wonderful days at the beach It was so nice to not be quite so self conscious in my swim suit -- woo hoo.
My biggest challenge was that it has become tradition (since we go to the same beach and same condo every year) to go to this wonderful Amish made ice cream shoppe several times during our stay. I'm thrilled to report that as of this morning I didnt' gain a single pound on vacation. I had the Amish icecream twice (once they combined two flavors for a custom flavor since I couldn't decide:blush and Gelato at St. Armand's circle once. It worked ok, I think because we were more active (in the pool and the ocean waves) and I was careful to otherwise eat normally with few deviations ( normally for me is pretty much p3. I've found that if I stay p3 most of the week then I can splurge with a little sugar or starch once or twice with no effects (so far) All in all we had a blast, now just 3 days to get her ready and my dd is going to California with her grandparents - If I can just relax and not think about my baby flying through the air without me lol

[C'Marie]

Marie, I would LOVE to run back to P2, but it's my understanding that my active hip therapy will not be successful with limited protein. I also need to email the doctor who is doing my next phase of prolo and platelet replacement therapy injections. If there isn't enough nutrition to effect healing, there's no point in doing them. I don't know how long I have to be satiated with protein and nutrients prior.

Also, as I am starting R6 next, I am s'posed to wait 6 MONTHS before starting again. I only waited 6 weeks between 4 and 5, instead of the protocol 20 weeks. I know people poo-poo the protocol with subsequent rounds and waiting, some choosing to cycle instead, or only do at most 6 weeks between rounds, etc. but since I have lost over 100 pounds doing protocol I put my life in my hands, I feel, to start R5 early. I did it with ok from my doctor, but I am really wondering if it was wise. I seemed to stabilize, and even made it through vacation time in early P4 and got back down, but now my weight seems to be unstable again. 5 up, 2 down, 6 up, 3 down, etc. It's a fight, for sure. So I'm not sure what to do, except I am doing correction days and then will go to my standby, P2++ as long as is necessary. Given all I have accomplished, really, it's a small price to pay.

Unfortunately, all that is going on in my real life now has directed my attention elsewhere, as it usually does, and I feel slightly off-kilter and out of control in general and with my weight in particular.

Thanks for your thoughts. I've taken a bunch of stress relieving vitamins and minerals and am just hanging on by my fingernails at this point. I wish it wasn't so, but no sense being fake here.

[Cruzcrzy]

Marie,

I appreciate your transparency. We are here to support one another. I wish I had the right words to make everything okay, but, know that I am here with a good listening ear, and care about you. I agree that the time is not right to go onto another P2. You are right you have accomplished SO much. I think we tend to focus more on what is still ahead instead of what we have already accomplished. Tomorrow will be a better day. We are here for you.

[LilacBruze]

C'Marie, first and foremost...

Breathe, woman. Just breathe! It will all be okay!

Can you sort of look back recently and see what the triggers, culprits, and actions have been? Anything you CAN reign in and take control of again? Is it possible to just take a day off FOR YOU and maybe just spend some quiet alone time to combat the stress?

I wish I had an answer for you. I'm sorry you're having a rough time of things.

Maybe... just a thought... I know you are strict protocol and do everything by the book, but is the waiting period as rigid with homeopathic? Maybe you might consider a short round of hHCG to get a little of that control back?