For those struggling in P3 with maintaining...

[Nicole T]

Hi all! After a triumphant first P2 for me (63 day round) and getting to goal, I have been in P3 hell! A lot of you here have heard my plight many, many times but I finally found something that worked!

I have been on P3 for 4 weeks now and began gaining from day 1. My LDW was 165.2 (although it was probably closer to 167 since I had a big drop the day I called my LDW and I don't think it was really "set in stone"). My first day in P3, the scale went up a pound...the second day, another pound...onto my first steak correction day....and now just repeat this cycle for the next 4 WEEKS! I never lost even ONE OUNCE in P3 unless it was the result of a steak CD but I would gain it right back over the two days following the CD weightloss.

I began searching for others who have had the same problem stabilizing and I found info on the Leptin Reset Program. I found that a decent number of people go right into this after P2 in order to stabilize and most say it helps them stabilize like a rock. It works for those of us who have insulin stabilization issues which lead to unstable P3's for us. In a nutshell, the leptin program is eating within 30 min of waking up, having a B.A.B (big a$$ breakfast) with 50-80 grams of protein, NO SNACKING in between meals, 4-5 hours between meals and never eating after dinner (allowing at least 3 hours or more between the time you finish dinner and going to bed).

Yesterday was my first day and I FINALLY lost a pound for the first time in 4 weeks of P3 WITHOUT having to do a correction day! I am beyond happy today because I finally found something that works. It's been SO frustrating seeing all these other women here who have absolutely no problem staying at their LDW and they were doing the same things I was doing and yet I just kept packing on the lbs! Please let me know if you have any questions.

[garnet10]

Oh, Nicole that's wonderful!!!

I'm going to keep this in mind if I cannot stabilize after my "last" (I hope) round.

[Cruzcrzy]

Nicole,

I am soooooooo happy for!!! I will be following your progress.

[Chris42]

Nicole, thank you for the info and for the great link. Glad to hear you are doing well.
I had an awful time when I did P3. I am in R2 now, and back on track. I am saving the link for the next time.

Thanks, Chris

[catkin]

Can you tell us exactly what you did differently? Thanks and congrats!

[CdnGal]

I'm very happy to hear that you've found something that works for you. I will definitely need to remember this for when I'm in P3. Thanks for sharing the link.

[Nicole T]

Originally Posted by catkin

Can you tell us exactly what you did differently? Thanks and congrats!

Do you mean differently from what I was doing in P3? Well, I did have to cut out all dairy and nuts (for now) until I get my leptin sensitivity back (you want to be sensitive to it, not resistant to it!). The main tenants are actually pretty straightforward...I eat a huge breakfast within 30 minutes of getting up (today I had a 4 egg omelet with 4 oz ground beef with some onions and mushrooms thrown in and 3 pieces of bacon). Also had coffee with homemade coconut creamer in it (coconut milk from a can, coconut oil and 1 egg blended well together). Most people find they don't want lunch since their breakfast keeps them SO full but yesterday I had a cup of coffee with the coconut cream in it again for lunch. You CANNOT snack between meals which also means no coffee with cream unless it's with a meal. For dinner I had chuck roast in the crock pot with faux cauliflower mashed potatoes for dinner. Also drank about 3 liters of water throughout the day.

Honestly, the doctors who recommend this say it's almost not as important what you eat as it is important that you follow the "rules" of eating within 30 min, never snacking between meals, allowing 4-5 hours between meals and allowing at least 3 hours between dinner and sleep.

If I didn't answer your question...let me know

[Trishagrrl]

Thanks for posting your experience. Keep us posted on how it continues to work for you. A couple of years ago when I did hhcg I lost 35 pounds and also had a terrible time stabilizing! I've been dreading that part this time around. It seemed like half my P3 days were correction days. Seems like it would be easy enough to space my meals out like this if it would keep me from having to do correction days!

[dawnyama]

Thank you so much Nicole. There are so many variables that what works for one won't work for another. It pays to find out what your body likes/dislikes and you did it!!! So sorry it took so long, though. Fabulous news. Thank you so much for sharing. What made you think you have this leptin sensitivity...what led you to believe that you needed this plan to set your LDW? In other words did someone point this out to you, did someone suggest you have a RT3 problem? Just curious and wondering if it will work for me or not. I know my thyroid is out of whack, so maybe it will work for me too. Now to click on that link you posted.......

[Viola De Lesseps]

I'm glad you found something that works for you! I watched you struggle on the P3 thread-- hurray for downward movement on the scale!

[verbqueen]

This is very interesting, Nicole. I think I may have sort of done this accidentally during my P3, just due to my personal preference for lots of protein (I started out my P3 having a steak with butter for breakfast on the very first day!) I'm going to be really conscious of following these guidelines intentionally on my next P3.

[Nicole T]

Originally Posted by dawnyama

Thank you so much Nicole. There are so many variables that what works for one won't work for another. It pays to find out what your body likes/dislikes and you did it!!! So sorry it took so long, though. Fabulous news. Thank you so much for sharing. What made you think you have this leptin sensitivity...what led you to believe that you needed this plan to set your LDW? In other words did someone point this out to you, did someone suggest you have a RT3 problem? Just curious and wondering if it will work for me or not. I know my thyroid is out of whack, so maybe it will work for me too. Now to click on that link you posted.......

Well, it was actually my boyfriend who found it for me! Honestly, I think he was getting really tired of my foul moods every morning when I would get on the scale...and my bad mood usually would extend all the way into my day...and you know that saying..."crap flows downhill" LOL So I think he was desperate to help me find an answer! He did a google search for others who couldn't maintain in P3 and he sent me a text with a link to a thread on another message board about Leptin and the stories there were ALL like mine! So I just started digging and it took me a whole evening to dig deep enough to understand it and come up with the plan.

[october's child]

Thank you, Nicole! I'm going to try this tomorrow!

Edit: Would you mind sharing your plan? I haven't fully grasped the concept yet...

[Nicole T]

Originally Posted by verbqueen

This is very interesting, Nicole. I think I may have sort of done this accidentally during my P3, just due to my personal preference for lots of protein (I started out my P3 having a steak with butter for breakfast on the very first day!) I'm going to be really conscious of following these guidelines intentionally on my next P3.

That's interesting! And I was kind of doing the opposite. I had gotten so used to not eating breakfast on P2 that it was hard for me to eat it on P3 and when I did eat it, it DEFINITELY was not within 30 min of waking up...more like 3 HOURS! I would get up, have my coffee, check my email, get distracted and then realize I needed to eat somewhere around 10am. I was also snacking and to make it worse...I was snacking on dairy and nuts (yogurt). I was also sometimes eating a snack between dinner and bed. So maybe that's why I was gaining LOL

[shelbyla]

Nichole, I am keeping my fingers crossed that this KEEPS working for you.

[mymy3377]

Originally Posted by Nicole T

That's interesting! And I was kind of doing the opposite. I had gotten so used to not eating breakfast on P2 that it was hard for me to eat it on P3 and when I did eat it, it DEFINITELY was not within 30 min of waking up...more like 3 HOURS! I would get up, have my coffee, check my email, get distracted and then realize I needed to eat somewhere around 10am. I was also snacking and to make it worse...I was snacking on dairy and nuts (yogurt). I was also sometimes eating a snack between dinner and bed. So maybe that's why I was gaining LOL

Nuts are like little bombs of Omega 6 so too many of them can cause major inflammation issues in sensitive folks. Also as far as dairy the big reason it's a no-no on Dr. Kruse's program is because it can be insulinogenic in some people. Once you're thirty days or so in you can test your "tolerance" with a cheap blood glucose monitor and find out for sure

[dawnyama]

Originally Posted by Nicole T

Well, it was actually my boyfriend who found it for me! Honestly, I think he was getting really tired of my foul moods every morning when I would get on the scale...and my bad mood usually would extend all the way into my day...and you know that saying..."crap flows downhill" LOL So I think he was desperate to help me find an answer! He did a google search for others who couldn't maintain in P3 and he sent me a text with a link to a thread on another message board about Leptin and the stories there were ALL like mine! So I just started digging and it took me a whole evening to dig deep enough to understand it and come up with the plan.

Thank you for that. I know that the scale should NOT dictate your mood for the day, but when you gain every freakin' day I agree, very hard to be happy when that is happening. Very interesting stuff your boyfriend has found. Thank him for us too.

I agree with your next post too. Breakfast for me is a big deal---I don't eat when I first get up either. Just not ready for that big a meal in the beginning of the day. I also will just drink coffee when I am hungry so that is my "go-to " snack. But I do believe that my doctor will agree with these findings. She wants me to kind of eat this way. Will have to investigate this further. Wow!!! Thank you so much (again) for sharing. I am cheering you on with this!!!

[Nicole T]

Worked AGAIN Down another 6 oz from yesterday!!!! I truly can't believe it after 4 weeks of constant gaining and correction days every 3 days just to stay under 170. I was 167.6 today. And I even ate out last night at our local Lebanese Tavern--had grilled salmon with a salad and an avocado I smuggled in my purse because I needed to get o 25 carbs for the day.

[mymy3377]

Way to go! Amazing how simply changing the timing of our meals can change our bodies eh?

And I saw in your other thread you "struggled" to get in 25 grams of carbs, remember you should be able to have around 50g...you might not want them bu you can have them. It's probably hard enough getting to 25g since you only have two meals to "squeeze" them all in since you shouldn't have them at breakfast

[Cruzcrzy]

Originally Posted by Nicole T

Worked AGAIN Down another 6 oz from yesterday!!!! I truly can't believe it after 4 weeks of constant gaining and correction days every 3 days just to stay under 170. I was 167.6 today. And I even ate out last night at our local Lebanese Tavern--had grilled salmon with a salad and an avocado I smuggled in my purse because I needed to get o 25 carbs for the day.

Nicole,

I am BEYOND thrilled for you!!!!!!!!!!!

[Nicole T]

Originally Posted by mymy3377

Way to go! Amazing how simply changing the timing of our meals can change our bodies eh?

And I saw in your other thread you "struggled" to get in 25 grams of carbs, remember you should be able to have around 50g...you might not want them bu you can have them. It's probably hard enough getting to 25g since you only have two meals to "squeeze" them all in since you shouldn't have them at breakfast

Wait...we shouldn't have any carbs at breakfast????

[october's child]

So are those on the leptin diet still having the 25-50g of carbs even though we're not really allowed during P3?

[LoriSax]

I am happy for you Nicole!!!! Way to go!!!

[Nicole T]

Originally Posted by october's child

So are those on the leptin diet still having the 25-50g of carbs even though we're not really allowed during P3?

Well it's 25 grams of veggies and some fruits (berries)--no grain carbs.

[PenPen13]

Wow Nicole I am right there with you!!! I have only been on P3 for about 6 days and I was having the same problem. My LDW is 137 but the first day I dropped to 135. I to don't think that was my "stable" wt. So I am going with 137. I started gaining the next day and was just about in tears each morning. I couldn't believe I would have to start with CD's on my third day of P3. So I decided to go strict protein, vegs and fruit and ended up doing exactly what you are doing. I eat like this:

breakfast: 3 eggs with a little cheddar cheese / 2 bacon or turkey sausage coffee with unsweet creamer
NO SNACKS which is ok because I stay full with a good breakfast

lunch : salad with tomatoes, cucumbers and either tuna or chicken and one hard boiled egg with dressing. I have been eating strawberries as a dessert because I wanted to get a fruit in.

NO SNACKS
dinner: Protein and a veg with a salad so I am nice and full until morning. We eat early, around 5-5:30pm so I have the three hour window for sure. I have been eating a few strawberries maybe around 8:00pm but maybe I will stop that. I haven't gained or lost a thing in three days...yeah!

I know the mood scale thing very well because I was doing the same thing. I was a crab starting at 5:30am every day.
I do make sure to drink about 3 liters of water throughout the day also.
I will check out the site but keep me posted on how you are doing. I would love some company on P3 with thoughts or suggestions.

[Nicole T]

Originally Posted by PenPen13

Wow Nicole I am right there with you!!! I have only been on P3 for about 6 days and I was having the same problem. My LDW is 137 but the first day I dropped to 135. I to don't think that was my "stable" wt. So I am going with 137. I started gaining the next day and was just about in tears each morning. I couldn't believe I would have to start with CD's on my third day of P3. So I decided to go strict protein, vegs and fruit and ended up doing exactly what you are doing. I eat like this:

breakfast: 3 eggs with a little cheddar cheese / 2 bacon or turkey sausage coffee with unsweet creamer
NO SNACKS which is ok because I stay full with a good breakfast

lunch : salad with tomatoes, cucumbers and either tuna or chicken and one hard boiled egg with dressing. I have been eating strawberries as a dessert because I wanted to get a fruit in.

NO SNACKS
dinner: Protein and a veg with a salad so I am nice and full until morning. We eat early, around 5-5:30pm so I have the three hour window for sure. I have been eating a few strawberries maybe around 8:00pm but maybe I will stop that. I haven't gained or lost a thing in three days...yeah!

I know the mood scale thing very well because I was doing the same thing. I was a crab starting at 5:30am every day.
I do make sure to drink about 3 liters of water throughout the day also.
I will check out the site but keep me posted on how you are doing. I would love some company on P3 with thoughts or suggestions.

Good for you...sounds like you instinctively knew what to do! I was kinda doing the opposite--no to late breakfast, snacking and for me, eating dairy (which I am clearly sensitive to). So I was in a sense creating "the perfect storm" but not knowing why. I'm now wondering where my weight will end up if I am losing each day on this Leptin reset????? Guess it will stop when I get to my ideal weight. I was thinking that was around 165 but I really don't know since I haven't been this low since before having my 3 boys!

[C'Marie]

That's just awesome, Nicole!!!! I always knew if I didn't have protein right away in the morning I was not "settled" the rest of the day, and as long as I quit eating before late at night, didn't have dairy or nuts for awhile, I did ok - but I didn't know WHY it worked, just that it did! That's how I knew to go "back" to P2++ whenever I was in trouble.

So this goes on for 6 weeks? so your whole P3/P4 cycle? When would you add some starchy carbs in, if you were starting this right after P2? I confess I didn't have time to do very much reading over there.

[catkin]

Originally Posted by Nicole T

Do you mean differently from what I was doing in P3? Well, I did have to cut out all dairy and nuts (for now) until I get my leptin sensitivity back (you want to be sensitive to it, not resistant to it!). The main tenants are actually pretty straightforward...I eat a huge breakfast within 30 minutes of getting up (today I had a 4 egg omelet with 4 oz ground beef with some onions and mushrooms thrown in and 3 pieces of bacon). Also had coffee with homemade coconut creamer in it (coconut milk from a can, coconut oil and 1 egg blended well together). Most people find they don't want lunch since their breakfast keeps them SO full but yesterday I had a cup of coffee with the coconut cream in it again for lunch. You CANNOT snack between meals which also means no coffee with cream unless it's with a meal. For dinner I had chuck roast in the crock pot with faux cauliflower mashed potatoes for dinner. Also drank about 3 liters of water throughout the day.

Honestly, the doctors who recommend this say it's almost not as important what you eat as it is important that you follow the "rules" of eating within 30 min, never snacking between meals, allowing 4-5 hours between meals and allowing at least 3 hours between dinner and sleep.

If I didn't answer your question...let me know

Perfect explanation, thanks! I'm in P2 now but will follow this with interest!

[mymy3377]

Originally Posted by Nicole T

Wait...we shouldn't have any carbs at breakfast????

He says you should have the bulk of your carbs when your cortisol is lowest so it really depends. But most people doing the reset (at least on MDA where the thread originated) do little to no carbs at breakfast and eat them with their two later meals.

[catkin]

Originally Posted by Nicole T

That's interesting! And I was kind of doing the opposite. I had gotten so used to not eating breakfast on P2 that it was hard for me to eat it on P3 and when I did eat it, it DEFINITELY was not within 30 min of waking up...more like 3 HOURS! I would get up, have my coffee, check my email, get distracted and then realize I needed to eat somewhere around 10am. I was also snacking and to make it worse...I was snacking on dairy and nuts (yogurt). I was also sometimes eating a snack between dinner and bed. So maybe that's why I was gaining LOL

Same here I usually have no appetite till around noon or later! Snacking was one of my unfortunate bad habits, too. Hmmm....

ETA: I basically lived on meat, yogurt and HWC on P3/4. I ate a few fruits, veggies and nuts here and there but not many!