Very short HCG rounds - anyone try this?

[shelbyla]

Originally Posted by C'Marie

Emel, once you do the "minimum," and then jump back after a short P3, you are following protocol. NOT doing the true minimum first is where I believe damage can be done. I am iffy on the 2 weeks P2 after the break. I did that, once, as an interrupt, and it appeared, anyway, that my setpoint ended up being where I was after the 23 days and not where I eventually stopped P2 after jumping back on. I flipped right back up to that so easily it scared me. Since I did Rx, I did the 23 + 3 days off hcg doing VLC, then did P3 style interruption, gained a few pounds, didn't reload as I did just 14 days break, then did 17 days because I can only go 40 shots, and struggled to get barely any lower than I was at before the interrupt. Then after P3, fought and fought to keep it down the few pounds below that I got to on the 17 days.

Makes me wonder what would have happened if I had just done 23 days, 2 week interrupt, then another 23 days instead of 17 and gone over my 40 days shots. But that isn't allowed on protocol for Rx and maybe my experience was unique because I gained while on the P3 break due to alcohol and too many nuts/dairy. Maybe I would've got down farther once resuming and been fine. But the two numbers were so close together my body kept drifting upwards. I might consider that, not for a beginning or final round, if I was doing hhcg.

That was my experience. I hope someone else has a better result if they're going to try it. That's what makes me iffy about the 2 weeks P2 after a break. The science behind the actual protocol may seem blurry to us because not all of it was explained in P & I and admittedly Dr. S maybe didn't know the whys, but his experience made him feel that way garnered best results through a wide variety of people.

Just fyi, I had a girlfriend who did exactly what C'Marie did with the 23 days of protocol, 14 days off, then ~20 more days of protocol. She stabilized perfectly in between but had almost EXACTLY the same thing happen. Her second "round" she had terrible stalls of 5 days each week and actually ended up doing an apple day right at the end of her round. She only lost about 8 pounds in the second part. After that round (or roundS, however you count them), she had terrible trouble stabilizing--couldn't eat the things she ate previously, would gain 1-3 pounds and bounce around from totally OP P3 foods. Eventually, she drifted back up and stabilized right around where she ended the first 23 days. Obviously YMMV but I thought C'Marie's comment was interesting given what happened to my friend...

[aicrams]

In my experience, shortening it below 23 days doesn't work. It comes back pretty quiclyl

[RedsSkinnyJeans]

I'm not gambling with my new, healthy hypothalamus.
(I often want to do a shorter round, or mess with the advised number of days prescribed).

Because my body is so stubborn, I gave P-2 40 days, and P-3 2 months.
I need to secure things in the big picture.

I'm doin' it like the book says, allowing all the days needed, following all the rules, because this plan is the ONLY thing that has worked for me. My hypothalamus now loves me again. And I'm going to take good care of it.

[emel]

This has been an interesting discussion.
I'm nearing the end of a short P2 so I'll evaluate my options shortly.
However, it looks like it will make sense to do P3/P4 as written so I can be in P4 for a little Florida getaway in Feb.

I'm pleased with my round but I still think I want to push a little lower so I'll probably do another short round after the trip.

[garnet10]

Originally Posted by PiDevil

Since it has been my experience that I tend to lose really well for the first 7-8 days then go on an extended stall, week two of my P2's are totally frustrating. I was thinking of trying very short P2's until I get to goal.

My p2's would be 7-10 days followed by a p3 of equal length. I would continue this until I get to the ultimate goal weight and then do a full 3 week P3 and P4.

Any thoughts?

I am very interested in this as well. I played by the rules throughout all my prior rounds, but this round, supposed to be my "last" round, has been torturous. I lost 8 lbs quickly the first week (this includes the 2 lb loading gain), but now I have been the same weight in the second week for 5 LONG days already.

I've never experienced a stall like this ever before, and so early in the round--it's mind-numbing. It's also the weight I stabilized at for several weeks before this round.

I haven't seen a lot of short-cyclers on this forum, so I don't know what their results are like.

If you do decide to try this, please let us know how it goes!

[jnaakins]

Im going to start this very thing. I just completed 15 days P2 and will do 3 weeks P3, then another 10-14 days P2 and so on...I only have about 20 more lbs to lose so Im thinking I should only need to do this twice to get to goal and then will go on to stabilize in P4. I have done 4 rounds and for some reason, I just dont lose after about day 10 anymore. I stall and then have small gains. I hope this doesnt cause a problem for me, and if it does, then I'll go back to protocol. Good luck to all of us that are tweaking the program!

[SueQ]

I am interested in how this goes, but I find C'Marie's experience very compelling. It makes sense to me that could happen. I've done one 40 day round and lost 23 lbs not counting load weight. I do RX sublingual tablets. My doctor didn't mention a limit and seemed to expect I would stay on it until I hit goal weight, which was another 25 lbs off at a minimum. I thought I would too, but it proved to be too long for me. I felt too deprived at the end and my weight loss was really slowing down. I did a 2 month P3/P4 and started up again on 1/1. So I'm on day 27, 16 lbs down. I could only get myself to start again by committing that I was only going to do a 3 week round.

However, I'm within 10 lbs of original goal weight and think I would like to go lower, and I'm not having a hard time with this round. The weight loss slows down and those 1st week results are really tempting! Being so close to goal makes me think I am just going to keep at it until I am there and happy with my weight. I am so tired of dieting. I have been at this for 10 months, lost 77 lbs in total, and I'm ready to just power through it and learn what it is like for me to maintain a weight I can finally be willing to stay at, and not feel like I always need to be a little bit hungry, always passing up every single carb or non-approved meat or veggie, know what I mean?

I'm simultaneously FED UP with dieting and completely willing to keep at it just so that I can put it behind me once and for all! I know I can never go nuts and eat whatever I want like I did before, if I want to remain a thin person, but I'm really looking forward to a more balanced life where food choices are involved.

I'm very curious to see how the short cycling goes for anyone who is determined to try it. Of course by the time the results are in I may be done

[garnet10]

Originally Posted by jnaakins

Im going to start this very thing. I just completed 15 days P2 and will do 3 weeks P3, then another 10-14 days P2 and so on...I only have about 20 more lbs to lose so Im thinking I should only need to do this twice to get to goal and then will go on to stabilize in P4. I have done 4 rounds and for some reason, I just dont lose after about day 10 anymore. I stall and then have small gains. I hope this doesnt cause a problem for me, and if it does, then I'll go back to protocol. Good luck to all of us that are tweaking the program!

Please let us know how you have done. I am now doing unintentional short rounds, because of life situations I didn't take into account. (Because I thought I would be done already!!!!!)

I had to do an "interruption" after only 17 days of hCG, because I was at the same weight for TEN days (a prior weight I lived at for a very long time, and stabilized at for several weeks after my last round), and I felt exhausted and ill, it was unbearable. I did a 3 day Fat Fast which broke my stall, but as soon as I entered P3 the weight went right back to where I stabilized at. I decided to load up before leaving this interruption (not according to protocol, but I was very scared to restart P2, considering how terrible I felt before), so I am starting this new phase at 133.8 (approx 3 lbs over stable weight).

So I'm all excited to finally get rid of these last 10 or so pounds, only to discover that in 12 days we are going away for a few days, so this round will be only 10 days long (10 days of hCG, continue the VLCD for 2 more days before the trip). Then a week later we have a dinner obligation 6 days later, so the interruption will be over a week again. Aaaacckkkk!!!!

Now the key is to stick to P3 during my interruption, (which I did not do this time inexplicably, except I'm starting to feel burned out ).