P3 Coming Soon Need Ideas

[msgirl]

Okay, I know I have 10 more days to go - maybe even more if I don't get where I want to be by then. But, I am kind of scared of P3 - I know that is where we stabilize but not really sure what in the world to eat!!


Here's what I know so far:

Eat 1200-1500 calories
Continue eating what I am eating now but include back in fats, oils, etc.
Stay away from sugars, starches

That kind of scares me!

Can anyone share a successful P3 menu with me? What did you typically eat? How often, etc? Are we just eating regular low carb but counting calories? Are we still eat fruits? Is there a carb count you try to stay under for P3?

Sorry for all the questions - I just knew I needed more info so I can wrap my head around this upcoming protocol.

Thanks!!

[msgirl]

ETA - I see the sticky at the top - but I would really like to see some of your menus.

Why can we eat oranges in P2 but then they are considered too high in carbs/sugars for P3?

[Nicole T]

I did a 63 day round in the summer and then had a horrid time stabilizing in P3 even though I was eating NO sugar or starches. What finally ended up working for me was to follow the Leptin Reset program and eat Paleo (no grains, no sugar, no dairy). I am about 15 days away from P3 this time and will eat like that from day one since I dropped 3 lbs in 3 days after implementing the Leptin protocol.

Last time I also added in dairy and nuts right away and now I know you should wait at least 2-3 weeks to do that in P3. Good luck!!

[shelbyla]

One of the things that is recommended for P3 is to calculate your basal metabolic rate (BMR), multiply it by your activity level factor, then try to eat as close to (or even over) these calories as possible. The rationale behind this is that in P3, you are "training" your body to eat as many calories as possible so that when your metabolism is "re-set," your body thinks it needs to eat this many calories to MAINTAIN your last dose weight (LDW). That way, in the future, if you want to lose a few pounds, it is simply a matter of eating LESS than your BMRx calories. Calories in/calories out is how this works for people whose metabolisms are not broken--and after HCG, we should be among them! It can be hard to eat this many calories, but I truly urge you to try and get as close as possible through P3. Wouldn't you rather have your body "re-set" to eating 2000+ calories per day instead of 1200 or something? I sure would! ;-) Just as a note, in P3 you may gain weight if you don't eat ENOUGH calories so sometimes it is a slippery slope to try and track. It really is worth it in the long run, though. Remember, the goal in P3 is to stay within 2 pounds over OR under your LDW. As much as many of us would like to lose the weight quickly, it really IS better to stabilize than to attempt to get more off until AFTER your 3 weeks of P3. After those three weeks if your weight is stable, you can go slightly lower in calories or increase exercise to try and shave off a few extra!

To calculate BMR google "BMR calculator". Most of them come out roughly the same.

Input your weight, height, age and gender. The resulting number of calories is the number you would burn if you are comatose or sleeping all day. For example, my BMR (age 44, gender F, goal weight 140, height 5'9") is 1381.

Multiply by the following factor, depending on your activity level:

Sedentary (no exercise) - x1.2
Exercise 2-3 days per week - x1.35
Exercise 3-5 days per week - x1.5
Exercise 6-7 days per week - x1.75
Exercise 2x per day or competition training (marathon, figure competition, etc.) - x1.9

So for me, since I exercise ~5 times per week, this is 1381 x either 1.5 (2071) or 1.75 (2417). I will probably try to shoot for somewhere in the middle.

[shelbyla]

Any time you are more than 2 pounds from LDW, protocol says to do a "Correction Day" on the FIRST DAY you go over. (If you want to give yourself a larger window or choose to "eat clean" if you are only over by 0.2-0.5, that is fine, too.) Each person is different and some of these will work better for an individual than others. (Steak and GY day do not work well for me but roasted chicken does.) Try them and see. You should see between a 1 and 3 pound loss--theoretically enough to get you back in your window. (I have seen as little as nothing and as much as 6 pounds!)


Steak day - fast all day (can have coffee/tea with cream). For dinner, eat a humongous fatty steak (as big as you can choke down) with either a large raw apple or a large raw tomato. May use condiments and spices freely but no veggies, dairy, etc.

Split steak day - fast until lunch (can have coffee/tea with cream). For lunch eat a medium sized steak (8oz or so) with a small serving of veggies, if desired. For dinner, eat a medium sized steak with either a large raw apple or a large raw tomato. May use condiments and spices freely but no dairy, etc.

Roasted chicken day - roast a whole large chicken. Start in the morning (if desired) and eat dark meat and skin (legs, wings and thighs) first for breakfast and lunch. If you run out of dark meat before dinner, make chicken salad (full-fat mayo) and eat it for dinner. May use condiments and spices freely but no veggies, fruit, dairy, etc.

Roasted chicken leg/thigh/wing day - same as roasted chicken day except eat roasted legs/thighs/wings all day. May use condiments and spices freely but no veggies, fruit, dairy, etc.

Greek yogurt day - Start in the morning (if desired) and eat 32-40oz of full-fat Greek yogurt plus up to 8oz of berries. If full-fat yogurt cannot be found, add 2T of heavy cream to each 8oz serving of yogurt. No restrictions on non-sugar sweeteners in the yogurt or (if desired) spices. No other protein or veggies.

Egg day - Start in the morning and eat 8-12 eggs throughout the day. Condiments and butter or oil may be added for cooking or to make egg salad but no veggies, fruit, dairy, etc.

Fish/seafood day - fast all day (can have coffee/tea with cream). For dinner, eat a humongous piece of fish/seafood (any) with 8oz of asparagus. May use condiments and spices freely but no veggies, fruit, dairy, etc.

Split fish/seafood day - fast all day (can have coffee/tea with cream). For lunch eat a medium sized piece of fish/seafood (any) (8oz or so) with a small serving of veggies if desired. For dinner, eat a medium sized piece of fish/seafood (any) with 8oz of asparagus. May use condiments and spices freely but no veggies, fruit, dairy, etc.

Atkins fat fast - Eat 1000 calories worth of Atkins Fat Fast foods (google for list)

Protein fast - Eat protein (any) all day. May be fatty protein but add minimal fat for cooking. No veggies, fruit, dairy, etc.

[shelbyla]

A lot of people struggle with ramping up calories in P3 to their BMRx. Especially after eating 500 calories (as well as eating long term low calorie), 2000+ calories can seem daunting. Here is what I ate to get to around 2300 calories in my first P3...

Sample P3 menu - 2100-2300 calories

Breakfast - Protein shake with coconut milk, protein powder and MCT oil--100 calories of low-carb protein powder, 100 calories of coconut milk--usually around 3oz, 100 calories of MCT oil--1T (~300 calories)
Snack - 1 hard boiled egg, 2 pieces of bacon or 1 brat-sized sausage (~300 calories)
Lunch - 7oz of fatty meat (chicken thighs, pork chops, salmon, fatty beef, etc.), 1 whole medium avocado, 2T full-fat dressing, lettuce, other veggies (~700 calories)
Snack - 7-8oz full-fat Greek Yogurt, 3oz blueberries or raspberries (~300 calories)
Dinner - 7oz fatty meat, cooked veggie with 2T butter, 7oz strawberries, 2T whipping cream over berries (~700 calories)

This is just an example but looks roughly like what I ate most days. Obviously, tweak this to meet your specific dietary preferences and BMRx calories.

[shelbyla]

Originally Posted by msgirl

Okay, I know I have 10 more days to go - maybe even more if I don't get where I want to be by then. But, I am kind of scared of P3 - I know that is where we stabilize but not really sure what in the world to eat!!


Here's what I know so far:

Eat 1200-1500 calories
Continue eating what I am eating now but include back in fats, oils, etc.
Stay away from sugars, starches

That kind of scares me!

Can anyone share a successful P3 menu with me? What did you typically eat? How often, etc? Are we just eating regular low carb but counting calories? Are we still eat fruits? Is there a carb count you try to stay under for P3?

Sorry for all the questions - I just knew I needed more info so I can wrap my head around this upcoming protocol.

Thanks!!

Hope the above is helpful. I would definitely calculate your BMRx calories because unless you are VERY short 1200-1500 is probably too low. One other thing that I and a number of others have found useful is to balance your grams of fat with your grams of protein. Not NUMBER of calories, but actual GRAMS. It usually comes out to be around 55% fat, 25% protein, and 20% carbs although in P4, when I increase my carbs, I cut back on both fats and proteins a little so my calories stay roughly the same. It's scary but also a key piece of learning this WOE.

[BaileysGirl]

After calculating my BMR with the activity factored in my daily calories to maintain was about 2100 calories. Here's what I ate lots of days. I dove right into cheese, dairy and nuts and it didn't bother me that I could tell.

Breakfast was usually 2 eggs/hwc scrambled w/ a bit of cheese OR a 2 egg/hwc omelete, veggies like onions, mushrooms, spinach topped w/ salsa & sour cream w/ side of bacon &/or sausage & sugar free cappucino w/ hwc & sf caramel syrup

Snacks were apples, strawberries, peaches w/ hwc, almonds, pecans, cheese sticks, olives, pickles, guac or flavored crm cheese w/ celery sticks or cucumbers

Lunch/Dinner was usually tuna salad w/ dukes mayo, P2 chili, cheeseburger, no bun, BIG A$$ SALADS (Shelby!) with full fat dressings, hot wings w/ celery/blue cheese, grilled chicken, broccoli w/ cheese, avocados made into guac, shrimp scampi, chicken fajitas, sheri's creamy southwestern taco soup, full fat greek yogurt, sausage mushroom stuffing, stuffed mushrooms, taco salads. I tried the LC wraps and they were good for tacos or burritos. I could go on and on! There's so much good food!

If the scale went up over 1 pound I would just take out the nuts or some cheese from my menu the day the scale was up. I stabilized like a ROCK! WOOT! This was all over Thanksgiving/Christmas too! I stayed at either 200.5 or 201.5 the entire time up until right before my 2nd round began right after Christmas. I am praying it goes as well this round!

There's a thread on page 2 of HCG threads that has P3 Menus! Got lots of good tips from Shelby/Dawn - I bought some Coconut Milk but never used it all. I made 1 smoothie. It's still in fridge...Wonder if it's still good!

[emel]

I stick with good-for-me foods and eat however much I want.

Favorite P3 meals:

Breakfast!!!! 3 eggs with cheese with some orange sections or berries. Cream in my coffee. (Many people do lots of bacon and sausage while they count calories. I don't but on occasion I'll have whitefish, smoked salmon, diced leftover beef cooked in butter, or canadian bacon.)

Lunch
-Big old chef salad for lunch with REAL dressing. I make my own ranch. Chicken, lots of eggs, cheese, walnuts, olives, avocado slices.
-leftovers from a favorite dinner, or soup made from the leftovers.

Favorite dinners:
-baked chicken thighs, basted with pan drippings so the skin gets crispy. With green beans, cauliflower puree, and cocoa crack for dessert.

-Big old fatty pot roast with onions, carrots, celery, and shrooms. I like berries with sugar-free whipped cream for dessert with this one.

-pork roast or loin or pulled pork with slaw and sauted apples. Or I'll add a green veggie like cabbage or zucchini and have my sauteed apples for dessert. Another good side with this is pumpkin (add an egg, some sweetener, cinnamon, and half and half and melted butter and bake it till the sides get kind of chewy)

-big old fatty steak with butter melted on it. Cheesy broccoli or cauliflower, salad.

-pan seared salmon with asparagus and hollandaise and either a wedge salad loaded with blue cheese and diced tomatoes or a spinach salad with ranch, red onion, and pecans.

Snacks.... guacamole w/veggies, olives, walnuts, cheese, pork rinds, cold meats. and my favorite, egg salad, tuna, or chicken salad made with real mayonaise.

Oh, and bourbon. Heh.
I rocked my P3's.

Oh, and oopsie rolls.

[msgirl]

Thank you so much!!!!

These menus and ideas are a big help and I will mark them for when I start P3!!!!

I calculated as you suggested Shelby and apparently I can have 1756 calories a day. So, I could stay around 1500-1600 to maintain the weight I am right now.

I know that will change as I lose weight - which I hope I will continue to do!


Thank you again!!!!!

[Sleepy]

P3 i live on eggs, bacon, chef salads, protein shakes, fage greek yogurt w/davincis & fruit, bunless bacon cheeseburgers, pizza toppings, steak w/garlic butter pulled pork, crustless quiches

[shelbyla]

Originally Posted by msgirl

Thank you so much!!!!

These menus and ideas are a big help and I will mark them for when I start P3!!!!

I calculated as you suggested Shelby and apparently I can have 1756 calories a day. So, I could stay around 1500-1600 to maintain the weight I am right now.

I know that will change as I lose weight - which I hope I will continue to do!


Thank you again!!!!!

Hmmm...what does this mean? If you can have 1756, then eat 1756! That's two tablespoons of BUTTER, girl!

[LilacBruze]

Originally Posted by shelbyla

Hmmm...what does this mean? If you can have 1756, then eat 1756! That's two tablespoons of BUTTER, girl!

Just want to chime in and vouch for the advice given here. I too, was skeptical when about to embark on my P3 and was terrified I would mess it up.

I was told (several times, because I am stubborn that way lol) to eat plenty of fats and stop being so scared of calories. At most points during my P3 and P4, I was eating upwards of 200+ grams of fat and between 1900-2200 calories (my BMR + sloth activity level dictated something like 1940 calories).

When I let the fear go, went with the advice, enjoyed eating all that luscious Fage and bacon and cheese and butter and hwc in my coffee and... and... <drool>... well wouldn't you know... I rocked both P3 and P4 and stabilized beautifully.

Trust these ladies, they know of what they speak!!

[msgirl]

I will take it from you awesome vets!!!!

Thinking about more butter

9 days - unless I stay stuck in the stall - until I am headed to P3!!!

[SunnyFL]

I ate a lot...lol
Followed Shelby's advice....here was our P3 newbie thread...details every bit of P3, menus, and even into P4.

P3 Newbie Thread :)

[Sunny7]

Originally Posted by shelbyla

A lot of people struggle with ramping up calories in P3 to their BMRx. Especially after eating 500 calories (as well as eating long term low calorie), 2000+ calories can seem daunting. Here is what I ate to get to around 2300 calories in my first P3...

Sample P3 menu - 2100-2300 calories

Breakfast - Protein shake with coconut milk, protein powder and MCT oil--100 calories of low-carb protein powder, 100 calories of coconut milk--usually around 3oz, 100 calories of MCT oil--1T (~300 calories)
Snack - 1 hard boiled egg, 2 pieces of bacon or 1 brat-sized sausage (~300 calories)
Lunch - 7oz of fatty meat (chicken thighs, pork chops, salmon, fatty beef, etc.), 1 whole medium avocado, 2T full-fat dressing, lettuce, other veggies (~700 calories)
Snack - 7-8oz full-fat Greek Yogurt, 3oz blueberries or raspberries (~300 calories)
Dinner - 7oz fatty meat, cooked veggie with 2T butter, 7oz strawberries, 2T whipping cream over berries (~700 calories)

This is just an example but looks roughly like what I ate most days. Obviously, tweak this to meet your specific dietary preferences and BMRx calories.

Shelby did you dive right in eating like this on your first day of p3 or did you break yourself in a little----i am on R3, but can't remember if i did or did not--i know i will have cream thats for sure, and probably bacon---i will be done monday with p2 but am planning on extending at least till the end of the month if i can stand it, but am doing very well, no hunger, just want some different food, but i can take it---

thanks

[shelbyla]

Yep, I jumped right in to eating this way after both my rounds. The first round, I spent day 1 of P3 wine tasting of all things. I came back after that weekend (all P3) at exactly the same weight. The end of round 2 was really odd for me--gained 2.5 the last 2 days--so I was never really sure of my LDW. After round 2, I also think I added sf sweets back a little too soon because I had the devil of a time stabilizing. I knew that I had plenty of time though so I just rode out the ups and downs and stabilized nicely in P4 the last 7 months.

[debkeversole]

while some ease into it cause sometimes that increase really bothers their stomach i am with Shelby i dive right in
with a giant mushroom onion peppers and cheese omelet and BACON! only once did it seem like too much too fast

[Sunny7]

thanks guys, i will probably jump right in, after all i deserve it after about 30+ days, can't wait---my first round i did 42 days, but i just don't think i could last that long, because my second round was the hardest, only lasted the 21 days, but this round has been more like the first----

[msgirl]

I am thinking I will jump right in for sure!!!! Heavy cream, omelet with cheese, bacon, hamburger patties, I can't wait!!!!!

Can you tell I am hungry today?????

VLCD13 and holding strong - no matter how slow I am losing. I bought these drops and I am gonna stick it out!

[SunnyFL]

My first P3 day I had an omelette made with heavy cream, peppers, mushrooms, onions, and tomatillo on top (no cheese). Side of bacon, but I was only able to eat half cuz I got so full. Then I had chicken wings with two tablespoons of Marie's blue cheese and celery for lunch and dinner was a ribeye steak with grilled asparagus drizzled with bernaise. I was stuffed LOL...I didn't add cheese by itself until week 2 and I didn't do the blue cheese dressing again until week two. We were out and about and I had to eat (was starving) so I had that but I tell you what, it tasted like heaven to me!!!

I added coconut butter day three, almonds, day three, macadamia nuts day 5...and cheese day 7. I always added things in small amounts (dairy, cheese, nuts etc.) just to make sure I didn't go crazy. I added greek yogurt week two

I didn't count calories, I just ate! Also week two I started having chocolate mug cakes made with coconut flour and whipped some sweetened heavy cream on top with raspberries for about every night the first two weeks LOL

[Sunny7]

Originally Posted by msgirl

I am thinking I will jump right in for sure!!!! Heavy cream, omelet with cheese, bacon, hamburger patties, I can't wait!!!!!

Can you tell I am hungry today?????

VLCD13 and holding strong - no matter how slow I am losing. I bought these drops and I am gonna stick it out!

ya, me to, i have been watching some tv today, and you know how those commercials go, wow, that food looks good for some reason...i really miss my tea in the morning with heavy cream, sometimes two a day, can't wait for that...but i have been losing pretty steady, so i am not giving it up yet, i know i will do another round late spring, and hopefully that will be it

[Sunny7]

Originally Posted by SunnyFL

My first P3 day I had an omelette made with heavy cream, peppers, mushrooms, onions, and tomatillo on top (no cheese). Side of bacon, but I was only able to eat half cuz I got so full. Then I had chicken wings with two tablespoons of Marie's blue cheese and celery for lunch and dinner was a ribeye steak with grilled asparagus drizzled with bernaise. I was stuffed LOL...I didn't add cheese by itself until week 2 and I didn't do the blue cheese dressing again until week two. We were out and about and I had to eat (was starving) so I had that but I tell you what, it tasted like heaven to me!!!

I added coconut butter day three, almonds, day three, macadamia nuts day 5...and cheese day 7. I always added things in small amounts (dairy, cheese, nuts etc.) just to make sure I didn't go crazy. I added greek yogurt week two

I didn't count calories, I just ate! Also week two I started having chocolate mug cakes made with coconut flour and whipped some sweetened heavy cream on top with raspberries for about every night the first two weeks LOL

wow, if thats what you call jumping right in,, i am in for sure....sounds great---can't wait

[sdkeeran]

Get info...thanks Shelby!