Looking for Buddies P2

[Hopefulsweigh]

Originally Posted by Mommytwingirls

As for me I am starting Day 4 of the VLCD. I am loving what I see!!!!! I hope this continues. Although I am waiting for the day I step on the scale and get smacked with reality that the losses will not always be this big every day. I know it is coming. I am just waiting for it.

Here are my stats and my menu for the day.:

VLCD Day 1- 170.0
VLCD Day 2- 166.6
VLCD Day 3 -164.6
VLCD Day 4- 162.4


B; Apple unsweet tea with stevia
L; Grilled sirloin asparagus , 2 melba toasts
D; Grilled chicken on baby spinich with orange segments, 2 melba toasts

Your stats are incredible!!!

[Hopefulsweigh]

WOW!!

So great to share this experience with you all. The losses are great and the support is key.

I am really struggling with this diet for the past few days. I'm hungry. All my thoughts revolve around food. I feel such desperation. Yesterday I tested the theory a bit. I was hungry. SO I deviated, here are my infractions
-4 chocolate covered almonds
-6 round tostitos (I am glad I stopped at 6)
-1/2 cup egg whites (I felt I really needed more protein)
-garlic and roasted pepper shake that had sugar in it. I put this in my ommlette.

So no, my body was not forgiving at all I GAINED. .6 - So my TOTAL LOSS so far is 5.8 and I am on DAY 10 of VLCD. The thought of 13 more days is just exhausting.

I went out and bought magnesium and potassium. Not sure how much to take though....any ideas?

So I will stay on track today and see where the scale takes me. I am contemplating adding a protein for breakfast, maybe some cottage cheese.

I go to bed hungry and wake up hungry. This is taking so much focus and I'm exhausted.

Here are my eats today
B-apple with cottage cheese, stevia and cinnamon. Swiss Chard.
S-Grissini
D-sirloin, can of diced tomatoes (with no added sugar) spices. (Thanks for all the great info this is my first time trying this P2 Chili) Grissini
S-apple. (this would be a good place to add 1/2 cup of cottage cheese) MMM I'll think about that.

Weigh Ins
Feb 27th-155.2
Feb 28th-155.2 ( --- )
Feb 29th-155.6 (+.4)
Mar 1st- 151.8 (-3.7)
Mar 2nd - 150.2 (-1.6)
Mar 3rd - 150.6 (+.4)
Mar 4th - 149.4 (-1.2)
Mar 5th - 149.4 ( --- )
Mar 6th - 149.2 (-.2)
Mar 7th - 149.2 (---)
Mar 8th - 148.8 (-.4)
Mar 9th - 149.4 (+.6)

Total Loss 5.8 pounds

[Denise78]

Are you using the drops? Maybe you need to play around with your dosing times?? Or the number of drops you take. Sometimes less drops, 8 or 9, instead of 10, helps me. I take my drops at 9 am, 3 pm, and 7 pm. Those are the times that I usually start getting hungry, so the drops take the edge off for me. Everyone is different of course, but maybe you just need to move the times around.

[Hopefulsweigh]

Originally Posted by Hopefulsweigh

WOW!!

So great to share this experience with you all. The losses are great and the support is key.

I am really struggling with this diet for the past few days. I'm hungry. All my thoughts revolve around food. I feel such desperation. Yesterday I tested the theory a bit. I was hungry. SO I deviated, here are my infractions
-4 chocolate covered almonds
-6 round tostitos (I am glad I stopped at 6)
-1/2 cup egg whites (I felt I really needed more protein)
-garlic and roasted pepper shake that had sugar in it. I put this in my ommlette.

So no, my body was not forgiving at all I GAINED. .6 - So my TOTAL LOSS so far is 5.8 and I am on DAY 10 of VLCD. The thought of 13 more days is just exhausting.

I went out and bought magnesium and potassium. Not sure how much to take though....any ideas?

So I will stay on track today and see where the scale takes me. I am contemplating adding a protein for breakfast, maybe some cottage cheese.

I go to bed hungry and wake up hungry. This is taking so much focus and I'm exhausted.

Here are my eats today
B-apple with cottage cheese, stevia and cinnamon. Swiss Chard.
S-Grissini
D-sirloin, can of diced tomatoes (with no added sugar) spices. (Thanks for all the great info this is my first time trying this P2 Chili) Grissini
S-apple. (this would be a good place to add 1/2 cup of cottage cheese) MMM I'll think about that.

Weigh Ins
Feb 27th-155.2
Feb 28th-155.2 ( --- )
Feb 29th-155.6 (+.4)
Mar 1st- 151.8 (-3.7)
Mar 2nd - 150.2 (-1.6)
Mar 3rd - 150.6 (+.4)
Mar 4th - 149.4 (-1.2)
Mar 5th - 149.4 ( --- )
Mar 6th - 149.2 (-.2)
Mar 7th - 149.2 (---)
Mar 8th - 148.8 (-.4)
Mar 9th - 149.4 (+.6)

Total Loss 5.8 pounds

Looking at my numbers I clearly need to change something. Whatever I was doing for the past 5 days was not working. Is it possible my body needs more. Can I plateau this early?

[tchrshelli]

Thanks Hopeful!! Keep hanging in there. I doubt that anybody has stuck this out for 21 days and didn't see real results.

As far as being hungry, not sure there. By day 10 the hunger should go away. I think adding a protein is a good idea.


I know one thing for sure, if it weren't for this forum, I would have given up on day one (it was just so damn hard!). You ladies have been my inspiration and motivation for sure. Total godsend!

[tay65]

I agree, change your times you're dosing. See if theres a change in your hunger. I had that same problem last round.

[soontobesexy'ntx]

I have never had trouble with hunger but then again I load really really well
can someone overload?? my first two days on VLC I dont want to eat Im so full.

[Abby1983]

hopeful - hang in there! im on vlcd 12 and my stall began around day 7 so it can definitely happen that early. and the closer you are to goal, the slower your loses are to date, not including loading weight i have lost 6 pounds, which is about .5 per day. thats a normal amount off loss, so looking at your stats, 5.8 in 10, your right on track! don't get discouraged if you dont have huge numbers, those aren't the norm! i would def play with your drops though. im also wondering if your drops are bad?

[IThinkICan]

I hope you don't mind me joining you on this P2 journey. I like seeing all the encouragement on these boards!

I feel like my first three rounds were great. Then round 4 came, I gained a ton during loading that took forever to get off, and I couldn't stay on more than 4 wks, so I saw little loss beyond my loading gain. December was a complete disaster, even with consistently correcting after gains, but just really overdid it in P4 with too much binging-correcting-binging-correcting, to the point that I did something bad to my body.

Now, here's round 5...

I started at 158.3 (around the same weight I started round 4 at... sigh).
Two load days (first was low carb but tons of fat - gained 4 lbs, figured even avoiding carbs wasn't helping to keep me from gaining lots, so I just enjoyed everything on day 2 - even Chinese buffet for dinner )
VLCD1 166.7 A total load gain of 8.4 lbs in 2 days! (Impressed?)
VLCD2 164.2
VLCD3 162.3
VLCD4 161.7
VLCD5 160.1
VLCD6 160.3 (Ugh)

So up until this morning, I really can't complain too much. I just was really expecting to see a 5 in that tens place... and didn't.

It would be nice to lose all my load weight faster though. My first few rounds, I'd lose my load weight in 2-3 days. That was more encouraging. Now just overcoming load weight is so frustrating! I want to see REAL losses! So this is my current frustration.

I intend to stick with this as long as possible and do anything and everything I can to stabilize like a rock afterward. I want to see the 140s this round... I don't want to have the need to do this ever again! I just think my body is being very stubborn.... I think I spent a good few years of college/early marriage in the mid-to-upper-150s, so perhaps that's why this body is so stubborn in that range.

I also want to change jeans sizes. Last round, my tight 12s felt a little looser... that's it... hardly any change around the mid-section. I want to see 10s this time, and ultimately be able to find just ONE pair of jeans that I can fit into a single-digit size - just to be able to say I can! I don't know if I can do that this round, or if it will just take some form of toning/exercise afterward, but I really want to hit this goal!

Ok... there it is... that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Good luck to all you other P2-ers! Keep those food ideas coming... I always find myself in a rut of redundancy and would love to try something new!

[tchrshelli]

Welcome IthinkIcan!!

[tchrshelli]

I agree with abby, the weightloss is slower the closer you get to your goal. I have a ton of weight to lose, so mine is coming faster, but will slow in time for sure.

[Mommytwingirls]

Good morning all. Ok so I woke up this morning and I am seeing signs of my period coming. WONDERFUL!!! I have very irregular cycles anyway and most of the time I go without having them for long periods of time. I didn't think I would face this issue while being on the HCG diet. But low and behold....she is on her way! I googled what to do and I have read that the suggestion is to stop taking the drops while on your period but I have also read that a lot of women continue to take them anyway. What is your experience with this? I am stumped. I had not looked in to this part of the plan much because I wasn't expecting to have this happen to me. I am worried because I am doing so well, I would hate to stall. Thanks for any advise.

Stats:
VLCD Day 1- 170.0
VLCD Day 2- 166.6
VLCD Day 3 -164.6
VLCD Day 4- 162.4
VLCD Day 5- 161.2

[yellowhair11]

Friday:
Lunch: p2 chile, 1/2 grapefruit
Dinner: chicken, cucumbers in ac vinegar, apple

I will see what i weigh when my new scale arrives today - hopefully not higher. I say to myself daily that i can do this TODAY--thats it. I go to bed early taking pms to help because watching my shows don't feel the same anymore, my jaw actually aches from not chewing on jujubees as i am a teeth grinder. I have a major addiction to eating crap while watching tv, i use to think all day about my nite time ritual with this which included special containers, like it was gold. And thats why i have been up-down-up-down. I would get close to goal and then go beserk and gain it all back thinking i could have 1 bowl of chips or a handful of jujubees. I would diet all day to eat this at nite. So hang in there Hopeful and all. I hear you

Ill report back later when my scale arrives, Happy Saturday !

i think i can - cannot hep you mommy as i am past that stage in life

[Hopefulsweigh]

I am up AGAIN 150.0. .6 pounds. Total Loss in 12 days, 5 pounds.

My body is sensitive apparently.

I can not deal with the hunger. I need 3 meals, and breakfast for me is key.

I thought that it may be the HCG - but I do see my body changing so it must be real. I'm dosing 7:00/1:00/5:00

I added 3/4 cup of egg whites. I thought more protein would be ok. My total calories were 669, which still puts my body in starvation mode, and it was!

I logged what I ate the past 10 days and it appears my calories were lower than 500 sometimes even 360.

I felt better yesterday with more protein in the afternoon - but at the expense of a .6 pound gain?

I'll keep plugging away. I have done YOGA for the past three days - and it is not strenuous and my body is used to exercise so I can't see the issue being that.

Maybe this is an INCHES round for me? I will continue to try and figure out what my body needs. This morning it was asking for protein, so I had egg whites and an egg. This afternoon will be cottage cheese and cucumber and tonight chicken and Swiss Chard. Not sure about fruits at this point!

Hope everyone has a GREAT weekend!




________________________________

Weigh Ins
Feb 27th-155.2
Feb 28th-155.2 ( --- )
Feb 29th-155.6 (+.4)
Mar 1st- 151.8 (-3.7)
Mar 2nd - 150.2 (-1.6)
Mar 3rd - 150.6 (+.4)
Mar 4th - 149.4 (-1.2)
Mar 5th - 149.4 ( --- )
Mar 6th - 149.2 (-.2)
Mar 7th - 149.2 (---)
Mar 8th - 148.8 (-.4)
Mar 9th - 149.4 (+.6)
March 10 - 150.0 +.6)

Total Loss 5.0 pounds

[2bfitb440]

So sorry to hear you had a gain. You seem to be handling it very well though. Do you think the cottage cheese might be the problem? It seems like Dr. S said it was just ok as an occassinal thing. Just a guess.

Originally Posted by Hopefulsweigh

I am up AGAIN 150.0. .6 pounds. Total Loss in 12 days, 5 pounds.

My body is sensitive apparently.

I can not deal with the hunger. I need 3 meals, and breakfast for me is key.

I thought that it may be the HCG - but I do see my body changing so it must be real. I'm dosing 7:00/1:00/5:00

I added 3/4 cup of egg whites. I thought more protein would be ok. My total calories were 669, which still puts my body in starvation mode, and it was!

I logged what I ate the past 10 days and it appears my calories were lower than 500 sometimes even 360.

I felt better yesterday with more protein in the afternoon - but at the expense of a .6 pound gain?

I'll keep plugging away. I have done YOGA for the past three days - and it is not strenuous and my body is used to exercise so I can't see the issue being that.

Maybe this is an INCHES round for me? I will continue to try and figure out what my body needs. This morning it was asking for protein, so I had egg whites and an egg. This afternoon will be cottage cheese and cucumber and tonight chicken and Swiss Chard. Not sure about fruits at this point!

Hope everyone has a GREAT weekend!




________________________________

Weigh Ins
Feb 27th-155.2
Feb 28th-155.2 ( --- )
Feb 29th-155.6 (+.4)
Mar 1st- 151.8 (-3.7)
Mar 2nd - 150.2 (-1.6)
Mar 3rd - 150.6 (+.4)
Mar 4th - 149.4 (-1.2)
Mar 5th - 149.4 ( --- )
Mar 6th - 149.2 (-.2)
Mar 7th - 149.2 (---)
Mar 8th - 148.8 (-.4)
Mar 9th - 149.4 (+.6)
March 10 - 150.0 +.6)

Total Loss 5.0 pounds

[keepingcupsfull]

Mommy- I continue with drops with no problem.
Hopefully- try eating your largest meal at breakfast and save the fruit to be eaten if hungry later in the day. We all have wonky scale times so you are not alone.
If you need a chocolate cheat with nuts try sugar free choc covered ones. they may also help with bathroom issues . Not that I'm saying you should cheat but we all know sometimes it happens.

Vlcd 5 199.0
Need to up my water today.
I've been craving something crunchy and dry..... I can't eat the Melba as I can't stop at one. Any ideas? Thinking of trying the spinach chips. If I remember all you need to do is take fresh spinach and bake on a tray in oven till crunchy.

Going to make p2 chilli tomorrow night as Monday is my official challenge group weigh in and the chilli seems to cause a loss for me the next day so I will see if it still works.
Hang in there everyone the weekends are the hardest for me.

for all the pounds lost this week by the p2 buddies.

[Denise78]

Good morning!

Mommy, I have done more than one round while having tom and still lost really good.

Hopeful, I think going under 500 calories works against you. Maybe your body just needs more calories. I lose better when I eat between 500-700 per day. Have you tried the grissini? They are long thin breadsticks and even though they're the same calories as eating melba, I feel like eating a grissini satisfies me more and I'm not tempted to keep dipping back into the box. This round, I've cut them out completely as it seems any kind of grain was causing cravings for me. But I did use the grissini for a few rounds with very good success.

YellowHair, have you tried an apple for your night-time snack in front of the tv?? Cut it up in slices and maybe use Walden Farms 0 calorie 0 carb 0 fat syrup as a dipping sauce? Or maybe sprinkle with Stevia and cinnamon?? I've heard some people freeze their apple slices and others bake or microwave them. I just eat mine raw and usually at night because it gives me the crunch I am looking for. Although it's definitely not a bag of jujubes! Sorry!!

I never tried those spinach chips. Let us know how they turn out! I would love a new snack!

My husband has been on vacation all week so it's been very difficult to stay 100% on plan with him here. I will plug through the weekend but I know I'll have better results next week when he is back to work.

[Abby1983]

Good morning everyone! I'm .2 today...i think. Im having scale issues. Going to throw in a new battery today bc i got on this AM and was 147.0. Triple checked it. Didnt eat or drink anything, had a visit from bernices and stepped on and was 145.6. Yay!! Stepped back on to double check, and got 147.2. Three times im wondering if i need a new battery or a new scale. Ive had this one for...oh jeez over 5 years now that i thik about it. Hmm.

Anyway, if i really did gain then no more asparagus for me, bc ive had gains both mornings after having it for dinner. Today im going back to the basics from when i was losing consistently. Chili for lunch, chicken for dinner. If i have a loss today, then tomorrow im going to try chicken for lunch and shrimp for dinner, and see if i can find the culprit.

Hopeful- keep hanging in there! Im wondering if you should try strict protocol, back to the 500 cals without the cottage cheese to see if the scale goes back in the right direction. If you are at 670 cals, remember how much calories the hcg is pushing into your body as well. I feel your pain though, this is a ridiculously frustrating round for me as well how do you feel about an apple day?

[IThinkICan]

I had a whoosh! A solid 2.0 lbs!

So here I am, VLCD 7, and I am officially back to my pre-loading weight (158.3)! Took me long enough... but I'm here. Now to see how long it takes to get back to my last round's LDW... which would be 5 pounds more. Then we'll take baby steps down, down, down... however long it takes... I sure hope this is not my last good whoosh!

Keepingcupsfull - Congrats on making it to ONEderland! Hope you see some more good downward movements! Enjoy your new home here in Onederland. I almost learned to do cartwheels on the spot when I made it here! LOL

Mommy - I continued to take my drops... fear of heavier flows though made me go from 3x/day to 2x/day. I don't know if it really made much difference.

I am curious about these "spinach chips." Never heard of 'em... I'd love to hear reports on them!

[keepingcupsfull]

p2 Baked Spinach Chips
One bag of baby spinach
Salt or Mrs Dash
Herbs of your choosing (I tried basel, but experiment and see what you like!)
Pepper, if you like

Note: take it easy on the seasonings the first time around go light the leaves completely dry out and crunch when you put them in your mouth but then melt on your tongue. a little seasoning goes a long way.

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay the spinach in a single layer on top. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, herbs...

Bake in an oven preheated to 350 for around 7 minutes. Maybe a bit more, maybe a bit less. They should turn crispy and wafer thin. Carefully peel off the paper and enjoy.

You WILL have trouble with the spinach sticking if you use anything other than parchment paper. It's important that you use parchment paper on your baking sheets, as stated in the recipe, to avoid this. Wax paper and tin foil won't work, and obviously a bare baking sheet won't do it, either. You can find parchment paper in most good grocery stores or baking shops.
__________________
Start weight:257.0 lb
Current 197.8
Phase 2 Day 13
Last edited by Yond; 05-11-2009 at 07:59 PM.. Reason: added phase

[Abby1983]

Originally Posted by Mommytwingirls

Ok so I woke up this morning and I am seeing signs of my period coming. WONDERFUL!!! I have very irregular cycles anyway and most of the time I go without having them for long periods of time. I didn't think I would face this issue while being on the HCG diet. But low and behold....she is on her way! I googled what to do and I have read that the suggestion is to stop taking the drops while on your period but I have also read that a lot of women continue to take them anyway. What is your experience with this?

Hi there! I always continue with my pellets/drops. I know that if you are on RX you should stop, but hHCG is fine to continue with

[tchrshelli]

Good morning ladies!! Seems like we are all over the place with results!! Keep hanging in there! Hopeful, I agree, try doing without the cottage cheese.
I bought grissini on amazon becasue I couldn't find them in the store. I got a huge box full, but that's okay! Turns out my whole family enjoys munching on them!

I am trying new things today
B- Apple
L- Tri-tip, cabbage, 1 grissini
D- Chicken, salad with Aerin8's P2 salad dressing
S- Strawberries
Water, Water, Water! I didn't drink enough yesterday!

VLCD 1 260
VLCD 2 258.8
VLCD 3 256.4
VLDC 4 255.8
VLCD 5 253
VLCD 6 250.2
VLCD 7 248.2
VLCD 8 246.6
VLCD 9 245.6
VLCD 10 244.8
VLCD 11 243

[Denise78]

I found my grissini at Safeway in the bakery department.

[IThinkICan]

Originally Posted by tchrshelli

Water, Water, Water! I didn't drink enough yesterday!

VLCD 1 260
VLCD 2 258.8
VLCD 3 256.4
VLDC 4 255.8
VLCD 5 253
VLCD 6 250.2
VLCD 7 248.2
VLCD 8 246.6
VLCD 9 245.6
VLCD 10 244.8
VLCD 11 243

17 lbs gone in 11 days?! Awesome!! Good going, tchrshelli!

Yeah, I really think that water is important!

Originally Posted by Denise78

I found my grissini at Safeway in the bakery department.

Grissini is tricky to find, but eventually I've found it in several grocery stores. It doesn't seem to be in the same place in each store. I had to ask a few different stock boys I found in the aisles before one could help me find them at Publix. And they actually had a shelf full of several varieties and brands!

I think I'm enjoying the melba toast more than the grissini. I like it soaked in soup and lightly salted. Or I dampen it in water and sprinkle it with stevia and cinnamon. For some reason, I don't need a crunch as much as I just like something bready. I wish I could just have a small piece of regular bread instead of something crunchy.

[Denise78]

Today's menu:

B-black coffee
L-salad of boneless chicken breast, strawberries and lettuce with balsamic vinegar
D-burger, tomato (I use 2 thick slices of tomato to form a "bun")
S-apple

[tchrshelli]

IthinkIcan- This diet is almost too good to be true!! While 17 lbs is HUGE If you notice my numbers, they are up there I would be so happy to reach 30 lbs- this is my first round. I have been staying focused and to be honest, if it wasn't for this forum that I found by accident, I wouldn't be this successful

[keepingcupsfull]

Tchrshelli- you are having a great round! Stay focused and you will get where you want to be.

I'm glad to see you haven't had a wonky scale day. For me when the scale moves up and I've been on plan it messes with my well being for the day. So far so good but..... I haven't had the mid cycle blip up on the scle for no good reason yet.

Keeping a journal on your thoughts of the day really helps when doing multiple rounds as you can refer back to it to see how far you have come. I just looked at mine and 199 was my dream number Now almost 2 years later I'm thinking 179 for now and maintain. As my BFF always says to me yea we can drop pounds but can we keep them off.

I'm glad we all have each other for the support..
Now I need to go eat something..... No hunger today only had 1/4 of grapefruit
With tons of hot and iced tea. I know not eating enough will hurt the scale in the am. Why is it when I want to eat more I'm already over on calories???

[dawnyama]

Originally Posted by Denise78

Today's menu:

B-black coffee
L-salad of boneless chicken breast, strawberries and lettuce with balsamic vinegar
D-burger, tomato (I use 2 thick slices of tomato to form a "bun")
S-apple

Alright missy. I found you Can I join in too? I would love to find a great group to share with. I am starting yet another round today. I won't say what number.....just that I have done this more than a few times Today is my VLCD#1 and I am ready to let the releasing begin!! Here is to a lower number on the scale tomorrow At least all that running to the bathroom tells me I will be down tomorrow

[IThinkICan]

Dawn - you're full of wisdom and experience! Glad you're with us!

The more the merrier... I say, if we're gonna lose it, we're gonna lose it together!

[tchrshelli]

Welcome Dawn!!