I've been slipping a bit... Could use some advice please.

[2bfitb440]

I've had a few slip ups... I started on Feb 15 loading Thurs and Fri of that week. (Big mistake to not pick the weekend to load). Anyway I did great for the first full week - ate on plan but my loss was abt 1.5 lbs which was very discouraging, then that next weekend came and I slipped for a couple of days. Pulled myself together and got very serious and back on track. Decided to call 02/29 my day 1. Funny thing was then my losses were MUCH better, from .4 - .8/day and a few bigger loss days. I did GREAT eating 100% on plan for 18 days, total loss 14.5 lbs. Was very happy. Then took a planned cheat day on St. Patty's Day. Lots of friends came into town and we had a great time. I didn't go crazy though. In fact, I ate much less than I would have normally and I drank rum and diet cokes to avoid calories. Put myself right back on plan the next day but I did have 2 cheat meals... Not 2 DAYS but 1 meal on two different days. I'm up just under 2lbs. Should I just continue on? Did I mess up my first found of P2 tremendously? I want to keep going on P2 and know I can stick to plan better than I have.

Any advice???

[2bfitb440]

Hmmm, I guess no advice?

I guess my question is short form is how much screwing up on P2 can one do before they should call it quits?

[KariT13]

I was in this same position last week. I did round 1 perfectly, no cheats...round 2, I struggled lot. After 26 days, I decided to move on bc I wasn't doing myself any good eating perfectly til 7pm when I grabbed something out of the fridge. I am stabilizing perfectly below LPW. I generally love the P3 way of eating though and do not consider it a diet at all. I truly enjoy everything I get to eat. I am going to lose the rest of my weight eating moderate carbs (mainly no beans, rice, pasta or bread).

I think there comes a point where you are not doing yourself any good if you self-sabatoge yourself frequently. To me, that's a sign that this is not right for you right now. For me, it was really hard to grasp bc I did R1 in Dec '11...so I was so frustrated that I couldn't stay on plan this time. In my journey of losing 94 pounds, I've done WW, low fat, hcg and now moderate carbs. Just because something might have worked for you at one time, doesn't mean it's right for you right now.

At the end of the day, you have to do what's right for you, what feels right to you. If you are strugging to stay on program, there's nothing wrong with that. Maybe it's time to move on...have you checked out any of the other boards? JUDDD in particular has my interest, but I am not ready to make a move and start it quite yet.

Good luck in whatever you decide. If you choose to end P2, make sure you still follow P3 and then P4 rules.

[belfrybat]

I guess the question to ask is do you think you can finish out this round "clean"? I really believe this diet is more forgiving than Dr. S. led us to believe and it can absorb a couple of cheats, but not ongoing freqent ones. And the kind of cheat makes a difference. Going head down in chips and dip is different than adding a different veggie or fruit. If I were you, and thought I could stay on plan, I'd continue for another 10 days. That should erase any ill effects from the cheat and puts you at over 30 days VLC.

I'm rogue, but staying low fat and my losses have been very good, which is why I say this diet is more forgiving than some of us think it is.

[LaraSuzz]

I saw your posting but I really didnt know what to tell you. P2 is the easiest part of the program just because you are so limited in what you can eat, that I'm afraid once you go to P3 you will not be able to stay away from starches and sugars. I'm a firm believer of strict protocol. It's by far the hardest thing that I've ever done for myself but the best thing I have ever done for myself. You are so close to being at your goal. If I were you I would rethink what you want for yourself. The other thing is, I really think that you might not have the level of hcg that youre needing hence the cheating. On most diets I found myself uncontrolled and thinking about food constantly. I would start out on a low calorie program and every day by 10 am I would cheat and feel miserable. It was torture. I finally found hcg and I felt like finally something I can depend on. It cured me of the shakes that withdrawal gave me from carbs and sugar. Finish your round without cheats or stop now would be the two choices youre looking at. Either way its your choice. We cant tell you what to do but we know how you feel because all of us have felt that way at one time or another. I know that you can do it, but do you want to?

[2bfitb440]

Originally Posted by KariT13

I was in this same position last week. I did round 1 perfectly, no cheats...round 2, I struggled lot. After 26 days, I decided to move on bc I wasn't doing myself any good eating perfectly til 7pm when I grabbed something out of the fridge. I am stabilizing perfectly below LPW. I generally love the P3 way of eating though and do not consider it a diet at all. I truly enjoy everything I get to eat. I am going to lose the rest of my weight eating moderate carbs (mainly no beans, rice, pasta or bread).

I think there comes a point where you are not doing yourself any good if you self-sabatoge yourself frequently. To me, that's a sign that this is not right for you right now. For me, it was really hard to grasp bc I did R1 in Dec '11...so I was so frustrated that I couldn't stay on plan this time. In my journey of losing 94 pounds, I've done WW, low fat, hcg and now moderate carbs. Just because something might have worked for you at one time, doesn't mean it's right for you right now.

At the end of the day, you have to do what's right for you, what feels right to you. If you are strugging to stay on program, there's nothing wrong with that. Maybe it's time to move on...have you checked out any of the other boards? JUDDD in particular has my interest, but I am not ready to make a move and start it quite yet.

Good luck in whatever you decide. If you choose to end P2, make sure you still follow P3 and then P4 rules.

Thanks so much for sharing your experience. It helps so much! What you say makes A LOT of sense. I think what I'm going to do is give myself a last chance on p2. One more cheat and I will force myself to p3. And you're right, there's probably some self sabotage going on here. UGH I had a lot of success in the past with Atkins and I love that way of eating but I needed something different. My body needed a shake up. I love how fast this diet had me drop those 14 lbs. And I feel like it's made a big difference in my appearance. So, I went for a mild hike today and am keeping busy so I stick to plan. I agree that JUDDD looks interesting and will def check that out too. Thank you again for your thoughtful response.

[2bfitb440]

Originally Posted by belfrybat

I guess the question to ask is do you think you can finish out this round "clean"? I really believe this diet is more forgiving than Dr. S. led us to believe and it can absorb a couple of cheats, but not ongoing freqent ones. And the kind of cheat makes a difference. Going head down in chips and dip is different than adding a different veggie or fruit. If I were you, and thought I could stay on plan, I'd continue for another 10 days. That should erase any ill effects from the cheat and puts you at over 30 days VLC.

I'm rogue, but staying low fat and my losses have been very good, which is why I say this diet is more forgiving than some of us think it is.

Thanks so much for your words of wisdom. It's such a relief to hear that you feel this plan is more forgiving than Dr. S said. I'm back on the wagon and I'm committed to clean eating. One more slip and I'm off to P3. I do feel motivated. I'm thinking that maybe if I could stick to this until May 1 I would be feeling so good about my progress and ready to wear those cute spring clothes again.

[2bfitb440]

Originally Posted by LaraSuzz

I saw your posting but I really didnt know what to tell you. P2 is the easiest part of the program just because you are so limited in what you can eat, that I'm afraid once you go to P3 you will not be able to stay away from starches and sugars. I'm a firm believer of strict protocol. It's by far the hardest thing that I've ever done for myself but the best thing I have ever done for myself. You are so close to being at your goal. If I were you I would rethink what you want for yourself. The other thing is, I really think that you might not have the level of hcg that youre needing hence the cheating. On most diets I found myself uncontrolled and thinking about food constantly. I would start out on a low calorie program and every day by 10 am I would cheat and feel miserable. It was torture. I finally found hcg and I felt like finally something I can depend on. It cured me of the shakes that withdrawal gave me from carbs and sugar. Finish your round without cheats or stop now would be the two choices youre looking at. Either way its your choice. We cant tell you what to do but we know how you feel because all of us have felt that way at one time or another. I know that you can do it, but do you want to?

Thanks for the feedback. You know what's funny? When I'm on plan, I can't believe how darn EASY it is. I love eating on plan. I'm amazed at how much I'm enjoying this simple way of eating and how healthy it feels. I would even read posts about people falling off the wagon and think, hmmm, I don't really get it because it's not so tough... and then I fell. I don't get it but I think KariT is right, there's some self sabotage going on here. I'm also thinking that maybe my hcg has pooped out on me. I'm starving (but the cheats might have woken up my appetite too). The droops are very "sensitive". I've accidentally put it next to my phone a couple of times and hit my tooth while dropping it in a couple of times. Who knows. But I'm thinking about getting a new bottle and maybe the "real" hcg this time.

Again, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me! I really appreciate it. Let me know if you ever need a cheerleader.

[belfrybat]

Originally Posted by 2bfitb440

Thanks so much for your words of wisdom. It's such a relief to hear that you feel this plan is more forgiving than Dr. S said. I'm back on the wagon and I'm committed to clean eating. One more slip and I'm off to P3. I do feel motivated. I'm thinking that maybe if I could stick to this until May 1 I would be feeling so good about my progress and ready to wear those cute spring clothes again.

Oh, how I envy you the chance to wear "cute spring clothes" again. I'm so far past that both body and age-wise that it's a distant memory. Sometimes setting short goals work for me. Maybe deciding to stay on P2 for the next 10 days or 2 weeks, then re-assessing where you are both emotionally and physically. You may well go until May 1st, but why not try it in steps? That way when you are tempted to cheat you can tell yourself, "I only have xx days until this phase is over, then I can decide." But if you still have 30+ days to go, you might let yourself cheat because you think you will recover by then.

OR you might go a little rogue like many of us do and add a different veggie or something else "almost legal". Not trying to tempt you, but have you looked at the Omaha Weight Loss plan? It is higher calorie than I wanted to do, but I liked his choice of veggies, and he allows them to be mixed. It has made all the difference in the world to me--I am staying under 600 calories and I am down 9.5 lbs. in 10 days.