Should I lower/raise/same my calorie intake on P3
 

This is my first 7 days of P3 and first time doing the hcg diet. I think I am doing very well so far but sometimes I think that maybe I shouldn't be taking in 2000 calories a day when my BMR/Benedict says I should be at 1534. My weight so far has been pretty stable. I have tried to go slow but have added more things than I thought I would have this first week. LOL

I guess my question is should I continue doing what I am doing or change something? If my body can handle more cals should I try to increase another 100-200? I don't seem to have any major fluctuations with my weight so does this mean I am stabilizing so far for week 1?

Here is how my first week has been going on P3 with the new foods added in, weight and a typical day menu:

Weight

Day 1-120.2 lbs
Day 2-119.0 lbs
Day 3-118.2 lbs
Day 4-119.6 lbs
Day 5-119.6 lbs
Day 6-119.6 lbs
Day 7-119.6 lbs


New Foods added so far:
Heavy Whipped Cream
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Coconut Oil
Coconut Flour
Butter w/olive oil
Sour Cream
Ranch Dressing
White Cheese
Mayonaise


Daily Totals:

Calories
2014

Fat
126.2 g

Fiber
12.7 g

Carbs
48.2 g

Sodium
1870.1 mg

Protein
126.5 g

Water
75 fl oz
Daily Calorie Composition: 10% from carbs, 62% from fat and 28% from protein.


Breakfast:

Heavy Whipped Cream 6 tbsp
Coffee 20 oz
Organic Coconut Flour/muffin
Coconut oil Extra Virgin(Nutivia) 1 tblsp
Strawberry 1/3 cup

Subtotal 540

Morning Snack:

Tuna, Canned In Water 3 oz
Celery 1 tbsp
Mayonnaise 1 tbsp

Subtotal 201

Lunch:

Tilapia 4 oz
Cauliflower, Frozen 1/2 cup
Broccoli Cuts /2 cup
Butter, Salted 1 tbsp

Subtotal 277

Afternoon Snack:

Fage 3/4 cup
Peach, Raw 1 small

Subtotal 129

Dinner:

Ground Beef, Raw, 80% Lean
Onion 100 grams
Certified Organic Beef Broth (Swanson Broth)
Mozzarella Cheese(Kraft) blocked/self shredded 2 oz
Heavy Whipped Cream 3 tbsp

Subtotal 867


Water:

75 fl oz of water consumed

Dude! If you can eat 2000 calories GO FOR IT! :up: If you can eat 2500 calories, all the better!!!!! :jumpjoy: You seem to be pretty rock solid, girl! WTG!!!!!

Ummm.....yeah what she said. Why would you want to go lower when you are stable at a higher number of calories :confused: This is the time to try and up those calories. Me, I personally love to eat so if it were me, I would so add in things. Luck you :jumpjoy:

Thank you Shelby and Dawn! Amazingly I have been pretty stable so far. I just wasn't sure if I needed to stay around my BMR to maintain the weight that I am and eating the 2000 cals would make me gain later on down the road. I haven't added nuts in yet, but I might do that next week to see what happens. I think thati love the HWC the best!! I cod live off that LOL. I might even try to add more cals to see idiot makes me gain.
Question: what happens if stabilize at 2000 cals and say a couple of days I only manage to get like 1600-1700 cals in, will I possibly gain the next day? I know if I get a cold or something I don't feel like eating alot, and I don't want to ruin a good stabilization of 2000 cals and screw up setting my metabolism.

Thank you all so much for the support. You don't know how helpful you are for us new people doing this for the first time. I can't thank you enough :)

Actually what happens is that if you stabilize around 2000+ calories, then you eat less, you LOSE weight. Calories in, calories out. Just like a normal person. What a concept, eh? :laugh:

Cool!!! I just really want to get this right. I am happy at this weight (120)even though I can tell there is still about 5-10 pounds of abnormal fat I could lose.(inner thigh and belly roll). It is good to know that if I stabilize at 2000 than I could actually lose more weight down the road. I am planning to start working out when I hit P4 so maybe I will see some more weight come off then. I do hope I see some re-shaping in P3 but I am aware some people don't. I'll accept whatever my body does either way! I am so grateful to this diet for giving me my life back. I have always been 35 lbs heavier than my twin sister so it is nice to be able to share clothes again like in high school. LOL

Question: I ate a different type of cheese last night and I gained 1/2 a pound this morning. This is the first time I have actually seen a slight gain. I did eat dinner later than usual last night and don't know if that is the reason or because my body didn't like the cheese. I know I will see fluctuations but I am assuming that if I saw like a one or two lbs gain overnight that that would be something to be concerned about. Could the 1/2 lb be be because I ate late? Am I still stabilizing or should I take the cheese out of my diet and re-introduce it in about a week?

The cheese should not be a problem at all. I know if I eat late or have salty snacks late, I will gain. It's probably just water weight. Also, the food just sits there and I feel uncomfortable at night. You'll probably have a BM and be fine.

Also, I noticed that if I stay up past 2am or don't sleep at all, it can cause weight gain and it's not from what I ate because I don't eat that late. Even in p2, if I'm up until the wee hrs I never lose the next day.