Experiencing Hunger This Whole Round
 

I'm on R4D15, and I'm just sick of feeling hungry most of the time. I'm on Rx HCG which I got from a compounding pharmacy and watched them mix it, so I know it's good. I have tried adjusting my dose down a couple days, and up a couple days, and I'm still hungry between meals. Not sure what to do but it's making this round SOO challenging! Advice?

I am so sorry you are experiencing this :console: I did an entire round hungry and it was not fun, no fun at all. I hated it. The only thing that kept me going was the fact that the scale continued to go down. I lost 15 lbs, but they were hard won. I tried every single trick in the book--upped my dose, lowered my dose, spread it out, spread out my food, ate only 2 times, drank more liquids. Nothing worked at all--until I took an interruption at day #21. I went from being hungry every single waking moment to being completely full with barely any food in P3 :annoyed: It was hard, but I lived through it. I wish I had some words of wisdom, but all I can say is BTDT.

I know some will suggest using ACV--did that. I think there is a tea that can help also. It was suggested way back when I started hcg 3 years ago. It is called "Green Tea Blueberry Slim Life" by Yogi. I can find the Yogi brand of teas in my Walmart. It says on the box: "energizes and helps suppress appetite". I never used it on my round 2 (the round from hell that I spent hungry) but found it afterwards. Don't know if it works or not.......but maybe there are other supplements that will help with appetite suppression.

Hiker,

I SOOOOOO feel your pain. :( I wish I had some tips for you, but I have been going through the same thing for 24 days now. It's miserable. I am on homeopathic. I have even tried switching the brand and going from drops to pellets. No help. In my normal life, I've always needed a ton of calories for someone my size and I tend to get weak and nauseated when I don't eat enough. So, being starving has been unbearable for me. I've been so hungry that eventually my mouth starts to water and I know that I'm about to throw up. :sick: I really hope that you are doing better than me!

I finally did end up having a couple of refeed days, recently. (NOT 2 days in a row) It helped me feel like a normal person again and I actually ended up losing weight. The scale went up for 1 day and then I lost for the next couple of days. I'm not recommending it though. I probably wont stabilize well in P3, especially because I ate off-protocol foods. I really felt like my body was crying out, so I made a choice.

I think part of my problem might be that I don't drink coffee or tea (never tried them) and consume no caffeine at all. I have heard that caffeine and things like green tea can help with hunger. Have you tried that yet?

I really hope it gets better for you! Hang in there, if you can girl!

~Tinker~

I totally feel your pain. I've been hungry this roud too despite loading very well. I read Weightloss Apocolypse and Robin talks about Leptin being what makes you lose weight not the calories and if you are hungry you should eat. Well it was hard to trust but after being so hungry I felt nausous and was risking the whole protocol by cheating I decided to add a few ounces of protein. I ended up only needing to do it 2 or 3 days with normal protocol in-between those days and it actually sped up my losses. So I kind of trust what she is saying with the Leptin. YMMV. But thought I would share my experience with you. I haven't had to do it in a week. Now I'm mostly not hungry at all.

If you have tweaked your dose, kept to protocol, drank enough liquids, spread out your food, and done everything else, then I would eat a little more protein. My favorite is eggwhites. Lots of protein and no fat at all. I make a shake with some of my allowed fruit, stevia, a handful of spinach, and those in-the-dairy-case homogenized eggwhites. Try 3/4 of a cup or about 75 calories worth and see what you think. You have to stay sane.

I have had rounds like that, and they are miserable! I hope some extra protein does the trick for you!

What do you mean an interruption day? Was it a 23 day round? 2 load days and 21 VLCDs?

Thats exactly what I'm doing Dawn! Tomorrow is my first non dosing day. Can't wait!

Desma, an interruption is when after day 23 (including your non dosing days hhcg) you do P3. For a few days. I do 4. If you do it less than 14 days you do not load again. You just go right back to VLCD and taking hcg. It's also called cycling. Then you do a complete P3. Then normal P4. I have found it speeds up my releases and also hunger issues which happens when ou get closer to goal. You can reference this in Simeons Pounds & Inches.

Thank you CaTriGirl! Just so I understand, YOU only do P3 for a few days and then P4? I had planned on doing 32 days total and then P3 for a week then starting loading for round 2. Is that smart or disastrous?

No you go back to P2 after less than 14 days on P3. You then have to do a complete FULL P3.then P4.

Thank you so much for posting that. I am getting a bit fed up with P2 and afraid if I take a long break for a P3 I will never get in the head space to do it again. An interruption may be the thing I need right now:p

i'm feeling the same way. I'm thinking of coming off after 40 days unless I meet my 30 lb goal before then, P3 for a week, do a cleanse and then load for round 2. I don't want to kill the momentum!

Hi Desma, I just read what you wrote about doing just one week of p3. I just want to let you know that it is a bit risky doing that in the sense that if you don't stabilize properly in p3 It will be that much harder after the next round of p2. I've been there and done that. This is more a hormone therapy than a diet. I recommend to anyone that is doing the HCG protocol to read " Weight Loss Apocalypse" by Robin Woodall It's basically a continuation of Dr. Simeons original research stemming from the science that in known today that wasn't available in Dr. Simeons day. You can also look her videos up on you tube and get the jist of what she has learned through her research. Cheers

:goodpost:

This does make a difference in stabilizing 3 weeks in P3. Form other boards/conversations, I've heard many folks cycling right back to 2 load days and then P2 after that (a bit rogue)...AND for their next-to-last round they go on to do P4 and the P2-P3-P4 for last round...

YMMV.

:cool: Jodie in AZ

olive--I am ordering Robin's book. I have read some blog entries and they are great.
desma--that sounds like a great plan for your round. I am not sure if I will stop at 44 days or if I reach a certain number (lets just say well into 1-derland) before I either interrupt, or P3 and get back into P2.

Which plan mine or olive's? I should P3 for three weeks and then load and P2 again?

I've done an interruption and it never hurt my stabilization. It is mentioned in Simeon's pounds and inches so it's not rogue. I know several ppl who have done it without stabilization issues when they have done it correctly. You still have to do a full P3.

Just wanted to add, I have the Weightloss Apocalypse, I love the book! Robin is awesome! She does actually mention taking an interruption in one of the last chapters of her book if you have completed the minimum days required (23 on hhcg) for events like weddings, trip etc, when they are less than 14 days, then returning to VLCD, and then a full P3 and P4.

So, I can take a weekend off when I've completed over 23 days? I need to get this book! And that's an interruption with no hhcg right?

You can do an interruption after the minimum BUT I will tell you from experience, you should do a while after that once you jump back on - if your interrupt is more than a couple days. Because when I did it just quick like, a few days, I think I was off the hcg for 72 hours doing the VLCD just like we would when ending a round, THEN did my P3 style interrupt days, I did 2, then dosed and jumped back on P2, and then I went like 10-12 more days, I did ok. The other time I did it, I did a 14-day interrupt and then only a week back on. My body, I swear, saw that weight before the interrupt as a setpoint and I gained immediately back up to that like those extra days on P2 didn't do anything. So short interrupt, longer back on P2 ok. Longer interrupt, short back on P2, not so much.

But Desma, what you're really talking about is "cycling" if you're planning on going into your next round, a full round, with only a short P3 break, right? If you are on homeopathic you might get away with it ok. If you are on Rx, the long rounds, longer than about 40-45 days, are not recommended because of possibility of your body deciding to ignore the hcg at that point - like it isn't sensitive, it's gotten used to it. Homeopathics can go 60 days or even longer. The only big problem with that I see is that people become very diet fatigued and possibly protein deficient and then their body stores alot when they come off. YMMV and JMHO. Been around the block a bit. Some people do ok with cycling but then some, not so good, and have trouble stabilizing.

It is a hormone treatment, and there's more to it than just the weight you see on the scale. I definitely would get the book and read it and see what research Robin has done past Simeons'.
Take it for what it's worth and we support you whatever you decide.

WOW! C'Marie! You are always there for me!!!!!:cry:
I am thinking about doing the full 40 day round and then P3 for a week and then jump back on a second round. I will get the kindle version and read it while I'm at the hair dresser tomorrow.

I'm so tempted to do a cleanse or a fast after a week of P3.....I'm an experienced cleanser/faster and I almost miss doing it. I LOVE the way I feel after. I understand that the protocol is a decent cleanse because it's all fresh protein/veggies/fruit, but I don't BM like normal, and I feel like I have some cleaning to do. I can resort to using smooth move to BM, but I really like how a cleanse can clean me out........am I making any sense?