P3/P4 Simeons Protocol Week of 06/18/12

[LaraSuzz]

Hi Tiffany!! Yes please do post here!! Dont be afraid, take it slow...
Keep it high protein high good fats
like eggs meats fish chicken avocado olive oil low glycemic veggies like spinach lettuce... you'll be fineA Plan for Surviving P3, P4, and Lifelong Maintenance

Sunny~ .5 lbs is awesome for a carb fest! Well done! When you're redy in P4 try Dreamfields pasta only 5g net carbs ser serving! It's really good you cant tell the difference!

Have agood day all~Lara

[julieboolie]

Originally Posted by minimonkey

Julie -- I have a pair of neoprene capris and a pair of the shorts -- I'm guessing they are the same idea as the hot pants -- sweat city! I love them for working out in the winter -- they are certainly a sweat-fest when doing cardio though!

I think I should drag those back out, now that you mention them. I think they do help with cellulite somewhat -- they reduce the water retention in the legs, in any event.

Ooh, yes, I'd love to meet f2f! We'll see how the whole group does. We'll be there the week of Thanksgiving. Any suggestions on where to actually go on Tgiving day? Open to ideas too . Thanks! I am sure it's the same concept. I like them but the noise I make as I walk? annoying!! but. w/ all that sweat I hope something good comes from it. Not sure I will wear them to zumba. That's a lot of sweat to begin w.! You're so brave w. the beauty regimins!! I barely wash my face and most of the time I forget to put lotion on before bed. Sigh. I really do need to do better w. that.

Lara- woo-hoo!! Go girl!! sounds like you've got this!!

Tiffany!! Eat well LC is your friend .

Sunny-that's not bad at all!! And donuts for the car trip? Way to plan that out!! I'm sure it's fun being married to a chef!! And the music thing is great (I used to sing in a band in college, sigh). I'd love that type of trip myself. The weather aside, enjoy yourself!!

TC-good luck with the midterm! and I don't enjoy humidity so FL summer would be really tough for me!!

SD-I'm not a yoga expert, but like Mini said, any exercise you begin will likely make you retain H2O esp the first few weeks. Exercise is so good for you, you need to let the scale rebound a bit. I did CD's every other day the first week I added back exercise. It was frustrating, and by the second week I allowed a larder range while my body adjusted.

I'm coming back down slowly. Did a modified egg CD yesterday, unintentional. They just don't work for me. Only down 1lb, which would have happened anyway coming off my feed! Oh well, back to normal eating today. GY is coming back (although they're still out of my Voskos ). Can't wait!! Have a great day all!

[SunnyFL]

Lara- I need to try it, keep forgetting!!! I've heard it's great but not to eat leftovers as it loses the protective coating that keeps it low carb.

Jules!!!! I love Zumba, I did a massive class of like 80 people in South Beach, it was awesome right by the ocean with the Zumba dude himself
I am going to join LA Fitness once August comes around as they offer not only Zumba and mat Pilates but also aqua fit which would be great on my joints and Achilles!

I had leftover wheat pasta for lunch, but having a low carb dinner, had a peanut butter donut for breakfast. Trying to see how I do with just one Serving of carbs mid day.

Off I go, major cleaning!!! I can't ever leave for vacay without getting the house super clean!

[julieboolie]

Originally Posted by SunnyFL

Lara- I need to try it, keep forgetting!!! I've heard it's great but not to eat leftovers as it loses the protective coating that keeps it low carb.

Jules!!!! I love Zumba, I did a massive class of like 80 people in South Beach, it was awesome right by the ocean with the Zumba dude himself
I am going to join LA Fitness once August comes around as they offer not only Zumba and mat Pilates but also aqua fit which would be great on my joints and Achilles!

I had leftover wheat pasta for lunch, but having a low carb dinner, had a peanut butter donut for breakfast. Trying to see how I do with just one Serving of carbs mid day.

Off I go, major cleaning!!! I can't ever leave for vacay without getting the house super clean!

I'd love to take a class from that guy!! How fun!! my girl at my gym is wonderful, kind and encouraging and good!! Is that donut recipe posted somewhere I missed? Sounds good to me I'm upping my carbs a bit today. Not crazy, but adding back GY and some fruit.

[Arctic_Mama]

I'm cheering you on ladies, this is a terrible week for personals for me (insanely busy) but I am so glad to see many of you stabilizing nicely and not struggling badly with regain. Hang in there!

[dbunny]

Up 2 more, so now I am 1.5 out of my window. Doing an egg CD today. Harumph.

[shelbyla]

Hi all.

For whoever asked about Bikram, I actually did it while on p2 and did ok, until the day they jacked the heat up to 125. Seriously people! You get the same exact benefits at 105! In any case, you should be fine, although as Mini said, you may have a little water retention from muscle soreness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As for me, I was down either 0.7 this morning or 1.4. I THINK I forgot to put in yesterday's weight in my tracker but in any case down from the 144's to the 143's so that's good. I had a slightly lighter day calorie-wise yesterday, probably around 1700 or so, but I was satisfied so I stopped eating. What a concept! Although I must say, that half-full bottle of French Burgundy on my kitchen counter was looking awfully appealing last night! Running around like a crazy chicken right now but getting all set for my upcoming trip. Cancun--HERE I COME!!!!!

Happy day!

[minimonkey]

Awesome losses, ladies!

Julie -- what kind of place are you wanting for Thanksgiving? Fancy? Not? Kid friendly, I am assuming -- but for what ages? I will give it some thought.... there are lots of great food choices in this area!

I am having an up day today -- I'm still off the scale, but think I am feeling a bit leaner today, I'm planning some more housecleaning today, and an upper body weights workout too

I had my power breakfast, and will eat as hunger dictates for the rest of the day.

[minimonkey]

Shelby -- I think the magnesium helped a bit on the skin -- I will keep using it today. I did some reading about transdermal magnesium, and according to some people, it is the cure for everything --lol! Gotta love those 'miracle products"

I did find one guy who sells "magic water" infused with magnesium and power from the crystal chamber that harnesses the cosmic source of love, or something of that nature ... at that point, I decided it was probably time for bed!

[shelbyla]

Hahahaha! Yeah, magnesium, the transdermal love-source! Gotta love google! One thing I have found is that while some places say that the more "pure" your mag oil is, the better, the cheaper brands like Puritan and Swansons work just as well.

Btw, know anything about emu oil? (Not to offend as I know you are a bird mama... )

[dbunny]

.

[shelbyla]

Can I just say, MEN!!!!!





p.s. where is the "just had a half of a valium" icon?

[minimonkey]

Shelby --

No offense at all on the emu oil (thanks for thinking about that!) -- I rather like emu oil, though I don't find it as much of a miracle product as some claim it to be. (Apparently, no emus are killed for the oil, either -- it is a byproduct of the meat industry, which makes me feel a bit better about the emu part of it, since emus will be farmed for food regardless, whether I buy my skincare or not.)

Emu oil is soothing -- great after a peel -- and it does soak in well and isn't greasy. It has very little smell -- a little bit like tallow, but very mild. It is wonderful on a sunburn.

I should probably use it regularly and see where that gets me-- I am beginning to suspect that my acne is, in part, from dry skin -- so counter-intuitive, since my skin spits up oil like the Macondo well during a breakout, but that is often due to the oil glands freaking out when the skin gets too dry, or so I have heard.

Sorry to hear about your man problems!!! Maybe you just need a dollop or two of cosmic mineral love gel on your heart chakra -- so that you can detox out the negativity, then shower it away and purify the nation's water supply in the process, as the magic supergel goes down the drain....

Just a thought On second thought, valium sounds like a better idea.

[minimonkey]

Speaking of miracle products (no, not the valium, lol!) -- I am thinking about trying Argan Oil, which is supposed to be a wonderful moisturizer and all around skincare product. I'm also going to give a test run to the African Black Soap, which is supposed to be great for problem skin -- it has some sulfur content in it, I think, which actually could go either way with me (it is a bit harsh for caucasian skin sometimes) -- but a dilute formula might work.

The sulfur-containing scalp balms/rinses are fabulous for folks with dreads in the summer, when sweat requires too-frequent washing of the hair, and the scalp gets dry and itchy. I do have to use them cautiously or I react to the sulfur with a rash, but diluted, they help a lot.

I went today to get some more Dr. Bronner's castille soap, which is about the only thing I can use to wash my face when it is breaking out -- and lo and behold -- the first two ingredients in it are coconut oil and magnesium! No wonder my skin likes that stuff! I've used Bronner's for years -- I love how it smells -- and I love the weird labeling, too (I generally refer to it as "all-one-G-d soap", since the label used to be essentially a tract for a unified religion.... they've toned it down a bit now, I think, but it is still pretty cool.) Come to think of it, perhaps I have been purifying the ground water with love for years, and not even knowing it, given the godliness of my soap....

I just noticed that the Bronner's All-One soaps are "magic" too -- it says so right on the label....who knew, lol!

[minimonkey]

On a less cosmic note -- it is a good thing I am doing JUDDD -- I get flippin' ravenous on days I work out hard. I did a killer upper body weights set today (mostly triceps and biceps, but a lot of chest and abs in the mix, too) and I was a chow-hound tonight -- at least with JUDDD, even if I eat above my caloric max on the up days, there is a built-in correction day every other day. I don't think I went wildly over my caloric max, but I think I did go over -- and even with that, I still could have eaten quite a lot more, had there been no repercussions involved.

I have no idea if this will yield any losses for me, but if it allows me to maintain while in a heavy lifting phase, then that is a good thing -- and if I can maintain the scale weight, then I am making ultimate improvements in body composition.

[shelbyla]

Originally Posted by minimonkey

I went today to get some more Dr. Bronner's castille soap, which is about the only thing I can use to wash my face when it is breaking out -- and lo and behold -- the first two ingredients in it are coconut oil and magnesium! No wonder my skin likes that stuff! I've used Bronner's for years -- I love how it smells -- and I love the weird labeling, too (I generally refer to it as "all-one-G-d soap", since the label used to be essentially a tract for a unified religion.... they've toned it down a bit now, I think, but it is still pretty cool.) Come to think of it, perhaps I have been purifying the ground water with love for years, and not even knowing it, given the godliness of my soap....

Lifelong Br. Bronner's girl here, too. (Peppermint variety.) Talk about weird coincidences... I didn't know that about the ingredients. I re-fill a shower container from a gallon jug of it and the label on my shower container has all but worn off!

[LaraSuzz]

Hi all, im up a little due to a steak dinner but its just sodium. I think that the steak cd causes wild fluctuations so I will try to control it with low carb instead. maybe that and skipping dinner. =) The body seems to like me not feeding it at night. I'm like a Mogwai, lol. no food after midnight haha.
My allergies are so bad that I'm not hungry at all and everything tastes weird. It would be really nice to go back to bed right now.

[dbunny]

STS, no loss on the botched CD. I will no longer attempt an egg CD.. by my 6th egg, I was done. I had grilled chicken and salad for dinner, then proceeded to nosh on almonds. And then I had wine.
Steak day for me then!

[julieboolie]

Lara-steak dinner = gain? Say it isn't so!! Hope it's back down tomorrow for you!

Dbunny-yep, the egg day (even if done correctly) doesn't really work for me either! Hope you can get down a bit tomorrow!

Mini and Shelby-you guys take such good care of yourselves!! you're making me feel bad and my skin is so jealous!! I've decided to commit to washing my face every night b/4 bed and slathering the anti-wrinkle cream I have on each night b/4 bed. I'm starting small but you've inspired me to care a bit more about my skin, not just waste the good gentics I've been given.

Mini-so glad to hear the JUDDD is still going well for you. I hope your appetite gets reigned in. That's so hard to work around.

I'm working on the IE and eating only when hungry thing. I added in a few more carbs yeserday NSA froyo, apple, choc covered raisins. I STS today, which I'll take. And my temp this morning was 98.1!!! I was worried LC would hurt my forward metabolic process, but so far so good!! I'm gonna' do more an OWL approach, and maybe throw in the occasional CD to see if I can get the lbs to go down. I'm not completely unhappy here, but I sure would like to be lower (wouldn't we all?).

Off to zumba w. my BFF. Then out to lunch for my broiled chicken salad at Pita Jungle. I'm working on revolutionizing my view of socializing and celebration. Taking the focus off food and more on the actual joy of being w. friends. Baby steps .

[LaraSuzz]

You would thin ka steak diner would have been ok right? I had The outback.. and the au jus must have had a lot of salt... I had prime rib green beans house salad... it has to be salt.

[TiffanyM]

Hi ladies!

I've been reading this thread and i'm about to run out and get some castille soap and some magnesium oil.

So far I'm doing good on p3. Down a lil more than 2 pounds. I am following weight loss apocalypse. It's a challenge to 'eat like a child' when you have the stress of an adult!

It sounds like most of us are doing alright.

Anyone who is struggling right now, hang in there!

[shelbyla]

Good afternoon lovelies!

I've spent the morning talking until I was hoarse, convincing, cajoling, prodding, guiding, nailing down details--all here in our Irvine office. If I had just coordinated better, I could have met Julie! All in all, a good time, well spent, doing something I like, with people I respect and care about.

Re: the emoticon vent last night...I honestly don't get where some men's heads are. You think that "I miss you" erases all the incompatibilities that we have? That saying you were looking for a middle ground but not having any thoughts on what that might be is going to get me back? Seriously! I guess there is a reason for that book comparing us to different planets...

Anyway, mad stress, a light lunch, and dinner consisting of 3 glasses of burgundy and 1/2 a valium netted me a 3+ pound loss today! Trying to keep it light today so that the 140.5 that I saw this morning sticks! Still haven't eaten any carbs but planning on a wee bit of sweet potato tonight. Maybe.

Packing tonight and in less than 48 hours on a plane to Cancun.

[julieboolie]

Shelby-you timing for this trip sounds perfect! Enjoy Mexico, live, play, have a blast! It's hard to accept basic incompatibility, but you're wise to nip it now before your heart overrules your head. bummer we couldn't have met in irvine. What do you do for work? Sounds interesting.

Lara-I think outback puts something wonky on their steakes, MSG maybe. Runs right through me and may be why you're up. Hope it's Dow tomorrow.

Tiff-down 2 lbs is good! You're doing great!

Did my Zumba class today, havent done it in ages. Was pleased that it didn't seem hard to me! Def making progress in the fitness dept.

[julieboolie]

Laptop dying . Posting on my iPad. I seem illiterate!!

[dawnyama]

Originally Posted by minimonkey

Shelby --

No offense at all on the emu oil (thanks for thinking about that!) -- I rather like emu oil, though I don't find it as much of a miracle product as some claim it to be. (Apparently, no emus are killed for the oil, either -- it is a byproduct of the meat industry, which makes me feel a bit better about the emu part of it, since emus will be farmed for food regardless, whether I buy my skincare or not.)

Emu oil is soothing -- great after a peel -- and it does soak in well and isn't greasy. It has very little smell -- a little bit like tallow, but very mild. It is wonderful on a sunburn.

I should probably use it regularly and see where that gets me-- I am beginning to suspect that my acne is, in part, from dry skin -- so counter-intuitive, since my skin spits up oil like the Macondo well during a breakout, but that is often due to the oil glands freaking out when the skin gets too dry, or so I have heard.

Sorry to hear about your man problems!!! Maybe you just need a dollop or two of cosmic mineral love gel on your heart chakra -- so that you can detox out the negativity, then shower it away and purify the nation's water supply in the process, as the magic supergel goes down the drain....

Just a thought On second thought, valium sounds like a better idea.

I use argan oil and saw Josie Maran (I have her oil and beauty products) on qvc the other day and she said that do not be afraid of using oil on your face. She said that using the oil lets your skin know that it is getting what it needs there so that your body won't go into overdrive producing MORE oil to cause those breakouts. She was selling her argan oil cleansing oil and wanted the ladies to know that it is OK to use that on your face to clean it. Something about like cleans like. Meaning oil will clean up any oil residue and makeup you have on your face. I know on hcg you are not to use oils and don't know if you stopped or not, but I cannot wait to get to P3 and use my coconut oil on my face once again.

I see your next post talking about argan oil I love my Josie Maran argan oil and have it on auto delivery from qvc.

[C'Marie]

@Julie, sheesh, I know what you mean - I use wet wipes on my face once in the morning and that's about all I do LOL..... ya, I'm 50 and my skin sucks but I seem to be able to only work on a few things at a time with any consistency! Lose weight, run a business, go to school f/t, be a wife, do my PT, floss my teeth..... I can't seem to fit skincare in there at ALL. I did convince hubs to quit using petroleum jelly everywhere! UGH. ew. Now he has his own jar of coconut oil

I have magnesium oil, too - and coconut oil, and good skin creams, etc.... if only I could apply them for more than a few days in a stretch! I guess when I'm ready I know where to come for advice!

[dbunny]

UGH! What is wrong with me?? Another blown CD day. I'm skeered to see the scale in the morning.

[minimonkey]

Well, DBunny -- I know how you feel, here --

I woke up starving today -- two hardcore workouts back to back, and my body was screaming for nourishment this morning-- on what was supposed to be a down day. I decided after a few hours of nagging hunger to make it an up day instead, and to do my best to do it without any guilt, too -- just accept that I made a decision, eat nourishing foods, and go to a down day tomorrow.

So, I am well fed, much recovered from the muscle work, and ready to do a down day tomorrow. Yes, I know that it isn't recommended to do that in the first two weeks, and it isn't the plan as such ... but I also know that when I am that hungry (physical, not mental hunger) that it tends to make my post-workout recovery twice as long if I override the urge to eat ... so I did what I thought was best.

Tomorrow is another rest day from exercise, and I think I will do fine with the down day, having eaten well and plentifully today -- but I hope this isn't an ongoing thing. I tend to run into problems enforcing even moderate caloric restriction when I am training -- but I also know that there are plenty of bodybuilders who do caloric zig-zagging, or intermittent fasting, and who do really well with it... so I am hopeful that it is just a matter of my body adapting.

[minimonkey]

On the plus side, all the lugging and lifting of the last few months has given me honest to goodness BICEPS! Quite a bit of shoulder and back muscle gain, too -- but the biceps are the most noticeable. Now that my arms are leaning back out, I can really see the muscle gain -- my avatar pic looks a bit scrappy by comparison. I hope by the end of the summer to have truly buff arms

[shelbyla]

Originally Posted by julieboolie

Shelby-you timing for this trip sounds perfect! Enjoy Mexico, live, play, have a blast! It's hard to accept basic incompatibility, but you're wise to nip it now before your heart overrules your head. bummer we couldn't have met in irvine. What do you do for work? Sounds interesting.

Julie - I am a software designer for a financial firm. I designed the software that our backoffice used 18 years ago, went on to manage the department that used it, and now, as they are designing a new system, I've come full-circle and am back "socializing" the system we just built going live in November and nailing down details for phase 2, next June.

Happy Friday everyone! 36 hours and I should be through customs in Cancun!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last night I ate...1/4 of a sweet potato!!!!! This morning I was up 0.3 but that is WAAAAAY normal for me and I held on to most of the 3+ that I took off the other day, so that is nice--I was afraid of a bounce-back. I am going to Cancun at a rockin' 140, looking fab, and feeling great!