~p3-p4-simeons-protocol-week-06-24~

[dawnyama]

Mini--I think you will like your decision to stay on P3 for now. Much more food for you and no more obsessing!! Best wishes to you!

Lara--great loss from a steak day!! WooHoo!!

Taryl--see ya on the P2 thread. Anxiously awaiting the losses for you over there.

Suzi--all I can do is sorry the stress is getting to you. Take care of you. So glad to see you are not eating food for comfort. That is my downfall. The least little thing happens in our family or world and I crumble and turn to food. Hope something comes through soon.

[LaraSuzz]

Originally Posted by suzi7

so far, P3 has been fairly uneventful. 'course I'm only 6 days into it. Weight nudged up to 151ish and has stayed. (fluctuates by a .2 either way). I am eating.... have to force myself to sometimes; I am so into the P2 mindset, I forget the butter sometimes lol. But cheese and nuts are my new friends and come to my rescue. lol
The rest of my life is same-old. Interview, answer phones, send out resumes... repeat. its getting old; I've got hives from the nerves. I just need a job...sigh.

Everything happens for a reason! Just keep doing what you're doing and something will come your way. It took me 2 months to find the job I'm at and I was begginning to think it wasnt going to happen. Then the phone rang. I just wish that I had enjoyed my time not working more now that I'm working.

Originally Posted by dawnyama

Mini--I think you will like your decision to stay on P3 for now. Much more food for you and no more obsessing!! Best wishes to you!

Lara--great loss from a steak day!! WooHoo!!

Taryl--see ya on the P2 thread. Anxiously awaiting the losses for you over there.

Suzi--all I can do is sorry the stress is getting to you. Take care of you. So glad to see you are not eating food for comfort. That is my downfall. The least little thing happens in our family or world and I crumble and turn to food. Hope something comes through soon.

Thanks Dawn woohoo!

[minimonkey]

Suzi

So sorry about all the stress Job hunting is hideously stressful! I hope you find something soon! Really sorry to hear about the hives, too -- I get them from stress occasionally too, and they are no fun.

I'm still battling an ongoing cystic acne break out -- the worst of the initial breakout has healed, but I keep getting new places popping up -- this can end ANY time now!

Also retaining a lot of water this morning -- hormones, warmer weather, and post workout swelling I think -- I am SORE this morning, and I suspect it will just get more pronounced as the day goes by. At least that is a good thing, and a result of a good workout yesterday.

Today is a rest day -- and I didn't wake up starving, which is nice!

I'm going to enjoy my low carb eating, and just let my body stabilize -- it will, if I stop monkeying around with things and just get in a groove.

[suzi7]

I spoke too soon. up today. 152.4! over the two pound limit so I'm jumping in and doing a CD today. ? is it ok to "mix" cd stuff? like I am (1) a vegetarian so no steak or chicken thigh day lol and (2) I am totally broke til Friday so have to make do with what I have. I have 4 eggs, 2 gy, and some no-fat milk and protein powder. wait, I just answered my question. I will do the protein shake w egg 2x and one without. ok. save the gy for tomorrow's breakfast (before I run out to the store). gee, don't know why i didn't see that before.

ok. off to crush the ice and start my shake-em-up day. lol

[C'Marie]

No scale where I am at the moment but was 2 pounds under yesterday morning and it was a JUDDD down day yesterday so I can't imagine how I could've gained LOL.

[LaraSuzz]

I bet you are doing just fine Marie! If you're in a hotel maybe the front desk has one? Just assuming youre travelling...

Well I woke up today and I'm not sure what I was thinking because I freaked out a little and thought I was way over..... but according to the thread I wrote I'm same as yesterday... still 3 lbs away from LIW.
~but decided to do a cd so I have nothing to eat for 10 hours. I could go to the cafeteria but I will try to drink tons of water and do some more steak, a steak cd today. Might as well try to get the other 3 off so that I feel better about myself. Being 6 over scared me. It's easy to let it get out of control at that point and for some reason I associate that six pound mark with failure because it was the starting point for one my last round. My last round wasnt that great cause I stopped early with all the stress etc.

I vow to take July and low carb/calorie count and or cd to see how much I can lose on my own. If I can loose 20 then I will not do another round, if I dont lose 20 then I will do another round starting August 1st. The rounds seem to be getting harder as time passes and I dont want to even say how many rounds I've done over the years.
I am only technically 30 pounds away from my goal, but really an additional 20 would be good for cushion. Please God give me strength to do this, I really need it. I've come so far now.

[cocoapeanut]

Lara - I wish you the best in July, and if it comes to it, I'll do P2 with you in August

Suzi - Shakes are yummy, hope they bring you back down!!

to the rest of you sexy mamas

I ate a whole lot a couple of days ago and gained almost 2 pounds but I'm reigning it in now! It was partially due to hunger from sleep deprivation and partially because I haven't fed myself a lot in a while and wanted to switch it up for fun. We'll see what the scale says tomorrow!

Still adjusting to the CA move and new job, so I must be kind to myself

[misslatte]

Hey ladies! Just popping in to say hi - I'll be officially joining you on Wednesday and definitely looking forward to stabilizing, hopefully below 155!

[dbunny]

Hey all you pretty P3'rs!

.. Been MIA most this week.. Super busy at work and time is flying by. I am still up over my LDW by a few pounds, but I am just winging it until I get to P2 next week.
Looks like everyone is doing pretty good... I am horrible at personals, and I apologize for that. I love to read everyone's post, but rarely have time to linger. Just know that I don't think I could do this without the support of all you great women

[misslatte]

Originally Posted by dbunny

Hey all you pretty P3'rs!

YAY another tall lady! Hope you're able to wiggle down back to LDW or below before your loading days! That's what I wanted to do but a random camping trip on the last days of P4 (and two WHOLE bottles of wine) shot me up a couple pounds. Dang that wine was good though.

[minimonkey]

I'm cruising along very happily in p3 right now -- still off the scale -- and since TOM is trying to start, that probably isn't a bad thing. I am definitely retaining a lot of water at the moment, which is rather miserable.

But I really feel, on a gut level, like what I need to do is eat sufficient low-carb, clean food for a while, no matter what the scale has to say about it. No JUDDD, no correction days, none of that -- just nourishing my body and letting it restore itself. I did too much p2 for way too long, and now I am dealing with the consequences of starving myself -- not fun, but at least I've broken the cycle, and that is a good thing.

I will get on the scale after TOM is over, so I know where I stand, and what is and isn't working at that point.

I am seriously sore today from my workout two days ago -- so taking another rest day today. Until my body heals and calms this inflammation back down, I need to be respectful of its limits. Plus, I've already gotten in several really good workouts this week, so I'm on track in that regard.

This approach is unusually sane for me, I might add.... I'd normally be in a panic and running straight back for another p2... so I deserve kudos for NOT doing that I know, though, that doing that would only make things worse in the long run, and that isn't what I want.

[LaraSuzz]

Originally Posted by cocoapeanut

Lara - I wish you the best in July, and if it comes to it, I'll do P2 with you in August
Suzi - Shakes are yummy, hope they bring you back down!!
to the rest of you sexy mamas
I ate a whole lot a couple of days ago and gained almost 2 pounds but I'm reigning it in now! It was partially due to hunger from sleep deprivation and partially because I haven't fed myself a lot in a while and wanted to switch it up for fun. We'll see what the scale says tomorrow!
Still adjusting to the CA move and new job, so I must be kind to myself

Ah yes the dreaded 2 day rule... don't you just hate that? You think you're in the clear andthen whammo! Hello 2 lb gain! So strange how that works but it also works the other way too on losses. I'm happy to have some company in August I really am leaning torwards doing one more round. =)

I'm down 1 from my steak day, and now 2 from LIW. Yesterday was tough, doing a steak day when its 106 and humid out is very taxing. I feel drained today, no energy, I think I'm dehydrated even tho it seems like I'm always drinking water ugh. I'm tired. Must drink water. Lara

[TiffanyM]

Hi Ladies!

I've been out this week.. so busy. Hanging in there though, as far as weight goes.

Lara & Cocoa, I am starting another round August 3rd. Y'all want to do it together??

I'm ready now, but making myself wait.

to all who are struggling.

[LaraSuzz]

Yes! Yes! Let's do this!! Friday August 3rd load day!! lol I'll be ready!

Tummy hurts today, and it feels like I barely woke up but I've been up since 4am, weird.
Still trying to drink water. lol

[TiffanyM]

Sorry you're not feeling well.
Sounds like you're fighting something off.

Yep yep, let's do it!

[dbunny]

Didn't weigh myself today... chinese and popcorn! I don't know what I was thinking :O

[julieboolie]

Hi Girls!! Sorry I've been MIA for a few days. We've been caught up in volleyball festival!! dd(12) played great, but it's been overwhelming and exhausting!! But fun . I'm finally home, with a few minutes to sit down and catch up a bit. Watching a Tim Hawkins video. He's HILARIOUS!! You can find him on youtube. His song "The things you don't say to your wife" will make you !!

I'm WAY up on the scale. Too much bday celebrating (both dd's this week!) and I was up to 162 this morning Sigh. So, back to LC today. I was still a bit on the fence about another round but think I really need to do it. All my jeans are tight Need to get back down, and hcg is the best route for me. I'll need to really commit to a clean round and then clean LC afterwards. It'll take a good 6 weeks of sacrifice and commitment. I need to really psyche myself up for this. IE hasn't worked. I think I've accepted that LC is the best way for me to live and maintain. I'll be able to have the occasional higher carb treat, but it can't be a lifestyle for me. That's fine. It's to be expected and being slimmer is very worth it.

So, that's my update

[minimonkey]

Julie -- I'm sorry to hear about the scale jump Glad you enjoyed the celebrations, though, and I think you have a great attitude about all of this.

I am right there with you in many ways -- the refeeding is making me feel good in a lot of ways, but I have tons of water retention at the moment and I am feeling a bit uncomfortable in my skin as a result of that (some of it is PMS for me, though). I've been keeping it low-ish carb (about 40 grams or so) but I am still dealing with some crazy post-hcg rebound gains, and that isn't fun.

I think I am done refeeding after today -- the crazy hunger is subsiding, finally!

I'm staying away from the hcg for the moment, since it seems to be a vicious lose/regain cycle for me -- I think I need to find another way to get to the leanness I desire.

I'm thinking about doing a fat fast for a couple of days, and then giving a real try to a clean Atkins run with induction level carbs-- although I stalled out on that in the past, a few things are different for me now. I'm working out differently than I used to (less cardio, far more weights) and I am also not drinking alcohol anymore, which I used to do regularly. I'm thinking maybe that will make the difference.

I just don't think hcg is going to get me where I want to be in the long run, but I hope it works for you!!!

[TenaciousCyn]

Good Morning World! Happy Sunday!!

This is my last week on R1P4 and Saturday I will start my R2P2 with the patches. DH will be doing this with me. He was so encouraged watching me do hcg and I can't wait to see HIS results!

Starting the 4th I am giving myself permission to have what I want in moderation. I have been VERY careful of my food choices thus far. Wed, Thurs and Fri will be pre-loading days for me.

My strategies have worked so far; wish me luck!

Sunnee

[dawnyama]

Originally Posted by julieboolie

Hi Girls!! Sorry I've been MIA for a few days. We've been caught up in volleyball festival!! dd(12) played great, but it's been overwhelming and exhausting!! But fun . I'm finally home, with a few minutes to sit down and catch up a bit. Watching a Tim Hawkins video. He's HILARIOUS!! You can find him on youtube. His song "The things you don't say to your wife" will make you !!

I'm WAY up on the scale. Too much bday celebrating (both dd's this week!) and I was up to 162 this morning Sigh. So, back to LC today. I was still a bit on the fence about another round but think I really need to do it. All my jeans are tight Need to get back down, and hcg is the best route for me. I'll need to really commit to a clean round and then clean LC afterwards. It'll take a good 6 weeks of sacrifice and commitment. I need to really psyche myself up for this. IE hasn't worked. I think I've accepted that LC is the best way for me to live and maintain. I'll be able to have the occasional higher carb treat, but it can't be a lifestyle for me. That's fine. It's to be expected and being slimmer is very worth it.

So, that's my update

SO......when are you starting??? I am ready to join you!! I will be ahead of you, but I am going til July 27

[dbunny]

Good morning, all!
I seem to be in a loading phase, yet I do not officially start loading until Tuesday. I have got to get ahold of myself!

[Bitsky]

Morning everyone, I need help and fast please.
today was supposed to be my BAB, first day of P3 and you think I could have managed that right? Well last night I ate a lot of snacks that I wasn't supposed to at a house party...for some reason I just let go of all discipline. Now I feel horrible and I'm .3 over my 2lb allowance...so I need to do a steak day right? I need to make sure that even though this is my first day of P3 I still need to do a steak day?!?! I've been up for a couple hours now and I'm getting soooo hungry and the growlies are getting louder, I'm drinking water but I don't see how that's going to do me for 6 hours till I eat this huge steak. Is it still protocol even though it's day 1 of P3? I'm 2.3lbs over my LDW so I think I should but my body is so lacking in the stuff I was supposed to put into my body today now that the drops should be out... I'm confused and really hungry. Any suggestions. Oh also, can I have cherry tomatoes with my steak instead of one big one?
thanks

[minimonkey]

Bitsky --

I'll leave the advice to people who have made this work for them (NOT me!) -- but I will send a big hug, and say that this was ALWAYS my downfall with hcg -- once I start eating again, I am just utterly ravenous. The minute the hcg is out of my system, I could eat the whole house

My body really fights back if I have done calorie restriction for any length of time.

I'm talking about gnawing, physical hunger -- sounds like you are too. I hope you find a solution!!

I'd think cherry tomatoes would be fine on a steak day, but I have always been rogue about the protocol.

[minimonkey]

I'm done refeeding, finally. It was a p3 legal refeed, but the carbs were probably coming in somewhere in the 40 - 50 grams daily range.

I have no idea where I actually stand weight wise -- I have the equivalent of Lake Erie in water retention today, and I feel like a hippo -- but TOM should be starting in earnest any minute, so I know some of that will go away. I definitely had some significant gains, but I hope a lot of it is the inflammation and bloat and that it will drop off fairly fast.

Today I am starting a run of regular lowcarb eating -- attempting to keep to Atkins induction level carbs, though I am not sticking to the induction list of foods -- I don't know that I will lose this way, but I hope to at least drop the water retention and get back on an even keel. I'm concentrating on high fat, and not worrying about the calories for now -- just carbs.

I'll do this until TOM is over and then see where I stand. I'll probably go to a real induction after that, potentially with calorie cycling (of a moderate nature) thrown in the mix.

I'm really fighting the urge to jump in to another p2, which would probably be about the worst possible idea for me at the moment.

Instead, I am going to focus on the exercise and on a sane, l/c plan, and trust that things will even out.

I may well need to do some calorie control --but I think I need to well and truly get my body away from the starvation/regain cycle first.

[julieboolie]

Originally Posted by dawnyama

SO......when are you starting??? I am ready to join you!! I will be ahead of you, but I am going til July 27

Well, if I stick to the plan, I'll load the 3-4, and start vlc on Thursday. TOM arrived Sat, so that should work out too. Sounds like your round is going well! I lurked on the P2 thread the other day . I'm seriously out of P2 mindset. I hope it comes back to me quickly and easily. Need to shop and prep.

Originally Posted by dbunny

Good morning, all!
I seem to be in a loading phase, yet I do not officially start loading until Tuesday. I have got to get ahold of myself!

Me too! I have gained too much weight but seem to consider 5 days of loading ok! I am trying to stay LC to help lose a bit while keeping fat high in preparation. I need to buckle down! I hope protocol helps me be more disciplined! Sigh!

Mini-your plan sounds good! I'm trying to stay LC through the next few days b/4 my round. Glad you're taking it all in stride. Treat your body well. Rest, eat and exercise . It's all good! True induction is hard once you've lived LC or a while. I hope it works for you. Sure would be a nice way to lose!

I'm LCing it and happy. Eating when hungry, trying to stop before stuffed. Doing it LC would prob work over time. But, doing IE while using carbs isn't working for me . Scale around 159 today, which sadly is progress! I'll LC it through July 3, but the 4th is my anniversary, and last loading day, so I will likely just enjoy myself .

Hope you're all doing well!

[minimonkey]

Thanks for your support, Julie!

I am off the scale, but I know it is WAY up -- the water retention alone is ridiculous right now, and my darn TOM still won't start. I do suspect I'll have a pretty good drop when/if it finally gets going.

I kept to induction carb levels today, though I had non-induction foods ---this I can do indefinitely. True induction will be a bit boring, but if it pares the lbs off, I'll take it over calorie restriction any day.

I'm glad it sounds like I am taking it in stride -- I certainly have my moments of feeling really disheartened -- but moping isn't going to solve a thing, and I don't think another round of p2 would solve anything either. I think the more I restrict, the worse it gets, actually -- the rebound gains are insane, and I get more depleted as the weeks and months of restriction pile one on another.

So, I will try this for now, and try to keep the faith. If I don't seem to be getting anywhere in a few weeks, I'll try something else.

Enjoy your loading and your anniversary, and I hope your new round treats you well! Maybe after RAARFing, it'll work like a charm!

[Bitsky]

Ok so I did a high protein day yesterday instead of my real first day of P3. Unfortunitely I only lost .2lbs which leaves me .1lb over my 2lb allowance. Does this mean I now have to do another steak or protein day? I can't believe this, I waited so long to be on P3 and now it's all screwed up. Am I going to be able to get back down or have I messed things up now? I can't believe I only dropped .2lbs after yesterday..... very discouraging.

[suzi7]

checking in on this beautiful Monday. (sorry, copying this to a couple of the threads.... time limit!!)

I am on my 10th day of P3 (rogue of course) and holding pretty steady between 149 and 151 (did have one day where it shot up over 152, but I did a CD right away and got it back to 150 (my LDW). Most days I have to PUSH myself to EAT (my BMR is about 1350 and I seem to be satisfied with that...) planning a second round of P2 (veggie style of course) to goal (or at least close) after this (no P4), with a two or three day reload first. I find that except for pizza (lol) I am NOT craving anything special for my load days this time. So other than a nice thin crust veggie pizza from my fav place (I'll bet the boys there have missed me! lol), I will eat pretty clean for those 2-3 days (so she says NOW... :wink kinda scheduled this all so that my reload will be the weekend after my actual b-day (the 10th), and I think my sister MAY be planning our semi-annual girls-only family reunion that weekend... which is usually a blast... and at least one night out at a REAL restaurant eating REAL food!! so who knows? (good planning? lol)

on the job front, I have done tons of interviews (three and four a week, counting the second (and in one case third) interview) sent out oodles of resumes too this last month. This week with the Fourth is slow, no interviews scheduled til first of next week. Hoping I hear from SOMEONE and have a job by then cuz this interviewing is getting OLD!!!!

Just want you all to know that I am out here... and cheering you all on. My computer cpu fried during a power outage last week so I am restricted on internet access, except for my phone (I can read posts but frankly I HATE typing on those itty-bitty keys) or a trip to my friendly local library (where I am now). No money this week for a new one (cpu) although I can and will do the swap myself.

So for now, when you post, just imagine my reply... (it will always be positive, supportive, and caring.) can't wait to get my Baby back (I miss my 'puter!!!

[julieboolie]

Suzi- I too hate posting on my phone (or ipad honestly!!) Hope you enjoy the rest of your P4 and will be in P2 w. you for a little while.

Bitsky-that stinks I am sorry for your struggle, esp this early into P3. What did you eat yesterday? How about upping the fats, keeping the protein mid, and lowering carbs completely? Eggs, meat, cream in your coffee? That usually helps me, esp in the beginning. And I know this is TMI, but have you visited the potty much? The first few days of P3 are "refilling" days, and our intestines need some adjustment time. What did you have that last day of P2 that caused the gain? Sometimes we have a "2nd day effect" so your minimal loss, could be from that residual gain? I'd hang in there, eat high fat/LC today and see what tomorrow brings. If you're still up tomorrow, a real CD is probably your best bet.

Mini-good for you. Hope you replenish and can even lose while doing LC. It's so good for us and our bodies. Yummy!!

Lara-how're you doing? Hope you had a good weekend are "in the zone".

Cocoa-you're doing great!! Enjoy the beach and sunshine!!

Dbunny-I'm right there with you!! We'll be P2ing together. Are you ready? Are you stocked up?

I'm psyching myself up for another round!! Woohoo!! I can't wait!! I will be a loser once again!! It's been a while since I lost weight and I miss seeing the scale go DOWN!! I'm not feeling deprived any longer (taken over 2 months of eating!!) and hope my body is willing to lose again. I really hope my weight comes right back off and that my "newly recharged" metabolism will be happy to burn calories once I start eating them again. We'll see.

I'm kinda back to accepting LC as my permanent lifestyle. I've read all about RRARFing and metabolisms, and carbs needed for fuel etc. I've tried to eat more of that, and seriously it is fun!! But, if I am honest w. myself, it really doesn't work for me . I don't really miss bread and sugar. The occasional indulgence will be included on bdays, travel, etc. But, day-to-day? LC works for me. Froyo sits well, which is what I enjoy most. So that's something . I have tried to convince my body that carbs are ok and we should eat them. But, it keeps storing it as fat, so clearly we're at an impasse!! I give. I'd like to wear my smaller clothes comfortably and not feel icky. So, back to "work/P2" I go . I can do it. Anything for 3 weeks is tolerable and preferable to being in tight clothes!!

That's my pep talk du jour!! hope you're all doing well too!!

[Crazy PreK Teacher]

Originally Posted by Bitsky

Ok so I did a high protein day yesterday instead of my real first day of P3. Unfortunitely I only lost .2lbs which leaves me .1lb over my 2lb allowance. Does this mean I now have to do another steak or protein day? I can't believe this, I waited so long to be on P3 and now it's all screwed up. Am I going to be able to get back down or have I messed things up now? I can't believe I only dropped .2lbs after yesterday..... very discouraging.

Don't give up hope...

I usually have a bigger loss on the 2nd day...I'm generally a 2nd day loser/gainer.

HTH