P2 Simeons Protocol Month of January

[ChealsCanCan]

Originally Posted by Clothilde

34 hour work shift? What type of work do you do?

I'm a personal caregiver to a couple with Parkinson's.

[Kateenie]

Originally Posted by buttah

Oh, what I wouldn't give to be one of these people.

You've been on my mind today, as I'm rereading WLA in preparation for another round soon. I thought of you as she was explaining how people with less fat have more hunger because they have fewer fat cells, while those with a lot of fat cells actually have very little hunger, even off the protocol.

Also, she stresses the hormonal repair going on regardless of the weight loss (or lack thereof). I know you know all this, and it doesn't make it easier, but I think of anyone on this board, you have your head in it and have a better understanding of the dysfunction eating without hunger causes. There is healing going on, even if it isn't always visible!

I love your voice of reason here and want you to know you have support, too!

[buttah]

Originally Posted by Kateenie

You've been on my mind today, as I'm rereading WLA in preparation for another round soon. I thought of you as she was explaining how people with less fat have more hunger because they have fewer fat cells, while those with a lot of fat cells actually have very little hunger, even off the protocol.

Also, she stresses the hormonal repair going on regardless of the weight loss (or lack thereof). I know you know all this, and it doesn't make it easier, but I think of anyone on this board, you have your head in it and have a better understanding of the dysfunction eating without hunger causes. There is healing going on, even if it isn't always visible!

I love your voice of reason here and want you to know you have support, too!

Awwwwwwww, this means so much to me!!!! Thank you!!! Because, truly, I do feel like I've turned a mental corner on the most important aspect of WL - emotional eating and relationship to food - in my life during this past year (even if my body still has a teeny bit further to go). I really do. I FEEL differently about meals and food (and holidays and vacations and that ridiculous self-destructive concept of feeling "entitled" to overindulge). And I know I've lived what I feel during my 9 weeks of P3/P4 and even before that, between different WOE's on my WL journey.

It's all about food sanity, isn't it? Sanity!

So it's wonderful to have anyone notice. And to be reminded of what I know, even though Robin W has reminded me as well.

And on the note of fat cells, Robin is one of the few people who says we can eventually LOSE those fat cells if they are not reused. I find it hard to find this anywhere else. I pray she's right, and it's one reason I am DETERMINED to keep those fat cells empty and make them wither away forever. Yo-yo'ing, HCG or otherwise, will not accomplish that.

Anyway, Kat, thank you SO MUCH for the support. And right back at you!

[livnonahill]

Originally Posted by Clothilde

Liv, I'm sorry I didn't see this yesterday. I usually use just a tiny bit of xanthan gum to thicken liquids. Or, if you are having the grissini on your P2 and you have a coffee grinder or food mill, you can just grind up your grissini into a powder and use that to thicken. I'm sorry I'm so late to reply. How did the chili turn out?

Hi Cloth!
The chili turned out pretty good...but nowhere near as yummy as the one I fixed for our kids and their significant others. Oh well, that's a small price to pay. I did end up mixing in my Melba toast and I'll look for the xanthan gum tomorrow.

Originally Posted by mommy2

Vlcd5 and I feel like I have to force myself to eat....not hungry at all..I actually feel full and all ive had is coffee and water today....

That's a great thing

Originally Posted by Clothilde

That's a bit high, but the key is consistency while on P2, more so than the total amount unless it's super high. If you stall, you might want to lower it just a bit. But if you don't stall, the best thing is to keep it close to the same amount every day. You're doing awesome!

I'm still counting the sodium. I've made only a slight change today, so we'll see. I'm not changing too much unless I start seeing a stall. I'm getting the impression that not having a loss for 1 day shouldn't make me panic. I'm very new to all of this, so I'm learning a lot from you all.

Now....I'm feeling guilty and beating myself up over a minuscule slip today. We just returned from touring a vineyard for my daughter's wedding. And OF COURSE, they had us taste a new wine. The amount I tasted wasn't even an ounce. Yet here i sit fretting Go figure. 2 weeks ago I was enjoying wine or beer daily and now I'm beating myself up over an ounce or less. RIDICULOUS! I'm being RIDICULOUS!

[pandora174]

Originally Posted by buttah

Awwwwwwww, this means so much to me!!!! Thank you!!! Because, truly, I do feel like I've turned a mental corner on the most important aspect of WL - emotional eating and relationship to food - in my life during this past year (even if my body still has a teeny bit further to go). I really do. I FEEL differently about meals and food (and holidays and vacations and that ridiculous self-destructive concept of feeling "entitled" to overindulge). And I know I've lived what I feel during my 9 weeks of P3/P4 and even before that, between different WOE's on my WL journey.

It's all about food sanity, isn't it? Sanity!

So it's wonderful to have anyone notice. And to be reminded of what I know, even though Robin W has reminded me as well.

And on the note of fat cells, Robin is one of the few people who says we can eventually LOSE those fat cells if they are not reused. I find it hard to find this anywhere else. I pray she's right, and it's one reason I am DETERMINED to keep those fat cells empty and make them wither away forever. Yo-yo'ing, HCG or otherwise, will not accomplish that.

Anyway, Kat, thank you SO MUCH for the support. And right back at you!

I hope to get there too Buttah. I really admire that about you. I really thought I had gotten there but I was extremely & obviously wrong I think the for me on P3/P4 I didn't cheat, I had such strict control & even when I went up it wasn't from cheating just tom or eating too much sodium. SO for me when I binged the Fri. before vacation I got on that scale and saw 10 lbs up and thought I could walk it off, take my supplements and drink lots of water and no big deal. No I was wrong again. I can never eat like that and get away with it. I need to accept that concept and move on. I also realize alcohol and me = poor food choices.

I think after so much clean eating my body freaked out and grabbed every fat cell/water cell whatever it could. I mean who gains 23 lbs in a week (ME !!) SO back on P2 but not with the joy I had last time that it was getting to goal now it's to undo my stupidity.

[fiveninepointfive]

Originally Posted by buttah

Oh, what I wouldn't give to be one of these people.

me, too.

[fiveninepointfive]

Originally Posted by livnonahill

Hi Cloth!
The chili turned out pretty good...but nowhere near as yummy as the one I fixed for our kids and their significant others. Oh well, that's a small price to pay. I did end up mixing in my Melba toast and I'll look for the xanthan gum tomorrow.




That's a great thing



I'm still counting the sodium. I've made only a slight change today, so we'll see. I'm not changing too much unless I start seeing a stall. I'm getting the impression that not having a loss for 1 day shouldn't make me panic. I'm very new to all of this, so I'm learning a lot from you all.

Now....I'm feeling guilty and beating myself up over a minuscule slip today. We just returned from touring a vineyard for my daughter's wedding. And OF COURSE, they had us taste a new wine. The amount I tasted wasn't even an ounce. Yet here i sit fretting Go figure. 2 weeks ago I was enjoying wine or beer daily and now I'm beating myself up over an ounce or less. RIDICULOUS! I'm being RIDICULOUS!

Stress will not help you. It will be fine. Can you skip a fruit?

[livnonahill]

Originally Posted by fiveninepointfive

Stress will not help you. It will be fine. Can you skip a fruit?

No...too late. But I can skip the Melba toast. I took a detox bath shortly after my post. It did wonders for my mind AND the fact that i was freezing Thanks for the suggestion!

[Tricialy]

Hi everyone - I wanted to introduce myself,

I'm Tricia and I'm on round 5 or 6 - not sure which - but I lost about 60 lbs. on HCG (multiple rounds) and am back -my last round was last January - and I did fairly well keeping my weight down until this fall. I am starting my VLCD day tomorrow (Monday) - and am honestly afraid to get on the scale and see how much I've gained. I cooked up a bunch of hamburger patties and grilled chicken to freeze, bagged some celery for work and am ready to get started tomorrow. I've enjoyed reading about all of your losses. I'm hoping I can stay on protocal longer than 21 days - but I always seem ready to quit by day 21 - so we shall see - using Intermountain Pellets (the first time using them)

Happy Losing!
Tricia

[buttah]

Originally Posted by pandora174

I hope to get there too Buttah. I really admire that about you. I really thought I had gotten there but I was extremely & obviously wrong I think the for me on P3/P4 I didn't cheat, I had such strict control & even when I went up it wasn't from cheating just tom or eating too much sodium. SO for me when I binged the Fri. before vacation I got on that scale and saw 10 lbs up and thought I could walk it off, take my supplements and drink lots of water and no big deal. No I was wrong again. I can never eat like that and get away with it. I need to accept that concept and move on. I also realize alcohol and me = poor food choices.

I think after so much clean eating my body freaked out and grabbed every fat cell/water cell whatever it could. I mean who gains 23 lbs in a week (ME !!) SO back on P2 but not with the joy I had last time that it was getting to goal now it's to undo my stupidity.

As they always say, Pandora, what's the point of making mistakes if you don't learn from them, right? I have experienced gain-back in the past, albeit not for a very long time, and it is from those experiences that I KNOW my triggers (emotional upheaval w/work, kids, whatever; moving; stress).

Luckily for me, I did master vacations a very long time ago (long story, but the first time I came back from a vacation the same weight I left, I was reformed!)

The thing to remember is that it's all a party of the journey. For me, at this point, I'm trying to be grateful for the little gain-back lessons life has taught me: the weight I gained back after losing 15 lbs in my 20's, then moving across the country. The weight I gained back while living in London, then lost, only to gain back when I moved yet again. The weight I gained back after losing 15 lbs for my wedding, due to the stress of buying a house and moving.

I guess I better never move again, huh?

And FINALLY the bulk of my overweight that I gained from my pregnancies (prior to that it was never more than an extra 15-20) that I convinced myself was just too much to handle while working and raising one very difficult kid (and another not so difficult), made worse by the horrific hanging empty pouch I plan to soon be rid of (I told myself: what's the point of losing - I'll still have a damn pouch and look deformed).

I'm embarrassed at how long I put this off!

You, meanwhile, have lost a HUGE amount of weight! This gain-back will go fast. Your skin won't even have time to stretch back. I hope you can forgive yourself and move on. I have faith in you!

[livnonahill]

Welcome Tricia!!!

And Buttah.....AWESOME post!!

[pandora174]

Originally Posted by buttah

As they always say, Pandora, what's the point of making mistakes if you don't learn from them, right? I have experienced gain-back in the past, albeit not for a very long time, and it is from those experiences that I KNOW my triggers (emotional upheaval w/work, kids, whatever; moving; stress).

Luckily for me, I did master vacations a very long time ago (long story, but the first time I came back from a vacation the same weight I left, I was reformed!)

The thing to remember is that it's all a party of the journey. For me, at this point, I'm trying to be grateful for the little gain-back lessons life has taught me: the weight I gained back after losing 15 lbs in my 20's, then moving across the country. The weight I gained back while living in London, then lost, only to gain back when I moved yet again. The weight I gained back after losing 15 lbs for my wedding, due to the stress of buying a house and moving.

I guess I better never move again, huh?

And FINALLY the bulk of my overweight that I gained from my pregnancies (prior to that it was never more than an extra 15-20) that I convinced myself was just too much to handle while working and raising one very difficult kid (and another not so difficult), made worse by the horrific hanging empty pouch I plan to soon be rid of (I told myself: what's the point of losing - I'll still have a damn pouch and look deformed).

I'm embarrassed at how long I put this off!

You, meanwhile, have lost a HUGE amount of weight! This gain-back will go fast. Your skin won't even have time to stretch back. I hope you can forgive yourself and move on. I have faith in you!

Thanks for the post. I'm going to take it one day at a time. I've come too far to ever go back so that is a good thing. I know what triggered my binge is knowing in the back of my brain that I was planning another round + adding a vacation which I have been planning and looking forward too. Funny how I didn't gain during Thanksgiving, son's b-day party and Christmas. when I was near home. Guess I knew there was no "upcoming round". Also need to plan better during upcoming vacations.

Thanks for sharing your experiences

[temekayoung]

Hi everyone, hope all is well. Im on R3 P2, i started Xmas im down to 224.2. I was losing fine until i got sick. I ate some soup so im at 225.8. Im back on protocol but i really need something for this cough. Its horrible!! Can i have sugar free cough drops or cough medicine??

[pandora174]

Ok all..hear me out please. I also lurk & occasionally post on other hcg sites for ideas, read stories etc. Well I posted on another board about this round & how I messed up etc. Well this moderator told me I should never started this round when my head isn't in it. That I should just do a correction day & eat high fat /low carb until the water weight comes off. That I'm doing this round for the wrong reason. That I'm sort of setting myself up for failure to do a round to get rid of a vacation cheat that can't be fat gain.

Now I'm confused & what if she's right ? I just feel miserable.

[MOMMYONAMISSION]

@Pandora: won't the weight come off faster with the hcg and 500 calories vs high fat/low carb? You could be down a lot in the morning

[buttah]

I agree with Mommy! Nothing will take this off faster than HCG, and weren't you going to do another round anyway?

You've just got to forgive yourself, know that this is not a real, solid 23 (or whatever) lbs. A lot of it is water and swelling from having carbs and liquor again. To really truly gain 23 pounds of fat you'd have to consume 23 x 3500 EXTRA calories. I doubt you did that! If I've learned anything from my sessions with Robin W, it's that the number on the scale is so unreliable. It's nothing but gravity's effect on your body at a given moment in time. It says nothing about fat, fluids, and lean muscle. Your tissues are holding all sorts of fluid right now - possibly quite of few of those lbs.

And I"m sorry, but a CD? Seriously? Yes, maybe the LC would work, over time, but not nearly as fast. I think you're doing the best possible thing you can do.

My best is that you'll see HUGE losses this first week... or two. Before you know it, you'll be right back where you were. And wiser!

[buttah]

And for the record...

WELCOME Boosya!

[rocketmom]

Hi Tricia...I am also on vlcd day on Monday. I have gained from my last round due to going on a cruise(talk about setting oneself up for failure!) and then forgetting everything I learned in the last year about what I can and can't do to maintain. I followed the paleo diet for P3/P4 and was very successful.

Anyway, I hope that you will continue to post so we can share your progress and success. This is my fourth round, and I have lost a total of 60 lbs over the last year. I am not going to dwell on my failure over the last 2 months and start fresh.

Buttah...don't want to appear dumb but who is Robin W? A poster here maybe? Wondering if there is info out there that would be of help?

thanks

[buttah]

Sorry. Robin Woodall is the author of Weight Loss Apocalypse, one of the definitive books on the HCG diet AND emotional eating, very well known around these parts. It's a must read. She also has two FB sites where she answers questions (one is named after the book; the other is called Mind Body Method). I have had some skype sessions with her.

[Boosya]

Originally Posted by buttah

And for the record...

WELCOME Boosya!

Thanks buttah, much appreciated! And I also want to say how much I admire your resolve to stay on plan when this P2 has slowed down for you. Hopefully the losses will start picking back up for you, and you'll be able to shed these last few pounds!!!

[livnonahill]

Good Morning Ladies! No loss this morning. This seems to be my pattern. Lose a pound, lose none, lose a pound...On the bright side, I am down 11 pounds since From my pre-load weight

Originally Posted by temekayoung

Hi everyone, hope all is well. Im on R3 P2, i started Xmas im down to 224.2. I was losing fine until i got sick. I ate some soup so im at 225.8. Im back on protocol but i really need something for this cough. Its horrible!! Can i have sugar free cough drops or cough medicine??

Hi Temeka!
Maybe try gargling with warm salt water. That always works for me. I hope you feel better soon!!

Have a GREAT Day, Everyone!!

____________
Carole

[pandora174]

Morning Ladies ! Last night was tough mentally as well as feeling headachy. I guess my body is releasing those toxins from the alcohol & carbs. I am down -5.4 lbs to 148.6 so I'm hoping to keep up the losses. The pellets worked really well since I wasn't hungry. It was just so overwhelming with the end of vacation, end of holidays which I always get blue + the weight gain.

Not 100 % today & I'm glad I have the day off from work since I'm trying to get back into the swing of things again. But taking it one day at a time and continuing with my round. Trying not to focus on the "before" and just learn from it and go on.

Thanks for letting me go on & on & on

[dawnyama]

Originally Posted by pandora174

Ok all..hear me out please. I also lurk & occasionally post on other hcg sites for ideas, read stories etc. Well I posted on another board about this round & how I messed up etc. Well this moderator told me I should never started this round when my head isn't in it. That I should just do a correction day & eat high fat /low carb until the water weight comes off. That I'm doing this round for the wrong reason. That I'm sort of setting myself up for failure to do a round to get rid of a vacation cheat that can't be fat gain.

Now I'm confused & what if she's right ? I just feel miserable.

I understand. I have been not mentally ready for P2 for a while now. But listen....you are miserable. You have gained a lot of weight. Granted it is mostly vacation weight and you will be down soon, but you also cannot fit into clothing. That would make anyone feel more miserable. So you are doing the right thing. You WILL lose it faster with the hcg. You can do this!! You will do this!!! You are determined

I also disagree that you "cheated" while on vacation. Geesh!!!! You ate and stayed on plan, with a few deviations. That is not cheating, esp when you know what you did. I disagree you are on this to lose only the vacation weight. You were planning this round for a while. And want to get to goal---not just get off any vacation pounds that may have slipped in there.

You go girl

[dawnyama]

Originally Posted by buttah

I agree with Mommy! Nothing will take this off faster than HCG, and weren't you going to do another round anyway?

You've just got to forgive yourself, know that this is not a real, solid 23 (or whatever) lbs. A lot of it is water and swelling from having carbs and liquor again. To really truly gain 23 pounds of fat you'd have to consume 23 x 3500 EXTRA calories. I doubt you did that! If I've learned anything from my sessions with Robin W, it's that the number on the scale is so unreliable. It's nothing but gravity's effect on your body at a given moment in time. It says nothing about fat, fluids, and lean muscle. Your tissues are holding all sorts of fluid right now - possibly quite of few of those lbs.

And I"m sorry, but a CD? Seriously? Yes, maybe the LC would work, over time, but not nearly as fast. I think you're doing the best possible thing you can do.

My best is that you'll see HUGE losses this first week... or two. Before you know it, you'll be right back where you were. And wiser!

I know that torrister (Peggy) would come on here and say that she lost 12 lbs her first week of P2. I bet Pandora can beat that!! Everyone was amazed with how her weight loss would be, but she would say she loaded really well. I am sure you can do just as well, if not have BETTER losses this week. Best of luck to you Pandora

[dawnyama]

Well, I have been down, down and now up this weekend!! But I am still in the 120s, so all is good. Hoping to have a great Monday and be down some more tomorrow!

Have a great week all!!!!

[temekayoung]

Anybody know if there is something i can take for the flu? I want to sray on protocol. HELP

[mommy2]

Booo only down .2 this morning....but ive had some great losses so far....it is TOM for me now so hopefully I dont stall

[pandora174]

Originally Posted by temekayoung

Anybody know if there is something i can take for the flu? I want to sray on protocol. HELP

I don't want to give you advice since I'm not sure since you want to stay on protocol. There isn't any sugar free cough medicine the pharmacist can recommend ? I know there are sugar free cough drops. I googled it and there are some people that take diabetic friendly cold medicine while on hcg. It appears there are several different ones. I also take vitamin c & that helps me too.

Feel better !

[ChealsCanCan]

Two pounds down since Saturday weigh in! Feeling awesome had some P2 meatloaf made with chicken for dinner last night and it was so delicious I'm having it again for lunch today. I'm hoping to drop three more pounds by Wednesday just because I'd love to have a 10 pound loss on the first week. And because it'd be super awesome to actually be in a five point range of the weight on my drivers liscence. Which has said 162 since I got my permit and it was a lie then too lol. Hope everyone is doing well!

[rocketmom]

Thanks for the info Buttah! I have downloaded this onto my ipad and will get reading today.

Congrats to all the losers!