There is little written in the original protocol regarding exercise, and there is some controversy as to whether or not you should exercise, and to what degree. Here is one of the sections from the protocol:

We encourage swimming and sun bathing during treatment, but it should be remembered that a severe sunburn always produces a temporary rise in weight, evidently due to water retention. The same may be seen when a patient gets a common cold during treatment. Finally, the weight can TEMPORARILY increase - paradoxical though this may sound - after an exceptional physical exertion of long duration leading to a feeling of exhaustion. A game of tennis, a vigorous swim, a run, a ride on horseback or a round of golf do not have this effect; but a long trek, a day of skiing, rowing or cycling or dancing into the small hours usually result in a gain of weight on the following day, unless the patient is in perfect training. In patients coming from abroad, where they always use their cars, we often see this effect after a strenuous day of shopping on foot, sightseeing and visits to galleries and museums. Though the extra muscular effort involved does consume some additional calories, this appears to be offset by the retention of water which the tired circulation cannot at once eliminate. (margie here: note that the retention is temporary only)

Here is the other:

Towards the end of a full course, when a good deal of fat has been rapidly lost, some patients complain that lifting a weight or climbing stairs requires a greater muscular effort than before. They feel neither breathlessness nor exhaustion but simply that their muscles have to work harder. This phenomenon, which disappears soon after the end of the treatment, is caused by the removal of abnormal fat deposited between, in, and around the muscles. The removal of this fat makes the muscles too long, and so in order to achieve a certain skeletal movement - say the bending of an arm - the muscles have to perform greater contraction than before. Within a short while the muscle adjusts itself perfectly to the new situation, but under HCG the loss of fat is so rapid that this adjustment cannot keep up with it. Patients often have to be reassured that this does not mean that they are “getting weak”. This phenomenon does not occur in patients who regularly take vigorous exercise and continue to do so during treatment. (margie again- from this last line, it seems clear to me that he does not discourage exercise- if he had, I think he would have mentioned that here.)

From my understanding of the protocol, Dr. S. does not tell you not to exercise. In fact, from that last sentence he writes he seems to encourage it- even "vigorous" exercise. That said, many people feel weak and tired while on the Hcg, and are unable to do their usual exercise program or even their usual activities. Many doctors and clinics tell you not to exercise to any great extent.

Personally, I would recommend that you exercise to whatever point you are able. KT encourages people to walk for one hour per day, but that is a casual walk- not an aerobic one. He believe that walking is the best exercise in terms of changing your weight's "set point".

Whenever you lose weight, especially large amounts, a certain percentage of that weight is going to be muscle. I believe moderate exercise will help to minimize the amount of muscle lost, as well as help to maintain strength and flexibility. However, Dr. S. does not require you to exercise.

There are many different philosophies out there, so I do not mean to step on anyone's toes with my advice. Remember that you are only eating 500 calories a day, and a lot of exercise may make it even harder for you to function. Dr. Gedde, who is a physician specializing in Hcg treatment, encourages as much exercise as possible.

I think if it's exercise you're used to, that's one thing, but ADDING a lot of exercise at this stage might not be good from the way it reads. He says that 500 calories is fine for a lady or for a man used to heavy labor. For me, I sit all day in the chair writing but I didn't want to add any exercise and create a set point in my metabolism that was based on a level of exercise I'll be hard pressed to maintain during tight book deadlines. Yes,I know it would be way better for me to exercise every day but my reality is that sometimes I'm writing 16 hours a day. THe exercise he talks about is more casual stuff, swimming, golf, horseback riding. The kinds of things people do on a routine basis. So I think you have to look at what you're used to.

My two cents.
Colleen

Smooth Move tea is what some use. I take magnesium citrate every day and have never gotten stopped up on the protocol. I'm sure it's miserable, daniela!
Colleen

i agree, colleen, that it's probably not the time to start something new and extreme. but he does talk about running, tennis, and a "vigorous swim" in that paragraph, and never discourages it. but probably the bigger thing for me is his comment about people who "take vigorous exercise". i would think that if he had any problem with that, he would have mentioned it in that same paragraph.

the bottom line in regards to exercise is that all he says about it is in those 2 paragraphs above. everyone needs so read those and interpret them the best they can, as well as looking at other research on diet and exercise. i just get frustrated that the "do not exercise" theme seems to be recommended to a lot of people, and i find absolutely no basis for that. i don't want people to adopt my interpretation- but just want people to be aware of what was written, and decide for themselves.

i know colleen and i have batted this ball back and forth regarding metabolism in P3, but i don't believe that exercise on P3 will create a setpoint that is dependent upon exercise. Dr. S. never gives us any indication of that. your body is constantly adjusting to increases or decreases in activity or eating. just my take on it. (maybe we need a jmo button- just my opinion!)