jacklin - many do steak modification days, too. I have not tried them yet.

well, I drink 135 fl oz of water. Trust me, I chug water and I also did my coffee with real cream on P3 on steak day and teas and sparkling mineral water with flavored stevia - bubbles fill my tummy.

Keep strong and drink your water like it's going to be gone forever.

I just know you can do it and when you do, you'll look back and be so proud of yourself. And so will I!!

Annette, that is so wonderful, I'm so excited for you. I know you will get down to your goal, what an inspiration you are.

I am loving this discussion. It has encouraged me so much. I have to lose over 100lbs, and I am feeling so discouraged. I am on day 19 of first round, and up until the past 5 days, I was losing very nicely. I got my period, then cheated 4 days ago and have weighed myself at different times. All this to say, that the last several days is so discouraging for me. I am very encouraged to stop at day 23 and take a few weeks off. I am realizing from your discussion that stabilizing is a big deal. I am doing this diet on my own with no doctor or clinic, so I am learning a lot by what I am reading. After reading your discussion, I see that I really need to talk to people who need to lose or did lose the amount that I am facing. I feel like I am very alone in this, but I am scared to quit.

If I could ask....I am to stay doing my 500 calories until day 20, then go off the hcg, but keep eating the 500 calories until day 23. Then I may eat calories up to my weight times 10..So I am at 280 lbs and I should eat up to but not over 2800 calories. I can eat no sugars or starches, but should load up on protiens, veggies and fruits. Sort of like a low carb diet...can I eat whole grain bread or is that out too? I can do this up to 6 weeks and then start another round with the hcg and the 500 calories for 23 days again. I hope you don't mind me asking all this. I love the idea of taking a break and then going again. I am so anxious to eat more meat and enjoy cheeses and fats again. I saw someone say no fried foods...is that part of it as well?

Thank you for any help you can give me...you all are such a huge inspiration to me...I just cannot tell you what it means.
Tina Nolt

Tina,

I completely understand your level of frustration! I started this second round at 281 and as of today, I am at 272.6, so we are very close in our weight. Let me ask you this...did you PLAN on doing a short 23-day round or have you changed your mind because of the stall in loss? If your answer is that you changed your mind, girl, let me tell you that we are exactly alike! On my first round I became so down and felt so deprived that I seriously considered shortening the round to 23 days. I did a lot of soul searching and realized that I was trying to justify stopping. Not the diet itself, but the round so that I would have more variety, etc. back in my life! What I finally came to was that I was NOT going to talk myself out of this protocol! This is the first and only weight loss program that actually did what it said it would do and is so FAST!

It seems to me that your stall is due to two things - TOM and cheating. TOM you can't do anything about, but whenever you think about putting something in your mouth that is not on protocol, ask yourself if it is worth gaining or, at the very least, stalling for 3 days! That is exactly what happens. You lose the forward momentum at best, and at worst, you have to lose whatever amount you gained. I decided it just wasn't worth it...and that I could have allowed foods on P3 that would be satisfying...and they were! :) So, I finished up R1 at 38 days (due to an upcoming event that I could not avoid and didn't want to cheat) and lost 29.6 pounds....and 26 inches!!! Where in the world could we EVER do that on any other program????

I did have a difficult time on P3 initially, primarily because I didn't ease in to it. Instead of just enjoying what I COULD have, in addition to more protein and veggies, I added way too much way too soon! I went on to finally stabilize, although it was at a higher weight than my LIW, and then had a very successful couple of weeks on P4 and was able to add in some things like potatoes, rice, a few bites of desert on vacation, etc. Also, I was able to eat Ezekiel Bread while on P3 with no problems. I love it so much and will continue to eat that from here on out!

I am currently on R2 of a 23-day round since I felt it was wiser to at least do that much and then maintain my weight in P3/P4 through the holidays than to hold off entirely until the first of the year. I also decided that this would work better for me because I am going to try to only take off 6 weeks in between short rounds (while still skipping one injection day per week to help prevent immunity) so that I can move along a little faster. Keep in mind though that this is a planned and researched decision and not one made out of frustration.

I also agree with Colleen that it is very helpful to get that first big loss under your belt with R1. When you are on the 23-day rounds you won't ever be able to lose 30 pounds, so enjoy that kind of loss on a long round! I am also considering doing another long round at the first of the year, but I am still looking at the pros and cons of doing that and will decide in the next month so that I can mentally prepare myself for whichever length I decide on. The mental aspect is very important in this.

Stick with it...you can SO do this!! And this forum is invaluable in the support, information and encouragement provided. We are all here to help you along on your journey!

Hugs,

Jacklin

Yeah 100 pounds is a terrific loss. Don't you now feel like you can do anything? Victoria