Just from my 3 rounds...
First round I stayed strictly Simeons, avoided lotions and sucralose etc.

Second round added in other stuff... other very low fat food sources. I eliminated much of the fruit (never used the bread), increased the protein a bit.

Seemed to make no difference at all.

I found it much easier to eat the same thing everyday. I think I lived on chicken breast.

Nope, haven't tweaked it since I realized I was tweaking it by adding more than one veggie per meal. I do eat only one breadstick/melba toast per day, only because I don't want to eat more wheat than that. To meet my 500-calorie requirement, I eat more "veggie of the day" rather than protein which adds fat.

If one weighs and tracks the food intake as given in Simeon's protocol, it's easy to see that it's already quite low-carb. Even with two fruits (the carbiest portion) and one breadstick per day, I'm consuming 33 grams of carbs per day, as much as in Atkins induction. I don't worry about the percentage of carbs... with the storage fat your body is consuming, the carb percentage becomes far lower and the calorie count rises considerably.

However, checking my early FitDay menus, I noticed when I ate more than 100 g of fruit (mostly because I was trying to meet 500 cals) the carb count rose to 49 g, so now I keep fruits at 100 grams (3.5 oz) or less and make up the difference with more veggie of day. And I won't eat apples every day (let alone twice) as they are the carbiest fruit.

Personally, I think it's a mistake to drop the fruit. For one thing, fruit keeps the diet from practically zero carb; for another, it keeps the boring menu more interesting, and also provides snacks for when blood sugar drops; for me, mid-morning especially.

I realize I've only been doing this for nine days and so am no expert by any means... just pointing out what I have observed so far. For myself, I'm staying strict protocol because I really REALLY want this weight off.

MizKitty how do we get to the old threads? I haven't finished reading them and there's lots of pertinent info. Is there a link somewhere pretty please

I put links to all the threads I know of in the first post of this thread. If there's others and you find them, please let me know and I'll add them to the first post.

Well today I broke protocol not once but twice!!! I HAD to eat not one but two hard boiled eggs to keep my blood sugar in the range of doable in between meals. I will see how that shuffles out with the scale tomorrow. I have battled hunger all three days and if there is mucho stress it skyrockets. I am trying to find a safe way to do the diet and still stay on my feet with two kids under 4 running around!

If anyone has a better idea for a necessary cheat besides eggs - please let me know. I just thought those have a protein punch and no carbs. Perhaps the fat content (4.5g each) will undermine the diet...I will find out at tomorrow's weigh in. Bummed to have to modify but passing out is not an option with an 11 month old at my feet, lol.

On the "no-no" moderator warning...I won't be answering any more hcg questions on the thread - not being rude but too hard to comply and answer all the newbie questions on taboo subjects so I will just stay quiet...

Well, I did a round last year pretty much by the book except with no breadstick. I totally dropped the ball on the maintaining phase though.

I did a round in January and increased the protein portion. I did a successful P3 round of maintaining this time.

In this March round, I've dropped the carbs lower most days and eat fatty meat at least once per day. I use chuck steak and 85% hamburger. I check my calories on My PLAN and adjust amounts and usually end up around 550-600. I think I've had an orange once this round so far, I usually skip the fruit or just have strawberries. I've included hard boiled eggs sometimes too.

I found a great salad dressing that I use, I posted it in the second thread somewhere. It's zero calories but I use such large amounts it's probably something as it has vinegar, lemon juice and spices in it. It's $4 and it would probably be much cheaper to make at home, but I don't.

I'm trying to avoid most artificial sweeteners but will have diet soda if I'm out, I've done that maybe twice this round. The last time, I was hungry all the next day and having cravings. I'll probably stick with unsweetened iced tea the next time I'm out somewhere.

I had .8 of an ounce of cheese the other day. I was trying to get a spice out of my throat that was stuck there.

I got into a new pair of size 18 dress pants today. They fit nicely. However, when I tried on my size 18 jean shorts, they don't even button, so those will have to wait a while.

I'm using homeopathic hcg and usually don't have any hunger. As the weeks go by I often get tired in the afternoon but pep up after eating supper.

Beth

As someone already suggested, the plan is already fairly low carb. It's low everything actually!

But I am doing a lower carb version, I'm skipping the breadsticks and limiting to no more than 1 fruit a day. Most days, I don't even eat the one. Maybe 3 times a week I'll have a serving of strawberries. I think I've had 2 apples in 31 days.

I'm making up the difference with larger portions of protein and veggies. I typically eat 9 - 12 oz protein. Still stick with just the meats on the food list, though, or sometimes add 1/2c of LF cottage cheese.

3 or 4 days a week, I do IF (Intermittent Fasting) in conjunction with P2, and eat all my calories in one meal.

I will mix veggies at one meal but stick to the list, except I ate brussels sprouts the other day (gasp!) and showed loss the next day. Ate some again tonight, will see what happens on the scale tomorrow. I'm thinking of trying broccoli, too. Any P2 broccoli eaters here?

The first 3 weeks, I avoided diet soda entirely, then last Monday, I was at an all-day workshop where breakfast and lunch was provided, and the only thing I could think of to not feel so deprived that everyone around me was eating and there was nothing I could eat, was drink a diet coke. I ended up drinking 3, and still showed a loss the next day. So since then, I've been having a diet soda almost every day, but no more diet coke, I stick to splenda rather than aspartame sweetened. I've been using liquid stevia and Truvia otherwise.

I've been using Walden Farms zero calorie products. The creamy bacon dressing (makes great chicken salad), and the tomato sauce. Also, the strawberry syrup on sliced strawberries is divine!

I've been using my regular cosmetics and my normal liquid foundation, but I did purchase an oil-free under-makeup moisturizer.

I do think it's important to stick to the protocol for a few weeks to know how you respond to it and lose on it, before you start tweaking.

209.4 today... 10 lbs in 10 days

Why I Love HCG:

- I'm sleeping astonishingly better... for that alone I love hCG!

- My nails are stronger for the first time in my life.

- Where I'm losing inches! On LC, I lost inches evenly, and because it was even, it was slow and took a month for me to notice a difference. On hCG, I've slimmed radically in the midriff/belly--I'm getting an hour-glass figure! I've NEVER had an hour-glass figure, even when I weighed 130-150 lbs some 35 years ago.

- My relationship to food and hunger is changing. I'm uninterested in the melba toast and breadsticks sitting on the counter, and hunger tells me my body is consuming stored fat instead of food


First Week: Sunday, 3/11/12
Load 1: 219.6 (starting weight)
Load 2: 220.8
VLCal1: 220 (last load weight, start drops)
VLCal2: 217.6
VLCal3: 216.6
VLCal4: 215.4
VLCal5: 215.4 (Back on strict Simeon protocol; drinking only green/herbal teas and yerba mate, no coffee)

Second Week: Sunday 3/18/12
VLCal6: 214.8 (started drinking a lot more water, at least 1/2 gallon, plus teas)
VLCal7: 213.0
VLCal8: 211.8 (started using Lite salt for its potassium instead of supplements, which I always forget to take)
VLCal9: 211.4
VLC10: 209.4 today

Well, my HCG finally arrived yesterday! I can start loading over the weekend and officially start on Monday with the VLCD. I can't wait to start seeing the weight loss.

Wow - Jenny! You are putting up some nice numbers in your second week. Lots of big drops. Yeah hourglass! I have also noticed my weight is changing in my midriff even after such a short time. My hip bones are more noticeable and and rib bone across my chest is visible. Shoulders are slimming down too. I plan on doing measurements once a week on Mondays.

Yeah Monique. I know how nice it is to have all your "stuff" safe in your possession.

Beth - remind me where you are in P2? I argued with my husband last night that one can really tell what your body needs when you are only eating ~500 calories! If you truly believe you need to make modifications for your health then do it, I say. His opinion was to stick to protocol. He is a "rule" person though, lol.

OK so here are my results after my two hb eggs yesterday:

Preload: 139.4
post load: 141.4
VLCD1: 138.4 (-3)
VLCD2: 137 (-1.4) ate 2 hb eggs
VLCD3: 136 (-1)

One could argue I slowed my losses but hard to complain about a one pound drop overnight....so I won't. I will see if I can find a less fattening emergency plan today (perhaps hb egg whites with only 1/2 the yoke). I wish my sleep was as good as Jenny's but alas I have insomnia most nights, which is not good for losses. I decided to test my hcg yesterday to allay any concerns due to my hunger issues and it is positive so it is just my body. I have always been extremely sensitive to hunger so I will use this opportunity to really get in tune with my true hunger needs (with my trusty glucometer in hand).

So I am shooting to lose another 11 - 16 pounds this round and I have a minimum of 17 more days in P2 to do it. Should be very doable.

Thanks, colipdx! I was rather disconcerted by the low first week losses, after seeing all the weight other people dropped during their first week the last several months before I finally came on board, then reread Simeon's protocol, reviewed my Fitday records and saw I was diverging too much; finally, I started drinking more water, at least 1/2 gal per day.

I think this is one reason I haven't been able to lose much on LC these last several years. It's hard to be "good" when you're rest/sleep-deprived. You have me wondering, though... maybe my improved sleep is due to saving my last fruit until 8pm or so? Maybe the fruit is affecting my serotonin levels or something. Who knows? I'm not an endocrinologist... yet. Might be by the time I die, with that all I learn here! LOL

Good job you guys! Colipdx my sleep was horrid the first week and gradually got better, I hope the same is true for you.

If I don't drink at least 3 liters of water I feel like toast, and I don't lose as well. It's hard to get through it when I get super busy, but if fill 3 bottles and leave it on my desk, I can grab whatever's left and take it with me on the way home. Racing to the bathroom when I get there, of course

Well good morning everyone........
In reference to tweeking the diet? I skipped the bread stix, and I had one fruit per day. I mixed veggies, but only the ones on the list. I also lived on chicken, some fish and I had made a "beef chili" that was an HCG recipe. I stalled when I had it. I never gave up or changed my personal hygiene habits. It never made sense to me that it would slow me down. I also had a very hard time getting to 500 cal. I finally increased my protein and sometimes skipped the fruit entirely trading more protein that made me feel better.
Energy wise? I was often tired in the afternoons. On those days I had my fruit around 3pm. and it brought me back.
I will probably do another round in mid-June when 4beatgaits does her second one. Until then, I'll just hang around the thread cheering you all on

This is the most amazing diet ever. Losses so far:

LD1 177
LD2 179.8
vlcd1 179
vlcd2 175.8 (blip day)
vlcd3 175.6
vlcd4 174.8
vlcd5 173
vlcd6 172
vlcd7 171.2
vlcd8 170

Since this is the first time I've done the diet, the first few days of vlc were pretty hard. I was thinking and fantasizing about food a lot and couldn't have gotten by without the fruit as a snack.

I do eat egg whites. In salads or by themselves. There are absolutely no carbs or fat in them and only 17 calories per egg white. I just can't see why that would be bad.

I cook/steam my protein and leafy greens mostly in chicken broth with seasonings. Otherwise I use Pam but the flavor isn't as satisfying. I'm eating lean beef, allowed fishes as well as canned in water tuna and chicken.

I'm mixing lemon juice and a bit of dijon mustard for salad dressings. I have a tablespoon of evaporated milk in one of my cups of coffee everyday just so I can have one REAL cup that satisfies me. That's a no no and if my weight loss stalls I will eliminate that. I'm not drinking nearly enough water at this point, so will have to work on that.

I'm still using my thyroid and HRT creams. Facial moisturizer seems to be fine. I'm not exercising much, a bit of walking.

Love reading all your posts and congrats on all the good work and losses here!

Ha, my husband is a "rules lawyer" when playing games. He'll read the rule book and be able to tell you when you are not following them properly.


I am currently on Round 2, day 18 of 40. I like to think that I'm taking the best of low carb and the science that supports it and using the HCG as a way to eat fewer calories, see fast losses and reset.

We now know that eating fat doesn't make you fat. Your body will use the fat that you eat as well as your body fat so I don't believe any is being stored.

I'm getting my waist back too. Someone I haven't seen since last fall noticed that I had lost weight last Tuesday. Today, another teacher told me what a great job I was doing losing weight. She and I had talked previously about eliminating wheat from the diet and the book Wheat Belly.

Here's the progress. 1st round I started at 278.8 and ended that round at 249.

2nd round I got to 253.4 from loading then...

Day 1: 3/5 253.4
Day 2: 3/6 251.8
Day 3: 3/7 249.4
Day 4: 3/8 248
Day 5: 3/9 247
Day 6: 3/10 245.8
Day 7: 3/11 244.4
Day 8: 3/12 244
Day 9: 3/13 244.8 (was lower later in the day)
Day 10: 3/14 243.8
Day 11: 3/15 242.8
Day 12: 3/16 242.4
Day 13: 3/17 241
Day 14: 3/18 240.4
Day 15: 3/19 239.6
Day 16: 3/20 239.2
Day 17: 3/21 239.2
Day 18: 3/22 238.6

Beth