Hello lovely hCGers. This interview is part of what is now a plethora of weight loss success stories with real everyday women (and men! There’s a few dude interviews in there) who have used either hCG injections or drops with the hCG diet protocol to lose between 20 and 150 lbs.

See all the hCG interview episodes
These are in-depth conversations one-on-one with hCG ladies where you get to hear their whole weight loss story and the tips that helped them succeed.

Read short written hCG testimonials
These are short testimonials of ladies who’ve written in their hCG diet results to me for quick motivation.

DeeDee’s Basic Stats:

• Starting Weight: 184.2 lbs
• Current Weight on Interview: 160.2 lbs
• Age: 64 years old
• Height: 5’4 1/2″
• Update on Dec 2, 2017: I started my 2nd round (injections) about the 3rd week of September and did 6 weeks.  I got down to 150.2 but my LDW was 151.8. 

Show Notes

• hCGChica’s Phase 3 to Life Program – you can enroll anytime, but I recommend at least a week BEFORE P3 starts if at all possible so you have time to familiarize yourself with the program and plan ahead.
• Blog post on homeopathic drops vs real hormone hCG – DeeDee noticed that she’s thinner when she used the real hormone hCG than when she used the homeopathic drops. There’s greater fat loss when she used the real hormone hCG. She also achieved ketosis with the real hormones but not when she used the homeopathic drops.

DeeDee’s Experience with:

THE P3TOLIFE PROGRAM DURING PHASE 3 OF THE HCG PROTOCOL

What were your biggest concerns when contemplating going into P3?

When I read the calorie intake and the fat additions, I was afraid my weight would just jump up.

If you were to explain to an hCGer in just a few sentences why the P3 program has been valuable to you, what would you tell them?

The P3 Program did what I probably was capable of, but left no room for error. 

If you do what it says, and stay inside the lines, it will work. 

It gradually takes you where you need and want to be, which is STABLE!!

What did the P3 program provide to you that you feel like you didn’t have before without it in past Phase 3s?

The P3tolife program gave me a sensible, practical and slow reentry into real life eating and situation. 

I didn’t get out of P2 and say “Holy crap I can eat what I want to now”!

How did you end up following the program – did you do the original plan, the simplified, or build your own meal plan or just tweaks to one of these? Can you give a few details of how you utilized the program and tailored it to yourself and your circumstances?

I ended up, because of working full time, using the Simplified Plan, batch cooking and being prepared was key for me. 

In hindsight, I should have read the original plan and perhaps swapped a recipe or two. 

But by looking head at menus, even when I had to eat out or travel, I knew how to peruse a menu and stick as close as possible. 

It was all very doable.

Did you have to do any correction days during P3 this time and if so, what do you think was the cause and how did your correction day(s) go?

I am pleased to report NO!!!! if fact I dropped a couple of lbs from my LDW, and have been holding about a lb below it, in week 4. 

I have only gone up maybe to about 3/4 of a lb over my LDW, those seem to be days, that involve the Cherry smoothie and any use of Tamari, Soy or Coconut Aminos.

Can you share your tangible results from following the P3tolife program? – how your weight has been, while following the P3 program?

Awesome! As I said above, I am actually about 2 lbs down, over all, from my LDW.

How did you feel about the portion sizes & taste of the P3 meals? Did the portions and taste of the food make any difference in how you felt about eating/relationship with food while on p3? If you still felt hungry, how did you adapt it to add calories?

The portion sizes were fine, I occasionally added some protein, if I was starving.  That was rare. 

Yes, my relationship with food was changed. 

By using the simplified program, I looked at food as more of a “fuel” rather than obsessing about what I got to eat next! 

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that the recipes weren’t good, but let’s say you transitioned off P2 to Weight Watchers for example, you would be like OMG!!! I get PASTA, I GET DESERT… etc. 

Even though the portions would be small, the thought of the serotonin hitting the brain, would quickly digress into a downward spiral, quickly leading back to old habits. I hope that made sense. 

The only thing I would do differently would be to swap something in the original plan for something not to my liking on simplified.

Can you share a little about your personal life- ie work full time/part time, kids or hubby or school? Would love to hear how you made the logistics work of cooking the program with whatever time constraints you deal with. How did you manage to fit in preparing the meals with your schedule each week?

I am an old broad.  I am a really good cook, when I want to.  But as an empty nester, who works full time with a 2-hour commute each day, the simplified plan was my best friend. 

Prior to HCG P2 I had gotten a bit lazy, and was having paleo weekly meals delivered… so the simplified plan was right up my alley.

DeeDee get up every morning about 5:15-5:30 AM. She does 1 – 1 1/2 hour commute to her full-time job and she gets home about 12 hours after she wakes up. She did the Simplified plan.

On Fridays, she would go and buy everything for the recipes and do the cooking on Saturdays or do the shopping on Saturday and cook on Sunday. About the 3rd or 4th week she started not cooking everything at one time. She would pick and choose what’s easy for her to cook after work.

She also used her Instant Pot a lot to save time in cooking.

Have you struggled on past p3’s and if so what were your struggles? Did the P3 program help address these struggles/how so?

Having only done HCG once before about 4 or 5 years ago, I didn’t even know P3 was a thing! I have been no sugar no grains and mostly no starches for years, even before HCG.  So when I stopped the first time after a 20 or 25 lbs loss, I did have it under control for the most part. 

However, my calorie intake over the last few years has just blossomed, I eat like a truck driver, so portion size, even with out sugar or grains, made me barrel headlong into gaining back every lb and a few extra!

Were there any positive results from following the plan that surprised you, that you weren’t expecting? Have you learned anything new from the program?

From all your warnings, I was expecting to struggle with weight gain.  I was surprised that I lost a bit more, during week 2.  I was surprised I didn’t have to do a steak day.  I have learned that I can eat more calories, that I thought I could.  I do however need to always watch my portions.

What were one or two of your favorite recipes in the plan?

The deconstructed pork egg roll (ok I am a jew and cheated) but it was so flavorful in week one!  I felt human again.  I am always a fan of steak anything.

Was there anything in the coaching section you found useful or that resonated with you and how so?

Yes, the expectation to gain. and the words, “if you have to do a Steak day, then you have to start P3, all over again”

All the coaching videos are awesome.  I am pretty sure you and I are some how related.  Some of the things that come out of your mouth is like listening to myself.  But, in Trigger foods, when you held up the Halo Top, I almost had to run for Depends, because I laughed so hard.  I have a market in my building.  It’s like a mini whole foods, they have three shelves of freezer space dedicated to, you guessed it, Halo Top! I am pretty sure having a. container a night for dinner in the months of March and April, put my weight to the new all time high…just sayn’.   I won’t even look at that freezer when I am there.  I know not to touch it.  Even the 5 new flavors the kids behind the counter told me about!!!! 

Any other closing thoughts that you want to share about your experience with the program, or that might help others considering whether or not to give it a try?  I

If you just follow exactly what Rayzel has laid out in her detailed, well thought out plan.. it will work.  If you take it, then freestyle it,  you can only blame yourself when you have a difficult P3. 

What type of hCG did you use?

hCG Pellets

The post Maintained 2 lbs below LDW and no steak day with the P3tolife Program – DeeDee – Episode 87 appeared first on The HCG Diet Plan with HCGChica.

Hello lovely hCGers. This interview is part of what is now a plethora of weight loss success stories with real everyday women (and men! There’s a few dude interviews in there) who have used either hCG injections or drops with the hCG diet protocol to lose between 20 and 150 lbs.

See all the hCG interview episodes
These are in-depth conversations one-on-one with hCG ladies where you get to hear their whole weight loss story and the tips that helped them succeed.

Read short written hCG testimonials
These are short testimonials of ladies who’ve written in their hCG diet results to me for quick motivation.

Kathy’s Basic Stats:

• Starting Weight: 163
• Current Weight: 149
• She did 7 rounds of hCG and wasn’t able to maintain on P3. This is the first time she was able to maintain with the help of P3tolife Program
• She has food sensitivities to gluten and dairy.

Show Notes

• hCGChica’s Phase 3 to Life Program – you can enroll anytime, but I recommend at least a week BEFORE P3 starts if at all possible so you have time to familiarize yourself with the program and plan ahead.
• Restore 4 Life – is a gut-strengthening, brain-boosting mineral supplement sourced from 60-million-year-old soil that naturally supports your microbiome and defends against toxins such as glyphosate. It goes beyond the scope of probiotics to support gut health, mental clarity, and immune function. It contains purified water, Terrahydrite (Aqueous humic substances), and less than 1% mineral amino acid complexes.
• Me 2 U Fused Glass – Kathy is a fused glass artist so check that out here
• B12 Shots – Kathy had more energy this round with using this. She used this on Phase 2 and continued using it on Phase 3.
• InstantPot
• Vitamix Payment Plans
• Read Robin Woodall’s book Weight Loss Apocalypse
• Ketogenic Diet – She tried this diet and she used a tracker and staying in 20-25 net carbs per day. She felt really, really tired on this diet and frustrated because she’s not losing weight and not feeling good.
• P2 Salad Recipe: Celery, chicken, fresh cilantro, apple, little bit of stevia and lemon juice.
• Grilled turbot fish for P2 – this is so good, without adding butter it tastes like buttered fish.

Kathy’s Experience with:

THE P3TOLIFE PROGRAM DURING PHASE 3 OF THE HCG PROTOCOL

What were your biggest concerns when contemplating going into P3?

MAINTAINING!!!  Since I have done the HCG diet 6 -7 times already and gained all the weight back each time, maintenance was very much on my mind.

If you were to explain to an hCGer in just a few sentences why the P3 program has been valuable to you, what would you tell them? What did the P3 program provide to you that you feel like you didn’t have before without it in past Phase 3s?

STRUCTURE.  Knowing what to eat and HOW MUCH to eat.

How did you end up following the program – did you do the original plan, the simplified, or build your own meal plan or just tweaks to one of these? Can you give a few details of how you utilized the program and tailored it to yourself and your circumstances?

I started P3 on the first day of a 13 day trip to the mountains of Colorado where we would be on trails all day with no access to food (other than what I brought). 

But I did some pre-planning and cooked quite a few of the items beforehand, packing them in Tupperware in our ice chest. 

Our hotel room had a fridge and microwave, so that made it easier in the mornings and evenings. 

But about day 4 or 5 I ran out of food.   Since I had done P3 before, I knew just to try to eat protein and veggies with a little fruit.  I had also brought my Bullet blender and protein powder for protein drinks and your fruit based smoothies  AND I brought my scale with me. 

I was so happy that I only varied 1-1.5 lbs during the whole trip!

Did you have to do any correction days during P3 this time and if so, what do you think was the cause and how did your correction day(s) go?

NO CORRECTION DAYS FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME, EVER!  YAY!

Can you share your tangible results from following the P3tolife program? – how your weight has been, while following the P3 program?

Started at 163 and ended up at 149.6. 

I have fluctuated between 148.2 and 150.6

How did you feel about the portion sizes & taste of the P3 meals? Did the portions and taste of the food make any difference in how you felt about eating/relationship with food while on p3? If you still felt hungry, how did you adapt it to add calories?

Tons of flavor in the P3tolife recipes!  I am a pretty good cook and used to cook a lot, but since trying to go dairy, gluten and grain-free, I had all but stopped cooking. 

This certainly required getting back in the kitchen, but I tried to spend a couple of hours on Sunday cooking the majority of the weeks meals.

I did feel hungry a few times, but would augment with sunflower seeds, a bite of almond butter or coconut butter, mostly healthy fat items.

Can you share a little about your personal life- ie work full time/part time, kids or hubby or school? Would love to hear how you made the logistics work of cooking the program with whatever time constraints you deal with. How did you manage to fit in preparing the meals with your schedule each week?

I am married and own my own business (fused glass artist).  So I certainly wear a lot of hats, lol.  

My husband chose NOT to eat these meals with me, so I was just cooking for me.  I cooked once or twice a week, making several meals at one time.

Have you struggled on past p3’s and if so what were your struggles? Did the P3 program help address these struggles/how so?

OMG – see above!

Were there any positive results from following the plan that surprised you, that you weren’t expecting? Have you learned anything new from the program?

That I can take in more calories per day than I thought and still maintain.

What were one or two of your favorite recipes in the plan?

The Indian Chicken Curry,  any of the mug breads, the smoothies, Pad Thai, Mahi Mahi with Tapenade, CHILI LIME SHRIMP AND SNAP PEAS – YUM!

Any other closing thoughts that you want to share about your experience with the program, or that might help others considering whether or not to give it a try?

As someone who has tried, again and again, to lose weight and KEEP IT OFF, but never being able to do that – I can’t recommend your graduated eating plan enough.

What type of hCG did you use?

hCG Shots/Injections

That’s a wrap ladies! If you would like to get the deets on the P3toLife program and consider enrolling you can do that here:

Check out P3toLife

The post Maintained hCG Weight Loss, despite Food Sensitivities, with the P3tolife Program – Episode 86 – Kathy appeared first on The HCG Diet Plan with HCGChica.

Hello lovely hCGers. This interview is part of what is now a plethora of weight loss success stories with real everyday women (and men! There’s a few dude interviews in there) who have used either hCG injections or drops with the hCG diet protocol to lose between 20 and 150 lbs.

See all the hCG interview episodes
These are in-depth conversations one-on-one with hCG ladies where you get to hear their whole weight loss story and the tips that helped them succeed.

Read short written hCG testimonials
These are short testimonials of ladies who’ve written in their hCG diet results to me for quick motivation.

Elaina’s Basic Stats

• Starting weight: 165.4 lbs
• LDW: 143 lbs
• She was able to maintain within .6 up and down with the P3tolife program
• No correction day on Phase 3

Show Notes:

• hCGChica’s Phase 3 to Life Program – you can enroll anytime, but I recommend at least a week BEFORE P3 starts if at all possible so you have time to familiarize yourself with the program and plan ahead.

Elaina and I originally did our skype interview in 2017 – being that I have so many hCG projects I’ve been working on, it did not go live until 2019 (yikes sorry guys) – however, in a way, it’s kind of cool because once we published Elaina’s interview, she emailed me to let me know that’s she still maintaining with P3toLife! Almost 2.5 years later…..how that’s for results eh?

Elaina’s Experience with:

THE P3TOLIFE PROGRAM DURING PHASE 3 OF THE HCG PROTOCOL

What were your biggest concerns when contemplating going into P3?

One of my biggest concerns going into P3 this time, was FAILURE. This is my 3rd or 4th round of HCG and I have ALWAYS gained the weight back slowly because I never learned how to cook the proper way for my body.

I would introduce the same foods back into my routine and within a year or two, I was right back up, loosing the same 25-30 pounds. I didn’t want that to happen this time.

If you were to explain to an hCGer in just a few sentences why the P3 program has been valuable to you, what would you tell them?

I would tell them that the P3tolife program is worth every penny!

I would also tell them that they will learn how to cook and learn to eat properly to maintain.

What did the P3 program provide to you that you feel like you didn’t have before without it in past Phase 3s?

What to eat, how much to eat, how to cook the food for the new me.

I was always guessing… Oh I can have this, someone pinned it as P3, now I look at recipes and my mind starts turning… what is in the recipe, what do I need to change, what are the portions.

I have really learned so much over the 3 weeks of the Phase 3 Program.

How did you end up following the program – did you do the original plan, the simplified, or build your own meal plan or just tweaks to one of these? Can you give a few details of how you utilized the program and tailored it to yourself and your circumstances?

I used the Original Plan. The pre-set menu pretty much.

Toward the end of the 3 weeks, I changed some things (blueberries instead of blackberries for the cobbler). Highly recommend that.

I would then look at the difference in the two fruits and adjust my totals accordingly.

Did you have to do any correction days during P3 this time and if so, what do you think was the cause and how did your correction day(s) go?

I can PROUDLY say with this maintenance round, I had 0 (ZERO) CORRECTION DAYS…. YAYYYYYY!

I  was so nervous going into P3 and then when I saw the portions, every morning I just expected to be up because I couldn’t wrap my head around how much I was eating and that it did NOT make me gain.

I was stunned every morning.

Can you share your tangible results from following the P3tolife program? – how your weight has been, while following the P3 program?

I started out this round at 165.4, with load weight I went to 169.8.

After 6 LONG weeks… (42 days) I was at 143.0.

I was able to maintain within .6 up and down.

The lowest I got while on P3 was 141.2. Right there but I would see what happen the next day. The next day came and I was right back to where I needed to be. So happy!

How did you feel about the portion sizes & taste of the P3 meals? Did the portions and taste of the food make any difference in how you felt about eating/relationship with food while on p3? If you still felt hungry, how did you adapt it to add calories?

The portions are unbelievable! I NEVER felt like I was on a diet.

I learn to cook correctly and learned I CAN enjoy food and not gain weight… IF I remain eating the way I am supposed to. I still have not introduced any flour or sugar or any of that bad stuff back into my diet and I still have no desire too as I am highly satisfied with what I am eating and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, THE DESSERTS!! Hello, sweet tooth.

I would double the recipes so that we all could eat dinner and then I would have my portion for lunch the next day. Worked out perfectly.

Can you share a little about your personal life- ie work full time/part time, kids or hubby or school? Would love to hear how you made the logistics work of cooking the program with whatever time constraints you deal with. How did you manage to fit in preparing the meals with your schedule each week?

I work part-time now with my Wed. being a ½ day due to a stroke that I had last year (1 yr anniversary just past). I struggle some days and others I am good. So I would come home rest for about an hour or so and then start on dinner.

My husband and grown step-daughter would eat the same things as me, except add brown rice for them. They have liked the recipes as well except for the butternut squash with rosemary. I think I did it wrong though and will try again but only for me as I am the only one in the family that likes butternut squash.

All the other recipes are keepers for us.

On Sunday, I would make my Chia pudding, egg breakfasts.. also surprised on the nutritional yeast.. great taste.. That would give me the “cheese” taste without the cheese. I sneak it in on them too and they do not know it…shhhh… =)

When it was mug bread day, I just made that the morning I would eat it.. so it all worked out perfect for our family.

Have you struggled on past p3’s and if so what were your struggles? Did the P3 program help address these struggles/how so?

I did, as I mentioned above, I would always fail on maintenance. I was walking about 5 miles a day before the stroke to help keep my weight down.

I also have Hashimoto’s so it seemed I was always battling my weight. I take my thyroid med. (120mg Armour) and continued to take it through my program this time.

I did my first half marathon and then didn’t have a new goal and fell off the wagon for the most part but continued walking, just not as far, then the stroke and snowballed out of control. So when I hit my tipping point I said. This is the last one, going to do this right.

Were there any positive results from following the plan that surprised you, that you weren’t expecting? Have you learned anything new from the program?

Yes… I learned how to cook the way I should and how to plan my menu for the week so I know what we are having.

We would fall into the I am too tired to cook, let’s just pick something up habit… bad bad bad.

Every day I expected to see a weight gain but never did. I was blown away.

What were one or two of your favorite recipes in the plan?

My favorite Oh gosh… You know I really liked them all but I would have to say the steak recipes, pork chops, chicken, chili, spaghetti squash…

My husband loved the curry, chili, pad thai and as I said before the desserts are amazing.

Any other closing thoughts that you want to share about your experience with the program, or that might help others considering whether or not to give it a try?

I just want to say if you are hesitating to purchase the program as I did, please do it for yourself.

Rayzel, you have done such a wonderful job on this program and it truly is much easier to follow than I first thought.

I highly recommend people to buy this program. It is worth it! It is exactly what was needed for the HCG diet.

That’s a wrap ladies! If you would like to get the deets on the P3toLife program and consider enrolling you can do that here:

Check out P3toLife

The post First Time to Maintain hCG Weight Loss after 4 Rounds with the P3tolife Program – Episode 84 – Elaina appeared first on The HCG Diet Plan with HCGChica.

Hello lovely hCGers. This interview is part of what is now a plethora of weight loss success stories with real everyday women (and men! There’s a few dude interviews in there) who have used either hCG injections or drops with the hCG diet protocol to lose between 20 and 150 lbs.

See all the hCG interview episodes
These are in-depth conversations one-on-one with hCG ladies where you get to hear their whole weight loss story and the tips that helped them succeed.

Read short written hCG testimonials
These are short testimonials of ladies who’ve written in their hCG diet results to me for quick motivation.

I am confident and on track now, but I’ll never forget where I once was! I know bad habits wait on us forever. They don’t ever go away! They will always be there, just around the corner, lurking and looking for an opening. If you’re addicted to food or alcohol or cigarettes or even the wrong person in your life, if you’ve got a bad habit of any kind, I don’t think it just “disappears.” If you stop setting goals for your future, if you start living in the moment again, that’s when those bad habits will push their way back in to your life!

Porter Freeman from his story in Body for Life – by Bill Phillips

Melynda’s Basic Stats:

• Age: 58 years old
• Height: 5’7”
• Starting Weight: 206.8
• Current Weight: 137.8
• She is post-menopause and on Femhrt
• She used homeopathic hCG drops
• She did 4 rounds of 45 days with 6-8 weeks maintenance between. 

Show Notes:

• Somaderm Gel – This addresses your adrenals and thyroid. It gives support for both of those and also your pituitary gland. It’s been over the market for 14 years now.
• Femhrt is a combination of estrogen and progestin. Melynda uses this to reduce symptoms of her menopause. This is like a happy pill for her. This totally changed her life.
• Beachbody Shakeology – Different shakes that you can use on maintenance.
• Daily Sunshine – Once the parties started she would substitute her mid-day lunch with this smaller Protein shake. This was designed for kids, not as potent, but it was enough to give the energy needed to get through to the party phase that night.
• Homeopathic hCG – 6 drops underneath your tongue for 6 times a day. If you are hungrier than usual you do 7 drops 6 times a day. Hold it under your tongue for 30 seconds and you’re not allowed to eat anything for 30 minutes. You can also find the recipe book she was talking about here.
• Read the Pounds and Inches by Dr. Simeons – the Original Protocol
• Lynda – Episode 60

Melynda’s hCG Journey

How much weight you’ve lost with hCG/starting weight/ending weight/ clothing size change. How many rounds did you do, how long was each round? stuff like that.

• Started on HCG Monday, March 7, 2011, weighing 206.8
• Today 137.8 = 69 lbs
• Size 18 – size 8
• 4 rounds of 45 days with 6-8 weeks maintenance between. 
• End up at my goal of 145 on my 50th Birthday on October 26, 2011

How long have you currently been maintaining (or where are you currently at in your hCG journey)?

Since losing the initial weight it’s been 7 yrs trying hard to maintain my ideal weight.  

Tell us how you came to be overweight and your struggles with that? 

My family always had a bent towards being heavy.  Overeating is a STRONGHOLD in my life.   I do well for a season, but then I slowly begin to gain over time.   When eating is a stronghold in your life, old habits die hard.  

Although I’ve been eating clean since going on HCG – even overeating the “right” foods can get me in trouble.   For this reason, I’ve needed, from time to time, to go back on HCG for 23 days and an occasional 45 days – to keep me in check.   I refer to these rounds as “DETOXING”.   Cleaning out my system of all the bad things I “re-introduced” that caused the weight gain. 

I do not do well with Moderation.  I’m an all or nothing kind of gal!  

What type of hCG did you use? If injections or prescription drops, what dose worked best for you? 

I used DROPS – 6 drops under the tongue 6x a day. Yourhcg.com

Have you ever used b12 and/or lipo shots, and if so, do you feel it was worth it and why? 

Yes, I use b12 and b6 every day.   When I came off HCG, my stamina, endurance, and energy levels waned.   In questioning why I was feeling this way – it was suggested I add B12/B6 to my daily protocol

What would you say your experience was the first week on phase 2? Easy or hard? explain.

I loved being on HCG!  I knew if I “loaded” correctly – I would not feel hungry.  LOADING is the best part of this program – especially for someone who is an “overeater”.  

I can still remember my first time Loading – I made myself so FULL, I was laughing so hard – I felt like I was intoxicated with food! 

I was so tuned into “why the program worked” you could not get me to cheat!

I knew those who waited to have their first meal after 12 noon, would lose more than those who ate a snack in the morning.  

I loved the foods I was eating, and always felt content.   Some days I knew when I was to eat….other days I had to remind myself to eat.

What did you find yourself liking to eat during Phase 2/vlcd – how would you prepare your meals? 

Meats:  Chicken, Fish, Shrimp, Turkey Meatballs

Veggies: Spinach, tomatoes, celery, onions, cucumbers, asparagus, cabbage

Fruit:  Apple, Orange, Strawberries

Initial rounds – took advantage of Grissino and Melba Toast – but not so much in the later rounds.

Prepared meals according to YOURHCG Diet Recipes & Tips Book

What tricks do you have up your sleeve to stay sane while on Phase 2?

• Understanding the protocol and why / how it works! 
• Realizing how bad I wanted to lose weight!
• Knowing that interruptions under 20 days  – weight will be gained – after 20 days  interruptions are merely a loss of time
• Plenty of H20, Coffee, Tea (hot/cold)
• Ask yourself if you are truly hungry – if so try the Listerine strips
• Spreading your 2 meals out into multiple meals
• Remember it’s on for a short time, you can do anything for 23-45 days
• The scale is your friend.  Meeting her in the morning and seeing results is a motivator.
• The cost invested  and sacrifice was not worth cheating
• We cooked a lot with spices to make the food flavorful
• Used Stevia to sweeten everything – even fruit – I wanted what I was eating to taste super good and sweet when appropriate.

What lessons have you learned during Phase 3 – give us the good and the bad! What types of things did you discover when it came to maintenance that did and didn’t work?

• Use Steak Days and apple days to get you back on track
• Know your body – did you get enough h20, or have a bowel movement lately
• Because I loved everything I was eating on P2 – I have learned to continue with those foods, but add fat in my preparation.  I eat 4x a day – Breakfast, 11ish, 3ish and 6ish (One of these meals is a shake)
• Nothing after 7 pm – allowing 3 hrs for my food to digest b/4 going to bed
• Drinking a lot of LEMON LIFT – with Stevia at night – as a snack
• Only sipping on my Husband’s Hard Cider – as opposed to getting my own glass.   He isn’t fond of me doing that – so I only sip – if I had my own glass – it would be a disaster! 
• When I drink Alcohol – I lose my mind and start eating everything in sight.  I feel miserable afterward and it just is not worth it.
• Continue to Portion my foods – Freeze – grab-n-go meals!

In Phase 4: Can you tell us what types of foods you eat now in everyday life? And how is this different from what you used to eat on a normal basis?

I continue to eat P3 foods again because I am content eating them.  

On days when we had parties over the holidays, I would have 4 meals – 2 would be shakes, 1 normal meal, then at the event, I would concentrate on veggies most, protein, drinking plenty of H20 and ONLY sampling – tiny taste of things I “THOUGHT” I might enjoy. 

Normally, after tasting they were not as good as I remembered, (probably because I’ve been eating clean so long) and found myself throwing it out or leaving on my plate. 

I would eat late in the day – after 8 – BAD HABIT

I did not portion my foods 

Too many starches/breads

Uncontrollable sweets – Peanut M&M’s even if I have 1 – it’s over! 

What have been your tools for maintaining your weight loss? 

4 meals a day and weighing every day.

The scale is now my friend – a guide, a barometer, writing it on the calendar – sharing it with a friend – to stay accountable, portioning everything! 

I’m full when I’m done eating – I feel so content!

Do you have any memories of your life/body pre hCG that are totally different for you now? 

Yes, I’m more tuned into my body.  Recognizing how important consistency is in your life.  Realizing what you sow that you shall also reap!

Identifying that maintaining my ideal weight, feeling good in my clothes always outweighs the taste – There’s an old saying “NOTHING TASTE AS GOOD AS THIN FEELS” and that is so true in my life! 

I love being at my ideal weight.  I love feeling great in my clothes, dressing up!   That’s what different now.   I know my body better now than I ever did!

Plus, others are always watching, having that responsibility on my shoulders is a motivator

When you want a treat now, give us a couple of examples of what you might eat? Also, are you ever able to indulge in a regular treat, like cake at a party, and still maintain?

• Faux potatoes with fish and fruit
• Meatballs w/spaghetti squash & sauce and fruit
• Chicken w/grilled root veggies and fruit
• Sardines w/sautéed cabbage and fruit
• Pork & Sauerkraut w/Fruit

If I want to have a “treat” – it’s going to be a taste – tiny bite first.  If that taste was worth it, I will then have another taste, but must be very very careful, – because old habits die hard and they are always there, just around the corner, lurking and looking for an opening!

I have learned to have 2 shakes and one normal meal, prior to an event – and then keep 2 hands on the wheel and be very selective on my choices – if when I try the “treat” it doesn’t taste good – it goes in the trash and I’m done – it is just not worth it!

I also ask myself – Do I Need this eating opportunity? 

What factors have you noticed to play a role in people NOT succeeding on hCG?

The biggest factor is understanding why it works and the fact you are NOT living on 500 calories. 

Anyone who I’ve coached on HCG – MUST read Dr. Simeons thesis 3x before starting.  1) Just read;  2) Read and highlight  3) read again b/4 you start – A MUST!  That aids in getting you through p2 also.

What do you feel are the most important keys to success on the hcg protocol? If someone said they want to have the same results you have, what would you tell them?

• Priority – understanding the reason it works
• Are you good with structure?
• Are you disciplined?

The post 69 lbs Lost on the hCG Diet in Menopause and on BHRT – Episode 83 – Melynda appeared first on The HCG Diet Plan with HCGChica.

Hello lovely hCGers. This interview is part of what is now a plethora of weight loss success stories with real everyday women (and men! There’s a few dude interviews in there) who have used either hCG injections or drops with the hCG diet protocol to lose between 20 and 150 lbs.

See all the hCG interview episodes
These are in-depth conversations one-on-one with hCG ladies where you get to hear their whole weight loss story and the tips that helped them succeed.

Read short written hCG testimonials
These are short testimonials of ladies who’ve written in their hCG diet results to me for quick motivation.

Jessica’s Stats:

• 40 years old
• Starting weight in 2014 was 230 lbs
• Last round starting weight was 193 lbs
• P2 ending weight this last round was 181.6
• Weight after P3tolife is 172
• Goal weight is 130 lbs

Show Notes:

• hCGChica’s Phase 3 to Life Program – you can enroll anytime, but I recommend at least a week BEFORE P3 starts if at all possible so you have time to familiarize yourself with the program and plan ahead.
• Rayzel’s Phase 2 Workbook – Recommended for journaling throughout your hCG journey
  

Jessica’s Experience With:

THE P3TOLIFE PROGRAM DURING PHASE 3 OF THE HCG PROTOCOL

What were your biggest concerns when contemplating going into P3?

My biggest concern in P3 was, what do I eat without regaining the weight I have lost. I was very concerned with hidden ingredients in foods and just wanting to have food with more flavor. This is the 3rd time I have done HCG and this P3 was the easiest.

If you were to explain to an hCGer in just a few sentences why the P3 program has been valuable to you, what would you tell them?

The P3 program really took the guesswork out of what I could eat and how much. Following the menu plan that was provided was very easy and the food had a lot of flavors.

The videos on the P3 to Life page also help with explaining and guiding me through certain areas that I was unsure about. Especially shopping.

What did the P3 program provide to you that you feel like you didn’t have before without it in past Phase 3s?

I felt like I had somewhere to turn when I had a question. The videos helped out a lot when there was a concern. The biggest help was just following the recipes. I continued to lose instead of gain throughout P3.

Did you have to do any correction days during P3 this time and if so, what do you think was the cause and how did your correction day(s) go?

I did not have to do any correction days.

Can you share your tangible results from following the P3tolife program? – how your weight has been while following the P3 program?

My LDW was 181.6, and when I ended P3tolife I was 174.2. My weight would fluctuate a little between 174 and 176, but for the most part, was pretty stable.

How did you feel about the portion sizes & taste of the P3 meals? Did the portions and taste of the food make any difference in how you felt about eating/relationship with food while on p3? If you still felt hungry, how did you adapt it to add calories?

The P3 meal plan portion sizes were awesome and so was the taste. Everything had great flavor, and I was never hungry. There were a couple of times I could not finish the portion because it was too much. The smoothies were a lifesaver because I love my chocolate. I would have a chocolate peanut butter smoothie, I would make it without the zucchini, and that would help curb any need for sweets.

Can you share a little about your personal life- ie work full time/part time, kids or hubby or school? Would love to hear how you made the logistics work of cooking the program with whatever time constraints you deal with. How did you manage to fit in preparing the meals with your schedule each week?

I am 40 years, work full time as a corrections officer, I have two teenage girls, and I go to school part-time to finish my bachelors. On my days off I would follow the batch cooking guide in the simplified cooking section. It made it very easy to just grab and go when I was on the run.

Have you struggled on past p3’s and if so what were your struggles? Did the P3 program help address these struggles/how so?

On past P3’s I would cheat because I would get sick of eating the same food with the same flavor because I was afraid to add anything new. This gave me the variety I was looking for and almost a freedom to where I did not crave sweets or more food. P3 to Life really helped me to incorporate better eating and ideas about food that I did not have before. I never knew that mayonnaise had sugar in it. I have learned to buy more natural foods and less processed foods.

Were there any positive results from following the plan that surprised you, that you weren’t expecting? Have you learned anything new from the program?

One positive result was that fact that I continued to lose weight. I have not been working out, and I still lost about 6 lbs.

On other P3s I would end up having to do steak days because I would continually go above the 2lbs of my last dose weight. The biggest thing I have learned is shopping and incorporating these new healthier ways of eating. I really exam the snacks I eat.

My biggest guilty pleasure though is going out for Mexican food. I love it! I try to only go out once or twice a week and really limit any processed or fast food. I have not eaten at a fastfood establishment in about 4 months.

What were one or two of your favorite recipes in the plan?

Every recipe in Week 2 was my favorite. My absolute favorite was the Balsamic Cast Iron Steak, Cauli Mash and Tomatocini salad.

Balsamic Cast Iron Steak, Cauli Mash and Tomatocini salad

My husband is a very picky eater but he really enjoyed all the recipes too.

Was there anything in the coaching section you found useful or that resonated with you and how so?

I have not watched all the coaching videos, but I really like the one on shopping. I think shopping is the most intimidating thing because there are so many choices and you hope you are picking the right one.

Any other closing thoughts that you want to share about your experience with the program, or that might help others considering whether or not to give it a try?

I definitely recommend the Phase 2 book that you have and the P3 to Life program. When I did my first round of hCG I had nothing but a print out from the doctor I was seeing with the foods I could eat. Then I found HCG Chica and followed the videos and tutorials to help me on my journey.

As soon as the book came out I bought it and it made my life easier.

Now I have the P3tolife website with all these awesome recipes that really help me from getting bored with cooking. I have had a botched round, had surgery, gained the weight back and now I am back on the journey to my goal weight.

P3 to life has really given me an outlet for when I get discouraged, as well as watching videos of other HCGers who have been successful.

What type of hCG did you use?

I used injectable hCG. My start weight in 2014 was 230lbs. I am down now to 175lbs. I want to get to 130lbs.

I have a couple of rounds left to do, so I am glad I have this program to help me through.

The post Losing Weight in Phase 3 with the P3toLife program – Interview Episode 82 – Jessica appeared first on The HCG Diet Plan with HCGChica.

Hello, lovely hCGers. This short video is part of what is now a plethora of weight loss success stories with real everyday women (and men! There’s a few dude interviews in there) who have used either hCG injections or drops with the hCG diet protocol to lose between 20 and 150 lbs. You can see the current episodes available here.

See all the hCG interview episodes
These are in-depth conversations one-on-one with hCG ladies where you get to hear their whole weight loss story and the tips that helped them succeed.

Read short written hCG testimonials
These are short testimonials of ladies who’ve written in their hCG diet results to me for quick motivation.

Julie’s Basic Stats

• 52 years old
• Did one 45-day round of hCG
• 23 lbs lost in Phase 2

SHOW NOTES:

• hCGChica’s Phase 3 to Life Program – you can enroll anytime, but I recommend at least a week BEFORE P3 starts if at all possible so you have time to familiarize yourself with the program and plan ahead.

Julie’s Email to Rayzel:

I was only able to complete about 2 weeks of the P3 program before all the life events and emotional toll became too great to continue.  However, my weight has been very stable even though I didn’t finish the program. 

Every morning I think the scale will start an irresistible climb towards my old weight, and I’ll feel that old panic and despair, but it doesn’t happen. I’m not particularly eating lightly, or eating low carb every day.  I cut back when I feel I can, and I eat flour or sugar if I can’t resist, but I don’t stress about it and binge out of despair.  I know my weight will adjust, so there’s nothing to freak out about. 

I’m more about to put down the fork than I used to be, and I’ve been more self-aware about my evening eating.  I realized that I eat in the evening because I’m tired.  My willpower is at low ebb, I want the “lift” of carbs, I want to shut off my tired/sad/nervous brain by numbing it with food, and because eating gives me an “excuse” to sit down and stop working for once.

I’ve been vaguely aware of some of this before, but since hCG, I have more clarity and slightly more ability to act instead of re-act in the evenings.  During the day, I have noticeably less interest in food and more awareness of fullness and satiety. 

Weighing every single day, and recording my weight in an app, is having a very good effect, and is something I never did before, fearing that to see the numbers would create despair and anxiety.  I still have to push myself to weigh each day, but it’s really turned into a benefit. 

According to my app Happy Scale, I’ve now weighed in over 100 times.

Despite the fact that I couldn’t complete the P3 program, I credit that with a great deal of my present stable weight. 

If not for P3toLife, I would have been eating wildly from the first day of P3, uncertain of how to eat and going immediately back to my awful evening ice cream habit. 

P3tolife gave me a structure which I really needed, and the dishes I tried were so good!

-Julie
Jun 2, 2017

The post Maintained 23 lbs Weight Loss with the P3tolife Program – Interview Episode 80 appeared first on The HCG Diet Plan with HCGChica.

Hello lovely hCGers. This interview is part of what is now a plethora of weight loss success stories with real everyday women (and men! There’s a few dude interviews in there) who have used either hCG injections or drops with the hCG diet protocol to lose between 20 and 150 lbs. You can see the current episodes available here.

See all the hCG interview episodes
These are in-depth conversations one-on-one with hCG ladies where you get to hear their whole weight loss story and the tips that helped them succeed.

Read short written hCG testimonials
These are short testimonials of ladies who’ve written in their hCG diet results to me for quick motivation.

Ken’s Basic Stats

• Weight Loss: 110 lbs – mostly with hCG
• Starting Weight: 310 lbs
• Current Weight: 201 lbs
• Goal Weight: 187 lbs
• Height: 6′
• Age: 68 years old
• Size change:
  3XL to now size Large
  44/46 waist to size 36

Show Notes

• Withings Nokia Watch
• Body Cardio Scale
• Garden of Life Super Seed® Beyond Fiber
• Nature’s Science Raw Lean Supplements
• Amazing Grass Green Superfood
• The Raw Food World Spirulina Tablets
• Suja Uber Greens Organic

Connected Topics

• Please note: U.S. Made HCG is no longer available at the time of this writing. This link will take you to an HCG replacement weight loss product to consider. Rx hCG injections
• Loading on the hCG Diet
• 500 Calorie hCG Diet Basics
• Mayday hCG Dosage Article for No Hunger
• hCG + Exercise Discussion of Rayzel’s
• The Wrong Way to Do P3
• The Right Way to Do P3

Ken’s hCG Weight Loss Journey:

Ken started dieting the year 2016. He tried different diets like juice fasting, low carb diet and exercising a lot. He believes that the key for him to lose weight is not just exercise but with nutrition.

His starting weight is around 310 lbs or so, he stopped weighing himself when he got to 307 lbs.

He first heard about hCG from a guy friend who also had great success in losing weight with hCG. 

So June/July 2016, he started his own hCG journey and ordered hCG injections with B12. His dose was 200iu-210iu. He had to increase it a little bit and he determined that because of how his body tells him that he’s hungry and Rayzel’s dosage article was helpful. It’s important that you have to find the right dose for you. What’s right for Rayzel, what’s right for Ken, and what’s right for Jim can be 3 different things. 

Ken’s wife did sublingual hCG and also had amazing results. 

By August 2016 he was down to 283 lbs. He was 256 lbs by Jan 1, 2017. Then he did another round March-April 2017 and he went down to 226lbs. He continued eating smarter and lost 10 lbs more without hCG, so he’s down to 216 lbs by March 2018. During this interview, he weighs 201 lbs.

His shirt is down to size large from 3xl and his pants size went from 44/46” to 36”. His goal weight is 187 lbs.

Ken believes in this process and that you have to be patient throughout the process.

Plateaus or stalls is also part of the process and you will all go through that. If you ever made a mistake, his best advice is to follow the protocol and don’t get frustrated. Ken did the Apple Day and it helped him break through stalls. He immensely benefited from using green apples and he never did a steak day because the apple day worked so effectively for him.

His first round, he did 29 days and lost almost 25lbs.

His advice is not to cheat, be patient and follow the protocol. He found it simpler just to eat the same kind of food, ones that you’re comfortable with rather than try and experiment with different kinds of food but that’s what works best for him and he knows that everybody is different.

Ken has a Withings Nokia Watch that counts his steps and helps with his heart rate when he exercises. He also has a Body Cardio Scale and that will record his body fat and weight. He didn’t keep a journal. The watch and scale automatically kept the records for him and so he can see the chart going up and/or down. That was a great tool to visualize so you can see it’s going down. There are days where he will lose a pound or two and there are days where his weight loss stalls but he doesn’t worry or stress about it. Just keep on going and you’ll get back on track. If you keep a journal, watch out if there’s a trigger food that doesn’t agree with you or with your body.

Ken found fish was great for him. The doctor from the hCG company said that if there’s any protein you want to cheat on it it would be the fish. But Ken was also pretty good about the other stuff like fruits. He loves his strawberries/berries. He’s not really a fruit eater but that 6 strawberries at the end of the day taste pretty good while on hCG.

He did 500 calories. At first he weighed all the food but later on, he decided to just measure by his palm so it’s not exactly 500 calories but it’s around 500-600 calories.

For Ken, hCG satiated his appetite. The diet was much harder mentally than physically. He really wasn’t hungry even on the 2nd and 3rd round. The loading days were difficult because he knows he has to eat.

This journey helped Ken change his mental approach to food. For him, he knows he needed to eat not because he needed nourishment but because that was what he was supposed to do.

But now he’s in a good spot that he tells people he loves good food, he’s just not in love with eating anymore. He’s also leaving food on his plate. He doesn’t finish it like what was ingrained to him coming from a family of 7 brothers and sisters where you have to eat everything. Now, if he’s not hungry, he’s not going to eat even if it’s dinner time and he doesn’t feel hungry then he will not eat.

Biggest Tip: Stay hydrated. Sometimes you think your hungry but you’re just thirsty 

Ken

So from a man’s perspective, if you follow the protocol, stay hydrated and weigh yourself every day like you’re supposed to, you’ll lose a pound a day. Sometimes you’ll have plateaus but you’ll go through those plateaus and after that 26/29 days, you’ll see you’re 25 lbs down. Just don’t get frustrated and follow protocol.

Exercise on hCG:

Ken followed Rayzel on the topic of exercise and hCG too because it’s  crazy that you have all this energy and you can’t exercise.

He played Pickleball, it’s a paddle sport, and he hated to give it up. He has a friend that lost 60lbs with the hCG, he also got his hCG injection and he was playing Pickleball. The clinic suggests increasing your calories to equalize your output. Ken tried that but it wasn’t for him because he gained weight. With hCG, there’s a fine line, if you don’t eat enough you gain weight and if you eat too much you also gain weight.

Support while on hCG:

Ken met a few hCG aficionados and the people that Ken was lucky enough to be in contact with are very open and very supportive. Don’t be afraid to let your friend knows that you are doing this process because it makes you a little bit more accountable and there’s nothing better than sending a text “I reached one of my goals!” 

Before hCG:

Ken was not a bad eater when he was big. As Ken put it, you don’t have to be eating donuts and ice cream to get fat. Healthy calories can fatten you just like unhealthy calories. He’s in Florida and he exercises and he sweats so bad and he’s not losing.

He tried other diets and he lost weight but he feels weak and stuff like that. For him, it just wasn’t sustainable or he didn’t have enough mindset. Other people can stick to a good plan and they can gradually lose weight but starting at 310 for him to lose gradually, he’ll be doing it for a long time.

He says he was a healthy fat guy. Ken would get his blood work done and the technician would be like “I wish I had your low cholesterol, low sugar levels”. But Ken knew that this isn’t what he wants to be.

Learning Phase 3 the Hard Way:

Ken learned P3 the hard way. He did not read the instruction of the P3 of the 21 day reset. He’s done with the injection and the 500 cal and he knew that he was not supposed to eat a lot but you can start gradually. He didn’t think he was eating that much but he gained 7 lbs in a couple of days.

“After you fight for 26 to 28 days, looking at your loss each day, ¾ of lbs today or ½ lbs that day and then after you’re done and you thought you got this but then you look and gained 7lbs. So just be careful.”

People think it’s such a long time but it is not. It’ll fly by, the 21 days plus the 26 or 28 whatever. That’s only 2 months or less than 2 months and you are gonna be for the woman you lose 15lbs and depending on your size 15lbs is a lot. You’re losing a high percentage than I was with 25 lbs. Even if you only lose 12 lbs, that’s 12 lbs gone in 4 weeks. And you got that locked in if you can just bear for 3 more weeks. It’s more mental than physical

Ken said he had so many frustrating days through this and he recommends just look at Rayzel’s blog. She has so much information, even if you think you can’t find the answer just look through it. I always find that answer through there and through everything, through the fear about the injections, the plateaus, why am I not losing, thinking that you’re doing getting great but for no reason you’re gaining 2 lbs. That’s all gonna happen, maybe not but I’m an example that you can work through that. Just be patient and you can do it a lot easier if you’re smart.

After hCG

After Ken was done with his last hCG round.  The process was the mindset of eating when your hungry and watch what you eat. His trigger foods are carbs. He loves great bread, he loves pasta. He can eat pasta, pizza and ice cream SOMETIMES. 

He also did the ketogenic diet and thought it was very good. He also did intermittent fasting where he would not eat from 7 to 12 next day and your body adjust at that. He exercises in the morning and that is something that worked for him. He was eating a lot of grassfed butter, bacon, avocado, coconut oil in my coffee and that helped maintain my weight.

He did Keto and IF one at a time. Now he’s doing intermittent fasting as a lifestyle.

He fasts from 7 pm to 12 pm, he consumes coconut oil so that’s probably not technically fasting. Coconut oil gives him energy but there’s a lot of ways you can do this. He was also getting ready to juice fast just for cleansing. Here’s some good quality products that he used for shakes during Phase 4:

• Garden of Life Super Seed® Beyond Fiber
• Nature’s Science Raw Lean Supplements – good vegetable protein, sometimes better than whey. 
• Amazing Grass Green Superfood – he takes this everyday
• The Raw Food World Spirulina Tablets
• Suja Uber Greens Organic – check the sugar content when you’re buying green juice. Too high sugar content means there’s added sugar. This one has 4g of sugar only.

He takes this powders when he travel. 

Travel After hCG:

They went on a trip and drank lots of tea and ate Korean BBQ but he also walked a lot so he lost weight. He was at his lowest weight at that time which is 197 lbs.

They also went on another trip, a 14-day cruise from Tampa to Barcelona Spain. You can eat 24 hours a day there but even if you go to a buffet or anywhere, pick out what is good for you. You still have a great variety, you don’t have to eat everything.

You have to be accountable. Your mind will pick out any dumb reason for you to cheat so you have to have your mindset.

But once you get your set weight, he encourages people to have that butter pecan ice cream which is the best ice cream in the world.

Ken’s Closing Thoughts:

Ken shared that people congratulate him on losing this weight. But he knows that he was the one who put the weight on, this is not like some burden that was given to him, it was his control. It is a lot easier to put on weight than to take it off but it’s worth it to take it off. So please be patient; find a good support system, people, friends; be accountable and chart it. Ken watched what he ate specially on hCG. Have a weight chart that you can see the line going down and that is the best feeling.

He shared that last April he tried on a large shirt and this was the first large shirt that fit him in over 35 years so that was a huge deal.

Believe in yourself and you can do it. It’s just the mental. The hCG is magic, for hunger sensation and body wise. Your mind is going to tell you-you’re hungry because it’s used to eating but it’s all part of the process.

He emailed us last February 2019 and his most current weight is 183 lbs and he can now fit in a Medium shirt.

The post Men on the hCG Diet | 90 lb Weight Loss – Interview Episode 79 – Ken appeared first on The HCG Diet Plan with HCGChica.

Hello lovely hCGers. This interview is part of what is now a plethora of weight loss success stories with real everyday women (and men! There’s a few dude interviews in there) who have used either hCG injections or drops with the hCG diet protocol to lose between 20 and 150 lbs. You can see the current episodes available here.

See all the hCG interview episodes
These are in-depth conversations one-on-one with hCG ladies where you get to hear their whole weight loss story and the tips that helped them succeed.

Read short written hCG testimonials
These are short testimonials of ladies who’ve written in their hCG diet results to me for quick motivation.

Becky’s Basic Stats

• Height: 5ft 4in.
• Weight Loss on P2: 30 lbs
• Weight Loss on P3: 2 lbs
• Inches Lost on P2: 28 inches
• Inches Lost on P3: 3 – 4 inches
• Becky used hCG injections with b12

Show Notes

• Epic Bars – Becky’s P3 snack
• Yeti Cups – Great for making your smoothies last longer.
• Read Robin Woodall’s book Weight Loss Apocalypse
  
• Rayzel’s Phase 2 Workbook – Becky recommends journaling throughout your hCG journey
• hCGChica’s Phase 3 to Life Program – you can enroll anytime, but I recommend at least a week BEFORE P3 starts if at all possible so you have time to familiarize yourself with the program and plan ahead.

BECKY’S EXPERIENCE WITH:

THE P3TOLIFE PROGRAM DURING PHASE 3 OF THE HCG PROTOCOL

What were your biggest concerns when contemplating going into P3?

Gaining weight back quickly was my biggest concern.  I read how quickly your body can gain after going off HCG if you are not careful that I didn’t want to go off of it.  I was also concerned with going back to my old eating habits. I’m an all or nothing girl. I will go all in on a diet and hardly eat anything or say heck with it and eat everything thinking I can never have it again.  

If you were to explain to an hCGer in just a few sentences why the P3 program has been valuable to you, what would you tell them?

P3tolife was not just valuable but invaluable.  I never thought about adding macros back slowly and gradually after losing weight before so your metabolism can adjust but it is genius and it works.  I also never knew that you could eat so much food with so much taste and still keep the calories/macros low.

What did the P3 program provide to you that you feel like you didn’t have before without it in past Phase 3s?

Well, this was my first time ever going on HCG so it’s my first P3.  But I’ve been on plenty of diets and never transitioned from diet to lifelong eating. Here is what this P3 program provided that I wouldn’t have done on my own:

1. Eat to hunger
2. I never ate fat before not even to saute vegetables
3. I found knew spices I never knew I liked
4. Learned how to cook better and discovered I enjoy cooking  
5. Had a lot of variety in the past I would have just kept trying to eat plain chicken and steamed broccoli until I would get sick of it then cave into temptations

Did you have to do any correction days during P3 this time and if so, what do you think was the cause and how did your correction day(s) go?

I am still in shock that I did NOT do one correction day on my entire 3 weeks on P3!!!! I would literally close my eyes and take a deep breath every morning thinking my weight would be higher especially when I went into weeks 2 and 3 and to my surprise, it pretty much stayed exactly the same.

I lost 2 pounds during Week 1 and that’s where my weight stayed 2 pounds less than my LIW.  It never even got back to my LIW.

After completing the 3 week P3 I went on vacation out of state and came back weighing my LIW which was 2 pounds more than I had maintained during P3.  So I had gained 2 pounds on vacation. I decided to go back to week 1 recipes and within 4 days I had lost the 2 pounds.

I planned out what I was going to eat on vacation and used the food suggestions on the vacationing video (epic bars, macadamia nuts, salads or bunless burgers at restaurants ) and felt like that went well.  

However, I did drink alcohol and I learned that I was not ready for that yet. I overdid it on our last night and then made bad food choices. I think all of my 2 pounds came due to the alcohol so I have decided for now that it is not worth it. I may have a glass of wine now and then but I can’t drink hard liquor anymore.

I think knowing that I could always do a steak day and had even planned on doing one on P3 gave me a piece of mind but I never had to actually do it.  I even prepared by watching your video. The one thing that really stuck out is when you explained that gaining a few pounds in a few days isn’t all fat just like doing a steak day and losing a few pounds isn’t losing all fat.  For some reason that made a lot of sense and helped ease my all or nothing mentality that I used to have.

I almost didn’t weigh myself the next day after getting back from vacation but I’m glad I did.  For me when I do not weigh myself I start telling lies to myself then bad habits begin creeping in again.  It’s just one cookie, or one handful of goldfish, etc. I wasn’t planning on losing the 2 pounds so quickly either which took the pressure off as well.  I was gone a week and thought it would take an entire week to lose but to my surprise, it came off quickly.

Can you share your tangible results from following the P3tolife program? – how your weight has been, while following the P3 program?

My LIW was 135 after week P3 week 1 it went down to 133 and stayed there during pretty much the entire P3 program​.  It would sometimes go down to 132 for a day or two then back to 133 or 134 but mostly stuck at 133.

​I did lose more inches during the P3 program as well.  My clothes fit better now than they did at my LIW. ​In fact I wish I would have waited to buy new pants after finishing P3.  

How did you feel about the portion sizes & taste of the P3 meals? Did the portions and taste of the food make any difference in how you felt about eating/relationship with food while on p3? If you still felt hungry, how did you adapt it to add calories?

First, the eating/relationship with food was huge for me on P3.  I would never have thought that I could eat as much food as I did with fat, salt, etc.  

I used to be a grazer and tried to eat something small every 2-3 hours but never any real meals.  This used to work for me in the past but obviously wasn’t working anymore. It was so nice to eat with my family and not just be a bystander.  I would only worry about the needs of my family but not my own. I know I shared this before but my daughter even stated one night that I was eating with the family and not just watching.  This was a huge moment for me because I grew up with a mom who did the same thing and I didn’t realize that I was continuing her habits and that my daughter was picking up on the unhealthy habit as well.

I would modify the dinners I made for myself for my family by adding your P4 suggestions or adding in a potato, bread, fruit, a different veggie, etc.  but it felt good to eat what my family was eating and to eat with them.

My husband said that his coworker was salivating over some of the leftover lunches he would bring to work.  Too funny, if they only knew that they were healthy too.

Regarding the portion sizes and taste, I actually kept notes in my cookbook on mistakes I made, something but family didn’t like but I did or if I did something wrong.  For example on week 1’s bacony egg cups I used 8 extra large eggs instead of medium ones and it made so much extra. Then I saw the * about egg size. I made a lot of mistakes during week 1 and learned to read through all the directions before beginning to put the recipe together.  

The portion sizes were very filling.  Sometimes I would have to listen to my body and not finish the entire meal.  It was also helpful to sometimes eat half of my dinner’s protein around 3:30/4:00 if I was going to have a late dinner.  

I honestly never felt tempted either with treats.  I teach and did P3 the last 3 weeks of school which is a time of a lot of birthday celebrations.  I think one day I had 5 students from the school bring me a birthday treat. I knew that I didn’t want that sugar taste in my mouth or my addiction would rise.  I also knew that I was having a dessert smoothie later that evening so I REALLY wasn’t tempted.

The P3 meals are amazing.  I can’t pick a number favorite meal they are all that good.  I never used salt in recipes before and can’t believe how much that adds to the taste of dishes.  Nor have I cooked with many of the spices.

Curry for one I thought I hated and almost didn’t make the recipes that had them in.  Now it is one of my favorites. I also think the taste of the meals helped in me not feeling tempted. I didn’t want to grab a convenient store snack or dinner when I had these delicious foods to come home too that were made with love.  

Can you share a little about your personal life- ie work full time/part time, kids or hubby or school? Would love to hear how you made the logistics work of cooking the program with whatever time constraints you deal with. How did you manage to fit in preparing the meals with your schedule each week?

I am a full time teacher and did the P3 program the last few weeks of school before going on summer break.  

I have 3 kids who are involved in sports so my weekday schedule was leaving at 7:30 in the morning, getting home around 4:30/5:00 and having a half hour before having to go to baseball. We had games 4 nights a week and even on some weekends. We would get home for the night around 8/8:30. My husband works 6 days a week and doesn’t get home from work until 6, 7 and sometimes 8:00.  So I pretty much do all the cooking and running the kids around. He was a coach so he would make it to the games but has never been able to help out much with the cooking. We have a deal that I cook and he cleans up.

​I realized after week 1 that the modified meal plan is better for me at this busy time.  I used both modified plans for week 2 and week 3. I did not get tired of eating the same lunch 4 days in a row at all.  I felt it as a relief that my lunch was already cooked and I didn’t have to go to a fast food place or not eat. I did most of my cooking on Sunday and if I didn’t cook all of the food I made sure to cut up the veggies, put all the spices for the meal in a baggie and label, marinate the protein or put spices on the protein so all I would have to do when I got home from work was the cooking no prep.  Doing the prep work ahead of time helped tremendously. I love the instant pot and never knew about it until your video. I now look forward to going back and cooking the meals that I didn’t make on P3 now in P4. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of them.

All the tools you suggest made cooking so much easier.  I also loved my mini chopper (black and decker) to chop up onions, chives, cilantro, etc. quickly.  Oh, and mini spatulas​ I would add to the must have list as well.

I didn’t realize how boring I cooked so the prepping and cooking took me a long time I’m not going to lie.  I am hoping the more I make the recipes the faster I will get.

I had actually purchased P3 before I even started HCG wanting to make sure that I could get one of your limited spots.  I was actually going to go to a doctors clinic and try to get on HCG but luckily they didn’t call me back until 2 weeks later and during that time I found your website.  I know you hear this a lot but I can’t thank you enough for all your information on your website.

After watching many of your videos and listening to other success stories I realized that I didn’t want to rush into HCG.  I feel you gave me more guidance than any clinic would have and saved me money as well. And for that I’m so grateful!

Ok back to P3. I tried some of the recipes before I received my HCG prescription and actually lost some weight.  This also helped me get off my sugar addiction prior to starting the shots. I felt very mentally prepared and motivated when beginning HCG.

While on HCG I would watch the P3 videos and learned so much. I never knew I could learn anything from an ice cube tray video but a light bulb went off when watching it.  I realized that my fridges automatic ice cubes were way too small to make the smoothies thick and creamy like in your video. When I got off hcg I went out and bought an old fashion simple ice cube tray and have never had a problem since.

Were there any positive results from following the plan that surprised you, that you weren’t expecting? Have you learned anything new from the program?

The biggest surprise has been that I can eat regular delicious filling meals and not gain weight.  Second, I was surprised that I had many misconceptions about food. You just have to listen to your body.  If you’re hungry at 8 at night have your dessert smoothie. I would have never ate past 6:30 in the past. Third I was surprised that I found cooking relaxing and enjoyable (when I have time for it of course).  Last, the biggest surprise is that I’m using this as a lifelong way of eating and not as a diet. I will continue to mix and match all the recipes and look forward to P4 recipes to come out.

What were one or two of your favorite recipes in the plan?

Wow this is the hardest question to answer because I have more than 2.  I actually wrote stars on the recipes-4 stars excellent , 3 good, etc. None of the recipes got less than 3 stars.  

Top 2 would be fish tacos and both the Curry Dishes

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My favorite sides were the rosemary butternut squash that went with the pork and the cauli mash that went with the steak.

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Was there anything in the coaching section you found useful or that resonated with you and how so?

​I found the trigger foods video hit really close to home and made a lot of sense.  I never thought about my triggers that way before. I just thought I would lose will power.  I have watched that video several times.

Any other closing thoughts that you want to share about your experience with the program, or that might help others considering whether or not to give it a try?

Everyone should give P3tolife a try whether they are coming off HCG or any other diet.  I am still in shock that it worked and how much it has helped change my outlook on food and my relationship with it.  Everything except the cooking is done for you. I think that the reason why I had never been able to maintain my weight loss when doing Weight Watchers or other diets was because I didn’t know what to do when I made my goal weight or went off the diet.  I only know how to diet and my metabolism didn’t like that. It thought I was always going into starvation.

I would also tell everyone to make sure to watch all your videos even the ones that you don’t think you need to watch.  I learned something from each and everyone.

Make sure to continue to journal and weigh yourself.  

What type of hCG did you use?

I used hCG injections with b12.  This was my first round and I lost 30 pounds​ in 52 days. I could have kept going but knew I had a vacation coming up and wanted to make sure I was finished with 3 weeks of P3 and it all turned out nicely.  So glad I did P3 when I did.

I would like to do another round of HCG but I need to build some muscle first.  

​Using your HCG workbook was a huge help.  

Out of doing HCG and your P3 program I have learned so much about myself.  I thought people were crazy by saying listen to your body but it’s true. I also highly suggest that people plan ahead and read your program through a few times before beginning.  I always looked ahead on my calendar and planned for roadblocks or busy times when I knew I would have to prepare ahead of time.

That’s it! Hope you enjoyed Becky’s interview.

Check out P3tolife

The post No Correction Day Needed on Phase 3 of the hCG Diet with the P3tolife Program – Episode 78 appeared first on The HCG Diet Plan with HCGChica.

Hello lovely hCGers. This interview is part of what is now a plethora of weight loss success stories with real everyday women (and men! There’s a few dude interviews in there) who have used either hCG injections or drops with the hCG diet protocol to lose between 20 and 150 lbs.

See all the hCG interview episodes
These are in-depth conversations one-on-one with hCG ladies where you get to hear their whole weight loss story and the tips that helped them succeed.

Read short written hCG testimonials
These are short testimonials of ladies who’ve written in their hCG diet results to me for quick motivation.

We’ve got a layout for Vegetarians doing the hCG Diet today ladies!! Woot woot! Let’s get Cinmayi’s basic hCG diet journey in a nutshell, and then discuss what and how she eats as a vegetarian on Phase 2 of the hCG Diet protocol.

Cinmayi’s Basic Stats

• Age: 62 years old
• Height: 5’3”
• Weight loss: 78 lbs originally
• Starting weight: 200 lbs
• Ending weight: 122 lbs
• Maintained weight loss for: 3 years
• Health issues: Cin hit menopause a few years ago, developed arthritis and dealt with a number of other quite stressful events in her life including her home and belongings burning to the ground, which led to regaining of weight from comfort eating and hormone changes – she is now in the process of losing with hCG again.
• HCG used: homeopathic drops
• Length of hCG rounds: Most her rounds were 21 days/3 weeks, but more recently she has done 30 days rounds.

Show Notes:

• Stur stevia flavors – black cherry flavor tastes really good in the Greek Yogurt.
• Hazelnut Liquid Stevia – NOW brand (Chin’s favorite)
• Asafoetida / HING Indian spice – grain free version (some have wheat filler, to avoid) – uncleharrys.com
• Sleep on the hCG Diet – how it affects weight loss
• The hCGChica Workbook – Digital, printable
• The hardcopy hCGChica Workbook – real book on Amazon
• More about Miracle Noodles

• Proteins Cinmayi used:

1. Sunwarrior sprouted fermented rice protein powder – vanilla
   
2. Jay Robb Whey protein powder – vanilla
3. Boca burgers (vegan approved)
4. Quinoa (vegan approved)
5. Other proteins that could be used: If you eat eggs Egg white protein – Julian Bakery is my favorite brand

Cinmayi’s Email:

Oh Rayzel good morning! I’ve been looking for “before” photos for you and it’s really got me thinking. You see, I’ve been around 155 to 200 pounds my whole adult life. I’ve had 4 babies, which counts for alot of weight gain. 
But since high school I’ve never weighed less than 150 lb. So,
I feel like maybe I was misrepresenting things a bit because I actually HAD gone down to 122 pounds and I kept it off for three years, but at that time, I was really not eating very much and working very very hard. I looked good and felt good but, I ran into menopause, high fracture risk os1teoporosis, and osteoarthritis in my hands and knees, I had to quit working. ( Barista at Starbucks for 10 years) and I couldn’t maintain the 122 pound weight anymore.

I feel as if the HCG diet every 6 months has helped me keep my weight down to a reasonable level and I haven’t gone back up to 200 pounds
I want to weigh less, but mostly I want to be able to have muscle… Which weighs more, and not be too attached to the number on the scale.
I can say, I have a love-hate relationship with food and comfort eating…
I’ve read the book Weight loss Apocalypse, so I want to use the HCG to help me get in contact with my eating problems. Something I read in the book really hit me it was,

“Finding the motivation to change that is stronger than the desire to lose weight requires a more meaningful purpose; one that intentionally targets the source of the emotional problem. success must be the goal and success must be measured by a diminished emotional desire to eat not by weight loss for this approach we suggest taking weight loss and size was out of the equation removing the scale altogether.”

– Weight loss apocalypse

HCG helps me get back in touch with my Hunger. It helps me get used to simple clean foods.
HCG has gotten me completely off sugar and if I’m strict with that, I know I’ll never get up to 200 again.
And because I don’t spend so much time cooking or in the kitchen, it helps me focus more on self-care like yoga and meditation. Walking, reading and crafts.

In fact, I wanted to highly recommend as something that helped me, is, if you are on the HCG diet that you take up a craft like crochet or knitting or artwork or journaling and something physical. A challenge like walking every day for an hour or yoga for 20 minutes daily. Feed yourself with self-care and creativity.
The days will go by so fast and you’ll be happier and fulfilled on things other than food. Also, we were talking about sleep and I wanted to say,
Rest all you can on HCG. If you ever wake up in the morning and your weight is not what you hoped it would be,… if you can, GO BACK TO BED!!!. Weigh yourself again after you get up. You probably need more sleep. I’ve done it and it works.

Here’s an old before photo for you, it was a while ago, (17 years) but I weighed 200. The picture was so was hard to find because I’m super camera shy. Also, I lost lot of photos in the redwood complex fire.
I’m going to have to ask my husband to take a full-length photo of me now but, I weigh 165 even though I just finished a round.

And have you ever tried black salt?
You can get it at the Indian store. It has a very strong sulfur flavor but it’s amazing when used as salt and used with the nonfat Greek yogurt on vegetables especially cucumber and celery.

I like to boil the Miracle noodles and fry them in a dry pan put black Salt, pepper, Hing and turmeric while frying in a nonstick pan.
The nonfat Greek yogurt is great because you can mix it with so many things and have a wonderful high protein sauce for your vegetables or even fruit
When 100 calories of fat-free Greek yogurt is mixed with vinegar salt, pepper, hing, chop cilantro or parsley you have a lovely splurgy salad dressing
Or mixed with cinnamon, stevia or the STUR Flavor, a
Protein dessert. (Have I said enough about nonfat Greek yogurt? )
I’m so weird, that I’ve used the nonfat Greek yogurt, mixed with a tiny bit of strawberry juice or grapefruit juice, to make a face pack during the HCG protocol. I also have a whole natural beauty regime that I follow
while on the protocol, I only use things that are allowed on P2 and I make my own products at home.

If you wanna use protein powder for your protein make sure that it qualifies for HCG Phase 2. I once used a protein powder that wasn’t good and I pretty much stalled the entire round.
Jay Robb Whey protein powder or Sunwarrior for vegans I haven’t checked sun warrior labels lately but I believe it’s ok. Last time I checked, it was.
You have to check the label!
Make sure no sugar artificial sweeteners
Carbs should be under 2
Sugar should be 0
Fat has to be 0 
If you are vegan, the Vegan Boca Burgers are great. I’ve used them and no stall.
I used silk soy milk on one round but I would not recommend it at all. I feel it doesn’t have enough protein
I used TVP (textured vegetable protein) once on a round. It was a major stall!
It might be a fact that you will lose weight slower on a vegan or vegetarian diet but for me, that doesn’t really make any difference. It doesn’t matter to me at all. I will always be a vegetarian no matter what

Like I said, I just finished a round and I am 165 pounds.
I will most likely be doing HCG again by August or September. So I’m happy to try out vegetarian or vegan ideas and share them with your community.
Thank you for all you do!
Yours sincerely,
Cinmayi

Vegetarian hCG Diet Protocol

This is how Cinmayi did the hCG diet – she is lacto-vegetarian so she eats dairy but not eggs.

Vegetarian proteins in order of most frequently used:

• Fat-free Greek yogurt
• Sunwarrior sprouted fermented rice protein powder – vanilla
  
• Jay Robb Whey protein powder – vanilla
• Boca burgers (vegan approved)
• Quinoa (vegan approved)
• Other proteins that could be used: If you eat eggs – Egg white protein – Julian Bakery is my favorite brand

She broke up her 500 calories this way:

• 300 calories protein – two 100 calorie servings, and two 50 calorie servings.
• 100 calories veggie – two 50 calorie veggie servings
• 100 calories fruit – two 50 calorie fruit servings

100 calorie serving of protein equals to:

• Quinoa, cooked – 84g
• Quinoa, uncooked – 27g
• Fat-free Greek Yogurt – 6 oz or 170g
• Sunwarrior Protein Powder – 26g (1 serving is 80cal)
• Jay Robb Whey Protein Powder – 27g (1 scoop is 110cal)

She did indeed weigh and measure her food while following this.

This was a typical day for her as a vegetarian on Phase 2:

3 servings of protein a day, 100 calories each – this is how she broke this down:

• AM – 1/2 serving (50 calories) of protein powder mixed in a hot drink (instruction below)
• Noon – 1 fruit serving1pm – 1 protein (100 calories worth) – like the Greek yogurt with a veggie or fruit
• 4pm – 1/2 protein serving (50 calories worth) of protein powder mixed in hot drink.
• 7pm – 1 protein (100 calories worth) + vegetable and fruit

Protein Powder in Hot Drink Thing:

I thought this was such a genius idea! She mixed 50 calories worth of protein powder (she typically used vanilla protein) in a little bit of water and fully blend it so it doesn’t clump. Then add that small mixture of “smoothie” if you will, to her hot cup of coffee in the morning or tea in the afternoon. Chin said this was basically like a “creamer” in her hot drink. Sweetened with: Hazelnut stevia for coffee or Stur stevia flavor enhancers like Black cherry in green tea

Simple P2 vegetarian meal ideas:

Cabbage soup: Steam some cabbage gently, blend in water with blender or immersion blend, then simmer stovetop for a bit with salt + papper, and garlic (or for an indian flare like Chin loves, a PINCH of HING spice) – I’m glad I asked Chin how much of the spice to use lol! I was like so, should put a teaspoon in a bowl of soup? And she was like, a pinch. It’s very potent apparently.
If you are doing AP (alternate protocol on the hCG diet – learn more about that here – basically just involves the use of other P2 veggies and fruits that weren’t on the original Simeons list, but still within the 500 calorie diet – or 800 calories if you are following that program) Chin says a blend of cabbage and broccoli for this soup is even more tasty.

“You can make some really nice salad recipes with quinoa and things like cucumber or celery and use spices like vinegar and the Hing and salt and Pepper or curry powder. It’s suitable for vegans and it’s quite filling! Also another thing I do is mix 50 calories of protein powder, 50 calories non fat Greek yogurt, 50 calories apple or strawberry mix all together and then put in fridge”

Cinmayi

Chin’s tips on doing well during Phase 2:

She feels that tracking and logging everything while on the diet was key for her- both during the round she was on, but also to be able to reference back to previous rounds to see what she did to compare and remind herself of things.
She strategically had her eating timing designed so that when she felt hungry she could help herself from feeling anxious or freaked out over it by telling herself, hey, at noon you have an apple, and then at one you have lunch, and then at 4 you have your tea with “protein” creamer, etc etc. She technically was enjoying something to eat/drink 5x a day, even if small.

Chin’s 3 Year Maintenance:

Chin says she stuck with no grains or sugar during her maintenance. Dal and rice were a popular staple of her diet before, and she stopped eating this.

The post Vegetarian on the hCG Diet – Interview Episode 77 appeared first on The HCG Diet Plan with HCGChica.

Hello lovely hCGers. This interview is part of what is now a plethora of weight loss success stories with real everyday women (and men! There’s a few dude interviews in there) who have used either hCG injections or drops with the hCG diet protocol to lose between 20 and 150 lbs.

See all the hCG interview episodes
These are in-depth conversations one-on-one with hCG ladies where you get to hear their whole weight loss story and the tips that helped them succeed.

Read short written hCG testimonials
These are short testimonials of ladies who’ve written in their hCG diet results to me for quick motivation.

Kim’s Basic Stats:

• Age: 53 years old
• Height: 5ft 5in.
• Starting Weight BEFORE HCG: 214 lbs
• Current Weight: 158 lbs

• Weight after 73 days on P2: 173 lbs (Loss of 43 lbs)
• Weight after 21 days of P3: 168.4 lbs (Loss of 5 lbs)
• Lost 10 pounds more after 4 more weeks on P3 bringing her down to her current weight
• Total Weight Loss of 58 lbs!!! (Kim did one 73-day round of hCG on a 700 calorie protocol during P2)
• Size Change: From size 16 to size 8 (her goal size!)
• Has been stable and successfully maintaining between 158 to 164 lbs since July 2018

Show Notes:

• Kim did a very long round of P2 – 73 days straight. She did it successfully and has already been maintaining her weight loss for over 5 months since then.
• Maui Wedding Adventures – Kim and Michael’s amazing business – for destination weddings in Hawaii! (Kim says her husband Michael is the number one beach wedding planner in Maui!)
• Smartcakes – Kim loves these! They would make great P3 treats! Smartcakes come in several flavors and are made with fiber and sweetened with erythritol; no sugar, no carbs. Note: order these through their website, not Amazon- many amazon reviews noted product that was old/moldy probably because of being stored improperly at Amazon warehouses- the product from their site is more reliably fresh.
• Vitamix
• The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin
• The HCG Diet Gourmet Cookbook by Tammy Skye
• For all our readers in HI, Kim owns Tropical Trenz Hair Salon in the beautiful island of Maui
• Travel Scale – Kim traveled a lot while doing the protocol and always had a bathroom travel scale with her.
• hCGChica’s Phase 3 to Life Program – you can enroll anytime, but I recommend at least a week BEFORE P3 starts if at all possible so you have time to familiarize yourself with the program and plan ahead.

“I was a chubby child.” says Kim when asked about her weight and dieting history. “My whole life has been yoyo dieting. I was thin in high school, heavy in college, then thin again, then heavy.”

According to Kim, she lost weight as a teenager through exercise and eating better and she successfully kept the weight off throughout high school. However, she gained it back in college. “Pizza and beer, you know.” she added.

Kim had also successfully lost weight a few years back through juicing and raw food. However, according to her, because she did not have an endgame or a structured plan after the diet, she ended up gaining the weight back after a year of traveling.

It was after getting back from a Tahiti cruise with her friends that Kim decided she needed to lose weight. Molly, one of the friends she went on the cruise with, had successfully lost weight through the hCG diet. After seeing her pictures and seeing how great Molly looked, Kim decided she needed to take action.

Her concern for her health was also major contributor to Kim’s decision to go on another diet. Her blood pressure had risen to 145/97 after she got back from the cruise. She also had a family history of diabetes from her mother’s side of the family. She explained how she lost both her mother and grandmother to complications from adult onset diabetes.

After doing her research on the hCG diet and finding hCGers (including yours truly) and hCG resources online, Kim decided she was going to try it.

“I have options, I have better, more nutritious things to have. I’m at that age where being healthy is very important.”

73 DAYS ON P2

Kim did something unique in that she did a very long round of P2 – 73 days to be exact!

“I mentally could not do multiple rounds.” Kim explains. “I found others online who did it the same way and they tell you what to look for, how to monitor yourself so you do not become immune to the hCG which by the way never happened to me even after 73 days.”

It is important to stress that Kim went into the diet feeling 100% ready, both mentally and physically. She had no issues and actually felt great the whole time she was on her very long P2 round.

“I monitored myself. I watched your videos and other people’s videos.” Kim explained. “I tried to get as much knowledge as I can to support my decision and I just listened to my body.”

Kim averaged a weight loss of 0.58 lbs per day and ended up losing 43 lbs in P2.

Kim was surprised at how quickly the hCG injections worked on her. She was down a full size within 3 weeks of starting the injections. “I went from a size 16 to a size 8 pretty quickly. It was so fun dropping sizes.” Kim ended up losing 43 lbs at the end of P2.

Kim used the 200 iu dose and was very specific about doing her injections at 7:30 AM everyday, using her stomach and legs as injection sites. She also pretty much followed the original protocol but ate 700 calories a day instead of just 500.

“On P3, I added one hard boiled egg every day and a Smartcake, about one a day for five days a week, to my diet.” says Kim. “It was my savior. It helped my mental state because I had more of a mental hunger than physical hunger.”

Kim also believes that, being in menopause, the hCG injections actually balanced her hormones because she does not experience hot flashes anymore. Even her heartburn does not bother her anymore.

After her extended P2 round ended, Kim’s blood had gone down to 120/82, her blood sugar was at 94 and her resting heart rate was at 59.

Kim did her P2 according to what she knew – both mentally and emotionally –  would work for her best. One of my recommended reads, The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin, comes to mind because of this. The way we are motivated to do things is different. Within the hcg context we actually should not approach it the same with everyone else. Depending on what type of personality you have, you may approach it differently and that actually may lead to better success for you.

TRAVEL, EXERCISE AND THE HCG DIET

Going 73 days on P2 is already a feat, but Kim even traveled twice within her 73-day P2 protocol.

“I do not have the mindset during travel vacations or holidays that I can stray from my new eating plan and go back on it after.” says Kim. “I did not let traveling stop me from doing the protocol.”

Kim said it’s all about being prepared and not thinking of the trip as a hindrance to the protocol. She brought her injections which were kept cold in blue ice and packed them in her checked luggage to avoid security issues. She also made sure to bring hard boiled eggs and apple slices with her to eat while on the plane. It’s amazing how she was able to stick to her P2 diet even while traveling.

Kim also traveled with a mini bathroom travel scale which she used to weigh herself everyday. She actually lost weight during her trips.

“Every single trip, I lost weight. It’s a huge difference.” says Kim. “Before, whenever I would travel, I would gain a minimum of 5 pounds.”

Kim went on another vacation just as she started P3. According to her, she wanted to make the Turkey Chili recipe while on their vacation, so before they left, she got all the spices she needed and put them in a baggie. On their vacation, she just bought the meat and the other ingredients and threw it all together along with the spices.

Some of her other tips when travelling while doing the protocol:

• Look for a Whole Foods or a supermarket where you can buy your food or ingredients from. Make sure you have a fridge in the hotel or condo you’ll stay in.
• Travel with easy snacks or meals like hard boiled eggs and apple slices.
• Don’t be afraid to ask restaurants for your food and cooking preferences. You will find that they are usually accommodating.
• Bring your own sweetener (Kim made sure to bring Truvia all the time), since you never know what kind of sweetener is available where you will go to eat.

Kim works out regularly. She does 1 to 1 ½ hours of walking 2 to 4 times a week based on what her schedule permits. She also does spin class and weight training once a week.

She has also done Pilates for a long time. She and her husband, Michael, both do one hour of Pilates twice a week with a private instructor. She also loves doing fun activities like rollerblading and going to the trampoline park.

Kim’s Pilates Reformer, this photo was taken during our interview. That’s me on her screen

During P2, Kim maintained her 1-hour, twice weekly Pilates and also walked for an hour twice a week. According to her, she felt better doing low impact exercises than not doing any exercise at all.

Again, exercising while on the protocol is not for everybody. Just like Kim said, “Your body will tell you if you feel better exercising, that is your indicator that it is ok for you.”

CONTINUED WEIGHT LOSS THROUGH P3 TO LIFE

“It is such a road map for success. I think everyone, whether they do hCG or not, should have this recipe book.”

According to Kim, she was confident going into phase 3 of the diet because she got the P3 to Life program in the middle of her P2. She actually printed out the recipes, put it in a binder and they now use it as their recipe book. “That book is our lifeline now.” she says. “We live by that book.”

Kim explained that she is a very regimented person so she needed a structured program, or an “end game” program, to follow that could motivate her. It’s an added bonus that the meals tasted great and are so fulfilling.

Kim considers P3 as the scariest time of the diet because that is when you go back to eating more food. She is grateful for the program because she believes that P3 is not talked about enough and the information she got before was not specific enough.

“I personally do not feel that I would have been successful with P3 without your program.”

Kim did the simplified plan to save time and she loved batch cooking. When asked about the quality of the food and the portioning, Kim gushed about how flavorful the recipes are that everyone at home – her husband, mother-in-law, and even their toy poodle, Carly – love the food.

“Carly is mostly blind and deaf but when we bring out the Almond Crusted Chicken – she is all of a sudden HEALED and can miraculously see and hear to find that chicken.” Kim added.

“P3 was flawless due to your program P3tolife. I NEEDED that program to be successful and I knew that!”

Kim detailed their weekly meal prep; for breakfast, they do batch cooking 3 to 4 days of savory recipes (i.e. Taco Muffins) and 3 to 4 days of sweet (i.e. Chocolate Chia Pudding). They eat the same item/recipe everyday. For lunch they usually have a big salad with some type of protein, and for dinner her mother in law cooks every time, but they usually go out 2 nights a week. Kim would usually keep one portion of their dinner recipe for her lunch the next day. She added that they usually double the recipe to freeze a portion and have some for lunch the following day. Kim also drinks a cup of coffee and lots of lemon or lime mint water everyday. In the evening, once or twice a week, she has Smooth Move Tea.

Kim explained that she’s not a leftover person (except if it’s pizza), but P3 to Life meals are her exception because all of the recipes are great. Even the girls at her salon will eat her leftovers because the P3 meals are so good. “I’m a picky eater, but P3 to Life recipes are wonderful.” she remarks.

Kim found the portion sizes large, especially after she transitioned from P2. 2 Portions of the recipes would usually be enough for the 3 of them at home to eat. They love all the P3 to Life recipes, but their absolute favorite is the Almond and Herb Crusted Chicken recipe. Even her 8-year-old nephew, whom they saw while they were on vacation loved the recipe!

The recipes are easy to prepare and the spices and flavors are off the hook amazing. “

Occasionally, they will have a P3 to Life smoothie or sorbet. Kim says that now that she has a healthy choice for dessert, she does not crave sweets so much. Being a dessert person, Kim says she needs to have something sweet or else she will obsess over it.

“I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything, because P3 to Life has everything I need and more.”

I love variety, that’s why the meal plan has such an assortment of recipes. For people on the program who want to eat out or are craving a certain cuisine, there are recipes in the program that can offer you the variety you seek.

KIM’S TIPS AND SANITY SAVERS

• Do a clean out of your kitchen when you start Phase 1 and stock up on all of the new wonderful ingredients
• Realize you may be mentally hungry but not physically hungry and that is OK.
• Keep hard boiled eggs on hand at all times as an easy snack or meal
• Watch a video from hCGchica! When I would hit an obstacle I would search out a video from you and it would calm me down and give me ideas.
• Buy meat in bulk, portion it out, and freeze it. It is worth taking time to divide it and store it so you can just grab what you need to use, whenever you’re cooking.
• Try Smartcakes – they’re really good, very low cal, and comes in different flavors

Kim also loves keeping one of their favorite recipes, Almond Crusted Chicken, in the fridge every time as another easy meal.

Kim is a very busy lady. She owns a salon, Tropical Trenz Hair Salon, while her husband, Michael, owns Maui Wedding Adventures, a wedding planning business. Between the 2 businesses, Kim basically works 7 days a week, but she is not complaining because she loves both her jobs. She spends 30 hours a week in her salon and the rest of her time helping her husband with his business.

Being the very busy lady that she is, Kim doesn’t have the time to cook and prepare her meals. That’s why having her mother-in-law, Claudia, live with them is a blessing.

“If I did not have my mother-in-law living with us and doing the cooking, I’d need to hire someone to cook for us.” Kim says.

It’s great that Kim mentioned being very busy with work and still being able to stick to the hCG diet and P3 to Life. I know cooking can be challenging if you have a full time job or if you just don’t have the energy to cook. Like me for example, with my chronic health conditions I get so tired cooking. We do have a very good family friend who we pay to cook for us weekly. It’s worth every penny and it has made my life so much easier. This is, of course, not an option for everyone, but it is an idea if your work or health make it difficult to cook.

The support she received played a huge part in Kim’s success. Aside from her family, Kim’s friend Molly, who also found success on the hCG diet, served as her guide during P2.

“For me, personally, I am successful due to the coaching from my friend Molly during phase 1 and phase 2, and from you, Rayzel, for P3 and P4.” Molly explains. She added that it was a huge bonus that her very supportive husband, her mother-in-law, Claudia, and even their poodle loves the recipes too.

“And if I had questions, I would either ask Molly or watch a video on your website.” Molly added.

Support makes a huge difference. Remember, ladies, there are so many resources available for you out there. Aside from the support you receive from family and friends, you can go online and join forums and social media groups of people who are on the diet. You can also visit hcgchica.com to watch or read about hCG diet success stories where we have over 70 interviews already.

“Thank you so much- I am following in her path we are eating all the same foods not really that I need to lose anyways it just makes me feel stronger and my own body I feel be better at night my smiles are bigger I just feel so much stronger and healthier i do not have heartburn that I always had and everything else is just wonderful I wanted to say thank you so much P3 to Life, enhancing our life, enhancing my wife.”

Kim’s husband, Michael

“I love the food, I love the spices you use. The spices are wonderful. The recipes are very easy to follow.”

Kim’s mother-in-law, Claudia

Kim also credits her mental preparedness for her success. She believes that it is vital to be ready to change your diet and eating habits permanently. Sticking to the program and not letting potential obstacles (like traveling, going to parties, or eating out) hinder you or set you back while on the protocol.

“It is important to realize you have to make the change. You cannot go back to your old ways or else the weight will come back and the older you are the quicker that happens.” Kim says. She’s also proud of herself because the holidays came and went and she did not stray.

“I’m very thankful for P3tolife. I will look forward to your volume 2.”

Kim

For any of you ladies who’d like to check into the P3tolife program here:

Check out P3toLife

The post Extended Phase 2 of hCG Diet and losing 15 lbs with the P3tolife Program – Interview Episode 76 appeared first on The HCG Diet Plan with HCGChica.

Hello lovely hCGers. This interview is part of what is now a plethora of weight loss success stories with real everyday women (and men! There’s a few dude interviews in there) who have used either hCG injections or drops with the hCG … Continue reading →

The post Losing Weight with the hCG Diet in Menopause and on Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) – Interview Episode 75 appeared first on The HCG Diet Plan with HCGChica.