PLEASE stick to protocol...
 

Hi everyone,

After two weeks of being totally on the protocol then varying it a little and when i did i either gained and lost only ounces...well I have stuck to protocol now for two days solid (a little hungery at night) and I have lot a total of 3lbs and 5 inches...so girls and boys there is no cheating, no way round it, the only way is true it and you come out the end happier and smaller!!!

This message is to remind me just as much as you...

Keep going!!!!

Lynn x

Sounds like you have the motivation now to hang in there. Sometimes cheating and seeing what happens is a good thing, its a learning experience that helps us focus on the prize. Congratulations on your losses!! http://hcgdietinfo.com/hcgdietforums...lies/smile.png

I agree with I Luv Kats. Everyone has different issues with their weight and different relationships with food for different reasons. A little bit off protocol might just be what someone needs to be able to get through it. Not everybody deals with diets the same. I try to stick to it as closely as possible. I have not "cheated" at all, but I have used Walden Farms salad dressing 3 or 4 times, I use Truvia as sparingly as possible, I watching the oils in my lotion but I haven't gone out and bought all new lotion, shampoo, toothpaste, etc. I'm still losing and it's working for me both mentally and physically and that's what's most important for each one of us - that it works the way each individual needs it to work.

That's great, charmer! We all go through that. We think that this diet is like others and a few cheats can be made up for by exercise or sticking to it better the next day but it doesn't work that way, darn it! And it really can change your relationship to food if you let it.

Thanks for your input everyone...this protocol can be the best, if you respect Dr S's work...it works above everything else.
I have worked as a Personal Trainer and I could not get my clients to lose this amount of weight safely over this space of time, not possible.

I have spoken to be people about and they mostly say, oh yes but what about this and that, how can you starve yourself on 500 calories a day, you will look gaunt if you lose this much weight!!! They think it is like every other fad diet out there. I dont really call this a diet is a life changing protocol. After years in the gym and working out with clients allday, I srtill have areas that I need to shift and HCG is doing that for me. It is hard work in a different way to working out, but it is well worth it.

I have my old work out pants hanging up and I am determined to fit them just perfectly!!! Ony 13lbs to go whooooohhhhh

Lyn x

Great point. I have been experimenting a little bit with my proteins, I must say, and I guess I'm still hoping it's fine. 0% Fage, and egg whites as a meat substitute on some days, but I've still had losses so I guess I figured it was still fine, and I'm only doing an occasional serving of strawberries to counteract any extra sugars from the greek yogurt. Does anyone else use these with no issue or am I just shooting myself in the foot?

Last night I was out running around and I got SO hungry (end of a very hungry period during TOM). I got some organic beef jerky to sub as my protein. Sugar-wise, it was only a gram per serving (I had 3 servings) but fat-wise it was 2 grams per serving-not really that much in the long run, but more than I've been having since I started this diet. I had been sticking to ground beef that's been rinsed of fat, chicken breast, and shrimp-pretty much little to no fat. But even that 6 grams of fat slowed me-only .2 loss this morning. I'm sure that's what it was. Anyway, moral of the story, watch those elements of the food that cause trouble! There's a reason the protocol was written as it was.

Twice during my 35 days, I used a serving of Fage instead of a fruit. I REALLY helped me get past that dang dairy craving in P2. And, I still had my "regular" 0.8 loss the next days. :-)

It's so weird how everyone is affected differently by different things. I guess it just depends on how much you want to experiment. I'm kind of afraid and I haven't cheated with anything except a bit of cocoa crack and Walden Farms dressing - and that's not even every day. I miss Greek yogurt but I didn't see it on the protocol so I haven't eaten any. I'm missing bread more than anything else. I threw a frozen pizza in oven for my husband the other night and damn that crust smelled so good! Bread and cheese!!! That's what I want!

The greek yogurt is not really on the original protocol, but I recall that Dr. S said that it's possible to use the ff cottage cheese once in a while, so I just got it into my head that the greek yogurt might be ok. Tons of protein, but it does have some sugars too (hence dropping the fruit). I still had a loss after I used it though, but I'm going to keep an eye on it.

Sticking to protocol and paying attention to my body has definitely gotten me the best results (though I am a tad rogue)....I have been eating fage in p2 for my last few rounds/cycles...But I rarely eat my fruit and when I do never a full servings...I have gotten the best results with fage, but I have noticed that I get crappy results when I have fage and fish in the same day. No idea why, but tis how it goes, lol.

Deviating and cheating are really two different things I think. If you absolutely know you're putting something in your mouth that you should not be, then you are cheating. If you are testing a few new things to gauge their results, I think that is more understandable.

I can't cheat now since this is my 85th day of VLCD over 3 rounds (this one being my final) and I've never once cheated so it's become a competition for me....more about pride than anything else at this point. That said, I eat broccoli and didn't swap out my hygiene products, neither of which I view as cheating in the slightest.

In my research before my first round I saw that it seemed a cheat cost people 3 days on average to recover from. Three days is just too long for me since nothing tastes good enough to sacrafice three days...except vodka.

Ha ha, l like the codka quote, oh how I look forward to a gin and tonic when I finish my phase 3 on february 14th....perfect day for it on valentines day as I shall really love it, and I will have really earnt it by then...

lets keep going !!! x