[slimsex]

Hello everyone…

I plan to start loading in the next couple of days. I am male / 250lbs, 5’11” and plan to follow Dr. S protocol Exactly the way it was written. From reading Pounds and Inches and this great forum I have most of the basics down.

I would like to ask a couple of questions…

1. What has worked for the more experienced?

2. Any mistakes made that I might benefit from knowing?

I am not talking about the obvious just little things that may have not been mentioned in his book, things that may have been found out through trial and era and/or that I can tweak to get the BEST results possible.

[blodwarttufla]

Exercise! Thru every phase!

[preptarra]

Weigh yourself at the same time every day, following the same procedure. Do not weigh more often than that.

[Rurcextedutty]

I used to hate keeping a food journal and didnt do it with other diets but it really helps to see patterns and figure out what foods dont agree with you. So keep a journal of what you eat.

I learned that the quality of our protein now is different then in the 50's so I upped my protein a little. Not with beef but with chicken and fish so I reached the recommended daily protein intake to stay just above protein deficiency which I believe is the cause of some people feeling weak and lightheaded. It also causes edema. If your feeling hungry or shaky try just upping by 1/2 oz. I still lost 27 pounds in less 29 days and this is with my monthly girl issues.

I learned that the sweeteners, except pure stevia, tend to stall me out.

I learned that canned tomatoes and chicken broth have added sugar. Read all labels. No wonder we are over weight.

Coco crack or chocolate delights increase my cravings and slow my loses. They are yummy and make me regular but save them for P3 unless desperate. Plus I consider P2 a training phase. People may get away with cheating but it just makes it easier to cheat in P3 and 4 and then you gain it back. I have been there done that on every diet I have done and I dont want to repeat it.

Water intake really does make a difference. I have a hard time with that.

Liz

[virtuah]

..Buy the real Stevia, use no other sweetners
..Drink all your water and more
..The Melba Toast might cause you to stall
..If exercising, increase protein

[jstizzle]

Dont obsess over this diet. I realized that my obsession with losing weight actually worked against me. Take it one day at a time, if need be journal your day so you can reflect back on that day in case you need to. Always look on the bright side and never allow yourself to be to hard on yourself or your body. In other words keep positive, keep going, and always ask for help when needed no question is to stupid and no comment is to bland we all learn as we go and from each other

[FelixQY]

I have been reading that we shouldnt excercize and I was really upset about that. So recommed it and it didn't stall you?

[Indidockobeni]

Exercise CAN stall you in P2. If you exercise in P2, make it mild, like long walks or light weights. The doctor I did HCG with told me that when you lift heavy weights, you're breaking down muscle tissue that then will be "re-built" bigger and stronger. On HCG, the 500 calorie protocol is not enough nutrition to rebuild your muscles, so if you lift heavy you will break down muscle tissue that might then be absorbed by your body because it can't heal and rebuild. So lift light, never enough to be sore, but enough to help your muscles maintain themselves.

Keep in mind that this place is a wonderful support system, but you'll also see lots of posts about doing things off protocol or lots of cheating posts. Sometimes it can tempt you to try the same stuff, after all, so and so ate mexican and had cake and only gained a lb., why shouldn't I have this beer, etc. Keep in mind that a cheat can set you back for days, it's not worth it, and if it's your first round you especially need to stick to protocol.

Good luck in your journey - this really does seem to be the best way to lose weight!

[KuznehikVasaN]

Working out at the gym makes me gain in P2. I can't go in and just 'take it easy', so I just stay away until P3. Walking, swimming, skating, and biking are things that I did okay with, though. I'll reiterate the food journal too, it makes it easy to look back and see what foods are working for/against you.

Canned tomatoes, even without sugar, make me gain. Fresh tomatoes do not.
I lose best when my proteins are tilapia and beef; respectively.
Potassium, magnesium, and B12 supplements make me feel a lot better while on protocol.
Cheating once leads to cheating again. And again... At least in my case. It's easier to just to stay on plan.

I don't really have anything else to add that hasn't already been said, but I think it's great that you're going into this planning on doing protocol the way it was intended. I did that my first round, too, and it was my best one. Second round I started tweaking, and adding...not so good after that! Now it seems every subsequent round since then I find myself trying to justify eating stuff I shouldn't, just because other people did it and got away with it. This is my seventh, and hopefully FINAL round, and I have banned all the extras except for a bit of half & half in my coffee.

Good luck to you!

[SOgLak]

This diet brought all my body’s weaknesses and issues to the forefront: leaky gut syndrome and the all the consequences of it including candida, food sensitivities, and chronic fatigue. Everything was amplified, and thank god I paid attention. My losses are slow, but I am detoxing in a major way, finding out what my body needs to heal and learning to be patient.

I know fructose affects my blood sugar, so I either limit my fruit to 1 a day, or I eliminate it completely. No melbas, I now know that gluten is the cause of my leaky gut. Adding the coconut oil has been hit or miss, sometimes I just feel like I need the extra fat, and I have both lost and gained with it. You have to listen to your body.

Critical to success:
- writing everything down: food, mood, weight etc. This will teach you wonders about what affects YOU and YOUR body
- weighing every day
- identifying your food allergies
- getting good sleep
- including the supplements that YOUR body needs

[orgagsUpsepsy]

I have been reading that we shouldnt excercize and I was really upset about that. So recommed it and it didn't stall you?

I did light weights, I did increase my proteins and it did take me longer to lose the weight. HOWEVER, the end result is I do not have any saggy skin anywhere, I have really nice muscle definition developing, and while I'm off the HCG (still doing Beplex), I continue to lose despite the fact I ate some pretty naughty foods. It's really all personal and what you want and/or expect at the end.

[bF8CCmmr]

I agree with earlier comments about sweeteners - in my first round I used truvia and sweet n low. Now I'm on stevia only, and I think my losses are more consistent from day to day. I still have stalls, but I went for two weeks this time without stalling at all (versus a stall after the first 7 days in my first round).

If you'll do more than one round, I would also add not to pressure yourself to do another round until you are truly ready. Definitely follow Dr. S's guidelines for time between rounds, and then some. After my first round, I was so grateful to eat a bigger variety of food. I started to gain a little on P4, and instead of spending time to figure out why, I jumped into round 2 after 5 weeks instead of 6. I should have probably waited even longer than the 6 weeks. I had a terrible Round 2 because I didn't want to be in P2! I dreaded each day of P2, ended up cheating, and had a net loss of zero when it came to an end. What a waste of time! I wish I had just waited until I was mentally "in it".

I'm on Round 3 now, and I'm back in the game full on and committed like I was in Round 1. I just needed to be ready for it.

[tropicana]

Something I've discovered only recently, when shopping for my third P3 coming up - Just because you read the label once doesn't mean the product has stayed the same! Check the labels EVERY time you buy something! I've had to put back a few of my favorite things just because they have extra sodium now, or added cornstarch, or whatever.

[indocrew]

Impressive Rhibert!!! You must feel great!

[MarythePuppy6]

Thank you! I DO feel great! I finally found "me" again.

[VYholden]

I dont do alot of weights mostly cardio. Is it still a no no?? I went last night for the first time and found I could not work out to the intensisty I have in the past. My heart rate was way up there so I had to slow it down considerably. I really dont want to get out of the habit especially after i reach goal but at the same time I have made this comitment to this diet and want to succeed.