Phases 3 and 4 in a nutshell...

First of all, my body kinda freaked out when I suddenly started eating things it wasn't used to having in large portions... Specifically DAIRY, haha... and also, I soon started eating things with artificial sweeteners (like sugar free chocolates!) and it wasn't until after I had been eating them a lot for a week or two that I read up on it and realized that artificial sweeteners cause gas and bloating! I didn't even know that! So with all the dairy and artificial sweeteners I was eating, no wonder my body was not feeling so well! lol... But I've stopped eating artificial sweeteners and cut back on dairy and I feel fine now. I eat regular sugars now but I just try to limit myself. I still eat sweets but I find that I am satisfied with less than I was before P2, and I crave sweets less often. So that's good.

As far as weight goes...

I stuck fairly well (but not perfectly) to P3 for the first three weeks off the VLCD, and had to do a few steak days (like I said, I wasn't being 100% strict so I went up a few times), but they worked! By late in the third week I felt like I had stablized between 157-158 (2-3 lbs over LIW) and I started getting overconfident... I have a bad habit of getting overconfident! haha... It has now been a couple more weeks since then and I started eating literally ANYTHING I wanted, and a lot of it, and I gained back a little, but I started identifying my problems and adjusted some things and been hovering around 161-162 now. But that's still a good 15-20 lbs below my starting weight so I'm fine with it for now.

For example, I figured out that I can eat a LOT in the first half of the day, and if I eat enough that I'm not hungry at dinnertime so I skip dinner, I never gain the next day and sometimes I'm even down nearly a pound. So I think that's one of my personal issues~ I cannot eat late at night. The earlier in the day I stop eating (no matter how much I eat in the early hours) the better. Also, I make sure I get enough protein during the day. I try to have a significant source of protein with each meal. I haven't been drinking water like I did on P2, but I should be. I want to establish that habit again because it's helpful and very good for you.

Having gone through it and looking at my own experience in retrospect, my BIGGEST ADVICE FOR PHASES 3 AND 4 are:
* Stick strictly to the P3 diet for at LEAST three weeks! Wait until you have been stable for a while before moving onto P4
* When you do move on to P4, introduce sugars and starches back into your diet GRADUALLY... I did it way too fast and ended up "stablizing" at 6-7 pounds over my LIW instead of 2.
* Get plenty of protein. Not that you have to go Adkins or anything, just ry to eat protein with every meal.
* Don't eat late. The earlier in the day you stop eating the better.
*** Listen to your body and figure out what works for you! Everybody (and every BODY) reacts slightly differently to differnt things, so be aware of what and when you eat and figure out what causes your body to react in certain ways. Then adjust your habits accordingly.

I don't have any regrets. I'm so glad I was introduced to this protocol. My friend Ashley and I ordered some more and we're going to do another round. We already received the supplies in the mail and we're just waiting on the hcg, which should be here any day now! We'll get closer to our goal weights, if not reach them, this time around. And now that we've been through it once before, we have a much better idea of how to optimize our results the second time around (or so we think!)! So hopefully it will be a successful journey in round 2! I'll blog about this one too! :D

Yay hcg! I love you! You know, one reason I love being on P2 is because every day feels like Christmas... every morning when I wake up I'm excited to weigh in and see what I've lost!


Oh, and one more thing... I'M RECENTLY ENGAGED!!! :D I'm getting married this August in Laie, Hawaii. I'm so excited! And I found hcg just in time to turn into a knockout before my big day! CHEEHOO!!! :D