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The lemon thing is odd. I know it is acidic...I guess there are people allergic to citrus...

Well, now you know that cantaloupe or plums make you stall. ;-) Information is always good even if the results are disappointing.

Do stick to Dr. S's protocol. I have read many with experiences similar to yours (gain with food not on original protocol but on someone else's).

You might want to try lemon again and see how that does. It does take a few tries to determine if you are sensitive to something. I don't think the hCG will make your stomach sour so it must be something you are eating.

Min

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No, I kind of have my own recipes. I like to cook and get a good variety of veggies here. BUT, if you search the forum for recipes you will find a LOT LOT LOT of great resources.

Three of my favorite things to do are:

Ground chicken seasoned however you like (I like the Italian herbs and make this more Italian like) and formed into meatballs. I think I get 5 out of 100 gms. Then a HUGE pile of raw spinach that i mix with a lot of freshly chopped garlic salt and pepper (can also add herbs to this; I like thyme). I pile the spinach on a big piece of foil, top with raw meat balls, cover with foil and seal up into a packet then bake in a hot oven (450 degrees....I am assuming you are in the USA??) for 25 minutes. It is delicious!

Ground chicken, fresh chopped garlic (I chop a bunch and keep it in the fridge). I dry fry the garlic til i browns (non stick fry pan), add the chicken and dry fry until cooked (doesn't take long). Add ground cilantro, salt pepper and chili powder then a little water (2 to 3 tablespoons) and cook that til it reduces a little. I have just made the inside of chicken tacos. I either chop cabbage and eat it like a taco salad or i take cabbage leaves whole and spoon mixture inside and eat like a taco/lettuce wrap.

Today, as I write, I have a curry cooking. "Curry". I don't have/can't get curry leaves (the real deal imo) so I have compromised (I used to live in India). I dry fry rai and jeera (mustard seeds/cumin seeds) until the cumin toasts and mustard pops (they pop; very cute). I would also add garlic here but today I didn't have any (due to go to the store today). I added 100 gms chicken breast I cut into chunks and browned a bit. Add little bit of water (about 1/4 cup) and chili powder. I topped with chopped baby napa cabbage and am steaming it all. When it's done it's a cabbage chicken curry type thing but not with curry powder. I could also have added that but that is a different kind of curry than an Indian curry. You may know much of this since you are Indonesian which is why I'm explaining it so clearly.

I also eat beef on P2 very very successfully but I am in Thailand and am NOT getting American beef. I can't remember exactly what I do with beef here. I have to buy it still (remember I have to go to the store ha ha ha). I do beef mainly pan fried with a side veggie like asparagus or cukes type of thing.

I would love to you know if you have any ideas, too. I have found most things to be pretty repetitive because we are quite limited in our food choices. I also don't react well to a grainy mustard (I found out!) so I avoid that. I am not fond of vinegar....and I don't use any sugar substitutes at all. I am very opposed to the chemicals in them but I do let people make their own decisions without much fuss from me.

Hope this helps!!

Min

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They all sound good. Especially the burger and I WOULD wrap it in lettuce. Why not? A couple of lettuce leaves is negligible in the scheme of things. I think the soup would work AND I would add our allotted T of milk (If you don't use it in coffee already).

I "do" use stevia but I don't like it. ;( I even bought the leaves and made my own concoction. I found a chinese sugar substitute made from a fruit. It comes like a boullion cube. I had thought it was P2 friendly but then I noticed the label had an English nutrition info label (the whole thing is in chinese ha ha) and it says one cube is 50 cals and 12 carbs so I think it's likely not P2 friendly (a whole cube would make one tall glass of iced tea sweet to too sweet....still not sure of the measurements. I have not used it much). Anyway, I have found that I don't need much sweet....I use honey and I use some sugars that are not as processed as white sugar and have been happy with them (this is my 2nd round so I did p3 and 4 once already). I didn't have the best p4 and am hoping to conquer that this round. I don't think it was b/c of the "sugar" mainly b/c I didn't use much. I don't know....I really need to consider what could have been the culprit. My goal is to find the balance so I don't need any substitutes.

i remembered a tomato soup I make that I really love. When I'm all done, I think I will tweak this to p4 levels but for now, I try not to eat P2 food on any other phase so I don't get sick of it (since I will get sick of it on P2 lol).

Dry fry garlic, add ground chicken and dry fry til done. Add a healthy cup's worth of chopped fresh tomato and lots of fresh sweet basil leaves. Continue to "dry fry" until the tomatoes and basil begin to wilt/sweat. Add 1/2 cup water or so (can do 1 cup and P2 friendly boullion here), salt, pepper, red pepper (I use flakes but powder is fine) and star anise (mine are small so I added 3 little pieces today but 2 or 1 large is fine). Cover and simmer 5-7 minutes. Add 1 T milk and it's done. I am loving this right now, too.

Well, we are GOOD!!! ;-)
High five, Aridian!

Hi Aridian,

I want your chktkkmsla recipe. ;-)

spices won't hurt you for sure. They help imo. Lots and lots of health benefits to spices. I have used some of the small green chilis in the past on P2 with no problems. It's the sweeter peppers you will have to watch for like the red bell.( You know the chilies for heat (the small green ones but sometimes they are red)?)

Ketosis is how people measure fat released in urine to measure fat burning/expulsion....?? that's a layman's explanation. I have never looked into it past this forum and I don't measure ketosis. People on the Atkins diet and on this diet use special strips/sticks and urine to see if they are burning fat or releasing fat in their urine.

I lost 22 pounds in about 37, 38 days. I cut it just short of 40 because I was out of hCG and would have had to remix for just a couple days. I can only get 5000 iu ampules here so it didn't seem worth it. Also, I was mentally, and emotionally ready for P3.

P3 and P4 do last for 3 weeks each the first round. BUT they are not limited in calories! Don't think the "800" cals thing. That is for when people are doing interruptions in P2, planned or unplanned, and need to increase for a little while before going back to P2 or have reached goal and need to continue dosing to meet the required dosage schedule but do not need to keep losing. P3 opens up all fruits and veggies but the obvious starchy ones (corn, potatoes, peas, bananas) but keeping an eye on the sugary ones (pineapple, mango). I had no problem with mangoes though. It was the season when P3 started for me....lol. Could not resist and they also met a need, I think. P3 is when you start to introduce some things that could cause a reaction/gain; egg, dairy, nuts, etc.... Fat is opened up right away and any meat is also available right away so in P3 you get a lot of good things and you'll be able to go back to cooking with nuts and mixing veggies. I love P3. It is how I plan to eat to maintain once I'm at goal. So, for P3 for you, decide what is most important for you to have "open" to you. If it is nuts, you CAN start with them although most people start by clearing eggs and dairy, there is no hard and fast rule. What you do is eat one item for 2, 3 days and monitor the scale. If you don't gain, it's clear. Then add another item. I started with eggs but regretted it. I don't actually GAIN with eggs but they don't sit in my stomach well (it's surprising I don't gain). Then I cleared dairy with yogurt, cottage cheese but not cheese. Cheese is it's own category. That was clear. I did a couple days of cheese and did well. Then I moved to nuts and cleared peanuts, almonds, pistachios. I don't love cashews so I didn't bother with them (i mean before this, they always sat awkwardly in my stomach so I already avoided them). I did pretty well. I really crashed into P4, though. I don't know what happened and I can't really blame food. It was definitely hormonal. I could tell. I am close to menopause so I am not balanced too well in that dept right now. So I can't give a great report with P4 but am planning on conquering it this time. I have 30 pounds to lose and will likely do one more round after this one.

So, the key to a good p3 is go slow. Add things in at least 2 or 3 days before declaring them clear or trouble. One cheese can be fine and the next be a gainer and same with nuts. My friend can eat walnuts but gains on cashews. that's why cheese and nuts are tricky categories. I love yogurt and clear that fast and then have all kinds of smoothies and yogurt. I don't drink milk anymore but that can clear with yogurt and cot cheese.

Clear as mud?
Do you have a home thread to check in on? That is important for me. I check in every day with my homies and we keep each other accountable and on track. My home thread is "March 2010 Band" if you search for it. You are welcome to join. We are small and we are close and we are friendly. ;-) I am in Thailand but I'm American. We have Americans and one woman who is Indian in India.

Take care!
Minnie