Surviving P3 and P4 with the help of friends...

**FlirtyFlo** · October 19th, 2020, 01:15 AM

Hi Bunnies...
Everyone is so focussed on P2 and the moment it ends it is as if the balloon is inflated and Poof! we are on our own
My history with P2 has always been great... but P3 and P4 almost no existent.... actually I cannot even remember doing P3 ever by the book... just falling into bad habits is so easy....

Having said that I did maintain my weight sort of sort of.... but it does creep up on you... so when I started this round I realised that P3 and P4 is the key to locking in those losses... so I am planning to take it AS serious as I am taking P2

I have 2.5 weeks left of injections and starting P3 on Saturday 7 November...

I have been doing my P3 research all along, not because I am missing certain foods, but so I can be mentally prepared and as dedicated to the process as I am on P2.....

In preparation, I have been prepping and making sure I have "nice stuff" in the house that will not break the protocol
1) I have ordered a new Calorie counter book - yes I know the internet is handy but I want to have an easy reference with me for when I am shopping or our with/at friends
2) We have a great Supplier of carb free foods... Wraps, noodles, Lasagne sheets, Pizza bases, etc all made from veggies with a very low carb count.... and the bonus is that it is nice and it is something I have incorporated into my day to day life since discovering them.... This way I use these as my "carbs" at home and there is no
3) My plan is only to incorporate wine much later in p3...But in preparation, I purchased a supply of the low alcohol LIGHT wines
4) found some erythritol & Stevia blend this weekend which I purchased and will try my hand at using it for baking in P4 to treat mutually weight aware friends with some treats
5) I am in the habit of when not on a weight loss regime, to skip breakfast and often Lunch, but I realise that I have to restructure my daily routine as a forever after in order to maintain my weight..... because skipping meals is an easy way to eating the wrong stuff and also mess up my metabolism
6) I will Shop with my eyes this coming weekend and check out the calory and carb content of foods I like eating and mentally prepare 800/1000/1200 calory meal plans going forward
7) I Plan to continue to count my calories and record on My fitnesspal so I can become mentally aware of the nutritional values I encounter on a daily basis going forward
8) generally my Mondays to Friday afternoon is very easy to navigate, as I work from home and have no added temptations.... and I am not going to treat these days differently, my plan is to start a regime I can live with and maintain going forward...and the plan is to allow myself only ONE day over weekends with more flexibility...call it a cheat day.... without cheating, just allowing a little more freedom
9) I SHALL continue to log my results on a daily basis - I find that in the past, the moment I leave the site is when I lose focus and accountability... I know I will do another round in January... But when I reach goal and after P4... i will still check in at least once a week.... a promise to myself

I laugh at myself at times.... I am not a big coffee drinker.... but I have a Nescafe Sugar Free Cappuccino every morning.... I already checked the calories... all of 60 calories but 6 gms of Carbs will mean I can not have it every day.... I do want to keep carbs down around 30gm... will have to wait and see

Going into P3 soon,
1) What are your tips/ideas to survive P3 and P4 over the holiday period?
2) What are the first things you will reinstate into your daily meal plans?
3) do you know its calories/carb/Fat values?
4) do you have a plan set out?

As an old hand...
what are your tips and tricks to navigate P3 and P4 successfully..... especially over the holidays.... as we know in life there is always "an upcoming period" that will throw temptation on our path.....
what rules have you incorporated into your lives to become your new normal?
What are your suggestions?...
what works for you?
what were your greatest stumbling blocks?
each person sees this upcoming time with there own vision of how they will tackle their 3 + 3 weeks going forward.... but as we know... life has a way of happening while we are busy making plans.... what plan worked for you and what would you say are myths in P3 and P4.....

Let's hear your thoughts and mentally and physically prepare ourselves to lock this in once and for all!!!

**FlirtyFlo** · October 19th, 2020, 08:30 PM

Morning all...
I was convinced i had posted this thought yesterday... but I clearly forgot to push the last submit button duh!

Fats
I realise that all writings on the subjects and so many keto type diets out there focus on full-fat products especially in the absence of starch... many years ago I was an avid follower of Dr Atkins diet and I know full fats work

However... that being said...from a health perspective (2x breast cancer survivor) I have limited animal fats over the past 16 years to low or medium fat options

In my head P3 and the choices you implement in P3 is the start to your new NORML
So i dont want this new normal to include anything that goes against what I believe to be healthy for Me and which I dont feel comfortable with in my forever after

To all the ‘old hands’ out there ... what did you implement and what is your take/advice in your own journey and considering my preference for low/medium fats

**Leez** · October 19th, 2020, 08:42 PM

In regard to fats, I've found in my own P3's that I do fine with lower fat dairy (for instance half&half instead of heavy cream is fine, or 2% greek yogurt) and I generally eat any kind of meat, not just the fatty ones, and add some good fat like butter or olive oil if needed. I've also found that its not necessary to protein-load during P3 as some do. In fact, trying to manipulate macros seemed counter productive the times I tried it. I found it was best to relax and just eat what was appealing whenever hungry, while staying within the P3 guidelines and not being afraid of healthy fats.

There's nothing wrong with getting your fats from avocados, olives, coconut, nuts and other plant sources if you wish to avoid animal products.

**FlirtyFlo** · October 19th, 2020, 08:54 PM

Thanks Leez... very much my personal lifestyle choices as well... some things will always be nicer full fat but then you just eat them les often and smaller portions... but if it comes to stuff like cheese or yogurt I prefer the less fatty option...i have no idea what half and half is yet i hear about it a lot... we have a non dairy cream substitute i often use in desserts because if my lactose issues... but time to start reading the lables and see what would be my go-to choices....

**mrsstrong** · October 19th, 2020, 09:16 PM

I am going to change things up. Not go keto but low carb. I am hoping that with the HCG reset, I may not be prone to the carb monster if done well. We'll see!

Going into P3 soon,
1) What are your tips/ideas to survive P3 and P4 over the holiday period?

Thanksgiving will be P3 foods and I plan on making a dessert or two just for me to enjoy that are safe, like the pumpkin pie. I may just use Swerve for the treat if I am well stabilized by then. The sugar alcohol behaves differently than sugar so it may be fine. The foods I make are otherwise all so P3 compatible. It won't be a problem. Just going to skip the cranberry sauce and sweet potato.
I will be P4 Dec. 5th so technically could add carbs in the form of sweet potatoes and some treats with limit around Christmas. Knowing that I will be doing another round in Jan. will keep me focused. I am thankful that we don't have many things to attend socially right now. I am pretty introverted and happy at home too.

2) What are the first things you will reinstate into your daily meal plans?

The first week I stick to the same foods, adding fats, and increasing protein portions. Then I add a new food at a time, watching the scale for two-three days to see. Probably yogurt first, then Swiss cheese, feta, sour cream, then add nuts. I think those are the new P3 foods I eat.

3) do you know its calories/carb/Fat values?

Yes, I could look them up and keep a log. I have gone by macros on keto for a long time so I am not sure how many calories I actually need on a normal diet. Keto always worked well for me and I may eventually go back to it after the last round and just have a higher carb treat on the weekend. I would love just an occasional toasted bagel, sweet potato, or baked treat. I think I will need to see how that treat day goes and go from there.

4) do you have a plan set out? As above.

I really have done well maintaining before and the added pounds were all due to Covid. So having gotten used to this new normal will help. I do realize that need to make two good meals a day and not treat any of them as snacking. Snacky foods for a meal are fine but I need to plate it to makes it is enough and balanced. I love yogurt for breakfast and I hope I can keep it in my diet.

I may think of other things along the way and will add them!

**mrsstrong** · October 19th, 2020, 09:17 PM

Half and half is half milk and half cream.

**Leez** · October 19th, 2020, 10:00 PM

Half & half is about 10%-18% butterfat, and heavy cream is about 36% butterfat.

The half&half we get in our area is closer to the 10%. I tend to stick to the lighter cheeses too, like goat cheese, cottage cheese and ricotta.

There are lots of non-dairy creamers out there. Some of the keto creamers have good clean ingredients like MCT oil.

I've been making my own in the Vitamix with soaked cashews. It takes about 4 minutes of blending. No need to strain with cashews. I do 1/4 C. raw cashews to about 1 C water, and add a little MCT, lecithin and tiny bit of stevia to mimic the sweetness of dairy. No straining needed.

This is my favorite bought one:BDcreamer.jpg

**FlirtyFlo** · October 19th, 2020, 11:11 PM

Originally Posted by Leez

I've been making my own in the Vitamix with soaked cashews. It takes about 4 minutes of blending. No need to strain with cashews. I do 1/4 C. raw cashews to about 1 C water, and add a little MCT, lecithin and tiny bit of stevia to mimic the sweetness of dairy. No straining needed.

Cashews is my favourite nut but I read that Cashews, sesame seeds and Sunflower seeds can be iffy on P3 and should be taken in moderation if taken....
I will have to go out and label shop with new eyes before P3 starts....

**DivineMissM** · October 20th, 2020, 05:33 AM

Thanks so much for starting this thread, @FlirtyFlo, and for the great contributions from you, @mrsstrong, and @Leez. So grateful for your experience and wisdom, as always.

I'm pretty much on the same timetable as @FlirtyFlo, and my plan is to do the three weeks of stabilization per Simeons' protocol and then continue through the end of the year with no starches, no sugar, no dairy, and very limited alcohol. I may try a potato here or there after the three weeks, and maybe a glass of wine, but we'll see. Sometimes when I'm feeling good I don't want to change things up too drastically.

I'm not sure yet if I'll be doing another round in 2021; I'm still figuring out a goal weight for myself. This is unprecedented territory for me, and that's partly why I'm doing a longer, adapted P3ish beyond the three weeks.

My nitty gritty plan is to slowly bring in fats once P2 is complete and to increase proteins and veggies incrementally, adding new things one at a time so I can determine how they affect me. I'm not going to count calories or anything else, but I will keep a detailed food log as well as track my weight every morning. I also plan to continue intermittent fasting, because it's working really well for me and has simply become a useful habit. I may lengthen my eating window and shorten my fasting window, though I'm not sure yet. I'll just have to see how I feel.

Right now I'm not anticipating any major obstacles or difficulties through the holidays. With my move and COVID diagnosis, I'm planning to pretty much be a homebody getting my house in order, so I'll be 100% in charge of food and cooking. If I go see my boyfriend, he's used to my diet at this point, and I'll have a say and hand in the cooking anyway!

**DivineMissM** · October 20th, 2020, 05:42 AM

Originally Posted by Leez

I've been making my own in the Vitamix with soaked cashews. It takes about 4 minutes of blending. No need to strain with cashews.

I bought myself a Vitamix after years and years and years of wanting one. It's my housewarming present to myself. SO excited to start using it in P3!!!

**FlirtyFlo** · October 20th, 2020, 05:50 AM

Hi MissM....
Even if you do not start another round.... It will be nice to have you back checking in.... That was my biggest mistake in 2015 and the weight gradually crept up... with COVID of course not helping

Btw How are you feeling, I take it you ae now in self isolation? In SA it is 2 weeks even for just being in contact with a person who tested positive...Two of my friends has it and really struggled.... both well now

**FlirtyFlo** · October 20th, 2020, 05:53 AM

We have a "Almost Zero" Red/White and Rose wines in South Africa

It is not like the alcohol free bubblies that is really just glorified Juice....

The process is called De-alcoholising and it is left with 5% alcohol.... I cannot find the nutritional values anywhere, But going to email the winery for input...I have tasted it before and it tastes very much like the real mcCoy

Thread: Surviving P3 and P4 with the help of friends...

Thread Tools

Display

Surviving P3 and P4 with the help of friends...

Bookmarks

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions