Thread: Back with another round

Sounds like you're in a really good place with this round, and I'm so glad! I do remember your doing especially well in February. I was on my second round then and getting to a weight I'd never seen before in my adult life.

I relate to your year recap in that this fall was rough. Back to in-person teaching was super stressful and the holidays kicked off an ugly snowball. Like you, I decided enough was enough and why wait until the new year? I could have done a lot more damage with a few more weeks of holiday fare. VLCD really does feel like a reiief right now. Of course, I'm only on day two of P2.

Are you doing 2.0? If I recall correctly, that has really worked well for you in the past.

Hey there! Yes I am doing 2.0. I am a believer. It works for me and is quite easy. The hardest part is eating enough protein calories.

I was looking at past rounds and it is uncanny how similar loss patterns can be. Last 4 rounds I had at minimum a 1lb gain every 3rd Monday. It is hard to believe that I am 7 days away from last dose day before the PI. Not really craving anything at all food or wine wise. Looks like a rainy weekend so that might be a challenge.

Hello wilsonblack,

For maintenance, I suggest you consider continuing your tracking through P3, P4 and, well, for good. I use an app on my phone called FatSecret which allows me to set targets, track my weight and eating, and help me stay aware of my eating. My situation is different: I have insulin resistance and am following a ketogenic diet to keep my blood glucose under control. Using the food database has helped me understand what I am eating, and to maintain my weight and my dietary goals.

I also do the 2.0 protocol, and the only thing I eliminate from my regular keto diet is fat. In P3, I added fats back slowly, so as to not stress my system. I stabilized easily, and have continued to maintain for several months now. I'm contemplating another round in January to get all the way down to my target weight, instead of hanging 8 - 10 lbs above.

Good luck with your round!

thanks gz9. I would like to say I would do that, but, knowing myself I am not sure. A good first step would be stepping on the scale every day in P4 for good. I already track P3 and well into the beginning of P4 on my excel spreadsheet. But improvement is a constant pursuit. Every round, new, better habits form and older, bad habits don't stop dead in their tracks, but they do fade. I used to love bread and rice. Not any more. That didn't happen overnight, instead over time. Eating habits, portions and types of foods have evolved over time thanks to this protocol.

On protocol, beyond cutting out fats, I am also very cautious about what types of proteins I eat. I stay away from fattier cuts. The only fatty protein I eat is salmon. Always done well on that and my body seems to appreciate the healthy fat. I don't eat too much beef on protocol any more, mainly seafood. Phase 3, I will transition in eating fattier cuts of steak (NY Strip is my preferred cut), pork loin chops etc. I will work in avocado oil dressing on salad immediately and slowly work in dairy. I have found that extremely fatty cuts like beef short ribs make the scale go crazy. Trial and error.

I, too, have a hard time sustaining tracking food intake long term--as well as stepping on the scale daily. I like your take on it, WB, that these changes happen slowly, over time. My habits are DRAMATICALLY different and for the better compared to the past, and that's certainly been a gradual evolution.

I'm good with diligent tracking of all things, but only for a certain amount of time. I'm not entirely sure how to change that. I've tried all the apps, and even have a paid subscription to chronometer. It's made me more aware of my macros in general, but it gets incredibly tedious, and I just don't keep up with it for the long haul. And the scale makes me crazy with its fluctuations. I know, I know. It's just data. Just information. But it still holds such emotional power for me.

I'm simply making it a goal to work on that and to commit to stepping on the scale daily through P4.

I am OK with the fact that I really just can't eat sugar and starches or much carbs at all if I'm to maintain the weight at which I feel best. I accept that. But it's another thing to accept writing down and quantifying everything I eat. Maybe I'll get there. Maybe not. It could be the best I care to do is to use the scale as a tool and make corrections sooner rather than later. That's been the trajectory so far.

Or maybe I'll come to accept that counting macros most days is the way to feel good in my body on a more permanent basis. We'll see. It's the continuing experiment. . . .

Savannah and wilsonblack,

I get that tracking can be tedious. I continue because I am reversing Type 2 diabetes with a ketogenic diet. If I stray too much from my targets, my BS readings get too high as well as my A1c. And of course, I gain weight. I keep exploring my carb limits, seeking what is sustainable for me.

that is a different situation and completely understandable. Sounds like you are on a very solid path either way. For me, the instant feedback on the scale prompts me to look back the previous couple days to analyze what I am eating. In P3 and 4, the feedback can be delayed by a couple days in regards to the scale.

Little Friday update:

Weight has been slow to come off this week. It seems my body really likes to be in the mid 220's. Last week breaking past 227 was a struggle. This week I have been stuck in the mid 222 range. Finally this morning, had a 2lb drop to 220.4. At this point, I am a total of 17.4lbs down from post load. I still am not buying my pre-load weight of 242 so am disregarding it in terms of using it as a start point to tabulate weight loss results. I am about a pound and a half or so from where I thought I would end up so everything is on target. Measurements are right on track compared to previous rounds. I have lost 3 inches off of my hips and waist. Lost all the fat or puffiness in my face. All in all, results are consistent with past rounds and I am right on track.

Last dose day is either Monday or Tuesday. I will make that determination after Monday's weigh in. Anything around 218-219 and I am done-zo. I am off of work the 23rd and 24th and would prefer to be full day P3 food on those days if I can manage. Since I this is only a planned interruption my goals are different. I find comfort in knowing that I still have a couple more weeks to get to the results I want and am under no pressure to hit a certain number right now. I like that feeling.

Speaking of "like that feeling", I absolutely LOVE the fact that instead of giving in to the normal holiday eating habits and feeling physically "yucky", I am losing weight. Instead of beginning a round in January, I will be finishing off what I hope is the most successful round in my personal protocol history. I have been tinkering with this protocol since I came back to it in 2019 and think I have found the formula. And by that I mean a long round with a planned interruption in the middle. It just makes so much sense in terms of utility and reason.

I have always understood that a 30-40 day protocol would be better both in terms of weight loss and stabilization, but to be honest, 23-25 days is the longest I can do this consecutively. Anything longer is not the most reasonable request. I am very interested to see what my attitude is when I pick up the protocol on January 3rd as well as how I am going to be feeling the second week of January. I am very curious if the weight loss is going to be a slow crawl. My target weight is 209. Can I get there? Does it matter? So many questions. It is cool to turn over new ground either way and I will learn even more about this protocol and myself. Exciting.

Either way, I know that if I did the same thing as I have in all previous rounds, I would end up at 218-219. It would be a successful round and I would be happy. But during P3, I would be fighting my body which would be trying hard to get back to its comfort zone which is somewhere around 224lbs. Certainly in P4, my body will win out and I will end up in the mid 225's. And at some point, a few bad decisions will push that envelope to the high 220's and so on. Sound familiar?

But hey, a couple of years ago, my body LOVED being in the mid 240's and the outside range was in the 250's when I was careless, and over 260 when completely out of control. So over time, I have made a positive change. It didn't happen overnight. My ultimate goal is to get my body trained to where it is comfortable in the low to mid 210's. That is why my goal is 209. It isn't going to happen in a single protocol session. It might take more than a couple rounds to make that stick. Kind of like house training a puppy. You cannot reach your goal by taking him outside one time and expect to never find poop in the house again. It is a long process involving repetition, consistency and persistence. Over time the results will stick and all that hard work will fade into memory.

Negatives or bad vibes? Yeah I am really starting to experience some food boredoms. I really get into ruts and don't mix things up enough. Really sick of seafood. I need to mix things up better. Something I need to improve on. Still not hungry to be honest. No mental cravings. Not even wine. I did dream about food the last 2 nights so maybe my body is telling me something. I assume that by next week those feelings will intensify so the planned interruption will be quite timely.

That is it for today, I hope you all have a great weekend.

Love your attitude, as always, WB. It's so healthy to keep the long view in mind and remember that the ups and averages aren't as high as they used to be--and to allow for a moving target in terms of goal weight. I generally get to the same place as I get further on in my rounds.

I'm only on day 5 of VLCD, so reading your reflection on the first half of your round pre-PI is really helpful. Thank you. My PI will come the first week of January--if our trip actually happens. Omicron has me a bit nervous for one of my friends who has a fairly new set of lungs. I'm just not sure if it will be safe for him to travel. But I may do a PI regardless, mostly because doing one during my last round was such a good experience.

Enjoy every moment of those P3 foods and your holidays!

Great to have you back Wilsonblack. Thanks for sharing your round! Do always love your updates. I’ll be on a new year round soon too. It’s funny how we always seem to head back to want to head back to old set points!

All the best for your round!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk