WHAT'S PHASE 3 ALL ABOUT?
Phase 3 is broken into two three-week periods:
Phase 3A (where more food but no sugars and starches are allowed) and,
Phase 3B (where most foods are allowed and those containing sugar and starch are added in gradually)
TRANSITION INTO PHASE 3 FROM PHASE 2
- Begin Phase 3 (P3A) by "transitioning" into it. You've stopped spraying with HHCG, but your body needs a bit of time for it to work the HHCG out of itself.
- Maintain the 500 calorie a day diet until you start to get uncontrollably hungry. This usually takes between 24-72 hours, but everyone is different and may even happen sooner than 24 hours
- Don't go beyond three days on the 500 calorie diet during "Transition."
Record/Remember/Celebrate, etc. your LDW (Last Dosage Weight --aka, "LSW" or Last Spray Weight) -- the weight you reached on your last day dosing with HHCG at the end of P2. Bear this in mind as you go forward.
- You MUST weigh yourself every day without fail. This was Simeons' "one simple rule." Sorry, if you're going on holiday and your scale won't fit in your suitcase, buy a bigger suitcase or a smaller scale. No excuses. Weigh Every Day! Also,
- Keep an accurate food diary -- this will be invaluable to your success, as it will help identify trends and potential "food culprits." This is one of the only ways anyone will be able to help you troubleshoot any challenges you may encounter. Keeping a food journal is proven to help you DOUBLE your chances of weight loss and maintenance.
PHASE 3A
After your hunger returns, you'll have "officially" begun Phase 3A.
Since many people prefer a more regimented approach, finding your maintenance calorie amount and counting calories may be more desirable for you personally.
Keep in mind that it isn't necessary to count calories at all, if you choose not to. Simply follow the Handbook and eat when hungry, stop when you start to feel full, don't eat any starch/sugar (this includes bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, crackers, chips, etc. and many legumes/beans are caution items). Protein, fat, vegetables and some fruit are all OK, but eat some protein with every meal or snack. Eating fat isn't a problem and shouldn't be avoided. Starch/sugar should be avoided.
Find your maintenance calorie amount (use one of the calculators on the site) and use this number as a GENERAL GUIDELINE for daily calories.
- Daniel's Calculator (which is based upon your gender, age, height and activity level) OR
- Xexen's Calculator (which is generally based upon your rate of weight loss and amount of days on P2)
No calculator invented can give YOU the PRECISE number of maintenance calories YOU need, but you'll get a general idea of how many calories you should be eating to maintain your weight. Please don't post questions about why each calculator gives you different numbers --they are STARTING points only.
For the first day of P3A, continue eating the P2 foods (but in higher quantities), and every couple days add in a new non-P2 food and see how it affects your weight on the scale the next day (or the following day - see details below).
All through P3, you can now mix vegetables and even proteins and fruits...however:
- Now you can start to fold into your diet additional foods and beverages that were formally forbidden. Everything, that is, EXCEPT FOODS AND BEVERAGES CONTAINING SUGARS AND STARCHES.
- Most people can add fats (olive oil, butters, oils) without too much problem. These wouldn't really count as a "new food" item.
- Remember, your body has just spent a few weeks fueling itself with (stored) fat. It's a mistake to start eating "non-fat" or "low-fat" foods as a way to maintain. Most of these foods have added sugar to compensate for the blandness caused by removing the fat.
Add a new food (say, NON-SUGAR-CURED bacon with eggs cooked in butter for breakfast) and see how this affects your weight the following day.
If your weight doesn't fluctuate (or does so only slightly) you can give the "okay" to NON SUGAR-CURED bacon. Note, it sometimes take 2-3 days for a potential caution food to "show up" on the scale. Remember, everyone is different, other members may do fine with a food which tosses you into a ditch). You would do well to wait at least two days before trying another new food.
Next, you may want to try an omelet with cheese for breakfast. Perhaps, along with your lunch (again, P2 foods) have some cheese with your lunch meal. As you did previously, watch your results the next day or two. If you gain slightly, try reducing the amount of cheese the next day and see if this maintains your weight. Eventually, if you eat in this manner, you'll discover what foods (and in what quantity) tend to spike your weight.
- If at any point your weight exceeds 2 lbs. ( .9 kg) over your LDW you must perform a Steak Day (or Protein Day, see below) to bring your weight back down below LDW. This means GREATER THAN 2 lbs. over your LSW, and NOT 'exactly 2 lbs over'. Pay careful attention to what you ate the day before, as this will help you avoid another Steak Day.
- If you're hypoglycemic (or have other low-energy issues by not eating all day) you'd do a Protein Day instead of a Steak Day.
- A Steak/Protein Day typically brings your weight down under your LDW.
- You then continue the process throughout the remainder of the three weeks of P3A -- i.e., adding/trying only one new food until you know how it affects your weight.
PHASE 3B
As mentioned above, Phase 3B is also three weeks and immediately follows 3A (there's no "transition.")
- You MUST continue to weigh yourself every day.
- Almost all foods are allowed, including those with sugar and starch, BUT DO SO CAUTIOUSLY AND METHODICALLY.
- You add those new foods in the same methodical way you did in 3A. Again, any time you exceed 2 lbs. (.9 kg) over LDW, you must perform a Steak Day (always preferable to a Protein Day) to bring your weight back down.
SLOW BUT SIMPLE
Granted, this process is slow and sometimes tedious, but it's very simple. You must take the "long view" of this: what you're doing will help you maintain your new weight for the rest of your life (or, as the case may be, until your next Round). Yes, it can be frustrating. But TENS OF THOUSANDS of people have done P3 successfully and are reaping the rewards.
One last note:
A TROUBLE-FREE P3 FOR ME
Don't be overly concerned (and certainly don't panic!) if you "keep reading about so many people having trouble on P3." That's nonsense! An overwhelming majority of people do the protocol, maintain their weight AND NEVER POST A WORD ABOUT IT. With over 24,000 members (at the time of this post) the amount of people who have difficulty with Phase 3 are very few BUT THEY POST MORE! That's not to discount those who struggle, but the number of these folks are statistically very small. The 'odds' are very much in your favor for having a virtually trouble-free P3, and the information you'll gain along the way will be priceless.
We wish you all the best!
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