P3TOLIFE INTERVIEW EPISODE 24

Prior to going on the hCG diet, Jessica’s weight ranged from 132 - 135 pounds. The first round she did was before her wedding where she was able to go down to 126 pounds. Afterwards, she started gaining weight again but she was able to go down to 126 pounds again after she went on another round.

Aside from being gluten-sensitive, Jessica also has to deal with a couple of autoimmune disorders - limited scleroderma and mixed connective tissue disease. She had to take medication for those conditions which she believe led to her weight gain because while she was on it, she kept gaining despite working out regularly.

Jessica also shared that she was wary of doing hCG injections because of her autoimmune conditions, as well as being afraid of doing injections (I can relate because I had to have my husband do my first injection :D). It was after she saw my hCG injection tutorial video that she decided she would give it a try. She was totally relieved after her first injection because it was really not bad at all. (For those of you needing more assurance that it is really not as painful as you think it is)

Jessica’s latest hCG round - which according to her has been her best so far - lasted for 23 or 24 days and she had 10 to 20 pounds to lose. During her loading phase, she went up to 129 pounds from being 126. She ended at 115.9 pounds, losing almost 15 pounds of weight in just a little over 3 weeks.

Jessica’s hcg dose was 12.5 units (or 125 iu). Higher doses are typically used when you’re heavier, so a low dose worked best for Jessica since she did not have a lot of weight to lose. She said that she had always had a tiny waist in general or a thinner upper body, but she was much bigger down. Overall, she went down 3 pants sizes from time she was 130 plus pounds and is currently a size 0 in most things.

During P2, at what rate did your weight loss happen?

Jessica actually decided to stop one day early because her weight was already under what she had set it out to be. In the beginning of P2, her weight came off really fast. Then, going into her third week, she had a period where she stayed at the exact same weight for 5 days in a row. For Jessica, it was a discouraging thing to see whenever she got on the scale.

According to Jessica, she was able to break out of her weight stall after she contacted one of the diet coaches from Diet Doc (Jessica has tried Nu Image Medical too, but her most recent hCG supply was from Diet Doc). After asking about her diet, her coach advised her to eat more protein and vegetables. Although she cannot remember her exact calorie intake (the coach did the math on the calories), Jessica was sure she was definitely eating above 500 calories. Immediately the following day, she had broken out of her stall.

“I am able to keep the weight off easy because of P3 to Life.”

During P2, Jessica also had hCG approved shakes (also from Diet Doc) which she says helped a lot because she was not as hungry between meals. Because of the shakes, which she had twice a day, she did not eat as many fruits as she did in the past. She also used lipotropic shots during her plateau which she used for 5 days in a row.

Protocol Variations

During our interview, Jessica and I also talked very briefly about my P2 recipe book which is a work in progress. 🙂 Some of the recipes in the book would be according to the original Dr. Simeon’s no fat meals, while some would be what I am calling AP or Alternate Protocol recipes where you can use some off protocol veggies or things like coconut oil if you are going on a higher count calorie diet.

Speaking of coconut oil, Jessica shared how it has been very helpful for her. A lot of you know that I am still on the fence when it comes to coconut oil that’s why I was really glad that she shared her experience. According to Jessica, she was advised to use MCT oil but that she had asked if coconut oil could be used as a substitute and she was told it was okay. She loves using coconut oil for cooking and has used it consistently throughout her recent round and it has not had any negative impact on her weight loss.

Jessica remembers how during her other rounds, she was told not to eat breakfast at all. However, during her latest round, she was able to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner along with her shakes which really made it the best round she ever did. Her regular breakfast meal - three tablespoons of egg whites with spinach which she would cook in half a tablespoon of coconut oil (she would use another half tablespoon of coconut oil to cook her veggies at night, making her total coconut oil intake to one tablespoon a day).

Just a side discussion: perhaps many of you are wondering why increasing her calorie intake was okay for Jessica. Some of you may have read or heard of Robin Woodall’s book “Weight Loss Apocalypse” where the science behind how the hCG protocol works on the body is discussed. We all know that leptin is a hormone that controls the feelings of hunger and satiety and the book talks about how hCG raises your leptin levels so that you don’t feel hungry. However, the stimulation of leptin levels may differ depending on a person’s size or weight. In a heavier person, the hCG hormone can easily stimulate leptin levels, but when you’re thinner it does not seem to do it as well, so you have to bump up your calories in order to get around the hunger.

Some of the veggies Jessica regularly ate during her round included zucchini, lots of spinach, asparagus, cucumbers, tomatoes, cauliflower (just a couple of times).

Jessica also shared that she bought all her meats from hcgdietstore.com. She did admit to being a little nervous at first to buy from them thinking that they were just some random store online, but she ended up being very satisfied with her purchases. The fat from the meats are removed and they came in a cold pack and individual pouches. Jessica tried the sampler at first, then from there she ordered what she liked. She recommends veal, steaks, ground beef, sirloin tips, chicken, and shrimp as the best ones. She also purchased salad dressings from the store, like honey mustard which uses stevia, that she would use on her cucumbers.

Since we’re talking salad dressings, there is a brand called Bare Foods and they have a variety of calorie-free dressings sweetened with stevia. There are so many variants including barbecue sauce, honey mustard, etc.

Have a Plan

Jessica talked about how a lot of her friends thought she was crazy when they found out she going on a diet because they thought she was skinny anyway. “Anybody who is watching this video who only needs to lose 10 pounds probably get the same thing from other people. But I don’t care. This is my body.” Jessica says.

Jessica further mentions that she is happy knowing that if she ever get sick one day [from her autoimmune disease], she is already down at her weight. Despite her condition, she wants to be on top of everything, work out, eat healthy, stay at a decent weight because when she gets older and gets sick she doesn’t want to have to battle the weight too.

When asked about her recommendations to those who plan on going on the diet, Jessica recommends having a food plan because it’s so easy to get off track. That is why she suggests trying out Diet Doc because it worked for her.

More importantly, Jessica recommends going into the hCG diet with a plan in terms of your schedule. Before her last round, Jessica made sure that she was going to have 6 weeks without any interruptions - no events or any activities that will involve eating and drinking out. I totally agree with her on this. Lack of planning has been the problem with most failed hCG rounds. Why set yourself up for difficult situations that you're not confident you’re going to sail through?

“Whatever journey anybody chooses is hard to do, you know what you need to change but it’s a challenge to make that commitment. hCG changed me in that regard because I knew that if I went off track, I’m going to gain weight immediately. Basically, it kept me regimented.” Jessica explains.

“Some people take the nutrition and exercise route, but it was taking me forever to get the results I wanted.” She further explains. “I know that some people think hCG is cheating, but it’s not because you still have to work so hard during the diet.” I totally agree. hCG is just a more efficient way to help lose weight more quickly. The duration for doing hCG may be short, but it’s really hard and requires a lot of discipline. Another advantage, aside from the weight loss, is it helps you make better eating choices. Your health is worth it. Be willing to do something different for a few weeks to change your life, you can eat out and have fun after.

Does she still cheat here and there? Jessica says, “Yes. Although, maybe just once or twice a year at this point.”

“I stopped eating sugar and I don’t miss it.” According to Jessica, she doesn’t like super sweet things anymore and she doesn’t drink soda. “You get used to the good food. Try it, eventually your body won’t even want the old stuff anymore.” Jessica did admit to still liking Popeye’s chicken and how she still has it once a year. 🙂

Jessica recently celebrated her birthday but did not have anything because she ended her round the day before her birthday. What did she do to enjoy her special day? “I went out and got all my birthday rewards at the stores. I got $5 off a pair of shoes.”

Now speaking of Jessica’s birthday, I gets a lot of emails from those asking if they can cheat on their anniversary, birthday, etc. All I can really advise is, DON’T. It’s not worth it. Don’t mess up what you’ve worked so hard on. That is why Jessica’s advice about planning or scheduling your diet is spot on.

More of Jessica’s advice - If you’re going to do it, do it right. Do not cheat if you can. Why go through all the hard work if you’re just going to blow it? And do P3 TO LIFE because it’s been the best for me.

“Your website saved me, all your videos, that’s why as soon as I saw P3 to Life, I just knew I had to have it.”

I hope you ladies enjoyed watching and reading about Jessica’s hCG and P3 to Life experience as much as I enjoyed interviewing her.

(P.S. I will try to feature more ladies who have weight loss goals within the 10 to 20 pound range. I know that 10 to 20 pounds is a small number compared to needing to lose 60 to 70 pounds. I remember when I was still 50 pounds overweight, losing the first half of it was quick and easy. Then as my body’s metabolic rate decreased because of having a smaller body, I could not shed the rest of the weight off as easily.)