This is the tactic I always went for on my previous P3's (I never had the self control to even attempt Mistake #1 method!) Most of us ladies have eaten low carb at one point or another, maybe most of our adult lives. For me, my Phase 3's were really rocky, studded with multiple steak days as I tried to figure out why I was having such wild weight fluctuations on the scale. I couldn't figure it out because I was having NO grain, starch, or sugar whatsoever- not even fruit! What gives??
PROBLEM WITH THIS METHOD:
This is a very hit or miss method of stabilizing and maintaining weight loss.
Why is that?
This "method" is very vague without enough specifics, and it's very easy to overconsume food on a low carb diet, unless you have things really mapped out well. Many low carb foods pack a lot of calories for their size.
BASICALLY WITH THIS METHOD YOU DON'T HAVE TOO FEW OPTIONS, YOU HAVE TOO MANY OPTIONS WITH NO CLEAR BREAKDOWNS.
Sometimes eating just generally low carb without a real plan is a hit! So it works out just fine and great.
But lots of times, it's a miss - you gain weight and don't know why you're not stabilizing because after all, you're eating low carb!
So it's not that eating low carb is a bad idea- it's a good idea- but in order to make it a success we need more specific guidance than just "eat low carb". That phrase is simply too broad.
I'd like to show you one of my Pinterest vs P3toLife Duels where I demo the fact that when browsing recipes online, low carb recipes can look very similar, but in actuality be very different in calories and macros - which directly affects our ability to maintain weight loss (and this is exactly where the, 'man I'm doing everything right and eating low carb but gaining weight, what's going on???' thing comes from).
Now let's solve the challenge of knowing what TO DO (vs not to do) to really make your weight loss stick so that you can go enjoy your life and keep this new-you-body you're loving and be more present with your family and friends. I used to offer just a P3 foods list and that's it. But I don't do that anymore. Do you know why?
Because a list of foods is not the secret to maintaining your weight loss. You would be almost as lost as you were before you had that little list in your hands. There's lots of P3 food lists all over the internet, lots of hCG ladies have them on their phone or computer (maybe you!), but P3 and beyond continues to be a real pain point where it seems that weight loss is easily regained.
If these lists worked, we wouldn't see so many troubled hCG forum posts about P3.
Don't get me wrong theses lists aren't BAD - they are a start. But I have found they are not ENOUGH of an answer to produce consistent, reliable results for most ladies. When something isn't consistent or reliable, it's a toss-up if it will work for you personally, and to me, that's pretty nervewracking when it involves something we REALLY CARE ABOUT. Like maintaining our hard-earned, and I do mean hard-earned weight loss. Amiright?
It's not your fault if you've had trouble with P3! Or if it's your first time and don't know what to do. What are we to do when we just haven't had the info we need to do it right?
WHY is a list of P3 foods not the answer?
Because the real keys to successful maintenance are in the amounts, combinations of ingredients, and timing of what you eat. The actual ingredients you eat are just a small part of that. Without the rest of the puzzle pieces, you can't complete that weight maintenance picture. In the 8 years of maintaining my own weight loss, and in the years prior to that in gaining weight back from diets over and over, this is the piece I was missing back then, that I now have.
There are 7 exact strategies that we utilize in my P3toLife program and we will start breaking down each step. You will notice something about these 7 strategies. These strategies address something that is often ignored in the world of diet and nutrition.
YOUR MIND.
If you aren't happy with what you are eating, if it isn't tasty, if you aren't full and satiated, how long will that protocol really last?
P3 may be only 3 weeks, but maintaining weight loss is something that has to be done, well, forever. True long term maintenance is about learning the keys that you can carry with you for life - here they are - but don't worry we'll break each of these down!