P3TOLIFE INTERVIEW EPISODE 30

Kass & Jeff's Experience with:

the P3toLife Program During Phase 3 of the hCG Protocol

 

What were/have been your biggest concerns when contemplating going into P3?

I was scared about how to navigate going from 500-600 calories/day to more normal eating.  I was worried about adding in too much too soon (types of food and calories).  We didn’t want to put the phase 2 weight back on. 

 

What did the P3 program provide to you that you feel like you didn't have before without it in past Phase 3s?

Previously there was absolutely no structure and it was like flying blind.

Jeff has done several attempts of HCG with good results on P2 but slowly after P3, the weight would creep back on. 

My one previous attempt at HCG was a complete train wreck. 

 

How did you end up following the P3tolife program - did you do the original plan, the simplified, or build your own meal plan or just tweaks to one of these? Can you give a few details of how you utilized the program and tailored it to yourself and your circumstances?

We did the original, basic plan.  Simple to follow and easy to use.  We used the recipes but just had bigger portions to accommodate teaching kickboxing and going to Crossfit. 

We did ramp up the calories pretty quickly.  Probably within the first week we were at least 1500 calories. 

The transition from P2 to P3 within that first week resulted in a couple of pounds lost almost immediately. 

 

Did you have to do any correction days during P3 this time and if so, what do you think was the cause and how did your correction day(s) go?

No correction days…not even close. My highest weight in P3 (once I started to stabilize) has been 134.5 and that was on my period.  The window has been consistent with 132-134 (including hormonal days).  I’ve even been in the 131’s a couple of times.

Jeff has been between 193-195 for his window. 

 

In a nutshell, can you share your tangible results from following the P3tolife program? - how your weight has been while following the P3 program?

We have never been so weight stable ever in our lives. 

Previously, we were athletes and in good shape but I’ve never tracked my weight as consistently as I am right now.  I’m actually surprised how well it stabilized (and quickly).  I would say within week 2-week 3 of Phase 3 you could see the volatility of the scale stop and everything leveled out.

We have our In-body results which tell us how much body fat and stuff we have. 

Currently, throughout HCG I lost 11% body fat and at least 4% while doing Phase 3.  I know Jeff had similar results.

How did you feel about the portion sizes & taste of the P3 meals? Did the portions and taste of the food make any difference in how you felt about eating/relationship with food while on p3? If you still felt hungry, how did you adapt it to add calories?

We love the P3tolife food.  Love the portion sizes which have helped us learn how to make more volume of food. We just keep rotating thru our fav meals and recipes and it literally sits on the kitchen counter every day.  The after-dinner smoothies have been game-changers. 

 

Can you share a little about your personal life- ie work full time/part time, kids or hubby or school? Would love to hear how you made the logistics work of cooking the program with whatever time constraints you deal with. How did you manage to fit in preparing the meals with your schedule each week?

Portion, taste, everything was awesome in P3.  We just added more portions of the same foods if we were hungry.  One of the biggest rules we did follow was not adding in stuff but the P3 program said too.  We stayed mindful of that plus the weighing everyday made sure to keep us on track.  By following the P3 protocol we discovered that eggs are not very agreeable to me (but I can have some every 4 days or so) and that Jeff becomes very congested with dairy. 

 

Have you struggled on past p3's and if so what were your struggles? Did the P3 program help address these struggles/how so?

Jeff was previously a nationally ranked fighter.  He has been in the martial arts world for almost his whole life.  Tangentially I have also been involved with martial arts for the majority of my life.  I have 4 black belts and he has 8.  For most of our lives, we have been athletic and enjoyed doing new activities like Crossfit, or surfing or scuba diving.  When we have the time, we love to get outside and be active. Currently, we own two fitness kickboxing studios.  I am also a chiropractor. Jeff has two teenagers from a previous marriage.  We just got married in Key West October 2020.  We have been business partners for almost a decade.  We have done a lot of life together from business to his kids, to caregiving for my relatives, deaths, house fires.  Thru the stress of the last couple of years is why we got off track and put weight on. We are busy and would meal prep on weekends, batch cook recipes, take turns cooking, and use Instacart to save time on grocery shopping. 

My one and only other time trying HCG I didn’t even make it thru P2.  Jeff has done probably 3 or 4 other rounds of HCG and he said he didn’t really do anything for P3 besides weighing every day.  He said it was difficult with no guidance. With a firmly laid out plan it was easy to follow, food tastes great and every day was like an exciting adventure especially those first couple weeks after P2.

 

Were there any positive results from following the plan that surprised you, that you weren't expecting? Have you learned anything new from the program?

We lost more weight on P3.  Surprised the food was so good.  The recipes really got us out of our routine.  So much variety and it made it easier to stick with the plan.  

 

What were one or two of your favorite recipes in the plan?

We love the after-dinner smoothies (PB, chocolate, oreo).  Your P2 cookbook with the meatzas was a lifesaver and the different salad dressings. The spaghetti squash recipe is really good! To be honest I liked all of them except the ones with pea pods so I just started leaving those out of the recipes.  Otherwise, they were all good and we keep rotating thru all of them. 

 

 

Was there anything in the coaching section you found useful or that resonated with you and how so?

We made sure not to drink on P3. We thought the more we followed the plan, the better the results and outcomes would be (so we wouldn’t have to do the process all over again).

When we started P3 we watched the entire coaching section.  We did learn that using more ice is better for the after-dinner smoothies.  We also watched a nightly interview to help keep us motivated.  I also probably read your entire website for P2 and P3.  I really think MD’s that prescribe the HCG should have a link to your materials.  I bet the success rate would be way higher if HCGChica programs were used consistently.

 

Any other closing thoughts that you want to share about your experience with the program, or that might help others considering whether or not to give it a try?

I think if anyone is committed to eating 500 calories a day for a minimum of 3 weeks (and most of us don’t want to do that any more times than we need) than your programs are a must.

I liked that you had different versions for P2 and P3.  We did the original P2 plan as laid out by Dr Simeon. Your P2 cookbook was so helpful.  After 3 weeks of 500 calories the idea of trying to eat more on P3 sounded terrifying. 

Your P3 program was a very simple transition and the results were way better than we were expecting. 

 

What type of hCG did you use?

We did injections.