Elaina and I originally did our skype interview in 2017 - being that I have so many hCG projects I've been working on, it did not go live until 2019 (yikes sorry guys) - however, in a way, it's kind of cool because once we published Elaina's interview, she emailed me to let me know that's she still maintaining with P3toLife! Almost 2.5 years later.....how that's for results eh?
Elaina's Basic Stats
- Starting weight: 165.4 lbs
- LDW: 143 lbs
- She was able to maintain within .6 up and down with the P3tolife program
- No correction day on Phase 3
Elaina's Experience with:
THE P3TOLIFE PROGRAM DURING PHASE 3 OF THE HCG PROTOCOL
What were your biggest concerns when contemplating going into P3?
One of my biggest concerns going into P3 this time, was FAILURE. This is my 3rd or 4th round of HCG and I have ALWAYS gained the weight back slowly because I never learned how to cook the proper way for my body.
I would introduce the same foods back into my routine and within a year or two, I was right back up, loosing the same 25-30 pounds. I didn’t want that to happen this time.
If you were to explain to an hCGer in just a few sentences why the P3 program has been valuable to you, what would you tell them?
I would tell them that the P3tolife program is worth every penny!
I would also tell them that they will learn how to cook and learn to eat properly to maintain.
What did the P3 program provide to you that you feel like you didn't have before without it in past Phase 3s?
What to eat, how much to eat, how to cook the food for the new me.
I was always guessing… Oh I can have this, someone pinned it as P3, now I look at recipes and my mind starts turning… what is in the recipe, what do I need to change, what are the portions.
I have really learned so much over the 3 weeks of the Phase 3 Program.
How did you end up following the 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?
I used the Original Plan. The pre-set menu pretty much.
Toward the end of the 3 weeks, I changed some things (blueberries instead of blackberries for the cobbler). Highly recommend that.
I would then look at the difference in the two fruits and adjust my totals accordingly.
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?
I can PROUDLY say with this maintenance round, I had 0 (ZERO) CORRECTION DAYS…. YAYYYYYY!
I was so nervous going into P3 and then when I saw the portions, every morning I just expected to be up because I couldn’t wrap my head around how much I was eating and that it did NOT make me gain.
I was stunned every morning.
Can you share your tangible results from following the P3tolife program? - how your weight has been, while following the P3 program?
I started out this round at 165.4, with load weight I went to 169.8.
After 6 LONG weeks… (42 days) I was at 143.0.
I was able to maintain within .6 up and down.
The lowest I got while on P3 was 141.2. Right there but I would see what happen the next day. The next day came and I was right back to where I needed to be. So happy!
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?
The portions are unbelievable! I NEVER felt like I was on a diet.
I learn to cook correctly and learned I CAN enjoy food and not gain weight… IF I remain eating the way I am supposed to. I still have not introduced any flour or sugar or any of that bad stuff back into my diet and I still have no desire too as I am highly satisfied with what I am eating and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, THE DESSERTS!! Hello, sweet tooth.
I would double the recipes so that we all could eat dinner and then I would have my portion for lunch the next day. Worked out perfectly.
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?
I work part-time now with my Wed. being a ½ day due to a stroke that I had last year (1 yr anniversary just past). I struggle some days and others I am good. So I would come home rest for about an hour or so and then start on dinner.
My husband and grown step-daughter would eat the same things as me, except add brown rice for them. They have liked the recipes as well except for the butternut squash with rosemary. I think I did it wrong though and will try again but only for me as I am the only one in the family that likes butternut squash.
All the other recipes are keepers for us.
On Sunday, I would make my Chia pudding, egg breakfasts.. also surprised on the nutritional yeast.. great taste.. That would give me the “cheese” taste without the cheese. I sneak it in on them too and they do not know it…shhhh… =)
When it was mug bread day, I just made that the morning I would eat it.. so it all worked out perfect for our family.
Have you struggled on past p3's and if so what were your struggles? Did the P3 program help address these struggles/how so?
I did, as I mentioned above, I would always fail on maintenance. I was walking about 5 miles a day before the stroke to help keep my weight down.
I also have Hashimoto’s so it seemed I was always battling my weight. I take my thyroid med. (120mg Armour) and continued to take it through my program this time.
I did my first half marathon and then didn’t have a new goal and fell off the wagon for the most part but continued walking, just not as far, then the stroke and snowballed out of control. So when I hit my tipping point I said. This is the last one, going to do this right.
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?
Yes… I learned how to cook the way I should and how to plan my menu for the week so I know what we are having.
We would fall into the I am too tired to cook, let's just pick something up habit… bad bad bad.
Every day I expected to see a weight gain but never did. I was blown away.
What were one or two of your favorite recipes in the plan?
My favorite Oh gosh… You know I really liked them all but I would have to say the steak recipes, pork chops, chicken, chili, spaghetti squash…
My husband loved the curry, chili, pad thai and as I said before the desserts are amazing.
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 just want to say if you are hesitating to purchase the program as I did, please do it for yourself.
Rayzel, you have done such a wonderful job on this program and it truly is much easier to follow than I first thought.
I highly recommend people to buy this program. It is worth it! It is exactly what was needed in the HCG diet.
What type of hCG did you use?
I used drops.