Setting Priorities When Scheduling ©Biz • My HCG Journey Newsletter • September, 2008   It’s time, it’s the end of summer, and we are headed for what could be the most difficult time in the year to be on Protocol – the Fall and Winter. Back in December of 2007, I wrote a very thought provoking post in my Blog – I had just watched several people try to make it thru “Social Occasions” with very little success.  Often the deviations they took lead them down a path with which there seemed to be no recovery.  It was this vicious cycle that prompted me to write this article, and I am reposting it here, with hopes that it might help you with scheduling issues in the future. Please understand that the following are just my thoughts – as a fellow member following the HCG Protocol – I have NO authority, just experience. December 7, 2007 - After a very thought provoking conversation with a fellow HCG Blogger the other day, I finally have my head in the right place to discuss this thing I have been wanting to for more than a week now. Thanks goes to this blogger for knowing what to say and the right questions to ask so that I finally knew how to approach it. The following is going to be very random, I am writing as I am thinking and don’t want to concentrate too much on structure so be prepared for haphazard points. This whole thought process stems from a post way back at the beginning of November on the HCG2 Yahoo Groups board that spoke about what the plans were for everyone over the fall break coming up at the end of the month. The post had a certain tone about it, most likely not intended, but none the less it was there. It could totally be my perception so keep that in mind. It spoke about being strong enough to make it thru the break while on P2 – that there would be other family functions in the future and that we should all be committed enough to the program to be able to face this head on. Well that struck me odd. Let me tell you why. When JPS and I scheduled our rounds, we took into account the times when the entire family would be home and we timed the rounds so that we would be on ‘breaks’ while these things were going on. Part of our reasoning was that we did want to have the family have to suffer because we couldn’t eat what they are eating. Now that may sound strange to you, especially since we daily deal with our family. But these are special times. These are breaks from school, breaks from work, special occasions. Why make the program harder than it already is. Not to say that the protocol is HARD, because in reality, this is one of the simplest ‘diets’ I have ever been on. But to take a special occasion, where food is a ‘focal’ point and totally disregard the effect food has on the emotional well being of the gathering, well, that is just making things harder than they need to be. Food is supposed to be fun, isn’t that what we are all learning? Food isn’t meant to be a contest of wills. We are trying to learn new habits, and new ways of considering food. Some occasions happen only once in a year, some others only happen once in a lifetime. Why spend it being miserable, because ultimately you know that is what is going to happen. The comment from this particular poster almost (keyword ALMOST) made me feel like I was weak because I was choosing to take a break during these special times. But then I watched several people not make it thru this special occasion and feel all kinds of guilt, remorse, and just plain miserable because they ‘caved’ under the pressure of the occasion. Would it have been better to realize that these occasions are meant to be special, and treat them as such? What is the lesser of two evils? Realizing this is a special occasion, taking a PLANNED interruption (as long as you have gone thru the 21 injections like Dr S says) of a couple of days, and getting back on plan, maybe losing a total of 4 or 5 days OR thinking you will make it thru, and for whatever reason you don’t, and it stalls you for a week with the added guilt and miserable feelings you end up with for not being strong enough to resist the temptation. To me, it’s a recipe for disaster. We are social creatures; eating time is an important time for us. It’s a time for fun, talk, and sampling of life’s delicacies. It may be just me, and it may be just human tendency, but when given the “permission” to do something, it’s just not that fun anymore to do it. For example, if I take the time off from the protocol, and I am allowed to eat P3 foods, my will is not tested as much as if I was to be on a strict P2 thing during that same time. So my chances to just say “the heck with it” are slimmer if given permission than if not. Does making these planned interruptions make me weak? That is what I have been struggling with. I have finally come to the conclusion that no it does not. I am strong, and I am getting stronger each day. My decisions are my own. Nobody should insinuate to anyone whether or not they are capable of being ‘strong’ enough to make it thru special times. Please understand I am not talking about the everyday things that come up from day to day, like “hey, can we meet for lunch” thing. I am talking about those things you know MONTHS ahead of time about. Weddings, holidays, anniversaries. These things happen far enough ahead of time for us to ‘work around’ the protocol. Seriously, we have in our hands the most miraculous thing I have ever seen. I know that each one of us have been on ‘diets’ before, and been trained to believe that once you lose, you will gain, so our mentality has been, HURRY, let’s get this off QUICK – because it will NEVER work the next time. But everyone, I am here to tell you it does. I am on my third round and this dang thing is STILL working. My first round was not a “golden” shot opportunity. I can always get back on this whenever I want KNOWING that it will work each and every time. It’s a personal decision. One that no one should feel bad about. I said numerous times to those that were going to go thru the fall break on P2 that they were “more than me” because I knew I couldn’t do it. But now I know I did not say that from a feeling of weakness, but from a feeling of strength. I want to enjoy my breaks with my family. If that means making me P3 acceptable foods that I can enjoy with my family, then by all means, I am not left out. Does that mean I can cook and handle food and TASTE it like all good cooks do without worry what harm it will do on my P2 plan, then buddy, sign me up! Again, this is not a contest of wills. This is a lifetime change we are making and one week out of the protocol is not going to produce disastrous results. I have a very dear online friend, who on the Sunday before the holiday decided she was going to change her decision about going thru P2 on that break. She stopped her doses, did her 72 hours, Wednesday she starting eating P3 foods, enjoyed the next 4 days eating pretty much what she wanted in the right proportions, but didn’t stress or miss out on anything. On Monday morning, she started her P2 again, only 1.5 lbs heavier. The next week she lost an additional 4 pounds. Did I consider her weak? NOPE! She knew in her heart that she would rather take the chance of eating well NOT on HCG, then being on HCG and blowing it. The point is, blowing it ON HCG is much worse then blowing it OFF HCG. See the picture? With HCG in your system, added foods are NASTY. Why take that chance? Anyway, I don’t want to convince anyone on either direction, just wanting to put it out there how I feel. Thanks for letting me ramble, and this probably is anticlimactic for all the buildup I gave to it. ©Biz • My HCG Journey Newsletter • September, 2008