Eating Clean vs. Correction Days

How do you know if you should eat clean or do a correction day? Fairly often, we tell individuals who struggle with a gain to “eat clean,” but few people understand what that means. Here is a quick review of when to do a correction day – and when NOT to do a correction day.

1.  If you are in phase 3 and have gone over 2 lbs of the last dosage weight (LDW). Dr. Simeons indicates in Pounds and Inches that if you have gone over the 2 pounds, you must do a correction day on the same day that the 2 pounds is registered.  When you begin Phase 3, there may be a few times when you are adding new foods that this will happen.   The goal of Phase 3 is to identify the foods that cause you to gain.  In working with many individuals, I have learned a few things that usually cause gains in Phase 3.  It could be an introduction of new foods, the presence of hidden sugars (sucrose, sucralose), using too much dairy too quickly, or surpassing the caloric intake.  Also, many get lax in Phase 3 and will cheat or drink alcohol which will cause them to retain water and gain.  Click here for the correction days link.

2.  Eating clean vs correction days. Eating clean is another option to help you re-stabilize.  When we refer to this, we want you to cut all dairy and fats out of your diet for a few days.  Eat Phase 2 foods in larger quantities in order to reach your calories for the day.  This will usually correct the problem within a few days.  Why do we prefer this method?  After you have been in Phase 3 for a while or are in Phase 4,  you can usually identify what you did to gain.  Eating clean places you back in the conscious mind of eating healthy and you will make better choices once you have done this for a few days and will hopefully hesitate to introduce sugars or chemicals to your body.

3.  Do you do a correction day if your gain is hormonal or because of TOM? In almost all cases, no.  If you are tracking your gains, you will see a pattern of when you have hormone-related gains.  It is very common for the body to retain fluid during this time to help you go through the normal process.  This always corrects itself.  Make sure there is no other reason for the gain and try to eat clean and get your vitamins and drink the recommended amount of water; it will balance itself back out.

4.  Back-to-back correction days? We do not recommend this.  If you feel there is a need for this then there is a problem that needs to be identified during Phase 3.  Check the Phase 3 tab and see what you are doing wrong.  Eat clean for a few days and get back on track.

5.  Are there any other correction days for Phase 2? The only correction day in Phase 2 is the apple day which is indicated for stalls only.  If you cheat on Phase 2, doing a correction day will slow down your overall process.  It is better to get back to following the protocol correctly and expect a 3 day delay due to the cheat.  Click here for Phase 2 Basics.

Don’t stress over the gains.  Eat healthy and get back on track in order to take it off and leave it off!

31 Comments

  1. Cat56ri on January 21, 2011 at 4:11 pm

    Thanks so much for this post. I am on R2 D16 and doing well. But last round, i was so confused as to what to do on P3 and P4 with gains. A lot of people have asked this question as well, this was very informative!

    • Shawna Culp on January 21, 2011 at 4:14 pm

      Your welcome! I hope the Phase 3 tips help everyone stabilize.
      Shawna Culp

  2. HappyWithNewMe on January 22, 2011 at 2:12 am

    This was a great help and explanation. I found in P3 that I was gaining and of course thought to mayself, “This works for everyone else but me…I know it!!!” Not the case. I found the best thing to do is to think it through and not overcorrect. I feel like correction days can lead to overcorrection, which messes things up more. Carol said to wait it out and your body will begin to settle into one weight. And it did! It was like a pendulum swinging madly and then less and less until it stuck in one spot (within 4 ozs…). Truly amazing and the protocol works for me too!

  3. Phase 4 Guide | Miracle Skinny Drops on March 4, 2011 at 10:02 am

    […] 1.  Eat clean and increase protein versus correction days. […]

  4. Anonymous on April 11, 2011 at 10:59 pm

    If you stabilized properly you should drop the weight in a few days by just eating clean. Watch my vlog on eating clean. I am a little concerned because as this is a large gain. Most don’t gain that much in P4 and usually correction days don’t work. Eating clean for a few days gets the gained weight off so try that first and see if you can drop all gained weight. If it doesn’t come right off then I think you didn’t stabilize properly. I would need more info to determine this. I personally believe in staying in P3 if you are going to do another round and not introduce unhealthy sugars and starches. There are so many food choices that are good for you that don’t have sugar. So at this point don’t eat any sugar and starches, do another round and let us know if you have questions or need help stabilizing. you can contact us through the form on the contact page.

    • Erika on April 12, 2011 at 12:36 am

      Hmmm, then maybe I didn’t stabilize like I thought I did. I did have some jumps here and there but after a correction day I was back to normal. I had some issues after my TOM with the stabilizing but after the water weight was loss I was at 1.4 over my LIW, no need for a correction day. I am definately sure that the foods I ate may have had some sugar in them (spices, marinades, etc), no matter what I chose that I thought was P3 appropriate. Well its the end of the day and I did a cheese and apple day today along with drinking 2 liters of water, due to drink another liter when I get home to make 3, so hopefully this will help jump start the loss. I have planned to eat clean tomorrow and will work on focusing on stabilizing before I start another round. But to tell you truth the whole P3 experience has been a bit frustrating as, like another poster put it, why can’t I stabilize like the other people on this page. I considered myself not worrying about it and then I see that I am up 6lbs. Anyhow thank you for the advice you have been helpful.

      • Shawna Culp on April 12, 2011 at 12:40 am

        Erika:

        Email me for help I would like to look at your menus and see if I can
        identify the problem foods. Thanks! Shawna@mediapowertools.com 🙂

        Shawna Culp
        Media Producer
        http://mediapowertools.com
        480-275-1044

      • Anonymous on April 12, 2011 at 2:04 pm

        Were you stable for 21 days without a correction day? Please email Shawna or get into our facebook support group as we can tell you from experience we can get this. We’ve seen it before and sometimes just looking at the menu we can spot the problem. If the next round will be your last, then you will want to make sure you stabilize properly. it’s key for lifelong skinny jeans 🙂

        • Blondy0903 on September 17, 2011 at 1:08 pm

          If you don’t do a correction day but are over your LDW and are just eatin clean, do you still start over on counting your 21 stable days?
          Thanks!

          • Anonymous on September 17, 2011 at 2:48 pm

            Yes, you need to be stable for 21 consecutive days. 



          • mariag on October 18, 2011 at 9:59 am

            hi carol i am new to this blog and i read your message that i need to be stable for 21 consecutive days most of those 21 days i was up and down 4 to 6 ounces as of today i am on p4 and i am nervous because i don’t know if i stabilize



          • Shawna Culp on October 18, 2011 at 10:08 am

            any weight fluctuation up or down of 2 lbs is considered stable. Your body will naturally fluctuate ounces depending on what you eat and how much water you are carrying.



          • JJ on March 15, 2012 at 6:07 am

            I am on day 14 of phase 3. I have been stable the whole time. Yesterday morning, after 3 days of constipation, I was over by .2oz when I weighed myself first thing. My Smooth Move Tea kicked in after being up for about an hour, still nothing to eat or drink at this pont. After my bathroom break I was back in the 2lb window, by a lot. I did a steak day anyway. Was it even necessary? Do I have to start over the 21 stable days? thanks!



          • Shawna Culp on March 15, 2012 at 6:10 am

            no I would not start over when you have an issue like that or hormone fluctuations



          • carolensminger on October 18, 2011 at 5:15 pm

            You are doing great at a 4-6 oz fluctuation 🙂

            Thank you,
            Carol

            Transform your health through the power of smart choices.



  5. Stalls Happen « Miracle Skinny Drops on April 12, 2011 at 8:42 am

    […] Eating Clean vs Correction Days […]

  6. Kstout on April 23, 2011 at 1:56 am

    I have stalled out in my weight loss but I am still losing inches….how can that be????

  7. Sussisystems1 on June 10, 2011 at 5:12 pm

    I’ve read everything I can find about eating clean to stabilize.  I really never did stabilize, as I added too many things too quickly…  heavy cream, walnuts, cheese, even berries.  My LDW was 118.2, and I loved how thin I was. Today I’m 125.4. Since I started P3 on 4/6/11, the closest I’ve been to LDW is 120, but have spent most of my time at 122.  I’ve put fat back on my hips, outer thighs and tummy, going from a size 4 back up to a 6.    I added wine in P4, but really shouldn’t have gone to P4 as I was still bouncing.  Sigh….  What to do? Haven’t added sugar or starch, except for a bite of birthday cake. No bread, carrots, potatoes, rice, wheat, gluten, etc. Tried cheese and gave it up. Tried yogurt and stopped. Gave up heavy cream. Gave up fruit.  Just proteins, veggies and fats…..and lots of water, coffee, tea and coconut milk in my coffee.    I’ve done correction days, clean eating days, and don’t get lower than 122.   In the article above, you say clean eating means no fat, and in other articles, it says have mayo with chicken, for example.  I’m willing to ‘eat clean’ for as long as it takes to get back down, but am wondering if I just need to do another round.  My goal was 115 and losing the abnormal fat on my hips, thighs, knees, and reducing thyroid and adrenal meds.  At 118.2, I was almost there, and cut my meds by 2/3, but never stabilized. If I eat clean, it works and I get back to 118.2, will the fat come off again or should I just do another round to get from 125 to 115-118?   Thanks, Susan

    • Shawna Culp on June 10, 2011 at 5:43 pm

      Susan I would do another short round and get under your goal weight to give
      you a buffer for hormone gains and fluctuations. You sound like you have a
      dairy intolerance so when you are ready for p3 make sure you let me know and
      will go through it with you to get you stabilized correctly. Email if you
      need me: shawna@mediapowertools.com
      Shawna Culp

    • Helenmforaker on December 19, 2011 at 12:02 am

      You weight is the same mine , have you gone back down…? I go from 118-124 in a week, then I have to eat clean for 5 days to get back down. I cannot eat any bread or drink wine without huge gains.

    • Helenmforaker on December 19, 2011 at 12:02 am

      You weight is the same mine , have you gone back down…? I go from 118-124 in a week, then I have to eat clean for 5 days to get back down. I cannot eat any bread or drink wine without huge gains.

  8. Ruth on June 16, 2011 at 3:51 pm

    On another website, in addition to the apple day in P2, some people seemed to have good results with a protein day — eating 500 calories of protein (that is, 500 calories of lean meat) ONLY protein for one day.  Has anyone here tried that? 

    • Shawna Culp on June 16, 2011 at 3:55 pm

      I am not against a protein day especially if you are having signs of protein
      deficiency as indicated in Pounds and Inches. Not using it to just break a
      stall. Stalls happen for different reasons and it is best to isolate what
      is going on and correct it that way. Read about stalls:
      http://miracleskinnydrops.com/2011/04/stalls-happen/

      Shawna Culp

  9. Stargazer83 on October 19, 2011 at 2:53 pm

    So, I have a huge problem.  It has been a year since my last round and I had done two rounds.  I did great, stabilized during phase 3 and reached my goal In August 2010.  I actually lost a little bit more (15lbs) through eating healthy and being active from August to Jan 2011.  For the past 5 months I have gained back to my LDW and plus 13lbs. (Total of 28lbs) Yes, I will admit, I ate bad stuff and completely regret it!  I started the drops and P2 last friday. I lost seven lbs the first couple of days and I am stalled for the third day and feel absolutely horrible, lethargic, can’t concentrate and have absolutely no energy.  Is there any way I can correct the gains without having to go back on the drops? Would clean eating do it?  I tried correcting it myself without the drops but the scale wouldn’t budge back down, not sure what I was doing wrong maybe just not disciplined enough like I was before.  Frustrated! 

  10. Roselys Lopez on July 25, 2012 at 5:35 pm

    could I mix vegetables on cleaning days?? or i could have to follow the same rules of P2!

  11. Josie Stamper on September 10, 2015 at 7:35 am

    I have lost 15 pounds the last two weeks on the drops and so has my husband. We are both very happy as we are both in our late sixties and want to continue looking nice in our clothes. I still look in the mirror and see a huge stomach and I wonder if its some type of mental issues I have with myself. Just curious about others?

  12. Laura Kolarik on February 22, 2016 at 7:14 am

    Hey Shawna, Iv’e been P4 and stable for a very long time now and suddenly last week I jumped 2lb., I did a steak day which has always worked in the past and this time no change. I thought that was strange so I did a detox bath which has also always worked in the past and once again no change, now I am freaking out!! What can I do, is there a different option for correction?

    • admin on February 22, 2016 at 1:42 pm

      email me your menu and we can do a full review.. it could be not menu related at all and that is why menu corrections are not moving the scale

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