Day 35 – evening update

Overall, the day went well, food-wise.  I even took my lunch with me to eat after the memorial service I attended today, and I stayed away from the buffet table.  Well, except for 2 very large strawberries that were scrumptious!

Then, when I got home, I finished my apple.  I still wanted a bit more, even though my stomach was actually full.  I got into the mixed nuts again, so we’ll see how the weight falls tomorrow.

Apparently, thinking of the next weight drop wasn’t enough motivation to stay away from the pantry!  It would have been easy to say “the heck with it” and had a drink, too, after this day of sadness and celebration.  But my hubby has been so supportive about everything, giving up would be a disrespectful action to him, as well.

So, I sat on the couch and watched TV with him and worked on knitting a helmet liner for the soldiers who are due to deploy in September.

And now, going to bed.  It’s been a long day.

Day 35

Weight: 175

Today the scale fluctuated between 174.5 and 175, so it’s probably right in between.  Either way I am on a downward trend!

I have a bad habit of weighing more than once in a row.  Bad, I say, because when the scale fluctuates back and forth between two weights I never know which one to pick.  Most people would take the low weight, but I don’t like to fool myself.  Thus, the conundrum.

I am also starting TOM which brings up another dilemma.  Pounds and Inches says to suspend use of hCG for 3 days during this time.  I was told not to last time, and I didn’t, with no apparent side effects.  I’m so close to being done with the prescribed duration of the protocol, though; it takes 3 days for the hCG to get out of your system, and if I suspend it, then will I have all of those hunger issues going on again when I resume?  Or, will it start me on another push of weight loss?

As I was reading the protocol over again, it says I should have been skipping a day every week, which I have not been doing.  So, maybe that also explains why my weight loss has slowed.  I haven’t heard back from the clinic yet, so will just have to do more research on my own until I do.

Day 34 – midday update

 

Well, I’ve been a bit hungrier this morning than I have been the last 2 mornings when I took the fiber drink.  But certainly nothing compared to before!

I’ve eaten my normal lunch of salad and grilled chicken with a WASA cracker and half a grapefruit.  I am saving the other half for the afternoon, in case I get hungry before it’s time to leave for the weekend.

I’m also thinking that I should have been skipping one day a week on the hCG cream.  In re-reading Pounds and Inches, I saw that should be a once a week thing if you are going the full 40 days.  So, I’ve sent my doctor’s office an email asking about that.  Will post what they say!

Fifth Week Summary

I’ve lost a total of 19 pounds in 5 weeks, and a total of 32 pounds since mid April.  I wish it were a larger overall total, but I feel very hopeful about my weight, and my overall health at this point, and going forward.

I feel really good, my energy is great and I’m sleeping well.  I’m loving having my clothes fit loosely and I am looking forward to buying some more flattering clothes.  I can’t wait to surprise my friend  in Tacoma when I visit in September; she will take me shopping!

I can actually see an hourglass shape emerging!!  And, my face has come out of hiding!  I am having a bit of a hard time believing that is my face staring back in the mirror.  There is still fat to lose around my middle, but when I see it, I think “this is manageable, I can do this” instead of having the overwhelming sense of impossibility rear its ugly head.  I can do this!

I was showing off a couple of days ago, wearing a tank top, and I flexed my biceps.  The gals I was talking to exclaimed that I must be lifting weights.  I assured them I have not been, these 14” biceps are left over from my power lifting days some 17 years ago.  They were having a hard time believing it, but I am used to my arms looking good!

It almost made me want to jump right back into a mass building routine!

Day 34

Weight: 175.5

Yay!  Another pound down the drain.  That makes 3 pounds since last Friday!

Yesterday was a great day as far as not being hungry goes, and that lead to keeping my calorie count down, too.

I have decided that I will continue the hCG cream until it is gone, which will probably extend beyond 40 days.  Two reasons factor into this decision.
The first is that the prescription expires in August, and I’m certain that it will not keep until October, if I need to do another round.  I can check on that, though.

Second, the protocol is self limiting in that Dr. Simeon’s manuscript states that when a person goes into hCG immunity they become very hungry and they don’t lose weight (or the weight they do lose is essential fat) and they look drawn, not healthy.

So, if that is the case, I will know if the medication is effective or not and can then begin the correct transition into the lock-in phase.  I am SO close, I really want to just finish in this round!

Day 33 – midday update

I had the fiber again this morning, and I have had no hunger so far today, even at lunch!  Woo Hoo!  Now *this* is what it’s supposed to have been like the whole time!  I still have a week left to go, though and I’m pretty sure I can get to the low 170’s.

I’ve been reviewing one of the online manuscripts for Pounds and Inches, and it definitely says no longer than 40 days of hCG.  I want to find some way around that, but obviously don’t want to cause any other problems, either.

I also *just* figured out that I'm not supposed to have tuna, which I've had several times so far.  Probably not supposed to have shark, either, and my husband makes that for me, too!  Oh, well...too late now, can’t take it back!

Day 33

Weight:  176.5

I felt good yesterday and good this morning about this weight.  Yesterday the scale was fluctuating back and forth, and this morning it was solid.  So, still going down!

I also am thinking that, because I am so close to reaching my goal, that I am going to go back to the original prescription dosage of cream, then use the extra dosage I recently got to extend the time.  I’ve been reading in some of the forums that people are doing that, and in re-reading Pounds and Inches I saw that Dr. Simeon said he even went to 45 days.  I have to double check that, though.  I don’t want to be hungry and I don’t want the time and money to be a waste of effort, and I want to preserve my health.  But I just need a few more days!

Off to read the manuscript again!

Day 32 - update

 

Drinking the fiber in the morning seems to be working pretty well.  I was away from my desk all day today and didn’t have a problem waiting to get to my lunch just a bit after 11 am.  I do normally like to eat about 11:30, sometimes much earlier, so this was good, and I wasn’t raving starving, which is even better!

Some hard core dieters would probably have thought, well, duh!  Of course you use fiber to curb your appetite while dieting.  My take on that is 1) the hCG is supposed to make it so your not hungry so this methodology shouldn’t even have to be used, and, I’m told, most people don’t have the hunger I’ve had  and 2) I am not a hard core dieter.  My answer to hunger is…well…to EAT! ;-)

Today, as I’m nearing the end of my 40 day course, I’m assessing what might be left to lose afterwards.  I can pinch an inch around my waist right now, and I’ve always been told the rule of thumb is that 1” equals about 10 pounds.  So, I can see a very strong possibility of doing a second round in October.  At least then it will only be a 23 day round!  Can you tell I’m already psyching myself up? :-)

Day 32

Weight: 176.5

I did great on my food intake yesterday, including going to a pot luck, and my pants felt really loose all day.  No matter what the scale says, you can’t take that away from a person!

I am going to try drinking the fiber this morning, too, and see how I do.  I have a really busy day again where I can’t be dragging snacks around with me so it’s a great test.

Day 31 – afternoon update

 

I started off being just a bit hungry this morning, which got me to wondering how I was going to do now that I’m back at work after the holiday and not going to be at my desk to have a snack when I would need one.  So, I tried something new.

I took a couple of teaspoons of the generic Coscto brand orange Metamucil and mixed it up and drank it!  And I was full ALL MORNING!  Not only that, I wasn’t STARVED for lunch, and when I finished my lunch I was FULL!

I have a quilting function tonight, and I’m all prepared with my dinner in tow for the pot luck, so I will not be going over on my food there, either.

And my pants have felt loose ALL DAY!  Woo hoo!  Now maybe I have a chance to get rid of lots more weight in the last few days I have left on the protocol.

Day 31

Weight: 177

My scale fluctuated back and forth between 177 and 177.5.

Maybe I’m getting to the end of what my body will get rid of?  I thought yesterday I would have no problems maintaining adherence to the diet, but in the afternoon I was really hungry and my knees got a bit weak.  I was in the pantry for something and the container of mixed nuts looked SO wonderful I just couldn’t help myself.  I ate about 4 handfuls of nuts, so completely blew the calorie count for the day, but I felt better the rest of the day.  Maybe I just need extra protein?  I drank lots of iced tea but not as much water as I should have, so that is probably a factor as well.

I posted a question to the Yahoo groups I subscribed to asking if using diet and exercise to lose my remaining 10-15 pounds would be feasible, after I go through the lock-in phase, and I was told no, absolutely a bad idea.  That seems counter-intuitive to me, as the idea is to reset your hypothalamus and your metabolism.  So, if everything is working correctly, I should be able to lose weight without hCG assistance in the future.

I also found a new hCG website community called Http://www.4hcgsuccess.com/ and signed up.  Regarding exercise, one of the postings there said that if you do a lot of exercise during the lock-in phase, you will reset your metabolism to always require that much exercise along with a lower calorie requirement.  So, the recommendation there was to delay getting into any sort of exercise program until past phase 3, at which point you can exercise all you want.

That makes more sense to me, but I’ll have to do more research on this issue.

Day 30

Weight:  177

Woo hoo!  Another pound down the drain!  I do, however, have a confession... I cheated again.

I did really well with watching my food intake yesterday... until cleaning up the dinner dishes.  My husband grilled a 6 ounce sirloin steak for me,  which is my usual portion, and it’s therefore already packaged in that size in the freezer.  On this diet, I simply cut them down to the appropriate weight, sometimes before cooking, sometimes after.

As I was cleaning up, I just wanted one more little piece, so I cut a little piece off of the left over…and then another little piece…and then before I knew it it was gone.  At the very least, it wasn't a brownie and that, in and of itself, is a victory.

It didn't hurt that it only started out to be an uncooked 6 ounce very lean tenderloin steak but when I looked up the calories on FitDay.com I was really surprised; the allowed 3 ounce portion is approximately 152 calories but going up to 5 ounces was 254 calories.  The grilled chicken I eat for lunch has 202 calories!

I'm not sure if that's a pleasant surprise or not; I guess pleasant because I've always assumed that steak had so many more calories.  That's probably the difference between a high-end lean steak and the more affordable steak that most of us Americans usually eat, I suppose.

I'm going to look at this outcome as a result of my "steak day", while keeping in mind that I truly did not follow the "steak day” protocol.  However, I finally feel full, and satisfied, this morning, and I truly see no reason that today's food consumption won't proceed normally.

I was a little bit worried early in the day, too, that I wouldn't lose any weight because I got a bit of a sunburn on the back of my neck when we were at the driving range.  I have very fair skin, and sunscreen with SPF 45 is a staple in my morning routine.  However without being able to use any lotions, sunscreen has been out.

Overall, I'm very pleased with my progress, as today I can officially say that I have lost 30 pounds since April.

On a side note, with my reduced portion sizes and lack of carbs, like rice and sweet potatoes, my husband has lost 7 pounds!

He is the cook in our family and made the observation yesterday that one of the steps in our overall progress towards good health and maintaining this new weight will be to revamp the menu to reduce the overall amount of carbs, whole grain or not, that we eat throughout the week, and I agree with him.  We did it once before when we went on Atkins, and now we can't imagine eating the old way.  I think that will happen this time too.

Day 29

Weight:  178

I’m not surprised that my weight went up a .5 pound.  I cheated.

I confess, I cheated!  For the first time I consciously ate something I shouldn’t have, that wasn’t even close to being on the list!  I ate a homemade brownie from the plate I had prepared for my neighbor.  And I finally felt satiated…for about 30 minutes.

I was still unsatisfied after lunch and I am tired of being hungry!  And it was there!

OK, so my hunger is not like that of those people in far away places for whom Sally Struthers is always asking for your donation, who are really starving and have no food available; it comes from the privileged American experience of having any food item I want.

So, let me tell you what happens when you have sugar (and fat?) that you shouldn’t have while on this protocol.

• You get lethargic, and have that feeling in your knees that is somewhat like jelly, where you think you may have to stay seated, while your logical mind says “stand up”!
• Your focus changes, you feel scattered.  Rather than having the energy to work on a project that you’ve been planning, you can’t concentrate, avoid it, and can’t do anything else, either.
• No ideas sound good.
• Water doesn’t get consumed.
• Guilt sets in, accompanied by the familiar self doubt, self flagellation and fear.

This is a complete opposite of the experience I’ve had while on this diet so far.  I’ve had energy, I’ve been focused, I’m making plans, I’m sleeping really well, I feel great!

So, what have I learned?

1. I felt drugged – reminder:  sugar is a drug.
2. I don’t like feeling lethargic or like my knees are full of jelly.
3. My time is too precious to feel unmotivated to do the things I really love.
4. I need to work on figuring out what I fear, and then do something about it.

I learned a long time ago that guilt is useless, unless you are going to change your behavior.  Otherwise, quit feeling guilty and acknowledge that you are behaving in accordance with your values.  If you are not behaving in accordance with your values, then fix the conflict by either changing the behavior or change the value.  The easiest fix is to change the behavior.

So, today is a new day, and I still have 11 days left to reach achieve a healthier weight, which will still be very close to my goal weight.  The number on the scale isn’t what’s ultimately important, it’s my health and how I feel that is important.

I am not going to let one stinking brownie be my downfall, but it can serve as a reminder.  The weight loss itself is only the first lesson.