Day 42

Weight: 173

This is the lowest I’ve weighed on this diet, so I am pleased, but I am kicking myself…I got into the mixed nuts again last night!  I bet I could have made a whole pound again, not just a half.

What I love about the nuts is the cashews; they are sweet.  So, I must be missing some sweetness, along with the fat and protein.  I actually did go looking for regular protein, chicken or something else, but we’ve eaten up all of the normal items we have in the fridge, being the end of the week, and I had already eaten my 3 oz of shrimp for dinner.

My last day of using hCG in this round will be on Tuesday.  Hopefully, I can drop 4 more pounds, and that will get me below 170.  I guess I better learn to stay away from the mixed nuts!

Day 41

Weight:  173.5

Nice!  I am not surprised that I dropped a whole pound, what with not being hungry yesterday.  I am now trying to figure out how long I can go and where I might end up.  Nothing like counting my chickens before they are hatched, eh?

I am hungry this morning, though, even with taking the fiber drink.  Also not entirely surprised, as I think I get hungry after a pound loss.

I also used a bit less cream today, the original amount that was prescribed, hoping to stretch out the days, and hopefully, the net loss.  I think I will probably go back to the full increased dose.  No need to be hungry, and it appears that I will have to go through the protocol again anyway.

Drat!

Day 40 – update

Today I have had absolutely NO hunger!

This is the first day that I have used the cream entirely, exclusively, from the additional hormone cream that was made up for me.  I can absolutely tell the difference in what must be a different concentration of hCG.

So, THIS is what “everyone” has been talking about!!

I ate lunch today at 12:45, not because I was hungry, but because in my workday schedule today, I might not be able to  eat in the afternoon, should I become hungry.  I practically had to force myself to eat!

Maybe I have a shot at getting down to 170, or below, after all!

Day 40

Weight: 174.5

Yesterday’s food intake went really well, and we went to the Alive At Five gathering in downtown Boise after work.  I ate at my office beforehand, so that I wasn’t tempted to eat the offerings there.

But when I got home I was just wanting more fat or something, even though my stomach was actually full, and I went for the nuts.  And then some more nuts.  Too many calories, overall, and definitely not on the list.  So, I’m not surprised I’m up .5 pound.  I really need to delve into this compulsive behavior.  Self-sabotage is not pretty.

Today would have been my last day of hCG, except that I have between 5 and 8 days left of the cream, so I am going to use it up.  I’m hoping to get to 172 or even less, if I can keep to the list!

I’m looking forward to the Atkins style diet and will be going through my low carb recipes and cook books.  Maybe the over eating is simply about not wanting to be restricted, or maybe I’m just ready to be done with this for awhile.  Only time will tell.

Day 39

Weight: 174

I am pleased, but not surprised, that I am down .5 pounds.  I kept very well to the diet yesterday and resisted a late night impulse to eat something right before bed.

Interestingly, having watched the Oprah show about mindful eating, I tried to be more aware of my dinner last night and how my stomach felt all day.  Specifically, I did not read or watch TV while I ate.  I was definitely full once I finished dinner, but I did still want to eat more.  I’m not totally sure if it had to do with wanting more fat for that satiety, or if I just needed to slow down my eating even more.

When I had my strawberry smoothie, I was full, but it sure was good!  I definitely was aware of wanting it not because I was hungry but because it was allowed, and sort of a reward.  So, it’s an interesting question, and a step in the next part of the process in keeping the weight off for good.

Having seen many commercials over the past year for hypnosis therapy for weight loss, I’ve considered that avenue.  When we saw a hypnotist perform on our most recent vacation, I became convinced that hypnosis is effective.  I am seriously considering this approach after the second round of hCG in October as a part of my ongoing weight management process.  Getting to the underlying causes of wanting excessive calories is going to be a very important journey.

Day 38 – evening update

I did not need to use the fiber drink this morning, I was not hungry, in fact, rather full until about 10am.  At that point, being so close to lunch, I just drank water and had a few bites of some cut up zucchini.

Once my co-worker brought in some Chinese food, I was warming up my chicken breast right away!

I don’t know where I found the link, but I found another blog where someone else had similar results as I have, during the same time frame.  I don’t know the author’s name, but will update when I find it.  Her site is:

http://loselotsofweightfast.com/index.php

So, that is rather reinforcing, knowing that I did not really do too bad.  My husband is asking if I will be able to have regular T-bone steak on Sunday, but I’ll have to see how much hCG I have left before he starts planning the menu for next week.  I told him to take advantage of the sale, though, because it won’t be too long before I am on the Atkins phase.  I’m already looking forward to it!

Day 38

Weight: 174.5

I’m not surprised I haven’t lost, with a period going on.  At least I haven’t gained!  But I was a bit hungry last night so had more chicken before I went to bed.

I heard back from the nurse at the clinic and she said not to worry about the calories, just the list of food, and suggested that I eat more protein if I’m hungry.  Hence the chicken.  I also got a tablespoon of peanut butter…while watching Oprah talk about the new “food” book she’s promoting, Women Food and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything by Geneen Roth!  At least I was paying attention and I really was hungry!

I hope I can at least maintain this weight through a period.  I really have my doubts about being able to lose any more, especially with the limited amount of time I have left.

Why is it that, while I know my belly is smaller, it just still looks gigantic to me?  I think my mind is playing tricks on me, like the anorexics, because I am seriously considering that I have more than 10 pounds to lose.  That’s one problem with focusing on BMI charts and calorie lists, especially with a larger frame.  I have never been one to fit into the middle end of their charts, which say I should be about 155 pounds.  I guess that will be something to deal with in the next round.

Day 37

Weight:  174.5

Up a pound.  No surprise there, I was experimenting yesterday with purposefully eating nuts (rather than sneaking).  A handful each time, at 1 oz each, was a lot of extra calories!

Or, it could be TOM.  Still hasn’t happened yet, but then, I’m peri-menopausal, so there’s no surprise there, either.

Not only that, I tend to forget that I can eat nuts for a couple of times and then my body reacts to them; I have 16 food sensitivities.  I woke up this morning with plugged up ears and I’m sure it was the nuts.  So, the weight could be fat weight, but I suspect it is more water weight associated with inflammation.  I’m sure it will be gone tomorrow….besides, no experimentation today!

I just hope that means a good surprise tomorrow!

Day 36

Weight: 173.5

Wow!  I am so surprised and pleased!  I thought for sure I wouldn’t lose anything, with having had the nuts yesterday, and therefore the calorie count was up, too.  Maybe my body is telling me that it would lose weight better with more protein!

I’ve been researching calorie counting software for two reasons.  First, I am looking ahead to see what tools I will need to maintain my new weight easily, and paying attention is the first avenue in that effort.  Keeping track of daily calories has been proven to work.  Second, FitDay.com has consistently said I am eating way over 500 calories, and I need to have complete confidence in the tools I’m using.  They also need to be easy to use and easily accessible.

One item that has really been bugging me is the calorie count on the broccoli.  Who would have ever thought that there are so many choices for fresh broccoli and that they could add up to 200 calories per cup!?!  I ended up finding another entry for broccoli on FitDay.com that was about 50 calories per cup which is much more acceptable but I am at this point not going to go back and change all of my entries.

Another free site I found is called Calorie Count, and the URL is http://caloriecount.about.com One of the first things I noticed about this site is that it doesn't time out after you've logged in which FitDay.com does.  The advertising is a little bit more obvious and therefore looks more cluttered on the page than on FitDay.com but it also has a free downloadable app for my Blackberry Pearl Flip that I do not have a data plan for.  I am able to connect my phone to a wireless access point and use the service to look up calorie counts, which is quite convenient.  I haven't played without enough yet to know if it synchronizes my account, although I suspect it doesn't.

CalorieKing.com offers such a service however it costs five dollars per month.  They are offering a summer special right now at $57 per year which is only $3 savings per year.  It also would probably require a data plan which I'm not ready to go out and purchase.  CalorieKing.com is an industry standard in calorie counting, diet, and nutrition tracking as it's been around for 20 years so I am pretty sure that they have a fairly solid following and no one could probably go wrong with using their service.  My preference is to avoid ongoing monthly fees however, so I am unconvinced that I will be using that service.  I supposed it will depend on how easily I can manage my weight!

I did, however, download the free software trial for CalorieKing Nutrition and Exercise Manager and installed it on my PC.  After using it only one day I found that the interface is pretty clean and easy to use although it has quite a bit of fast food information which is annoying for my own eating habits, as I rarely eat in restaurants.  The price is also pretty high at $45 for the downloadable version, as compared to FitDay.com's $20 software offer.

FitDay.com also hides the link for the $20 offer, and you mostly see only the $29.99 “discounted” offer; such bait and switch tactics always raise my suspicions.  I also need to check whether FitDay.com offers an option for the elliptical machine in their fitness tracking portion of the installable software.  They don't offer it as an option online and there have been many comments posted in the forms requesting this commonly used item, it but it still hasn't happened.  If it's not in the software, and I find discrepancies for calories, then their $20 software is really no bargain and I will probably go with the higher cost CalorieKing.com version.

I'll let you know what I think in a week.