P3D24 - 168

Weight:  168

See, I get all confident and look what happens!

Well, I think I did OK on food yesterday in that I had pretty much the same food I’ve had in the last few days.  However, stayed up pretty late working on a quilt project, and I also made gluten free cookies from a box (I’ve been craving sweets) and I ate quite a few.

This morning I’m also really tired, and really puffy….the bags under my eyes look puffy, which isn’t usual for me.

What I should do is get on the elliptical this morning.  I might…after I go back to bed and get a nap.

P9P3D23–166.5

Weight: 166.5

Wow, I seem to have stabilized!  AND survived the first round of Christmas food!

So in the past 13 days while I haven’t been blogging, my max weight has been 167.  What I’ve done so far is go for really low carb fare.  That means no bread, no cookies, no cereal, no grains.  Most of my carbs have come from fruit, like oranges, frozen berries in protein shakes, and on occasion, bananas. I’ve also ventured into a spoonful of leftover cornbread stuffing and some refried beans.  And I was convinced I’d shoot up.

On Thursday we had a potluck at our office.  Many of the attendees are either vegan or gluten free and there were LOTS of desserts, rice and few low carb protein options.  Well, I only gained a pound, I went from 166 to 167.

Yesterday I got onto the elliptical for 25 minutes and today I’m down by .5 pound.  Also, I wasn’t really hungry after all that food the previous day and I didn’t eat my normal amount of food, I just went with protein / low carb when I did eat.  In other words, I listened to my body and didn’t eat just because it was “time”.

I’m trying not to get overly confident.  Mostly, I feel like I dodged a bullet, but then, I always feel that way.  Sort of along the lines of “you don’t deserve to be thin”.  Which is total crap.

(Notice the phrase “you”, not “I” ?  That’s someone else talking, and I bought into it long ago).

Pure crap.

R9P3D12 – 166.5

Weight: 166.5

I’ve been sick with swollen glands the past 3 days, and I’m tired of it!

I’m not inclined to exercise when I’m sick, but my back is sore from sitting and now I’m up a whole pound, too.

Crabby? You betchya!

R9P3D11 – 166

Weight: 166

R9P3D10 – 165.5

Weight: 165.5

Well, I rather anticipated a larger drop, what with working out and the 1 pound drop earlier this week…or, at least, I was hoping!

I’m starting to think that this will be my set weight for this round, and I’m really quite pleased!

I am starting to crave sweets, though, so I have to be careful.  Also, my legs are still itching and I suspect nuts and/or dairy (cheese) is the culprit.  I need a new snack!

R9P3D9 –166

Weight: 166

I was grazing yesterday, and the choice I went to most was string cheese.  You know, instead of the veggies I had right in front of me!

I have a sensitivity to the protein in dairy so I really do need to stop eating string cheese, most dairy for that matter, at least on a consistent basis.

Anyway, my co-worker wasn’t available to go, but I did go for my walk yesterday.  When I looked at my fitness tracker it said I had burned 100 calories less than when she goes with me.  I’ll tell her that today!

As for this morning, I’m getting on the elliptical.  Gotta keep moving!

R9P3D8 – 165.5

Weight: 165.5

I had a pretty good low carb day, but I’m feeling pretty full this morning so thought my weight would be up.

I’m tired this morning, too, so no workout, but I’m planning a walk at lunch time, even if it is below freezing outside!

R9P3D7–165.5

Weight: 165.5

Well, the workout, and a low carb day, got me back in range.

I got to thinking about it, though…the protocol is talking about 2 pounds from LIW.  For me, that would still be 165 and at 166.5 I’d still be in range.

I called myself on it because it was an overall gain of more than 2 pounds no matter the number for LIW, and certainly, I’m still 2 pounds over where I was, due to my carb indiscretion.

It’s too easy to let this creep up, giving myself permission to stay higher than I should, and then I’m back in the same boat as before.  Then, what’s the point, right?

Overall, I’ve lost about 13 pounds on this round.  I’m still 15 pounds over my goal weight, one I’ve achieved in the past on the diet and where I feel fabulous.  The way I see it, I’m on shaky ground, and I need to be very vigilant.

I feel SO much better than I did before the diet, though.

R9P3D7–166.5

Weight: 166.5

So, I can’t do a steak day.

That is, I got hungry in the morning and I was hungry at lunch.  So I ate low carb all day.  And had a steak and low carb faux-tato salad.

And I’m up .5

So, this is where that “several days of strict dieting” comes into play.  I’m working out this morning, too.

Sigh.

R9P3D6 – 166 (Steak Day)

Weight:  166

I’m surprised that I’m up a whole pound from yesterday, as I thought I kept to low carb really well.

However, what I’ve found in the past is that the previous days’ indiscretions sometimes snowball and show up 2 days later.  So, today is a steak day, as outlined below.  Bleh.

As long as their weight stays within two pounds of the weight reached on the day of the last injection, patients should take no notice of any increase but the moment e scale goes beyond two pounds, even if this is only a few ounces, they must on that same day entirely skip breakfast and lunch but take plenty to drink. In the evening they must eat a huge steak with only an apple or a raw tomato. Of course this rule applies only to the morning weight. Ex-obese patients should never check their weight during the day, as there may be wide fluctuations and these are merely alarming and confusing.

It is of utmost importance that the meal is skipped on the same day as the scale registers an increase of more than two pounds and that missing the meals is not postponed until the following day. If a meal is skipped on the day in which a gain is registered in the morning this brings about an immediate drop of often over a pound. But if the skipping of the meal - and skipping means literally skipping not just having a light meal - is postponed the phenomenon clues not occur and several days of strict dieting may be necessary to correct the situation.

Most patients hardly ever need to skip a meal. If they have eaten a heavy lunch they feel no desire to eat their dinner, and in this case no increase takes place. If they keep their weight at the point reached at the end of the treatment, even a heavy dinner does not bring about an increase of two pounds on the next morning and does not therefore call for any special measures. Most patients are surprised bow small their appetite has become and yet how much they can eat without gaining weight. They no longer suffer from an abnormal appetite and feel satisfied with much less food than before. In fact, they are usually disappointed that they cannot manage their first normal meal, which they have been planning for weeks.

R9P3D5 - 165

Weight: 165

I’m up 1.5 pounds today because I ate carbs at a get together yesterday.

It was stupid, really, because I’d brought my own lunch, with all of my allowed foods, but it just seemed weird to eat it when there was a table with stuff on it that other people brought to share.  Selfish, is how it felt.  Because I hadn’t brought enough to share with anyone else.

So, today has started out with a nice omelet, and I’ll focus on lots of high protein foods and water and see what happens.  I’m still within the 2 pound limit, before a steak day is necessary, which I’m thankful for, but it’s a good reminder for this holiday season.

R9P3D4–163.5

Weight: 163.5

Wow, I certainly didn’t expect another drop!

I’m serious, I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a drop after LIW before.  I’ve heard others talk about it, but never experienced it.  Nice.

R9P3D3 - 164

Weight: 164

Wow, even after Thanksgiving, I lost another .5!

I had a bowl of stir fried broccoli, onions, peppers and mushrooms for breakfast.  That’s been holding me really well in the morning, and I may continue this as my normal breakfast.  We’ll see; it doesn’t have the same mental satisfaction as my regular breakfast of hard boiled eggs and cheese.

My husband always cooks, and this year he just scaled it back.  We had a turkey, corn bread stuffing and greens, but no pie or potato salad.  We’re going to have faux potato salad this weekend, though!

I had a couple slices of white meat, a spoonful of stuffing and a large helping of greens with my 3pm dinner.  After that, I had an apple about 10pm, I just wasn’t hungry any other time during the day.  That being said, it would have been VERY easy to have a seconds, but I’m sure glad I didn’t; I was thinking I’d be UP a couple pounds today!

Happy Black Friday!

R9P3D2–164.5

Weight: 164.5

I don’t think I’ve ever gone down after the last injection!

Well, maybe, in NINE rounds, it’s happened…ha!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Final Injection Weight: 165

Weight: 165

Today is the first VLCD without hCG.  According to the protocol:

Patients who need to lose 15 pounds (7 kg.) or less require 26 days treatment with 23 daily injections. The extra three days are needed because all patients must continue the 500- Calorie diet for three days after the last injection.

This is a very essential part of the treatment, because if they start eating normally as long as there is even a trace of HCG in their body they put on weight alarmingly at the end of the treatment.

After three days when all the HCG has been eliminated this does not happen, because the blood is then no longer saturated with food and can thus accommodate an extra influx from the intestines without increasing its volume by retaining water.

 

So, the signs of getting hungry will tell me when the hCG is out of my system.  This round has gone amazingly well.  I haven’t been hungry at all and I haven’t cheated at all.  I really haven’t felt like I was on a diet.  I’ve worked through a lot of issues through all of these rounds; I think some of this might be sticking!

R9VLCD21 - 165

Weight: 165

A whole pound drop!  Nice!

I’m usually not focused on a specific number when it comes to my weight, but there is something satisfying about hitting those “even” numbers.  No, 165 isn’t an even number, but it IS half way between those “decades”!

Yesterday I hit the elliptical for 25 minutes, and had a 35 minute walk at lunch.  My back is feeling a lot more limber, but it’s still a bit sore, and it doesn’t take much to stiffen up again.

It always makes me wonder about the protocol and how we interpret it these days.  Dr. Simeons didn’t say “sit on your butt while you’re on this diet”, he said don’t over do it.

That goes along with loading, too.  Most people go way overboard when loading.  I’ve done it, too, in the very beginning, and then spent at least a week of the diet getting that weight off.  What I’ve found is to focus on healthy fats, and don’t absolutely gorge.  It’s just not necessary.

R9P2VLCD20 - 166

Weight: 166

R9P2VLCD19 - 166

Weight: 166

Slow and steady.

So, while I’m super pleased about my progress, I’m trying not to put on rose colored glasses.  Or, is that just being a joy killer?

Anyway, I tried on more of my jeans yesterday, and while I can get into them, where I couldn’t before I started this round, they definitely produce a huge muffin top.  No shirt would actually look good paired with them.  So, it was a good/bad sort of activity.  I’m in a better place, but I still have a way to go.  Is that life, or what?

I’ve got about 3 or 4 more days of injections left, and I think I’m ready.  It occurred to me last week that December 11th is just about here, and that will be exactly one month before my birthday.  So, it’s time to get this round locked in.

R9P2VLCD18 – 166.5

Weight: 166.5

R9VLCD18 - 167.5

Weight: 167.5
I'm glad to see I'm still making progress!
I'll be on the diet going into Thanksgiving week; that's not ideal, but I really want to get as much weight off as I can, since I've always gained back 5 pounds in the past.

This time, I'm determined to stay on the Atkins induction phase for a good 3 weeks solid, maybe longer.  Someone told me this worked really well for them, and I only have 30 days before my vacation in January once I'm off the injections.

R9VLCD17 - 168

Weight: 168

I’m certainly glad to see the scale moving in this downward direction again!

R9VLCD16 - 169

Weight:  169

I worked out this morning, trying to work on stretching out my back from sitting so much.  In the activity of the morning, I forgot my shot.

I might’ve had too much fish tonight, weight-wise, so we’ll see what happens tomorrow.

R9VLCD15 - 169

Weight: 169

R9VLCD12 - 171

Weight: 171

OK, this is getting annoying.  I seem to be stalled at 171 and I don’t like it one bit!

Yesterday, though, as I put my hand on my hip, I realized that my muffin top seems a bit smaller, and that was definitely reaffirming.  Remember, it’s called Pounds & Inches for a reason!

I’m not going to do an apple day to break the stall.  The protocol says it’s only water anyway, and I tried it once when I first started this diet.  The only thing I accomplished was to feel deprived.  Even though I haven’t been hungry this week, due to the increase in my dosage, doing an apple day would still feel mentally hard and I’m not going to do it, not for just water weight!

Yesterday, as I was driving home from work, I started having thoughts of “real” food.  You know, the habit of “hey, it’s Friday night, let’s relax with a glass of wine and football food” sort of “real” food.  It was interesting because it helped me recognize an expectation, a habit, something that will need to be accommodated for post-diet.

Yes, I knew about this before, and this sort of thing has prompted cheating on the weekends in the past.  Some of that was being hungry, some of it wasn’t.  This round has been very different than any of the others.  I don’t feel like I’m on a diet.  That might be partly explained in that we eat pretty good, healthy food most of the time now.  I’m also not hungry.  I mean, really not hungry, and that has been a problem in the past.

I’m glad I am doing this round right now, before the holidays and my birthday in January.  It feels right, and I don’t think I’m going to be too tempted during the Thanksgiving.  Christmas cookies are another story!

R9VLCD11 - 171

Weight: 171

What can I say, I just need to stay steady.

R9VLCD10 – 171.5

Weight: 171.5

I had a feeling I wasn’t going to have a drop today.

I’m not exactly sure why; I wasn’t as cold as I was the day before, and for me that has always been a part of this diet.  Yesterday was also my “low” dose day for my thyroid medicine.  The doctor is having me take 2 grains for Armour on 2 non-consecutive days, and 3 grains on the other 5.  We’ll try that for a couple of months and check the results.  After my initial large weight losses, he moved me to 2 grains all the time, so he adjusted the dose with the extra stress I’ve been under lately.

I went to the chiropractor yesterday and my upper back is really sore this morning, so sore that I got up at 4:20 and did 25 minutes on the elliptical and stretched.  I’m not exercising to try to push the weight loss, but because I’ve been so stiff and sore sitting so much in my job.  Not only that, I’ve been in training for the past 2 days on very uncomfortable chairs, and have another half day today.

I’m hoping for a good drop going into the weekend!

R9VLCD9 – 171.5

Weight:  171.5

Wow, I’m sure happy to see a 1.5 pound drop this morning!  That makes feeling like death warmed over much more agreeable!

What I mean by that is, I get FREEZING cold on this diet.  Almost dead-body cold.  Yes, I really mean that.  I’ve got a thyroid problem, too, and before my medicine got adjusted properly my body temp was my biggest symptom.  And that’s what I felt like yesterday.  I was in the first of a 3 day training, and I had to wear my London Fog coat and mittens all day long.

I’m wearing a sweatshirt, hat, scarf, and fingerless gloves today!

R9VLCD8 - 173

Weight:  173

I was surprised the drop was only .5.  I was a bit hungry the day before, though, and have been at breakfast for the past few days, so I upped my dose to 200.

My strategy has been to skip breakfast and eat lunch and dinner.  The problem with that is that I adore breakfast, so it’s not only hard mentally, skipping this meal makes me feel a bit deprived, even if I’m just eating at my office instead of my own breakfast table.

So, I’ve decided I’d make a veggie soup, and that’s my “breakfast”.  Problem solved.

R9VLCD7 - 173.5

Weight: 173.5

I'm not super happy about only a .5 weight loss, but I'll take anything. 
I didn't drink enough water yesterday so I shouldn't be surprised.
Besides, I've been this week a lot, so if possible I will have a hard time getting past it.

One nice thing is that my pants are finally starting to get a little bit looser.

Onward, ho!

R9P2VLCD6 - 174

Weight: 174

Well, I sure didn’t expect a 1.5 pound drop, but very glad to have it.

Yesterday I went out for morning errands, and I took my veggie soup, made with low sodium chicken broth.  But I forgot my water, and boy was I thirsty!  Of course, my errands took my much longer than anticipated, so I didn’t even get to eat lunch until 2pm.

One of my errands was Costco.  Yes, I went there on a Saturday, with all of the samples lining the aisles.  I refrained, even from trying the gummy-bear style calcium supplement, because it had a crust of sugar on the outside.

One of my issues is being afraid of being hungry.  I actually managed that fear quite well yesterday, so I’m very proud of myself.

Today, lots of sewing and quilting!

R9P2VLCD5 – 175.5

Weight: 175.5

One pound down.  That’s great, but it also makes me wonder if I’m going into a steadier phase of losing now, no more than one pound per day from now on.  How much will I be able to get off?  I SO want to be in the 150’s, but that’s unrealistic for this round.

OK, girl, stop worrying about the future, and live in the moment!

Errands today, going to make sure to take some veggie soup with me and celery sticks.  I detest them because the strings get stuck in my teeth and it hurts, then I never have any floss with me when I need it.

R9P2VLCD4–176.5

Weight: 176.4

I was a bit hungrier Thursday, so I upped my dose slightly and I did much better all day.  I didn’t “measure” how much more, I just added a couple more notches on the barrel of the needle, so it’s probably about 180 units or so now.

I also was up early and got in a 20 minute elliptical workout, and was able to stretch.  My back feels better….stiff, but better.

Work has been especially stressful recently, and my doctor isn’t enthusiastic about me going through a round right now, he said it might not be very effective.  While I recognize his concerns, this is one area in my life right now that I feel have control over in making myself comfortable.

I’m having such a struggle with self confidence right now, mostly because of the issues at work.  Having gained back 25-30 pounds doesn’t help, either, then add in that I have no clothes that fit properly so that I’m always tugging at them and uncomfortable.  I thought about getting some larger sized clothes at the thrift store, but I haven’t because 1) I hate clothes shopping in the first place 2) I don’t want bigger clothes (can we say “denial” here?) 3) It takes time, and money, I don’t have to replace an entire wardrobe.

OK, so as I’m reading what I wrote, that sounds like a boat-load of excuses.

In any event, I really need to get this weight off, because I’m starting to spiral again into an attitude of not caring, and that’s when things go from bad to worse.  This makes me really focus, when the last thing I want to do is focus.  It’s easy to just eat myself into a drunken haze, but that’s exactly what I need to avoid.

This, too, shall pass.

R9P2VLCD3 – 178

Weight:  178

R9P2VLCD2 - 179.5

Weight: 179.5

Yesterday I wasn't hungry, but I sure went to the bathroom a lot! I was glad to see the drop.

Worked out this morning, abut 20 minutes on the elliptical. I've been sitting too long at my computer at work so my back has really been stiff.

R9P2VLCD1 - 181

Weight: 181

Well, the real business of the round is finally here.  I’m using 175 units this time.  I have to say, I’m glad, because I was so uncomfortable wearing my pants yesterday, I couldn’t wait to get them off when I got home.

I’m really looking forward to having my clothes fit again.  Since I procrastinated in deciding if I was going to do a round, I’ll be running up against Thanksgiving, but I think it’ll be fine; I’ve done that before.

I’d really love to get back into the 150’s, and getting it all done at one time might be the best way, but it’s too early to determine that for now.  I remember that first long round, and it was really hard at the end.

Onward ho!

R9P2 Loading Day 2 - 182

Weight:  182

Wow, I haven’t seen that number in a LONG time…and I’m not fond of it!  I couldn’t believe I jumped 4 pounds in a day!

R9P2–Loading Day 1 - 178

Weight:  178

I’m not surprised I gained .5 pound, I ate enough ice cream yesterday!  And a deli store bought chimichanga, when I got too hungry and was going to be late for meeting my customer.  I also needed way more water yesterday!

So, loading today.  My plan is to keep the weight gain to 2 pounds, eating high fat and keeping away from the carbs.  There’s no need to go overboard on loading.

R9P2 – Day 1 – 177.5

Weight:  177.5

Today is my first injection day.  I’m supposed to eat normally.

So, I mostly did, but I went too long for lunch and had a chimichanga from Wal-Mart and some ice cream.  That isn’t part of my normal diet, but I’m getting a head start on loading.

A friend of mine says she starts with the high fat foods on the very same day as her first injection, but after re-reading the protocol, and thinking about it, I thought it made sense to actually start loading on the 2nd day; your body doesn’t know what to do with the calories on the first day.

My belly is way to big and I can’t fit into any of my clothes anymore.  I hate this big lump around my waist.  My hubby isn’t crazy about me doing the diet again, but I have to do something.  I know I need to work out consistently, but that wasn’t helping even when I was doing it.  And I need to reset my mind about what just eating normally means.

I’ve also got a big birthday coming up, and want to look better for that.  So, here I go again.