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

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.