Round 2 VLCD 8 (Day 10)

I've completely deviated from the traditional hcg diet and have lost 6 pounds in 10 days.  Basically 8 days, since 2 of those days I was fat loading.  I have been eating very small amounts, mainly veggies, teeny bits of carbs, very little fat and taking my hcg.  I stalled twice due to "eating what I wanted" on two of those VLCD days.  It's crazy, but if you look at it closely, I have lost 1 pound a day each day I chose to watch carefully what I was eating.  I am pretty much never hungry, and feel completely satisfied.  So far this is working incredibly easy for me and can see doing this for life.  This also makes it far easier to stay committed to when I love what I'm eating every day.  Lots of variety, and lots of flavor.

If I start to stall or gain I will cut back and be more careful, but so far this is working great and I'm steadily losing weight without even feeling like I'm dieting.

Round 2 VLCD 4 (Day 6)

One pound lost yesterday and two today!  5 pounds total in 3 days.  I have basically been eating how I want but very carefully.  We went to Qdoba for lunch yesterday.  We wanted a place for a good salad, but also to experiment with eating out.  I had their fat-free spicy ranch dressing and about a tbsp. of sour cream on my salad.  It had beans and corn in it, grilled chicken, pico de gallo, and lettuce.  It was inside a deep fried shell.  I even ate about half the shell.  We also had Diet Coke with our lunch.  I also ate 2 eggs with salsa in the morning. Since I ate "a lot" (it still wasn't that much) I decided to go easy for dinner.  I had a small fillet of fish with broccoli.  No fat on any of that. I also had a low calorie pudding mousse cup for dessert.  I felt completely satisfied, was never hungry all day, and went to bed with no cravings.  I woke up to 2 pounds lost!

What I like so far about what I've been doing, is eating healthy but experimenting with foods that could possibly stall me.  So far no stall.  I'm eating much healthier as far as variety goes.  The small amounts of fats I've eaten have not been harmful in any way.  Of course my ultimate goal would be to never eat cooked oils again, but oils in small amounts is necessary for our diet.  I know my body needs a little.  The problem people can get into is overeating oils, along with eating them all cooked.  I definitely over-ate fats in general but I love healthy oils in my diet.

What I also like is the variety of foods I'm eating, along with not giving up beans.  I love legumes and hated cutting them out when doing my first round.  I don't want to go overboard with them right now, but I feel miserable not being able to eat them.  I prefer them over meat most of the time.

I've also been contemplating what foods I can and can't eat normally, along with amounts.  I'm trying to eat "the hcg way" but conform it to my normal way of eating.  I want to be able to stop hcg but it to feel like I never stopped.  The whole point of "dieting" is changing the way we eat.  I want to change how I eat now while taking hcg so it's easy to maintain for life.  The hcg diet is not a normal way of eating at all!  Very little variety with no fat or carbs is not healthy.  But, eating the small amounts, low fat meats, and eating fruit & veggies is a great thing.  My hope is to combine healthy eating with the good things about hcg.

I could be dreaming, but also hope this new plan works for me.  I don't feel deprived, I am eating very healthy (minus the pop), and love the variety (which is the most important thing to me I have realized).

Plus, I'm so happy!  I'm not miserable in my own skin anymore.  Happiness in general is really making this easier.  Life is soooooooo good.  Jeff and I do so much better when we do this together.  We each have tried to diet alone before and never do as good as when we do it together.  I also hated not making meals for my family and eating separately.  We eat together at the table most every night, and during my last round we didn't.  Partly because I planned and bought all kinds of foods I thought the kids would like (they even picked out some of it) that they could cook themselves.  But, they ended up wanting to eat everything we ate!  This time we are trying to combine as much as possible to keep our normal routines.  We love our family dinners and really want to keep it that way as much as possible.

So far so good, and hoping it continues to work out!

Round 2 VLCD 2 (Day 4)

I should have updated ages ago but here goes.  I gained back about 10 pounds after my first round.  The first 8 happened in the first 3 weeks after Phase 2 (the no carb 3 week time period known as Phase 3).  Basically, I was so sick of the blah food I'd been eating, even the smell of some of those foods made we want to vomit.  That coupled with Thanksgiving and Christmas means 8 pounds gained (I ate everything I wanted).  The last 2 pounds happened in the last week knowing I'd be starting another round and doing the fat loading.

The major difference I noticed between my first round and now is how my body reacts to junk food.  I can't eat it like I used to.  It makes me sick.  I have more of a limit.  I also don't gain instantly like I used to.  I was eating all kinds of crap during Christmas and didn't gain a pound.  I maintained amazingly well.

I do think the whole hcg plan did what it was supposed to with my metabolism.  I fat loaded fairly well this time, I think.  Hunger is not hitting me too hard in these first two days.  I was very hungry in my first go round.  It got better over time as my stomach shrunk, but this round already seems easier.

I plan to do a few things differently this time.  I don't plan to do 43 days, but will if I decide to shake things up with my menu consistently.  I'm experimenting with the menu this time.  I plan to eat most any vegetable I choose, but try to stay focused on the diet's recommendations.  I do plan to eat more fruit if I'm wanting it.  I plan to eat other types of meats but limit processed meats.  I plan to exercise, especially on days I deviate from the original diet.  I plan to avoid fats, but if I'm wanting a little salad dressing I'm going to eat it, just keep it minimal.

All this could totally lead to my downfall but I'm going to experiment.  My main problems with the whole hcg is not the amount of food we eat (it's actually a lot bigger on the plate than one might think), it has more to do with the lack of variety and taste.  That tad bit of olive oil in the pan when cooking makes a big difference.  I'm fine with eating low fat, but those healthy oils are what I tend to miss.  I don't even miss sugar as much as the oils.

So, today was the first day to see something on the scale.  Two pounds lost!  I probably could have lost 4 but chose to eat some of the pork roast and sweet potatoes I made for dinner last night.  All was very minimal and I didn't have a big appetite.  I had a small diet Dr. Pepper when out with the YW, and I also ate half a pepperoni stick later in the evening with my orange. The rest of the day I was perfect (fish and asparagus for lunch, and just water through out the day).

One other thing.... I was thinking about how my level of happiness has made an impact on my "need" to lose weight.  Before starting hcg I was miserable.  Now I'm just uncomfortable.  I want to get out of that and move toward "comfortable", but not in a huge rush like before.  The main reason is - I'm happy.  My husband loves me just the way I am, and I'm not miserable in my own skin.  I don't want to be like I am forever so I'm going to keep moving forward, but I'm not in a huge rush and want to make sure my eating habits are permanently changed along the way.  There were days during the holidays that I went completely back to the old ways of eating (sort of - I didn't eat the quantity, just all the same foods).  I want to make sure I have a handle on all that as I go.

The hcg way of eating is not healthy.  It works but I'm also wondering if it's too drastic.  It's so different than normal eating that it's hard to transition.  Well, maybe if I'd followed it like I should have that wouldn't be an issue.  Either way, I'm hoping to be more aware of those transitions this time, so it's easier to be aware of food choices.

I feel good overall and mostly concerned with making permanent healthy eating habits.  I want to be able to go to any restaurant and feel completely content by just ordering a healthy dish.  I want to be able to skip the bread at restaurants, avoid Caesar salads, avoid fries and other fried foods, avoid late night eating, eat small amounts of dessert, and more.  These are my goals for now.

Phase 3 Update

The first few days of Phase 3 were heaven.  I was so sick of eating Phase 2 foods the last few days of it, I almost vomited with the thought or smell of some of the foods (cooked cabbage, vinegar, cucumbers, steak).  Eating a salad the first day was so heavenly (with real dressing) I almost died.  I can tell I need another phase or two, but am glad I have time to prep for it.  Eating food with flavor was so wonderful!

I started off Phase 3 doing great.  The first few days my weight stayed exactly as I ended in Phase 2.  Then, I started to fluctuate.  I've gone up and down, done one steak day, and plan to do an apple day if the weight goes up.  Basically, I have noticed my appetite isn't nearly as big.  Pizza, fried foods, etc., are things I can't and don't want to eat much since they make me feel instantly greasy.  It comes right out my skin!  Yuck.  I can feel myself bloat when I eat certain foods and need to keep better track of what does that.  I'm pretty happy eating no/low carb.  I have cheated a little but I just keep going and don't stress too much about it.

I think I will do 30 day phases instead of 40 or 20.  A month seems like a good amount of time to go without getting totally sick of the food.  I will bust my butt though, during those times (no goof ups) to make sure I maximize that time.

VLCD 41 (Day 43) - 30 pounds!

I hit my goal for this round!!!!!!!!!!  I so badly wanted to lose at least 30 pounds before I ended.  I did it!  I am thinking I will probably lose a bit more as well (most people do).

Our plan says 43 days so we are officially done with Phase 2, but we are slowly working into Phase 3.  We are carefully watching everything we eat, continuing with small portions and getting the exercise going.

It's a lofty goal but I'm hoping I can lose 10 more pounds in the next 6 weeks upon going into Round 2.  Even if I maintain I'm still on track, so I won't be disappointed.

I actually got to move the scale down a notch.  That felt great!

VLCD 40 (Day 42)

I've steadily lost the past couple days.  I now have one pound to go to hit 30 pounds lost!  I'm hoping that hits tomorrow because I'm on my last few drops of hCG!  If not, I'm sure I can lose a pound or two in Phase 3.  My clothes are fitting better.  I'm back wearing clothes I wore a year ago.  It's sad I've gained that much over the past year.  Oh well, it's coming off!

My hubby has lost over 50 pounds!  He looks very different.  I don't look very different at all, but know I will when I start my next round.

We plan to start our next round either in January (on the first) or before Christmas.  Haven't quite decided yet.  We also plan to kick exercise back into gear and get that habit going so we can continue to walk daily during our next round.

I'm struggling with deciding to do a 23 day cycle or 43 day cycle for my next round.  I've gotten very sick of eating the same foods.  Although we have changed things up and varied our meals, and used a great cookbook, I still just miss a good salad (with everything on it).  I like a lot of variety in my diet, so eating the same things over and over has been difficult.

Experiencing this over the past 5 weeks has really made me realize how important it is to have variety in food storage.  There were times when I would rather starve then eat the same food again.  It's true how this can happen.  It's so important to have lots of different foods in our food storage, especially dishes our families enjoy.

VLCD 34 (Day 36)

Well, after my 2 pound loss a few days ago, it was more stalling and no loss.  So, yesterday I did an apple day and woke up today losing 4 pounds!  I've lost a total of 24 pounds and only 6 pounds away until my goal for this round.  We planned to go 43 days, so it's finally looking attainable!  I also feel different, finally.  My clothes are getting too big, and my face looks thinner.  I feel smaller around the middle, too.

We are starting to plan for Phase 3, and thinking ahead for long term change.  We know our life has to be different from now on to fall into the trap of yo-yo dieting.  What I've really liked about this protocol is how it reshapes your body and lifestyle.  I feel far more in control and aware of how and what I eat.  I feel like if we don't go back to our bad habits this can easily be permanent.  The nice thing is, it teaches you how to transition, and what to do when you gain any weight.  I feel more prepared, and don't feel like I've been dieting.  I feel like I'm making a major life change.

VLCD 31 (Day 33)

Yesterday I lost a pound, and today I lost a pound.  I'm back to 20 lbs lost.  If I can keep this momentum, I will hit my 30 lb goal for this first round.  It seems the chicken and fish with lettuce or celery work the best for us.  We both lose well after eating these combos.  Tomatoes, ground beef, and cottage cheese seem to cause small stalls.  It's frustrating that it limits what we can eat, but we will keep plugging along.  A pound a day is great for me, and I don't want that to end!

Jeff has lost over 50 pounds.  He's looking very different.  I don't look different (at least I don't think I do), but I know I will soon!

VLCD 29 (Day 31)

I gained 2 pounds.  My cheat day did show up two days later obviously.  I also think any eating at night causes problems.  Jeff made strawberry "smoothies" (more like puree) last night.  It's an approved recipe but not good at night.  We both seem to do bad when eating at night.  We also have had "chili" (a ground beef and tomato approved dish) quite often.  Tomatoes can sometimes cause a stall, and I think we've had that a few too many times.  Still, I feel better overall that I'm pretty much staying within what I should and I'm not looking back, just moving forward.  So, I'm back to 18 pounds lost.  My goal is to at least hit 25 before then end!  If all I can do is 25 each round that will still make a difference.

VLCD 28 (Day 30)

As it turns out, my stressing wasn't necessary.  I went ahead and "took a day off" and ate dinner with everyone else.  I didn't have seconds.  I didn't over do it.  I even ate 3 cinnamon bears afterward while prepping for Boo's party.  Jeff reminded me what I did was not "bad".  It was a choice.  He is sick of feeling bad about food and realizes it's just a choice you make.  We are just now very aware of the consequences.  He wants to enjoy his food but also take responsibility for it.  It was a great reminder.  So... I enjoyed my dinner and knew I may have to work extra hard because of it.

Well, I lost a pound!  I'm back to a total of 20 lbs lost.  I exercised for 40 minutes just to help the calorie burning a for today and I'm back on track.  Eating what I did didn't seem to shake things up too bad.  Jeff said too, that lots of diets have cheat days built right in and that maybe my body needed a little shake up.  He is looking forward to doing that in the future.

Although sometimes weight can come 2 days later, I am prepared for that, but in the end I'm glad I went ahead and ate what I wanted.  It helped me relax and mentally take on the next two weeks.

VLCD 27 (Day 29)

I weighed myself today and found I gained a pound!  Even after an apple day this week - NO LOSS, and a pound GAINED!  Now I'm back to only losing 19 pounds.  It is sooooooooooo frustrating.  I had such a positive attitude thinking my apple day would do the trick, especially since I lost 4 pounds after the first time.  It seems my body stalls (BIG TIME) every 10 pounds.  This just means it will take twice as long to lose.  Ugh!  I was doing okay today thinking I'll just do another apple day and this will do the trick.  I was perfectly fine, totally okay with just apples (again).  That's when I smelled the dinner Brenna chose for her birthday.  It's one of my favorites (I'll post it).  Now, after this horrible week, a little "cheating" doesn't seem so bad.  If I have to fight off the weight, why not fight off the yummy dinner I made while I'm at it?  Right?  Sigh.

I don't know what to do.  Maybe I'll weigh myself, say a prayer, and then decide.  I was able to pass on a great luncheon (during my apple day no less).  I sacrificed, looking at all that great food thinking I would be skinnier the next morning and it would all be worth it.  No such luck.

Anyway, today is a very tough day and I don't know what to do.

VLCD 25 (Day 27) - 20 Pounds Lost!

I am not sure where I got off on my counting but technically I HAVE lost 20 pounds so far!  How did I not see that?  Anyway, so today is a day for rejoicing regardless of anything else!

No weight loss on the scale this morning, so today is an apple day for me.  I'm thinking this stall (1/2 pound yesterday, nothing today) is due to constipation and water retention again.  We've been super good, no dairy, avoiding mint, very few tomatoes, and everything on the up and up.  So, I'm doing an apple day to kick start things again.

I'm not losing hope and know all this is normal.  I still am doing great, all things considered.  Hooray for hitting my first milestone!

VLCD 24 (Day 26)

Ugh!  Only 1/2 a pound!  I'm only a 1/2 pound away from 20 lbs lost.  Jeff is slowing down and I've slowed down a bit this week, but that's also typical.  Losing 1 lb a day isn't the norm from what I read.  Some say it is, but in all reality, that's more of an average, and not as typical for women.  Jeff has lost over 40 pounds in 26 days, but he has a lot more to lose, and he's a man.  I'm jealous, but just have to plug along.

I will not be presumptuous and assume I'll hit my mark tomorrow.  I may have an apple day ahead.  But, at least it's still dropping.

A new cookbook we were given by friend has proven to be God-send.  Having variety in our meals, and flavor, has made a huge difference in doing a 43 day cycle.  Without it, the thought of another 43 day cycle makes it feel almost impossible.

VLCD 23 (Day 25)

I didn't lose as much yesterday.  I think the cottage cheese slowed me down.  I only lost about 3/4 of a pound but counting it as 1/2.  I just read today that eating too much cottage cheese can slow progress.  Darn.  I really love cottage cheese as my quick meal fall-back.  So, today we were strict and stuck with chicken and fish.  That seems to be the most appetizing at the moment, too.  The steak we had recently seemed fatty and really made me sick to my stomach (smell, taste).  I just can't red meat like I used to.  I am really preferring fish, shrimp, and chicken (cold in salads).

So, I'm down 19 pounds in 25 days.  If I can lose 1 lb tonight/today, I will wake up tomorrow at my first milestone!  20 pounds!  Wish me luck!

VLCD 22 (Day 24)

I noticed that I need to take 60 drops per day to feel normal. When I am at this amount I rarely get hungry, lose more, and have less energy problems. Some may disagree with this, but this works for me. I realize some of my plateau problems are due to switching hCG products and going by the bottle directions. I realize now that I need to stick with 60 drops.

My plateau seems to have ended and I have lost 4.5 lbs in 3 days!  I have now lost 18.5 lbs in 24 days!  I can't wait to hit the 20 lb mark!  

We are doing 43 days for Phase Two.  We've studied up on what we can eat in Phase 3 and are getting excited.  It will be easier to eat as a family, and nice to have creamy foods again.  I'm not craving bread, but when I eat the Melba toast it feels like I'm eating a whole loaf of bread it seems so filling and satisfying.  Hopefully that means I will be able eat some bread eventually without eating an entire loaf!

We had Tilapia and Asparagus for dinner.  The Tilapia has a wonderful sauce and was just divine!

I did eat cottage cheese today with tomatoes and am watching to see how it affects me over no dairy.  I'm hoping it doesn't "hurt" me because it's a really nice fall back when I don't have time to cook.

VLCD 20 (Day 22)

I lost 2 pounds.  Down 16 pounds total.

I think I need 60 drops total.  I seem to feel better at that amount and don't usually get hungry.  I found out that even a Kalamata olive and rotisserie chicken are NOT ok.  It stalled/made me gain one pound by eating it.  I can't afford to allow any fat in my diet right now in order for the hCG to utilize my fat stores.

I've been really careful the past 2 days on what I'm eating.  Now I wonder about the Melba toast and Grissini.  So far it doesn't seem to affect me but I'm staying on the look out.

VLCD 19 (Day 21)

Well, the "apple day" did do it's job but I'm back to gaining again.  One pound yesterday and one pound today.  Basically I've made no progress for over a week.  It's very frustrating and confusing.

Couple reasons why I think this could be happening;

1.  Water retention and constipation (I think I'll take some herbal remedies for this).
2.  I ate some rotisserie chicken 2 days in a row and 1 Kalamata olive one day.  Wondering if the fat in these threw me off.
3.  I dropped my amount of hCG to what the bottle says, but read in one of the instruction books that if you are experiencing a plateau to go ahead and take more drops.

So, I'm not giving up, but I will be watching what I eat more carefully, start walking/light working out, and upping my drops.

I have to make progress or I don't see how all this can help me long term.

VLCD 17 (Day 19)

The "apple day" did the trick!  I lost 4 pounds!  (Beware, bodily functions mentioned.)  Part of that was constipation and water.  The apples really cleaned me out.  I even felt different this morning.  Boy, you can sure tell when you retain water when doing this.  It's very interesting.

I feel normal now and not so distressed.  I am hoping tomorrow will bring my normal 1 pound weight loss, like usual.

I went visiting teaching today, and enjoyed visiting with these sisters.  It was nice to use a conference talk as my lesson.  I loved re-reading the talks, very inspiring.

VLCD 16 Day 18

Today is NOT better (according to my weight loss).  I gained 2.25 pounds!  I emailed my yahoo group for advice but am feeling very discouraged.  Today is Fast Sunday so it's perfect for an "apple day." So, that's what I'm doing.  Hopefully that will kick my body back into gear.

VLCD 15 (Day 17)

I'm kind of depressed and trying not to mope about my PLATEAU!  I lost nothing yesterday and only .25 today.  I talked to my friend (a nurse) and she reminded me this is very normal especially at this time period and amount lost.  It still stinks.  If we have another bad day (Jeff only lost 1/2 pound today), I'm planning an "apple day", which consists of 6 large apples and water.  It helps kick start the weight loss again and gets rid of any water weight.  I'm not looking forward to it, but can't stand the fact I see no movement on the scale.

On a good note, we had crab legs and spinach for dinner.  We painted our guest room and put carpet in.  It looks great.  Oh, and I got some new dining room chairs that we will stain to go with our "new" table.

On another bad note, I can't find my debit card.  Ugh.

Tomorrow will be better!