182.5 today - the noodles really ARE a miracle!

So I'm on round three of HCG and was feeling discouraged last week... moving slowly down the scale - but moving! So I guess that's promising! And here is how my sister changed my life - by calling and leaving me a message that said "I'm about to change your life" and telling me about miraclenoodle.com.

SO I ordered the variety pack to try several types of this miracle - these noodles are made from a fermented root (rinse and boil them before eating them) and have zero calories, zero carbs, and lots of fiber. They basically have nothing but a basic plant fiber - and they taste like... nothing... it's just a slightly rubbery, tasteless noodle - which is great!! Not as good as "real" noodles, but you can eat them on the HCG diet and that REALLY matters! Now I feel like I'm getting to actually eat some quantity of food. So last night I had spaghetti - I made the sauce myself with my serving of tomatoes (boiled, peeled, pureed, then simmered with onions and italian seasonings) and then shredded chicken into it and ate it with the miracle noodles. So I had a nice big bowl of spaghetti and this morning weighed a pound less than yesterday morning!!! Yay!! This is a fricking miracle!!!!

185.8 and I've changed the way I eat!

OK I'm SO excited because I have found a new love for vegetables and fruit, and more so for vegetables! Every day I've been bringing lunch to work and I've discovered (belatedly) that if I just have food prepped then it's easy to bring a lunch to work. For example, we had dad and bro over for Father's Day last night and made tons of shrimp, steak, salad... so after dinner we packaged it all up in small servings and today I had containers of servings of things to bring to work. I also made brussel sprouts while making the rest of dinner, which weren't really ready on time for us to eat (thank goodness cause there was tons of food) so those are now packaged with little servings of steak for my lunches. I also made a pork roast in the crock pot the other day, which is 2 weeks worth of pork servings for me and SO tender & delicious!

The best news is that I am still losing weight! This morning I was down to 185.8 so I've lost weight since I moved to phase III and I know it's not a fluke (like water loss) cause I'm eating fabulous food. Yessssssssss... and only 19 days to go before it's time to lock and "load" the next round. Yay!

186.9 and on to phase 3

So a number of things happened...

*I went 10 days without losing weight (last a pound one day and thought I had broken the freeze but then gained it back the next day)

*I got my period 10 days before I was supposed to (that never happens! I'm on birth control!)

*I got sick

*I got hungry

So I wondered at that point if I shouldn't just stop using the drops and move on to the next phase. I could have been 10 days into my 4 weeks off! 12 actually... cause it took 2 more days to decide to stop taking them. Now I'm 8 days into phase 3, which means I have 20 days before I can load for the next round. My sister suggested using the injections instead which she feels are more effective. It would be VERY nice not to have to set my alarm for 7 times per day (once to wake up, then 6 doses of drops) so I'm thinking about that.

The GOOD news is that I have a newfound love of fruits & vegetables that really wasn't there before. Not that I didn't like those things, but now I'm SO excited about eating them! It's really great and I feel much healthier! Also last time I went off the drops I didn't gain weight back so I'm hoping for the same result. I'm eating great so it shouldn't be a problem. Thinking about joining weight watcher's now, but then will need to avoid them for a while.

Oh and we're thinking of Africa in January and my weight goal by then is 150!! I think I can do it. I'll have time for 2 more rounds of hcg - actually I have time for more than that, but 2 more might be all I need, plus healthy eating in between for continued weight loss. I'm actually hoping to lose a pound or two now before the next round. I'm tracking my food for 1200 calories per day and usually I can lose weight on that somewhat effectively.

OK thanks for reading!

187.2 - but I feel a cheating day coming on...

So today I'm feeling sleepy, weak, shakey, nauseous... weird! I haven't felt this way at all so far until today. I took the drops each time I was supposed to and this morning I got a coffee and put a lot of cream in it thinking maybe I just need extra calories today. It didn't help, so I had a flat bread with cream cheese and an orange - and it's not even 11am! SO the cream and the cream cheese were total cheating items and not I'm having some sun chips. Yeesh. I didn't bring any protein with me today and I can't leave my office to go get anything for another hour. Maybe that's the issue... I need some protein. hm. Well this will probably set me back a couple days but I have 23 days left so there's still time to come down another 10 pounds. Yay!

ok I tossed the chips in the trash. argh.

188.1 !!!!!!! I'm SO excited!

OK so here is a breakdown of the rise and fall of my weight so far:

March 21, 2010 - posted about having to buy size 14 pants and being appalled. I didn't post my weight but I think I recall 188.

April 14, 2011 - over a year later I posted 206.6 and size 16 pants and was shocked to see my post from the previous year!! I didn't remember posting that so apparently my complacency was almost complete (just aware enough to post something about being fat, but not do anything about it). This day I started the HCG diet.

May 1st, 2011 - quit the diet... had gone 6 days with no weight lost. However, new weight was 196! At this point I decided to take a break and start again when my sister and Patsy started May 15th. This was grandparents 60th wedding anniversary and would be a good time for the two loading days. And I figured the support of them doing it at the same time would be good. Starting weight this time was 197, so I only gained a pound during the two weeks I was off (and I wasn't really watching what I was eating!)

May 15th - started the two loading days and then day 3 was in transit back to Alaska so very hard to be on planes, in airports, etc and eat the right stuff but somehow I made it through.

May 25th - stalled out for a few days - couldn't resist the cake batter from the princess cupcakes I made Mandy.

May 31st - today! I'm at 188.1... so that means that from the start of the first round that I quit part-way through, I'm down 19 pounds! 19 pounds in 1.5 months! And I'm 16 days through a 40-day cycle of the drops, so I think I can lost at least 10 more pounds. If I did it perfectly I could lose 15-20 more pounds, but I can imagine it won't go quite that way. So I plan to be at 178 by June 20th. Yessssss... then after that it's 4 weeks off and then start again! So by mid-August I should be in the 160's, which is where I feel comfortable (although another 15 pounds down from that would be awesome and I could wear a bikini if I were 150 - but that's another set of goals after I get down to 165).

GO DIRECTLY TO JAIL, do not pass go, do not collect $200

OK I DIDN'T MAKE IT... so I'm restarting the diet again. I did the gorging days in Colorado and the grandparents 60th wedding anniversary. So that was fun! Then yesterday was the travel home day and the first day of 500 calories - so hard!!! But today is better, which I knew it would be.

198.6 IS MY NEW STARTING DATE

196! Yay!

OK but today I cheated again. This morning was so promised! Argh... I had a giant cookie at Barnes & Noble. You wouldn't believe the excuses I find - even as I purchased it I was telling myself that I didn't have to eat all of it, etc etc blah blah blah. Grrr... So tomorrow I MUST be back on track! I guess I just can't go anywhere or do anything. I need to stay home and eat my designated items so I can get thin!

And my pants felt tight today too. Waaaa!!

197.1... Easter Ruined Me

and today I was crabby crabby crabby! Started my period too, which could have something to do with my mood but it's worse than it's EVER been!! I'm not usually a big "PMS" crabby person but today I totally was. Some advice on the internet says don't take HCG while aunt flo is here. Lots of postings say people had no problems with it, some people had problems (like lots more days of bleeding) but I don't care - I'm taking it anyways. I really want to continue to drop pounds and not take a break!

Cheating Ruins the Plan... (But I'm 197.8!!!)

OK so if you're wondering, here is what happens when you cheat (i.e. eat something that's not on the list) - the weight loss is less the following morning, and the whole day you feel hungry and tired. So that's what happened two days in a row. I cheated one night - Skal dinner where dinner was breaded chicken breast smothered in sauce and sitting on mashed potatoes. I scraped off as much breading as I could but inevitably ate some as well as a couple bites of mash and a glass of wine. So I could have avoided most of that cheat, but I didn't. The next morning I had lost less than 1 pound and all day I was tired and hungry. I felt undernourished all day and therefore ate more than I should have, thinking it would help. Also went to a wine tasting with the girls and ate thai shrimp soup. Tried to avoid the noodles but there was definitely other stuff in there I wasn't supposed to be eating. So then day 2 of hungry and tired comes.

So last night I went to a comedy show with another set of girls and totally stuck to my guns, except for when Jennie bought me a beer while I was in the bathroom. So I had a few sips and then hid it under my chair. Today I feel much better, but have been licking a little cake batter while making husband's birthday cake - and it's Easter! My sister-in-law is cooking so I'm going to have to eat. I have no idea what it's going to be, but I hope there's a huge salad and some naked protein. I'm bringing eggs to decorate so I could always play with the other food and then later eat an egg.

So anyways... new weight 197.8!!! So that's pretty awesome.

200!! It's official!!

So I'm down to 200! I'm so excited! OK it's 200.1 but that's really really close. I'm sure by tomorrow morning I won't have to see the 2 anymore!

Also, another great breakthrough of today is that all the clean jeans that are size 16 are too big. So I need to go buy a 14 at the Gap today. Might be a bit snug but it sure beats pulling them up all day as I move around.

Yessss.....

201.2 and dropping...

So I never thought I'd think "FINALLY! I'm getting down towards 200!!" I was mortified when I realized I was getting UP towards 200!! But yes, I am now getting DOWN towards 200. My goal? 150!! But I don't think that'll happen this month. At this rate, if I keep it up, I can get to 177. I'd be happy at that weight! But this is going so great that I think I'll do another round of it this summer. Maybe I can get to 150!! Yay!

So here's the update: I had a weird all-night case of hypertension. I don't even know what that word means but it sounds right. I literally couldn't stop moving. I finally had to get out of bed and do some stretches and walk around. That seemed to work, but that was after hours of off and on sleep and twitching. This might not be related to hcg, but thought I'd write it down anyways. It's either related or I need to destress!

I'm patiently waiting for my Nia DVD's to get here! I think I'll do some tonight with my own music and the book for instruction just to get started. I think adding excerise to this diet will keep this momentum going. I didn't do too good yesterday on food so I lost less than a pound (.8 was my decrease this morning). So I need to be more strict! I'm aiming for more than a pound per day!!

Round is a shape but....

Get excited! There's a shape appearing on my body that hasn't been there before! The hormone in the hcg drops is supposed to redistribute fat from the wrong places (where it's stuck and causing me the beginnings of permanent obesity) to the right places (where it can be easily used for backup fuel when needed). And I think it's working! Even my husband said there is definitely an hour-glass shape showing up that wasn't there before. He's super surprised. He was a nay-sayer of this diet so I know he isn't imagining it or humoring me.

AND this morning's weight was 203.5 - another pound down!

Last night we had dinner at a friend's house. I had a tiny dollop of mashed sweet potatoes, but otherwise the dinner fit (except two glasses of red wine ha ha, but it didn't have carbs so I'm good I think).

So I was 150 calories over the 500 calorie limit... but I woke up a pound lighter. So as long as I wake up a pound lighter tomorrow too, then I know I didn't mess up too bad!
;)

204.5 I'm feeling encouraged!

OK it's probably water weight cause I drank a ton of water yesterday and peed all day long. I don't feel thinner. In fact I feel constipated. Actually I AM constipated. I haven't had a bowel movement (hate that word) since the first gorging day. So everything I ate the second gorging day is still in there! Ah! It was a big list! So I guess when that comes out I'll weigh even less.

I went to bed early so I didn't get desperately hungry and not be able to do anything about it. I feel pretty good this morning. I woke up early of course because I went to bed so early. But I feel only a distant feeling of hunger and I've already take one set of drops. I'm going to make some mint tea (supposed to make you feel less hungry) and wait until after 2nd set of drops to eat anything. Less apple-eating today is in my plans. Also, Patsy's Easter party is today so somehow I must resist eating all the stuff she makes. Bacon is not on the list of things I can eat. Argh. But she knows I'm on the diet so I'm sure she will have a suggestion on what to eat.

Dinner was... small

So tonight, dinner on day 1, I had chicken breast (not a whole breast), 5 cold shrimp (no cocktail sauce), asparagus (blanched for 30 seconds, then put in cold water), and tea. I'm still hungry. But I think I'm ok. I'm drinking chamomile tea - the sooner I go to sleep the better!

I think the apple was too much for one day. I might cut up several apples into 8 slices each and then put 6 slices in baggies so that I'm having a little less than one apple per day. I feel like I needed more substance (protein) today but couldn't eat more because of the 500 calorie limit.

Oh and magical energy still has not arrived.

Gorging leads to 207.6 - I'm using this as my starting weight

OK so I completed my two days of gorging while taking the drops. I've already discovered that setting my alarm to every hour and a half is the only way I'm going to remember to take them six times per day. So that's working ok. The directions don't really say when to take them. It just says 6 drops, 6 times per day. Hmmmmm...

SO I ate everything in sight for two days and now today is officially day one of the 28 days - 500 calories of mostly protein each day. I've already had two hard boiled eggs and I'm not sure what to do next. I need to hit costco and get big packs of chicken breasts! I think I'll do that after work. I can have one apple too, but not in the morning. So I have a half hour till I can eat that, if I'm being particular about what is considered morning.

The tons and tons of energy I'm supposed to have hasn't shown up yet. Still waiting for that to happen. I guess I could drink some black coffee or green tea. I think I need to buy some.

Official starting weight this morning was 207.4. SO gorging for two days made me gain weight. But I was warned about that and told it was temporary. So we'll see!

A year has passed - 206.6 this morning

SO a year has passed... and I'm fatter. The 14's are way snug and now the 16's are getting snug too. I had to go buy 16's and they're getting too small! My sister gave me a bunch of pants because she's thinner now. Argh. I hate it.

So here's what I'm doing - the HCG diet in droplet form. There are lots of nay-sayers against this diet - but let's get real people!! How healthy am I? I'm talking mind and body - NOT healthy! Creeping toward heart disease and diabetes! So could any diet really be worse than what I'm doing?? NO!!!!

My sister and step-mom did the diet through a naturopathic doctor. That is what convinced me. So I have the drops (you can get them on the internet) and I'm diving in. One of the motivators, sickeningly, was the fact that I get to spend two days eating as much fat and sugar as possible. So I've taken the drops for the first time this morning (and second dose has already gone by) and I've eaten lots of yummy fattening stuff, including but not limited to a mocha with whip and a chocolate donut from Starbucks. Luckily, the donut wasn't that good so two days from now I don't think I'll have trouble not eating one of those.

Then for the remainder of the 30 days I will be eating 500 calories (let's see those eyebrows raise and chins drop) of no-carb, no-sugar protein. So um... chicken breasts and pork? Not totally sure yet. I'm gonna get with step-mom and sister about what they ate.

Then for the 3 weeks following the 30 days, you don't take the drops but you do stick to no carb. Then slowly reintroduce SOME carbs (only the good kind!) Then I plan to join weight watchers as well to keep off the weight. I need some accountability! Otherwise I'll EAT EAT EAT!!!!