HCG Round Three... Day Seven

Well, I have gotten the flu twice now... good for the weight, bad for me. I had three exams (one is done now) and all the Christmas hoopla, and I have no energy.

I am scrambling to do the Christmas thing and going nuts over the remaining two exams (math and ASL). This Saturday, I will be able to die in peace... :D

Diet-wise, the food thing is still hard; I watched my kids eat ice cream today and had trouble with it. I stopped running like I was supposed to also. I am currently at 252 pounds, which is minus 6.5 pounds for this round and minus 81 pounds total. Okay, that is kind of exciting.

Side effects this time.... so far, I am really weak again, but that could be the flu too. I chew a lot of B12. I am perpetually thirsty, so I go through a lot of Powerade Zero and Throat Coat tea.

HCG Round Three...

Cannot believe it has been that long since I posted!! I have been very busy.

I ended the HCG round two at 267 pounds, only down 26 pounds, but that is okay. This middle six weeks have been kind of depressing; I didn't lose much weight... until I got the flu.

It has been exasperating; I am now about the same weight as my husband... I have NEVER been thinner than he is... but he has lost weight too, just by association... I am so angry! He doesn't even have to try, and here I am trying, sacrificing, giving myself shots, exercising like crazy.... grrrrr!!! That said, I am now 1 1/2 pounds lighter than he is.

Today is day one of the shots, and I am currently 258.6 pounds. This round I am trying for three digits (one hundred pounds lost will be 233 pounds) and to be less than one hundred pounds overweight (which will come first at 250 pounds... well, technically 249).

I have to admit that multiple rounds of this is pretty tedious, but I know I will not be on this roller coaster forever, just almost one more year....

HCG Diet Injections Round Two - Day 15

Well, so far it is going... of course there are problems to work out as usual..

Weight-wise, I think I started at 293 (post-workout), and as of today I am 279 (post). It is working like it is supposed to. My measurements as of yesterday are 38.25 (-4.75 total), 42.75 (-2.75 total), 59.0 (-5 total)

The problems? One is getting my period multiple times while doing this... it is a nuisance; the weakness is back, although not as bad... I take a bunch of b-12 pills every day (eat them like candy) and I still run.

The biggest problem has been my eyes. Turns out that with the radical diet, I have lost the ability to lubricate my eyes, so I ruin my contact lenses; I have to take them out every night (I wear extended wear lenses), it takes a miracle to get them back in (the dryness makes them not want to stick to my eyes), and I have to keep my solution close at hand to lubricate my eyes every time they dry out. It is a big nuisance, but the alternative is to quit the diet....

So I am surviving.... only 25 days to go before I can go "normal" for a bit.

HCG Diet Injections Round Two - Day 9

Yes, I have been neglecting things a bit.... I am in school full time and a whole bunch of other stuff too.

I went back for round two starting last Monday, and this time it is more difficult. I have to speculate about why... I have kept up running (although I can feel the weakness coming on), and when I did the three day gorge, I did not get to eat what I had planned, so I am craving those and some other things. My mind is definitely my enemy this time.

Even with that in mind, gauging my weight is a little more difficult because I now weigh myself post-exercise instead of pre-exercise. I weighed 295 when I started (or 293 post), and as of this morning I am 288 pounds. The diet is working, but I am having more trouble with food. The measurements don't help all that much - they are up and down because of the margin for error that a tape measure brings.

So to round two!!

HCG Diet (?)

Getting more HCG has been delayed, but I have tried to stay on the "diet". I am now at 294.2 pounds and the measurements were a little weird, I gained inches?, but all has been okay.

I now run a 22 minute mile, up from 26 minutes when I finished the injections. I have a little more endurance and strength than I did before the injections, so all in all I am still holding my own despite the diet being delayed...

HCG - Stabilization Diet - 5 Days Until Next Round

It has been a while, but things have not changed much... I have lost a couple of pounds, but it is extremely difficult for me to do. I am still not eating more than a thousand calories a day, but I have had the chance to cheat a little... one cookie, one bite of cake, that kind of thing; I also had my Blizzard.

I have not found a way to have vegetables be palatable yet. There are two recipes I received from a friend - one is amazing (Kale Chips), and the other I will be trying today (Portabello Pizza). I need to know how to make string beans. Let's just say that I will never be a vegetarian, although it seems that it is the goal of this diet and the people behind it...

My weight is currently 294.2, measurements (as of Sunday) are 39.25, 43, 59.75.

HCG - Stabilization Diet Day 22 (I think)

I lose count easily.... I am still having problems eating, but I am trying to deal with it. I am down to about 296 pounds and want to be at 290 on the 15th of August when I go back on the injections again. I still need vegetable recipes that I can live with, so if you know of anything... :D

On Sunday, I was exactly 297.2, with measurements of 40, 42.5 and 60. I now only need one tape measure to measure the hips....yay!!

HCG - Stabilization Diet Day 14

I am still really having a hard time with eating. Many times I go to the refrigerator, cannot find anything to eat, so I eat nothing. I am still under 1000 calories daily.

The diet I am on is very restrictive in the sense that I don't know how to cook vegetables that I will actually eat and also that I have to plan every calorie (kind of like Weight Watchers was). I can have 2 servings of protein, 1 serving of legumes, etc., and my head feels like exploding. I took some time to adapt what our family normally eats to this diet, and I would have like one meal a day if I ate what my family does. Just the build-a-nacho that we eat is 2 protein, 1 legume and 1 vegetable. Well that leaves me with just 1 serving of grain and nuts, 2 fruit and then 4 servings of oil along with the medical stuff I take and UNLIMITED VEGETABLES, which I have no knowledge of, nor enjoy by themselves; I always eat vegetables with protein. Chicken salad is 2 protein, 1 nut and 4 oil, which leaves me with a legume, 2 fruit and a grain for the rest of the day. Most recipes have things that I am not supposed to eat; I will probably eat a lot of pickles and drink tons of tomato juice (both vegetables). "My doctor could help me" you say? He says that he has never come across someone who has trouble eating, that his patients are creative and find ways to make food for themselves; no help there.

My weight is stable but not moving at 299.6 this morning... measurements from Saturday were 39.5 (-3.5 total), 44 (-1.5 total) and 60.75 (-3.25 total). I am supposed to lose some weight in this six weeks, but after two, not happening.

I have to get into an exercise routine. When school starts (22 August) it will be fine, but now I am always having to exercise in the afternoon in the blazing sun. It is pretty horrible, and because of that, I am not exercising regularly. The next round of shots starts on 15 August, so I will be back on the 500 calorie diet when my exercise routine straightens out.

HCG - Stabilization Diet Day 7

It has been a really rough week. I have no idea what to eat. I am trolling for suggestions on how to cook vegetables that I would be willing to eat. It seems that from tracking my food, I have no problem eating protein (a throwback from my surgery, since gastric bypass patients need to eat a lot of protein), I average about30-50g of fat, 10-20g of fiber and 35-55 carbs. I have this fiber stuff I sprinkle into my food because I am not eating enough vegetables if I am home (have no problem eating veggies if they are cooked for me).

As of when I got out of bed today (I was late), I was 298.8 pounds....

I did mention yesterday on my Facebook that I am starting to exercise again... I did two miles, but averaged a 26-minute mile... ack! I was up to a 19-minute mile before I did the diet....

HCG - Stabilization Diet Day 4

Finally, I broke the 300 pound barrier! As of this morning I am 299.8, and hoping for a little more tomorrow. I needed to pass that mark.

I am afraid to eat. It's crazy but it's true. This happened to me when I was bulimic too; I figure if I don't eat, I won't gain. I know in my head that yes I will lose weight, but I will make myself sick, but emotions don't care much for logic.

I talked to a friend at church who is thin because of this diet, and she reminded me that in the original protocol, after the injections you are supposed to increase calories but avoid carbs and sugar for three weeks of the six week break. I bought the Metagenics stuff only to find that it has 17 net carbs and 16 sugar per serving, so I don't want to use it. I use SparkPeople to track what I eat, and even with trying to avoid carbs, I have eaten between 30-40 carbs per day; with the medical stuff, that would double. The caloric intake has gotten a little better - I ate 776 calories yesterday (as opposed to 526 Tuesday and 646 Monday). I am trying to figure out what to eat that is compatible with me, and it is a very tough decision-making process.

HCG - Stabilization Diet Day 1

Well, I did not make my goal... I was 300.8 this morning. My measurements were (on Sunday) 39.75 (-3.25 total), 44 (-1.5 total) and 61.25 (-2.75 total). Not too bad, but I so wanted to say I was 200-and-something.

I am very baffled about what to do for a diet at this point. I bought the medical food stuff, but after talking to a friend about the diet, she reminded me that the original protocol says to stabilize over three weeks, which means that I need to have no carbs or sugar for the first three weeks. I have decided to take out the carbs and sugar, but increase calories to the lower 1,300 mark instead of the 1,600 the doctor wanted. It also gives me wiggle room.

Still struggling with what to eat... so far I have had only "the soy milk taste-testing", some almonds and 4oz. of turkey breast... need to go shopping...

HCG 43

My last shot was on Thursday (forgot to take the shot once), and this three days of being on the diet without the shot has been difficult. I have been really hungry and really depressed.

It turns out that I have my period again, so that is three periods during this forty-three days. It has wreaked havoc on my weight. I was down to 300.6, but bounced up to 301.8 and it has been that way for three days. I thought for sure I would reach my goal, to be under 300 pounds, but it is now iffy. Tomorrow is the last day of the five hundred-calorie diet, so I have until Monday morning to reach two hundred-and-something.

I will weigh and tape myself tomorrow and add it to this... forgot to tape, as I had to bounce out of bed and take off early.

I have many concerns about the "diet between the diet" phase of this. Number one, I have to work in some of the food that I have passed up; there is no way I could be on a perpetual diet for the next... let me guesstimate how long it will take... another five rounds or so of this.... that would be about another 380 days from now... a little over a year. As I have mentioned many times, "normal" is my goal, and to abstain from things that normal people eat for a year and a quarter is not normal; it has already caused a lot of anxiety, and it should not have to.

I am also concerned about the complexity of the diet, and the need for "medical food", which is really expensive. I will literally have to construct what I can and cannot eat every day. I have been using SparkPeople to figure out how to manage this complicated diet.

Another thing is that you cannot throw out your kitchen and suddenly eat the way you diet; the diet needs to fit how you already eat or else you will not follow it. I have grouped foods that our family normally eats, and have been fitting meals into the diet. Build-A-Nacho is very popular around our house, but it takes up over three quarters of my day's allowances, so I will have to mostly starve to have it.

If you are considering doing this, be prepared to spend a lot of money on stuff you need. You need over three pounds of protein a week, vegetables and fruits, which are also expensive, the no-calorie salad dressing that has saved my life is $5.00 for two to three days perhaps, and I should buy stock in Traditional Medicinals because I drink their tea (because I hate water), and that is a ton of money too. I have been very weak, so I have also spent easily over $100.00 on B-12, stuff for constipation, stuff to give me more energy, stuff to help my adrenals, etc. I feel very guilty when I see my husband eating spaghetti every day and my kids eating sandwiches every day to fund this.

HCG 36

The home stretch is feeling like exactly that... I have been craving stuff, not because I am hungry, but because I have been exposed to a lot of food lately. Yesterday had me in tears; my family got together, so there was hot dogs, sandwiches, chips and dip, and the desserts were about twelve boxes of different possibilities. I had to go and hide to avoid it all. At home, food is pretty strictly monitored so I know what troublesome food darkens my door and I am braced for the smell of it.

On the bright side, I am still losing weight... as of yesterday, I am 306 pounds, measurements 40.0, 45.25 and 62.0.

I am very worried about phase two of the diet because it seems that I will not have an opportunity to eat "normal". That is causing massive stress...

HCG 28

Whew! Four weeks... it is getting kind of difficult.. this being my daughter's birthday and all. We will be going to lunch, and then Dairy Queen... talk about torture!

Well, I have lost about 24 pounds... Since the beginning, I have lost exactly 23.6 pounds. My measurements are still ridiculous; my bust measurement seems to be the most accurate (not as much gravity involved.. he he) at a total loss of 2.75 inches... but my waist is bigger than when I started! Go figure...

Physically I am still a wet noodle. I have no energy, and I am forgetting things often. I even forgot to call my father for Father's Day!! That would be the first time ever. I also forgot to take the HCG shot one day, so everything is pushed back a day. There are things I need to do but I am still feeling this weird feeling, which makes me... for lack of a better word... apathetic. I just don't care about much.

HCG 21

... I think it is day 21 anyway...

My weight has plateaued at 314.6... which is down 18.2 pounds. Not bad, but I worry even though I expected it. The measurements play out that things are happening (finally)... 40.75 (-.75 from last week), 44.75 (-1 from last week) and 62.5 (-.75 from last week).

Emotionally I am still a wreck, as I suspect I will be the whole time. One thing is that hope thing, which I try to dampen; I have been through the diet go-around many, many times. Two is the food thing... when bad food comes in (or even good food), my nose knows... I want Cheerios. There was also potato chips and pasta sides, and boy do they smell good (even though the brain knows they are not). I have also been craving a steak... I think I can do that, but carefully.

I do have bruises from the injections (I just bruise easily) and I still have the weakness (need to go to the health food store for stuff). The food is expensive (well at least more expensive than doing the cheapo carbohydrates, which is normal around here), and goes bad very quickly (have had to throw out strawberries).

HCG 15

Two weeks have gone by... and I am still at it.

Weight-wise, all that panic last week was because it is that time of the month... whew! I normally gain five pounds before my period, but it seems that with the diet, I gained that pound one day, and another pound two days afterward, but am now not doing badly... yesterday (officially two weeks) I was down almost 12 1/2 pounds, to 320.4, measurements are not doing well still because of the way my body is, at 41.5(-1.5 total), 45.75(+.25 total) and 63.25(-.75 total).

Today I dropped a lot of that "period" weight, so I am currently 318, down 14.8 pounds! Insane!!

Emotionally I am a total wreck. With the advent of my period has also come the most hungry I have been. I am having cravings like crazy, which is usual at this time even without the diet. I get cranky if I don't have "x" when I want it, and so lets just say I sleep a lot at the moment... the only solution I have to being upset. I cry a lot; being depressed and under these kinds of restrictions is not for the faint of heart. I totally need a shoulder to cry on, but don't have one, so this is the only place I can let anything out. I feel the anxiety badly, but keep telling myself that I only have twenty-five more days before the diet restrictions ease some and that I can do anything for forty days....

Physically I am still a wet noodle; in my call to my doctor, he told me to get some kind of herbal support for my adrenal glands, and to salt my food since I could be lacking in sodium. I have to call again because I forgot what he told me to get.

HCG 8

Ohmygosh! I panicked this morning when I got on the scale... 327.7!! What the heck happened? Well, David bought a type of deli chicken that must have been off the diet; I felt so bad. I imposed an "apple day" on myself. After apples and a 40 minute workout, all seems to be back on track. After my workout, I was 325.5... whew!

HCG 7

Well a week has gone by...

Diet-wise, I am surprised I made it. I gave myself some challenges... a long trip to Atlanta and back... dinner with friends at a restaurant... and emotional upset.

The trip was a comedy of errors... I forgot a lot of things, so had to hunt for them in Atlanta... salad dressing, fruit, even alcohol wipes! I managed to get it all so that I didn't feel deprived.

Olive Garden was a little bit of torture... thank you Pellegrino for making me feel important.

The emotional upset is the worst, and I don't have an answer as to how to deal with it. So far, I just go to bed when I get upset so that I do not give in to eating.

Physically, I feel very lethargic... no energy at all... sometimes I have to take a power nap to function. I also get "attacks" of thirst... I hate water, but drink it anyway.

Today I am down 6.5 pounds to 326.4, and my measurements are confusing... 42.5 (-.5), 46.5 (+1) and 64.5 (+.5).

HCG 4

Well, I was worried about binge eating, only to find that on this diet, I lost four tenths of a pound! Okay... I really did the fatty stuff thing, too; I had Chicken McNuggets, sauerkraut pierogi, bacon, egg and cheese strata, mahi mahi with melted butter, tortellini with pesto and alfredo sauce - I was nauseated from second one. I cannot believe I didn't gain ten pounds.

Today was day one of the diet, and as I suspected, hunger is 90% mental. The day started off okay, only feeling that "weird" feeling (I haven't put my finger on it... what the weirdness is), did lunch, which was fine, but now (from about 4:00 on) I am looking for snacks. Crazy. I am drinking a lot of herbal tea, and trying to force down water so that nothing goes wrong. I am mentally thinking about dinner, and about more Wasa bread than I am allowed...

HCG 1

I created this because I have been trying fruitlessly to get in better shape... well, get in any shape at all actually. I was walking/jogging to try to lose weight, which did not work (but my legs look better).

I still jog, until today... I have decided to try the HCG diet, and this is day one. I have to scale back the exercise to do the diet, which frightens me, but we will see how this goes.

Emotional: I am a wreck...

Physical: Weigh 332.8 pounds (not the fattest I have ever been), measurements 43, 45.5, 64. I am ready for this...

Food: Gorge day one, wondering how I am going to eat badly after mostly avoiding bad stuff. I have to be careful not to get ill, as I am a gastric bypass patient.