Dusty Rose HCG Diet Journal

JULY 31,2011 144.6 lbs. Maintaining

2011-07-31T18:57:00.002-07:00

Long time no post. It has been an eventful month. Was planning to go on vacation three weeks ago and just hours before my plane was to take off, I had to have an emergency appendectomy instead! Had wanted to drop a few more pounds, but I don't think it is a good idea to try and lose while my body is trying to recover from surgery. I was right at 144 - 145 lbs at that point, so I have been eating around 1500 - 1600 calories a day and maintaining very well. I walk about a mile, to a mile and a half, on the treadmill 5 days a week. Not fast...2.5 mph is all I can do right now. As soon as I am stronger, I will kick up the exercise and try and drop back down to 130 - 135 which has been my goal. I am all about KEEPING it off this time. As I said in earlier posts...2010 was a killer year and I just didn't care about my weight. I am back on track now, mostly following a South Beach style eating pattern. Lots of veggies and fruit, lean meats, dairy. For the most part - avoiding sugar, white flour, rice, potatoes, and pasta.

JUN 25, 2011 R7 VLCD13: 147.75 (R7 TWL 7.25 lbs)

2011-06-25T12:08:00.002-07:00

Nice Drop! I didn't post yesterday because for some reason I was back up to 149.0 again. I knew it wasn't fat because I had stayed on plan. Figured it was water retention from exercising in the heat, and it would drop off soon. And it did this morning! It is more fun to post when I have a loss of course. It is so fun to see a new number in front of the decimal when I report! I walked a mile on the treadmill yesterday and this morning. Not fast...just about 2.5 mph but since I never get any exercise otherwise, it did get my heart rate up a little. I don't want to overdo it, especially on 500 calories per day.

JUN 23, 2011 R7 VLCD11: 148.4 (R7 TWL 6.6 lbs)

2011-06-23T18:46:00.003-07:00

Ha! I got a good night's sleep last night and was down 0.6 lbs this morning! That was enough of a boost to keep me going. I have a rule (that I forgot about last night) that I will never make an important decision at night before bed when I'm really tired! So many times, things that seem impossible at 10:00 at night, become do-able in the morning after I've had some rest. William Waite says "Fatigue makes cowards of us all!" Boy, that is so true. I felt pretty good today and even went for a walk around the block after I got home from work although it was 108 degrees outside! Thanks for the encouragement Karen. It helps to know there is someone out there who cares!

JUN 22, 2011 R7 VLCD 10: 149.0 (R7 TWL 6 lbs)

2011-06-22T18:35:00.005-07:00

Well I'm thinking about quitting this round. I have been hungry almost 24/7 and the scale hasn't budged in 3 days. I have a dr's balance beam scale so I know it's accurate. I am not constipated. I drink plenty of water. I am not cheating. But I just don't feel good. I have no energy, and usually I have extra energy on hcg, and usually I don't even care about food on hcg. I ate a little extra chicken today, and had a grilled lean burger for dinner. Also ate 4 Triscuit crackers today. (I never eat the grissini at all, so I didn't have any on hand.) I'm really discouraged. (I have to admit, I didn't sleep hardly at all last night. My daughter just delivered our 17th grandchild around 3:00 this morning so I'm exhausted. She lives 2500 miles away so I couldn't be with her, but we were on the phone every couple of hours. (Update: I just went back and read some of my posts from earlier rounds, and on Round 2, I stalled for 7 days at this point, but then started losing again. Maybe I'll try and get a good night's sleep, and just hang in there a bit longer and see how it goes...)

JUN 20, 2011 R7P2 VLCD8: 149.13 dn 1.2 lb. (R7TWL dn 6 lbs)

2011-06-20T12:48:00.003-07:00

Got to 149.9 on Saturday, so that helped me be "good" on the weekend. We had the kids over for Father's Day yesterday and I baked a double layer chocolate cake with whipped creme icing. I was REALLY good and only ate a tiny bit - it would have fit in a 1/4 cup measure. I swear I could have eaten whole thing - it tasted so good! Other than that, I stuck to the diet. Only have a net loss of 4 lbs after 7 VLCD days. That is not as good as other rounds, but I didn't load as much this time and I didn't do P4. This round seems harder and I don't know which one of those things is affecting me...maybe all together! Last round I was down 10 lbs after the first week, but I must add that I gained 5 lbs loading last time, and this time only 2 lbs. So my net loss is only one lb less than last time, so I guess I shouldn't complain. I haven't seen the 140's in a long time! My husband ditched this round a couple of days ago. But he is so close to his goal weight, I think he'll make it on a regular program of healthy food and exercise. That never seems to work for me!

JUN 17, 2011 R7P2 VLCD5: 150.4 dn 0.6 (R7TWL 4.6 lbs)

2011-06-17T12:34:00.002-07:00

Down just over half a pound today. I guess I can't complain since that is "average" for a woman. If I can do it one more day, I'll be in the 140's tomorrow morning! Yeah! I need a boost like that to get me through the weekend. Need to have the family over for dinner for Father's day so I will have to COOK but not eat! UGH.

JUN 16, 2011 R7 VLCD 4: 151.0 dn 0.5 (R7 TWL: 4.0)

2011-06-16T20:31:00.003-07:00

Just down half a pound today. For some reason, I felt really bloated this morning even though I am down 4 lbs total. I was hoping for a little more loss this early in the round so my willpower was wearing thin throughout the day. I hung in there but it was harder, especially since they were having a party at work today and had tons of delicious smelling food there. I think it would have been easier to tolerate if I had a bigger loss this morning! Oh well, I still hope to get to the 140's by Saturday. I could still do it if I can eek out just over one pound in the next 36 hours!

For Karyn -

2011-06-15T19:10:00.001-07:00

Hi Karyn, good to see you posting again. I've been reading your blog and have tried posting comments to you about a dozen times, but it just keeps sending me back to the login page! Frustrating! I think there is some setting on my computer preventing it. I can't even comment on my own blog right now unless I use a "Post." I'm curious to see how your Un-HCG works. I read a bit about it, but it was confusing, and so far, I'm not really convinced. Going to stick with true HCG injections this time. I just started R7 with my DH. He is doing the HHCG Pellets. He’s down 5 lbs already. I'm about 6 lbs heavier than you right now. Maybe we can help keep each other going! Good luck on your experiment. I hope it works for you!

JUN 15, 2011 R7 VLCD 3: 151.5 dn 3.5

2011-06-15T07:14:00.002-07:00

Starting day 3 of VLCD. Didn't load as much this time and was a little hungry yesterday, but I am down 3.5 lbs and only gained two lbs loading, so have a NET loss of 1 1/2 lbs after 2 VLCD days. I'm good with that. I hope to be in the 140's by Saturday. (Friday would be even better! LOL) My dear hubby is already down 5 lbs NET from last week! He's looking awesome! The past two days I've done just two meals a day as Simeon's recommends. It was harder than breaking it up into 5 meals. I did eat just a few bites of celery and apple for breakfast this morning so I could take my vitamins. Be sure and take Biotin while on this diet to protect your hair, skin, and nails! It helps a lot. Also, supplement with magnesium, start with 500 mg up to 1500 mg per day to stay "regular." Good luck!

JUN 13, 2011 R7 VLCD 1: 155.0 (LIW 152.0)

2011-06-13T06:19:00.004-07:00

My husband and I are starting Round 7 today. We loaded Saturday and Sunday, though not as much as other rounds. I gained 2 lbs loading this time. (I usually gain 3 or 4) I maintained at 153 for P3 and P4, but cut P4 short to start this round. (Some people call this cycling.) I haven't cycled before so am curious to see how this round goes. I am doing HCG injections, DH is doing HHCG pellets. He had an upset stomach yesterday from eating junk we aren't used to eating while loading on Saturday, so he didn't eat much yesterday. He is already down 1 1/2 lbs! The scale actually said 155.25 this morning, but I rounded it to 155.0 for the sake of doing easier math during the round. My new balance beam scale is accurate to 1/8th of a lb so I am excited to be able to trust whatever the scale says this round. With the digital scale, I never knew for sure. My son opted out of this round although he's had very good success in the past. His schedule wasn't conducive to starting a round right now. Another thing I might try this round is just eating 2 or 3 times a day as Dr Simeons recommends. All other rounds I broke it into 5 times a day. I'm trying it today to see how I feel this way, but will go back to the 5 x day schedule if it doesn't work out. Even Dr S says you can break it up if you want. As usual, I will skip the grissini 90% of the time. I don't really miss it. I'd like to hit 140 this round, but will probably end up around 142 if past experience with short rounds continues. I still plan to do another round to reach 130-132 and will probably just stay there and maintain at that. I felt good at that weight before. Here's to a new round! Anyone else out there starting at this time??? I'd love to hear from you!

Jun 7, 2011 R6 P3 D23: 153.0 lbs (LIW 152.0)

2011-06-07T12:44:00.003-07:00

My body seems to like 153 lbs. I've been here for days no matter what or when I eat. (within reason of course!) I have my new scale and LOVE IT! It detects even 1/8th of a pound. If I drink an 8oz glass of water after weighing, it weighs exactly 8 oz heavier! It is so nice to finally have confidence in the number on the scale. I found when I got it, that my personal scale was (on average) weighing about a half a pound lighter than the new one. I am just going to suck up the difference and use the new weight from now on. I'm glad it wasn't more than that! My husband and son and I are planning to load for Round 7 this coming weekend and start the VLCD on Monday June 13th. They will both be using the Homeopathic HHCG pellets, and I will be doing the injections again. Anyway, that is the plan for now. I am anxious to get another 10 lbs off! Yes, I know, I'm kind of skipping most of P4, but I've read about others who have done it successfully. They call it "cycling." We'll see if it works!

JUN 2, 2011 R6 P3 D18: 152.8 lbs (LIW 152.0)

2011-06-02T08:21:00.004-07:00

Still within 1 lb of LIW. This has been a great round. I am so excited today because UPS is delivering my new PHYSICIAN'S SCALE! You know...the old fashioned kind in your doctor's office that just works on the balance beam system. My sister has one and loves it. We have 3 bathroom scales at home and none of them read the same, and I'm tired of trying to figure out which one is right. This SECA 700 is accurate to within .2 lbs EVERY time. It is the most accurate one out there. Got it at www.wholesalepoint.com for $249 delivered!(All orders over $75 are free shipping!) Definitely worth it. They also have the Healthometer physician's balance beam scale for $149 delivered. That is what most doctors and gyms use. This one got a little better reviews for cast iron construction and 0.2 accuracy (the Healthometer is accurate to 0.25 which is 1/4 lb which is still very good) We just opted for the heavier duty one. They are both very accurate. Since a gain or loss of 1/4 lb seems to be able to make or break my day, (although it shouldn't) I figured it was worth it. Now I am very curious to find what my actual, for real, weight is! :-) Whatever that is will be my new starting point, and it will be accurate every time after that!

May 30, 2011 R6 P3: Day 15 153.0

2011-05-30T19:48:00.004-07:00

Completed another week of P3. Hanging in there. Was over the 2 lb limit for a couple of days, but it was probably due to "digestive" issues. Lol. I do watch what I eat and am staying within about 1300-1500 calories per day. Still really craving carbs though! Hubby is maintaining beautifully! He looks fantastic!

May 22, 2011 R6 P3 Day 8: 153.0 (LIW 152.0)

2011-05-22T20:03:00.002-07:00

Have been on P3 for a week now, and stabilizing pretty well. Up or down a pound from last injection weight, but no big problems. This has been a great round so far. I lost 15 lbs in 26 days for a net loss of 12 lbs from starting weight. Sorry to say though that the pre-HCG aches and pains are back, so it has to be something I'm eating, but haven't been able to isolate it. I was too anxious to add back in the foods I'd been missing. Will have to do an elimination diet I guess.(sigh) I hate that. I always feel better when I'm on HCG. I was completely off ibuprophin, and today I had to take 4 at once so I could sit through church, and still suffered most of the day. I plan to continue P3 at least a couple more weeks, and then may start another round. PS: My sweet hubby lost 18 lbs this round too! :-)

May 9, 2011 VLCD 22: 152.8 dn 1.8lbs TWL 14.2 lbs

2011-05-10T00:06:00.003-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted. Have been so busy. Was really getting discouraged with no losses for a couple of days. My husband and son talked me into taking a break on Mothers Day. My son made a wonderful lasagne dinner with french bread and huge chocolate chip cookies...like a half cup of dough each! I had a small portion of lasagne, two crusts of french bread, small salad, some watermelon, and one cookie and a banana! I was prepared to be up this morning, but lo and behold - I was DOWN half a pound from yesterday. Maybe I should eat lasagne more often! I think it has been so long since my body had that kind of food that it didn't know what to do with it! LOL anyway, that break gave me a second wind to keep going a few more days. I don't think I'll make it to 150, but my goal was to get below 155, so I am already there. This is my 6th round and it has been my best one so far. Pretty cool!

May 5, 11 VLCD 18: 154.6 up 0.4. TWL 12.4

2011-05-05T04:58:00.004-07:00

I was perfect yesterday, and I gained? Where is the justice in that? Our bodies do the strangest things! Not very motivating on Cinco de Mayo when everyone is going to be eating Mexican food today, but I'll hang in there. (my hubby caved yesterday for chips and salsa at work. They were having a "salsa challenge" and he couldnt resist!) Only have a few days left to get a couple more pounds off so I can't afford to waste them.

May 4, 2011 VLCD 17: 154.2 up 0.6 TWL 12.8

2011-05-04T20:19:00.005-07:00

I knew it was coming today. Yesterday was so messed up. I'm back on track today with my shots and my food except I didn't get supper until 8:00 tonight. I worked till after 7:00 again. I was so busy that I wasn't even thinking about eating so that was good. I'm hoping to be back down again tomorrow. We'll see...it goes on a lot faster than it comes off!

May 3, 11 VLCD 16: 153.6 dn 0.2. TWL 13.4

2011-05-03T19:33:00.002-07:00

All good things must come to an end, and so has my "losing streak." lol. Only down 0.2, but at least I'm moving in the right direction. I decided to test out the possibility that eating all my food in two meals instead of five meals and snacks was responsible for the accelerated losses, so yesterday I did that. The result was just a 0.2 lb loss, so I guess that wasn't the secret! Had kind of a weird day today. I forgot to do my shot on Sunday, which wasn't a big deal, but I went to work this morning and forgot again! Around 9:30 I was starving and couldn't figure out why till I realized that I forgot my shot again. Grrrrr! I ended up driving the 24 mile round trip home at 11:00 am to do it. Hate that. Then I cheated and ate 5 big strawberries. Not too bad of a cheat. Around 1:00 I was kind of in a fog, staring at my computer screen and just not able to focus on my work. I ended up taking half of a no-doz tablet and ate two grissini (which I never eat otherwise) and within about half an hour, I felt fine again. Had 69g of steak, some asparagus, and an orange when I got home tonight and I feel stuffed! I have a feeling that the scale won't be my friend tomorrow. I'm going to have to put up a big bright sign to remind myself to do my shots in the mornings. You would think with all the focus on eating the right foods and packing my lunches, it would occur to me that I need to do my shots too!

May 2, 2011 VLCD 15: 153.8 dn 1.0 TWL 13.2

2011-05-03T06:21:00.004-07:00

Can't believe it. Down another pound in one day! This has been my most successful round so far. 13.2 lbs in 14 VLCD days, and 2.6 lbs in the past 3 days. It's very unusual for me to lose this much so fast, this late in a round. Once again, I ended up eating all my food in just two meals instead of breaking it down into 5 meals and snacks. I wonder if that had something to do with it. Happy Day!

May 01, 2011 VLCD 14: 154.8 dn 0.6 TWL 12.2 lbs

2011-05-01T19:40:00.004-07:00

Double reward! Extra good losses the past two days. Sure put a smile on my face this morning. I am down 20.2 lbs since January. Going for 130 now. Almost to my halfway mark of 152.5! Two more short rounds should get me there. That's exciting! After this round, I'm tentatively planning to do 3 weeks of P3, load for two days, and then jump right back in for another 3 weeks of P 2. I know I'm taking a chance by not doing P 4, but I'm going to give it a try this time and see how it goes. I'm not real big on messing with the protocol, but I've read of others who have done it successfully. Always after a loss like this, I am nervous to get on the scale the next day...afraid of a bounce. Again, I will be happy if I just maintain today's weight. I actually forgot to do my injection this morning and didn't remember till afternoon, so I figured it would be like a skip day, although you don't need to do them on short rounds.

Apr 30, 2011 VLCD 13: 155.4 dn 1.0 TWL 11.6

2011-04-30T20:43:00.002-07:00

Woo Hoo! Reward at last. Down a whole pound this morning. I was beginning to worry that I wouldn't be able to get below 155 this round, but I'm only 0.4 away and still have at least 10 VLCD days to go. I'm so glad I hung in there and didn't give up. I'm curious to see what tomorrow will bring...scared to get on the scale. Sometimes when I drop like that, I "bounce" up a little the next day. For now, I will be satisfied if I just hold onto the loss tomorrow. Thanks for all your words of support! It really helps. You are all an inspiration to me.

Apr 29, 2011 VLCD 12 156.4 Again! TWL 10.6

2011-04-30T00:06:00.004-07:00

Ok, I'm still waiting for "all the good things that come to those who wait!". No change this morning. I ended up working a 13 hr day, which means I didn't get off work till 9pm, and then had to go to Walmart because we were out of veggies. Didn't get home till after 10:30 so I had nothing to eat from 3:00 till almost 11:00. That's probably going to mess with my loss for tomorrow because I ate so late. Didn't cheat though, so I'm proud of myself anyway.

Apr 28, 2011 VLCD 11: 156.4 dn 0.2 TWL 10.6

2011-04-28T18:23:00.003-07:00

Down 0.2 Hmmm...not much of a reward for passing up P F Changs Chinese food and gourmet double layer chocolate cake yesterday, but what are ya gonna do? At least I didn't gain, and I know I would have if I had given in. Maybe tomorrow will be a good loss. All good things come to those who wait. The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese! Lol!

Apr 27, 2011 VLCD 10: 156.6 dn 0.8 TWL 10.4

2011-04-27T19:47:00.006-07:00

What a day! Woke up with almost a one pound loss and that was great after yesterday's measley 0.2 loss. Also broke the 10 lbs barrier for this round! It really motivated me today. And it's a good thing, because my boss took the entire office out to lunch at a classy chinese restaurant. I had to decide between staying at the office alone, or taking my celery, chicken and apple slices with me and watch everyone else eat awesome food! My sweet hubby said I deserved a "cheat" day since I've been doing so good, but I told him I don't WANT to cheat! I paid $75 for this round and I don't want to waste any of it. He said, "Well maybe you could eat a little of it just to be social." I said "I am not going to put food in my body just to make someone else happy!" I am glad I went. I actually had a good time with everyone and tried to be as low key about the diet as I could. When someone said something about it, I just said "I've lost 18 pounds since January 1st, and I'm not going to blow it now!" They said "The statistics show that the HCG diet is unhealthy." I said "Being overweight is also unhealthy." That was the end of the conversation, and we moved on. Afterwards, we all went back to the office and a double layer chocolate cake! I did beg off on joining them for that, and just went back to my cubicle and had a warm cup of herbal tea. I am very focused on doing this right. This has been one of my best rounds so far. Yes, it was hard to pass up the wonderful smelling food, but I know that I will be able to have it again (in moderation) in the future. It's not like it's the last Chinese food or chocolate cake on earth! This is my time to be good to my body and get healthy again.

Apr 26, 11 VLCD 9: 157.4 dn 0.2. TWL 9.6

2011-04-26T21:23:00.003-07:00

Only down 0.2 today, but I'll take what I can get. I know from experience that I probably won't be skipping numbers on the scale anymore after the first week. It has been a great round so far though. I feel really good most of the time and have been able to stop taking so many painkillers. I usually need 4 to 8 ibuprophin a day to get by, and now the constant aches and pains are about gone! I've noticed this on other rounds also. I don't know why, unless it is because when I'm on the HCG my diet is really pure...no dairy, no sugar, no glutin (I don't eat the grissini or Melba toast.) I really need to try to figure out what I'm eating that causes the inflammation as I add foods back in during P3 & P4. The difference this time is quite dramatic. Just before this round, I was hobbling around like an 80 yr old, and now I'm not on any medication, and I can go up and down stairs with almost no problem.

Apr 25, 2011 VLCD 8: 157.6 dn 1.0 TWL 9.4

2011-04-25T06:40:00.003-07:00

Down almost 10 lbs in one week. I love it! So glad I was passed up all those Easter goodies this year! This may be the best Easter yet. Since I wasn't focused on FOOD, I could spend more time and thought on the REAL reason for Easter...it was a great day.

Apr 23, 2011 VLCD 6: 158.6 dn 1.8 TWL 8.6

2011-04-23T22:30:00.003-07:00

Good news! Hello 150's! Didn't make it yesterday as I had hoped. Only dropped 0.6 so I was at 160.2. I decided to change up my diet and had some steak instead of chicken, and cabbage for dinner instead of spinach, and one orange and an apple instead of two apples. This morning I was down another 1.6 lbs! I don't know if the change made a difference, but I'm just glad to be back in the 150's which unfortunately is where I started my first round. But thinking positively, it only took less than 4 months to reach my goal from there, so that is good news. I should be able to make it in two rounds if I'm good - and lucky! May you have a happy Easter, celebrating the gift of eternal life given to each of us by our beloved Savior, Jesus Christ. And that is the REALLY good news!

Apr 21, 11 VLCD 4: 160.8 dn 1.4 TWL 6.2 lbs

2011-04-21T19:33:00.004-07:00

I just LOVE skipping numbers on the scale! Sailed right past 161 this morning without even a glance. I know my losses will slow down now after the first few days, but it would be GREAT to be in the 150's again. I'm hoping it's tomorrow! I've looked over past rounds and find that on a short round I lose anywhere from 13 to 15 lbs. I will probably have to do two more short rounds to get back where I want to be. On Jan 1st this year, I weighed 175. I want to get back between 130 and 135. That's do-able. I didn't feel like I was losing much today. Didn't feel hungry though. Walked right past all the Easter candy at Walmart tonight (right before dinner even!) and it didn't bother me very much because I just feel GOOD about what I'm doing for my body right now. That's why this diet is so powerful for me. You have those big losses early to get you motivated to keep going!

Apr 20, 11 VLCD 3: 162.2 dn 2.4 TWL 4.8 lbs

2011-04-20T20:23:00.004-07:00

When I got on the scale this morning, I figured anything under 164 would be great, because that is where I started before loading. Surprise! Skipped right past 163 and on to 162.2! It really made me glad that I stayed in control...even though I was "hangry" last night. (see yesterday's post) This was a great reward. Had a great day today. Did not feel hunger at all. Had to make myself eat a couple of times even though I wasn't hungry, just so my blood sugar would remain stable. I eat a tiny bit of chicken, and apple slices at 7am, a little more at 10am, lunch at noon - more chicken, apple and celery. I eat a snack (chicken and apple) at 3pm and dinner around 6 or 7 depending on when I get home from work. I usually have spinach for my dinner veggie because it is so healthy and I love it. (It's also a natural diuretic - did you know that?) Just finished dinner and I feel stuffed! How silly is that? Maybe part of the reason I don't have an appetite is because I eat the same stuff over and over. Not much to look forward to! I throw in an orange or some beef occasionally. Actually that works well for me. If it tasted better, I'd want to eat more. What's great about this diet is that you're only in the VLCD phase for about 3 weeks. That is such a short time to get such great results. You can do anything for 3 weeks, and seeing the scale drop is a wonderful motivator. It's easy to keep telling myself that it's just a handful of days. I just couldn't get excited about eating 1200 calories a day, and being good, and exercising all week, and "hoping" to lose a pound. (Which didn't always happen.) At that rate I'd be dieting for 9-10 months! It's HCG for me!!!

Apr 19, 11 VLCD 2: 164.6 dn 2.4

2011-04-19T19:31:00.004-07:00

Nice loss for the first day on VLCD! I should be below my starting weight tomorrow - I hope. No cheating today, but it was hard. My bank made me mad and I just wanted to shove food in my mouth! I told my son "I'm not hungry- hungry... I'm MAD HUNGRY!" he said "You must be HANGRY!". I guess that's a perfect word for it.

Apr 18, 2011 Round 6, VLCD 1 Starting at 167.0 lbs

2011-04-18T12:50:00.003-07:00

I'm finally back on the program! Started loading at 164.0 on Saturday. We are doing the injections again this time, like we did on the first rounds back in 2009. That really worked well for us. My husband and I loaded Saturday and Sunday and we're doing our first VLCD today for this round. Gained 3 lbs loading this time. Hunger isn't bad so far (it's only noon!) Had a couple of bites of apple and chicken for breakfast. Doing two apples today, with celery for lunch and spinach for dinner. Chicken both times. Will probably do 80-90% chicken for the protein this round. I'm not that fond of red meat anymore, although I ate a small T-bone for loading last night. Figured to give myself a good boost of red blood cells before I started the diet. Never have liked fish very much either, so that leaves chicken for the protein! I know some people like a lot of variety on the plan, but I usually eat pretty much the same stuff over and over. It doesn't bother me. I just don't focus on food while I'm on VLCD. That's what's so great about this diet. We baked up a whole pan of chicken breasts yesterday, and bagged it up in 60-65 gram portions (cooked and cooled weight)and now my protein is done for the week. I don't have to cook anything but my veggies. I usually like a raw veggie for lunch and cooked spinach for supper. Other diets, you have to spend so much time figuring out what you are going to fix, and then cooking it. Shopping is a breeze too. This frees up so much time! Drinking lots of water. 5 glasses so far. Would love to hit 150 for a goal, but doubt if that will happen in 3 weeks. I'm sure I'll get close to it though. Under 155 for sure! Labels: HCG DIET, HCG Diet Blog, HCG Diet Journal

March 30, 2011 162.5 lbs

2011-03-30T21:31:00.003-07:00

Hi Everyone. Thank you for your kind comments on the loss of my Mom. Today has been my first really good day for a long time. I felt good and got a lot done at work. I've not been "dieting" but just trying to eat sensibly and maintain. I'm doing ok with that. I plan to start another round of injections, loading on the 10th and 11th of April. My kids and grandchildren are coming from Utah for a visit and I promised to cook Sunday dinner and go to the zoo with them on Monday. I don't want to be dieting while they are here. I could do it, but just figured I might as well wait a week or two so I won't have to be a "party pooper" when I see them so rarely. That means that I will be on the HCG for Easter though. I don't think that will be a real problem. I may try to do an early Easter dinner for the whole family on the 10th. The married kids will probably like that better anyway so they don't have to try and visit us and the in-laws all on the same day! Thanks for hanging in there with me during my ups and downs. I really am excited about starting in again. I felt so GOOD while I was doing the program right, and I really miss all the cute clothes I bought when I was a smaller size! They are packed away and I hope to be able to unpack them again soon!

March 17, 2011 164.0 lbs

2011-03-17T21:03:00.002-07:00

Had a setback this week. My mother passed away on Friday the 11th. I flew to Wisconsin to be with her as she slipped away. She would have been 97 in two months. It seems that no matter how old they are, you still hate to see them go. Anyway, with all the traveling and staying with relatives, I didn't have as much control over what I had available to eat. I was gone a week and it was stressful, but I only gained one pound, so I consider that a success. I think I will wait until the 19th to start loading. I am just not prepared emotionally or physically to deal with the adjustment this week. Thank you all for hanging in there with me. Good luck to all of you!

Feb 22, 2011 163.0 lbs

2011-02-22T12:25:00.003-07:00

Well, I'm back. I've been doing the 1200 cal diet and exercise for almost 4 weeks now, and I'm down 2 lbs from when I quit the HCG. Have to say, I'm not thrilled! I was at 165, then gained 2 lbs, and now down to 163. Not much to show for all the deprivation and hard work of exercise. I just logged on to www.whenhealthmatters.com and ordered more HCG from Bob and LaRainne (which is where I originally got the HCG injection kits.) I don't know for sure whether the homeopathic pellets work or not, but I DO know the injections work, and I didn't mind them at all, so I'm going to go that route again. (They are more expensive than the pellets though!) The service at WhenHealthMatters has always been very good and I've sent a lot of people to them for ordering and haven't gotten any bad reports back. I just called LaRainne and she said the order will go out tomorrow. I don't plan to start it until March 12th as I have a short trip planned and I don't want to bother taking all that on an airplane. In the meantime, I will continue with the 1200 calories and exercise. Maybe I can lose another whole pound in the next couple of weeks! LOL By the way, I heard Dr Oz is going to do a segment on HCG tonight. I figure he will probably trash it since he has his own diet to push...

Feb 9, 2011 167.2 lbs

2011-02-09T19:58:00.003-07:00

Well, some of you have asked me to keep posting even though I'm not on HCG anymore. I did join Weight Watchers, but cancelled my membership two days later. I really wasn't interested in going to the meetings. I KNOW all that stuff. I used to teach those classes for Jenny Craig about 15 years ago. But knowing and doing are two different things. I analyzed their new "point system" and figure it is roughly 1200 calories a day plus 2000 calories a week that you can either use daily or all on one big day, or however you want to split that up. It is weighted towards encouraging fresh fruits and vegetable choices. I thought the online and android tracking systems would be state of the art for a company as old and large and popular as Weight Watchers. I planned to do most of my diet through the online stuff, but was VERY disappointed with their online tracking software and phone apps. I found it a nuisance to calculate and count points, and figured it was just easier to count calories...which I have been doing religiously. I write down everything I eat. I've stayed at 1200 - 1300 per day. (One day I did an extra 200 calories worth of Jordan Almonds I was bagging up for a wedding.) That's it! I've passed up every treat and fattening thing in the world. I've been on the treadmill for 30 min at least 4 times a week, and did my first strength training workout on Monday. And what is my reward??? I'm 2 pounds heavier than when I started two weeks ago!!! What's up with that? I have two fruits and about 5 servings of veggies a day, 1% Milk, Whey Protein Powder, 3 oz fat free chicken breast, and air popped popcorn with 1 TBS olive oil daily. A few times I had 1/2 C Fiber One cereal for breakfast. A few times I had 6 oz fat free light yogurt. I never drink any kind of soda. I drink LOTS of water. My thyroid was tested recently as a little low... 3.7 but still in the normal range. I am so frustrated, I don't know what to do. I am trying to hang in there, but it's really hard when I KNOW I'm not cheating, and I'm gaining weight.

JAN 26, 2011 165.2 LBS DOWN 10 LBS MOVING ON

2011-01-27T12:12:00.002-07:00

Well the good news is, I'm down 10 lbs from my Load Weight. But some of you will be disappointed to learn that I joined Weight Watchers today. My sisters are doing that, and my daughter-in-law lost 75 lbs with Weight Watchers last year. The truth is, the last day or two, I've been feeling kind of weak...like just lifting my arms to curl my hair. I gave in to pressure from my sisters and daughter to switch over "to the dark side." LOL. The HCG did work for me in the other rounds, and obviously I was losing this time, but I just didn't feel as good. I don't know if it is because it was the Homeopathic pellets instead of the injections or what. My husband wants to stick it out a few more days and see how it goes for him, but I think it will be hard for him to stay with it if I'm not doing it with him. I hate to disappoint you all, but just want to be honest here. I'll check back in from time to time to let you know how it's going with the Weight Watchers. Thanks for all your support in the past!

Jan 24, 2011 VLCD4: 166.8 DN 1.0 TWL 8.2 lbs

2011-01-24T18:26:00.002-07:00

Another whole pound gone this morning. I'm loving this!

Jan 23, 2011 VLCD 4: 167.8 lbs DN 0.6 TWL 7.2 lbs

2011-01-23T21:17:00.002-07:00

Well, I was only down 0.6 lbs today. That is still a good day, but you get spoiled by those first few days when the scale drops like a rock! Had another cheat-free day, but I'm glad to go back to work tomorrow. Weekends are always harder with the kitchen just a few steps away. When I am working, I am too busy to think about food!

Jan 22, 2011 VLCD 3: 168.4 lbs DN 3.8 TWL 6.8 lbs

2011-01-22T17:30:00.006-07:00

Big Surprise! When I got on the scale this morning, I was down to 168.4 lbs. I couldn't believe it. That is 6.8 lbs in two VLCD days! Weekends have always been the hardest and I wasn't looking forward to getting through this one, but that really motivated me! That is what is so great about this diet. I am already 1.6 lbs lower than my pre-load weight. How can people say this doesn't work? By the way, my husband is also down 7 lbs.

Jan 21, 2011 VLCD 2, 172.2 lbs DN 2.8 lbs

2011-01-21T18:34:00.003-07:00

Ok, it's nice to start seeing the scale go down instead of up for a change. Still have 2.2 lbs of load weight to shed before I'm really making progress. Had jury duty today. I packed my chicken (cut into bite size pieces and frozen) with a small container of blue ice, and took along a baggie of bite size pieces of apple and celery. It all fit in my purse. No problem staying on track. Just finished dinner of chicken, spinach and 1/2 an orange. I was ready to eat when it was time at 6am, 10am, 12pm, 3pm, and 6pm, but I was never feeling "starved." I find the pellets are pretty convenient, and I've never tried the drops, but it seems like pellets would be so much better...easy to measure, no refrigeration, and they take longer to dissolve so more of it gets into your system instead of your stomach. I'm really hoping to be back down to 170.0 by tomorrow morning. That's asking a lot for two days...but I put it ON in two days! We shall see...

Jan 20, 2011 VLCD 1, Final Load Wt: 175.0 lbs

2011-01-20T12:42:00.006-07:00

Evidently my body has become more efficient at storing fat! I've never been able to gain more than 3-4 lbs on my load days. This time I gained 5 lbs, and I don't think I even ate as much as other times. I hope it is mostly water. Well, I guess 175.0 is a nice round number to start from (if you can call that nice!) It will make subtraction easy at least! :) It's lunchtime and I'm doing ok so far. Not starving at all. My husband says he is doing great today too. For some reason, I am not too keen on eating the chicken this time. I'd just as soon eat the celery and apples and forget the meat, but I'm eating it because I know I need to. I'm not eating the grissini though. I rarely do. I usually just have it if I need to take an aspirin or something so it isn't on an empty stomach. Dr Simeons says you can skip that if you want to. I went to the health food store today and bought some sublingual B-12 tablets. It's always a good idea to take B-12 when doing this diet. It helps keep your energy up. I usually feel great while I'm on the diet. People just don't believe that you can feel great on 500 calories a day, but I do. Prepare yourself to get a lot of flack from negative people. You just have to ignore them. If you need positive motivation, go look at the Before and After photos on the link I provided under "Helpful Links." (Scroll down on the left side of the screen and you will find it, but I just realized you have to have a yahoo account to view it. You can set one up for free though.) There are dozens of albums with photos of people who lost using HCG. This diet WORKS!

Jan 19, 2011 Load Day 2, 174.0 lbs, up 4 lbs!

2011-01-19T18:55:00.005-07:00

Well apparently one thing I'm good at is loading! Four pounds in one day? Has to be a lot of water. I've been really thirsty, and drank about a gallon of water today. Seriously! Ate a big breakfast and lunch, and just finished a big steak and an ice cream bar. Almost time for bed now. I think that's about it for my loading. I'm ready to get on with the "unloading!" Everyone thinks that loading will be such a wonderful experience...Eat anything you want, as much as you want! The thing is, once you aren't hungry anymore (which happens pretty quickly) the stuff you thought would be so good, really isn't all that great. Besides, you are feeling stuffed and uncomfortable, and all the fat and sugar kind of makes you feel terrible. You can really see what junk food does to your body! Tomorrow will be my first VLCD day. I sure hope these HHCG pellets work or I'm in big trouble! I'm really anxious to see how it goes. My goal for this time is a net loss of 15 lbs. (That is, to lose all of the load weight plus 15 lbs.) That would put me at 155, which is where I was when I started on my very first round of HCG two years ago. I don't think I ever put on more than 4 lbs loading before, but I will be surprised if the scale isn't up even more tomorrow morning. That will make it pretty hard to hit my target, but I'm going to try!

MEAL PREPARATION SUGGESTIONS:

2011-01-18T06:06:00.005-07:00

For those who are just starting...this is the meal plan I used in the past. It worked great for me. I would divide up all my food portions and put them in baggies on the weekend. I used half chicken breast, and half beef. I actually like the chicken better. I divide all the cooked meat into 100g (raw weight) lunch or dinner servings. (After they are cooked, the 100g is down to about 60g.) Then each day I can pick either all chicken or all beef, or one of each, for my day. For each day, I cut up two apples, and put one whole apple (sliced) in one baggie, and the other apple, I slice and divide into two snack size baggies. (If you dip the apples in a bowl of water with about a teaspoon of salt for one minute, they won't turn brown!) For breakfast I eat half an apple, and half a baggie (30g) of meat, and save the other half for supper. Then I take the other meat baggie (60g) and a bag with a whole apple sliced up, to work with me. Around 9:30 or 10:00 I eat 15g meat plus 1/4 sliced apple. At noon, I eat 30g meat, 1 C celery or radishes (or 2 large tomatoes,) and 1/2 apple. Around 3:00 I eat 1/4 apple, and 15g meat. Then for supper, I have the other 30g meat, and 1 C cooked spinach or asparagus, and 1/2 apple. That way, I am eating every couple of hours, and getting some protein along with the carbs which slows digestion and helps keep the glycemic level down. I found this menu quite satisfying, and I hardly ever suffered from hunger. When you aren't starving, it is a lot easier not to cheat!

Jan 18, 2011 R5 Load Day 1, 170 lbs

2011-01-18T05:52:00.004-07:00

Wow! I just posted a few hours ago for the first time in months and I already have some new diet buddies! I am so excited for you, because I know this really works. Just stick to Dr Simeons method and don't cheat and you will have amazing results. I am glad to be back on track and in control again. I wish I hadn't thrown away all the progress I made, but that is now in the past, and at least I KNOW that I can do something that works. A couple of weeks ago, I decided I would try and lose the weight "naturally" with diet and exercise. I did 1200 calories a day and exercised for a week and then pulled a muscle in my back and had to quit the exercise. Looking ahead at losing about 1 lb per week, I would have to stay on 1200 calories for about 10 months! I just don't have the patience to count calories for that long. I would just rather do a few rounds of HCG and I can lose about 5 lbs a week. THAT is a lot more motivating to me! It is so easy to prepare the food ahead of time, and take it with me. For you new people, I went into a great deal of detail about food preparation on my Feb 14, 2009 post. I'll copy it and repost it here. That seemed to work the best for me. Keep in touch and let me know how you are doing. Good luck!

Jan 17, 2011 170 lbs Starting Over

2011-01-17T20:47:00.004-07:00

All right, it's time to get serious! I hesitated to post again because I've put on 35 lbs in the last 7 months, and I don't want to discourage anyone. Not very smart. I had a blast making and eating all kinds of delicious goodies. I love to make gourmet candies and homemade breads and rolls, but now I'm paying for it! The HCG diet worked for me better than anything I've ever done. I just didn't eat sensibly afterwards. I'm going to try the Homeopathic HCG Pellets this time. There is a lot of debate about whether HHCG actually works, but some people swear by it. My first rounds were with the shots. I didn't mind that at all, but the Pellets are a lot cheaper and more convenient, so I'm going to give them a try. I hope I haven't discouraged anyone by my huge relapse. It was NOT the fault of the HCG. I was just eating really terribly, and didn't care. I was enjoying it! My Mother in law lost 25 lbs two years ago and has kept it all off. It's going to take me a few rounds to get back down to 130-135, but I'll get there!

Aug 1, 2010 149.6 lbs

2010-08-01T08:05:00.011-07:00

Well, I've been avoiding posting because I don't want to discourage anyone. I'm a stress-eater, and have eaten way too much in the past couple of months and undid all the progress I made on the last round. All I can say is, this diet works when nothing else did. You CAN maintain your loss IF you eat correctly and reasonably after you reach your goal...but if you overeatyou will gain it back. Duh! I think my two biggest mistakes were: First - going 6 weeks instead of 3 weeks on the first round. (I lost 88% of the weight in the first 3 weeks, and the last 3 weeks were very hard without the motivation of seeing the scale drop!) and Second - trying to get down too low. I was doing good and looking good at 130. I was able to maintain it pretty well. Then I decided to do a round with my husband and see if I could get down to 120, and by the time I got to 123, I could see it was too low for me. I started eating to gain back 5-7 lbs...and just kept going from there. After getting up to 150 again, I did another successful round, but got impatient and didn't finish out the 3 week P3 like I should have. I'm sad that I let myself get back up here again, but not mad at myself. It is what it is, and we all do the best we can at the time. I know I will lose the weight again. I felt so great at 130-135 and I miss that, but I'm going to give myself a break from dieting right now and just try to eat really healthy and start exercising (another mistake...I never did any exercise and sit at a computer all day.) When I'm up to it again, I may do another round of HCG if I need it. I know it works if I follow it correctly. My mother in law lost 25 lbs last year (she's 74) and has maintained the loss perfectly! I highly recommend the diet to those people who are willing to follow the very strict protocol. It does work! Just don't overdo it. Another bit of advice: DO take before and after photos and measurements, even if you never post them. It is extrememly helpful and motivating! Just looking at mine again makes me want to do better and get back there!

May 3, 2010 136.6 LIW 135.5 on Tues Apr 27

2010-05-03T17:45:00.002-07:00

Decided to stop at 135.5 since my body seemed to stick there. Have maintained within 2 lbs of that this week. I'm ok with where I am. I did want to lose those last 5 lbs, but I think it would have taken another two weeks, and I just wasn't up for that. Maybe with sensible diet and excercise, I can shed those lbs! I'm back into most of my clothes, and that was my motivation. It's hard being careful, but I'm really trying to be good so I don't bounce back up.

R4 VLCD 20 136.0 lbs (down 14 lbs!)

2010-04-24T15:25:00.003-07:00

Hi, just checking in. This has been a great round so far. I'm on day 20 and just 6 lbs from my real goal. I figured 135 would be as far as I could get in one round, but I really wanted to get to 130. I don't know if I will make it all the way to 130, but I'm feeling great and still losing 2-3 lbs per week, so maybe I'll get there. Anyway, I'm happy to be down this far. I haven't been near as hungry this round as last time. Maybe because it has been about six months since I've done a round. It just doesn't seem as hard this time. Feeling really good about being able to go to my closet and find clothes that actually fit again! Lovin' it!

Apr 9, 10 R4 VLCD 5 142.2 (-0.6)(Dn 7.8)

2010-04-09T06:05:00.006-07:00

WOW! This has been my best round ever. The other times I only lost about 6 lbs at day 5 (4 days on VLCD) and this time I'm down 7.8 lbs. I'm trying to think about what I might be doing different this time. All I can think of is I am not taking any vitamins except a strong B complex, D3, and magnesium. I think I took some others during other rounds, can't remember. Anyway, I feel GREAT! I haven't been as hungry this round as I was last round either, but as I said, last round, I think I was trying to go too low, and Dr. Simeons said if you've lost too much you will get hungry. It's 130 as a final goal for me. I really don't think I'll get there in one round. I figure I'll plateau soon after such a big loss. When I do, I hope it's in the 130's instead of the 140's. Lol! Notice I said "when" not "if." Most people plateau at some point so I've got to be realistic. Other rounds, I lost 13 to 15 lbs in the first 3-4 weeks. I'll have to look it up but that is what I recall. So if I started this round at 150, I'll be lucky to get to 135. (That's still way better than 150!)***Just a note to "anonymous" who left a comment yesterday***Thanks for the encouragement. We must be on the same wavelength! I do want to caution you though, you said you were using injections left over from the last round. You need to know that the HCG is only good for 30 days once it is mixed up. And it is imperative that it be kept in the fridge at all times except when filling your needles. It will keep for about two years unrefrigerated in the powdered state. I have heard some people say the sublingual is not as effective. You get hungrier. My son says it is more trouble - you have to use it a few times a day and can't eat or drink within an hour or two before or after, so you have to carry it around with you. He says he prefers the injections - one shot and you are good for the day. I agree. The sublingual is a lot cheaper though, and it can be done successfully. Anyway, I hope this helps. Good luck to you. Let me know how you are doing!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010 Another Round

2010-04-07T18:45:00.006-07:00

Well, I kind of just let my eating get out of control for a while and indulged in too many consecutive meals of burgers and fries and Dairy Queen (who is no queen but an evil witch!) I know I can enjoy those things occasionally, but not every day. My weight got back up to 147. None of my clothes fit anymore and I did not want to see 150 again. I tried a bit of self control, but I'm too impatient for results. I'd rather get really strict on the HCG diet for a month and get the fast results and then go back to being good! So, my sweet hubby and I just started another round. After loading for two days I was up to the dreaded 150. We started the VLCD days on Monday and after just two days, I've lost 5 1/2 pounds! I love this diet. I feel great...better than ever and haven't hardly been hungry at all. The shots hurt more this time. I think we must have gotten some needles that weren't as sharp or something, because the last rounds never bothered either one of us. It's still worth it though.

Jan 9, 2010

2010-01-09T22:11:00.004-07:00

I suppose you are all wondering how things are going after all this time. There have been ups and downs. I maintained at 130 for a few months, then my husband wanted to do another round so I decided to do it with him. I ended up at 123 lbs, but it was probably too low for me. Even my size 4 jeans were getting saggy! Can you believe that? I also had to watch what I ate so closely, that I figured it wasn't worth it to try to maintain that low of a weight. I figured I would go back to 130, which was plenty easy to do! Trouble is...about that time, it was Thanksgiving, and then Christmas... I really indulged a LOT more than I should have. I sailed right past 130 and now I'm at 140! I have stayed there for a couple of weeks and want to get back down to 130 again. I felt pretty good there and it wasn't that hard to maintain. We all kind of fell off the wagon over the holidays, and several members of my family are starting another round this month. I'm going to try to just start exercising, and getting the eating back under control, and see if I can lose these 10 lbs "naturally" first, but if that doesn't work, I will probably do another round of HCG to get back there. I KNOW that will work! Considering that a year ago, I weighed 164(I lost some before starting the HCG)I'm pretty happy to still be at 140.

Sun Jun 28, 09 R2 4 Wks after LIW (130.0 +/- 0.0)

2009-06-28T16:07:00.003-07:00

Just checking in. It has been 4 weeks since my last injection weight, and I am at the same exact weight I was then. I have fluctuated a pound or so either direction, but that is about it. Most days it has been between 130 and 131. I can live with that! I am enjoying lots of fresh fruit and veggies. Still careful with the starchy carbs, but indulge in moderation. The cravings aren't like they used to be. The family is all pretty stable as well. This stuff works! I'm very happy with the results.

Tues Jun 16, 09 R2P3 Day 17 131.4 (LIW + 1.4)

2009-06-16T12:23:00.003-07:00

Well, I thought I'd better check back in. Haven't posted since I reached my goal. I am almost through P3 and have stayed within the 1.6 lb of my LIW so far. I went on a 4 day business trip last week (without my scale.) I stuck mostly to scrambled eggs, Chicken Ceaser salads (no croutons) and limited amounts of fruit, nuts, and beef jerky. Had a delicious Ribeye one night. After getting home, I was pleased to find I didn't gain the whole time. The final phase, P4, will start on Saturday. Since I am at my goal weight, this is the beginning of "the rest of my life" phase. I plan to start working out to build up a little more muscle and tone up a bit. Will do both strength training and treadmill. I haven't exercised the whole time I've been on the plan. It's amazing to be able to lose that much without exercise! In 4 weeks, my husband ended up losing 26 lbs, daughter 21 lbs, and son 50 lbs in 55 days! (He started his P2 before we did.) They have all maintained their losses, and are now almost to the end of P3 as well. I'm sorry I haven't posted, but there really isn't a lot of news when you are just maintaining! Thanks for all your encouragement that helped get me through. I'll keep posting every now and then to let you know how it is going. Hang in there...it's worth it!

Sat May 30, 09 VLCD 28 AT GOAL WEIGHT 130!

2009-05-30T11:34:00.024-07:00

Goal Weight 130! Posted new "After" photos. Have another day or two of HCG left so I will probably use it up, but I'm happy with the results, and to finally reach my goal. This is definitely the easiest and most effective diet I've ever been on. I've lost 28 lbs from my original R1 Load weight. Round 1 in six weeks lost 17 lbs. Went from Load weight of 158 down to 141. Maintained for six weeks. Round 2 started at 141 and added 3 lbs load weight, did 4 weeks and ended at 130. My husband did R2 with me and is down 23 lbs (but doesn't want to share his photos - even though he looks great!) My daughter lost 20 lbs in 4 weeks, and my son who has been going continuously since April 8th has lost 46 lbs! (From 210 to 164 lbs.) One really great thing about the HCG diet is that, unlike other diets, the fat comes off at the waist and hips, and not all off the bust like other diets. Maybe it's because it is a pregnancy hormone and we all know that our bust increases then! I feel like I wound up with a much more balanced loss with HCG than on other diets I've used. Yes, I lost 4 1/2 inches off my bust, but I also lost 4 1/2 inches off my hips! And 6 1/2 inches off my waist, and 7 1/2 inches off my abdomin! Dr Simeons says the HCG diet "sculpts" your body, and he wasn't kidding. Even though I lost 4 1/2 inches off my bust, it ended up looking bigger, because of having a much narrower waist and giving it more definition. You can count my ribs! Although I lost 3 1/4 inches off each thigh, they still look pretty big to me. It's my German heritage! I'm never going to have slender hips and thighs. Final stats are 36 - 27 1/2 - 38 1/2. Can't complain about that after starting out at 40 1/2 - 34 - 43. I used to wear a size 14-16 and now can go in and buy size 6! They fit in the waist and hips, but some styles are still a bit snug in the thighs. Again...chalk it up to German genes! I do plan to work out when I finish the diet to tone up and build a little more muscle. All I can say is this diet works if you stick strictly to Dr Simeon's protocol and DON'T CHEAT! A few weeks of deprivation is a small price to pay for a new body. No surgery! No chemicals! HCG is a natural hormone and seems to me like that is a much safer, healthier option. There are other protocols out there, that allow more calories and a larger variety of foods, but I doubt you would get the same results as quickly as Dr Simeons tried and true plan. The clinic I started out with allowed that stuff, but I found Dr Simeons plan online a day or two after I started, and decided to follow his eating plan instead, since it sounded like it would be more effective. (I didn't tell the doctor at the clinic that I wasn't following their plan!) For Round 2, I just ordered the HCG and supplies from Bob at www.whenhealthmatters.com and got enough HCG for 8 weeks for $150. I split it with my husband and we each did four weeks this time. My son and daughter also got their supplies from WhenHealthMatters. I don't know if I would have ordered online the first time, since I was really unsure about this stuff. Before I started, I didn't even know you could get it online! The online chat forum at http://hcgdietinfo.com/hcgvanillaforum was a huge help. I asked a lot of questions there, and everyone was so helpful. You can look up all kinds of questions there. The clinic I started with was run by a doctor, and included blood tests, and two "Before and After" full body scans, and some B-12 shots. But knowing what I know now, I would skip the clinic and just order the stuff online and do it myself. (And save money!) It worked just as well.

Wed May 27 R2 VLCD Day 25 130.6 (LIW - 10.4)

2009-05-27T12:23:00.005-07:00

About 1/2 lb from my goal! I am so amazed to be here! It seemed like such a long shot at the start. I feel fantastic! I really wish I had known about this diet years ago. This last round has gone by so quickly. I'm down 13.4 from my R2 load weight. I have enough HCG for a few more days and I'll go until I use it up. It would be nice to get to 127 for my LIW so even if I gain 2 lbs in P3, I'll still be in the 120's! My son has lost 45 lbs, my husband is down 20 lbs. They look GREAT! I haven't talked to my daughter for a few days, but she has been averaging a loss of a pound a day! My friend at work lost six pounds this week. I've had people say to me that it is "unhealthy" to lose weight so fast. Well, being overweight is unhealthy too. I'd really like to know what is unhealthy about getting to your correct weight quickly so you can quit "dieting" and eat a normal, healthy amount of food to maintain. They say you aren't learning how to eat "normally", but dieting for months isn't eating "normally" either, and is so discouraging, and so slow, that most people quit without ever reaching their goal. Bring on the HCG! I can't believe it has been a secret for so long, when it could help so many people.

Wed May 20 R2 VLCD Day 18 133.6 (LIW -7.4)

2009-05-20T12:25:00.002-07:00

Down 4.2 lbs from last Wednesday. This late in the round, that is a great loss for me. Total loss this round 10.4 from Load. Yesterday was my one year anniversary at work and we traditionally take everyone to lunch on someone's hiring anniversary. They all wanted to go to lunch anyway, so I grabbed my chicken tender, 2 tomatoes, half an apple, and went with them and watched them all eat pizza, wings, calzones, bruchetta, and luscious looking salads! Great celebration, huh? That's ok, I was there for the companionship, not the food. I just told myself (and them) I only have another week or two to go and I can eat out with "real" food again. (Probably not pizza and wings though!) I was rewarded when I got on the scale this morning with a 0.8 lb loss which I'm absolutely SURE I would NOT have had if I had indulged even a little bit! It is so worth it to stay strong. I haven't been this low since I was 39! (16 years) A friend at work started her first load day today. She's been so scared to get the shot. She tried to do it herself yesterday and just couldn't. She brought it in to work today and I did it for her. She laughed afterwards that she had been afraid of that. She said she didn't even feel it!

Sat May 16 R2 VLCD Day 14 135.4 (LIW -5.6)

2009-05-16T14:35:00.003-07:00

Happy day! Another new number in front of the decimal point. Within a half pound of my original goal. I wasn't sure I would get here, but now I have re-set my goal to 130 which is where I really wanted to be...or maybe a pound or two lower so I have a cushion. Lost a full pound since yesterday. Husband is down 13 lbs from load, and I'm down 8.6 from load, so second round is still working. I was worried after stalling last week. I was at the grocery store last night and found some hot house tomatoes on sale and bought some. I hadn't eaten any because they often give me canker sores, but I couldn't resist them because they were so beautiful. As a child, we always ate them sliced with sugar on top. I had two of them last night with a sprinkle of Splenda on them and they were SOOO delicious and satisfying, that I just skipped my apple after dinner! Everyone goes "EEEWWWW Gross!" when I tell them I put sugar on my tomatoes, including my husband, but I convinced him to try a bite. (Don't give me grief about Splenda...I rarely use it. A spoonful won't kill me.) He immediately grabbed the Splenda and sprinkled the rest of his plate of tomatoes with it! Don't knock it till you've tried it. It's like having dessert! Since it's Saturday, and I had more time, I took my measurments this morning. Then, just for fun, I wrapped the tape measure around me and set it to the size I used to be. Oh my gosh! It blew me away. What a motivator! Try it! Have a great weekend everyone.

Thurs May 14 R2 VLCD Day 12 136.6 (LIW - 4.4)

2009-05-14T12:27:00.002-07:00

Thank you all for your kind words of encouragement. It really is nice to hear from you. I thought about doing an apple day if I wasn't down today...but waHOO! Down 1.2 lbs since yesterday! My husband was also down today after a stall. So far, he is down 12.8 lbs, and I am down 7.4 from our Load weights. It pays to hang in there. Seriously, what other diet would let me lose that in 12 days? (This close to my goal) I try not to let the scale make or break my day, but it sure is nice when I see a new number in front of that decimal point! Thanks again for all your support.

Wed May 13 R2 VLCD Day 13 137.8 (LIW -3.2)

2009-05-13T12:39:00.002-07:00

OK, not very happy. I am down 1 lb in the last seven days! No cheating! That means I plateaued after just 1 week and 6 lbs. My body is just STUCK here. This is how the week went: Last Wed: 138.8, Thurs: 138.6, Fri: 138.0, Sat: 138.0, Sun: 138.0, Mon: 137.4, Tues: 138.0, Today: 137.8. Considering I'm eating less than 500 calories per day (I don't eat the Melba Toast) I'd sure like to see more progress than one pound in a week! I'm happy with the 20 lbs total loss (R1 and R2) but it is really frustrating when I've been so strict and the scale still isn't moving. I'm 5'5" so it's not like I'm at my perfect weight or anything. I still have at least 10 lbs to shed to be at my normal, healthy weight. I used to average around 125 when I was younger. I've double checked everything I eat or use, and can't find a cause for the stall. I drink a ton of water. I waited six weeks between rounds and did not gain at all between rounds. I skipped a day last week, and should not be immune this early in my second round. I really wanted to get to 130 this round (4 weeks) and it isn't going to happen at this rate! All right...I've vented. Don't mean to bring you down. Hopefully the scale will start moving again soon. Just goes to show - Mother Nature is still in control and we have to accept what we get after all we can do.

Mon May 11 R2 VLCD Day 9 137.4 (LIW -3.6)

2009-05-11T12:41:00.002-07:00

A little over half pound loss after a 3 day stall. Been mildly hungry over the weekend, but I think weekends are just harder than weekdays in general. The routine is off, and I am shopping for groceries, working in the kitchen, and watching a little TV with evil commercials full of food, etc... I'm down 6.6 from my R2 load weight, my husband is down 10 lbs and is very happy! Seems like R2 is a little harder than R1, but it could just be my imagination. I do have to say this week went by fast. I've still had a nice loss this week, just anxious to get to my goal and get on with normal food again - healthy normal food that is!

Thurs May 7 R2 VLCD Day 5 138.6 (LIW -2.4)

2009-05-07T18:17:00.003-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted this week. Been really busy. Have had a nice loss this week, although down only 0.2 from yesterday. My husband is down 6.2 lbs, and daughter down 5.8 lbs. (She started a day later than we did.) My son has lost 30 lbs in the first 4 weeks and he is continuing on with us. It has been more fun having other family members with me this time. I'm only planning to do 3-4 weeks, depending on how the loss goes. I'd really like to get to 129, but that is just a number on the scale...psychologically in the 120's! But in reality, I would need to go a little below that to have a cushion. I'm too cautious to believe that I can do that much on round two. It would be a 15 - 17 lb loss in 21 to 28 days. In round one, I did 15 lbs in 4 weeks, but now that I am that much closer to my goal, I think the losses will be slower.

Sun May 3 R2 VLCD Day 1 Load Weight: 144.0 (LIW +3.0)

2009-05-03T18:19:00.005-07:00

My hubby and I decided to start a day early this time and began loading on Friday and Saturday...so today, Sunday, was our first VLCD day. I gained 3 lbs from my LIW with the loading for R2. Hopefully that will be gone in a day or two. Got comments from my hubby and daughter that loading is not as fun as it sounds. I agree. After eating healthy for so long, putting all that garbage in my body felt terrible! I'm glad to back on P2, and really happy to have my husband, son, and daughter starting with me. They both said the injections are a piece of cake. Like I said, after the first one, they will never worry about it again. They are very excited to see what will happen for them. Me too!

Wed Apr 29, 09 P4 Day 21 140.6 (LIW -0.4)

2009-04-29T12:49:00.003-07:00

Good day! Down almost half a pound from LIW. I've been feeling great lately, and I'm really looking forward to starting R2 this weekend and dropping those pesky last 10 lbs. My daughter has decided to take the plunge with my husband, son, and self, and she will be loading with us this weekend. It will be fun to have 4 of us on it together. My son has already been going for 3 weeks and is down 23 lbs, and has stalled the last few days, but he is hanging in there. His best friend who started at the same time has lost over 30 lbs! (He weighed more than my son to start) Note to Kate: No I haven't had any hair loss. I did take a good multivitamin and also B-12 sublingual. That may help.

Mon Apr 27, 09 P4 Day 19 1414.6 (LIW + 0.6)

2009-04-27T11:28:00.002-07:00

Same ol' same ol.' Hanging in around 141. Plus or minus a pound here and there, but always come back around 141.0 to 141.6 Today is 6 weeks since LIW, so I am very happy with the way I have stabilized. Will be re-starting P1 with my husband this Saturday. Looking forward to taking off the last 10 lbs!

Thu Apr 23, 09 P4 Day 15 141.0 (LIW +/- 0.0)

2009-04-23T12:25:00.002-07:00

Boring stuff to read, but happy to be stable. Yesterday was 0.2 below LIW, today I'm exactly at LIW, which is a good thing. I've been pretty steady. I watch what I eat. I do indulge in sweets, but in moderation, and try to keep everything in balance. Seems to be working, but not too exciting to write about! My son has been on the VLCD for 14 days and is down 21 lbs. Now that's exciting! He is 21 and living on his own and preparing his own food and injections and everything. I'm really proud of him.

Mon Apr 20 P4 Day 12 141.4 (LIW +0.4)

2009-04-20T06:16:00.002-07:00

Not much going on. Less than half a pound over my LIW which is a good thing. It has been almost 5 weeks since LIW so I'm hanging in there ok. Got up to 143.0 once this week, but came right back down the next day. Just trying to eat healthy most of the time. My son has lost 17 lbs in 11 VLCD days so far. He's very excited! My husband and I will be starting another round on May 2nd. (His first, my second round)

Thu Apr 16, 09 P4 Day 8 141.6 (LIW +0.6)

2009-04-16T21:23:00.003-07:00

Fairly steady. Was 141.4 yesterday. Ate a huge bowl of air popped popcorn drizzled with 1 1/2 TBS of olive oil for supper last night. I've missed popcorn so much. I figured with all the salt and carbs I'd be a lot higher today, but managed to stay in range. Felt really good all day today. Worked 11 1/2 hours, but the time just flew by. Had lots of energy...don't know why. Maybe my body was just so thrilled to have popcorn again!!! lol On another note, that E-Book you mentioned sounds great. I went to the HTA website a few weeks back and registered, but could not figure out how to work my way through the tangled web of stuff there. It probably is a great site, but way too complicated for me. I went back again and thought I'd give it another shot since you all speak so highly of it, but it is just so complicated. I tried to go to Biz's Boot Camp, but it said I didn't have "authorization" or something. I did find the book under Products, and I'd probably get it, but I'm afraid I won't be able to figure out how to access it!

Tue Apr 14, 09 P4 Day 6 141.6 (LIW +0.6)

2009-04-14T18:55:00.002-07:00

The Steak day worked. I was down 1.6 lbs this morning. Right where I should be. I ate healthy things today, and all is good. I did NOT enjoy the steak day. I didn't like not being able to eat anything all day. That will be motivation for keeping on track!

Mon Apr 13, 09 P4 Day 5 143.2 (LIW +2.2)

2009-04-13T12:13:00.003-07:00

First Steak Day! Just 0.2 lbs over the upper limit. I enjoyed myself yesterday, and indulged in whatever candy I wanted. Mostly, I ate Peeps! I probably had about 15 or 20 throughout the day! (5 Peeps is about 150 calories) Also had two slices of angel food cake with fresh strawberries. Fortunately for me, those two cravings are both fat free! I did have a few pieces of chocolate though, as well. I'm not feeling guilty at all. I planned to eat the things I wanted...within reason. (OK, maybe YOU think 20 Peeps is unreasonable, but I don't!) LOL!!! My husband can't stand Peeps and thinks I'm crazy. He loves to tease me about it. I'll do a steak day today, and should be happily back on track with my healthy choices tomorrow. I hope you all had a wonderful Easter.

Fri Apr 10, 09 P4, Day 2 139.6 (LIW -1.4)

2009-04-10T13:18:00.002-07:00

Today, I am officially in the 130's for the first time in years! Yesterday was my first P4 day. I had 2/3 c Fiber One cereal with 1% milk some slivered almonds and dried blueberries for breakfast...those were my first starches in over 2 months. The rest of the day I ate mostly regular healthy foods, except I ate 5 "Peeps" in the afternoon. I have a weakness for them, and was out buying Easter candy for the family, and allowed myself to indulge in one pack. I ate all 5 in the car before I even got home. LOL! For dinner I had 2 oz of chicken breast and a huge artichoke with 1/4 c butter. Also half of a grapefruit. I know all that butter is not a great idea, but I don't eat artichokes very often so I figured it would be ok now and then. Evidently it didn't hurt me too much considering the huge drop in weight today. Down 2.2 lbs since yesterday! I was at 141.8. I took the day off yesterday and had a massage and a chiropractic adjustment to reward myself for getting through all the accounting stress this month. Maybe that was the reason for the drop. Anyway, it was exciting to see 139.6 on the scale this morning! Sure wasn't expecting it. I doubt I'll stay there over the Easter weekend. I am serving a healthy dinner...grilled chicken breasts...but I will allow myself some slack to eat a little candy and my daughter's pasta salad. As long as I stay under 143.1 I'll be happy! I think some planned indulgence is a good idea. I set limits and keep them. That is better than just going to the breaking point and binging. Plus, if I plan to allow myself to indulge, I won't feel guilty! Monday...back to normal healthy fare. Happy Easter everyone!

Tue Apr 7, 09 P3 Day 20 140.8 (LIW -0.2)

2009-04-07T12:20:00.003-07:00

Kind of funny...this morning when I stepped on the scale, it still said 141.0 (It has been there a few days) so I said to my husband, "I'm afraid this thing is stuck and I've actually gained weight." So I had him come over and get on the scale to "unstick" it, and when I got back on, the first thing I saw was the .8 and I said "See, I'm up!" Then I looked at it again and saw it was actually 140.8 not 141.8! I just assumed it would be bad. I was offered homemade choc chip cookies at my daughter's house last night and passed, so I guess I was nicely rewarded this morning! Not that 0.2 is such a big loss, but after 20 days in P3, it feels really good to know that I have not gained an ounce! I start P4 on Thurs, and that will be harder, but I'll just have to stay on top of it to make sure I stay within 2 lbs. Then on May 2, on to Round 2 with my sweet hubby! (Round 1 for him.) He was going to start today with my 21 yr old son and his best friend, but decided to wait 3 weeks so we could do it together. It will be so much easier for both of us as we can support each other. I'm very blessed to have such a supportive husband. I know that he has been a big part of my being able to be successful. He's been cooking his own meals (or eating fast food) all this time so I don't have to cook food that I can't eat. He even helps with the dishes, laundry, cleaning, holds my car door, etc. I can't believe how lucky I am to have found him. Sorry ladies...he's definitely taken forever!

Sun Apr 5, 09 R1, P3, Day 18 141.0 (LIW +/- 0.0)

2009-04-05T17:55:00.002-07:00

I definitely think it is harder to stay on track on the weekends when I am home with the refrigerator - or away from home and at the mercy of foods prepared by others. At home, at least all the stuff is healthy...it's just that I want to eat every 5 minutes because I'm out of my routine, and more relaxed, and ALL the goodies are right there. (Like I could eat fruit and nuts all day long!) At least at work, I only take a limited amount with me so there is only so much damage I could do as long as I stay away from the stuff others bring in. The other problem is when we were out shopping all day yesterday, I got hungry and didn't want to do the fast food route. Fortunately, I had some almonds and beef jerky in the car so I was able to tide myself over, but it's just harder without my planned snacks and foods. That's real life though so I need to adjust to it. Thursday will be my first P4 day and I know one of my first carbs to add back in will be popcorn! I've sure missed it. The way I fix it is not that unhealthy. I mix the regular yellow popcorn seeds together with some white popcorn seeds, and air pop it. Using the two colors makes it look like it is buttered (sort of...use your imagination!) Then I drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil over it, add salt, and toss it around. Yum! Not all grocery stores carry the white seeds. You may have to look around for them. They are a nice change from the yellow, and the kernals are smaller and more tender. Popcorn is a great snack because you can eat it one kernal at a time to make it last longer! (or not!)

Thu Apr 2, 09 P3 Day 15 140.2 (LIW -0.8)

2009-04-02T13:00:00.002-07:00

Been working till 8 or 9pm all week. It's Month End for accounting, and that is lots of extra hours in our business. (Too bad I'm on salary!) But I'm thankful to have a job in this economy. Not a lot to report, except that it has been over 2 weeks in P3 now and I am still below my LIW! I've gone a few ounces up and down over the last couple of days, but staying pretty close. Today is the lowest I've been for a while. I don't keep anything but healthy snacks at the office, and I'm trapped here for 10 to 12 hours a day, so that helps. Although everyone brings in treats. Right now there is a luscious Costco Chocolate cake and some Easter candy in the kitchen. I just stay away from them. It really does help to have my own snacks handy, so I have something I can nibble on. Last night I did cut some cake to take home for my sweet hubby and my stepdaughter. Got some frosting on my fingers but didn't lick it off. Just washed my hands. P3 is easier than P4, because I still know I can't have that stuff. In P4, it will be an option occasionally. The trick will be to keep those "occasions" far enough apart!!! Ordinarily I would have eaten a piece of cake and would grab a chocolate egg (or three) every time I wandered back there. Got to change those habits!

Mon Mar 30, 09 P3 Day 12 141.0 (LIW +/- 0.0)

2009-03-30T22:46:00.003-07:00

What a roller coaster! Yesterday morning after Applebees, I weighed 143.0. Yikes! One more ounce and I would have had to do a steak day. I knew it had to be water though, because I had eaten pretty sensibly. So yesterday, I just had an apple for breakfast, 2 Hard boiled eggs and two small clementines for lunch, a 2oz bag of peanuts for a snack, and 2 chicken tenders and salad for supper, and two more clementines for dessert! I would have posted yesterday, but we were busy with church and family. This morning I was down 2 lbs...exactly at my LIW! I'm guessing I'll be back to 142 again tomorrow. That's how it usually goes. Sorry I can't stay and chat tonight. It is already 11pm and I get up at 5:30am. Just didn't want to go to bed without posting, since I missed yesterday. Good luck to all of you. You are so supportive, it helps me stay focused. Hang in there, and thanks so much for your comments. PS: No, I'm not a UCONN grad. A friend gave us tickets to the game!

Sat Mar 28, 09 P3 Day 10 141.6 (LIW +0.6)

2009-03-28T21:12:00.002-07:00

Yesterday, I was preparing for Month End, and didn't get out of the office until after 8pm. Around 7pm, my boss ordered pizza for the three of us there. I didn't even touch it. (But I did polish off about 1/2 cup of peanuts, and I know that was a lot of calories!) When I got home, I had a light dinner of 3oz turkey breast wrapped in romaine lettuce leaves, and one small clementine. I figured between the extra fat and salt in the nuts, I would probably be up this morning. Surprise! I was actually down a little today. Didn't think I would be, as I lost track of my calories yesterday and figured I went over. Today, my sweet hubby and I went to the UCONN/Missouri College Basketball finals today (UCONN won!) That was fun. I avoided all the snacks there, and just had water. We went to Applebee's for dinner, and I had the 7 oz sirloin, with steamed veggies, and a side salad. Again, it was after 8pm by the time dinner was served and I was so hungry, I ate it ALL! We'll see what damage that did to the scale tomorrow! PS: To AppleBottomBlues - thanks for the additional info about the calorie calculations. That makes me feel better. That would put me around 1575 per day. That doesn't sound so bad.

Fri Mar 27, 09 P3, Day 9 142.0 (LIW +1.0)

2009-03-27T12:32:00.003-07:00

142.0 my favorite number. NOT! I guess I better get used to seeing it. My body sure seems to like it! I really thought I'd be a little lower today, as I had a good "visit" to the bathroom, and only ate 1300 calories yesterday trying to help it along. At least I'm still within range, and I have to remember, that just a couple of months ago, I would have been ecstatic to see that number on the scale! Gotta keep things in perspective. I feel great. Lots more energy. Hopefully, since my body likes this number so much, it will also work in my favor if I overindulge sometime. They brought in all kinds of muffins and pastries and juice at the office today and it sure looked good. I stayed at my desk and ate 2 dried apricots and 8 almonds and drank two cups of hot tea to try to make myself feel "full." I'm just telling myself that those things can be part of my future (in moderation) but they just can't be part of my present! I don't want to blow P3 after working so hard in P2 to get here. Thanks for all your encouraging comments! PS to AppleBottomBlues: I did go to the link for the BMR and it said my BMR should be 1311, that's even lower! I don't know which one is right, but I hate to think I've got to live on 1300 calories to maintain 140 for the rest of my life! (Unless I start exercising like crazy!)

Thurs Mar 26, 09 P3 Day 8 142.2 (LIW +1.2)

2009-03-26T12:42:00.005-07:00

Remember how long I was stuck at 142, and I said my body must really like that number? Well I'm baaack! I wasn't going to post today, because I really didn't want to post that number (even though it is still in the "safe" range of my LIW.) But I decided to just be real. That's what it is. I'm eating right and drinking a ton of water. *TMI Alert* I figure it is mostly because I've not been "regular" since Sunday. I took some extra magnesium last night, and it seems to have worked, so I hope to be back under 142 again tomorrow. I'm lactose intolerant, and I wonder if the whey protein drink (90 cal, 23g protein, no carbs, no sugars) I've had a couple of times is messing with my regularity. P3 has been a little harder than P2. I get hungry more often now than I did on 500 calories. Kat asked about whether 1500 cal is enough to maintain. I've been told that you multiply the weight you are (or want to be) by 11 for someone who is fairly sedentary. That would be me - at the computer at least 12 hours a day. 140 x 11 = 1540. If you are more active, then you can raise the number to accomodate the extra calories burned by exercise. Thanks everyone for your comments. We're all in this together!

Tues Mar 24, 09 P3 Day 6 141.6 (LIW + 0.6)

2009-03-24T19:40:00.003-07:00

Phase 3 is going pretty well. It's been 6 days and I'm within about half a pound of my LIW. I've been eating around 1500 calories daily, which is what I am supposed to eat to maintain my weight. My boss took the whole office out for Mexican food for lunch today. I went along and just ordered a chicken mango salad. Grilled chicken pieces and cubed mangoes on lettuce with red bell pepper and a green chili dressing. I forgot to ask them to serve the dressing on the side. It was quite sweet, so I just picked around it as much as possible, ate the chicken, lettuce,red peppers and about half the mangoes. Picked off the croutons, and avoided the tortilla chips completely. It is the first time I've eaten out since I started the protocol! I thought it went pretty well. To me, P3 is a lot like the South Beach Diet's first two weeks, except I still get to eat fruit every day!

Mon Mar 23, 09 P3 day 5 141.4 (LIW +0.4)

2009-03-23T20:58:00.002-07:00

Just a little over my LIW. Been eating very healthy foods, but maybe a little too much. I was really hungry today. Lots of stress, and that always gives me the munchies. At least I grabbed an apple and some raw almonds instead of the giant cookie they were serving at the office today! I'm sure I hit about 1500 or 1600 calories today. Theoretically, I shouldn't gain on that...but the scale is always playing tricks. I'll just deal with whatever it says tomorrow.

Sat Mar 21, 09 Day 3 P3 140.0 (LIW -1.0)

2009-03-21T09:44:00.001-07:00

Actually down 1.0 lb from LIW. I took Thurs and Fri off work as vacation days, and I'm glad I did. The transition from Phase 1 to Phase 2 was a little more difficult than I had anticipated. I ate carefully as I had planned, all healthy foods, and not too much, but my intestines kind of rebelled at the notion of having fat again, and they were not used to having a larger portion of protein in one meal. And my blood sugar was all over the place. It's weird...I felt fine on Wed, my last 500 cal day, but when I started eating again, I was getting light headed, and started getting "the shakes" from low blood sugar (I think?) about every 3 hours. I felt very weak. I wanted to do some cleaning, and had to stop after 30 minutes and lie down. Whenever I ate, I had to lie down for a while because my intestines were aching. That is SO not like me. I took some sublingual B-12 and also a protein drink and started feeling better and stronger yesterday afternoon and evening. I was able to get some cleaning done, and feel pretty good this morning. I ate close to 1500 calories my first P3 and I was afraid to weigh in yesterday, but I was down 0.4 lbs to 140.0. Go figure! Still the same this morning.

Thur Mar 19, 09 - Day 1, P3, 140.4 (LIW -0.6)

2009-03-19T08:39:00.003-07:00

Last Injection Weight (LIW) 141.0 on Monday. I wondered how I would do on day 3 of no HCG, but it really didn't bother me. It was pretty much another day. Fortunately, I was so busy at work, I really didn't have time to think about food very much. Weighed in at 140.6. Didn't get to write yesterday. I worked a 12 1/2 hr day at the office and didn't get home till 9pm. Ate my last little tiny meal last night. Phase 3 begins today! When I woke up this morning, first thing before I ever got out of bed was to put lotion on! I'm loving it. My hands have been so cracked and dry. Then my sweet husband fixed me scrambled eggs in olive oil (2 whole eggs + 1 egg white) and brought it to me in bed! He is so awesome! That was the first bit of fat I've had in six weeks. Going to have a salad with chicken breast, assorted veggies and avocado for lunch. Dinner will be grilled steak and mushrooms, broccoli, and probably more salad. For a fruit, I will have 1/2 of a Pummelo. They are like gigantic grapefruit with a really thick skin and tough membranes. You peel it apart and eat the sweet pulp...kind of like eating a pomegranate. It takes time and effort to eat it, so it is a good diet food. I love them. P3 is kind of scary after being told what to eat for so long. Also, it is scary to add more calories when I wasn't even losing on 500 calories, but Dr S says do it, so I'm going to give it a try. I need about 1500 calories a day to maintain at 140. I'll work up to that, but not do it all right away. We'll see how it goes.

Tues Mar 17, 09 39th VLCD day 140.6 (LIW -0.4)

2009-03-17T21:35:00.003-07:00

Down 17.4 from load weight. Happy St. Patrick's Day! I'm surprised to see a loss today, but I'll take it. Yesterday was my last injection, so I'm on my own now without any more shots. I just consider this another skip day, like always, but we'll see how I do tomorrow when the HCG is nearly gone from my body. I had my final body scan done today. I've lost 14 lbs from my start weight (before loading.) The scan showed that 11 lbs were fat, and 3 lbs were muscle. I have mixed emotions about that. I don't know if that's good or bad. The clinic told me to eat more protein so I wouldn't lose muscle, but I kept strictly to Dr Simeon's protocol instead (and didn't tell the clinic.) So, I don't really know if I would have kept more muscle if I did it their way, or if I would have lost as much fat - because I would be over the 500 calorie limit per day. I'm glad to get the fat off, and I know how to strength train to build the muscle back up. With the scan report, I can do some calculations to figure out where the muscle loss came from, but I'm too tired to do it tonight. When I figure it out, I'll let you know.

Mon Mar 16, 09 38th VLCD day 141.0 (LIW)

2009-03-16T12:43:00.005-07:00

Down 17.0 lbs from load weight. This is it! Today I had my last injection. As I predicted, the scale did not move since yesterday, so I guess 141.0 is my LIW. I highly recommend this diet to anyone who has the willpower to be very strict and not cheat. I've done that with other diets too, but never got results like this! Seeing the scale drop so quickly really helps you stay motivated. The last two weeks were harder because I stalled and only lost 2.2 lbs. I still stuck to it. When I started, I vowed that if I didn't lose weight on this program, it wouldn't be because I cheated! And I'm proud to say I didn't. So I know that this is just the best my body could do, and I accept that. Apparently, my body likes to weigh 141-142, and if that is true, it will be easier to maintain for the next six weeks till round 2.

Sun Mar 15, 2009 37th VLCD day 141.0 (dn 1.0)

2009-03-15T16:50:00.012-07:00

Down 17.0 lbs from load weight. Well, everyone, I decided to be brave and lay it all on the line (like Kat did.) Please don't laugh. I doubt I'll lose a pound or so before tomorrow...my last injection day, so I decided to do my "after" photos today, since it is Sunday and I have more time. The photos show that most of the weight was lost exactly where I wanted to lose it - around the waist, abdomin, and hips. I also noticed that I lost some fat off my back too! It used to pooch out over the edge of the swimsuit. I've got to admit, that I was a little surprised at the "After" photos. I thought I'd look slimmer than I do. I feel thinner than I look. It may not look like all that much on the photos, but I can really feel a big difference. I'd still like to do another round in six weeks to see if I can get rid of the abdomin fat, and a little more off the hips and thighs. These are the stats as of this morning: (Measuring tape is not pulled snug - just to point of contact) Feb 7th to Mar 15th (5 weeks of VLCD) Bust: 40 down to 37 1/2 Waist: 33 down to 29 (at smallest point) Abdomin: 35 down to 32 (across belly button area) Hips: 42 1/2 down to 40 Thigh: 25 1/4 down to 23 3/4 I'm sorry that chart looks kind of weird. I had it in neat columns in the draft mode, but it all ran together when I previewed it. In all, it was definitely worth the effort to complete this...even if the last two weeks weren't all that productive. I wore my "little black dress" to church today and had a couple of people tell me "You look great in that dress!" I didn't mention the weight loss, and neither did they, but it was a good feeling to know someone noticed a difference.

Sat Mar 14, 09 36th VLCD day 142.0 (up 0.2)

2009-03-14T12:09:00.005-07:00

Down 16.0 lbs from load weight. WhatEVER! Remember when I said "I think my body just wants to stay at 142?" I guess that's the truth. In the last week, I've only lost 0.2 lbs. Looking back, I was down 13.8 in the first 3 weeks of VLCD days, and just 2.2 total in the past 2 weeks. I haven't done anything any different, so I am assuming that my body has adapted to the HCG and VLCD diet (as Dr Simeons says happens sometimes) and just isn't responding to it anymore. (Although I haven't had a BM since Tuesday, so I'm sure that has something to do with it.) It's just messing with the numbers on the scale. I am sipping some Smooth Move tea as I write. I know if I drink a couple of those today and tomorrow, I'll be cleaned out by Monday, my last injection day, and that will be the weight I'm supposed to maintain for the next six weeks after that. Problem is, that will be my weight with nothing in my intestines, so as soon as I start eating anything, I'll gain some. (I don't want to overdo the tea because it has Senna in it, which can make you become dependent on it, but I'll feel more comfortable when I'm regular again, no matter what the scale says.) I've resigned myself to just let the numbers be what they will be, and not worry about it. To keep my spirits up, today I went through and tried on everything in my closet, and pulled out everything that is too big to wear, and we are hauling it to our church's thrift store to donate it. I don't want to have a stash of comfortable clothes to fall back on if I start to put any weight back on! I tried on stuff even if I KNEW it was too big, just for the fun of seeing the difference. My sweet husband ooohed and aahhhed appropriately. He's so good! Actually, I guess I should save ONE pair of jeans I used to wear, just for motivation not to go there again. I also tried on everything in a box I forgot that I stored away over three years ago - thinking I'd probably never fit into them again. There are just a couple of things a bit tight...but they were too tight to wear back then also. I'll look forward to getting into those in the next round...if not before. My closet is now full of stuff that all fits. I guess I'll postpone my shopping spree till after the next round. Then I will truly have nothing to wear. I appreciate your supportive comments so much. You are all doing great too, and it keeps me motivated! It is so nice of you to take the time to write. Thank you.

Fri Mar 13, 09 35th VLCD day 141.8 (UP 0.8)

2009-03-13T12:39:00.002-07:00

Down 16.2 lbs from load weight. Hey, the scale is supposed to be moving the other direction! That's a mean trick when I'm being so good. I made so many trips to the bathroom yesterday that I was sure I'd be down today. Maybe I should chalk it up to Fri the 13th. You know, I'm just going to stay focused on following the plan, and let my body do what it's going to do. I know I'm not gaining fat. A pound of fat would require an extra 3500 calories, and I don't even eat that in a whole week! It's got to be the water. I'm running out of time to hit my goal. I know I will not hit 135 this round. Even 139 is starting to look like a distant dream. I have 3 shots left. I've only lost 3 lbs total in the last two weeks, (with no cheating) so that makes me think that a couple of shorter rounds would be a good choice for anyone within about 20-25 lbs of their goal. Well, at least for me! You know the saying: Experience is what you get right after you need it! LOL I'm hoping I'll still make it to somewhere in the 130's. I'm pretty sure I'll do another short round after I get through Phase 4. It will give me time to save up for some new clothes! Hang in there everyone, and thanks for your notes.

Thurs Mar 12, 09 34th VLCD day 141.0 (up 0.6)

2009-03-12T12:16:00.003-07:00

Down 17.0 from load weight. Well, I saw it coming...I felt it, you know? It is very reassuring to know without doubt, that it is just water, not fat. No way could I gain over half a pound on less than 500 calories! I'm not letting it get to me. I pulled a skirt out of my closet to wear today - one that I couldn't zip up in January. Today I could zip my whole ARM in with my body! I'm wearing it anyway. It feels good to remind me of how far I've come. I walked up six flights of stairs today. I used to do that for exercise. All the while I was taking the steps today, I pictured myself holding a couple of 10 lbs bags of flour, and thinking about how much harder it would be then. My sister who lost over 50 lbs with Weight Watchers many years ago, used to keep a suitcase full of magazines matching her weight loss right next to the refrigerator, and would lift it before she would eat. It helped her to make good decisions. I thought that was a great idea. I haven't done that - no room in my kitchen, but I use the flour bags image in my head, or sometimes picture those 5 lb hamburger "chubs" (rolled up in plastic tubes) and that works very well for me. I'm having a GREAT day, and I hope you all are too. It is so great to do this together! Thanks for your support.

Wed Mar 11, 09 33rd VLCD day 140.4 (dn 0.6)

2009-03-11T20:26:00.002-07:00

Down 17.6 from load weight. Very satisfying! I kind of figured I would have a loss today since I could still feel that I was retaining water yesterday - even after the 1.2 lb loss. Tomorrow may be a different story, since I am down 1.8 lbs in the last two days. I'm bracing myself for a zero and hoping I don't bounce up again. I'm so close to the 130's. Just 5 shots left. My last VLCD day will be a week from tomorrow. I know everyone has talked about planning their first Phase 3 day, but I really haven't thought too much about it. Just focusing on the present...although there will probably be an avocado on the menu sometime next Friday! Looking back, it seems like the time went by really fast, although now that I know you can buy this stuff online instead of paying huge bucks to a clinic, I would probably do a couple of 3 or 4 week protocols instead of 6 weeks at once. When I started, I figured I was only going to get one shot at this, and I wanted to get the most out of it that I could. I'm pretty happy with the results overall. It's WAY better than a regular diet.

Tues Mar 10, 09 32nd VLCD day 141.0 (dn 1.2)

2009-03-10T12:39:00.002-07:00

Down 17 lbs from load weight. Well, looks like the plateau broke...although I think it may have had more to do with the Traditional Medicinal Smooth Move tea that Kate suggested, than the apple day I just completed. (Thanks Kate) I had it, but didn't think of using it on an apple day. Either way, I'm down an "even" 17 lbs, which is way cool, since that means I have still maintained an average 1/2 lb per day loss, even though it has come in bits and spurts! I wasn't too crazy about the apple day. I missed drinking a lot of water more than I missed the food! I drink at least 3 Qts a day. I think if I were to stall again, I'd try the tea first, and see if that took care of it. I might do both again on my last day, just to get my ending weight as low as possible. Thanks for all your helpful comments and suggestions!

Mon Mar 31, 09 31st VLCD day 142.2 (UP 0.4)

2009-03-09T12:28:00.005-07:00

Down 15.8 from load weight. Well, I guess I spoke too soon about how good 16.2 sounds! As if it isn't bad enough to see the scale stick for almost a week, it actually went UP today for the first time! I know it's GOT to be water weight, since I haven't cheated at all, and I feel all "bloaty." I stopped having a TOM a few months ago. Maybe my body is still in the PMS mode a little, although I have no idea when I would be due anyway. I finally decided to do an apple day today, so I'm hoping for some positive results tomorrow. I don't think I am immune after all, because I've only had 3 small to med apples so far today, and I'm not famished. (It's 12:30pm) I know Dr. S said "large apples" but I don't have any, and he said not to substitute 2 small ones for a large. See I'm trying to be very good! I will eat one later this afternoon, one for supper, and the last one for breakfast tomorrow morning. I think that is how it is supposed to work. Thanks for your comments everyone. I appreciate it so much. It really makes a difference to me. I've decided to just stick it out and follow the plan to the end, and deal with whatever comes from it. My last injection will be a week from today. Thanks again for your support.

Sun Mar 8, 09 30th VLCD day 141.8 (dn 0.4)

2009-03-08T14:29:00.002-07:00

Down 16.2 from load weight. Not quite half a pound, but I'll take it! Why does 16.2 sound so much better than 15.8? LOL My sweet husband announced last night that he is thinking of doing the HCG too. I have a 50 day supply on order, and it should be here the end of next week. (I was ordering for my son, and I got it just to keep on hand, for myself, or family, or a friend. It keeps 3 years.) I've been thinking of maybe doing a short (23 day) round six weeks after this one, since I still have another 10+ lbs of fat to lose. I thought about several options: stopping injections now and going into phase 3 for 3 weeks and then doing a short round with him. At HTA, a gal was saying you could go off the injections for up to two weeks and get right back on without loading. That sounds pretty handy, so I looked it up in Pounds and Inches. Dr. S does mention an "interruption" of up to two weeks. Since my weight loss has slowed, I wonder if I'm becoming immune to the HCG. Maybe a two week break would kick start its effectiveness again. I doubt my husband will want to wait for me to finish this round (8 days to go) and then wait six more weeks to start. It would be easier for both of us to be on it at the same time. I know someone who did injections 3 months straight without a break, and lost 36 lbs. Decisions, decisions...

Sat Mar 7, 09 29th VLCD day 142.2 (zero)

2009-03-07T10:23:00.017-07:00

Down 15.8 from load weight. AAAAAAAAARGH! This morning I was trying to figure out why I've only lost a half pound since TUESDAY (4 days) Been eating 420 calories per day the whole time. I drink at least 3 qts of water a day. I've been "regular" if you know what I mean. I just received the 101 Worry-Free HCG Diet Recipes book by Mennemeier and Prinster in the mail, and was reading about spices. She says if it dissolves in water, it's a spice, if it doesn't, it's a vegetable. The only spices I have ever used were salt, (minimal) pepper, and Mrs Dash Table Blend. (Yes, I know that is boring, but I didn't care.) I just got the Mrs Dash bottle out and read the list of ingredints: "Onion, Spices (Black Pepper, Chili Pepper, Parsley, Celery Seed, Basil, Bay, Marjoram, Oregano, Savory, Thyme, Cayenne Pepper, Coriander, Cumin, Mustard, Rosemary,) Garlic, Orange Peel, Carrot, Lemon Juice Powder, Tomato, Red Bell Pepper, Citric Acid, Oil of Lemon." It doesn't dissolve at all. Not only does it have Orange Peel and Lemon Oil; according to her, I've been "mixing vegetables." I should have read that BEFORE I started. I'm so mad. I think I may have sabotaged myself. I only used it on the chicken, but that was probably enough to do it, do you think? I've mostly been eating chicken because it is leaner and lower in calories than beef. I've been trying so hard to be good, and have been shooting myself in the foot the whole time! I guess I'll be cooking up a new batch of chicken today...sans Mrs Dash. Unfortunately, I have only 9 injection days left.

Fri Mar 6, 09 28th VLCD day 142.2 (dn 0.2)

2009-03-06T12:34:00.004-07:00

Down 15.8 from load weight. Those numbers just keep teasing me this week...142.8, 142.4, 142.2! I'm getting kind of tired of seeing 142! I've got to remind myself how happy I was to see that number the first time. I felt so skinny! I have 10 injections left, and it doesn't look like I will be able to lose 7 lbs in 10 days, especially since I only lost 2.6 in the last 7 days. It kind of bumms me out. It really shouldn't matter if I weigh 135 or 138, except I'm somewhat obsessive compulsive and I need an "even" number, like 135. I would then have lost an "even" 20 lbs. Sometimes I am so silly, I just have to laugh at myself!!! I also have to line up all my envelopes according to size with all the stamps in the upper right corner before I throw them into the big blue mailbox (where they become all jumbled up with everyone else's!) LOL

Thurs Mar 5, 09 27th VLCD day 142.4 (dn 0.4)

2009-03-05T13:37:00.003-07:00

Down 15.6 from load weight. Half a pound today (almost). I'm happy with that. I was hoping for 141 something, but half a pound is still good. When I think of the other diets that I've been on...and was happy to see half a pound a WEEK! I picked up a few more bloggers to follow. It really helps to see others with the same goals and experiences. My son and one of my daughter-in-laws have each decided to give this a try after seeing my success. I stress that it is NOT for everyone. Some personalities just aren't wired for this, but it sure works great for me! I'm so glad I found it. Good luck to you all!

Wed Mar 4, 09 26th VLCD day 142.8 (zero)

2009-03-04T19:52:00.002-07:00

Down 15.2 from my load weight. No loss today. How can I complain after 1.4 yesterday? I am just loving being at this lower weight. I'm still going after those last few pounds, hoping to get rid of some of the remaining stuff on my abdomin...every woman's trouble spot! Felt good today. Thanks for all your supportive comments. It helps keep me going.

Tues Mar 3, 09 25th VLCD day 142.8 (dn 1.4)

2009-03-03T12:53:00.003-07:00

Down 15.2 from load weight. Can you believe it? 15 lbs in 25 days! I drank 2 cups of "Smooth Move" herbal tea yesterday, and it really worked. Guess I needed it since that broke my plateau! I did the math, and if I just continue to do the 3 1/2 lbs loss per week, I will hit my goal of 135 right at the end of my six weeks. (The 130 was a wish - not a goal.) The way this diet works, I really don't need to get to 130 like I thought I did. Kat, I've been trying to post to your blog, but can't get it to "take." I just wanted to congratulate you for getting back in your range again. You are doing great! Thanks for the comments Julie. Do you have a blog too?

Mon Mar 2, 09 24th VLCD day 144.2 (zero)

2009-03-02T18:30:00.004-07:00

Down 13.8 from load weight. OK, so I guess I lied yesterday...the scale didn't go down and I was disappointed! Two days in a row. I only ate about 300 calories yesterday too! I know I shouldn't complain...all my size 10's fit just fine, and that's what I wanted. I can wear everything that was in my closet. It's just so fun to see the pounds drop off!

Sun Mar 1, 09 23rd VLCD day 144.2 (zero)

2009-03-01T18:50:00.002-07:00

Still down 13.8 from my load weight. No loss today, but totally expected. I don't even care. There was a little black dress in the back of my closet that I used to wear, and felt really great in. That was kind of my "goal dress." I wore it when I weighed 140 a few years ago. It was a bit tight in places, so I figured I would have to weigh 135 to have it fit the way I wanted it to. Well, I tried it on this morning, and it fit better than ever, and I'm still 9 lbs from my goal! It seems this diet is taking the fat from all the "bad" areas instead of the "good" areas, and is reshaping my figure. I'm all for that. I still have a couple of weeks to go, but from now on, I don't really care what the scale says...I'd be ok with where I am if that's all I lost. I could probably still stand to lose a few pounds, but I'm not going to have to reach 130 to look the way I want...just because of the way the fat is being used up. I'm going to keep doing the protocol till the end since it really is pretty easy to follow anyway. If I lose a little extra, it may give me a bit of a cushion if I need it.

Sat Feb 28, 09 22nd VLCD day 144.2 (dn 0.6)

2009-02-28T20:23:00.002-07:00

Down 13.8 from my load weight. What a welcome surprise! A little over half a pound gone today. Yesterday was a terribly stressful day at work, having software problems while trying to get the month-end reports ready. Nothing was going right, and for once I was actually hungry! That has hardly ever happened to me since I started. There were more doughnuts, Mexican food, and someone next to me got a hot sub sandwich on fresh garlic bread!!! It smelled so good, I was dying. I put some extra perfume on my wrist and just kept sniffing it to try to block out the garlic bread aroma! Made some herbal tea and drank it and a bunch of water to fill my stomach up. I ended up staying at the office till after 9:00pm trying to get the paperwork completed. Fortunately, I had enough extra chicken and celery and apple at the office so I was able to eat dinner there and not have to wait till I got home. I came home in a bad mood, and plopped into bed immediately. I had to explain to my sweet hubby, that I was not upset with him...just totally frustrated with the day. He has been SO supportive of me, cooks his own food, and tells me often how great I am doing. Is he a Prince or what!

Fri Feb 27, 09 21st VLCD day 144.8 (dn 1.0)

2009-02-27T12:31:00.002-07:00

Down 13.2 lbs from load weight. Thanks for all your encouraging comments. I look forward to hearing from you all. It really helps to have your support. Lost a whole pound again today. That is just so amazing to me. I dieted all during January and lost only 5 lbs, and this week alone - I'm down 4 lbs. How cool is that! I've been thinking about how fun it would be to get back into my "skinny" clothes...problem is...it's been so long, that most of them are out of style! LOL Today was "Jeans Day" at work and I had nothing good to wear. Guess I'll have to go shopping! Poor me... After 2 good days, I don't expect to see the scale move tomorrow, but I'm cool with that. It seems to go in a pattern... two days of loss and then a zero. I can live with that.