Update - down 27+ lbs so far!

I've been pretty negligent in updating my blog. I've just been busy. I'm very pleased with my results so far, and am hoping to get to the 250s for the first time in years before the end of this round. (I'm about 1 pound away.) I'm thinking that a 30+ pound loss is possible for this round. Fantastic! I still have about 10 days left on this round. I'll post another update when the round is done.

HCG Protocol VLCD R1D10 - Down Another 1.6 lbs!

I'm now down a total of 14 lbs. Woohoo! I read some interesting things yesterday and decided to try to incorporate them into my diet. There was a whole BUNCH of interesting articles in the current edition of First magazine. One of the article topics was on recent research showing how women do much better at weightloss with multiple mini protein meals because it "triggers a 35 percent spike in metabolism that lasts four hours". I had been skipping breakfast per the protocol, and having just the 2 servings of protein. I did some figuring on fitday.com though, and found that if I'm careful to eat lower calorie foods, I can have a boiled egg in the morning for breakfast and still be within my 500 calories. (This means no steak unless I plan to skip the egg for breakfast that day.) The increase in protein should help protect my muscle mass too I think. Someone else on the protocol had mentioned that she's having breakfast every day and she seems to be doing very well. So, I thought I'd give it a shot and see what happens. I boiled 3 eggs this morning, so I'll have them ready for the next couple of days too. Sidenote: I love the internet for all the instructional guides you can find out there, including ones on "how to hardboil an egg". Mine turned out perfectly. :) Yum.

HCG Protocol VLCD R1D9 - Holding Steady

Holding steady today. I redid my measurements to check against my initial ones and was pleased to find that I've lost an inch from my ribcage and a 1/2 inch off my calves. I also just created a free account on fitday.com and am finding it extremely useful to be able to plan my menus and check to make sure I'm staying in the appropriate calorie ranges, as well as be able to chart my progress. It's a VERY helpful website.

HCG Protocol VLCD R1D8 - Down 12.4 lbs so far!

Sorry I've been delinquent in blogging lately. It's been a busy week, but the protocol has gone well for me. Any hunger or cravings that I had early on are pretty much gone, but I really didn't have anything that was bad to begin with. Here are my recent numbers:

Day 5 - lost 2.5 lbs
Day 6 - lost 2.4 lbs
Day 7 - lost .4 lbs
Day 8 - lost .4 lbs

Looks like I'm out of the crazy big losses of the first week and into the more normal average losses now. No complaints though. :)

Menu Today
Lunch was lean ground beef browned and crumbled with tomatoes to make chili, + strawberries
Dinner will be grilled shrimp with Emeril's mustard, asparagus, and an apple.
Yum!

HCG Protocol VLCD R1D4 - Down 6.8 lbs so far!

Yippee! I'm down 2 more lbs this morning! I know that the loss will slow down sometime this week, but this is pretty exciting so far. I'll be happy of course with losing an average of .5 - 1 lbs per day (as promised on the protocol), but it's nice to see these big losses in the first week. :)

I didn't feel Day 3 was different than the previous days, and I'm having big drops, so I don't think it was a mistake not to do the major loading on days 1&2. I'm thinking the need for that may vary among different people on the protocol, based on their body chemistry, etc. That said, I may choose to load for at least 1 day on the next round, just for the fun of it if nothing else. :) I did have a few minor cravings over the last few days, but I noticed it was typically when I saw something (a favorite restaurant...) that would trigger thoughts of unhealthy food. I've tried to get all that out of my home or at least out of sight so it doesn't bother me here. Of course once I leave the house, there are all kind of reminders. :) I imagine that I will get used to eating healthy soon and not think much about junk food anymore though. I'm enjoying the opportunity to really "cook" for myself, which I haven't actually done for awhile. I realized that so much of what I have been doing lately is just "heating up" stuff, or grabbing takeout. The new way of eating is a lot more healthy of course. It's also pretty tasty though. :) I think I'll start sharing my daily menus.

Breakfast
- Water with lemon

Lunch
- 100 grams (4 oz.) grilled chicken marinated in lemon juice, garlic, and pepper
- Grilled asparagus

Snack
- Apple (Braeburn - sweet/tart and crisp)

Dinner
- 100 grams (4 oz.) pan-seared chicken (no oil) seasoned with garlic and lemon juice
- Steamed asparagus and mushrooms

Dessert
- Apple (Pacific Rose - more sweet than tart and not as crisp as braeburn)

HCG VLCD R1D3 - Down 4.8 lbs so far!

Woo-Hoo! I was down 1.6 lbs by the morning of day 2, and now I'm down another 3.2 lbs this morning, for a total of 4.8 lbs lost! This is pretty exciting. At this rate, I could break my lower weight limit by Monday. (I haven't been below 279 lbs in years...) This feels so much more rewarding than WW. WW is great, don't get me wrong, but they are all about lbs and you lose so slowly that it can be hard to stay motivated when you have a lot to lose. Also, they don't take into account loss of inches in their program AT ALL! I remember last time I was there, I couldn't get down more than about 3 lbs in the 8 weeks or so that I attended, but I dropped 2 dress sizes. Of course, you don't get positive feedback for that. You must be doing something wrong because you have only lost 3 lbs. Grrr! Well, the HCG protocol is smarter about that. I haven't redone my measurements yet. I thought I'd do those once a week. My pants are already quite a bit looser though. And OH - TOM started yesterday, and I'm still down 4.8 lbs! Can you believe it?! This is fabulous!

People have talked about trouble with headaches and hunger. I haven't had any trouble at all. I'm hungry by lunchtime, but it's a "normal" hunger. Since I eat my 500 calories between noon and 7pm, I really don't get hungry during the day. I just need to keep myself occupied in the evening so I don't want to snack out of boredom.

I think the HCG actually took away my normal PMS migrain and a lot of the cramping too, because it's been better this month. I actually woke up with a b*tch of a headache on Day 1, but it was completely gone within an hour of taking my HCG injection. (That was the type of headache that normally lasts for 3 days and Advil barely touches it...). Crazy. I don't know for sure that the HCG took it away, but whatever did, I'll take it!

P.S. I didn't feel the shot at all this morning. :) I think the only reason I felt it at all yesterday was because I think I was too close to a nerve or vein or something. I got a tiny bit of blood when the needle came out on Day 1, but they warned me that it could happen occasionally and said that it was normal and not something I need to be worried about. I'll just try to remember in the future to stay away from anyplace that looks like there might be a vein there. :) It's weird sticking a needle an inch into your leg and not feeling anything though. You keep expecting to feel something. I'm not complaining though...

Day 1

I took my first shot this morning. (Well, the first one that wasn't a practice-shot of water anyway.) I didn't notice when I picked up my supplies at the pharmacy yesterday, but I think the needles I got were just slightly larger than the one I learned with at the doctor. Not a big difference, but when I go through another round in the future, I think I'll try to remember to request the smaller one. I didn't feel mine much, but I like not feeling it at all better. :)

So days 1 & 2 are supposed to be "loading days" according to Simeon's protocol, where you consume additional fat and calories on purpose. My clinic didn't mention loading days at all, and I didn't think to ask their opinion on it at the time. I stuck to the VLCD most of the day, but did add some additional cheese and milk at dinner after considering whether I should load or not, so I sortof loaded. I wasn't terribly hungry throughout the day though. Maybe that was a mistake to not load more. The loading is supposed to help with hunger on day 3, so I wonder if people experience the hunger is because that is the first day they do VLCD or if something really kicks in from the HCG. I'm sure I"ll find out...

I also noticed that my clinic's plan has a few extra veggies listed. I'm thinking that after day 2, I should probably stick to the VLCD as described by Simeon, since he's so firm about not eating anything not on the list. There is plenty on there to eat that I like, so it should be fine that way. I haven't completely made up my mind though. I am thinking that I may add Apple Cider Vinegar (with mother) later in the round as many people have suggested that it helps keep the weight loss moving. I'm really anxious to see my weight in the am though. I'm curious if I gained, lost, or whatever.

One other difference, Simeon's plan recommends taking 1 day off per week if you have more weight to lose to keep from getting immune to the HCG for longer. My clinic didn't mention that, but did mention not taking HCG the first 3 days of my period as Simeon did. I"m actually starting mine tonight, so I'll keep taking it throughout and will maybe stop next time, and stop 1 day a week too.

Wow! That Was WAY Easier Than I Thought It Would Be...

Well, I had my appointment at the clinic today and learned how to give myself a shot. It was SO much easier than I was anticipating. I wasn't hugely worried, but I had some concern from instructions I saw from other people about the angle, watching for flash (what? where?). Anyway, it was so much easier than all of that... I'm doing mine IM, which is maybe part of the reason why it's so easy. Who knows...

I was really impressed with the clinic and doctor. He seemed the most knowledgeble person on thyroid disease that I've run across since moving here. Surprise bonus! Their version of the CHG protocol doesn't include the loading days or the melba toast. I'm not too worried about that I guess. I'll see if I get crazy hungry, but even if I do, it will only be a day or two. I can manage that.

Tomorrow it will be official. I've got all my stuff and Baby I'm Ready To Go!

I'm going to give this a shot (no pun intended)

Well. The pun is funny anyway. I'm biting the bullet and I'm going to give the protocol a shot. I first heard about it a few weeks ago, and I've been researching it while hemming and hawing ever since. It seems to me that the critics are largely those who have not tried it, while I haven't seen much negative feedback from those who have actually given it a real try.

I'm a bit nervous about it because I have other health issues (vitamin deficiencies, plus I have no thyroid...). That's why I'm chosing to do this through an actual clinic. Plus, I really feel that I don't know what I'm doing at this point. :P I have an appointment at the clinic tomorrow. Maybe that means I start tomorrow. I'm not sure yet how this will work.... Wish me luck though. I plan to be a very good girl and NOT CHEAT! How will I do that, you ask? Well... I plan to toss out everything in the house that isn't on the diet. I'm sure it will also help that I'm single with no kids. There won't be many opportunities for people to sabotage me, so I guess if I screw up, I"ll truly have no one to blame but myself. :)