Phase 3

Wow! I guess I really slacked there on the second half of my 43 day HCG cycle. Well, I ended Phase 2 weighing just over 268 lbs. That put me at a 37 lb weight loss. I was pretty proud of that. Then I started Phase 3. I did okay with that until Thanksgiving and my week off of school. I ended up gaining like 7 lbs back. So yesterday I really worked at making sure I got enough water and ate enough protein and stayed in my calorie range. Just those simple things helped me drop 3 lbs over night. Phew! Today I worked hard again at staying on track and I made sure to exercise. I broke out my old Firm dvds. I have really been enjoying the workouts. They completely kick my butt, but in a good way. Hopefully I can get back to where I was when I ended the phase 2 and maybe even lose a few more pounds before I start my next cycle in January. I will not be doing another 43 day cycle. That was really tough on me and my family. I plan to do the 23 day cycle. I hope that if I am really diligent I will see some big numbers! Can't wait for January!

Day 20

Good Morning!
It's been a few days since I updated my progress, so here it goes.
Day 20 (VLCD18) 282.2 -1.0 -23.2 -20.2
Yesterday was a good day for me. In the morning I put on an outfit I wear fairly often on Fridays. It was a school shirt and my jean capris. For the first time since I started losing weight, I looked in the mirror and could see a difference. The clothes looked so much better on me. Then, when I got to school, two other teachers cornered me and asked what my secret was for losing so much weight. I told them I was doing the HCG diet. They were very supportive and told me a story of a few people they knew who had done it and been successful.
It made me feel good that I and others are finally starting to actually see my success.

HCG Update

I can tell no one is ready this because I didn't update for several days and no one has even commented.
Anyway, here are the stats from the last couple of days.
Day 12 (VLCD10) 289.6 +0.6 -15.8 -12.8
Day 13 (VLCD11) 288.6 -1.0 -16.8 -13.8
Day 14 (VLCD12) 287.8 -0.8 -17.6 -14.6
Day 15 (VLCD13) 286.6 -1.2 -18.8 -15.8

I am officially at my pre-pregnancy weight for M2. Ten more pounds and I will be at my pre-pregnancy weight for M1. I am very excited. I am over 1/3 of the way through my first round HCG diet. My husband comes home in 2 days and I am hoping to lose at least another 2 lbs before then.
I noticed today that my closer are feeling loser and looking better on. I used to have a fabulously creative and large wardrobe. It has significantly shrunk over the last year and a half. I am so excited to get to a point where I can rediscover some of my wonderful old clothes. There is a box just hanging out in my closet waiting to be unpacked. Soon!
I am doing pretty well with the food. I think my biggest problem is that I am really hardly ever hungry enough to eat all the food I am supposed to. Most often I skip on the second fruit and the second carb. Last night, it was all I could do to finish my second protein and I didn't even try to eat my vegetable. It is interesting to me how that all works.
I am still feeling great. Lots of energy! I don't know if that is because of the weight I am losing, the healthy foods I am consuming, or the B vitamins I am taking. It may be a combination of all three. Regardless, it feels great to have energy again.
Well, here's to a new week and hopefully another 7 lbs. ;)

Down a pound...

Day 11 (VLCD9) 289.0 -1 -16.4 -13.4

I'm off to school. I'll write about my day later.

Oh crap...

So, I made pumpkin muffins this evening. They just sounded and looked so good. I made mini-muffins and I tried one. We'll see how bad that screws me up in the morning. I hope not too much. I also drank about half a can of diet dr. pepper. Apparently, I was in a rebellious mood.

Day 10 (VLCD8) 290.0 -1.4 -15.4 -12.4

I have been cruising right along. My hopes are that I can continue to be successful and lose at least 1 lb/day. I know I will not be able to have any more nights like tonight if I want to accomplish that. If I can keep that up, I will have lost 22+ lbs by the time I see my husband next week. I hope he will see the difference it is making in me and be willing to support my crazy eating habits while on the HCG diet. I am sure it is tough on other family members when one person does the HCG diet.

Well, I am off to bed now. I'll let you know what happens in the morning.

Results for Day 9

Day 9 (VLCD7) 291.4 -1.2 -14.0 -11.0

Things seem to be going well. I am starting to feel an increase in my energy. Not sure if it's from the weight coming off or what. I am also excited about this process again. I had a really down day on Sunday, but I am back to loving it.

I know this sounds like I am patting myself on the back, but I really am proud of myself for sticking it out to this point. I hope I can continue to be successful at this. I know that it will be a new start to my life if I can get this horrible weight off. I am looking forward to being in the 280s in the next two days. I am averaging about a 1.5 lb drop/day. I hope it continues.

Thanks to everyone who is supporting me and acting as a sounding board. It really does help to share my feelings as I go.

Another day, another pound!

Day 8 (VLCD6) 292.6 -1 -12.8 -9.8

Good, but not as great as I was hoping for. I got some great words of encouragement from my dad and my husband today. My dad said I was his inspiration and B told me that I was doing great and he was impressed with how much I had lost. I have been super good today with my eating. I hope the scale reflects that tomorrow.
I ate something new today and that made eating a little more exciting for me, again. I discovered the stone ground wheat crackers and albacore tuna. Dinner was delicious!
Menu
Lunch-shrimp, cucumber, orange, and Melba toast
Dinner-tuna, celery, stone ground wheat crackers
Snack-strawberries

Struggling

I am writing right now because what I really want to do is eat some of the broccoli cheese noodles I made for my son for lunch. I have no desire to eat anything that I am "allowed" to eat. This is the first time this has really happened to me. I am forcing myself to eat the chicken and cabbage soup I created. Yum! I know this feeling will pass. And, when I step on the scale in the morning and see a loss, I will be so glad I didn't cave in and eat the stupid noodles.

Day 7

I woke up this morning and weighed myself. Here are my new stats.
Day 7 (VLCD5) 293.6 -1.2 -11.8 -8.8

My progress has definitely slowed. I am not sure the reasoning for that. I hoping to at least maintain the pound/day rate for a while. It would have been nice to keep up the 4 lbs/day, but I haven't. This is not to say that I am not pleased with my progress. I am. It's phenomenal. I just need to stay motivated. I think the weekens are going to be the hardest for me the whole time. I need to find things to keep me busy so I am not so obsessed with food. Well, here's to today. Hope I can stay strong. And, I need to drink more water!

HCG Makeover...

for me and my blog.

I started the HCG diet on Monday October 3, 2011. I am using the HCG pellets. I dissolve 4 pellets under my tongue, three times a day. The first two days of the diet were loading days. On Wednesday, I started the VLCD (Very Low Calorie Diet) of 500 calories/day. I have been successful so far, but am feeling the desire to "talk" about what I am doing. However, I don't want many people to know this is how I am losing the weight. Since not many people read this blog, I figured this would be the best way to express myself as I go through this journey.

So, here are my stats for the first 6 days.
Day 1 (loading) 302.4
Day 2 (loading) 305.6 +3.2
Day 3 (VLCD1) 305.4 -0.2 +3.0
Day 4 (VLCD2) 301.4 -4.0 -4.0 -1.0
Day 5 (VLCD3) 297.6 -3.8 -7.8 -4.8
Day 6 (VLCD4) 294.8 -2.8 -10.6 -7.6

I am planning to continue on this diet for a total of 43 days. I am almost 1/6 of the way through. I am hoping to lose at least 40 lbs before November 14. Then, I will take a break from the diet over the holidays and start again in January for a second round. I have not yet decided if I will do another 43 day cycle or if I will do a shorter one of 23 days.

I know this isn't a quick fix diet. It isn't going to all of the sudden make me skinny and then I won't have to do anything else. I am using this as a tool to help me get to a point where diet and exercise can and will be effective for me. I want to get to a point where I can feel beautiful, healthy, and confident. This is just the first step.

Today's menu
Breakfast-nothing
Morning Snack-1/2 grapefruit
Lunch-tilapia with cooked spinach
Afternoon Snack-orange
Dinner-shrimp and lettuce/salad (by far the least satisfying thing I have had to date)
Water:I need to be better about measuring how much I consume.

Goal: consume at least 145 fl oz of water

Pregnant, again.

So, I am almost 37 weeks pregnant. (That would explain the lack of blogging for the last several months,) I have reached the point in my pregnancy when all I can think about is losing all this weight after my baby is born. I haven't decided my exact plan of action, yet. I know that I really want to get back down to my first pre-pregnancy weight. I was about 10 lbs away from it when I found out I was pregnant again. I am so excited for my little girl to arrive, but the 45 lbs I have packed on while growing her are not as exciting. I know I have a very long road ahead of me, but I look forward to the challenge.