Down 10 Pounds

Hooray, I lost 2 pounds. I was so excited. Now I weight about what I did 4-5 months ago after starting Effexor. I am trying to wean off Effexor. So, I'm seeing some progress today. Now I just need to keep myself in good spirits.

My day was good. I got a lot of errands done. My son is leaving the country for a few months so we had a pizza party for him. He sustained an injury that almost kept him from going in the morning. But a miracle happened. I don't want to forget it. I will write about it more later.

I enjoyed the night with Angie, Brian, Jack, Emmi, Ric, and Jeff. Jon was in flight from California so I missed him. While everyone ate pizza, I had an apple and it was not even difficult to do.

Anyway, off to bed. I work tomorrow unless I get called off

Day 16 - No weight loss

I'm about ready to hang myself out to dry. Today hasn't been the best day. I have been hungry, headacky and to boot, I didn't loose any pounds even though sticking to the diet. I wonder if I should have a HCG free day. Am I on a plateau? What is the deal. I feel discouraged. On day 8 I had lost 6 pounds. Now on day 16, only two more pounds.

Day 15 Where has the time gone?

Seriously, where does time go? Who would ever think that I could still be on a diet plan for this many days. How grateful I am for this HCG plan that has helped me with calorie control and eliminating foods from my diet that aren't good. I'm stunned that my desire to snack has gone down. It hasn't been eliminated, but has been within control. The snacking, particularly at night was my greatest fear. I'm hoping that if anything, this plan will get me into better habits. I was down 1/2 pound this morning. I'm down 8 pounds in 15 days.

Emmi and Jack!

I got the grand kids last night. What a great way to keep myself in line. No time to think about eating. Little Jack slept right with me in my bed. It was a pleasure to have this sweet little guy right next to me. His Big sister Emmi slept in her crib. She is the best!

Day 14

Another thanks to my hubby for helping me with meals, making sure the proper food is stocked and putting away temping goodies. I don't tell him that I appreciate it, but I do.

I was down 1/2 pound this morning. I felt a little disappointed I wasn't down more....but at least I was down. Even though my loss isn't that much yet, I feel little differences.

1. I'm not getting as hungry
2. I can get out of the huge cushy chairs at work without making a spectable of myself.
3. My face has slightly leaned out.
4. I have noticed that my energy is slightly increased.

Overall...........NOT BAD!

Day 13

I awakened at 5:30 to get ready to go to work. I weighed myself and I was down one pound. Day number thirteen and down seven pounds. I couldn't feel any better. Go go Thanksgiving!

Lets Talk Turkey!

Wow, I feel blessed. I stayed within protocol and taking in 478 calories. As a variety homemade food was ushered in by all the nurses, I stayed at bay and watched other nurses patients so that they could go eat. Our Thanksgiving feast in the afternoon , I stuck to spinach and chicken and 1/2 apple for dessert as turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie was generously consumed by all.
No potatoes and gravy. No pumpkin pie and it made no difference. I socialized with everyone as I ate, never thinking twice. Nobody even noticed that I wasn't participating in the Thanksgiving feast.

Before I walked out the door of the hospital, I was tempted to put my finger in the home made pumpkin pie and scoop up a taste. Then I looked at it again and thought to myself, "It just isn't worth it".

Day 12

I'm just turning into bed. Today has been fairly unremarkable however I have stayed on my diet. In fact I am under calories. The ups side of that is that I haven't been hungry. Only a craving here or two. I have had two perfect diet days in a row, so my hope is that tomorrow morning, the scales will show it. Another hope is that I will stay on the protocol even though it is Thanksgiving. In hind site, I am very glad I'm working on Turkey day. Although there will be a ton of food at work, I won't be the one preparing it. I will just keep my paws out of the break room. Wish me luck.

Day 11

I ended day 11 good. I was just a little below 500 calories and didn't feel hungry today. This week will be interesting. Turkey week. I hope I can do GREAT with all the food that will be around.

Internal Body Clock!

My body clock once again was broken, but I'm getting it back. After working nights, it seems I just don't work right. I'm not sure how important stable circadium rhythems are in the HCG diet, but they sure are important in running my life. Anyway, today I had no weight loss. When counting calories, it is hard to know when one day starts and the same days ends. Oh well. I'm going to bed in a while and by tomorrow my sleep cycle should be back to normal.

Do I feel Like a Pin Cushion?

For anyone that may be afraid of shots.....believe me, this picture is how they invision it and it fills them with fear. I can promise you that the tiny little needles pop in so fast you literally don't feel a thing. So, don't let fear of needles be the reason you decide not to do HCG.

Day 10

I made it to day 10, although don’t assume that my past 24 hours constitutes a normal day. I worked nights and got home after 8 am this morning. I only slept a few hours. Consequently I didn’t weigh myself. It seems the best weight results comes after a night’s rest. So, I’m procrastinating my weigh in until tomorrow morning.

I had a good night working and in the morning when my replacement came in, she looked and me and said, “Jill, you look good this morning. There is something different about you. That was too cool. My night was a busy busy night but I didn’t wear out, my joints didn’t hurt and my feet weren’t sore. Crazy huh? Could it be the HCG?

Today, a grandparent of a baby I cared for is starting her second round of HCG. I got her phone number. I’m hoping we can become little HCG buddies. We’ll see. I’m going to send her a phone text tomorrow to see how she is doing.

I can’t say I have been perfect the past 10 days. I have had a few screw ups, but overall I’m following the plan well. I am amazed. Although the calories are very limited, what I do eat is healthy. So I’m feeling genuinely delightful about this change in my life.

I need to reassess what is going right and what I need to add to be more effective with HCG. In the meantime……I’m pumped!

I forgot!

I can't believe it. I forgot to give myself my HCG injection last night before I went to work.

Day number 9

Another weird day due to switching back from nights to days and then days to nights. I slept part of the day today. Since I didn't weight myself tonight, the only thing I can say is that the past 24 hours were good. I didn't experience a lot of hunger. I experienced some cravings but hardly unmanageable. Last night my little grand kids came up to visit. I put them both in the bath tub, which I do from time to time, but I can honestly say it was physically easier. Now I don't know if I can account that to the weight loss which is minimal compared to what I need to loose, or if it the energy I derive from HCG. I don't really have to have a reason. Gratitude is how I feel. Thank you day! Time to brush my teeth and make my lunch for work tonight.

Do I Have A Fairy God Mother?

The end of day 8, I weighed myself. I lost 2 pounds for a total of six pounds in 8 days of the VLCD. That would average out to .75 pounds per day. Now I'm a believer. I slept today without being hungry. As luck would have it, I slept all day just to get a call from work that I was cancelled.

Day 8

I worked my first night shift. I did great. I felt good and surprisingly wasn't hungry. For my calorie intake, I was smack on 500 calories. It seems I am always over by 30 40. Since I am on a new schedule, I will weigh myself tonight when I wake up and report my loss. (I hope)

One of the babies I cared for, grandma has been on the HCG diet and is beginning round two on Monday. It was so nice to talk to someone about it. I hope I talk to her again tonight. For now, I am going to sleep. My little peeps are really tired. Since I'm on a new schedule, I will weigh myself tonight when I wake up.

Day 7 - One week on VLCD

I have been one week on HCG and the VLCD which is Very Low Calorie Diet. I have lost 4 pounds. The week has had its ups and downs but overall it has been successful. The potential is to loose a pound per day, but as I had a bad day five, I'm just grateful for this. My cravings are reduced and my recognition of hunger is becoming more in balance and more sensitive. I slept part of the day today and I'm going to work in an hour or so. I am hoping work will take my mind off calories and how I feel. So, I'm almost looking forward to it. (You don't hear me say that very often)

Day Six

Today seemed like a long day, but I made it! HOOREY! I was very careful with counting my calories and spreading out the calories throughout the day.

Hunger continues to plague me, hence I got hold of my Dr. tonight concerning this issue.
Here was his suggestions:

Drink more green tea or take green tea capsules
Take more EFA's and space them throughout the day. (Pre HCG I was taking 2 Flaxseed capsules and 2 Fishoil capsules per day) The dr. told me originally to cut that back to 1 EFA per day

Purchase some L-Carnitine. Although I didn't ask him dosage or brand
Since I am waking early in the morning, ie 4 am hungry, we discussed having the injection at night instead of the am.
Lastly we discussed increasing the dose. The downside to this idea is the tolerance issue.

We did not discuss probiotics for possible candida. Lynne, you mentioned candida overgrowth. I need to remember to do the test in the morning.

All is I need reassurance is that this won't last forever. I begin working my 12-hour shifts tomorrow night and I won't be as much in my head as I have been the past few days. However, I have been careful to assess whether I am suffering from emotional engagement or actual hunger. I sent this out to HCG2 yahoo forum for some feed back. It has been a great site.

Cheaters Remorse

I wish I could go back to yesterday and pick myself up after feeling so uncomfortable with hunger. But, I can't. So I will just feel grateful that I didn't do what I usually do if I cheat on a diet. Some tell me the consequences of yesterday will set me back 1 week. I hope not. I have started logging all my food onto Fitday which will help me track my calorie intake.

Day 5

The end of the day and I'm going to bed. It has been a rough day. I wasn't totally compliant on my diet, but I really struggled with not feeling well. I'm getting it together. I have re-established my FitDay where I can track everything very accurately. Good night.

I lost 1 pound today. That Makes me Smile

Hungry As A Horse

I awakened hungrier than a horse. I felt so famished; I knew I needed food in me. I waited till 7 am to grab a melba toast and apple slice. One hour later I felt the same. So, I devoured some tuna and more melba toast. I gave myself the HCG injection and I’m now waiting to feel normal. Whew, I’m so glad this isn’t a working day.

Day 4

End of the day. I haven't been quite as energized. Headackes are less frequent. I'm having to distinguish between hunger and cravings. Although my cravings are more for another piece of fruit or a melba toast....if you can believe. I feel a little more discouraged tonight, but in reality, I have no reason to. I have met the guidelines of the protocol except for a swig of my husbands diet coke. I have a date with my scales in the morning so we shall see.

Walk The Line

Day four. I awakened this morning with no weight loss. I reviewed my activities yesterday. Hi 5 to myself for going on a long walk. It was about a 40-minute walk, which was pleasant and helped me feel good about myself. As I review my food intake, I may have been short on water. I didn’t count each glass as I did the day’s prior. Hence, the headache may have been from lack of water. I am just not sure. The good news is I’m not one bit discouraged that I did not loose a pound. I’m more encouraged that I have lasted these few days and fared well. I just need to continue to “walk the line”, both physically and figuratively.

Hubby Hugs

Ric is on full board with the HCG diet. He went to the doctor with me while the plan was explained us both This was new to him. I'd been researching it for several months. I basically made the plunge when my daughter called and asked me why I hadn't tried the HCG diet plan.
He has been my cook through the past couple days. But, I need to note that he has been cooking consistantly for me for a while. I am sure he has felt frustrated that I haven't cooked, cleaned or nothing else for sometime. I have wanted to write him a note for about the past year letting him know I appreciate what he does. But, at this time, having him on board will assist me in succeeding.

Day 3 - Down 3 Pounds

Wow. unbelievable. This is my 3rd day and I'm down three pounds. This news is one of the nicest good mornings I have had for a while. In the past I have dieted 1 to 2 weeks to get a three pound loss, just to gain back a pound or two a few days later.

End of Day 2

I'm about ready to go to bed. It's been a wierd day, but I made it. I never really felt hungry, I felt more of the emotional and sensational part of eating. I think that comes with being home and not feeling well. I ate two full apples, which were rather large. So maybe that puts me several slices over my fruit, but I am still within my calories.

Day 2 My Cup of Tea

As luck may have it, I am sick. Come on now. Day two of my diet? Are you kidding?When my throat is sore and achy, I like to to bathe it in a creamy or salty infusion of something soothing.

I guess a cup of tea is here to save the day! Or shoud I say, multiple cups of tea.

Day 1 First Day of diet and first day on the scales

My First Weigh in. To tell or not to tell!

Who ever said that a cup of tea or coffee constitutes food? Somehow I always thought a food product had calories. Breakfast did consist of green tea and 1/2 cup of coffee. Whoopeee!

My 12 hour shift was probably a gift. I was too busy to think about dieting. Now that I'm getting ready to go to bed, I can actually say, it wasn't too bad.

I enjoyed the following foods today.
Apple large 110
Melba toast 60
½ chicken breast 142
Tuna fish 120
Lettuce 10
Broccoli 30
Lemon 4
4 medium strawberries 20
I'm not sure I'm at my total calories for the day, but who's counting?

It is almost 9 pm and I can honestly say, I'm not hungry. So where do the craving come in? Since night time is my 'snacky' time, I guess I will report tomorrw on how the rest of the night went.

For now...............sweet dreams.

Glut and Gut

Tomorrow begins great disparity. Five hundred calories. Gluttony has its end. May my gut reep the rewards.

Stuff the Creampuff

Day one and day two of the HCG regimen is to stuff yourself with lots of foods containing high amount of fats. This is my second day and I feel like a stuffed turkey, so fitting as we near the Thanksgiving holiday. I feel like an over filled helium balloon. I waddle when I walk. Watching me pick something off the floor could be comical for the onlooker. I can’t lean forward because my belly obstructs my intended mark.

Today, I will continue to stuff the cream puff.

Thoughts about HCG

After much thought, effort and musings, I have decided to go the HCG diet researched by Dr. Simeons. This decision has come after weeks and months of dwindling self-esteem, inability to function and obvious health risks that go hand in hand with being over weight.

It's hard to lead a cavalry if you think you look and feel funny on a horse. Not only do I feel awkward on my horse, I am afflicted with daunting fear the mare will buck me off.


Fear at this time of my life is my key stumbling block. First and foremost is the fear of failing on this undertaking. So many of my disappointments I believe are directly related to being over weight.

I have so much I want to be apart of. There is much I want to accomplish. The question is how to heal my thoughts, my habits and my silent grief. After numerous “to do lists” and countless intentions, I find myself standing in the same shoes I stood in so many years ago. My shoe size hasn’t changed nor has its stance.