A New Day A New Loss!!!

Good Morning,

I got on the scales today hoping for another huge loss. I did get a loss but it was small, .2 pounds. That makes 6.2 pounds for this round and net total loss on hCG is 23.6!!!

I have a milestone today and that is a total of 30 pounds lost since my highest ever of 203. I hit that weight in 2007 briefly when I quit smoking for a month. But when I restarted smoking, I lost about 7 pounds and went back to 196-197. So I am not really celebrating since that 7 pounds wasn't on the hCG and that's what I am gauging, the losses on hCG.....

I hope my hunger is better today. It takes about a week to get the hunger issues under control when starting the hCG. Radishes, celery and other veggies become my best friend to keep control over those 'feelings' of hunger. Hot tea also helps fill the tummy with warmth and stifle the hungries to an extent.

So, today is a short entry, so far, but am going to try to enter some kind of post daily from now on.

Started on Round 2 Phase 2

I made it through 3 weeks of Phase 3 and maintained the entire time within my 2 pound allowance. I was absolutely thrilled!!!

I went onto P4 and tried tons of new foods during that week. I did gain but only a little. I didn't really worry because I knew I was going back on P2 in less than a week.

I did a mini-load before my R2P2, mainly just some things at the fair (I was a vendor at a 10 day fair) and a Mexican dinner the night before.

The first weigh-in after my first VLCD was astounding! I lost 4.4 pounds overnight! That took care of my fluctuations from P3, my mini-load weight, PLUS .6 pounds! I must say I was absolutely thrilled!!!

Today I was a bit reluctant to get on the scales after such an awesome first loss weigh-day but of course, I did. I weighed myself 3 times to be sure the scales weren't broken! I had lost another 1.6 pounds!!! So in just 2 days I have lost 6 pounds and 2.2 of them are NEW ones. LOL I am now at 173.2! I am on my way to my pre-hysterectomy weight of 171. Then on to my pre-tumor weight of 161.

My goal of this round is to get to 159. Initially, I was going to 161, which is a set point but with the way things are starting out, I changed my mind, as we women do, and lowered it a couple pounds to get into the 150's.

I plan to do about 4-5 weeks this round and see if I want to go on or take another P3. I do want to be able to have a cheat day for Thanksgiving and Christmas but may just plan the cheat days and stay on Protocol. Of course, plans are subject to change. LOL I will definately do the minimum of 3 weeks of the VLCD though.

I also hope to get by and post in my blog more often.

Long Time no Post

I have been negligent on my blog lately.

I ended Phase 2 with a Last Dose Weight of 175.4, which is a loss of 21.2 pounds for Round 1 Phase 2.

I am on Phase 3 which is a maintaining phase. It's been over a week now and I have maintained within the 2 pound limit.

I went on a road trip to Maryland for a few days to a sculpting workshop with a fantastic artist, Katherine Dewey. The class was for 4 days, took 2 days to drive there but I drove home in one day. So that was a total of 7 days gone. I was determined to stay within my 2 pounds either way limit so I took most of my food. Of course I took my scales and weighed every day. I also took my blender so I would be able to have chocolate shakes if I got a chocolate craving. Plus I made coco bark, made oopsie rolls for sandwiches, and also made Parmesan cheese crackers to snack on.

I made sure my hotel room had a mini fridge so I could have my food available for me. I took cream, cottage cheese, fruit, cream cheese, a gallon of fresh blueberries, salad fixings, fresh home made salad dressing and some turkey for sandwiches. I also made sure I had my Zero calorie sweetener to sweeten anything I needed sweetened. I also took some almonds, macadamia nuts and Gouda cheese.

We went out to eat as a group once to a Mexican Restaurant. I did eat the tortilla chips and salsa, ordered a chili rellena, and a beef tamale for dinner. I did enjoy the meal and even had a light beer! I never drink so that was a real treat! That night I had a nightmare that when I weighed in the morning, the scales said 185!!! When I got up I was so nervous... but went PP and jumped on the scales. I had only gained .8 pounds and was still within my 2 pound limit!! I was so relieved that it had just been a nightmare!!!

I had run out of oopsie rolls for my trip home, well actually the last two got moldy so I had to toss them so on my way home, I had really nothing substantial to eat. I ate my nuts, some pork rinds, some cheese but was still 'hungry'. So I stopped at a McDonald's and got a burger, fries and diet Coke. I did eat part of the bun but not all of it. I did eat some fries but they were cold and needed salt so I only ate about a dozen of them. They weren't good/yummy so it was not worth the fear of gaining.

I ended up driving the whole way home in one day. I was exhausted from driving 600 miles but not hungry. On Tuesday I weighed and was still under my 2 pound limit. I was relieved but won't be testing those kind of carbs often!!!

This morning I got up and was .2 under my Last Dose weight! WOOOOHOOO!!! What a relief there too. LOL I have been so concerned about this maintenance but it's what resets our hypothalamus. We need to keep our weight stable throughout our P3 so it will stay gone!!!

Tonight I made lasagna for dinner. I did not use lasagna noodles, I used thin strips of zucchini instead of noodles. The rest was made in the normal way. My husband loved it and I sure did!! I am concerned however, about mixing cheese and meat but we will see what the scales say in the morning. Since I was under my last dose weight, I should be okay but we will see tomorrow:)

I will remain on P3 for another 2 weeks. The fair is coming up and it will be much easier for me to stay on protocol on P3. I may go into P4 for a few days at the end of the fair and then start back on hCG for my next Round of Phase 2. I will have several more rounds to do before I am finished. I plan to do a short round before Thanksgiving then break for a week, then do another short round before Christmas. Hopefully I will have another 25-30 pounds gone by the first of the year. March 2009 is my final goal date at 120 pounds.

Ended Week #2 and on to Week #3

There is reason for celebration in my blog. I have gotten regulated and am now losing again!!!
WOOHOOOO!!!! I ended Week #2 with a huge loss today, 1.4 pounds and a total of 2.4 pounds for the week. That is not too shabby for a week of staying the same, ups and downs and potty problems. LOL

I cannot believe I have gone 2 weeks without sugar!!! Not one piece of chocolate, only the allowed chocolate "milkshakes", which I have every single day!!! LOL But this is big for me. I am a chocoholic and I am not even thinking about chocolate. I do know that i will enjoy these low carb/sugar-free chocolate milkshakes forever!!!

I have had a different kind of cravings the past couple days. I really want a grilled hotdog! Weird huh? I have been thinking about it for a couple days!!! OMG, I just realized i have buns in the freezer...... naw... not worth messing up another week with another problem. I want week #3 to be void of all problems except losing weight:)

My total weight loss is at 13 pounds so far. 10.3 in the past 2 weeks. Not too shabby even with the probematic week #2.

I did decide to deviate tonight for dinner. I cooked my alloted amount of chicken in one of those dips I talked about before, just the spices.... it was the sundried tomato pesto spice mix. Yum Yum. But I did not want another bed of plain lettuce, B-O-R-I-N-G!!! So I am combining vegetables.... GASP ....Not just lettuce and tomato but lettuce, tomatoe, cucumber and videlia onion!!! All allowed veggies but we aren't supposed to eat them together!!! I sure hope I don't gain or stall from it. If I do, I may go eat that grilled hotdog. hahahhahaha

Yesterday I was worried that I wasn't getting enough water, you know the 2 liters? So I weighed the cup I drink out of and found it will hold 14.5 ounces of water. OMG, I probably drink close to 4 liters a daty. I knew I was a drinker but didn't realize I drink so much!!! No wonder I have to get up a couple times in the night!! So much fluids!!!! I was pleased:)

So--- that's my entry--- I will post again soon:)

Stuck but not Stumped

For the past few days, my weight has basically been stagnant. I have tried everything to get myself a bit more regular and finally broke down and got the recommended Magnesium Citrate. I have been taking about 625mg a day for the past couple days and have only become bloated. I did try fiber for a couple days, nothing.

I tried Colon Blow, which is really called Colon Clenz but it just reminds me so much of the skit on Saturday Night Live back in the 70's. Remember the cereal, Colon Blow? LOL Well, the Colon Clenz did not work either.

The next day the Magnesium came in the mail. I am waiting for it to start working now. Apparently if you are deficient in Magnesium, you will not get the natural laxative benefits from it and have to increase dosage slowly until you are a movin', then cut back until you are at a pace you are comfortable with. So.... I am going to take 1000 mg today and see what happens tomorrow. I am hoping that as soon as this is dealt with, I will drop 5 pounds immediately! That is my wish!!!!!

I am at 185.8 today which is disappointing to me. I mean, I am eating 500 calories a day! Today I am discouraged and wanting pizza... but I won't:) I will have shrimp and salad or steamed cabbage and stay on protocol. I am confident that this will soon pass and I will have a terrific end to my week #2 of VLCD.

Day 8 of VLCD

Hi!
I guess I have found my sweet spot for my dosage. I have played with it for a few days and the last couple days I have had no hunger at all.

Today I have eaten a 4" cucumber quartered and dipped in my home-made dressing, a small lettuce salad with my home-made dressing and just had 'chili' prepared P2 (Phase 2) friendly, over a bed of lettuce. I made enough to eat all of it with 6 ounces of lean ground beef and put half on my plate. I could not eat it all. Maybe 3/4 of what I put on my plate but not all:) That's a good thing for me mentally also because I was always taught to clean my plate. I need to learn that it is okay not to finish all the food on my plate.

I have lost 10.4 pounds as of today. I do believe I would have lost more if I hadn't deviated from protocol and taken fiber. I took it two days in a row but it hasn't really worked yet.

I have had some bathroom problems. I do hope that clears itself up and I get regular again soon. I only mention this because if someone is reading my blog and new to the hCG protocol, I want them to know that irregularity is normal. Magnesium citrate is recommended to get things moving again. I had to order mine on-line and hopefully it will arrive tomorrow.

Yesterday I took some quick measurements. I have lost 7" in my abdomen, almost 4" in my waist and over 4" in my hips. I am very surprised about the amount of inches lost. They say that first round, 1 pound will equal 1" of loss somewhere. It's definately true for me so far.

Day 5 of VLCD

Good Evening (in my most haunting voice)

I lost .6 of a pound today so my total loss is 9.7. For this week of VLCD (very low calorie diet), on day 5, I have lost 5 pounds!!! I am hoping that I will make it to the 10 pound mark for the week by Tuesday AM which will be the start of day 8, for a total of 12.7. That's my first goal.

I pigged out today.
I had one of my 48 calorie chocolate shakes, a cup of cabbage soup that is tweaked for P2 capatability, zucchini (not on Simeon's program but on ReLeana user's menu), some crispy dried onions, a stalk of celery, a nice piece of mahi mahi (I had enough protein left over to have a 5.5 ounce portion and could only eat 4oz), a large lettuce salad, a couple tiny slivers of tomato and a couple slivers of italian cucumber.

Almost forgot-- we went down to the lower field to check if blackberries are still there and they are!! So we picked about a gallon before it got dark. I probably ate a cup of them-- yes it is a deviation but it's not like I ate a Hershey bar!! I did count them as a fruit and I only had those today, no other fruits. I am not in bed yet, so if I get hungry I will have an apple with cinnamin sprinkled on it.

I make my own dressings using organic apple cider vinegar, water instead of oil, and add garlic, dried onions, and a good spicey sugar-free mustard.

I also use some dips made by "All of Us" for dressings and seasonings to cook food. The website is: http://www.allofussoupdip.com/ . Not all of their dips are sugar/carb free. All of their soups have starches in them so they are a 'no-no' on protocol. Most of the dips have dried onions in them so if you do not like onions, you may want to pass on these dips or contact them to see which ones don't have the onions included.

You really only need to use 1/2 package for the flavors when cooking 2 servings. I cook my husband the same food, just give him more:) That's how tasty they are. I plan to eat this way forever and now that I have found good spice mixtures, it will be easy. They are about $3.50 for each package but if you cut them in half, they are economical AND add flavor to your diet. Heck, with only 500 calories, it better be tasty, right? I cannot eat dry boring food. I love flavor, sauces and with these dips, you can have all of it!

The following of dips are sugar/carb-free:
Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
Ranch- mix with vinegar and water and a bit of milk for a creamy type dressing or liquify some 2% cottage cheese and mix for a real creamy dressing. Don't forget to add those calories in your daily log.
Chipolte Ranch
Dilly-ious- good on fish and to cook fish in
Ragin Cajun- awesome to cook your shrimp and other seafood in
Veggie, Veggie, Veggie-- awesome to season and cook to chicken, also good as a dressing with just vinegar and water added in a cruett.
Cucumber
Plantation Mex

There may be a couple more but I am not sure of any others.


I am addicted to lemonade and have always used Crystal Light. Well, we aren't supposed to have Aspertame. From what I am learning, it is a killer. So no more Crystal Light. What I am doing now is buying the unsweetened Lemonade like Kool-Aid or the store brand and mixing it with water and stevia or splenda. It is good, lemony and works for me on the protocol. I still get my lemonade even though I only use about half that mixture in a glass and fill the rest with plain water. I just need a slight taste other than plain water. For some reason plain water bothers my stomach sometimes.

Keep your fingers crossed that I at least lose .3 tomorrow so I will hit that first 10 down!!