P3R2 Day #6 (169.2, LIW -2.6)

I have been losing the past 3 days and I am not complaining! I even had cheesecake the past 2 days and have still continued to move down! Maybe, just maybe I will start back on the shots below my LIW. That would be so great! But who knows... vacationing this week, I might gain a little. I am planning to stick to the no sugar/no starch and stay within my calories, for the most part on vacation. I will probably have some potatoes and carrots in my tin foil dinner, and maybe a taste of the raspberry shakes that Bear Lake is famous for! I'll just play it by ear. Even if I gain a little, I am still safe on being within range. I doubt I am going to gain 4.8 lbs it would take to require a correction day (knock on wood).

I don't know if he reads my blog, but I wanted to wish my little brother HAPPY BIRTHDAY today! Happy Birthday Zach!

P3R2 Day #4 (170.4, LIW -1.4)

Hey everybody! My break has been great so far! I have been under my last injection weight the whole time... so different from last time I went on Phase 3, when I had to do a correction day right away and it seemed like every 3 days or so for awhile! I have decided that when I go back on the shots, I will do 23 days, then take a 2 week break again at the end of August, and do one more 23 day of shots. I am really hoping to get to or close to my goal of 135 by the end of September this way. I am excited at the thought of just getting it done and being in maintenance for the fall and the holidays.
The biggest problem I am having is stomach aches from sugar alcohols. They are the best tasting sugar substitutes, but they can cause "gastrointestinal discomfort". Apparently, they ferment in the stomach creating large amounts of gas, which causes... well, my stomach blows up like a balloon and HURTS. Sorry if TMI, but if I can help someone else get through the low carb world with this knowledge, it's worth it. Ha ha.
I think that's all for today. More later...

P3R2 Day #2 (170.8, LIW -1.0)

Hey everybody! Today is day 2 of my scheduled phase 3 break. I gained 1.6 lbs from my weigh in yesterday, which is OK because yesterday I was 2.6 lbs below my LIW weight of 171.8. It seems pretty normal to me to gain on the first day of P3 because of the new volume of food, so I am not worried about the gain. I finally saw 169.2 on the scale yesterday which was nice, but doesn't really count since it was on the second day after my last injection. Nice to know it exists though, and I WILL see it as soon as I get back on the HCG!

Happy Weekend! More later!

P2R2 VLCD #25(?) (171.2)

Sorry I have been MIA... I haven't been on the computer much. When I'm not at work, I've been outside with the kids at the pool, the park, etc. Trying to enjoy what we have left of summer!
Anyway, I decided to have my last injection before my break be Tuesday. I really need the break to get my head on right for the second half of this round. I am kind of worried though because even P3 foods are not sounding too appealing to me (I know, what's up with that?) I have been craving carbs like crazy and that is what I've been cheating on... I really want to maintain during my break and I want to do things right. I want to get back on the loosing train in 2 weeks, and don't want to have to backtrack to get where I am now. I am hoping that when I start eating high fat, the carb cravings will go away.
I need to get some more HCG because I don't have enough shots left to complete a full 23 days after my break. So far I have always gotten it through a prescription from my doctor. But this time I just want to order it online. I am completely confused about how to do that and what I need to order so I am going to go check out info on that. But if any of you have any advice that could help on that, please share!
Have a great day everyone!

P2R2 VLCD #20 (171.2, +/-0)

Yesterday I didn't get a chance to post... had a .6 loss yesterday and today a big fat zero. It's frustrating but really, this week my body has given some good losses so I will just try to keep that in mind as I go through today! I better get up and get doing something. I have laundry to fold and kids to get ready for the day, and it's already 11am! LAZY Saturday morning! Have a great weekend everybody!

P2R2 VLCD #18 (171.8, +0.2)

I had a hard time again yesterday people! I felt hungry a lot, when I shouldn't have! I ended up eating a couple handfuls of light microwave popcorn, a few nibbles of the hamburger/rice casserole I made the family for dinner, a couple slurps of Emma's shaved ice (with ice cream in the bottom... yum), and I took a bite of a sugar cookie I made the kids last night, but spit it out when I realized what I was doing. Anyway, I am just hoping that today will be easier. I have only 5 days until I take my last shot before the break and I really want to make those days count! I don't know why I was extra munchy yesterday... I think my hunger was more psychological than physical. I was home most of the day because of Emma being sick and that means I was close to the kitchen all day. I find it much easier to stay on the diet when I am busy and distracted. Hopefully today will go better.

P2R2 VLCD #17 (171.6, -1.0)

Down another pound today. 10.4 lbs lost this round. I am doing much better now. I think I needed to get some days done with no cheating to get in the groove. I think I might take measurements today. I haven't done that since I started this round, so it will be interesting to see what's been going on with the inches.
Have a great day everyone! Emma is sick so it looks like I will be staying home with her today!
Oh, and a shout out to my baby sista! Happy Birthday Hambone!

P2R2 VLCD #16 (172.6, -2.0)

I lost 2 lbs overnight. Woo hoo! That's a very good thing. I am hesitant to celebrate success though, as I backtracked last time I had a big loss. So I will be reserved about it, stick to the diet, and see what tomorrow brings. I am almost to 10lbs lost for this round... 9.4 is the total right now. 5 of those pounds were above my LIW, so some of that was making up for lost ground (aka vacation!). But I am getting close to a new decade... 160's... and I really hope to see those numbers before my break. I can take my last shot before the break next Monday, and then on Thursday I can start eating P3 foods. I might wait until Tues for the last shot... I will just wait and see how I feel. Next Friday is a holiday here in the state of Utah and I really don't want to deal with the diet that day if I don't have to, so I will be off the low calorie diet by then. I plan to start this round back up on August 3 after we get back from vacation. That will make this a 2 week break, which is the longest break that you can take and get right back on the HCG. I will have about 17 shots left to do then. I am really thinking I could feasibly make it into the 150's by the time I finish this round in mid-August. That would be happy, happy, happy. I don't know if I will do another round of HCG in the fall or not... I will have about 20 more pounds to lose after this round and I am undecided on how I am going to approach that.
I will stop rambling now so we can all get back to work! More tomorrow!

P2R2 VLCD #15 (174.6, -.6)

Hello all. I stuck to the diet yesterday even though it was difficult. We had a family dinner for my sisters birthday yesterday and I felt deprived because the food looked so good. But I made a commitment to myself and I will stick to it. I am glad to see a loss today, even if I am not all the way back down to my lowest weight. Hopefully tomorrow. I really want to be in the 160's before I start on my break.
More tomorrow!

P2R2 VLCD #14 (175.2)

I am up 1.8 lbs from the last time I posted. I think all the deviations from the diet (aka: cheating) have caught up to me. Yesterday I decided to stick to protocol, and did well until last night. I was giving my daughter some cold cereal as a snack, and ate a few piecesI kept eating the cereal and ended up having a whole bowl with milk and 1/2 banana. I don't know what is wrong with me, why I am having such a hard time sticking to the diet this time around. I have a little over a week until I reach the minimum shots, and then I think I will take a break for 2 weeks (which is the longest break you can take). I am going on vacation during that time but also need the break to recommit myself. I need to make this next week count and see some losses. I am officially going to commit here to stick to protocol until the break. I will post every day as part of that commitment, to keep myself accountable. I am setting a goal of seeing the 160's by the break, so that is a 5.4 loss over the next week that I am aiming for.
I'll be back tomorrow on a report of today!

P2R2 VLCD #12 (173.4, -1.0)

Yeah! Lost that gain from yesterday plus some! So far, in 11 days of the diet this round I have lost 8.6 lbs... even though 5 of those lbs were above LIW, they are still a loss. I think that's pretty good considering all the deviating I have done. Yesterday included... I just wasn't well prepared again. My mom also pointed out that maybe I have realized that I can get away with more than I thought before. That could be true. Regardless, I am happy for today's loss. I am really going to try to stick to the protocol today and see what I get tomorrow. I am seeing the 160's getting closer and I would love to see those new numbers in the next few days.

P2R2 VLCD #11 (174.4, +.4)

Oops, the scale moved the wrong direction! TOM showed up and yesterday I was very unprepared with food. When I got home at 9pm I realized I had only eaten 300 cal and I was feeling hungry. Tried to make a P2 legal shake in my magic bullet and it was BROKEN! I had made the kids some 94% fat free microwave popcorn for their movie night and I devoured half a bag. I didn't go way over calories but all these things combined must have contributed to the gain. I also didn't drink much water yesterday... and I drank some diet soda. No soda today! It can't become a habit!
I don't have to work today (at least, not at work!) so I will have a much easier time with preparing my meals. Here's to hoping that tomorrow brings a loss of todays gain plus some more!

P2R2 VLCD #10 (174, -2.4)

Wowza, I had a great loss overnight! Yesterday I didn't post but lost .4. This morning, 2.4 pounds, GONE! So the total is now 32.2... I am no longer obese, people! Merely overweight! Now I can start looking toward no longer being overweight, but HEALTHY!
I have a really busy day ahead so I have to go, but wanted to share my great news!

P2R2 VLCD #8 (176.8) Total Loss: -29.4

Down 1.6 from yesterday, and I am .2 below LIW! Yeah! So glad to have broken through LIW! I expected to take a few days to get there, so I was shocked to see those numbers this morning! I am feeling ready to stick to the diet and have a good week of losses. Yesterday I did well and didn't have hunger problems. So let's hope today is more of the same.
More later!

P2R2 VLCD #7 (178.4)

Yes, I am up 1.2 lbs from the last time I posted. The holiday turned out to present quite the challenge and apparently I just wasn't up to it! Friday night while we were camping out at the parade route, I caved and ate a piece of pizza at about 11:30pm. I have to be honest... it tasted SO good and when I was finished, I felt satisfied (not hungry) for the first time in a week.

The next day I intended to stick to the diet, but when we were still out at festivities at 2pm, and I hadn't packed myself a lunch, I decided to just take the day off and start again today. So I ate Taco Bell for lunch and a hotdog with all the side stuff (and dessert) at the BBQ with the family. And some stuff in between. I did this knowing that I would be losing a few days of progress.

I really have no regrets about the weekend... it was a relief to just give myself permission to enjoy the holiday, food and all. This was much different than Easter, when I never even considered cheating, not even for a moment (or all of round 1, for that matter)... I don't know why. But I'm pretty sure I will never try to diet on the 4th of July again... at least not this diet!

It's hard to explain but going off protocol yesterday was actually very empowering. It helped me to realize that choosing to do this diet is exactly that... a choice. Each day that I stick to it, I choose to do so, and I *could* stop anytime I want. I am doing this because I want to and because I have an important goal I am working for: a healthy weight. I know it seems a little crazy that my indiscretion gave me the insight I needed, but it did.

It's also a relief to break my perfect no cheating record from last round. I was putting a lot of pressure on myself to be perfect, and it just isn't necessary (or even healthy).
One more thing that I have realized is that the loading days are a very important part of this diet. I didn't take it seriously this time, and I really truly think that is why this first week has been so hard. In Pounds and Inches, Dr. Simeon says

"One cannot keep a patient comfortably on 500 Calories unless his normal fat reserves are reasonably well stocked. It is for this reason also that every case, even those that are actually gaining must eat to capacity of the most fattening food they can get down until they have had the third injection. It is a fundamental mistake to put a patient on 500 Calories as soon as the injections are started, as it seems to take about three injections before abnormally deposited fat begins to circulate and thus become available....
The time and trouble spent on pressing this point upon incredulous or reluctant patients is always amply rewarded afterwards by the complete absence of those difficulties [hunger!] which patients who have disregarded these instructions are liable to experience [me!]. "

Today I have not had a problem with hunger and I am really hoping that this is how things will continue. I have been on the shots for 8 days now, so the HCG should be doing its job. I hope I can get the weight that I gained off quickly and be moving downward an onward!
Thanks for stopping by! I'll be back tomorrow.

P2R2 VLCD #5 (177.2)

Down .4..... tomorrow for sure should take me below my LIW of 177 right? Total loss since starting is 5 lbs (including the .2 of load weight) but like I said, I am not really counting until I get to LIW. I just want to get there!
Yesterday was better than the day before... I felt more energy and less hungry. Hopefully today will be more of the same. I am going to make some of the P2 "cookies" today so I can have a treat for the 4th. We are going to a BBQ at my mom's house so I will probably get a nice filet mignon to grill and that will be a treat too. Isn't it amazing how food is such a big part of our life, and especially on holidays? You don't realize how much until you take it away! I got through Easter, and I will get through the 4th just fine too!
More tomorrow!

P2R2 VLCD #4 (177.6)

Down 1 lb today. This brings me .6 from my last injection weight, which I am hoping (with fingers crossed) to pass tomorrow. I am not counting my losses until I get past my LIW.
Yesterday was rough. I woke up with a migraine. Luckily I had medication that I recently discovered (thanks Dad!) that works like a charm on migraines so it went away pretty quickly. But it just wasn't a good start to the day. I was feeling down and hungry most of the day... I think I was really physically hungry because I overate things like lettuce and cabbage. And I ate 3 grissini's instead of 2. I am wondering if I didn't load with enough fats.... I don't know. I ended up eating 600 cal yesterday... all allowed foods, but just more than I was supposed to.
Last night ended on a better note. I realized that part of the reason I was feeling down was the prospect of eating the same boring foods for weeks on end. I was feeling like there were no treats. So I spent some time online collecting recipes to try that are P2 legal. There are some pretty creative cooks on Happily Thinner After and I am thankful for those who think of ways to incorporate the allowed foods into new recipes! That gave me a bit of a boost. I found a recipe for almond macaroons and chocolate cookies that are P2 legal. I am especially excited to try "Biz's spinach berry smoothie" (spinach, strawberries, cocoa, cottage cheese and sweetener). I can have 2 of those in a day and still have a meal. My sister is probably laughing right about now at what I am getting excited about. I was telling her the other day that red wine vinegar with sweetener is a good dressing. She said "good is relative to what you can have". So true!
I also decided last night that I am only going to commit to the minimum days this diet can be done... 23 days... for right now. A friend made that suggestion (thanks Linda!) and it has really helped me to think that I will only be doing this for 23 days vs 40 something. Actually 19 more days now. At the end of the 23 days I can re-evaluate and keep going if I want to.
Anyway, I better get going for the day! I'll be back tomorrow!

P2R2 VLCD #3 (178.6)

I didn't post yesterday because I was out of town and forgot to take my scale. Today showed a loss from Monday of 3.6lbs, which brings me +1.6 from my last injection weight from the last round. I am hoping tomorrow or the next day I will be in new territory.
I'm going to keep this short today because I have so much I need to be doing. But I will be back tomorrow with another update!
Have a great day folks!