tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20123105271426818942024-03-05T22:09:54.625-08:00Watch. Brooke. Shrink.A blog about my HCG protocol weight loss experience!ibanezfamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059217153077061248noreply@blogger.comBlogger94125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012310527142681894.post-90827215918953420842010-02-27T09:02:00.000-08:002010-02-27T09:11:52.279-08:00I'm baaaaack.... R4C2VLCD13Hey folks. I have been back on the diet and injections for 13 days. I haven't updated for a couple of reasons. First, sheer embarassment. I gained 7 lbs during my break... just about half of what I lost during cycle one of this round. It wasn't until 2 days ago that I was able to start on some new losses for this round. So basically, I took a 17 day break, gained 7 lbs, and took 11 days on the VLCD to lose it again. UGH. I got out of control over the break. I did OK at first, but there were two problems I am aware of. First, I ate sugars and starches which is a big no no before the weight loss has stabilized (3 weeks). I ate them in abundance. Second, I didn't do correction days at all. Had I done a steak or egg day on that very day when my weight crept up past 2 lbs over LIW, things would have probably ended very differently and I might be much further along in my weight loss! Oh well... it is what it is. I have a feeling I will always be taking two steps forward, one step back. The important thing is learning from these experiences so I can do better next time, and continuing to move in the right direction! I really really really don't want to lose this same weight over and over again. I am taking another break starting in about 4 days. I have friends coming to stay from out of town and Jeffrey's birthday coming up. I need to break for all that. I am thinking a 5 day break is all I will take, and start right back up. I am excited to get into some unfamiliar territory over the next month or so.<br />So there's my update. Ciao!ibanezfamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059217153077061248noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012310527142681894.post-22809267403764292522010-01-27T08:14:00.000-08:002010-01-27T08:21:14.232-08:00VLCD 25, 2nd day no injectionToday is the last day of the low calorie diet before I take an 11 day break. As of my last injection weight for this round, I have lost 14.8 lbs. Not bad... my goal for each short round I am going to be doing is 15 lbs. I have had some cheats over the past few days, without which I am sure I would have passed the 15 lb mark. But the fact that I started cheating just confirms to me that I need a break. I feel satisfied taking the break and accepting the 14.8 lb loss, even if it is .2 shy of my goal for this round. My main goals during the break are 1. to maintain within the 2lb mark... I don't want to lose the same weight again! and, 2. Well, take a break. When I start back in 11 days, I want to feel rejuvenated and ready to stick to the diet again. I expect that I will do this cycling of 23 days VLCD, 10 day breaks for the next couple of months until I reach my goal, or get very close. <br />So there you have it! More later.ibanezfamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059217153077061248noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012310527142681894.post-17022899901256956932010-01-17T13:40:00.000-08:002010-01-17T13:43:51.301-08:00VLCD 15Hi all. I've been on the very low calorie diet for 15 days now, and have lost 12.4 lbs. This past week has been a bit slower than the first, but I lost more inches this week than last... Last week I was down 4 inches and this week is 4.5, so a total of 8.5. I'm glad I measured... it helps when the losses are smaller. I think its kind of funny though, that small losses right now are .6 a day. That is over 1/2 lb each day! Crazy!<br />I still haven't decided how long I will do this round. The shortest I can go is 10 more days of the diet. I am just going to see how I am doing when I get there, and decide then.ibanezfamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059217153077061248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012310527142681894.post-30087977509329989132010-01-12T08:25:00.000-08:002010-01-12T08:27:13.584-08:00VCLD Day 10I don't have a lot of time but wanted to post that I have lost exactly 10 lbs as of today! 10 lbs in10 days is so awesome. That is not even including the load weight (which wasn't a lot, but still)...<br />Anyway, I just wanted to share my good news! Upward and onward! <br />Have a great day everyone!ibanezfamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059217153077061248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012310527142681894.post-33025545175752539322010-01-10T12:55:00.000-08:002010-01-10T13:00:24.796-08:00VLCD Day 8Today is the 1st day of the 2nd week of the VLCD. Things are going great. I have lost 8.2 lbs and 4 inches in 1 week. I am very happy with those numbers! I am really feeling in the groove of the diet. I am not feeling hungry, angry or deprived, the way I did the last time I tried to do a round. I am just thankful that the weight is coming off! I am thinking a lot about what to do when I get off the VLCD. I am trying to reflect on what I did wrong this last time and how to be more successful at maintaining when I get to my goal, for the long term. I cannot keep losing the same weight over and over again. <br />School starts in just 2 days. I will be cooking and freezing a lot of things that I can easily grab and take to school with me. I wish I had a few more days to get my kids, myself and the house organized so that everything will run smoothly. But I will just do the best I can and hopefully the rest will take care of itself!ibanezfamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059217153077061248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012310527142681894.post-80905282121905370462010-01-08T11:09:00.000-08:002010-01-08T11:17:39.543-08:00I'm BackHello friends. I am once again on the protocol and it is going well. I gained around 20 lbs since I last stopped... I know, YIKES... but so glad to be moving down again. I am trying to remember that gaining that weight back was not a failure, just a lesson in how NOT to do things. It seems like I have to learn a lot of things the hard way! But there is no use crying over gained weight.<br />I am on my 6th day of the VLCD and have lost 6.8 lbs (not including load weight, which was .6). Those numbers are great and I am happy to be moving down.<br />I probably won't update this blog everyday like I was doing before. I have been so incredibly busy with family, work and internship, and school starts up again next week. The true test of this round will be me sticking to the VLCD with classes starting again. I am just trying to take things one day at a time and do the best I can. I am happy that I will have 10 days or so of the diet under my belt before I go back to classes. I am in a routine which I think will be easier to stick to than trying to start after classes begin. I haven't decided how long this round will be yet. At this point I am of course committed to the short round, but I will reassess when I get closer to the end of that time period.<br />More later, and Happy Losing!ibanezfamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059217153077061248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012310527142681894.post-38039452883736211912009-11-06T20:17:00.001-08:002009-11-06T22:15:31.692-08:003 months later...Hi everybody. I am kind of hoping the readership of this blog has died down some, because I am a bit embarassed and uncomfortable to report on what has happened with my weight over the past 3 months. But life marches on and so does my intent and desire to be healthy and fit.<br />At the end of August, I began to notice that I was gaining weight. I had gained about 8 lbs from the last time I wrote at that point. I decided to start another HCG Phase 2 in a frantic effort to lose the weight I had gained.<br />I started Round 3 at the beginning of September, right after I started back to grad school. With the beginning of school and an internship, my life became a crazy whirlwind and I found it nearly impossible to manage the strictness of the protocol while doing everything I needed to for home, school and work. I was cheating nearly every day and having a very hard time emotionally with the diet... dreading it every morning and even feeling angry that I was being so restricted in what I could eat. I thought hard about it, and decided to stop the protocol. Immediately after I stopped the shots, I went to a Weight Watchers meeting and fully intended to follow WW to maintain for a few weeks, and then start losing slowly again. And while I still think Weight Watchers is a good idea, I have not even had the discipline to write down everything I eat and track points everyday.<br />I spent a few weeks eating whatever, whenever, and gained some of the weight back again. About three weeks ago, I became very aware of, and panicked about the weight I was gaining. Which was about 6-8 lbs.<br />One day I was walking through Barnes and Nobles and came across a book "I Can Make You Thin" by Paul McKenna. As I scanned the book, I felt emotion rising up in me as I read Paul McKenna's weight loss system concepts. The four golden rules: 1. Eat when you are hungry 2. Eat what you want, not what you think you should eat. 3. Enjoy every single bite of food you put in your mouth. 4. Stop eating when you think you might be full. The simplicity was something I desperately hoped might work.<br />The author includes mindfulness exercises, and uses some cognitive-behavioral approaches which go right along with some of the therapy techniques I have been learning in school. Most of these techniques are aimed at helping you to overcome emotional eating. Included with the book is a CD that is meant to help retrain the brain to feel positive toward exercise and to also reprogram attitudes and beliefs about food.<br />I know it may sound kind of hokie, but again, some of the techniques he uses on this CD make perfect sense in the context of what I have been learning about right brain and left brain integration, the ability to change pathways in our brains, etc. Some of the things that resonate with me in this approach are 1) The focus on listening to my body, and working WITH my body instead of feeling like I am fighting against a part of myself 2) The fact that this approach is not a "diet" and I do not feel deprived at all. The advice given in this book feels so natural, and feels like something that I could truly live with in the long term.<br />I have been reading the book and listening to the CD every night since then. I have become much more aware of my reasons for eating, and really trying to focus on the four rules. It just feels right to wait until I'm hungry to eat. It feels so good to eat what I WANT, and to stop eating before I am stuffed. It is so satisfying to really pay attention to and enjoy the foods I am eating, While this approach is liberating, it's not always easy. Sometimes, I know I'm not hungry but I want to eat for social or emotional reasons. But when I follow the rules I feel so much better.<br />I have also started doing Julian Michael's 30 day shred workouts on DVD. My weight has finally stabilized and will hopefully start moving down again soon. <br />I still have HCG, and may choose to do it again someday when my life is less crazy. But for now, I feel good about what I am doing. I am really trying to be kind to myself, and have confidence in my intuitive ability to make choices that are good and healthy for me.ibanezfamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059217153077061248noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012310527142681894.post-76629189849887211332009-08-10T08:12:00.000-07:002009-08-10T08:24:43.404-07:00P3R2 Day #18 (173.8, LIW +2.0)Wow, it's been awhile since I updated! Vacation was fun.... I gained and have been above LIW since I got back (I was more than 2 lbs under when I left). I have been over the 2lb range once since returning, but the next day the scale went back down even without a correction day. I haven't been very good about the no sugar/no starch rule. I am amazed that my weight has been as stable as it has been considering what I have been eating. <br />I was planning to end my break over the weekend by taking shots Sat and Sun, and then starting the VLCD today, but I was concerned that my HCG might not be potent anymore (I mixed it about 45 days ago, and I have left it out of the fridge for a couple days on accident). I tested it with a pregnancy test and the line was very very faint. I don't want to take a chance that its not working, so I decided to wait until later this week to start. I have HCG but I don't have the bacteriostatic water to mix with yet... I have ordered it and it should come some time this week. <br />Because I am right at the 2lbs above LIW mark, I am going to stick to P3 foods today and hope that the scale will move down tomorrow. <br />I am nervous to start another P2, considering how the last one went (cheating all the time!) But I am also so excited at the thought of losing more weight. My goal for the next round is to lose 15 lbs in 23 days. I think if I really focus, and stick to the protocol that it is possible. Then I plan to take a short break and do another 23 day round with a goal of 15 more lbs. If I do that, I will be very close to my goal of 135-140 by the end of September! I need to keep focusing on the goals I want to reach to help me get ready to start again.ibanezfamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059217153077061248noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012310527142681894.post-52152667689907717882009-07-29T09:22:00.000-07:002009-07-29T09:29:52.906-07:00P3R2 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). <br /><br />I don't know if he reads my blog, but I wanted to wish my little brother HAPPY BIRTHDAY today! Happy Birthday Zach!ibanezfamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059217153077061248noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012310527142681894.post-79841284485568373992009-07-27T18:46:00.000-07:002009-07-27T18:56:26.611-07:00P3R2 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. <br />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. <br />I think that's all for today. More later...ibanezfamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059217153077061248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012310527142681894.post-17618493783823403592009-07-25T09:32:00.000-07:002009-07-25T09:48:46.926-07:00P3R2 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! <br /><br />Happy Weekend! More later!ibanezfamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059217153077061248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012310527142681894.post-14271627502870348992009-07-23T08:56:00.000-07:002009-07-23T08:57:47.829-07:00P2R2 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!<br />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.<br />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!<br />Have a great day everyone!<img src="http://happilythinnerafter.com/forums/images/smilies/thumbsup.gif" alt="" title="Thumbs Up" class="inlineimg" border="0" />ibanezfamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059217153077061248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012310527142681894.post-44158847464724615292009-07-18T09:58:00.000-07:002009-07-18T10:01:38.020-07:00P2R2 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!ibanezfamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059217153077061248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012310527142681894.post-13862851148322881632009-07-17T19:19:00.001-07:002009-07-17T19:19:36.273-07:00ibanezfamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059217153077061248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012310527142681894.post-25049335328317348442009-07-16T08:11:00.000-07:002009-07-16T08:21:03.216-07:00P2R2 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.ibanezfamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059217153077061248noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012310527142681894.post-508913395286936162009-07-15T07:29:00.000-07:002009-07-15T07:35:08.509-07:00P2R2 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.<br />Have a great day everyone! Emma is sick so it looks like I will be staying home with her today!<br />Oh, and a shout out to my baby sista! Happy Birthday Hambone!ibanezfamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059217153077061248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012310527142681894.post-56161909815966184912009-07-14T08:57:00.000-07:002009-07-14T09:06:58.433-07:00P2R2 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. <br />I will stop rambling now so we can all get back to work! More tomorrow!ibanezfamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059217153077061248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012310527142681894.post-12356617211306693482009-07-13T08:10:00.001-07:002009-07-13T08:13:36.623-07:00P2R2 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. <br />More tomorrow!ibanezfamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059217153077061248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012310527142681894.post-87224287192926467352009-07-12T09:45:00.000-07:002009-07-12T09:53:30.685-07:00P2R2 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. <br />I'll be back tomorrow on a report of today!ibanezfamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059217153077061248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012310527142681894.post-32658562472603750342009-07-10T08:57:00.000-07:002009-07-10T09:01:48.596-07:00P2R2 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.ibanezfamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059217153077061248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012310527142681894.post-74124951934574015852009-07-09T07:57:00.000-07:002009-07-09T08:01:40.615-07:00P2R2 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! <br />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!ibanezfamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059217153077061248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012310527142681894.post-30261960177753757992009-07-08T06:58:00.000-07:002009-07-08T07:43:04.160-07:00P2R2 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! <br />I have a really busy day ahead so I have to go, but wanted to share my great news!ibanezfamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059217153077061248noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012310527142681894.post-69912393442554484742009-07-06T06:28:00.001-07:002009-07-06T06:33:28.246-07:00P2R2 VLCD #8 (176.8) Total Loss: -29.4Down 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. <br />More later!ibanezfamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059217153077061248noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012310527142681894.post-25790255598241246482009-07-05T18:05:00.000-07:002009-07-05T18:39:37.210-07:00P2R2 VLCD #7 (178.4)<span style="font-family: verdana;font-family:times new roman;" >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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;font-family:times new roman;" >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. <br /><br />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). </span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;font-family:times new roman;" >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 </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;font-family:times new roman;" >"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....</span><span style="font-family:Tahoma;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;font-family:times new roman;" >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!]. "<br /><br />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!<br />Thanks for stopping by! I'll be back tomorrow.<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span></span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; font-family: verdana;font-family:times new roman;" ><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /></span><br /><br /></span>ibanezfamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059217153077061248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012310527142681894.post-70081647253717904292009-07-03T06:41:00.001-07:002009-07-03T06:50:20.988-07:00P2R2 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!<br />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!<br />More tomorrow!ibanezfamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059217153077061248noreply@blogger.com2