Week 2 begins

Today marks the beginning of week 2 of round 2 of my HCG diet.  I'm ready to be to the stage where I don't crave random foods.  Maybe today will start that time.

I still love my coffee though!  And honestly, not having cream in it isn't a big deal.  Thank goodness for Splenda though!  The first round I was using Stevia, and the after taste of the packets is just blah!  We had picked up a liquid version of it that was vanilla flavored which wasn't bad, but it was so expensive!  From everything I read on the internet, it appears that Splenda would work for the diet and it seems to be working fine.

Today's weight: 261.6 lbs


For those keeping track, that means I have officially lost a total of 50 lbs as of this morning!  My next major goal is getting down to 250 lbs.  My final goal for this round is to hit the 220 - 225lb range.

Stop the cravings!

Today is the last day of week one. I have to admit I've had lots of mental cravings.  It doesn't help that David isn't doing the diet this round and I see him eating potato chips, ice cream, etc etc.

Part of me is like... curse you, my wonderful husband!  And the other part of me is like... *sigh*  I can do without because the final result is worth it.

Oddly enough, I have had some "very slight" feelings of being actually hungry off and on but nothing that made me miserable or feel like I really had to eat.  Any time I get a slight feeling of hunger, I just drink more liquids.

Today's weight: 262.8 lbs


Well on my way to hitting my goal!

Feeling so much better!

I've been on the Very Low Calorie Diet now for 2 complete days and today starts day 3 and I have reached my "pre-loading" weight again.  I'm totally stoked about that!

Loading weight: 274.4 lbs.

Today's weight: 267.2 lbs. 


Coming up in May, I have my on-site interview with KPMG for an internship.  Because of that, my plan is to continue on HCG for 30 or 31 days so that the timing allows me to eat completely normally on the days of my interviews.  It's a two day interview process so there will be meals and the last thing I want to worry about is not being able to eat normally.  The good news is I should be so much slimmer when it comes time for my interviews! woohoo!

I'm feeling a little hungry

Today was the first day of the very low calorie diet.  I totally don't mind the limited food ingredients.  But I have to admit I've been feeling a little hungry this evening.  It's probably cause I ate dinner at 5pm because I have night class.  Hopefully I can figure out a way to eat a little later so I don't get hungry before bed.  Well that and hopefully the HCG will fully get into my system and I won't be hungry anyway.

For those that don't recall, my last weight at the end of the first round was 267.2 lbs.  After two days of eating lots of fattening foods and being on the HCG this phase my weight was 274.4 lbs.  This is to be expected of course so I'm not worried.

I look forward to dropping it all off really quickly!

Today I started Round 2 of taking HCG

Well, I didn't get around to mixing up the HCG before this morning.  So I didn't start the next round of the diet on Friday or Saturday like I had originally planned.  But it's all good.  I started today.

That means Tuesday I will start the Very Low Calorie Diet again.  I think it will be quite refreshing!

About to start my second round of the HCG

I know I know.  I haven't posted in ages.  So the time has come.  I start the HCG diet again tomorrow.  The really awesome part... 2 days full of eating fatty delicious food!

I've done well with not putting weight back on since being off of HCG.  We just got back from Spring Break in Washington DC and we ate so much food!  But thankfully I weighed very close to my last weight.  And it was late afternoon, after eating and drinking all day, so a little variation is normal.

Anyhow, I will be good about posting going forward.  The journey of the diet is important!

--Mike

PS.  I don't think David is doing the diet this time around but who knows, he might change his mind.

Day #52 - Feeling great!

It really is quite amazing to be able to put on some of the clothes that have been hanging in my closet for a few years that I haven't been able to wear because I out grew them.

I know I know, my target weight is still many MANY pounds away.  But let me tell you, it feels REALLY good to be about 45 lbs lighter (47.2 lbs as of today actually, but keep in mind my last HCG weight was 267.2 lbs).

Today's weight: 264.4 lbs


Today is Tuesday, and on Friday, yes you heard right, Friday we can eat ANYTHING we want!!!

I'm sure there will be a little indulging, but honestly, I can say that I have been enjoying not eating fast food.  And I really believe that fast food was a major culprit in putting on weight over the years.

Needless to say, I am so ready to go back on HCG and lose some more pounds.  But first I must survive until Spring Break so I can have an awesome time visiting the family in Washington, DC.  Yay!

Day # 47 - The end of low carbs in in sight

Unfortunately I haven't posted any new stuff since Sunday.  Honestly the dieting isn't that exciting these days because, as you might recall, we're on the low carb phase of the diet and we really aren't losing weight.

I will try to be better about at least posting something.  But seriously, I'm so ready to start the very low calorie diet again.  I'm ready to shed some more pounds!

Today's weight: 263.6 lbs

Day #43 - I like vegetables???

Today's weight: 267.0 lbs

Tonight for dinner we had broccoli, green beans, some grilled chicken and a grilled sausage.  The sausage was kind of "eh" but the veggies and the chicken were awesome!  I can't believe how much I enjoyed the broccoli and green beans.  Is it weird that I actually think I like veggies now?

I'm still holding right at where I'm supposed to be for my weight.  The last weight after the drug was 267.2 lbs, so I'm allowed to fluctuate 2 lbs up before I have to have a diet day.  In other news, in a mere 12 days, that's February 25, we can both eat normal food again!!!! WOO FREAKIN' HOO!!!!

Today I went to check out suits for internship interviews which are coming up, starting at the end of February.  I stopped and picked up Aunt Diane to have someone else's opinion.  I swear I tried on every suit in 2 different sizes that was either black or gray.

Finally I decided on a solid black suit by Ralph Lauren and a gray with blue chalk stripe my Jack Victor.  Both are being tailored to fit better.  The black suit still won't fit properly until I've finished the next round of the diet.  It's a little too tight to be worn right now.  But the gray one will be perfect for interviewing.

I also checked with the store and they said the pants can be totally re-cut to fit me if I lose so much weight that the pants don't fit.  Which I absolutely plan to do!  My goal is still to get down to 200 lbs but I'd really like to get down to like 180lbs if possible.  We shall see!

Anyhow, thank goodness for American Express and their line of credit to get the suits, cause let me tell you, I am a broke college student right about now!

Day #42 - Productive Saturday, delicious taco salad!

Today was awesome!  We got to sleep in and I felt so rested!  Then David and I did some house cleaning.  Nothing too exciting, just some vacuuming,tidying up, dusting, and laundry.

Then we went to run a couple of errands.  We had 2 boxes to drop off at UPS but I didn't realize they close at 4 p.m. on Saturdays!  Oh well, I can drop it off on Monday.

Then we went to the grocery store.  Picked up a ton of meat, some frozen veggies, and a few random items that sounded good.

For dinner I made taco salad without the shell/chips.  Now I know I know, we're supposed to be avoiding carbs.  And we did a pretty good job.  The taco seasoning had carbs in it but not a ton.  The store bought guacamole had a few and the sour cream had like 1 per serving if I recall.  So all in all it was a very great dinner!

Today's weight: 265.6 lbs

Day #41 - Ate late last night, weighed ok today! Whew!

So yesterday was a busy day for me.  Classes, Beta Alpha Psi Meeting, more class, and then a Beta Alpha Psi bowling function.  I got home at like 10:15 p.m. or so.  Needless to say I was a little hungry because I had eaten breakfast and then a little snack at like 3:30 p.m.

Well I was worried about eating so late and especially with going to bed in the near future.  I had a salad with lots of good toppings.  I was laying in bed then and I was feeling too full.

Luckily I was able to fall asleep and I slept pretty darn well.

Well I woke up and weighed exactly where I needed to!

Today's weight: 267.2 lbs.

Day #40 - Day 7 of the Little or No Carb plan

Taken today:

Today marks the seventh day that we've been doing little or no carbs.  I have to say that it's pretty easy to eat with few carbs and there is a variety of food to choose from.

The one place where I am seeing a bit of a deficiency is breakfast.  I really feel like all there is to eat for breakfast is bacon and eggs or sausage and eggs.  And don't get me wrong, both are absolution delicious but I really could go for a little more variety.  Not that I am awake to eat breakfast every day anyway.

Thank goodness we still have the Keurig and the OH SO TASTY coffees that we have picked up for it.  Coffee is my life saver on this diet.

So my carb splurge for the past for days has been Roasted Garlic Hummus that I picked up at the grocery store.  Now obviously we can't really have crackers or chips to do in the hummus but would you believe that cucumber slices dipped in Roast Garlic Hummus taste AMAZING!!  Amazing I tell you!

So that's about all the news for today.  Oh, my goal is to clean out our "storage bedroom" this weekend so that we can make it into the spare bedroom.  We've grown tired of having the spare bed in our "office."  We'll have to see how our "plan" works out for the weekend.

Today's weight: 266.6 lbs


I'm still hovering right around my final weight of taking the HCG drug so everything is going as planned.  14 more days of being on the Low Carb phase.  Then we can eat normal!!  At least until I'm ready to go back on the HCG for another round.  I'm going to wait until Spring Break is over so that I can really enjoy spring break in Washington DC with good times and good food!

Day #37, 38, 39 - Holding firm at the proper weight

Today was another snow day at the University of North Texas!  Woohoo!

I also got a call about our mattress warranty claim.  They have determined that our new mattress is defective and they're going to be sending us a new one.  Woohoo!

Today's weight: 267.2 lbs


I'm actually feeling ready to go back on the HCG again.  Mostly because I want to lose more weight.  But I'm sure my body needs time to adjust to having lost so much weight.  I will admit, having bacon, eggs, and cheese really rocks though!  We've been good about not eating out too.

Below is a recent photo!  I still am not happy with how I look but I will lose more! I am certain!

Day #36 - The no carb phase is AWESOME!!

As I mentioned yesterday, we ate at Outback Steakhouse for lunch with Grandma and Diane.  Now I know that Outback isn't the greatest restaurant in the world but after living on the very restricted 500 calorie diet for a month, Outback was like a godsend!

Then last night we were out and about and realized that we were both hungry.  So we stopped at a burger place (not fast food, mind you).  Now keeping in mind that Dr. Simeons says it is ok to eat fat and lots of protein but little to no carbs, we got burgers without the buns.  In fact we both had a double cheeseburger!  It was OH OH OH so good!  I also added mushrooms, bacon, and jalapenos!  And of course we skipped fries or chips or any sort.  So it was really just a burger with lots of gooey cheese and heavenly toppings.

Today's weight: 265.0 lbs


Clearly as I weighed less, this is still working for me!  And at least now we have delicious flavor!!

Day #35 - Lunch at Outback Steakhouse

Today was a nice day.  David and I went to see Grandma and Diane and had a really good lunch at Outback Steakhouse.  It's actually not a bad place to get a moderately priced meal of decent quality.

David and I both had the Sirloin, Shrimp, and Scallop meal which also came with a seasonal veggie mix.  The veggies were so wonderful.  The steak was ok, but I'm not a big sirloin fan.  I'm really more of a filet mignon person.  I was able to avoid the bread and the mashed potatoes.  So I have survived a day of eating out while being on the low carb phase.

Today's weight: 268.2 lbs


I crept up an additional .2 lbs today but again I think it's because I haven't been getting enough sleep and I also realized I hadn't had a good 'bathroom break' for a few days.  Well today that 'dry spell' is over!  Woohoo!  So hopefully tomorrow I'll be back down to 267.2 lbs or so.  We can hope!

Day #34 - Bacon and Eggs and Cheese OH MY!

Today starts our low carb diet 3 week phase.  Can I just tell you how excited I am!?!?!?

I crawled out of bed at about 11 a.m. this morning and decided to fry up the deliciousness that is bacon!  Now unfortunately this wasn't the thick cut bacon that I love.  With all the bad weather we've been having the grocery store was pretty picked over when we went by the other day so it really was a matter of 'you get what you get.'  But that is A O K.

Then with the bacon I made 2 eggs a piece for myself and David.  Scrambled with a little salt and pepper and some mild cheddar/monterrey jack cheese.  It was like I had died and gone to heaven.  Seriously, words can barely explain how amazing it was to have something so basic.

So all in all, I think we did good with our first meal where we could eat as much as we wanted.  We each had the 2 eggs scrambled, 4 strips of regular bacon, and some shredded cheese in the eggs.

Of course, I had some of my yummy flavored coffee made in the Keurig.  Another heaven sent item!

So we're still weighing ourselves every day because now if there is ever a day that our weight goes more then 2 lbs over our last lowest weight, then we have to do a weird steak and tomato day.  I'll explain in further detail if such a day arrives.

Today's weight: 268.0 lbs


PS. I suspect I added .8 lbs since yesterday because 1. I didn't drink enough water yesterday and 2. I didn't get enough sleep.

Aigs

Tomorrow, we can eat eggs, and cheese, which is very exciting. I dipped under 180 lbs. in weight (178.6), and - as I've mentioned earlier - will probably continue to experience weight loss on our no-carb/low-carb diet portion. I'd be blogging more about all this, but our internet is out as we are experience Snowmageddon: Snowpocalpyse (S)Now.

We did, however, manage to make it into the office so we can do some school work and have some online fix; but it's a good thing the campus is closed. Our roads and sidewalks are terrible, and having a bunch of students/faculty/staff on this campus would be a recipe for accidents and fallas a plenty.

Day #32 & #33 Tomorrow starts no carb diet!

Well, not having Internet at home kind of sucks but I'm a trooper & I can survive. Today is day three of not taking the HCG and thankfully I'm still not hungry. I was worried that I'd be starving if not taking HCG and still being on the Very Low Calorie Diet.

So it's true, there must have been some in my body still. Tomorrow starts the three weeks of the no carb phase. I'm so excited!

David and I went to the store last night and bought some eggs, bacon, cheese and Soy Milk!

Tomorrow, TOMORROW is the day! We're having bacon and cheesy eggs!!! Yay!!

Yesterday's weight: 267.2 lbs

Today's weight: 267.2 lbs

Graphs!

Mikey's Weight Loss

My Weight Loss

A neat graph with our weight loss by percentages (a negative percentage is weight gain).

Day #30 & 31: Goal Achieved! End of Phase 1

Yesterday I didn't get around to posting anything.

Yesterday's weight: 273.0 lbs

Mostly because I didn't have much weight loss and I was annoyed at being so close to my goal of losing 40 lbs.  Well today I got up and weighed in.

Today's weight: 270.0 lbs


That's right baby!  That means that I surpassed my target of losing 40 lbs during Phase 1 Round 1. Total weight  lost: 41.6 lbs on my first round of the HCG diet.

So now we have 3 more days of the Very Low Calorie Diet so that all traces of HCG can be removed from our body.  Dr. Simeons' book says that if you return to eating normally with any HCG in your body you will gain weight back at an alarming rate.  And we for sure don't want any of that!

All this means that on Friday, THIS FRIDAY, I can eat eggs with some cheese and some bacon or whatever else I want that has little or no carbs!  OH MY GOD yes yes yes!

Down 25 lbs.

Title says it all: I've lost 25 lbs. since the start of the diet, which may be 6.8ish lbs. away from my goal weight, but is great progress, nonetheless.

Coming soon: graphs!

Day #29 - Yeah, remember when I talked about sleep

So last night was the exact opposite of the previous night in terms of sleep.  I feel like I got no sleep at all.  I laid in bed for awhile.  Then I would doze off and wake up because my body would be hurting or uncomfortable.  Then I kept hearing noises.  I think many of the sounds were from my ears.  I've had a lot of fluid in my ears the past few weeks.  Being sick really just compounded the problems I have with mucous from my every day allergies.

But I digress.  The weight loss to report yesterday and today are less than stellar.  I mean, I really cannot complain at all but I REALLY REALLY just want to hit that 40 lb. mark and be done with the first round.  Plus, instead of taking 6 weeks in between cycles we're going to have to take 7 weeks until our next cycle because we get to go to Washington DC for Spring Break!  Woohoo!

Today's weight: 273.2 lbs. 1.6lbs. to go!

Day #28 - Sleep is awesome!

So last night we went to bed at 11 p.m.  Sure I woke up a few times, which is normal but I swear I did not crawl out of bed until after 11 a.m. this morning!

I got showered, shaved, weighed in.  I've now had my first cup of coffee.  Life is wonderful!

There is one major draw back to this weekend though.  I did all my housework yesterday, you know, laundry and the such.  So I have nothing to really do to keep me from procrastinating on my school work.  Boo!

Today's weight: 273.8 lbs.


One or two days more of the HCG days I'm hoping.  Then bring on the good stuff!

Picture!

Wow! This before/after picture really showcases my almost 23lbs. lost! So very exciting, but also I am ready to get into a normal healthy routine, keep the weight off, and continue to lose weight down to my ideal through traditional methods.

Day #27 - Coffee is my savior

Another beautiful Friday.  Mostly because I don't have any classes today.  Although I will need to get a lot of school work completed to really feel successful.  I slept pretty darn wonderfully even though I didn't go to bed til pretty late.  It was either 1 a.m. or 2 a.m.   I really can't remember now what the clock said when I looked at it.

The weather is supposed to be amazing today!  In the 70's!  Good thing I'll be indoors and doing school work and some laundry.

Today's weight: 274.0 lbs


Just a very teensy tiny 2.4 lbs to go until this round ends!


I seriously cannot wait until I can cook some bacon and eggs!  And melted gooey cheese on top!  Seriously people, I just don't think you understand!

Until then, I thank God every day for my Keurig coffee maker and the delicious flavors that we have found to make with it.  The chocolate glazed donut coffee is so delicious!  Maybe one day I'll be able to have a real donut or perhaps even some chocolate.

Day #25 & #26 - Is it over yet?

So I never got around to posting anything yesterday.  I was just busy with class and other things.

Yesterday's weight: 277.0 lbs


Today's weight: 275.2 lbs 


Still getting OH so very close to having lost 40 lbs. For anyone keeping track I need to hit 271.6 lbs and then I can stop for the first round.  Just for clarification, that means I'm 3.6 lbs away from the final milestone this round!!  Once I reach that last hurdle then there are 3 last days of the Very Low Calorie Diet and then we start the Little to No Carbs diet for 3 weeks.  It will be like being in heaven!!

Past 185; Food as a Vice

Well, I've gotten my weight below 185lbs., which is really exciting, since I don't think I have weighed below 185lbs. since before Mikey and I started dating (but I could be wrong).

I have been really stressed and on edge the last couple days and have associated a release of that stress with the consumption of food. Even after the VLCD is complete, I think one of the areas I will still have trouble with is eating as a form of escape. Everyone knows that when times are tough, ice cream and greasy pizza taste so much better.

Of course, there is a possibility that the diet is compounding my stress. Food has a lot to do with how we feel. For all I know, I could be going through chocolate withdrawl.

Either way, I have been really happy with our progress, and thank all of our family and friends for their kind and supportive words.

Day #24 - So very close to the end of the first round

Last night I was so tired when I finally crawled into bed just after 11pm.  I slept pretty darn good.  I finally woke up at 10am this morning and I was like...ok, I'll lay here for a few minutes.  Then I woke back up at 11am and I finally decided to crawl out of bed. I feel great today!

So I did my weigh in.  I was quite pleased to see there was some more weight loss.

Today's weight: 277.4 lbs


That brings our current total weight loss to: 34.2 lbs as of today.

We're so very close to 40 lbs I can almost see it on the horizon!  The diet has been super easy but I'm ready for some variety in my meal!  Cheese, eggs, bacon!

Day #23 - A set back?

Today I weighed myself and was a little surprised to see that my weight had gone up by .8 lbs.  One thing that Dr. Simeons talks about, and we've definitely found out for ourselves, is that bowel movements do not happen on a daily basis.  I'm pretty used to having that happen daily or sometimes even more often, so this is very strange for me.   So it's possible that maybe between fluid weight and not having a bowel movement, the scales showed a higher weight for today.

Either way, I'm not going to stress and worry.  I know I haven't cheated on food so it really is virtually impossible that I could have gained any weight.  The other alternative is that the scale was off some yesterday, which might explain the huge difference in yesterday's weight from the previous day.  No matter, it will all work out in the end!

Today's weight: 279.0 lbs

Day #22 - Getting closer to the end of Round 1!

I cannot even tell you how much my whole body aches from redoing the bedroom on Friday.  All I can say is O M G!  I was a little concerned that I might lose a little less weight for a few days because of all the activity and my body definitely isn't used to it.  I say this because Dr. Simeons says you shouldn't exercise on this diet unless you're already in a normal routine.  Well this definitely wasn't normal for me, let me tell you!

But I suppose not eating at all Friday probably helped with some weight loss.  I was telling David that I suspect I would see a bigger weight loss day a day or two after not eating all day.  And can I just say... I was right!!

Today's weight: 278.2 lbs


That's right baby!  That means I've lost a total of: 33.4 lbs.  Woohoo!!

At 40 lbs Round 1 will end and then we'll do the three weeks of no carbs and no sugars.  I long for those days to arrive!  I want bacon and eggs!

Day #21 - Need to eat

Yesterday I was so busy with painting and getting the master bedroom all fixed up that I never got around to eating.  The good thing was I took my hCG like I'm supposed to and I never even felt hungry.  I'm sure it's probably not a good thing to not eat at all though.

Today I plan on eating like I'm supposed to do.

Today's weight: 281.0 lbs

Day #20 - Getting over the illness, a new milestone!

I'm so glad that I am able to breathe through my nose again.  It makes it incredibly hard to sleep properly when I have to breathe through my mouth.

Today I spent the day painting the master bedroom because we've lived in our house for about 4 years now and the walls have been a mixture of light blue, dark blue, and white for almost that entire time.

So now they are a lovely color called "Toffee Crunch."  We opted to spend a little more on the paint and get the paint and primer all in one from Home Depot.  I really am super satisfied with the results.  One coat of paint and I swear the room is done!

The hCG journey is still going quite well.  Today I hit a new milestone.  I have now lost a total of 30.0 lbs.

Today's weight: 281.6 lbs


Needless to say I am utterly thrilled with the results of this diet.  According to Dr. Simeons you're supposed to stop the cycle when you've lost 40 lbs so I may get to stop the first cycle before the 45 days is up.  Woohoo!  I look forward to the day that I can eat something different.  It hasn't been hard to follow the dietary plan at all but I just want something different!

Onward to the next milestone of 40 lbs we are heading!  Charge!

Minus 20 lbs

Today I passed the 20 lbs. mark, weighing in at 186.6lbs! It hasn't been extremely noticeable day-to-day, but this picture really confirms that some weight loss is happening!

Day 3 on the left; Day 19 on the right.

Additionally, my belt now fits comfortably on the second notch from where it is worn usually. I can't even wear my nice pair of jeans barely (even with a belt!). This makes me happy, and I think I may try on some of my almost-never-worn khakis that have been hanging in the closet waiting for moths to eat them.

My lab results came back from the doctor (I went to the doctor for my regular check-up on January 6- Day 4). My LDL (bad cholesterol) was high, and my HDL (good cholesterol) was low. My overall cholesterol was high, but my triglycerides were low. I am interested to see if the diet has any impact. Even though I have been experiencing weight loss, I would typically expect a more complete diet (VLCD is extremely limiting for HDL intake, for example) and excrcise. But, now that I don't shake the foundation of the house when I jog, maybe it will be easier to do a workout routine at least three times a week.

Day #19 - Being sick = less eating = more weight loss

I'm feeling a whole lot better today.  Oh don't be fooled, I'm still sick but my throat isn't on fire, my whole body doesn't ache (as much) and I feel like going to class won't kill me.

I slept a ton in the last 24 hours and I think that really helped me.  Plus I went to the store and picked up some sugar free cough medicine and sugar free cough drops yesterday.  They helped tremendously!

If you're looking for cough medicine or cough drops on the HCG diet, then you should know that Robitussin makes a sugar free cough medicine and Ricola makes a sugar free cough drop.  Both worked wonders for me!

An added bonus of being sick is that I only ate one meal yesterday, so that equates to about 250 calories or so.  The amazing part of this diet is that the HCG makes you not hungry most of the time.  So not eating anything for dinner last night didn't leave me with hunger pain or anything.

And surely without eating a meal I would report good weight loss from yesterday, right?

Today's Weight: 282.2 lbs


That means I've almost reached 30 lbs lost! Woohoo!

Day #18 - I hate being sick

So last night during my night class I started to have a sore throat.  As the night progressed I began feeling worse and worse.  Thankfully I slept ok but I woke up today feeling like death.  So I am headed to the store to look for some sort of throat lozenge and cough medicine that is sugar free.  I sure hope I can find something.

Today's Weight: 283.4 lbs


For those of us keeping track, that means: 28.2 lbs lost in 18 days!!


After seeing that I had lost some more weight and feeling like utter crap, I decided, "Let's try on some smaller clothes."

I am currently wearing a pair of jeans!!  The only pair of jeans I own in fact.  These jeans are 3 or 4 years old and I haven't been able to wear them in almost as long.  Needless to say they look new.  In addition, I was able to put on one of my dress shirts from back when I worked in California!  That was even longer ago.  It fit quite nicely.  Although I didn't try too hard to get the neck buttoned.  But I suspect with a little work the neck would have buttoned, although maybe not very comfortably.

All in all, even though I feel like total crap today, I am quite excited that I am able to fit into clothes from several years back!

Confessions of a Chocoholic

So, two weeks down, and I've lost exactly 18.0 lbs., making my weight an exact 188.8lbs. All in spite of a little cheat that happened this weekend.:

Picture this: I'm hungry. Like, actually hungry. A wild candy bar appears! I used GOBBLE DOWN, and while it was super effective, I was somehwat disappointed with having a first major cheat (while I'm at it, let me also admit that I've used non-standard soap and chapstick). Luckily, it happened Sunday, and I've yet to see signs of it causing any impact on my progress. I am hopeful that it will sustain.

So, at 188.8lbs. I am a mere 13.8lbs away from victory! Though I set my original goal at 175lbs., if you think about us as being a little more than halfway done, I may make enough progress to get down to 170lbs.

And though victory will mean the modified diet for three weeks (or so) - which will include cheese, in case I wasn't thinking laborously about it every five seconds - I will still have to abstain from chocolate until March. Just in time to get fat again on all sorts of Easter candy.

Day #17 - Another good day

Got up today, semi-excited for classes to start.  It'll be cool to see some of my classmates and maybe meet some new ones.

I had a really tasty lunch today.  I threw some burgers on the George Foreman grill and they were seasoned up quite nice.  I also had a tomato and melba toast.  Can I just say, even though it's only one melba toast, it's so darn tasty!

And seriously people, "The Melting Pot - Garlic & Wine Seasoning," you must get it!  Live it!

Today's Weight: 284.6 lbs


That means 27 lbs lost as of today!

Day #16 - I need a better sleep pattern

Here it is Monday, January 17, and school starts back up tomorrow.  While I feel like I have had a nice break from school I can't say that I'm ready for classes tomorrow.

On that same note, why oh why must I make myself stay up late at night.  I guess it won't be so bad tomorrow if I sleep late because my first class is at 2 p.m.

The diet is still going great!  I swear, I feel good and I feel like I'm starting to look thinner.  It's probably just me being crazy, but who cares!  It's how I feel.

Today's Weight: 287.0 lbs

Day #15 - And we're back!

Reluctantly stepped on the scale today in hopes of weight loss.  And we have some!

Today's Weight: 288.2 lbs


I wasn't super worrried but I'm glad to see a lower number today.  I tried on some of my smaller pants the other night.  Pants that were 4 inches smaller than my most recent purchase now fit very comfortably.

I still have pants for a couple sizes smaller but I'm totally looking forward to the day when I'll need to buy new pants!

Day #14 - First day of no weight loss

Today I was surprised to see that I did not weigh less than yesterday.  While it is a little disappointing to see, I am not concerned.  I haven't cheated on food or anything.  Dr. Simeons even mentions in his book that there will be times that the scales will show no weight loss but that doesn't mean the body isn't making changes.

So I will not worry.  I will wait patiently for the additional pounds to come off.

Today's Weight: 290.0 lbs


I do want to point out that Dr. Simeons says there are days that weight loss may not be apparent but then shortly afterwards the weight loss will be more than normal so that it evens out in the long run.

Water Weight

I gained weight: or so it seems. According to the scale this morning, my weight increased, regardless of my perserverence to avoid everything I want to eat (i.e. I can not haz cheezeburger). Mikey (and his precious little book, if you trust books - which really, you might not want to, as they are notoriously full of facts) claims that this is mere water weight, which I suppose was meant to make me feel better.

It did not.

Anyway; we are nearly two weeks through, and even with this slight bump in the road, I am confident that I will reach my goal before the end of January!

Day #13 - Almost done with first bottle of hCG

So we're nearing the point of finishing the first bottle of hCG.  So that means almost time to mix another bottle of hCG.  I'm still losing at a nice pace, so I'm hoping I hit the maximum allowed weight loss by the end of 30 days so that I can not drag it out through the 45 day mark.

It definitely is the easiest diet I've ever been on but it's just so restricted that I do look forward to hitting my maximum allowed loss day.  That number is 40 lbs for those of you that haven't read Dr. Simeons' book Pounds and Inches.


Today's Weight: 290.0 lbs.

Another successful day!

Down to 190!

I made it to 190 lbs! It's very exciting!

Day #12 - 20 lbs lost as of today!!

I really thought it would take another day or two to hit this milestone.  But in fact as of today, I have lost 20 lbs total!!

I look forward to being able say I've hit some milestones many more times in the future.

In other news, I've been sleeping really well the past few days.  I think I was drinking too much coffee late in the afternoon.  I guess I'll have to stop doing that.

Today's Weight: 291.6


Woohoo!!

Day #11 - Stop the mental cravings

Last night it was all I could do to not go to Whataburger and get a bacon, egg, and cheese taquito.  Now to be perfectly honest I wasn't hungry.  I just wanted one!!  Ok, maybe two.  But still, it was completely a mental desire.

But enough about that.  It's another freezing cold day here in Denton, TX and I'm ok with that.  I plan on staying indoors where it's warm and cozy.

Today's Weight: 293.4 lbs


Total Lost: 18.2 lbs


And that is why I haven't splurged on bad food.  Because I like seeing the weight drop!

15 lbs gone - 20 to go?

Today's weight was exactly 15 pounds less than my original weight: 191.8 lbs.

The diet weight loss is starting to taper off slightly. I've only lost 0.8 lbs the last two days. Despite my incredible emotional cravings, I have had no cheating incidents!

A lot of people have been very concerned with the amount of weight I've lost (at work, mostly). Michael and I are aware of keytosis - which is a risk on a diet like this one. This diet has been heavily researched and results have been reproduced in some clinical trials. Yes, losing 15 lbs. in 11 days does seem extreme, but this is what we are doing.

Day #10 - It's so cold - Stupid scale

Started out my day by weighing myself and I have to be honest.  I am getting more and more irritated with our "El-Cheapo" bathroom scale.

I can literally weigh myself 10 times and get 10 different numbers.  Arghh!!!!

Today's Weight: 294.8


I hope that's right at least.

Now for COFFEE!!

Day #9 - Sometimes I think, Mmmm.... Cheeseburger!

School starts back up next Tuesday which is none too exciting for me.  Plus I have to figure out when and what to eat while going to class and doing all my school work.  I'm sure it will all work out.

I still have to say that hunger on this diet is not a problem at all.  The real problem is my mind saying, "Damn it, I want greasy, fattening food!"  I'm really hoping that by the time the phase is over, that I will be over thinking about eating all the things I shouldn't be eating.  Time will tell.

Today's Weight: 295.4 lbs


For those of us keeping track, that means after 8 full days being over with and starting in on day 9, I have lost 16.2 lbs!

Things

Things I am looking forward to: being able to eat cheese again (35 days!).

Things I am not looking forward to: eating celery at lunch (1.5 hours).

Year 21XX

Thanks, Dr. Light! Today's weight: 193.4lbs.

One Week Down!

Today's Weight: 194.4 lbs. - not a momentous number, but after one week on the diet, I think it's pretty good progress! Seven days, and 12.4 lbs. gone!

I was hungry, but not hungry, for a lot of the day yesterday. I just desired to eat things I haven't had in a while. And then - to add insult to injury - Mikey put in Eat.Pray.Love which had incredibly delicious looking plates of pasta. Damn you, Julia Roberts! Watching your supple lips eating the forbidden foods of Italy has tempted me in ways I cannot describe!

And the thing I wanted more than anything? A vanilla malted. Look at it, and tell me it's not the most delicious looking thing ever.

Hmm- creamy, smooth. Vanilla malted. The best of the best.

But, my resistance won the day, and additionally the hCG ensures that I'm not hungry (physically) for such a wondrous deliciousness, even though it does nothing to satisfy my insatiable emotional hunger for it.

Day #8 - Steak for dinner last night

Last night we went to the grocery store to pick up some lean beef.  Of course I had to research what to buy online before we went. We were going to pick up some of the 96% lean ground beef but of course they were out of all ground beef because of the impending snow storm.

So we picked up some cube steak and some strip steak, which were both on the list of lean beef cuts.  I was looking at the weights of the packages to be sure I could portion them out properly without wasting too much.  What I failed to look at was the price.  The strip steak was over $18!  Thankfully that gave us 4 servings, so I guess it wasn't too terrible.   The cube steak was super cheap of course.  Needless to say we probably won't be having strip steak too often.

Today's Weight: 296.8


For anyone that is keeping track, that means I've lost 14.8lbs since starting the hCG diet on January 2.  Woohoo!

Day #7 - Still losing!

Today I slept in and really got some much needed sleep.  Thank goodness for that.

Woke up feeling great and not hungry.  This diet really is amazing on that aspect.

Today's Weight: 298.2 lbs


Did you see that??  Did you??  That means since the original starting date, just a short 7 days ago I've lost 13.4lbs.

I know the daily quantity of weight loss will level off and not be so drastic soon, but at least for now it's very exciting to see!

Ahceivement Unlocked! (< 200 lbs.)

This morning I officially weighed in at 198.6! That's a loss of 8.2 pounds on my way towards victory! Hooray!

Day #6 - Feeling good

Today is Day #6 on the diet.  I have to be honest, I was feeling a little blah yesterday.  I had a slight headache off and on and just kind of sore and achy.  I actually thought I was getting sick.  So it was either the lack of sleep from the night before or it was possibly the diet.  Dr. Simeon's book does say that headaches are common in the first few days.

Today I'm feeling good.  I still didn't sleep really well, but I think I did get enough sleep that I don't feel tired.  I was in bed for almost 12 hours so surely I got some sleep in there at some point.

Today's Weight: 303 lbs!!


That's a full 8.6lbs from my original starting weight.  So very exciting!

Day #5 - Dinner .... mmmm mmmm Good

I was around the house most of the day and I realized that I think about eating a lot when I'm bored.

I haven't really felt hungry and my stomach hasn't growled or anything at all but the idea of eating was what kept coming to mind.

For anyone that decides to do the hCG diet, please for your own sake, be sure to get "Garlic & Wine Seasoning " from The Melting Pot restaurant.  I swear it is amazing on EVERYTHING!!

I sprinkled some on the shrimp I grilled the other night, which I had left overs for dinner tonight.  And I also sprinkled some on my melba toast and it was also phenomenal.  I even tried it on a cucumber slice and while it was tasty, I opted to have the cucumbers all natural.

It really is insane how little food is allowed.  500 calories a day....but I swear I am not hungry after eating.  And I haven't even had my fruit yet.  I need to decide if tonight I'll have the half of a grapefruit or if I'll have some strawberries.  Decisions, Decisions. 

Day #5 - Really? Is it working?

Today, I woke up so tired!  Of course it's my own fault for not going to bed at a decent hour.

So then the morning ritual begins, get naked, weigh in, shower.  I got a nice little surprise this morning!

The scales said I was down 5.6 lbs!  Quite exciting if you ask me.

Now if you aren't familiar with all the details of the diet, supposedly you're supposed to lose on average about 1 pound per day.  So, if this holds, then it is definitely working.  

Time for some coffee!

Tonight's tasty dinner!

Oh it's so delicious.

Day #4 - A little hungry sometimes

Today is the second day of the very low calorie diet.  For lunch I had some grilled shrimp, celery, and an apple.  Can I just say, I hate hate HATE celery.  But I figured I needed a little variety and I was about to head out to run errands and it was quick and easy.

All in all I was able to eat the celery without being totally disgusted.

I felt a little hungry last night and again mid-afternoon today, but I really think it's more of a mental thing.  It wasn't a feeling of starving or anything, so I think I'll just have to get used to not eating so much.

In other news, I had picked up some "Vanilla Creme Stevia" at The Cupboard (the local organic store).  It really makes coffee without cream more bearable.

And I got a nifty little metal water bottle to carry around so I can always have water handy.  I thought drinking 2 liters of water a day would be more difficult but it really hasn't been a problem.

Oh and I ordered a George Foreman grill so that we can toss things on it for quick and easy meals.  That's my birthday present for this year! woohoo!

Dinner!

100g of shrimp and 100g of asparagus!

Full, After So Little

As I expressed earlier, one of my biggest concerns about this tomfoolery diet was that I love to eat. I would describe myself, not as a connoisseur, but as a devourer of food. I just love, love, love, love, love, to eat.

And I'm never full! Thus, how could this the Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD) - alias: anorexia - possibly satisfy the never-ending void that is my stomach?

I guess that's how this hCG thing works, and why I read the Pounds and Inches book - to better understand the medicine. After eating (a deliciously prepared meal, from my sleepy baby), I was totally full! Tillapia filet with Mrs. Dash, sliced cucumber, and an apple. I couldn't even finsih the apple - I took the rest back to work!

I also only had 750mL water and - gasp! - a cup of plain, boring, black coffee for breakfast, and it seems to be working out well. Hopefully this trend will continue.

Day #3 - Starting the Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD)

So I took my hCG this morning, had some tea and water.  Wasn't feeling hungry at all really.  But I decided to make my lunch.

Tilapia, some cucumber slices and an apple!  So yummy and delicious.

Now I must drink lots and lots of water!

Day #2 - Great day 1!

Today begins day number two of the hCG diet Journey.

I have to be honest, day 1 was pretty easy.  Eating anything and everything that I wanted.  Today will be the same behavior.  Woohoo!

But I also have to go grocery shopping for the real food that we are allowed to eat on the VLCD that starts tomorrow.

I'm also contemplating buying a better scale to weigh ourselves each day.  This was some cheapo scale that we picked up a year or two ago and I don't think it's very accurate.  I believe this to be true because I can weigh myself two or three times right in a row and get different results each time.  Odd...

Before Picture (David)

My current weight: 206.8lbs

My goal weight is 175lbs. so that I can better fit into the pants and shirts I own (and maybe have a good reason to buy more)! My biggest concern about the diet is the amount and types of food that I'll be able to eat on this diet. However, Mikey assures me that the hCG/B12 thing will curb our hunger.

Tonight and tomorrow (Days 1 & 2) are our first days with the hCG, and we are supposed to eat a lot. Today I have only had black coffee and half a donut, because I didn't know I was supposed to be eating a bunch - whoops! Now I can save up my appetite for the Melting Pot, where we will eat at, courtesy of the gift cards we received from my mother for Christmas.

And so it begins...

Today marks the start of my hCG diet (my husband is also embarking on the diet).

I weighed myself for the first time in a long long time and was not shocked to see that I weighed over 300 pounds.  311.6 lbs to be exact.

So there you have it.  My highest weight of my entire life.

I mixed the hCG solution and took my first dosage.  Thankfully the first two days of the diet require you to pig out and eat lots of fatty foods.  So for lunch I had a bacon cheeseburger meal from "Whataburger."  I have to tell you, it was quite delicious.

Tonight the husband and I are going to "The Melting Pot" to gorge ourselves on the heaven that is fondue.

So per the diet instructions, today and tomorrow we pig out and then on Day #3 we start the Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD).  This calls for a very strict menu of no more than 500 calories of very specific foods.

From everything I have read, the importance of eating lots for the first two days is to make sure you don't get hungry while the hCG is starting to get into your system.  According to Dr. Simeons book Pounds and Inches if you don't load up on food the first two days then you'll likely be hungry and not feel so great the first week or so.

I'm very excited about the diet and all the information I've read about it.

My goal weight: 200 lbs. 


Now being only 5'7" tall, that still seems like a fairly hefty weight but taking into account my body type, I really think 200 lbs will be good for me.  I suppose when I reach my goal I can reevaluate and see if I want to lose any more.

I'll try to keep my blog up to date and eventually I'll get some before pics posted and some along the journey.