Day 9 Vitamin B Rocks!

Wow.. down another pound this morning- What a fun way to start the day! I could get used to this! :) Every morning I just kind of hold my breath as I step on the scales.. still can't really believe this is happening!

Almost as exciting is how great I've felt all day. I've had more energy and enthusiasm than I've had in w-a-y too long. Bill is such a good sport- I had him up on a ladder moving boxes around, hanging pictures, & even moving furniture, half the morning. But, I think he was as tickled as I was that I was having so much fun getting things spiffed up. Whether it is the HCG, the Vitamin B shot or simply having less weight to haul around.. I am LOVIN' IT!

Day 8 1st Checkup

Another nice wake up this morning. I was down 0.9 lbs bringing me up to total loss of 6.3. Lovely! I still feel like I need to pinch myself, this seems so unreal to lose something every day. :)

I had a nice chat with Dr Bird this morning. He addressed some medication concerns I had and gave me my first Vitamin B12 shot. I had complained about feeling like I didn't have much energy so he added some Vitamin B Complex. Hey, look out World, I may just turn into a whirling dervish! LOL I also asked him about the weakness and he said that, unfortunately, some people fight that the whole time and that, if it didn't go away within a few days, I was probably one of them. Swell. The good news is that my knees sure are feeling better. I mentioned that to him and he said that many people experience a great improvement in their arthritis pain while they are on HCG. Wow.. weight loss and less pain- Win/Win!!

Day 7 Mixed Bag

First the Pluses: The biggest news of all, is I lost another 2.1 pounds!! (I'm so excited) AND I measured myself just to see if there were any changes in a week.. there were! In several places, like my midriff and stomach, there were substantial differences, as in an inch. The only place where I hadn't lost anything was my waist. I've gotta tell you, that was a fun way to start the day. :) I also have felt much better today- I was able to get some housework done that I had been putting off. I did have to do it in a 'work a little, sit a little' mode, as I'm still fighting some weakness, but it felt good to actually want to do it, instead of being a couch potato. Another fun thing I discovered is that my fingernails are tougher. Normally, I have paper-thin, very weak nails- well, I reached up to scratch my head this morning and realized there was a difference there. ouch! LOL

The Minuses: Had a little bit of hunger today- nothing serious, and a bit of a headache tonight. Also, dry skin is becoming a real issue. I need to get some of that baby bedtime lotion before I blow away. The biggest thing, that I'm not enjoying this evening, is some diarrhea and Irritable Bowel type symptoms. Yuk. Hope that settles down by tomorrow for our trip into Mesa for my weekly checkup etc.

So.. like I said, a mixed bag. But, I just mention the negatives to keep an accurate record of the experience. I'm not really complaining because I'm having way too much fun seeing these kinds of losses 3 days in a row!! I'm not a morning person, but, I've gotta say, this is worth waking up for! LOL

Day 6- It Really Works!

Wow- I can hardly believe this, but I am down another 2.4 pounds this morning! How fun is that?? The other good news is that my blood sugar continues to go down- edging closer to 'normal' every day. So, altogether, a great way to start the day!

Its hard to believe I have been at this for 6 days already- I took my last shot this morning for this week. I have to laugh when I remember how nervous I was about that first one. Anyway, the protocol calls for skipping the shot every 6 days. So I have shot-free Wednesdays until I'm finished. I wonder if I'll feel a difference?

Today I have tried something different.. I decided to just kind of 'graze' with my lunch allotment. I didn't set out to do that, but, I got to work this morning and was experiencing some hunger so I've just kind of been nibbling since abt 9:30 (it is 2:30 now) and this may be the way to go for me. FYI- 10 ounces of sliced celery is a LOT of celery! I slice it up and its as good as popcorn for snacking. I also rationed out my 3oz of roast and have been quite content. Oh, I just remembered I still have a few ounces of orange slices in the fridge- I'm RICH! :)

It is amazing how much I am appreciating food now. I find myself reveling in the smell, taste, texture.. savoring every bite. It makes me ashamed to realize how easy it has been to take abundance for granted. Here I am going to extraordinary measures to LOSE the evidence of my lifelong plenty when there are people all over the world living on the edge of starvation. Anyway, I hope I will take away from this experience a deeper consciousness of and more gratitude for my blessings-

Day 5 Yipee! The Scales Do Go the Other Direction.

Doin' the Happy Dance this morning.. I am down 7.8 pounds from yesterday! That is so fun to write. I have never, ever, lost that much weight in one day before! (well, except when my babies were born) However, to be honest, that number doesn't quite tell the whole picture. It means I have lost the pounds I gained during the 2 loading days, just as Dr Bird promised, and that very strange water retention weight of yesterday, (Hooray!) but when you look at where I really started.. Bottom line is that I am now 1 pound down from my pre-loading weight. But, hey, I'll take it! At least the numbers are going DOWN! :) I'm liking this trend!
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Every day seems a little better. I can tell my body is adjusting to this. I still am struggling with feeling weak and shaky- seems to come and go. For example, just doing the dishes about wiped me out this afternoon. And one of the weirdest things is bouncing between feeling COLD & HOT.. sometimes within 5 minutes! So, I'm either huddled in my sweater or cranking the AC. Poor Bill never knows what to expect. At least I'm not boring! LOL But, I'm sure things will settle out soon. Can hardly wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Day 4..the object is to LOSE weight, right??

Oh, dear. I knew I was retaining water- my feet and hands are swollen, so I wasn't really expecting miracles this morning on the scales but, have to admit, gaining 4.4 pounds was a little discouraging! LOL I'm thinking that bag of Cheetos I ate during my 'loading' days wasn't my best idea- guess it will take awhile to get all that salt out of my system. Rats. I'm drinking lots and lots of water.. gotta get that salt flushed out! The good news is that my blood sugar is down today- much closer to my norm- Yea! And, I do not have the shakes any more.

Had an interesting night. I woke up about 1 am feeling cold and achy and couldn't go back to sleep. So, I got up, took some Advil, did a little browsing on the HCG Diet Forum (a great resource) and finally went back to bed around 2:30 and slept thru the night. This morning I have a pot of chicken stock simmering on the stove.. and a roast thawing for dinner tonight. My goal is to get a bunch of pre-measured, cooked meat tucked away in the freezer so I can just grab and go for meals.
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All was not super smooth today. I got up to lead the opening song in Sacrament mtg and realized I was in trouble about 2 lines in. I was suddenly really weak and shaky.. had a hard time leading and singing at the same time. Made it thru the next 2 songs on sheer determination and finally had to have Bill do the closing song. He brought me home and I went to bed and slept till he got back from church. Guess I needed the sleep cause I feel much better now. For lunch I had chicken, celery and strawberries. I had roast and sliced tomatoes for dinner- tasted great! And, I reserved an ounce of the roast to eat with an orange for my bedtime snack. I have to say, I have had no real hunger today, which is lovely and no headache. Hooray!! I'm thinking the weakness and shakiness is probably still a blood sugar issue. But, today is better than yesterday and hopefully tomorrow will be better yet!!

Day 3.. Hope This Gets Easier!

Lunch

Dinner

Well, its been an interesting day. I woke up this morning knowing that my blood sugar was too high. No big surprise after the past 2 days! LOL (For a diabetic that really wasn't too bright.Duh) Next time around I will, I hope, be smarter about the 'loading' and concentrate more on fats than sugar.
Anyway, bottom line was that I gained almost 3 pounds and blood sugar was higher than I've ever tested. I skipped breakfast as I had no hunger. So, after a laid back start to the day of reading email, showering etc. we decided to head out to Target to buy that digital scale. We also went to Sprouts- kind of a combination farmer's market and health food store- where I found some Stevia to try. That is the only sweetener allowed on this diet.
By the time we got home I was READY for lunch. I had a grilled turkey burger, some sliced celery and strawberries sweetened with Stevia. YUM It tasted great!
I spent the afternoon finishing up Sophie's Halloween costume. (Can I just say she is going to be the cutest Fairy Princess ever??) I got so involved in sewing that I waited too long to get dinner going. I was shaky and way too hungry before I got to sit down to eat. Moral of this story is to be better prepared! 500 calories is not very forgiving.. Dinner was an Apple/Chicken/Romaine Lettuce Salad with vinegar& Stevia dressing. Not quite as satisfying as lunch. I may not be a salad kind of gal.
The shakiness lasted for an hour or so after eating, followed by a nasty headache. I suspect this has more to do with blood sugar than the diet as I also got really cold and had to put on a jacket. It is now 10PM, the Advil has kicked in and I'm ready for a snack and bed. I reserved an ounce of chicken and a 1/4 of my apple for a bedtime snack. It will be interesting to see how tomorrow goes.. looking forward to seeing what the scales say!

Day 2

Bluck. Ok, my 2nd loading day is over and, believe it or not, I'm glad! I don't think I could eat another bite of fattening food if I tried. Dr Bird's instruction manual says: "These [first 2 days] are 'loading days', and consist of eating as many fat-filled foods as possible until you are completely stuffed... This stage of the diet, while it may seem strange, is vital because you will not struggle with as much hunger and fatigue in the beginning stages. Patients who do not follow instructions and do not consume enough high-calorie fatty foods on the loading days experience a much more difficult time in the beginning and struggle during their first week."
Let's just say I gave it my best shot! LOL He told me that it is natural to gain during these 2 days but that the weight will quickly fall off. I hope he's right.. at this point I feel like I've.. shall we say, 'blossomed'? Looking forward to those scale numbers going DOWN instead of up!!
Tomorrow is my first 500 calorie day. Menus are planned, food purchased.. I just need to find me some digital kitchen scales and I'll be all set! Let the games begin!

Day 1

Well, the dreaded first shot is behind me, and I am very pleased to report that it turned out to be a total nonevent. It was over almost before I realized what had happened- quick, painless, easy. Whew! Far more painful was measuring my chubby (fat!) little body in all the standard places and recording it. UGH! The only reason to put myself thru that is so I can (hopefully) be extraordinarily pleased with the difference after these next 39 days are over.
My first day of 'loading' is also behind me. I don't think I want to keep a record of the gluttony I engaged in.. let's just say I don't think I will be tempted by an Oreo for a very long time! LOL It occurred to me, as I was eating dinner tonight, that I will probably miss potatoes and broccoli as much, if not more, than sweet things. Sad to say, I'm not overly thrilled with the selection of vegetables I get to choose from- asparagus, beet greens, chard etc. are really not high on my list of yummo foods. But, who knows? I've always said you can eat anything if you get hungry enough.. guess I'll find out if that's really true now. :) Thank goodness I can still have apples!
Tomorrow I need to take my 'before' picture.. yeah, really looking forward to that. Not. And, I need to sit down and plan some menus, put together a grocery list and hunt down a digital kitchen scale. The good news is that I still have some mint chocolate chip ice cream in the freezer with my name on it. I have found it interesting that, even though I have been eating a LOT today, that I'm still not uncomfortably full. I can see the wisdom in this 'loading' thing while your body assimilates the HCG.

Hoo Boy..

Well, I had my 1st appointment today. Dr Bird is a personable, enthusiastic young man who appears very competent and knowledgeable. He took me step by step thru the entire program, answered all my questions etc. One thing I really like about his program is that he encourages his clients to email him with any questions or concerns as he likes to be able to quickly respond. Nice! He offers both the shots and the drops and explained the pros and cons of each. With some trepidation (I'm such a wuss!) I decided to go ahead and go with the shots. He said that from his experience that the shots are a little more effective.. people lose 3-5 more lbs.. and, since he also told me I will lose slower because I'm a diabetic, I figured I might as well go for it. It also fits my personality too.. with the drops you have to take them twice a day, 12 hours apart. I'm just not good at that kind of rigid schedule. Once a day is better. Although I have to say, I'll be very happy to have that 1st shot behind me! (Did I mention I'm a wuss?? LOL) My Scottish blood also likes the idea that I get 10 more days of the hormone for the same price. My protocol will be 40 days. Anyhoo.. my preloaded syringes are now safely tucked away in the fridge- tomorrow will be day 1.
On the way home we stopped at the grocery store so I could get prepared for the first 2 'loading days'. Dr Bird assured me that this loading of calories/fat/carbs was an important aspect of the diet and to not be shy about eating whatever I wanted. So.. I bought some cookies, ice cream and chips. I'm not as confident about the 500 calories a day bit but THIS I can do! LOL
And so the adventure begins..

New Approach- Instant Gratification R Us

This blog started off as a journal of trying out recipes for the Zone Diet but I'm changing course here.

Ok, in my heart of hearts I'm convinced that eating according to the Zone Diet is the best way to live. I feel great when I'm on it and I do lose weight. S-l-o-w-l-y. Or at least it can seem that way to me. Sad to say, I really am an instant gratification type gal.. Deep down I've always felt like if I've been a very good girl all day long I aught to be rewarded.. quickly! As in waking up the next morning skinny! (Be honest, don't you secretly feel that way too??)
Well, I have been researching this new, anyway new to me, diet for about a month now. It is called the HCG Diet and has been around since the 50s. The claim is that most people average losing between 1/2 to 1 pound a day. NOW we're talkin'! As I said, I have been doing quite a bit of research and haven't found anything that has particularly alarmed me about it. The biggest things I've read are that it is not much fun since the diet is so restrictive and limited food wise(read boring) but, I keep telling myself I can do anything for 30 - 40 days with those kinds of results! I decided with my various ailments I better do the initial round under the supervision of a doctor so it will definitely be expensive this first time. (You do the diet in cycles with a break in between to give your body an opportunity to adjust/reset/whatever.)
I have my first appointment on Wednesday at 1:30 and, I'm guessing, he will get me started immediately. My plan is to blog my experience on a daily basis. I found another blog in my research stage where a man named Corey Smith had done that and it was really quite interesting. Corey Smith's blog. As several people in my family are very excited to see how this is going to work..( being quite content, by the way, to let me be the guinea pig before they try it) hopefully, blogging will be a good way for me to journal this whole experience as well as provide feedback for those who are interested.
So.. stay tuned and wish me luck!