Crazy Eight

Just a quick note as I am too amazed/excited to wait till evening post! I lost EIGHT pounds! Had my doctor not signed off on this I would almost be alarmed, but instead I can be thrilled!! I am told this kind of drop in one day is really just the high end of a first day weight loss and should not expect another weigh in like this, but I really have a great feeling about this diet!!

Day One - Diet Time

Well, I survived my first day on the HCG Diet and I must admit I am really feeling good about this, very optimistic. First thing, I was very happy to discover two things I had worried could ultimately make this diet hard to commit to, were not going to be an issue. The HCG itself, drops that you put under your tongue (sublingual, I always liked that word) tastes actually quite pleasant, sort of sweet but not sugary. Now I just need to find a way to hold it under my tongue without making a face that makes my roomies laugh. Second, and even more important, the shakes are not just tolerable, but they are really good and easy to make, no blenders or ice or other fuss that I don't do well in the morning! Just a scoop of powder in 8 ounces of water, shake it up and drink. I like the chocolate better (but then again, I would) but the vanilla is also good. None of that chalky or bland "why I am being punished for wanting to lose weight" taste than other protein shakes have. And, true to advertised, they are amazingly filling.

And the hunger issue seems like it can be workable. I did find myself hungry today now and then, but attributed more to the brain and habit than actual hunger, especially since I forgot I was hungry the second I stopped thinking about it.

Anyhow, got up and did the HCG drops and made a shake, then hit the computer to drink my tea and check my email. So far, so good. Mid-morning I had a half a shake and half a grapefruit (Splenda, no sugar on top). For lunch I had chicken breast and a salad (oil and balsamic vinegar with some lemon pepper in it...yum). Another surprise there, I got a food scale and to my delight 100 grams of protein (meat) is MUCH more than I expected, about 80% of the chicken breast! Mid-afternoon another half shake and an apple. Dinner more drops (still made funny face) and another chicken breast and another salad, making a note to head to Safeway after dinner to get a bit more variety in my protein. I did go to Safeway after dinner, a brisk walk there and back with more chicken, turkey ham, boneless pork chops and some steak. I took the time to weigh and cook, package and freeze for convenience this week and make sure food is easily accessible if I need to eat and don't want to be tempted to snack while it is cooking. I did battle the hungries a bit later in the evening, but I know that was because that was my prime grazing time, though I am glad I can have a full shake at bedtime, which I plan to drink when I am done posting this.

So, all in all I am much more confident that I will be able to hold to this. So far all my biggest "failure fears" have been non-issues, good shakes, plenty of snacks to keep me from feeling like I am making this great sacrifice of food denial and the relief that in the end it was much easier than I expected and seems to be a plan I can live with.

Starting weight - 160 pounds (ugh, I really hate admitting that) but hopeful that tomorrow there will be less Laura!!

Diet T-minus Two Days - Loading up

My name is Laura, I am 47 years old and permanently disabled due to a pesky steel cage in my spinal column between my tailbone and my 2nd vertabrae. Before the car accident that broke my back, I never had a weight problem, but it became a problem when I ended up spending months and months on bed rest or severely limited activity. It does not matter what or how little you eat, if your only activities of the day are trips to the bathroom...you are going to gain weight. A surgery in 2003 gave me much of my life back, I still can't really work, but I can leave the home without excruciating pain ...I can live now. Except, I am really unhappy with how I look.

After failing at a number of diets and/or failing to keep what weight I did lose off, I was pretty excited when Dr. Dawn told me about the HCG diet, even more so when my family doctor gave me the go ahead. Right now it is easy, the 48 hour loading up period is, quite honestly, an odd sort of eating" Get out of Jail Free” card and I am playing that card like it was the poker game of a life time. Between bites, I have been researching the plan and I can see physiologically how it works (I have taken a few anatomy classes) but what scares me of defeat is the psychological issues....will I be hungry? I HATE being hungry!! Can I sustain this? And most of all, how good can I look before December when when my long distance sweetie arrives for our very first Christmas together.

Eeeek. Nervous. Must be time to continue my loading up and eat ice cream. Drat, another fear...can I overcome nervous/comfort eating? I have to....I just have to. I decided the most honest blog starts at square one with the hope of success and the fear of failure. I really don't want to fail. Cross fingers for me please