HCG Final Stretch

I'm down 4.5 pounds this week for a total of 29.5 in 5 weeks.  I have one week left and I am really hoping for at least 5 pounds this week. 

I have no pants that fit so I went out shopping today.  I only bought one pair of capris, but I also got 7 shirts, 1 dress, 1 pair of shoes and 2 pair of sunglasses.  Since I'm still hoping to lose a few pounds this week I didn't want to commit to too many pair of pants in case I'm able to fit into a smaller size.  I figure the shirts and the dress will just look better with additional weight loss.  I also got a pair of knee-high black boots for church, but when I tried them on with my black skirt I didn't like them, so I will be taking them back.

I wish that I'd lost more weight, but I can't wait to be done.  I am dreaming of being able to eat breakfast again.  Only 8 more days...

HCG Diet Week 4

Four weeks of hell down, two more to go.  This week has been really hard for me.  I lost 5 pounds this week but it was a real struggle.  Today is the first day all week that I've actually felt good and I'm not starving all of the time.  I even went to Michelle's baby shower and sat there for an hour and a half around chicken salad croissants, fruit pizzas, pasta salads, cakes, and candies without being hungry.  (Even if I weren't on a diet everything but the candies were full of gluten so I couldn't have had anything anyway!) 

I'm sure I've been an absolute beast to be around all week long.  Sorry to everyone who's had to deal with me!  I'll try to be more pleasant going forward, but I'm not promising anything. 

My grand total is now 25 pounds.  I know that's really good for 4 weeks, but I was hoping it would come off faster and I've been discouraged because at this rate I am going to fall short of my goal.  Hopefully I'll be able to lose at least 10 pounds in the next 15 days.  Keep your fingers crossed for me.

HCG Week 3

I am at the half-way point with three weeks down and three weeks to go.  This week has been a long slow struggle and I only lost 1 pound from Sunday to Thursday.  I was getting really discouraged but I have lost another three pounds in the last two days so I am going to stick with it.  I have officially lost 20.4 pounds, 4 inches off my waist and 5 inches off my hips.  Hopefully my rate of weight loss picks back up and I can make it to my goal of losing another 20 pounds in the next 3 weeks.

A Great Compliment

While out hiking yesterday I ran into a woman that I used to see almost every day during the summer, but I probably haven't  seen her for 6 months.  As we approached her she called out, "Holy Cow!  I recognized your dog coming down the trail but I didn't recognize you.  You've lost a ton of weight!"  That made me feel so good.

HCG Diet Week 2

I have survived another week of starvation and have lost another six pounds.  I was hoping for more, but 16 pounds in 13 days is still pretty good.  I just spent an hour going through my closet trying to find clothes that will fit.  I have one pair of dress slacks and 2 pair of capris that fit right now.  I only have a couple of shirts that fit and everything else makes me look like a scarecrow.  Since I still want to lose at least 20 more pounds I'm not ready to buy new clothes yet, so I may spend the next few weeks looking silly in over-sized clothes.

Actually I really don't feel like I'm starving most of the time anymore.  The only time I'm really hungry is before lunch because I'm not eating breakfast.  My little lunch and dinner are carrying me through the rest of the day with only occasional mild hunger.

HCG Diet Week 1

A couple of weeks ago Denise mentioned that she was starting the HCG diet.  I had thought about doing it before, so I asked her for some information about it.  With a little encouragement from Denise and my assistant Jamie (who has done the diet before) I decided to give it a try.  All the excercise in the world and a gluten-free diet weren't helping me, so I needed to do something else to try to get in shape.

The HCG diet protocol includes taking the hormone HCG either by drops put under the tongue or by injection, and following a very low calorie, very low carb diet for three to six weeks.  The claim is that you can lose about a pound per day.  After no more than six weeks you then boost your calorie intake to 1500 per day while still sticking to low carb foods for another three weeks.  You then slowly reintroduce carbs into your diet.  Jamie did the injections for three weeks, and I think she said she lost 26 pounds.  I chose to go with the drops because they were cheaper and because I'm really sick of being poked with needles every couple of weeks for my allergies.

Today is day six of my diet and I have lost 10.2 pounds and 2 inches from my waist and hips.  The first few days were really hard.  I struggled with being hungry all the time and with low energy.  Day four was absolute hell.  I had no energy at all and I was beginning to wonder if it was worth it.  It probably didn't help that I was coming down with a cold.  Luckily I turned a corner yesterday and I am feeling good again.  You aren't supposed to eat more than an apple for breakfast, and I'm still struggling with feeling so hungry that I'm sick in the mornings.  I have reintroduced diet soda in the mornings and that has helped.  I'm hoping to be able to keep this up for the next 4 or 5 weeks, and I would love to lose at least 40 pounds.

I Guess I Need A Fanny Pack

So yesterday around 4:30 I decided that I'd better take my hound for a hike before the sun went down.  I usually go to the Fernwood Trail in Layton, but I knew that I would be pushing 6:00 to go to our regular turn around spot and get back to my car, so I decided to go to the trail head by the animal shelter here in Kaysville.  I let the hound out and we went on our way.  It took us about 20 minutes to reach the stream and then we turned back.  It was about 5:30 when we returned to the car and the sun was just setting.  I reached into my pocket for my keys and came up empty.  I searched all of my pockets and could not find the keys.  I had not locked my car, so I got in and searched all around for my missing keys but I had no luck.  I did however, have my phone, so I called JoLyn for help.  She agreed to drive over to my house, pick up my other set of keys, and meet me at the trail head.  Since I knew it would take her about a half hour to get to me I decided to retrace my steps.  I didn't have time to go all the way to the stream but I figured searching would be better than just standing in the parking lot waiting for Jo.  I walked for about 15 minutes searching the trail with no success before I turned back.  As I approached the parking lot for the second time it was almost completely dark.  Just as the trail was about to end at the parking lot I spied my keys.  They were frozen to a pile of dog crap, but I really didn't care.  I was just happy to have found them.  Since I have now lost my phone and my keys in less than two weeks, I am thinking that I may need to start wearing a fanny pack.  They are not the greatest fashion accessory, but apparently my pockets just aren't good enough.