P3 D2

overnight: +0.6
weight: 133.6
0.4 under LDW

That was a gain of .8 in lean mass and another loss of .2 in fat. I'm fine with gaining lean weight back. Despite the fact that HCG is supposed to preserve muscle, I lost around 7-8 pounds of lean mass of some sort in P2. As long as I'm still losing fat, that's all I care about.

Of course, I don't want to gain the lean back so quickly that I end up doing a steak day. But for now I'm still below my LDW, so I'm happy. I consider what I'm doing a success. Last round on this day I gained another 1.2, for a total of 2.4 versus 1.4 this time.

Phase 3 Day 1

overnight: +0.8
weight: 133
1 pound below LDW

Last time I gained 1.2 my first day, so .8 is much better than that. Plus, with my fat % scale, I know that I actually lost .2 in fat and gained 1 pound in lean mass. All in all, I'm happy with my first day's results.

VLCD 24 (and final)

overnight: -0.6
total lost: 18.8
weight: 132.2

1.8 under LDW

That makes me more comfortable. Today I start my Atkin's Induction style eating. The difference will be that Atkin's allows certain types of dairy, and I'll be avoiding that. I need to test dairy for reactions later. Also, I'm taking nothing for granted, so I'm avoiding eggs for the first 6 days. That way I will have gone without eggs for a full 30, and I'll introduce them next week. I don't think I have a problem with eggs, but I want to be absolutely sure.

I've got a steak cooking for breakfast as we speak. It's the only thing that sounded good, and I'm assuming I won't have to do steak days during P3. :o) *crossing fingers*

VLCD 23

overnight: -0.2
total lost: 18.2
weight: 132.8

Okay, I'd like to lose a little more. Tomorrow's weigh-in is my last chance to drop weight before P3. I'm bound to gain a little something just from eating full meals again, so I want more breathing room. I want to be more than 1.2 pounds under my LDW. I'm so sick and tired of being hungry that I don't want to have to do any steak days.

VLCD 22

overnight: 0
total lost: 18
weight: 133

It's fine that I stayed the same after that huge loss yesterday. I took my measurements this morning.

I thought of this round as a do-over, so I'm happy to come out just a smidge ahead in total inches, and one percent ahead in fat. This was 22 days, while the round 1 measurements were taken after 44 days.

VLCD 21

overnight: -1.0
total lost: 18
weight: 133

I'm stunned at a one pound loss this late in the game. I suppose I shouldn't be. I did have two days in a row of losing .2 because of PMS. But in the past, my body has never made up for little losses. This round has been different in so many positive ways. What a great start to a day!

VLCD 20

overnight: -0.6
total lost: 17
LAST DOSE WEIGHT: 134

A nice even number. I'm happy with it. I didn't expect that much of a loss since my period started this morning. I guess PMS affects me more than the actual thing. On this day of my last HCG doses, I have an average weight loss of .85 per day.

VLCD 19

overnight: -0.2
total lost: 16.4
weight: 134.6

Everything was right with my eating again yesterday, but I'm PMSing right now. My TOM will start any day. It's due today, but it varies by a few days even when I'm not on HCG, and HCG messes it up further.

I'm ending a round just when Simeons said not to--when my TOM is starting. I believe his reason was that the patient might experience hunger if they have the 3 VLCD without HCG at the start of their period. Imagine that! I might be hungry on the HCG protocol!

I may feel weak during those 3 days, but I don't care. It's time to end, so I'm ending. And due to my timing, I may lose another .2 tomorrow for my LDW, I may stay the same, or I may gain. Whatever. The phrase last dose weight is music to my ears.

VLCD 18

overnight: -0.2
total lost: 16.2
weight: 134.8

Oh, well. No biggie. Still happy to be where I am, and so close to being done.

VLCD 17

overnight: -0.6
total lost: 16
weight: 135

It feels good to be 10 pounds from my ultimate goal. The more I lose in the next three days, the more leeway it gives me to gain the allowable 2 pounds during phase 3, but I'm happy where I am. It's a good accomplishment for a short round. Of course, I'm hoping not to gain at all during P3. Unrealistic probably, but I can still hope.

VLCD 16

overnight: -0.8
total lost: 15.4
weight: 135.6

I'm glad I'm losing at a good pace because this rash I have is driving me insane. It spread much faster than it did the first time and it's 10 times itchier. All day long and all night long I'm itching in a dozen different places, trying very hard not to scratch, but sometimes I just can't help it. I'm losing sleep big time.

Eight days left. Eight days left.

To end on a positive note, my average daily loss is still just a hair under 1 pound a day.

VLCD 15

overnight: -0.6
total lost: 14.6
weight: 136.4

I took my measurements today. Another inch off my waist. One inch or half an inch off my other measurements, too. I'm happy about that.

I'm getting a little bit closer to a healthy waist/hip ratio. Taken together with BMI, it's a truer indication of healthy weight. In case you aren't familiar with W/H you take your waist measurement and divide it by your hip measurement. The number should be under .8. I've never been there in my adult life.

At my height, I was at a healthy BMI before I started HCG the first time. A healthy BMI for 5'7" is 159. But at that weight, my W/H was .899. Today, my W/H is .84. My waist is getting slimmer, but so are my hips, so that number goes down agonizingly slowly.

VLCD 14

overnight: -1.0
total lost: 14
weight: 137

That's better. Today starts my final week on HCG, so I want every day to count.

I'll take whatever losses come (as if I have a choice) because the real difference this time is going to come in phase 3. I'm going to limit my food choices, and really hit the exercise. I'm sure I'll have to continue with my low intensity and no resistance training for a few days until I get my strength back.

But then I'm really dedicating myself to working out for three months, and getting in shape in time for summer. Lots of protein and muscle-building is what I need to get rid of the fat I have left after HCG. I can't wait.

VLCD 13

overnight: 0
total lost: 13
weight: 138

Exactly the same. Even the fat percentage.

Maybe it was cabbage. I knew my body didn't like the cooked cabbage on HCG, but I thought raw was fine. I had it at both meals yesterday--only one serving the previous two days. If that's what's causing my weight to stay the same, I'm happy to say goodbye to it. Raw cabbage that isn't coleslaw isn't so great, anyway.

Here's hoping for some loss tomorrow.

VLCD 12

overnight: -0.2
total lost: 13
weight: 138

Not much of a weight loss, but once again it was a nice shift in the fat loss. I don't think it was anything I did wrong, just a natural balance happening in my body.

After yesterday, I have half my low calorie days behind me. 12 down, 12 to go. That's 9 days on HCG plus 3 additional low calorie days. Doesn't look like much on paper, but these last 12 days have been long ones. Mostly because I've done this before. I'm tired of it and I'm so ready to be done.

Not that I regret starting HCG again. I won't complain about 13 pounds in 12 days. :o) I just want it behind me.

VLCD 11

overnight: -0.6
total lost: 12.8
weight: 138.2

I'm happy with another good loss. But let me ask you this. How is it possible to drink 3 quarts of water a day and still retain water? For the past few days I've had red indentations from my clothing on my legs and stomach. I don't exactly try to drink 3 quarts of water each day, but I'm so dry and thirsty all the time. That's what it adds up to. If there were more hours in the day, I'd probably drink more.

Does the extreme dry mouth happen to you guys? It happened to me last round, too. It's something that makes the low fat meats and low moisture vegetables like spinach hard to eat. It's just plain hard to swallow them with my dry throat. I drink water all day long. And I still go to bed with a cottony mouth. I don't get it.

VLCD 10

overnight: -0.8
total lost: 12.2
weight: 138.8

Happy dance. I'm getting spoiled here. As hard as I try not to speculate, it's in my nature to check the numbers. Last round from days 9-21, I averaged .6 lost per day. If I did that again, it would put me at 133 for my last dose weight. Not too bad. Last time my LDW was 132.8. I consider this round of HCG a do-over anyway.

I could gain more ground by going longer, but I won't be able to last more than the shortest allowable time. My hunger is getting a little bit worse. I've had hunger all along, just very tolerable. The type of hunger a normal person feels when it's time for lunch, not starvation hunger. It's gotten a little sharper in the last two days, and comes a little earlier. Still tolerable, but not for a longer round.

The huge difference this time is that I'm not obsessed with food. Last time, by day four I was drooling over TV commercials with food. I started looking up recipes I could have during phase 3 after my first week of low calories. I daydreamed about them, reread the recipes and imagined how they'd taste.

This time, I could hardly care less about outside food. Either it's because the hunger is so much less this time, or because I know my phase 3 is basically going to be Atkins induction. Whatever the reason, I'm glad.

VLCD 9

overnight: -1.0
total lost: 11.4
weight: 139.6

In the 130s again!

Yesterday I ate roast beef, so it's not red meat that makes me stall, it's only hamburger--well, Monday's hamburger. And I found another reason. We recently got beef from a farmer friend of ours. I took for granted that the hamburger was one pound, like the butcher said it would be. (The packages aren't marked.) Before I made my husband his separate supper last night, I decided to weigh the hamburger. A pound and a quarter.

So instead of getting the 4 oz serving I thought, I was probably getting 5 oz. 10 oz for the day. A high calorie meat like beef isn't a good one to increase the portion that much. I doubt I'll have hamburger again for the rest of the protocol, but if I get desperate for a change, I'll weigh the portions first. Two 3.5 oz servings. That's what I do best on.

But I can relax now that I'm in the 130s. I'd like to see at least .4 gone each day. But truly, if that's all I lose, I'll be content.

VLCD 8

overnight: 0
total lost: 10.4
weight: 140.6

What a letdown! I was prepared for things to slow down--I'd have been happy with a .4--but not to stop. I had hamburger yesterday. I won't have that again for a while, if at all. When I make hamburger, instead of measuring 100 grams--3.5 ounces--for a serving, I split a pound of hamburger into four servings. 4 ounces.

So I'm not only eating a fatty kind of meat, I'm getting extra protein. I rinse away as much fat as I can with hot water, but still.

But the good thing about having a body fat scale is I can see that even though the weight stayed the same, the fat went down .6% in one day. A loss of some sort happened. Plus I took my measurements this morning, and I had some very good losses. 2 inches from my waist was the best.

So a disappointing weigh-in, but great results overall when I look at the last week.

VLCD 7

overnight: -1.0
total lost: 10.4
weight: 140.6

One week down, 10.4 pounds down. Incredible! I'm so happy. Last round, counting my load weight, I lost 8.4 pounds in the first week, so I'm doing 2 pounds better this time. I'm going to take my measurements tomorrow. I'm excited to find out how the inches look.

VLCD 6

overnight: -0.8
total lost: 9.4
weight: 141.6

A late check-in today. I don't always have access to the computer on Sundays. But my hubby just left, so it's mine, all mine.

Not a lot to say. I'm hoping for another couple of big losses before things slow down. I can't wait to see the 130s again.

VLCD 5

overnight: -1.2
total lost: 8.6
weight: 142.4

That makes me happy.

What am I doing for exercise? I have an elliptical machine. My normal--non low-calorie--workout is 20 minutes alternating low intensity with high intensity bursts that last 1-2 minutes. I've gentled that down for HCG. It's mostly low intensity, not getting my heart rate up very much. For now I'm still doing a few 30 second bursts of higher intensity, but not getting my heart rate as high as normal. And if that gets to be too strenuous on such low calories, I'll cut back to all low intensity--basically walking on the elliptical.

I still haven't had fruit. I'd like to be able to stick to that, because I have such problems with blood sugar. But I won't hold myself to it if I really want fruit. I looked back at my journal and I know my hunger isn't as bad this round as last. Is it because of not having fruit? I don't know.

VLCD 4

overnight: -1.4
total lost: -7.4
weight: 143.6

I'm so happy for another big loss. Last time I only counted net loss in my total. This time I'm including the load weight in my total. It was still weight that had to be lost.

My detox rash came back yesterday morning. I looked back and sure enough, it started day four last round. I was hoping to avoid it this time, but I got frustrated and abandoned my detox program in January. So I'll just have to put up with being itchy again.

This is definitely my last round, no matter where my weight ends up. The results are wonderful, but the side-effects for me are tolerable only so many times.

By the way, I've been faithful with my exercise every morning.

VLCD 3

overnight: -0.6
total lost: -6.0
weight: 145

I expected that, and I'm fine with it. I've hovered right around 144 for several weeks, so I knew the big losses wouldn't continue.

VLCD 2

overnight: -2.0
total lost: -5.4
weight: 145.6

I think these big losses are happening because I gained so much recently. Like I said, I treated the week before I started HCG practically like a load week. I didn't get stuffed or focus on fat, but I ate whatever I wanted. But here's my menu for the last two days.

Monday:

Lunch--100 grams chicken breast, 1 cucumber
Supper--100 grams chicken breast, celery (maybe a cup and a half?)

Tuesday:

Lunch--lean hamburger rinsed of fat with Mexican spices, 1 cucumber
Supper--same meat with celery

I haven't felt the need for tea yet. Though I should drink some. Green tea is good for fat loss. I've had hunger, but mild so far, and it comes and goes.

The only thing different from last round is that I haven't had any fruit yet. Plus I'm taking a multi-vitamin. There's nothing in the vitamins that should interfere with weight loss, and my losses show that they aren't hurting so far.

VLCD 1

overnight: -3.4
weight: 147.6

Whoa! All my load weight plus .4 gone in one day. I wasn't expecting that. That's the biggest loss I've ever had. I hardly ever use the word, but ... awesome.

Third Loading Day

current weight: 151

I gained 1.4 overnight, for a total load gain of 3 pounds.

Beb, you're absolutely right. I can't get caught up in numbers. So what if I'm starting almost from scratch? I'm not up against a deadline where someone's going to tell me, "Too late." I know what went wrong and I know what to do this time.

I don't have an end number in mind, either. It would be nice to get back to where I was, or a little bit lower, but I'll do the round and simply observe my results. If I have hunger like last time, I'll do a 24 dose round. If I'm not hungry, I might go a little longer. Maybe not.

The first round of HCG got me out of the habit of exercising every day, because I was so weak during phase 2. And I didn't pick up the habit again in phase 3 or 4. I'd exercise a couple of days then quit for a week or two. So I can't blame the entire gain on food sensitivities, because I wasn't doing all I could to maintain my weight.

This phase 2, I'm determined to exercise. I want to get on that elliptical every day--no matter how weak I am, no matter how slow I have to go, no matter how short a time I can last. I plan to climb on the elliptical and move the pedals just so it's a daily routine again.

In fact, I'd better go do that right now before I start my work day.

Second loading day

I'm up another .6 pound after my second loading day. That brings me to 149.6. I dread tomorrow, which will probably bring me into the 150s. When I got into the 130s, I never thought I'd see the 140s again. Now 150 is looming.

But it should only be for one day.