The Stew: February 2010

My experience on the HCG diet

I ordered my HCG drops from DIY HCG. The web site is http://diyhcg.com/. They were $40 for 1 ounce and I got the Mediral brand name. You can down load a booklet titled: Pounds & Inches A NEW APPROACH TO OBESITY BY: A.T.W. SIMEONS, M.D. from that sight. This explains a lot about obesity and the HCG diet. You can download it for free.

Another web site my friend told me about is Rebekah’s Pure Living at http://rebekahspureliving.com/. This is where my friend got her drops. The drops here are $43 for a 2 ounce bottle so a much better deal. There is a lot of good information on both websites. I went ahead and ordered two 2oz bottles for my daughter and me so we wouldn’t run out.

Rebekah’s website recommends you do a cleanse for 2 weeks prior to starting the diet. I ordered her detox stuff for me and my daughter who is doing this diet with me. We only did it for 4 days but neither of us felt like what we were taking really did anything. Maybe it works better over a longer period of time.

I replaced my face cream and lotion with ones that didn’t have oil. I also replaced my deodorant and chapstick. I guess the fats and oils in the lotion can keep you from losing as much weight as you can.

I also found on the Internet an article written by a trucker titled “HCG in a nutshell”. It was really good and helped me a lot. The web address is http://tphcioa.com/nutshell. I just tried to go on there and was redirected to http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cache:http://tphcioa.com/nutshell. Anyway it is a great personal story on the HCG diet.

My husband created a weight tracking chart on excel that is pretty good. You put in the dates and your daily or weekly goal and your weight that day. It tells you how much you lost or gained that day, how you are doing compared to your goal and your total weight loss. He also made a graph to go along with it so you can see how you are doing visually. It makes it fun to keep track.

1/24/10
Day 1 (Sun)
The first two days of the diet you take the drops three times per day and you gorge yourself on food. Believe me I did gorge but I really couldn’t eat as much as I wanted to. The idea is to saturate your blood with fat while the HCG starts taking effect (three days). The information I read said that gorging helps reduce hunger the first week and sets the stage for how much fat should be in your blood stream during the diet. My starting weight was 207 pounds. You really have to be in the right mind set to do this diet. When I make up my mind, I am usually good about not cheating or anything like that. I’m committed to give it my best effort.

1/25/10
Day 2 (Mon)
I continued to gorge. I’m a little worried about eating this way and then having to come to a complete stop. What I’ve read says the diet works better if you do the gorge days. I think I’m going to be sick.

1/26/10
Day 3 (Tue)
I weighed in this morning at 209.6. I wasn’t hungry at all because I was still feeling the effects of my gorging. I get to work at 5:30 am so I start my day pretty early. By about 8:30am I was feeling some hunger pains. I am all ready on an appetite suppressant prescribed by my doctor so I took one of those and it did help. For lunch I had a chicken salad with my allotted chicken, salad and Melba toast. I used a sugar free dressing and it tasted pretty good and a salad is something I couldn’t eat fast. I feel I am doing pretty well. I had some strong desires to eat but it was mostly out of habit and not hunger. In the afternoon I ate two cutie oranges. Then for dinner I had been planning on having fish but we ended up having to go and help out at our store. We went to Burger King and I got bottled water and a grilled chicken sandwich without dressing. I asked for extra lettuce so I ate the chicken (without the bread) and lettuce for my meal. It was a little difficult not to eat the fries the others were eating but I knew the benefits would out-weigh the pain so it wasn’t too hard to resist. I ended my night with an apple and really felt pretty good.

1/27/10
Day 4 (Wed)
I weighed in at 205.6 this morning. I slept really well last night but did wake up hungry. I have found that my attitude about all of this really affects how I feel. If I constantly think about being hungry and how deprived I am then I seem to feel more miserable. If I am up beat and tell myself that this isn’t so bad then I can handle things better. I’ve had a headache off and on since yesterday. My daughter called me, (she is on this diet with me) to see how I was doing and I told her I was starving. She said she was also starving. In reading about this diet most people claimed not to be hungry. I feel like I’m doing all of this on sheer will power. I hope I can hold out. I do have one friend that said she was starving for the first three days and even told her aunt that she was going to quit. He aunt talked her in to hanging in there and by the 4th day of the 500 calorie diet she wasn’t hungry. So I’m hoping that things will get better. I know the diet tells you not to work out hard but I’m used to working out and didn’t want to give it up. I went to the gym and road a bike for 30 minutes and then did about 15 minutes of weights. I felt fine and my energy was good. I don’t know if that will change further into the diet.

1/28/10
Day 5 (Thur)
I weighed in at 203.6 this morning so I am down 6 pounds. I was hungry again this morning but nothing I couldn’t handle. I’m had a cutie (small orange) about 9:00 am and that helps. My hunger level has certainly decreased by not my desire to eat. I had to go to work at our store after my normal work day (10 hrs). I wasn’t sure how I was going to do dinner. I ended up just taking an apple and then eating dinner when I got home around 9:00pm.

1/29/10
Day 6 (Fri)
I weighed in at 203.6 this morning so was a little bummed about no weight loss. But since I lost two pounds yesterday I guess it evens out. We ended up having a sleep over with my granddaughters. We took them all to a movie and I sat there without candy and popcorn for the first time in a long time. I ate an apple. Not quite as satisfying but I was okay.

1/30/10
Day 7 (Sat)
I weighed in at 201.8 so was pretty excited. I took the granddaughters home after our sleepover and then went to work at our store. I ate my cuties in the morning and then took an apple with me. I ate a grilled chicken breast from burger king for lunch and then ate my apple around 6:00 pm. I left the store after 7:00pm and went home and had my fish and salad.

1/31/10
Day 8 (Sun)
I weighed in at 199.5 this morning. It has been many years since I was under 200. I am pretty excited. This is a hard day for me to be on this diet. I got to church about 10:15am for choir practice and then church lets out at 2:00pm. I ate an orange before leaving for church. I didn’t take my second drops until about 3:00pm. I had to bake some fish for my lunch so I didn’t eat until about 4:00pm. I then ate dinner at about 6:30 and felt so full I was uncomfortable. I couldn’t bring myself to eat my apple. I grilled my chicken and fish by coating them with crumbled up Melba toast, Italian seasoning, and poultry seasoning on the chicken. I put everything in a baggie. I put the chicken in and then did the same for the fish, and shook it and baked them. It tasted pretty good.

2/1/10
Day 9 (Mon)
I weighed in at 201.1 today. That was disappointing. I’m supposed to go to lunch with my friend today. I just have to choose somewhere that serves grilled chicken.

2/2/10
Day 10 (Tue)
I was 198.6 this morning. This diet isn’t for the faint of heart. It is harder than you might think. I keep having this over whelming feeling of wanting to eat and it isn’t from hunger.

2/3/10
Day 11 (Wed)
This morning I was 198.1. It is easier for me to keep going when I can see the results overnight.

2/4/10
Day 12 (Thurs)
I weighed in at 197.5 this morning. I went on an audit for work and went to lunch with my co-worker. He ordered a taco salad and I ordered a grilled chicken salad. When I got mine, it was covered in shredded cheese, which I picked off. I dug out the lettuce and ate that and the chicken without dressing. This café we were at offered biscuits and gravy on their menu. I caught myself thinking that when I get off this diet I can have that again. I really had to bring myself up short and realize that if I go back to eating how I used to I will put all the weight I’ve lost back on. I need to make myself realize that this is a lifestyle change and not a diet. I think the maintenance time is going to be critical for me to re-enforce that I am not going to go back to all my old habits.

2/5/10
Day 13 (Fri)
I weighed in this morning at 196.6. I was super busy today. The first thing I did was to play my friend in racquetball. This is where I really feel a lack of energy. We played 4 games in an hour. The rest of the day goes by in a blur from laundry to grocery shopping to a doctor’s appointment.

2/6/10
Day 14 (Sat)
I was 195.9 this morning. I was hoping for a little more because of my racquetball yesterday but I’m happy I’m down. We had a super busy day. 3 friends and I met for breakfast. We take each other out to breakfast for our birthdays. I ordered one scrambled egg and a cup of fruit. They brought me two scrambled eggs instead. I was very good and only ate half of it. I went to work at our store and we were there until 4:30pm. I went to dinner with my son and husband and ordered a side salad, no dressing, and grilled chicken. It was pretty good. Then I went to the movie with them without candy or popcorn for the second time that I can remember. I think I deserve some brownie points for that, or make that Melba toast points.

2/7/10
Day 15 (Sun)
This morning I was 194.1. Sunday was a marathon day. I had my drops and went to church. I ate my fruit at 2:30pm when I got home. Then I went into Superbowl mode. I fried some cut up flour tortillas and mixed refried beans with cheese. Got out the salsa and took it downstairs for my family. Then I made some chocolate brownies and didn’t lick my finger or the beater once. I re-potted my plants and then about 6:30pm I ate my first protein meal of the day. I ended with an apple at about 8:00pm. It was interesting because my family asked me if it would be too hard on me if they had snacks and I told them no. It really wasn’t hard because I have committed to do this diet the best way I can. I didn’t even feel deprived.

2/8/10
Day 16 (Mon)
I started the morning at 193.8 today; I’m down 15.8 pounds so far. I went to lunch with Ann and I got my usual Chicken and salad. She is on the diet also and had the same thing. Ann and I played racquetball last night. I had two cortisone shots in my wrist last Friday so my wrist wasn’t hurting but my energy still wasn’t up to par but I was getting stronger. We played an hour. I’m hoping this will be a good thing for my weight loss. I got my hair trimmed today and my hairdresser is also on this diet and she is down 22 pounds.

2/9/10
Day 17 (Tue)
I weighed in at 193.3 this morning. Not as much as a weight loss as I anticipated but I know my body will make up for it down the road. I was starving all day today. I felt like I was holding on to my diet with my fingertips. I wondered if after having exercised yesterday my body just needed more food. I eventually figured out that I didn’t take my appetite suppressant. It certainly isn’t getting a lot easier, but when I make a commitment I stick to it.

2/10/10
Day 18 (Wed)
Well it was 191.6 that I saw on the scale this morning. I knew my body would catch up. Today has been better hunger wise but I’m feeling a little drained. I’ve got to figure out some other way to cook the fish and chicken. I over cook it and then it is very dry and I simply can’t eat it all. I know I’m not getting all my protein. I ended up deciding not to work out because I was just too weak.

2/11/10
Day 19 (Thur)
I was at 191.5 today. I went to breakfast today with friends and ordered scrambled eggs. It wasn’t hard to watch them all eat a bigger breakfast because I prepared myself beforehand. I know what I’m doing will benefit my health in the long run so I’m very committed to sticking to the diet. I don’t have that empty feeling today that I was dealing with yesterday.

2/12/10
Day 20 (Fri)
I weighed in at 191.7 this morning. It is still hard to fathom gaining even 2 tenths of a pound with what I have been eating. I woman’s body just seems to hold to the weight when it can. I played racquetball this morning and my partner still is beating me all four games but I’m getting a little stronger. I think my favorite food to eat on this diet is the Melba toast and the oranges. I went to canned chicken and I like it better because it is less dry tasting. You have to rinse it and make sure you don’t get anything packed in oil. Went to the movie again and didn’t have popcorn or candy.

2/13/10
Day 21 (Sat)
I weighed 190.7 which was nice to see. I really think when I haven’t lost weight or have gained a bit it is because I haven’t done any personal waste removal (if you get what I mean). I wish there was something on the diet that made that easier. I think I might resort to a stool softener a couple of times per week.

2/14/10
Day 22 (Sun)
I weighed 190 this morning. I had a scrambled egg this morning before church since I don’t get home until 2:15 pm or so. I feel a lot better today, more in control. It seems like the past 4 or 5 days I have been just holding on by my finger tips. I don’t know if it was my mind set or what. I had decided to do the 23 days which would have been up tomorrow. Then I changed my mind to go thirty days which will be up a week from today. No Valentines candy for me today. I did make a nice spaghetti dinner for my husband with rolls and green beans. I had a bowl of ground beef with onions in it and garlic and my green salad and toast. I was okay with it though. We don’t have any snacks in the house anymore and that helps. My husband has been very supportive.

2/15/10
Day 23 (Mon)
This morning I weighed 190.2. I’m up 2 tenths of a pound again. I played racquetball this morning and finally managed to win a game. This diet is an endurance test but well worth it.

2/16/10
Day 24 (Tue)
I was 188.6 today. Yea!! My body is so weird. After a big loss the next day or two it is a small loss or a small gain. So tomorrow I will probably be up. My husband decided to try this diet. He is on his second day of gorging. He said he could take much more of all this eating. I felt so sorry for him, not!!! We went to the store to stock shelves we stopped at Little Caesars to pick up pizza and crazy bread. Then we swung by Kentucky Fried Chicken to pick me up a grilled chicken breast. The smell of the pizza and bread nearly drove me crazy. These are two of my favorite foods. It was making me really grouchy to have to resist this stuff. I told my husband that next time we had to do that we would put the food in the trunk of the car.

2/17/10
Day 25 (Wed)
This morning I weighed in at 187.2. I was down again which surprised me. I usually eat one of my fruits at about 9:00 am but I had a meeting to go to so I ate it early. I had chicken and lettuce for lunch and afterwards was a little sick to my stomach. I’m not sure if it was the chicken or the lettuce. But I couldn’t eat all of it because I was getting really full. We took the grandkids to Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner before we went to the store. They all had the special and I had one piece of grilled chicken.

2/18/10
Day 26 (Thur)
I was 187.5 this morning so up 3 tenths of a pound. That is just me and how my body handles weight loss. I just remind myself that I am down 22 pounds in 26 days. That is really amazing. The pants I’m wearing today are too big but I’m going to make them due as long as I can.

2/19/10
Day 27 (Fri)
I weighed in at 187.7 this morning so up another 2 tenths. I guess my body will give up the weight sometime. My brain tells me that the weight I’ve lost is remarkable but my emotions want to be rewarded each time I pass up one of my favorite foods. This is how all my other diets always end. I am really good and don’t lose weight and then I cheat and I lose, so I end up quitting. I’m picking up the grandkids after school today for a sleep over so I bought some sugar cereal and some cookies for them to have. I’ll suffer through anything for my grandkids.

2/20/10
Day 28 (Sat)
My weight was 186.6 this morning. Today was an okay day. It is easier now that my husband is doing the diet, although he complains more than I did. We worked at our store in Layton, Utah. Lynn got their before me and I took care of the girls. I dropped them off at home and then went to the store. We went to dinner with our son and I ate my grilled chicken while Lynn had a chicken salad. He had to pick off the cheese before he ate it.

2/21/10
Day 29 (Sun)
This morning I weighed 186.5. I got up and put a pot roast in the Crockpot for our Sunday Family dinner. I also made a cake. We are celebrating my granddaughter’s birthday. My husband claims I’m into torture because the smell of all of that woke him up. I ate scrambled eggs before church. After church I frosted the cake, put out the rolls to raise, got the broccoli and corn ready, made a salad and made jello. Lynn grilled some chicken for us. At my granddaughters request we also had nachos and ice cream with the cake. Everyone said it was really good. My husband, Lynn, said this was a really hard day for him because of all the food he loves. We did okay with our chicken, vegetables, and salad. I missed the rolls and cake and ice cream the most. But we got through it okay, with no permanent scaring to our physiques.

2/22/10
Day 30 (Mon)
I weighed 185.9 this morning. I felt I should have dropped 5 pounds for all the sacrificing I did yesterday. Oh well, at least I’m down. My last day of drops has finally come. This has really been a long 30 days. I don’t know if that is because of all the will power I’ve had to expend or because of keeping track of each day’s weight.

2/23/10
Day 31 (Tue)
I weighed in at 185.4 this morning so I’m down a total of 24.2 pounds in 30 days.

I now have 3 more days of the 500 calories before I start my three weeks of maintenance. Overall this diet was harder than I thought it would be and I didn’t lose as much weight as a lot of the people whose stories I read about but I’m happy with the results. Who can be disappointed with losing 24 pounds in 30 days? After my maintenance is over I’m going to do the diet again. I’m going to wait for my husband to finish his maintenance from his 23 days then we are going to do the 2nd diet together. We are going on a trip to Germany to see my Daughter and her family this summer and I hope to fit more comfortably in the airline seats. I haven’t had to buy new clothes yet because I have some from the last time I lost weight. My aim this time is to not put it back on. Would I recommend this diet to others? Definitely!

The Stew

Thursday, February 25, 2010

IF YOU GIVE A KID A CAMERA

Happy Birthday Britti - 9 Years Old

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

My experience on the HCG diet

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Happy Birthday to my beautiful daughter!!

Blog Archive