VLCD Day 9

Down just a smidge today so I'm bummin'. Have to get back on track and do something to kickstart more of a weight loss. I'm only down .2lbs this morning so I need to do something that will give me at least .5 per day. Did a little research and found this article. I don't think it's anything we haven't been doing, but figured I'd share anyways.

Toodles!


"When going on an HCG diet, there are several steps you can take to help maximize the effects of the hormone so you can get the best results possible. In addition to following the low calorie diet, adding in these simple strategies will help you experience some great results while keeping your body as healthy as possible.
o Take a multivitamin every day. That way, you can be certain your body is receiving all of the nutrients it needs each day.
o Add exercise to your routine. You don't need to kill yourself at the gym every day. Rather, simply adding 15 minutes of cardio activity to your routine can help to further boost your metabolism and increase the amount of weight you lose.
o Drink eight 8 ounce glasses of water each day. Drinking plenty of water each day helps to cleanse your body and further helps to suppress your appetite.
o Consume 30 grams of fiber each day. Whether you get it through your food or through supplements or capsules, fiber will help your digestive system work more efficiently.
In addition to these simple extra eating habits, there are some behavioral habits that you can change as well. For example, if you are having a hard time fighting the temptation to eat foods that are not on your diet plan, you might want to consider ordering your food from a grocery delivery service. This way, you can order the food on the Internet and have it delivered directly to your house so you never have to step foot in a grocery store.
There is a great deal of evidence to suggest that eating an organic diet is also beneficial when it comes to losing weight. Not only will this help to increase the number of pounds you burn, it is also far healthier to follow an organic diet because you won't be consuming preservatives and artificial additives.
You should also be sure to plan your meals wisely. It is always a bad idea to eat when it is close to bedtime. This is because your body has a tendency to store fat while you sleep. Therefore, try to eat your last meal for the day more than three hours before going to bed. If you go to bed on an empty stomach, you won't have to worry about your body storing that extra fat.
By adding these extra steps, you can increase the amount of weight you lose from just half a pound per day to two or even three pounds. In addition, since the HCG helps to contour your body, you won't have to worry about unsightly skin flaps developing as the result of such rapid weight loss."

VLCD Day 7

Okay....so how bitter was I that I took the WRONG lunch bag this morning!!!!!! In my haze I took Zharia's bag which has a PBJ sandwhich, grapes, carrot sticks, and a pudding cup. Gee...I'm sure I can just a taste of that....NOT! lol! So I walked over to WHQ and got an egg. That will have to keep me until I get home and eat dinner. On another funny note...my girlfriend who is doing it and who lost 4lbs a day her first three days....yeah....well now I know why. She didn't follow directions properly. Ole girl was only eating one meal. She didn't realize she could have two. :-) And yeah for me, I'm back to going the proper way on the scale....down. I did a steak day on Sunday...only to be informed that it should have really been an apple day. So I did an apple day yesterday and life is back on track. Total I'm down 8lbs so that's pretty good. I've got another 12 to go by Thanksgiving though! lol!

Toodles!

VLCD Day 3

So I'm down again today which is always good, but not by a full pound. Almost...but not quite. I have a cold so my weight is going to be iffy the next couple of days. My sinus is drainign waaaaay to much so I clearly will need to have some bread intake in order not to continue feeling so nauseaus. With that being said, I know I've got to hit the treadmill every night until I feel better. I did get on last night and hopefully burned about 150 cals in my 20 min workout. Bout to go make some tea now, but I have to put some buckwheat honey in it....it's good for you when you have colds. Only a half teaspoon or so though. We'll see how much my cold elixer's catch up to me in the next couple of days. I'm fearful that it's going to affect how quickly my weight drops.

Tam....signing off!

HCG Day two of VLCD

Alrighty! I'm down another 2lbs! Wahooo!!! Got a little "special" yesterday with all the treats around me, but it's all good now! So how did everyone do today? Are you seeing the results you'd like? I think all of my fat loading is just about gone so everything from this point on it pure loss. :-)

HCG Again Baby!

Okay....so I clearly need to loose a good 18lbs at this point! LOL! Not because HCG failed me, but because I failed myself.....birthday week was GREAT....but between it and fat loading, I gained a good 8lbs. So I need to get rid of that and another 10 before the holidays so that I can thoroughly enjoy myself. today ought to be quite the challenge.....we're celebrating group birthdays and there is a TON of stuff down my aisle....the tragedy of it all! LOL! I shall be strong though. And I'm eating some yummy strawberries....just put some stevia on them and they're GREAT! There are quite a few of us doing the HCG this time around. Not sure who all will blog, so we'll let folks chime in at will. Hopefully TR won't be joining us, as Melody told him our secret! LOL!

Tam
Day 2 of VLCD and down 3lbs

Day 18 of VLCD

Down .4lbs this morning so that was cool. Started my "Couch to 5K" program last night and wearing my hot new size 8 jeans and my extra-small (although it's the cut) shirt! Today is indeed a good day! LOL! With just about a week to go, I'm feeling really good. I can tell that I just feel better in general which is good. I absolutely LOVE my vitamins, because they're helping me not feel deprived from lack of coffee and give me the extra boost I need to continue on with my afternoons! Anywhoooo, hope all is well in everyone else's HCG land!

Tam
4lbs til goal 1

Day 17 of VLCD

I didn't go down this morning....stayed the same, BUT...I had a fabulous night last night! I actually went shopping for the first time in a loooooong time and enjoyed my clothes buying experience. Now before my HCG experience I had been purchasing L tops....and sometimes XL for a little more room. Last night I bought a small shirt AND an extra-small shirt! What the world! AND a pair of size 8 jeans....ladies....I cannot tell you the last time I bought a size 8 anything let alone an extra-small anything. Now granted....I think I was able to get the extra-small due to the cut of the shirt, but still! lol! So again....even though I didn't loose anything this morning....I was still happy!

Tam

Day 16 of VLCD

I was down slightly this AM so that's a good thing. Wondering where I'll be in a couple of days. Hoping that I'm "retaining" water. :-) Wouldn't that make for a nice drop at the end of the week. Drinking my tea right now which is actually quite tasty. Raspberry Lemon Riot Mate' & Weightloss Pur-eh tea mixed together. Got it from Teavanna.

Way to go Patra!!! I'm so psyched for you!!

G - You're going in the right direction so it doesn't matter how much! :-) Although it's always nicer to see full numbers, so I totally understand. You're almost at the finish line so keep up the good work!

And here's to a strong finish for the rest of us with a little over a week to go now!

Tam
4.2lbs from goal 1!!

Day 15 of VLCD

Hope everyone had a great weekend....mine was primarily without power....great! lol! At any rate, I pretty much stayed the same over the weekend. However, I don't think I'm plateauing as much as it is that my monthly "visitor" arrived on Sunday. It will be interesting to see where I'm at in a couple of days as I think my "friend" is impacting the numbers I see on the scale.

Tam

Day 12 of VLCD

Down a pound....wahoo!!! So now I'm just four pounds away from goal 1! If I can obtain that, then I'm happy....even happier if I manage to get to goal 2! LOL!

Everyone have a good weekend!

Tam

Day 11 of VLCD

GM! Steak day worked....although not as good as I had hoped, but I'm down so I guess that's what counts. I'm at least 5lbs away from goal one and 10lbs from goal two so I've got a ways to go. Here's hoping that I can increase my will power!

Tam

Day 10 of VLCD

Sigh....well the nibbles of pound cake and peach cobbler have come to revisit me! Man...I am not doing so swift this time around. LOL! At any rate, I am up a pound unfortunately and it's due to my little cheats a few days ago in tandem with the continual lotioning of my children. :-) I shall attempt a steak day today....lets see how it goes!

Tam

Day 9 of VLCD

Okay....so bitter....I had written up a nice little blog and then something happened and it went away. Sigh....anywhooo, I'm down 1.4 today so I'm happy. Thought I was about to plateau...didn't...but had the steak ready. I marinated my steak overnight in chicken broth, braggs amino, and zip sauce (no butter). Smells yummy and will most likely be dinner tonight!

Tam

Day 8 of VLCD

Happy Monday all!

So I went down for Day 4 (Friday) and hit quite the hiccup for Day 5 with almost a one pound gain. I did a little cheat, but I think that in conjunction with mistakenly using lotion, body wash with oil, and hair stuff with oil all pretty much sealed my fate. I did a steak day that day, and dropped two pounds by the next morning. My loss between Sunday and today was only .4lbs, but hey.....I'll take it!

Day 3 of VLCD

Today is day 3 and I'm not doing to hateful. Most certainly better than last time around! lol! I was quite pleased this morning to get on the scale and see that I am back where I was before I started my "eat what you want before it's gone" diet of last week. So that brings me down 5lbs from the height of where I got to with my fat load. I'm pretty excited that I'm not experiencing a lot of hunger this time around. Again...that fat load was critical....didn't like the extra weight, but man it's nice not wanting to eat everything in sight! I am EXTREMELY tired first thing in the morning though. Hard to get out of bed. However, once I'm up...drink my tea...take my energy pills...I'm good to go!

So how is everyone else doing? Are we all going down? G - What's your status since you're ahead of us?

Tam

Day 1 of VLCD

Well today is officially day one of the very low calorie diet for some of us....others are a few days ahead....and then there are the ones who are "waiting" for things to occur. ;-) At any rate, I thoroughly enjoyed my fat load days...gained about 5 lbs total since I began loading on say oh...Wednesday and drops on Sunday. :-D But am happy to say that I was down 2lbs this morning. So I'm hopeful that my "extra" will fall off by weeks end and then some. Not hungry this morning which is great. Had a few strawberries and a little toast...btw...I noted that the toast is higher in calories than the melba toast, so take note of that when swapping it for that. Drinking my water...which won't be hard today since we are visiting hades in our building today...sheesh! Where's the air! Anywhooooo.....happy day 1 everyone!!!

Tam

Phase 3 - Here we come

Okay....so we're all done with the drops....well most of us....only a few more hours G!! :-) I'm not 100% where I'm at due to the fact that my scale got all loopy on me. I got down another pound I think before it started so my total lost is about 15lbs for this go round....not to shabby. However, I'm sure that I've picked up a pound or two due to the baked beans I had on Sunday. :-D I'm going to try and go to Costco tonight to pick up another scale so that I can stay on top of my weight....last thing I want or need is any of it back! :-)

Had a fatoush salad today for the first time in a while.....it wasn't all that I needed it to be. Actually I think it may have been a bit to oily for me since we've been off of oil for the past almost month. Tummy is a little out of sorts. Which I guess is good since I shouldn't be eating to much of the "funky" stuff anyways. :-)

Day 20 of HCG

It's day 20 and I"m down .5lbs today! Still chuggin along.....

How's it going with everyone else? Not looking forward to the weekend. It's always hard for me and this weekend isn't shaping up to be any better with the whole holiday thingy! Sigh....be strong!!!!

Tam

somethin or other until my goal! lol!

Day 19 of HCG

Alrighty ladies! We're in the home stretch! Didn't loose anything this morning, but I went down 1.5lbs yesterday so as Mel mentioned...that's to be expected. Only a few more days to go before we get to start the maintenance phase. I'm going to try to get with my friend who's been MIA and get some tips from her. Four more days of drops!!

Tam

Day 18 of HCG

Voila! I'm down another 1.5lbs this morning. I opted to help out my plateau a bit by having 1.5 servings of fruit for my dinner in the form of a yummy smoothie last night. I also had three capsules of fiber so I was NOT hungry in the least bit. Not even when I woke up this morning!
So....I'm closer to my goal weight!

Tam
13.5lbs til goal weight

Day 17 of HCG

Okay....so it would appear that I'm starting a little "weekend" trend if you will. :-) I did go down .5lb over the weekend, but have now remained there since. So I guess here we go with another plateau....although in the diet's defense....I'm sure part of it is due to the melba toast I slammed on Friday and the half of a biscuit I had yesterday....yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. But I was weak! lol! Going to be a good girl today so we'll see when that shows up in the pounds for me.


Tam
15lbs til goal weight!

Day 14 of HCG

Down .5lbs today. Yeah!

Tam
15.5lbs till goal weight....

Day 13 of HCG

Wahooo! So the plateau has been broken! I was a little worried there for a sec. I don't have the where with all to do an entire day of apples! lol! At any rate, I went down 1.5lbs so life is back on track in the HCG world again.

Tamara
16lbs till goal!

Plateau Tips.....

Tips on Managing Stalls/Gains

1. Watch what you’re eating; you should have a food journal and you might find patterns of foods that cause you not to lose, or to lose fantastically. A lot of people have had problems losing with tomatoes and oranges (but some people have no problem at all). Every body is different and you need to monitor your own body and see what works (and doesn’t work) for you.
2. Make sure you are drinking enough water (at least 2 liters a day).
   Those that have held true to the diet and not cheated, have been rewarded with a large weight reduction when it finally drops. You will usually resume your previous average loss before the stall.
3. Each time you stall, take your measurements; you have probably lost inches (remember it is called Pounds and INCHES).
   You could gain some weight and not have cheated, depending on your menses, ovulation, and hormones. Almost all of us have seen the scale go up due to water retention, etc.
4. If you eat more salt in the food you prepare, and your body isn't used to that sodium level, your blood volume will increase to handle the extra salt, which will translate into a gain because you're retaining water to boost that blood volume. In other words, watch your salt intake.
5. Remember what Simeons said about losing. You lose fat from the body cells but the cells do not disappear at the same time. The cell structure is still present for two to three days while the body breaks down the cellulose and fills the cell with water in order to release it (through urine). Once the fat cell is removed, the scale will drop.
6. Sensitivity/allergies to foods (like lemons) may cause weight stalls. Listen to your body. The guru is you!
7. Pay attention to weight gains, they usually signify a mishap in the protocol, like not drinking enough water, eating too many/too few calories, too much salt, or (inadvertently) eating foods not allowed on the protocol.
8. Be careful, spices have calories. As long as the serving size listed has less than 5 calories, the company can list 0 calories (even though it may actually have 4). Usually spices and seasonings use 1/4 of a teaspoon as their serving size, so BE CAREFUL...4 calories in 1/4 teaspoon = 16 calories in 1 teaspoon. Account for every calorie, no matter how miniscule it may seem. Here is an exact calorie count per TABLESPOON of various spices:
   1TB Onion Powder = 22.54 calories
   1TB Garlic Powder = 27.91 calories
   1TB Chili Powder = 23.55 calories
   1TB Paprika = 19.94 calories
   1TB Poltry Season = 11.36 calories
   1TB Oregano = 13.77 calories
9. Weight gains/stalls may take a few days to kick in. For example, you could mix your veggies for a few days and assume there is no problem based on what the scale reads, but then a stall or gain can suddenly reflect the breaking of the rules. Many people believe a stall comes out of nowhere, but it is usually instigated by something (if not a previous weight set point).
10. It is important to know that what works for one person does NOT mean it will work for everyone; to prevent stalls/gains simply do not make changes to Dr. Simeons protocol just because someone else is losing with that modification.
11. In women, menstrual periods increase water retention, and water weight shows on the scale.
12. If you know you are following the plan and are not cheating, you just need to accept that the stall/gain is temporary and continue to follow the protocol. The drop will happen once the menstrual cycle is normalized in the body.
13. If you are following Dr. Simeons to a "T" and have no other explanations for a stall/gain, look at your life and the levels of stress. Stress causes cortisol which hinders weight loss and/or causes you to gain weight. Try to remain calm and stress-free.

Day 12 of HCG diet

Okay....so now I"m bummin'....I'm still the same. Not going up....but so not going down. I'm going to forgo my fruit and toast today in an effort to see if that helps. I'm hoping it does. On a positive note though, I found a new "friend" for us to play with! Like a good friend that I am, I called my girlfriend Angela yesterday to wish her a Happy Birthday!!! Okay....I digressed...at any rate, during our conversation she mentioned that her hubby is now doing the HCG diet. She is also part of a mom's group where several members have already gone through some of the phases we're in and are facing. This is pretty cool because she'll be able to give us additional insight and perhaps even help out with questions we might have. She should be starting this morning.....

Tam
Still 17.5LBs til goal weight......

Day 11 of HCG

Okay....this staying flat stuff is getting a tad bit "special". Sigh....still at the same weight this morning, but I guess I can't complain. I did have the 2.5lb loss on Sunday. Hopefully I'll see a little something tomorrow morning. I am finding that doing my ground tky salad at lunch helps with overriding any hunger....albeit physical or mental. I have been working out a little to so I'm sure that's impacting my hunger. I try to get in about 15mins per day to keep up a little exercise. Well that's all for now....here's hoping that someone else shed some weight! :-)

Tam
Still 17.5lbs til goal. :-)

Day 10 of HCG Diet

Dropped 2.5lbs yesterday and stayed the same today. Hope everyone had a good weekend.

Tam
17.5lbs from goal

Day 8 of HCG

Well it's 4:30 AM and I am here at work.....lucky me! :-) I got on the scale this morning....nothing. :-( Oh well....guess this is my flat day. And to think....I was a good girl all day yesterday. LOL! We'll see what tomorrow brings. I may not log in, but I'll be back on Monday!

Tam

Day 7 of HCG

Well I was down .5lbs, but after knowing that Mel lost 3lbs I now know that while yesterday was stagnant for everyone....I'm thinking my bad ways may have caught up with me. It's all good though! I shall be triumphant this weekend and come back with a nice loss....I hope. The plan is to introduce a little more cardio as I believe that this is definitely the key to some of Mel's loss. AND for me to leave the daggon toast and breadsticks alone...I am not to be trusted! lol!

Tam
20lbs until goal weight

Day 6 of HCG - Cheater's NEVER prosper!!!

Sigh....so my Day 4 binge caught up with me this morning....boo hoo! I only lost .5lbs this morning, which is still good but it is evident that it's coming down. My initial lost was 2, then 1.5, and now this. Sigh. It's okay though! I will kickstart myself again. Let's see if I can manage to have only veggies at lunch today....and no apple. Hoping that will get me back up to the 1lb a day at least. That's my aim anyways. Drinking water right now and will incorporate some tea at some point. Took fiber pills this morning to help with the hunger....no sugar, but clearly a carb or two since it's fiber. All natural though. Hoping this helps with the appetite. Cross your fingers!!

BTW....I'm giving my toast and sticks to geneva. None of that today either. The wages of sin.....LOL!

Tam
20.5lbs away from goal!

Day 5 of HCG

Tam - I'm still chuggin along! I'm down 1.5lbs today, but it's no thanks to my pitiful will power from yesterday. I completely slipped up at dinner and had that pizza I said I wasn't going to have. And I paid for it. It made me feel miserable!!! And it was a tiny piece too! I did eat a nice big salad with it...no dressing other than some pepper juice. I'm not hungry this morning which is good. I've had my drops and some coffee. Bout to drink some water and eat my apple in a bit!

Day 4 of HCG

Okay! Well it's day four and I'm SUPER excited!!! I am down 2lbs so that made my "hunger spell" that I had yesterday worth it. I got EXTREMELY snacky after lunch so that was my difficult time. I ate a breadstick on the way home, and then started preparing my meals for the week. I went to Yoga around 7pm, so I didn't eat until I got back...and guess what...wasn't very hungry. Guess the drops worked for my dinner time period. I ate my lobster tail, and only two spears of asparagus. Then I had my strawberries. This morning I'm a little hungry.....I've already eaten my apple and a breadstick! lol! I'm gonna be mad about that breadstick come this afternoon. :-) Shrimp is for lunch with asparagus and then fish and asparagus for dinner. We'll see how dinner goes....I have a parent association mtg today....they're serving pizza. Sigh.....

Day 3 of HCG

Well after enjoying two days of "binge" eating, today is my first real test of whether this stuff will work or not. I've been told that I may have already lost something and just don't know it yet...we'll see. I clearly need to loose something as I'm sure that the cinnabon, along with other yummies has firmly attached itself to my hips by now! LOL! At any rate, I'm not famished at this point....but I definitely could use my lunch. However, this is normal for me so I'll chalk it up to that. Especially since all I've had so far is an apple and half a cup of oolong tea. I would have expected to be utterly famished by now, but seem to be doing okay. Lunch will be in another hour or so and that's chicken and asparagus. Dinner will be lobster and most likely asparagus...gotta keep it easy. Not sure when I'll sneak the melba toast and orange in, but i'm sure I'll consume it with passion! :-)