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! :-)