Current Weight: 184.4 lbs.

That's 2.6 lbs down overnight. I did a steak day, but didn't do it exactly as prescribed by Dr. Simeon. I did drink water and tea all day and have a steak at dinner, but I had broccoli with it and a coffee drink after (that contained some sugar - no choice, it was from a machine and I was freezing.)

I plan to do a steak day, or some variation thereof - egg day, chicken day, etc. every other day until I get back to 179 or below. I have until Sunday, Jan 11th.

I am convinced that water intake is crucial to maintaining weight. When I drink enough water, I do fine. When I don't, I eat poorly and pack on pounds.

Current Weight: 187.0 lbs.

We got back from my boy's parents house last night. Today is a steak day, or something that looks like one. I'm going to do a steak day every other day until I get this back under control.

I'm rather horrified at my excesses.

Current Weight: 183.1 lbs.

Sugar is my nemesis. I'm now certain that any day I ingest sugar or sugary alcohol drinks I gain like no other time.

Over the last several days I've been as high as 186.6 lbs and have to lay it all at the foot of sugar and tortilla chips which are also the devil.

I cannot stress how much water intake affects my ability to maintain my weight. Everything gets better with more water.

I'm just going to try to make some better decisions and not worry too much until after my birthday. The new round will start Jan 11th or so.

Current Weight: 183.5 lbs.

I had book club last night and we had chocolate and wine for our Christmas meeting. Enough said.

Not much to post today - work was bad and crazy.

Current Weight: 183.6 lbs.

I know this is the wrong direction. Yesterday was 185.1 lbs when I got up. I didn't get a post up because we are having layoffs and reorganization at work. I didn't do a steak day and didn't do that great eating and still lost 1.5 lbs overnight.

What caused the gain was drinking a lot of homemade Irish cream on Saturday night. Don't think I'll do that again this season. Moderation...

Current weight: 182.8 lbs.

I drank a beer and ate dessert and chocolate. The fact that I didn't have a gain is a miracle.

Current Weight: 182.9 lbs.

More later - I ate abysmally yesterday and still managed to lose a pound. Gotta get ready for work.

My lunch yesterday was from the vending machine at work - never a good thing. I'm not doing the steak day today that I expected to do, but have chosen much better food today. Hopefully, the scale will continue to drop.

Current Weight: 183.9 lbs.

A steak day is a consistent 1.5 lb. loss for me. I'll do another tomorrow and think about Sunday. I'll just feel better to see the 170's again.

I'm not doing that well today in that my lunch is an abomination. However, I will get back on the horse for dinner and do steak again tomorrow.

Current Weight: 185.6 lbs.

Now, I know that this is vacation excess and TOM water retention all in one neat package. I did eat and drink with abandon. If I'm able to get the scale back in the other direction quickly, I won't be worried.

Current Weight: 179.4 lbs.

Steak days are awesome. That's 1.6 down overnight. Oh, I ate two huge ribeyes because I thought I was going to die by the time I finished a conference call at 6:30pm.

I will eat mostly protein today and get some exercise with the dog. Tomorrow starts my first European vacation. There will be no half measures during the trip, but I know how to fix it when I get back, so no worries.

Current Weight: 181 lbs.

I could reset my last injection weight to be 1.5 lbs. higher due to my scale switch, but it's not exactly 1.5 every time I compare and I don't want to give myself any room to justify.

I hurt on Thursday night after a big meal with wine and a large pumpkin latte on the way to the football game. I didn't even want dessert at the tailgate. If I was a purger, I would have done it then.

I was 181.9 on Friday and have been pretty careful about food since. I did have a croissant yesterday, but otherwise was very conservative eating with a slow downward trend.

I'm doing a steak day today as I can't tomorrow with trip prep and dog classes and work. I hope to be under 180 on the new scale by tomorrow.

I read about using a different injection site to ensure you reach the muscle on the HCG dieters group. I'm thinking about trying that on my next round.

Current Weight: 179.4

I'm going to the gym for an hour a day right now and that, combined with the scale switch, is most likely what is causing the additional weight. I hope. I've already had breakfast, so I can't do a steak day.

I will, however, eat carefully today since I won't do as well tomorrow. If I don't see some progress tomorrow morning, we're doing a steak day on Friday.

Current Weight: 177 lbs.

I went to the gym and did cardio today for an hour. It's time to start making the scale go down again.

I think I need to go back to my original scale and take the hit on the weight. I think the travel scale is too changeable. I've been weighing on both for the last 5 days and will have to accept 1.5 extra pounds, but it's really consistant.

Phase 4

Current Weight: 177.6

Today officially starts Phase 4. I created the spreadsheets for my next round in January and did measurements again today - just for a comparison. I've lost another 1/4" off my biceps, thighs, and hips. That brings my inches lost total to 17.5". Not bad.

I've been feeling really paranoid about gaining everything back because I don't have the structure of the VLCD.

Do you know what made me feel better? I looked at the stats on the right bar on my blog and saw my last injection weight of 177 on October 30th. Then I realized that it's almost one month later and my weight is effectively the same and my measurements are slightly better. On the heels of that came the realization that I eat eggs cooked in coconut oil, half&half in my coffee, lots of salads with blue cheese and great veggies. All I have to do is weigh everyday and be conscious of my choices and I will be fine.

You will, too.

LIW: 177 lbs.
Current Weight: 177.2 lbs.
Overnight Change: - 1.2 lbs.


OK, so brussels sprouts are not my friend. Too bad, becuase I really like them. I'm getting my hair done this morning, so I think I'll take a new picture to post.

LIW: 177 lbs.
Current Weight: 178.4
Overnight Change: + 2.0 lbs.

I am all over the map and a little frustrated. I had to work late, didn't get to have snacks and went to Whole Foods to find dinner. I got smoked chicken (no problem there) but I'm sure my downfall was the brussels sprouts with walnuts. They were so good and the only new thing.

Hmmm. Two pounds in a day is very disconcerting. I'm starting back to the gym in earnest, so I should be able to keep the scale going slowly in the right direction.

LIW: 177 lbs.
Current Weight: 176.4 lbs.
Overnight Change: - .8 lbs.

I had book club last night and, as usual, had three glasses of champagne with the discussion. I had a bunch of water when I got home and didn't see any problems on the scale today.

I've set myself a goal of losing 6 more pounds on my own before I start another round in January. I don't know how realistic that is with Thanksgiving, vacation to Europe, Christmas, New Year's and my birthday in quick succession. I figure that if I don't set some kind of goal for myself I'm likely to go nuts and undo some of my hard-fought progress and I'll hate the hang over in January. All of these events don't have to be huge excess days either.

Work is really slow and we are having RIF's and forced shutdowns for the next few weeks, so I will have more time to go to the gym. That's a good thing. I'm personally not worried about getting layed-off, but I don't have the vacation time to cover all of the time off so things will be a little lean for the next few months.

LIW: 177 lbs.
Current Weight: 177.2
Overnight Change: + .2 lbs.

Nothing too exciting at this point. Very busy at work and probably not drinking enough water. I find that if I crave anything it's more coffee with cream. I'm still limiting to 1 cup per day in the morning.

I'm not craving sweets and I'm generally doing as I please. I really need to up water intake and exercise as I do want to see some slight weight improvements before I start round two in January. Honestly, I can't wait!

LIW: 177 lbs.
Current Weight: 177 lbs.
Overnight Change: - .2 lbs.

We are fully into the last week of Phase 3. I'm not expecting a huge difference in the change from Phase 3 to Phase 4. I'm going to be cautious.

I'm going to start another round in early January so I don't want to undo any of the progress I've made. I have vacation in early December to Amsterdam where I don't intend to be very good, but I have lots of time after that to eat right and exercise before the next round begins.

I should see the 140's in February. Won't that be weird and amazing!

LIW: 177 lbs.
Current Weight: 177.2 lbs.
Overnight Change: - 1.2 lbs

Very busy today, so not a huge post. I'm not suggesting trying pasta on this phase. The gain from Saturday was kinda frightening. I focused on protein yesterday and still had a couple of glasses of red wine with a friend and lost more than a pound overnight.

LIW: 177 lbs.
Current Weight: 178.4
Overnight change: + 3.2 lbs.

I know what did this. I went to a party last night that was focused on Mac 'n Cheese in many forms and I had a large cheap beer. It was ghetto in every sense of the word, fun and an interesting experiment. Understand that I tried a bite of almost everything, but I brought organic cheese hot dogs for myself and ate the crazy spinach and okra side dish more than anything.

I will be careful and safe today and I'm sure I won't have any problems. When I get up tomorrow.

LIW: 177 lbs.
Current Weight: 175.2 lbs.
Overnight change: - .2 lbs.

Two nights in a row of mild alcohol consumption with no huge consequences. I can't believe it.

One thing that I started before Phase 2 that I'm doing again now is using coconut oil to cook where ever possible. I have eggs almost every day for breakfast, so I use it there. I keep some coconut butter on hand as well in case I'm not cooking much that day. I know from reading the group posts on HCG Dieters that some people use coconut oil in Phase 2 and continue to lose. I'm not really willing to try that on my next round.

I'm still trying to avoid sweet substitutes and enjoy not really craving dessert or sweet things. This was always a weakness in the past, and I'm really surprised how easy it is to resist now.

LIW: 177 lbs.
Current Weight: 175.4 lbs.
Overnight Change: - 1.0 lbs.

I ate very cautiously yesterday knowing that I would be going to a small get together and would drink a little. I expect my weight will go up some tomorrow since it didn't today.

The beauty of this phase is that with a little planning, you can work some alcohol into your calories and not blow everything. I didn't eat any of the food that was out. I couldn't identify the dips and the chips and cookies weren't allowed and I wasn't really that interested in them anyway. That's a new one for me.

If you like tomato soup, this recipe is really easy and makes a couple of servings:

1 (28 ounce) can tomato puree or use whole and blend (I use diced)
1/2 cup chicken or beef broth
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 dropper of stevia (I leave this out)
1/4 cup milk or cream
4 ounces cream cheese, cubed

Mix in a pan at medium heat until cream cheese melts.

LIW: 177 lbs.
Current Weight: 176.4 lbs.
Overnight Change: - .8 lbs.

Not much to add today. I'm glad to be below LIW again. I'd like to keep it right here.

LIW: 177 lbs.
Current Weight: 177.2 lbs.
Overnight Change: - 2.0 lbs.

Steak days work and they aren't that hard. I started pounding water at 2PM yesterday since I was getting really hungry. I made it to 5PM with no problem after that. I was really worried that it wouldn't work for me, but, like everything else in this protocol, if you follow the instructions it works.

Guess what it's time for? STEAK DAY

LIW: 177 lbs.
Current Weight: 179.2 lbs.
Overnight Change: + .8 lbs.

I'm sure it's water retention due to TOM and water retention due to the Pilates class on Sunday. While I am sure of these things, Dr. Simeon does not make any exceptions for a steak day. Besides, I'm way too close to 180 lbs. right now for my own comfort.

I'm dreading this like I dreaded the one apple day I did in Phase 2.

So, no coffee, but lots of water and tea. I'm sure we'll be back on track tomorrow.

LIW: 177 lbs.
Current Weight: 178.4 lbs.
Overnight Change: + 1.4 lbs.

I'm mostly over the cold, but right on the edge of my TOM. I don't think I did anything unusual yesterday, so I'm fairly certain the gain is water retention.

I tried a Pilates class for the first time in months yesterday afternoon. I didn't push myself too hard and mostly enjoyed it. I wonder if the weight change could have something to do with that as well.

I'm stabilizing nicely and am looking forward to Phase 4 for the rest of the year.

LIW: 177 lbs.
Current Weight: 177 lbs.
Overnight change: + .2 lbs.

Still a little sick, but not bad. I feel really good about the weight stabilizing and being able to trust myself on eating. I ate out twice yesterday. I know I could have drank more water.

I should be starting TOM in the next couple of days, so I expect I may be retaining a little water.

I would prefer to stabilize a little lower, but I feel good that I am stabilizing as Dr. Simeons prescribed.

LIW: 177 lbs.
Current Weight: 176.8 lbs.
Overnight Change: - .2 lbs.

OK. I'm already completely tired of counting calories. Granted I was home sick again and was working most of the day. However, I know my self and I know I can do the whole write down every once I consume for a while and then it just won't work.

I was very conscious of my choices yesterday, though. Here's what's new. I had no more eggs to eat for breakfast, so I had to go to the store. The coffee bar at the Whole Foods had Pumpkin Spice Lattes. I wanted one so I got it, understanding that it had to have some sugar in it and I was taking a risk. I ate eggs, tomato soup, bacon, turkey & swiss roll-ups in butter lettuce and brussels sprouts for the rest of the day. Nothing too crazy. Lots of water. My weight is down overnight and below LIW again.

I eat when I am hungry and don't when I am not. I've successfully had a coffee bar drink and a piece of sprouted wheat toast without incident. Not both on the same day, of course.

Phase three is scary because there is no regimented eating plan. You have to trust yourself and be ready to act if you cross the line. I am having a mental issue with the weight no longer dropping as well. I want to see more progress even though I know that isn't the point right now. I'm really trying to enjoy having so much more freedom in eating without the crazy weight gain I used to see.


I think I'm going to try yogurt next week.

LIW: 177 lbs.
Current Weight: 177 lbs.
Overnight Change: - .2 lbs.
Estimated Calories: 1600

As I was sick yesterday, I stayed home from work and did some time on the computer and phone before I decided to focus on moving through my Netflix.

For dinner I had left over tomato soup and was really craving a piece of toast with it. I had some sprouted wheat bread and had one piece with butter. It was yummy and doesn't appear to have been bad for my weight.

I think the chili is too much something - my stomach is always upset after I have it. I think I'll do chicken breasts today.

I'm staying home again - I could go to work, but you know how you feel about that coworker that won't stay home when they should? I'm not that guy.

Sick

LIW: 177 lbs.
Current Weight: 177.2 lbs.
Overnight Change: -1.6 lbs.
Estimated Calories: 1630

I went to bed at 8PM last night and woke up feeling no better. My head is totally congested and my boss told me I sounded terrible when I called in.

Not much to say. I've got chili and tomato soup from yesterday so I don't have to cook today unless I want to steam some broccoli.

Yesterday - so close to a steak day

LIW: 177 lbs.
Current Weight: 178.8
Overnight Change:
Estimated Calories: haven't gone there yet.

So, it was election night and we were at a friend's house watching the returns. I probably ate a little too much cheese. I know I ate too much spinach dip. I had two glasses of wine instead of one. I had a glass of champagne after that.

What I did not do is eat any chips, pretzels, etc. I ate a lot of veggies instead.

Oh - lunch that day at work - I got pork stir-fry from the cafeteria at work minus the rice. It was supposed to be spicy and I asked them to go light on the sauce. Holy crap was it sweet! I don't know if I'm super-sensitive to that now since I haven't had anything sweet in so long or it was just obnoxious.

Needless to say, lunch and excesses in the evening almost got me to a steak day.

LIW: 177 lbs.
Current Weight: 176.4 lbs.
Overnight Change: -1.2 lbs.
Estimated Calories Yesterday: 1550

I'm feeling a little under the weather. Unfortunately, it could be any number of things. Allergies, food allergies, or a cold. Who knows. I know my throat hurts and I have club voice.

No real change in the food yesterday, but I think my body is still adjusting to a higher fat content. (Read ANY fat content.) I had a stir fry pork at lunch today minus the rice and heavy on veggies. I had them go light on the sauce, but I think it still had sugar in it. We'll see how that goes tomorrow.

Just for reference - I should go no higher than 179 lbs. and no lower than 175 lbs. for three weeks. Here's hoping for no steak days.

LIW: 177 lbs.
Current Weight: 177.6 lbs.
Overnight change: +2.2 lbs.
Estimated Calories yesterday: 1673

I didn't feel very well last night after I had my chili. The weird thing was it took about five hours for the upset stomach to surface. Today I'm cutting out the bacon and adding a salad.

Oh, I'm also certain I didn't drink enough water yesterday. It's funny how easy that is to drop once you have the opportunity to eat at will.

I'm not feeling like taking the bikini photos today. I'll do that tomorrow night or something. I am adding this pic of me today, ready to go shopping in my new boots.

I'm a little apprehensive about how much and what to eat in this phase, but I've reread the after injection sections of P&I multiple times this week and think I'm ready. I've also got a nice cushion with a little additional loss since the last injection day.

I'm logging everything I eat in Fitday.com and will avoid adding too many new things in one day so I'll have an easier time isolating problem foods.

Today it's going to be a very Atkins-centric diet. I will add Phase 2 fruits in a couple of days and keep up the salads and veggies.

I am so excited - my body image is actually better than I probably look, but attitude goes a long way towards how people see you.

Phase 3 - Day 1

LIW: 177 lbs.
Current Weight: 175.4 lbs.

The smell of coffee, bacon and eggs are heavy in my kitchen. I am so glad to be here and will be sharing some pics later today after I go shopping for some new winter clothes.

I'll update more later. Coffee with cream is calling me.

Weight: 176.0 lbs.
Overnight change: + .8 lbs.
VLCD Day: 40

It's the last day. I am so excited and a little impatient. I've got pre-cooked beef stew for both meals. I went to the farmer's market this morning to get some things for my next phase and have been planning some meals.

Not much else to report. Should take more pics tomorrow.

What!!!??!!!

Weight: 175.2 lbs.
Overnight Loss: 1.8 lbs.
VLCD Day: 39

OK. I was fine with my LIW. I was going out with more of a whimper than a bang, but I can't argue with the fine results. Thanks to Beaker for her continued words of encouragement!

So I get up this morning expecting more of the .2 to .6 stuff I've been seeing and get a number I haven't seen since the first week. I didn't do anything new yesterday except for the fact that I wasn't trying to get any where specifically. I was coasting in to Phase 3. Stress and self-imposed goals probably have something to do with it.

I'll be adjusting the look of this site a little to be more Phase 3 focused over the weekend. I'm really excited to start and see how this goes.

I was talking to a friend about this last night and already planning for my next round next year and she made a great point. "Wait a minute. Slow down and savor this victory. Enjoy this before you start worrying about anything else."

She's so right. I'm taking this a day at a time and enjoying my success for the rest of the year.

LIW

Weight: 177 lbs.
Overnight loss: .4 lbs.
VLCD Day: 38

Any loss is a good loss

Weight: 177.4 lbs.
Overnight loss: .2 lbs
VLCD Day: 37

Yeah, so that fish I was going to eat for lunch yesterday? Couldn't eat it. Took one bite and threw it away. I ran home early and cooked up some chicken I had prepped.

My stomach felt agitated and slightly burny last night and I remember feeling the same way when I ate the cabbage soup and gained weight. I don't think I can skip protein at all on this diet.

I'm getting steak today on the way home and that's how I will finish this round.

One more shot and 3 more days of VLCD.

Weight: 177.6 lbs.
Overnight loss: 1.2 lbs.
VLCD Day: 36

OK. I need to lose 1.4 lbs. in the next two days to hit 30lbs. I can't guarantee it, but it's definitely within reach.

I didn't eat my fish for dinner last night. I just cooked and ate my asparagus. I couldn't handle the thought of the smell or taste. Weird. I brought it for lunch today, so I'm eating it regardless.

Good news - I got the new boots on this morning with less difficulty. I think they will work for my trip in December.

I won't do anymore measurements until my LIW day on Thursday, but I've obviously slimmed the calves down a bit more.

Maybe it's a Monday thing.

Weight: 178.8 lbs.
Overnight loss: .1 lbs.
VLCD day: 35

There are a variety of things that could be involved in this sudden drop in weight loss. I found out yesterday that asparagus is a diuretic. I've eaten asparagus with dinner the previous four days and switched to spinach again yesterday. I don't think I drank enough water yesterday. I did two walking tours of downtown Austin last night back-to-back. That shouldn't have taxed my muscles that much, but who knows? I've been losing a pound or more for most of a week and losses like that can't be maintained, particularly in the last week.

Eh. If I don't drop another ounce on this phase this has still been a smashing success. There is light at the end of this tunnel and its name is Sunday, November 2ND. The beginning of phase 3.

Old pictures - 156lbs in Cancun 2004

I still had a ways to go in these pictures, but I was 50 lbs lighter than I was when I started my first round of HCG. I won't get there this round, but I am on my way. I'll do current pics once I can start wearing make-up again. That's next Sunday. I can't wait.

Weight: 178.9 lbs.
Overnight Loss: 1.2 lbs
VLCD Day: 34

Finally, I'm in the 170's. I've got four more shots, so I'm trying to get to 176.2 - that would be 30 pounds exactly.

I'm going back to fish today.

I bought a pair of knee-high boots for my trip to Amsterdam in December. I've lost an inch off of my calves, but these boots are still very difficult to get zipped up. I need a little more room there if I can manage it this week.

Weight: 180.1 lbs
Overnight loss: 1.0 lbs.
VLCD Day: 33

Tomorrow I should see the 170's for the first time in a long time. That will be a great motivator for this final stretch of this Phase 2.

I know I'm ready to be done. I've started browsing recipes on line and I'm less amenable to going to social outings for very long periods when I can eat or drink nothing.

Don't get over confident, but I feel good about reaching 30 lbs. lost in this round.

Weight: 181.1 lbs.
Overnight loss: 1.3 lbs.
VLCD Day: 32

OMG! This is awesome. I think the cabbage soup only masked the continued changes occurring and now my body is catching up. There is still a possibility of getting to 30 lbs. lost this round.

Regardless, I am enjoying looking and feeling better and wearing things I haven't worn in 3+ years.

I was worried about adding asparagus this late in the game, but apparently it's working fine. I'm back on london broil and find that if I lower the amount to around 80 grams instead of 100 I do better. I don't really notice the difference either.

Weight: 182.4 lbs.
Overnight loss: 1.2 lbs.
VLCD Day: 31

Yeah!!!!! I had chicken and fish again yesterday and cooked myself some asparagus for dinner for the first time. I still didn't really enjoy the fish, but look at the results.

I think I have a friend here who is finally convinced that this is working and she might like to try it as well in the spring. It would be great to have some one local to talk to as well as the great folks I talk to and follow on blogs.

The 170's are in sight!

Weight: 183.6 lbs.
Overnight Loss: .9 lbs.
VLCD Day: 30

Yeah! I'm really behind for the week, but I'm losing again. I just want to get to the 170's this round.

I had a really hard time eating my fish last night. I just didn't want it. I looked like a little kid with a plate of broccoli in front of me. (Except that I always liked broccoli personally.)

I've got a picture that I will add on my last injection day. It's of me in 1998 at about 128 lbs. I will never be there again, but I'd like to look that good again at a more appropriate weight for me now.

Weight: 184.5 lbs.
Overnight Loss: none.
VLCD Day: 29

Needless to say, the cabbage soup is gone. Obviously, this doesn't work for me. I was really craving something different and not made by my own hand on Sunday, so I compromised and made this soup that everyone on the HCG Dieters group were talking about. It tastes great, but it completely destroys my weight loss.

It's not worth it. I'll be doing chicken and fish for a couple of days now.

Weight: 184.5 lbs.
Overnight loss: +.8 lbs.
VLCD Day: 28

I'm sure it's too much of the cabbage soup I made yesterday. I tried to be careful and figure the portion size correctly. Obviously, I made a mistake. I will eat much less of it today and see if that helps. If it doesn't correct quickly, I will make my guy eat it or throw it away.

This is the very first time I haven't lost. I don't want a repeat of this.

Pictures!

I'm still not a thin girl, but I can see a HUGE difference in my arms, waist, and face. Yesterday was tough: a tailgate with fabulous cuban food and a party with lots of drinks, cake and pressure to join in. No one was trying to sabotage me. They were just concerned I wasn't having a good time. The difference in these pics makes it worth not cheating.

Weight: 183.7 lbs.
Overnight Loss: .8 lbs.
VLCD Day: 27

Short post today. I'm tired from the game and party and lack of sleep. I have a little headache as well and am trying to decide whether or not to take something.

I'll have pics to post later today or tomorrow.

Weight: 184.5 lbs.
Overnight loss: .5 lbs.
VLCD day: 26

I'm going to try one piece of fruit per day and more exercise and see if that helps with the loss. At least I've not had a gain day on this protocol, but I'm tired and bored already and now I'm getting impatient.

Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled with the progress, but I use the idea of a pound-a-day to resist temptation. I don't think I'm going to be as successful with .5 a day mentally.

Tailgate, game and party tonight. Pics by Monday in the reunion dress.

Weight: 185 lbs.
Overnight Loss: .6 lbs.
VLCD Day: 25

I started the shots again today. Yesterday was a light day in the TOM so I'm moving on. I really want to drop at least another 10 lbs. in this round. Side note: I was never really hungry on the non-shot days.

Here's an odd note: In May 2005 my guy and I went to New York City and I visited a friend of mine I hadn't seen in a couple of years. I remember being embarrassed at my then highest-weight-ever: 185 lbs. Now, I'm thrilled to be back there. The last three or four years have been a horrible struggle with my weight.

I am so grateful for HCG and the help of my doctor and his staff in getting on and through this protocol. I feel so much better about myself.

Weight 185.6 lbs.
Overnight loss: .4 lbs.
VLCD Day: 24

Meh. Whatever. I'll start shots again tomorrow I think. I may have had too much crab last night since it was cooked and I wasn't totally sure how many grams to remove from cooked crab and be within guidelines.

I feel great in my clothes and am excited to see how far I can get in this round.

There is a party for my boyfriend's birthday on Saturday that I will attend. I have a pretty dress I wore to my high school reunion in June. So, I'll take pics and post a June 08 and an October 08 pic by Monday. I recall weighing something like 193 to 195 at that time. I looked OK in it, but I recall having to wear crazy undergarments and have help zipping it up. Don't think that's gonna be a problem on Saturday. It will totally make up for drinking water and eating nothing all night.

Starting this weekend I'm going to take some time and backtrack to discuss things I did and didn't do in Phase 1. I found Trudeau's book overwhelming in the number of things it suggested, but there were things I did adopt and I think they served me early in Phase 2.

Wow. Very heavy period - heavier than normal.

However, no additional hunger and I feel pretty good about today and taking at least one or two more days off of the shots.

Weight: 186 lbs.
Overnight loss: .7 lbs.
VLCD day: 23

It's here. I started my TOM yesterday. I've read a lot of people's posts on the HCG dieters Yahoo Group and a lot of people take the shots right on through. I'm going to take at least today and tomorrow off and see how it goes.

I'm more tired today than I've been lately and crankier as well. I will try not to take that out on my boyfriend like I did last night. Oops.

I was trending my weight loss so far and projecting a total for this round. I'm shooting for low 170's with a stretch goal of high 160's. Both would be awesome as I haven't seen either since early 2005.

I realize I can only control what I eat and do and my body with the help of HCG has to do the rest.

Weight: 186.7
Overnight Loss: .4
VLCD day: 22

I knew the near-a-pound-a-day weight loss wouldn't last. Oh, well.

It's almost time for my TOM so I'll be very interested to see how that goes.

I noticed that I'm not waking up as refreshed as I did for the first two plus weeks of the shots.

I have lost more off my thighs and hips. Always a good thing as I am a pear-shape person.

Weight: 187.1 lbs.
Overnight loss: .7
VLCD Day: 21

I'm half way through this phase. I'm finding some phase-two-compliant recipes to try to stave off the boredom.

I have to say that continued loss on the scale and clothes that fit much better is good motivation.

Not much else to say except that sometimes I still want a cheese puff or two. Organic, of course.

Weight: 187.8 lbs

Overnight loss: .9 lbs.

VLCD Day: 20

I am getting very tired of this diet. Here is where the will power must see me through the rest of this month. Right now, I just want to be able to go anywhere with my friends and my boyfriend and be able to eat something. I'm still accepting invites to go places because I don't want to be a hermit, but not doing anything but drink water is really frustrating. I'm very tired of my own cooking.

I made pancakes for my boyfriend yesterday, so I handled butter a little bit. And there was oil in the batter. I wonder if even that slight contact might have lowered my overnight loss?

Weight: 188.7 lbs
Overnight loss: .8 lbs
VLCD day: 19

Yeah. I'm more than happy with these results. I figure it's going to slow down again with my TOM coming soon, so be happy with what you've got right now.

I tried eating my second serving of protein right before bed to see if that pushed the weight loss up. It's really hard to say if that made any difference. I didn't like waiting that late to eat though.

I'm going to my gym to have a body age assessment done today at 1PM. Late last December I had one done and found out that due to my weight (202) and inactivity my body age was 47. I was not quite 37 at the time. I'm hoping for better results today.

Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Weight: 189.5 lbs
Overnight loss: 1.0 lbs
VLCD day: 18

I'm smiling. I love my one pound days. And I'm officially out of the 190's.

It would appear that I am doing things properly and I'll just have to deal with my body stair-stepping the weight loss.

That's OK as long as the inches and pounds continue to drop.

I feel AWESOME today.

Weight: 190.5
Overnight loss: .2
VLCD day: 17

I don't like it, but I'm not surprised. My body has always been very finicky about weight loss - a very familiar frustration for me.

At least my inches lost are great. That will help keep my resolve as I push on through this.

Phase 2 - Day 18

Weight 190.7
Overnight loss: .7

I can deal with this. Obviously, I was hoping for a solid pound per day, but that's not very realistic. I am very close to the 180's now.

Visible success!

I wish I'd been able to take good pics at the beginning. That would make this more obvious to me and others.

However, I saw a business associate today that I haven't seen since mid August. She was visibly surprised by my appearance and told me I looked wonderful.

That's progress. Yeah for me and my willpower. Yeah for hcg.

Phase 2 - Day 17

Weight: 191.4
Overnight loss: .9

.9 lbs is definitely better. I feel fine after only four apples yesterday. I'll definitely have one this morning as I am quite thirsty. Kinda getting sick of apples as well.

Now, if the weight loss drops to a really low level again, I'll have to take a hard look at the meat I'm eating and make sure the fat content isn't too high. Might try shrimp though my guy really hates all seafood and the smell that brings to the house.

Phase 2 - Day 16 - APPLE DAY!!!!

Weight - 192.3

.3 lbs lost is not acceptable. We're going to an apple day. I've been avoiding doing this, but it's time.

I will keep in mind that I did cook for myself yesterday and consequently handled some fat. I don't know if that makes any difference or not.

Dr Simeon wrote:

"The second type of interruption we call a “plateau”. A plateau lasts 4-6 days and frequently occurs during the second half of a full course, particularly in patients that have been doing well and whose overall average of nearly a pound per effective injection has been maintained. Those who are losing more than the average all have a plateau sooner or later. A plateau always corrects, itself, but many patients who have become accustomed to a regular daily loss get unnecessarily worried and begin to fret. No amount of explanation convinces them that a plateau does not mean that they are no longer responding normally to treatment.
In such cases we consider it permissible, for purely psychological reasons, to break up the plateau. This can be done in two ways. One is a so-called “apple day”. An apple-day begins at lunch and continues until just before lunch of the following day. The patients are given six large apples and are told to eat one whenever they feel the desire though six apples is the maximum allowed. During an apple-day no other food or liquids except plain water are allowed and of water they may only drink just enough to quench an uncomfortable thirst if eating an apple still leaves them thirsty. Most patients feel no need for water and are quite happy with their six apples. Needless to say, an apple-day may never be given on the day on which there is no injection. The apple-day produces a gratifying loss of weight on the following day, chiefly due to the elimination of water. This water is not regained when the patients resume their normal 500-Calorie diet at lunch, and on the following days they continue to lose weight satisfactorily."

I think this is happening too early in the phase, but I want to get out of the 190's. Now.

More thoughts for the day

I think maybe it's the salt and the fat in the beef. I'm going to drop my beef by about 10 grams per serving and see if that helps.

Pictures!

I didn't get to take pictures when I started since my camera was out of the country. Here's two weeks into Phase 2 with almost 14 lbs. lost. I can see a difference in the face shot between August and now.

Phase 2 - Day 15

Weight: 192.6

OK. I'm frustrated.
I probably shouldn't be.

Half a pound loss in a day is still good. However, I've been going to social events with tons of food and drink and haven't cheated once. I've been as perfect as I know how to be.

I expected to be out of the 190's by now. I keep thinking about what the issue could be - water retention due to salt from the chicken I brined last week, water retention due the fact that I'm female, handling something with fat in it, negative thoughts, etc.

I just want a pound or more day.

Still thinking about making this one an apple day.

Phase 2 - Day 15

Weight 193.1

Can't really complain about an increase in my rate of weightloss. Even if it is only by .1 lbs.

I have a way of carrying my weight that generally seems to shock people when I tell them how much I do weigh. Consequently, no one has really mentioned noticing I look thinner. I think once I hit the 20 lb. mark, people will notice. I've definitely noticed a change in how clothing is fitting. Jeans are looser, shirts are fitting better, etc.

Thankfully, I've not had any real uncomfortable hunger since Oct. 2nd. That evening, while not unbearable, was not fun.

Phase 2 - Day 14

Weight: 193.9

I was going to make this an apple day if I didn't lose more than .5 lbs. Today was .7 lbs.

I left the house without giving myself the hcg shot. I hadn't gotten that far and turned around and came home immediately. I'm better at giving myself the shots, but I still don't like it.

No excessive hunger today and hopeful for tomorrow.