Well, here I was getting all excited about hitting 200 before the end of this round. And then my body decided to stall. And gain. Well, the big gain was my own fault, I gave into temptation and ate what I shouldn't have at a party on Sunday night. I had not eaten properly throughout the day and nearly fainted during my show, so I totally justified it in my head and had some pulled pork bbq. It took a day for the repercussions to really hit, and I did an apple day yesterday when I shot up nearly 3 lbs overnight. I've also been fighting a pretty icky head cold since Monday, which could be causing me to retain water. Also, TOM is just around the corner, so I'm in a perfect storm of HCG thwartation: temptation, illness and biology. However, the silver lining here is that I am still averaging close to 1 lb a day, it's just that those 21 lbs came off in the first two weeks rather rapidly. The key now is to get myself back on track with no more slipping so that I can beat this barrier of 220. As I've said in previous posts, it's where I've hung out for many years, before ballooning to my high of 276 earlier this year. So, I've just got to be patient, stoic and, above all, STRICT.
I'd never done an Apple Day before, and I could only manage 4 of the 6 apples Dr. Simeons recommends. I'd never had Pink Lady apples before and DING! I am SOLD. So delicious! I also got red delicious and Royal Gala, two of my other faves. I managed to erase the 3 lbs that went on with BBQ indulgence, and now, after a day of eating normal VLCD--shrimp for both protein meals, plus a little extra egg white before bed (they say protein just before sleep helps loss over night), spinach (lunch), tomatoes (dinner) and only one serving of strawberries at lunch, I hope that tomorrow will see me even closer to 220. I'll take even half a pound at this point!
I'm also going to mix up a fresh batch of HCG. I'm at the halfway point and while I'm sure there's plenty of potency left in my current batch, I've been feeling awfully hungry lately, hungrier than usual with the injections. So, perhaps some fresh juice will help me resist temptation as well. I, Ms. Frugal, tend to want to eke out whatever I can from each batch of HCG, since it can be hard to come by and a little costly. But thanks to Drug Delivery I can be a bit more luxurious with what they've supplied me, it's plenty for 3 full rounds using 2 ampules each time. So, might as well!
I've been drinking a ton of water too, hugely important, especially with this lame cold and horrific humidity we've got going on this week. Ugh. I am dragging! To add insult to injury, my car broke down on my way to work this morning. This makes the 3rd time in as many months. Thank God I joined AAA! My mechanic is right across the street from an ice cream shop and let me tell you, the temptation to throw in the towel and get myself one of my favorite Peanut Butter Chocolate Milkshakes was IN-TENSE. Emotional triggers are truly my downfall. I resisted though, and settled for a nice big bottle of water instead.
I have a photo I took of myself which I will post when I find my USB connector. I think having it up here every time I check my blog will keep me from those Milkshake Moments!
Weight Tues 7/22/08: 223 (loss of .4lbs) Weight Wed 7/23/08: 223 (no loss) Weight Thu 7/24/08: 223.4 (gain of .4 lbs)
Total loss this round: 21.2 lbs (still, not bad for 2 weeks)
Grrr. It seems my body has gotten wise to all this not eating business. It's ok, I am sure I will break this little stall soon. I've gotten pretty lax with things lately. I confess, I even had a square of Dove chocolate on monday night. I hadn't eaten dinner and was at the opera and, well, the fat lady didn't sing, she ate. I think I may have tried some makeup on that had oil in it as well, so two strikes against me. I've been very good the last three days though, and hopefully tomorrow will find a pleasant surprise awaiting me upon the scale. This is also a 'plateau' point for me. I hung around the low 220's for years before I lost a lot of weight and then gained it all back, plus 50. So, I'm not going to stress. I look GOOD! Folks around me are noticing and I even bought myself a little black dress that does justice to all the right places.
I find I actually prefer my cabbage and soy sauce recipe to the miracle noodles. Way more filling, that's for sure. I'm a bit worried that I am not getting all my vegetables in, so I'm going to make a concentrated effort to eat more, especially the green ones. I bought some of the Walden Farms no calorie salad dressings. It tastes all right, but I can't get over the thought that I'm not actually eating food, just weird chemicals. But if it helps me get a spinach salad down, so be it. I'm sick of eating hot vegetables in this stifling heat!
All right, late night, early morning, you know the drill. It's bedtime.
Weight Sat 7.19.08: 224.8 (loss of 2.6lbs) Weight Sun 7.20.08: 223.4 (loss of 1.4lbs) Weight Mon 7.21.08: 223.4 (no loss)
Total loss since 7.09.08: 21.2 lbs
I keep losing, especially on the weekends when my activity level goes through the roof. I keep stepping on the scale two or three times to make sure I'm not seeing things each day I lose so much. It's unreal. I have tried to keep up a regular eating schedule, but that doesn't always happen, so frequently I know I am not getting all the calories I should be. Folks, this is a diet best undertaken when one's schedule is not so jam-packed! I do make sure I get all my protein, and sometimes an extra 100g serving. That seems to be the key.
My friend who started a few days before I did is now down 16lbs, losing a bit slower, but she's also much closer to her goal weight than I am. She'll be done with her 23 injection round on tuesday of next week, and is so pleased with the results she is going to do one last round to get the last 15 or so pounds off. Sometimes I feel like I have so much more weight to lose that it seems insurmountable, and then I look at the numbers going down on my little spreadsheet and August 22 doesn't seem so far away after all (or rather November, when I plan on finishing my final round). I tried on some dresses this afternoon and I was able to fit into a 14 in some styles. That's a far cry from the 20/22 I was last Christmas! I bought one dress that I think will last me through the next few months of weight loss. On clearance! I'm trying not to buy too many clothes until I'm closer to 200, though a lot of my trousers are falling off me, thank you belts.
I hope the scale goes down tomorrow, but I did try those 'miracle noodles' today so we'll see if they affect my loss at all. I'm less concerned about the noodles themselves (they are calorie free, made of shirataki mushroom and can be bought at miraclenoodle.com) than the amount of soy sauce I put on them to make them taste yummy. Argh sodium. I love the texture, and I'm sure a little extra fiber can't hurt. Time will tell...
Weight Thursday 7.17.08 227.4 (loss of 2.2 lbs) Weight Friday 7.18.08 227.4 (no loss, and I'm OK WITH THAT!!) Total weight loss this round: 17.2lbs
It is really insane, REALLY insane, how quickly I've been losing this round! And even more unbelievable that I am not feeling draining fatigue at all. I was hardly even hungry today--I had to force myself to eat my lunch at around 3pm. I completely forgot to eat dinner (not recommended!) and sang the show tonight with plenty of gas in the tank. I did have my second protein serving when I got home tonight, I was definitely hungry by then!
I'm quite happy not to have lost anything between yesterday and today. Body, you need a rest! I wish, and this sounds totally crazy I'm sure to everyone out there who's thinking about doing this diet, but I wish I would slow down and lose a little less each day. Somehow, these big losses don't feel 'real' to me. I feel like I'll go on phase 3 and gain everything I've lost right back overnight. But I am feeling absolutely fine, and have far more energy than I could imagine on 500-800 calories a day.
My sister is in town visiting, and I'll write more about her reaction to my diet tomorrow, it's a bit too involved for me right at the moment. Let's just say, I'm glad I 'forgot' to mention the part about the injections...
Weight 7/16/08: 229.6 Overnight loss: -2lbs Total Loss: 15lbs Daily injection dose: 125IU via IM injection
This round appears to be going just as well if not better than my last one! I am into a new 'decade' and determined not to see the old one ever again. It seems impossible to me that I will actually see 200 by the end of this round, but I will if all goes well. I haven't weighed that little in about 8 years. Amazing.
That being said, today was the first day I experienced that 'wall' of fatigue. I came home from work and took a 2 hour nap. Probably would have slept all night had I not received a phone call around 8pm. I have a show tomorrow, and again Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so hopefully I can keep my energy up. I have been adding a 3rd serving of protein, in the form of egg/egg whites on the days I have a performance and it got me through last weekend just fine.
Off to bed, I am plumb tuckered. I'm hoping tomorrow gets me even closer to 220! Yay!
Start (post-load) Weight: 244.6 Day 2 VLCD: 240.4 (-4.2lbs) Day 3 VLCD: 235.8 (-4.6lbs) Day 4 VLCD: 234.6 (-1.2lbs) Day 5 VLCD: 233.4 (-1.2lbs) Day 6 VLCD: 232.2 (1.2lbs) Today's Weight: 231.6 (-.6lbs) Total Loss in 6 days: 13lbs
I'm back down to where I left off last round, and in 6 short days. Pretty dramatic drops in the first two days, which I attribute to having been really bloated and PMS-y at the start of the load (TOM came a couple days in, and I blithely injected through it, not going to wait any more!) combined with the huge amount of activity I do each weekend with the run of the show I am in. I was pretty consistent for a little while and now I've hit a day with a less than 1lb loss. That is ok; 13 lbs in less than a week is insane, no matter what diet you're on! I enjoyed the load, self-loathing and all, and really forced myself to be constantly eating. I found for some reason I was able to eat a lot more than I had on previous loads. I took all the leftover goodies I had (namely Trader Joe's salted brownie bites) into the theatre for my castmates. out of sight out of mind.
This time around, a friend of mine is also doing the Protocol, she's a few days ahead of me and doing a 23-injection round. But it feels really good to be able to talk to her. To text her if I'm feeling a moment of weakness and to share hints and ideas. One thing this week that worries me a little bit is that my sister is coming to visit. I haven't told anyone about what I am doing, and I'm hoping I catch her in a non-judgmental mood when she's here! Hopefully she'll see how different I look from the last time she saw me, 50lbs heavier at Christmas, that the idea of injecting myself will not seem so strange!
Lastly, I must share a recipe which I had last night which blew my socks off. I bought a ton of cabbage and then realized I'm not such a great fan of cabbage, it was just cheap. So, here's what I did to make it taste like asian noodles:
1. mix 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce, crushed fresh ginger and wasabi powder to taste 2. start to brown some ground beef (or chicken) in a little water in a large saucepan or wok 3. as the beef is partially cooked add 10 oz shredded cabbage to pan with 1/2 the soy sauce mixture, stir until everything is coated 4. add the rest of the soy sauce as the cabbage softens and beef is cooked through, place into a bowl and enjoy.
It was heavenly, and I'm going to make it one of my regular meals. VERY satisfying. Perhaps a little on the high side in sodium, but I'll be sure to keep my water intake up. I've also brewed a lot of yerba mate and jasmine green tea and keep it in the fridge in large carafes. It's an easy reach when hunger strikes and is saving me from my breve latte addiction!
I’m not quite sure how to begin this post. It has been over a month since my last one and an apology is most definitely in order. My list of reasons for not blogging lately is long, some really ill health being the main one. I begin my next round of the Protocol tomorrow after a 6-week break in which I have not been entirely successful with my phase 3. I’ve put on about 12 lbs since I stopped the diet last time and am at 240 lbs as I begin my loading. Not good. Then again, I have not adhered to the protocol. I feel terrible for having failed the Challenge this time around. I was so absolutely confident that it would be a snap for me. The willpower it takes to do the diet is not at all a problem for me. The willpower it takes to do phase 3, however, has proven to be a real obstacle for me. I handle stress with food, period. I’ve been extraordinarily busy, on top of being really ill and that has made for a perfect storm of emotional triggers. Hence, the gain of 12 lbs. Well, bygones. Forward is the only way ahead, and so forward I go.
I’m trying to load ‘smart’. No sugary, bacon or other additive-loaded foods. Lots of good fats: avocados, olive oil, my favorite cheeses, organic cream. I actually feel so full of self-loathing right now that I don’t even WANT to load, just want to get on with it and start starving! I am doing a 40-injection round and will finish on August 22nd. The truncated round I did last time just felt wrong. I am in the middle of a run of a show and it’s one that requires a lot of physical energy. I am terrified that I will feel so much fatigue (or, worst case scenario, that I will pass out on stage!) that it will prevent me from completing this round. I am going to have to be extremely careful of when I eat and make sure I have enough fuel for the late nights of performing. I may, in fact, increase my calorie intake to 800 for the four days a week that I have a performance: add an extra portion of 100g protein and a slew more vegetables to help me. Adding the occasional extra protein serving did not at all hamper me last time, so I feel confident that this mild alteration of the original Protocol is going to be ok. I think I’ll put fruit back in my diet too, I nearly eliminated it last time, only having a few strawberries once a day. I’ll also add some red meat back in, I did miss it last time!
Another funny thing is. I am actually hoping to lose less quickly than I did last round. I think I averaged something like 1.2 lbs a day last time, and I definitely felt my voice suffering for it. I hope I can stay near 1lb a day or slightly under, at least until my run of performances is over on August 3rd. So if that means 800 cals becomes my norm, so be it. I’ll play it by ear and tweak as I go along.
All right, off to a good night’s sleep before tomorrow’s first blessed injection. It’s been so hard for me to mentally prepare for this round; I really hope I’ll be able to see this through. I’m sorry once again for being MIA for so long. Life really does seem to happen all at once. Sigh.
