Breaking Plateaus

Well, 23 days into a 40 day round and I've been on a plateau for a week and a half.  I've lost 7 pounds overall, but the scale is now stubbornly refusing to budge.  What to do, what to do?

1. I am going to add exercise back in, slowly and gently.  I haven't been going to the gym because of mental and emotional overload, I'd prefer to work out outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine.  So, now that the warm weather seems to be coming to stay, I plan to do interval walking/running for 30 minutes every evening before bed.

2. A more fun way to spike the metabolism is the cheat day.  On HCG, we take our "cheats" at the beginning in the three load days.  I have heard doctors and health professionals say that one "cheat" day a week helps boost the metabolism and break a plateau.  I believe I can hold out and have a Saturday cheat day this week and see if that works.  (And by "cheat," it will be a full-on eat-till-I-want-to-puke load day.)  That's if I don't break the plateau before then.  Sometimes, too, we just can't take dieting anymore.  I'm hoping the "re-load" will help. 

3.  Add breakfast.  Something as simple as a protein shake in the morning may help.  A scoop of vanilla protein, a double handful of frozen strawberries, and water, and whirl in the blender.  The nice thing is that it almost feels like a cheat in and of itself.  Another good breakfast if you're in a hurry would be simply to hard-boil some eggs the night before and eat them in the morning. What you want in the morning is protein - it keeps the hungries away.

I can see some differences, however - jeans fitting a bit looser, tummy feeling a bit more toned - but not the differences I had expected this far into the round.  Evidently I'm not doing what I need to do  So....hopefully these tweaks will help me stay on protocol, and break the plateau.  I'll keep ya posted!

Reviewing HCG

I am beginning a new round of HCG (today was my 2nd load day) and realized that not only am I nearly out, I don't know if I can get more from my supplier in time.  So I've been  looking at other brands of homeopathic HCG to see what my alternatives are.

I've been getting some good laughs reading the reviews.  Remember - Homeopathic HCG has a vibrational fingerprint of HCG, so everyone who is used to the shots is screaming "Oh my hell, there's no HCG in that!"  Of course not.  And I don't care!  I want to know one thing, and one thing only.

Does it work in conjunction with the Simeons Pounds and Inches protocol?  

After reviewing several sites and brands, I have decided that nearly any brand will work.  Don't freak out if it says "hormone free" - homeopathic does not contain anything but water.  And that's OK, because it still works.  I don't care if it's a placebo effect, I care if the scales are going down and my clothes are getting too big - and if I still feel good through the process.

Tomorrow I begin the diet itself.  I've got chicken breast, apples, cucumbers, and lettuce waiting for me.  After gorging for two days, I'm looking forward to eating what I know will work.  Cucumbers are delicious sliced up with salt and maybe some hot sauce - just as good as chips!  Apples with a dusting of cinnamon, perhaps a dip of stevia, strawberries dipped in a little stevia for a treat.... I am never hungry on HCG, in fact often the salad and protein are plenty.

I'd tried to do a few more rounds before, but just could not stick to the diet, mostly for emotional reasons,  and ended up quitting within a couple of days.  This time I have firmly decided that the last 40 pounds are coming off.  I should reach that by Easter.

So far as the running, I'm struggling to get that done.  I have come to enjoy running, but the added step of getting to the rec center seems to be more than I want to do right now.  I did go yesterday, and I plan to go today.  Last week I was so exhausted for some reason that I was sleeping 12 hours or more a day and just felt like I couldn't function.  I don't know what the challenge was - last time that happened I was on vacation in Central America and fell asleep every time I was in the car, in addition to nights and siesta.  I must have been pushing myself way too hard (which would also explain the shoulder injury).

I will report back tomorrow!

Load Day 3

Yes, I know, Pounds and Inches says 2 load days.  I always do better when I do a third.  I've had so much fatty foods today, I am looking forward to healthy food tomorrow!  (Steak and salad on the menu!)  I've got apples chillin' in the fridge, plenty of salad greens, Walden Farms dressing, steaks, boneless skinless chicken breasts - yum! 

I freaked out a little when I weighed myself this morning.  But then, I had to remember that the weight gained from loading generally comes off quickly.  The fat loading is essential for rapid weight loss in the first week.  It's kind of like retaining water.  If you're retaining water, the best thing to do is ... drink more water.  I'm out to lose fat, so it makes sense to try to trick my body into believing that there is plenty of fat available.  That way, it won't try to hold on to it.

So far today I've had cheesecake, eclairs, pizza rolls, sour cream, cream cheese fruit dip.  I feel so full and kind of sick.  Here's to a rapid weight loss!

Load Day 2

I'm not sure how much loading I can stand to do.  I really feel ill from all the fats and junk food.  I'll be glad to start the protocol on Monday. 

While loading, eat as much fat as possible.  (As Americans, this should be fairly easy to do.)   Most people are actually deficient in dietary fats due to strenuous dieting and the mistaken notion that fats cause you to be fat.  Fats are required in the diet for mental strength (fats build the brain and nerves!), help with beautiful skin, prevent aging, and create hormones.  I always cringe when I see parents put young children on fat restricted diets - and I'm not sure fat-restricted diets are that good for grown ups, either.

I never eat fake fats.  No margarine, no "fat free" dairy.  Full fat butter, full fat dairy, olive oil.  The only time I restrict fats is on a temporary basis.  (Carbs are what tend to cause me to gain weight - that and emotional stresses that lead me to overeat.)

Great foods to load on?

Sour cream, cream cheese, full fat diary, ice cream, avocados, nuts and nut butters, hamburgers and fried foods (this is a good time to say goodbye to them!).  You're not after carbs so much - but fat, fat, fat! 

The whole thing is rather counterinutitive to me.  Start a diet by eating fatty foods? Loading helps control hunger as the hCG kicks in.  And it really works.  And, believe it or not, loading properly with high fat foods helps you lose more weight! 

Don't skip your load days.  I'm off to go eat some ice cream!

Load Day 1

Today is my first day back on hCG.  We had an office party for the four birthdays we have in February (Aquarius Rocks!) - cake and ice cream, a meat and cheese tray, fruit with dip.  I loaded up on ice cream and fattening dips.  Now I feel sick.

I sometimes wonder if Dr Simeons suggested this in the manner of getting a drunk to quit drinking during a hangover?  You know - right when they're sick and wailing, "I'll never drink again!"  LOL!  I'm always glad of a chance to work throught the binging at the beginning.  By the time it's time to hit the protocol, I'm thrilled to be eating clean again.

Loading Day 2 (yesterday)

I'm frustrated now.  Nothing to do with HCG, it's because I thought I posted something yesterday in this space and it didn't show up.  Grrr!

Loading day 1

I started loading today for this round.  I'm almost concerned that I won't be able to eat enough.  I've had Wendy's,, and a milkshake, so far today. 

When I'm loading, I eat fats.  Lots of fats.  Cream gravy, fatty meats, ice cream, sour cream, ice cream (did I mention ice cream), and those eclairs I love so much.  Butter, gravy (I'm a Southern girl, I like good sausage gravy - or any other kind, for that matter), fried foods.  I try to keep it to healthy fats, but I don't always manage to do it.

If you're a coffee drinker, load days are the time to get all those creamy cappuccinos at Starbucks for 500 calories a cup.

This is my time to get binging out of my system for three weeks.  It's a good time to eat all those otherwise-forbidden foods (and remember why I don't eat at McDonald's - it always makes me sick).  I sometimes wonder if it's a mental re-set.  I do know that by the time Monday gets here and I'm going on the very low calorie diet, it's a relief not to have to eat so damn much.

Weight today = 160.4.  Goal weight = 125.

Getting ready for another round....

Yes. I'm picking up some HHCG drops this afternoon.  I am planning to start loading on Sunday and begin the very low calorie diet on Wednesday, after 3 days of loading.  I'm so close to my goals, but I've been under emotional stress lately and stuffing emotions down with eclairs, pizza, and hamburgers.  Not really good food choices. 

I want to retrain myself to choose fruit and veggies over chocolate and carbs.  I think I'll find out if watermelon and cantaloupe will stall my weight loss. 

My little garden should have a bumper crop of tomatoes and cucumbers, so I'll have garden fresh food to eat!

Loading Days

When you follow the HCG protocol, the first 2 - 3 days are spent doing something totally counter-intuitive. They are loading days.

The first 3 days of taking HCG, you load up on fats. Lots of fats. Literally - you gorge until you're sick, and then you gorge some more.

It seems bizarre to start a diet by gorging on high fat, high calorie foods, but there is a method to the madness. You are going to be eating NO fat at all for the rest of the round. You'll be living on lean meats, veggies, and small amounts of fruit and breads. And I do mean small.

Loading does 2 things. One is that it signals the body that it is OK to release bodyfat, as you're providing all the fat it can use. It prevents the body from going into starvation mode while the HCG is building up. Another is it curbs hunger, which will be vital the first few days of the protocol. If you don't load properly, you're going to have a terrible time with the round. (Ask me how I know. :/ )

You want as much good fat as you can possibly eat. Avocados, full-fat dairy, olive oil, butter, high fat nuts… I always took the opportunity to work through my fast food addiction by eating out as much as I could and eating things that would totally gross me out normally. I'd eat Wendy's and McDonald's till I thought I was going to be sick, and then go eat ice cream, and put sour cream on everything.

If you load properly, you'll REALLY look forward to the first day of the very low calorie diet (VLCD). It'll be a relief NOT to be eating.

I will be loading the weekend of July 4 to begin VLCD July 5.  Anyone want to join me?