R1P2D5/31 - I may be 40, but as of this morning, I'm down a decade

October 21, 2011

Day 5/31

Okay, if you haven't read my other blogs (I think it was the first one), I explained that a decade is 10 pounds in weight.  So, as of this morning (Friday, October 21), I'm down a decade from when I weighed-in on my starting day of this HCG protocol (on Monday, October 17).  10.1 pounds, to be exact.  Woo-hoo!

You know, the funny thing is, I "only" lost 1.9 pounds from yesterday's weigh-in (see my post from yesterday on the 2.6+ that I've lost the other three days) and you know what I thought?  I wonder if I did something wrong?  WRONG?  Am I nuts?  Okay, maybe a little.  The average weight that a person is supposed to lose on this is between 0.5 and 1.0 pounds a day.  So, no, I'm not doing anything wrong.  Did I do anything different (like put on lipgloss with vitamin E in it, use hand cream with lanolin, eat over my 500 calories)?  Nope.  And, I lost almost 2 pounds!  Good, then I'm golden.

I'll tell you one other little tidbit ... when I was getting ready to take a shower, I definitely look different in my midsection (between my bellybuttom and my chest).  It's not so inflated.  Awesome.  AND, this is going to sound weird, but, when I looked down at my feet, I can actually see the veins around my inner ankles.  Now, that may not mean anything to you skinny people reading this (you're probably thinking, "Um, Julia?  I can always see the veins popping out around my ankles.").  Well, I cannot remember the last time I saw them.  It's all of that bloating and fat and water retention from NOT drinking water.  I guess the 3L a day is actually good for FLUSHING my system, instead of making me retain more.  You know, for a college graduate, I can be pretty dumb some times.  : )

So, I'm facing my first weekend of VLCDays.  I am planning on doing well.  How, you may ask?  Planning is the key word.  At least for now.  I've got a "date" with some friends tonight (who don't know I'm doing this because they'll probably think it's whacky, like I did, until the see 30 pounds off of me) and I told them I'm bringing my own food because I'm trying to watch what I eat.  So, I packed my lunch and dinner this morning.  Not difficult.  Oh, yes, and in case you're wondering (from a previous post), I still have the same $2.33 in my wallet.  : )

Oh, another ring-a-ding-ding from yesterday ... I found out I can have no sugar applesauce (or make it myself by boiling a red delicious apple and mashing it).  That can be my apple serving.  Nice!

Tomorrow, I've decided, after I do a bunch of Autumn yardwork (which might make me hungrier, but I'll fight it), I'm going to google HCG recipes, so I can do something different with the food I have.  I don't want it to start tasting boring.  I went grocery shopping last night for the first time in this VLCDays and I faced many a temptation (and smell) and won!  Woo-hoo!  I bought fresh (frozen) white fish (many varieties) in amounts that, once I weigh them and split them into 100g portions, will probably feed me for the rest of my 31 days.  So, I'll prepare them & freeze them like I did with the chicken.  I think I need to buy a steamer.  Oh, and I looked on the food list and found I can have asparagus.  So, I bought at least 10 varieties of fish, 5 huge tomatoes, 4 huge cucumbers and 3 bunches of asparagus at Krogers (not cheap) for ... $41.  That'll feed me for at least a week (the veggies) and a month with the fish.  CRAZY.  I cannot believe how much I used to spend on food.  The money savings is almost as great as the weight-loss.  Almost.

So, before I sign off for the day let me share a fun (you might call it childish, but I call it fun) help that my friend Carrie told me she does.  When she sees a vending machine, she actually scowls at it.  It helps her feel a little control over any urges she might have.  I LOVE that.  So, I did it the 4 times I walked by one yesterday (which is right by the bathroom at work).  It made me smile afterwards and feel like I have power over what I put in my mouth.  Again, you skinny people are thinking, "You always did, Julia," but when you've been fat as long as I have (15 years), it's amazing how fast you feel powerless over food.

And, here's a shout out to my Abbie's Angels (since she was the one that started all of this by looking into it this Spring) ... keep up the great work, girls!