R3P3D1/21 -- I caved & I paid for it!

May 31, 2012

Round 3, Phase 3 (Proteins) Day 1/21

Well, I caved last night.  It was my last meal in P2, I was 0.7 pounds BELOW Last Dosage Weight (LDW = the last day of drops).  I had 12 hours left until I was safely in P3.  What did I do?  I ate yogurt, black olives, a bunless hamburger, 2 devilled eggs and a chocolate delite with peanut butter in the middle.  Uh huh.  I binged.  On P3 food of all things.  And, I gained this morning.  I'm still 1 pound within the window (so I'm exactly 1 pound away from needing to correct), so today, I'm proteining (I know that's not a verb) it up.  Let's see what tomorrow brings.

But, over all, I'm okay with it.  I have still lost 75 pounds, and this is all part of that thing that most people do in HCG -- we count the seconds until P3 or P4 or whatever Phase we are going into.  And sometimes, we round up.  When we shouldn't.  So the scale follows suit.  But, if that 10 days of planned break taught me anything, it's that I have the tools and the ability to correct and not have a problem in the long run. 

I measured myself this morning, which I always do when I end P2.  Here's how I have changed since May 2 when I started my planned break and finished the 1st half of R3P2 ... (and since the beginning on October 17):

Waist --------> 2 inches since May 2 &12.25 inches since October 17
Stomach ----> 2.5 inches since May 2 &12.00 inches since October 17
Hips ----------> 1.25 inches since May 2 &15.50 inches since October 17
Rear ----------> 2.5 inches since May 2 & 11.75 inches since October 17

I measured a lot of other areas too, but I've probably already shared enough.  Still, I was STUNNED.  Best loss yet.  To see right in front of me the proof in numbers that I'm shrinking was great.  I still have a long way to go, but to see double digits of inches lost is a major encouragement!

So, here's to tomorrow, and actually TONIGHT (dinner seems to be a trouble area) and staying busy and NOT giving into the urge to eat too much of a good (protein) thing!

Oh, and here I am last night with my MONSTER hat on, towering in my 5'8" frame over two of my 5' tall HCG buddies (Carrie, on the left of the picture, who overcame her heart troubles from January, and Amy, on the right).  We were celebrating Megan (Carrie's neice, Amy's daughter, my friend's) 22nd birthday with a tea party.  We decided to get a pic of the weight-loss buddies together.  I swear, that hat could have its own zip code, but it was fun to wear!

R3P2D42/42 -- Yes, I'm done (as of midnight tonight) with Round 3, Phase 2!

May 30, 2012

Round 3, Phase 2 (Very Low Calorie) Day 42/42

No, you didn't read that wrong.  I'm going to P3 tomorrow instead of Friday.  Why?  Not because I caved, but because, when I weighed myself yesterday morning, my weight was exactly the same as Monday morning.  Since the aim of Phase 3 (proteins) is to stabilize (stay within 2 pounds up or down of your Last Dosage Weight), I figured, "Why prolong this?  If I don't take drops today and start P3 a day earlier, I'll start ahead one day stabilized!"  So, I just didn't take my drops.  Instead of white knuckling it, why not start on a good note.  This morning, I was down 0.7 pounds.  So, while my Last Dosage Weight (LDW) from Monday (the last day I took my drops) was in the decade I wanted to be in, as of this morning, I'm a little over a half a pound beneath LDW.  And, that's okay with me!  I know enough about this process by now to know that, when I start eating P3 tomorrow, the scale will go up a bit, as my body reacts to yummy things like eggs and cottage cheese and greek yogurt and bacon and (dare I say it) crumpets.  Okay, I'll hold off on the crumpets until the 3rd and last week of P3 (the week of June 17).  Maybe.  But, for all I know, my body will stabilize (meaning, not go above 2 pounds up from my weight on Monday) within a week and I'll be "a-crumpetting" every morning again.  Mmmmmm ... crumpets.  (Yes, I'm aware that I sound like Homer Simpson with donuts).

So, as of this morning, I've lost 76.8 pounds since October 17.  That means, on average, I've lost about 25 pounds each Round in Phase 2 (the "losing" Phase).  That's fine by me.  If I lose that same amount in Round 4 and Round 5, I won't quite be where I want to be, but I'll be within the final 10 pounds of my goal weight.  And, at that point, since the last 10 pounds are a killer to get off, I might just do proteins and exercise and no drops and see what that gets me.  But, I'm not worried about it.

This morning, I put on a dress that I've never worn and it fits perfectly.  I'm stunned, but happy.  If I can figure out a way to take my own full length picture, I will.  Not that I think I'm all that to look at, but because, when I did the photo memorial last Friday, I thought, "Boy, I wish I had more full-length pictures to compare to.  Since I'm just a touch above 1/2 way to my goal, I think in Round 4 and Round 5, I'll want to see my full-length shots right now.  See, that's the problem with being overweight/obese for so many years.  I "hide" from my weight-loss by not keeping any unflattering (which would be about 99% of the) pictures I get taken of me.  For any of you who have been around a child who is about ready to be potty trained, it's somewhat like that.  You know how they will run into a corner and cover their faces when they poop?  "Stop looking at me!" they will say.  They are hiding in plain sight.  But, if they cover THEIR faces, they think we can't see them.  Well, that's what I've been like, "covering" my body for so many years, by not having evidence.  Didn't work out very well for me, huh?

Well, I better get back to work.  Which is going about 33% better than before.  Maybe even 38.76425% better.  Maybe.  So, thanks for your prayers.

R3P2D40/43 - Home stretch

May 28, 2012

Round 3, Phase 2, Day 40/43

Happy Memorial Day, everyone!  I thought I'd take a moment to write about my progress, since I've hit a milestone (2 actually) this morning.

I am in a new decade, and I have surpassed (by 0.4 of a pound) my lowest WW weight (from August 2001), that I only stayed at for one day.  Lord willing, I'll only stay at this weight for one day too --- I'm praying I drop more by tomorrow (another 60, no, but maybe a pound) so I can be solidly into this decade for my Last Dosage Weight (LDW) that will be tomorrow.  That's the weight I need to stay within 2 pounds of (poor grammar, but I'm in a hurry) all through all 3 weeks of Phase 3 (Proteins) and the 4 weeks of Phase 4 (eat what I want in moderation).  I'd like to be 1.4 pounds lower so it's a nice round number, and so even if I go up (right to the 2 pound mark), I'll still be in this decade.  But, regardless, I'm smaller, I feel great, and I'm encouraged.  All VERY good things.

So, here's my schedule, for those of you who I will see this summer.  I know all of this Round and Pound and Phase thing might be confusing, so I hope this helps.

Today (May 28) - Thursday (May 31)

Round 3, Phase 2 (Very Low Calorie food)

Friday (June 1) - Thursday (June 21)

Round 3, Phase 3 (Proteins only)

Friday (June 22) - Thursday (July 19)

Round 3, Phase 4 (Eat mostly proteins, but I can have carbs, in moderation)

Friday (July 20) - Sunday (July 22)

Round 4, Phase 1 (Loading)

Monday (July 23) - Thursday (August 23)

Round 4, Phase 2 (Very Low Calorie food)

Friday (August 24) - Thursday (September 13)

Round 4, Phase 3 (Proteins only)

Friday (September 14) - Friday (December 28)

Round 4, Phase 4 (Eat mostly proteins, but I can have carbs, in moderation)

October 17, 2012 -- 1 year doing HCG, and, Lord-willing, 100 pounds down!

Sunday (December 30) - Tuesday (January 1)

Round 5, Phase 1 (Loading)

Wednesday (January 2) - Sunday (February 10)

Round 5, Phase 2 (Very Low Calorie food)

Monday (February 11) - Sunday (March 3)

Round 5, Phase 3 (Proteins only)

Lifetime (Lord-willing, I will have reached my goal -- if not, I'll take a break until after Easter)

Round 5, Phase 4 (Eat mostly proteins, but I can have carbs, in moderation)

So, that's my HCG map for the next 9+ months.  I've tried to plan around business trips, major holidays, birthdays (as much as I can).  So, as far as I'm concerned, that plan looks entirely do-able.  :-)

Oh, and I should mention.  I went swimming for this first time this year on Saturday.  All of my old swimsuits didn't fit anymore, so I bought one.  As I stood in the dressing room, trying on a swimsuit that was 5 sizes smaller than last year (and it FIT!), I have never, in my life, been so happy in a dressing room.  You'd think I was trying on my wedding dress.  So, yesterday, I tried on clothes from my closet, and once again, found that the clothes were too big (many of them).  Some I had bought on MAJOR discount in December (and several sizes smaller than what I was wearing them) fit, or almost fit.  Hip hip hooray!  Wait, should I use the word hip when I'm talking about something being smaller?  ;-)

R3P2D37/43 -- Photo Flashback

May 25, 2012

Round 3 (R3), Phase 2 (P2) Very Low Calorie Day (VLCD) 37 of 43

Since it's almost Memorial Day weekend, I thought I'd spend this blog "memorializing" my old weight.  "Uh, why?" you may ask.  Because it's encouraging to remember the old weight and how I'm shrinking ... I actually am.  That's nice.  And, it's helpful when, like this morning, the scale goes up an entire pound when I didn't do anything "off protocol." 

Now, keep in mind ... I am not sharing these pictures because I thought I was or am anything spectacular.  Just that it is a journal of my progress, so why not have some pics every now and then.  Sometimes, they are worth a thousand words.

1994, Summer

This is me, at my smallest adult weight.  It's during (what I unaffectionately call) "my bar days."  18 months of dancing every night, drinking, smoking (yep, I know) and hardly eating anything during the day, except for iced tea and whoppers.  Yes, I loved junk food all of my life.  I'm right there in the middle to the left of the guy in the red/blue flannel. 

Maybe you can see me better here (sorry, Mom, I know you probably don't like seeing these pictures).  I only show them because THAT'S the weight I want to beat.  I have 63.4 pounds to lose to surpass that time in my life.  It's the only thing about that time that I enjoy.  It's right before I started back to Bradley after realizing, "I do NOT want this life."  Little did I know, then, that the only thing from that life I wanted was my body size (not my eating/life habits).

  

2003 (Summer)
Here is a grainy picture of me (with my friend Kate and my sister) around the time I lost 30 pounds on my 2nd round of Weight Watchers.  I think I was right around what I weigh now.:

July 27, 2005
Not my highest weight, but close.  I'm at a work farewell function -- notice, I'm hiding behind the table?  That's a major technique of the obese.  We think we can hide people people or things and the picture will turn out okay.  

July 14, 2011
Here's a rare torso shot from last year.  I'm at the Harry Potter 8th movie premiere (hence the shirt & the HP glasses.  I believe this was my highest weight.  I hovered here for several years, so give or take a few pounds, this is my highest.  

November 19, 2011
Here I am (after Round 1 Phase 2 just ended) with my friend JoEllen's Dad (at her daughter's wedding).  Man, when I saw these pictures, I couldn't believe how big I still was.  I'm happy to say, this dress fits me like a tent now (30 pounds off of my highest weight):

May 8, 2012 (not May 14, 2008, as the photo says)
Here I am on my planned break (almost at the end of Round 3 Phase 2) with my Gram on her 98th birthday.   In these photos, I am 66 pounds down.  Still a long way to go (almost 1/2 way there).  Still big.  Still obese.  Getting smaller little by little.

Head Shot Comparisons

August 3, 2011
Pretty much, my highest weight.  About 2 weeks later, I started investigating hHCG.  I started hHCG on October 17, 2011.

 

December 27, 2011
Here I am almost ready to start Round 2 (I was just finishing up R1P4) at 33 pounds off. 

March 31, 2012

Here I am almost ready to start Round 3 (I was just finishing up R2P4) at 51 pounds off.  

May 24, 2012

Here I am last night, almost done with R3 P2, down 74 pounds.  I'm almost done with Round 3.  I wish now that I had taken a true before and after.  But, oh well.  I realize this isn't a full body or upper torso picture, but, I think my face looks a little different.  Maybe it's the lighting.



So, I'm moving into the last week of P2 in R3.  By this time next week, I'll be in the protein (P3) phase.  I've been thinking I should go into it now, since it's cookout season with Memorial Day weekend, but nah.  I'll stick it out.  Why not see where my Last Dosage Weight (LDW) day (next Tuesday) takes me on the scale.  Then, I'll ride out Wednesday and Thursday without the hHCG drops and go into P3 the way I should -- living up to my promise to myself.  Honestly, if I quit now (which, for a moment on the scale this morning, I thought, "Okay, you're up a pound, quit now"), I'll only be 2.4 pounds lower than I was when I was SUPPOSED to end P2 on May 1.  All of this work for only 2.4 pounds?  No thanks.  If you'll remember, I did the Planned Break (my first, and hopefully last) the week I was on vacation (Gram's b-day, Mom's day, etc.) so I could get back to it and end P2 with more weight loss than my short little 23 day Round gave me.  Well, I gained a chunk (pun intended) in that break (which is normal, because on a break, you can't stabilize like you do normally), and all of the success (most of it) that I've had so far has been to get that weight off.  And, off it came.  I'm praising God for that!  And then, a little more came off.  But, not where I want to be.  I'm really wanting to drop 2.5 more pounds (at the least) to get me into that "old" decade where I haven't been since August 2001.  Come on new decade!

Fortunately, in the last week alone, I've had many non-scale victories.  For example, I drove my friend Linda and her Mom to Wisconsin (taking her Mom home after a week with Linda and the fam) on Sunday -- all day -- and was around some of my triggers (I LOVE road trip food).  I didn't mind.  Yes, every once in a while on the trip, I'd think about something that I'd love to eat (all of that greasy truck stop stuff), like a Whopper (a staple on a road trip), or ice cream, etc.  But, I resisted.  I drank a TON of liquid (some diet soda, I'll admit), but I made it.  First time in my life.  I even packed my own lunch and dinner.  All good.

Another non-scale victory came last night.  My Dad and step-Mom wanted me to come to a later dinner with them after his choir concert was done.  We went to Applebee's and had a lovely time.  It was 10 pm, I drank about 4 diet cokes (probably attributed to my 1 pound weight gain because of the sodium), and I don't care!  I didn't eat anything, and I was happy about it.

And, another -- 4 (count them, FOUR) instances at work this week of fritters/donuts, strawberry shortcake, sandwiches and caramels being put around me, and 2 (yes TWO) lunch invites with the large team to places like Buffalo Wild Wings, etc.  Guess who passed up all of those?  Yep, you know who.

So, at this point, I don't care what the scale says.  I'm changing from the inside out.  And that rocks.  Thank you, Lord!

R3P2D30/43 -- Made up for losses!

May 18, 2012

Round 3, Phase 2 (Very Low Calorie) Day 30/43

I'm on a very short break from a Leadership training class, so I wanted to blog for the weekend.  As of this morning, I'm 0.3 pounds away from my HCG all time low (from May 3).  I've also lost all of the "planned break" weight I gained and am solidly under my LDW from May 1.  Great!  5 days on, and that 10 pounds is off.  That'll show me to plan a break.  Just kidding.  It was the right thing to do, so I could start up again.  Otherwise, I would have been higher in weight than I am today through most of the summer.  This way, I have the opportunity to lose maybe another 10 pounds, then go solidly into P3 and stabilize (proteins only) so I won't gain in P4 in July (eat what I want in moderation).

So, since Monday, I have lost 10.3 pounds.  I would like to lose another 13 in 13 days, but that may not be doable.  I realize the 3.5, 3.5, 1.8 and 1.5 loss that I've had on the scale Tuesday - Friday morning this week is just my body getting back to what it was.  But, if I can lose 13 pounds in the rest of my time, I will be out of this decade (10 pounds of weight) and almost out of the next decade (10 pounds).  I'll be lower than I've been since 1996.

Awesome.

Happy weekend, everyone.  Back to the grind (just kidding) of Leadership Learning!

R3P2D30/43 -- Back down to LDW

May 17, 2012

Round 3, Phase 2, Day 30 of 43

I lost another 1.8 pounds overnight, bringing me within 0.1 pound away from my Last Dosage Weight from May 1.  Good.  I've almost erased my "planned break" gains.  I have exactly 4 pounds to go to get into a new decade.  Perhaps, with God's help, I can be there by Monday or Tuesday next week.  Then, it'll be a "race" (with myself) to see if I can get to the bottom of that decade (which I'm praying and will be thrilled if I do) before the end of this Round (last day is May 31).

I'm in all day training (Leadership training) for work tomorrow, and I'm prepared.  I'm packing my lunch, just like I do every day.  If the weather is nice, I'm going to sit out in my car on lunch, with the windows down, and munch away.  That way, I won't have people looking funnily at me about my food choices (fish in a baggie, an apple, a tomato and a grissini).

I've been eating spinach (cooked in a frying pan in a little coconut oil) every night as my veggie, and let me tell you ... YUM!  I'm not a big fan of raw, dried spinach (I like my food wet, thank you very much), so that, with my chicken and an apple (and grissini) makes for a very satisfying dinner.  I'm quite happy about that.  I wonder if cabbage "fried" in coconut oil would be good too?  Hmmm ... maybe I'll try that when I'm bored to tears with spinach.  I am pretty bored with tomatoes, after almost 3 Rounds eating them at at least 1 meal.  I got sick of cucumbers (never thought THAT would happen) in the middle of Round 2.  Maybe I'll finish out this Round with tomatoes, and then, in Round 4 (of hopefully 5), I can introduce in something else.  We'll see.  I don't like radishes (at least how I've cooked them), but I think I could have onions in coconut oil.  That would be yummy, but I'd be stinky.  No gum or mouthwash in P2, so maybe I should steer clear of onions.  ;-)

So, that's all for now.  I hope you are doing well!

R3P2D28/43 -- Let's try this again ...

May 16, 2012

Round 3, Phase 2 (Very Low Calorie) Day 28 (or is it 3?) of 43 (or is it 18?)

Yep, I've started back up after over a week of a planned break.  You know what happened?  I didn't bother stabilizing, I didn't go hog wild and I DIDN'T maintain.  I gained.  Up a bunch (almost 11 pounds).  That's what happens when you don't ease into Phase 3 (proteins).  When you jump in with both feet (lots of meat, cheese, peanut butter, etc.), it's easy to gain. 

So, I learned a lot of things that week.

1) Don't do a planned break for "fun" -- do it only when I have to (emergency, work trip, etc.).
2) Ease in, no matter what (slowly reintroduce foods like nuts)
3) I didn't go completely hog wild
4) I didn't need to load again (which I did, slightly, on Saturday and Sunday, May 12 - 13)
5) The weight drops back off

I like #5 the best.  Because, my first 2 weigh-ins after being back in P2 (yesterday and this morning) have me down 7 pounds exactly of the almost 11 I went up from my lowest weight (2 days after Last Dosage Weight).  I'm 1.9 above LDW today, and I'm 3.6 above the lowest I got (the day before my Planned break, and 2 days after LDW).  So, I'm getting there.  The planned break will put me back only a 1/2 a week or so (Lord-willing), so I'm okay with that.

I'm going to be P2-ing it until May 31.  I will be in P3 on Friday, June 1.  And, I'll be easing in, thank you very much.  I'll be in P3 for most of June (through June 21), and then, I'll be in P4 (eating in moderation) until July 21, when I load again (R4P1).  Back on P2 the rest of July and most of August.  Not bad.  I'm hoping I can get down another 15 pounds (from where I am today), bringing me to a total of 32 pounds off in a 43 Day Round 3.  We'll see.  If I can get to that, it'll mean I've moved out of (and thanks to the planned break, back into, but right back out of) 3 decades in this round.  Hallelujah!  Even if I don't, I've moved out of two decades and into a third already.  I'm pleased with that.  I'd like to lose these last 6.8 pounds.  Why? 

Wait for it ...

Because I will be in a new decade that I have not seen since 2001 (August 27 to be exact), AND, on my way solidly into the onederlands (100s) for R4.

WOO HOO!

R3P3D1 - Who's got 2 thumbs & is done with R3P3 & is almost on vacation?

May 4, 2012

Round 3, Phase 3 (proteins), Day 1/8

No, you didn't read that wrong.  I'm doing 8 days of P3.  Huh, you may say?  Why isn't she doing the required 21 days?  Let me tell you.

I decided I'm not done with P2.  Well, sort of.

I am taking my first ever "planned break."  Why?  Because I'm not satisfied with "only" losing 20 pounds in a Round.  I want to lose more.  But, I also am taking vacation (starting at 4 pm today) so I can spend it with my Gram on her 98th birthday (on Tuesday), with my friend whose husband will be in Chicago on a business trip all week and with my friend who is having surgery on Wednesday. 

So, what does that mean?

Well, HCG has it built in that sometimes, you need a planned break.  So, if I have this right, since I stopped taking the drops 3 days ago (to get ready for P3), I will eat as close to P3 (proteins) as possible while on the break, still weigh myself every day, and then, 2 days before starting back up, start taking the drops and "load" again.  I will only need to load for 2 days, since, for a lot of people, they go gang busters during the planned break.  I'm not going to.  I'm going to eat P3.  Well, maybe I'll have a crumpet.  But, anyway, I'm going to get back into it on May 14.  So, I'll load on Mother's Day weekend (can anyone say KFC?).  Perfect.  And, I'll get to lose more than 20 pounds.  I want to start swim suit season down almost 85 pounds (putting me at close to 60% towards my goal).  Not that I'll look good in a swimsuit, but I'll definitely be down lower than my lowest weight since 2001.  And THAT makes me smile.

So, here I go ... off for vacatoin (in 3 hours) and into P3 country, until Monday, May 14.  I hope and pray that I will continue to have success.  I'm really wanting to drop another size (I feel like I only dropped about 1/2 a size this time.  I did measure myself this morning (last time was February 19 when I was in R2P3) and lost 5 inches (FIVE INCHES) from my hips.  That rocked.  The other big hitter was 3.5 inches from my waist.  Of course, that stupid tummy thing only lost 0.75 inches.  But, a loss is a loss!  I also lost 1.25 inches from my double chin.  I've almost got a single chin.  WOW!

Anyway, I've gotta go to a meeting.  Off I go ...

R3P2D23/24 - One day left!

May 2, 2012

Round 3, Phase 2 (Very Low Calorie) Day 23/24

Happy 97th birthday to my Grandpa Chuck (Dad's Dad)!

Well, I've lost a total of 71.8 pounds as of this morning's weigh-in.  I think yesterday was my last dosage weight (at 70.7), but I'd really like to take today's weight as my LDW.  We'll see how P3 (proteins) pans out.  I start it on Friday.  So, by the time you're reading this, it will be my last day in R3P2.  I'm ready to be done.  While I wanted to lose 26 pounds in 24 days (a girl can dream!), I am happy with 20 pounds (and several ounces) in 23 days.

I have finished 2 days officially full-time on my new job.  I think that means I have 1,093 left (if I make it to 3 years on the job).  Technically, I'm half way through the first week, so that means 155.5 weeks left, instead of 156 weeks.  Bite size pieces, Julia.  Bite size pieces.  :-)

I guess I have entered a time of transformation for my life, inside and out.  Through this HCG "thing," I'm transforming the way I look on the outside, and thanks to this job, I'm being transformed (by God) inside.  I'm grateful for that transformation.  I'm praying that God will use it in my life, and, if He wants, in the lives of others for good.

So, tomorrow's the "it" day for me with VLCD food.  I'm ready to move into green/red/yellow/orange peppers with laughing cow french onion cheese in them.  MMMMMM, yum.  I'll hold off on the crumpets (but you can bet your bippy I've stocked up on them) and Devonshire Clotted Cream and jam until the end of P3.  But, I'm having it.  Oh yah!

Tomorrow, I have to be at work at 7, so I better wrap this up.  God's peace be with you!