Day 5 vlcd: +0.8lbs (-2.6 lbs total), 160

OK, so after 4 days, I've lost 2.6 pounds.  That is NOT good.  It's because of my cheat, for sure, so today I've been ON POINT.    Melba toasts, 2, check.  100 grams of lean ground beef, with lettuce salad, check.  One orange, check.  1.75 liters water so far, check.  1 tbsp milk in my coffee, check.    NO deviations.   I have an apple or orange, another 100 grams of beef, and another lettuce salad to look forward to tonight.  Maybe I should take an epsom salt bath as well....I think I'm probably detoxing in this first week, I hope.   I've been sleepy, cranky, hungry, low-energy.   But, every day does have its moments, both good and bad.   I'm still doing this.

Noooooooooooooooo! Cheated.

....yeah, I cheated at 10:00 at night, I could've just gone to bed but NO!!!!!!!!!!!
My boyfriend made this black quinoa w/ carrots, onions, marinara, some olive oil, chicken, and a little red wine.   I ate approximately 3/4 of a cup of this.   I had a tough evening so I'm not totally surprised.  OK so let's just move forward here...

Day 4 vlcd: -0.6lbs (-3.4lbs total), 159.2

So that's 3.4 pounds lost in 3 days.   That's actually not bad at all.   This is hard work for the results, so I really want to wake up one morning and see like a 6-lb-in-one-day loss, and then look in the mirror and suddenly I've magically transformed into a Victoria's Secret model, but um I guess that's not very realistic thinking lol.   Well, at least I'm taking the steps to get there....into VicSecMod-world, lol...hey, I just want to get close enough to knock on the door. :)

Day 3 vlcd: -1lb (-2.8lbs total), 159.8

Cool, another loss.  Remember, I'm not gonna have the same losses as others right now, mainly because of my botched first-week.   I'm telling myself this so I don't get disappointed!  This IS a difficult diet; I slept for at least 12 hours last night and can sleep some more.  Had dreams last night that I was on some sort of halucingenic drug that kept my awareness extremely blurred and groggy, and I had no strength....I kept waking up in the middle of it & remembering that I actually DONT have any strength or energy, lol.    I know that this stage will pass.    Just had my orange and my chicken, and am looking forward to a lemonade soda later made w/ mineral water, lemon juice, and stevia.

Day 2 vlcd: -1.8lbs, 160.8

A loss.  YAY!   About to make my tea...man, it's hard to not have my coffee w/ milk in the morning...one tablespoon of milk just doesn't cut it.   Breakfast:  Tea, lots of water.
1:55pm
Today has been difficult.  I'm not so much HUNGRY as I am just wanting to do something pleasurable that will lift my spirits.  I'm stuck at work and can't really concentrate on doing anything other than being obsessed with my diet, other peoples' diets, reading the yahoo boards, adding up my calories, drinking my water, etc., etc., etc.   Basically driving myself crazy.  Poured more than a tablespoon of whole milk into my coffee just out of habit...had half the coffee then tossed the rest.  Thinking about eating those spinach leaves....
alright this is enough. I'm outta here, see ya tomorrow!

Day 1 vlcd Starting Weight: 162.6 and I made it through my first VLCD day!

Man, today was the day from HELL, had a meltdown at work, not working well w/ my boss, so I had to take a personal day, so I've had stress...but I DID manage to get through my first official VLCD day 1 so ALL IS WELL.

Weighed this morning on my BEAUTIFUL new scale:  162.6 is my starting weight.

I know I may not have losses until after VLCD day 3 because of my last week's errors, but I almost don't care, because  DAY 1 is DONE!

And what's cool is that I stopped having hunger issues 2 days ago -- I guess the drops are doing their job!  Hope hope!

The week was a wash. Tomorrow is VLCD day 1.

Sorry to report that my first week went terribly but I'm trying to get on track again. Here's how it went:

1. Had no scale so no starting weight, then
2. Took 3 loading days instead of 2, as my time of the month arrived on a start-day.

**VLCD day 1 perfect, 500 calories
**VLCD day 2 I caved in:  1600
**VLCD day 3 I was eating normal food but not much, 1300 calories
**VLCD day 4 would be today....I'm at 1100.  

I finally got my scale in the mail so basically I can "re-start" tomorrow with an actual *starting weight*.

Stayed on my hccg drops the whole time.

I was told by someone on the forum that I should just use tomorrow as my VLCD day 1 and use that weight.  But I can tell I'm retaining water BIG TIME.  I feel like a large bloated waterbottle.

Screwed it up, must restart. Guess I was in too much of a hurry!

Well, so much for that.  I got through the first day but the second was a wash, I was sooooooooo hungry, on my period, and just threw it away so to speak w/ a coffee and a giant muffin after a harrowing morning.   I believe I may have been too enthusiastic about this, I should have waited until my period was over, and until my scales came in the mail. 

I'm going to call it a false start.  My scales come today (hope hope!) and then we can do it RIGHT.   


VLCD DAY 2.... ok, I am really hungry. This is not fun.

Having second thoughts about this whole diet right now...I'm really hungry, and the drops are not helping with that.   Don't have my scale yet so I can't weigh-in, ugh.   Still getting the period so that can't be helping still.  

Man, all I want is a large coffee and a muffin.  

I guess I'd better put my chicken in the oven & hope I get my scale tomorrow.   

:(

VLCD day 1....I AM VERY HUNGRY.

Ok so this morning I felt GREAT!  ...and I wish I could remember what that exactly felt like, because I am VERY HUNGRY right now and only want to go to bed to escape it.  I hope tomorrow is better...I don't know what I can do to make this easier but maybe it will just get easier.   My scale is supposed to be here on Tuesday the 22nd, and I am right in the middle of my period which I'm sure is not helping anything.   Hope tomorrow is better.

I took a 3rd loading day AND am getting the T.O.M.

OK, I was feeling sick and horribly hormonal and edgy this morning and after a cup of tea w/ stevia in it, which tasted not so good, I was remembering that some people were talking about taking 3 days of loading when using the hhcg.  So, I decided to do it...because I was feeling sick & crampy & depressed & anxious.   It helped to eat something....now I have to start the VLCD tomorrow.  So, tomorrow is the first day.

Loading Day #2 and SURPRISE! T.O.M. is coming!

Loading:  its not easy to do.  And I do think the drops are working, because I'm noticing this light-headed wierd dizzy feeling that creeps up every now and again, accompanied by a *very slight* headache.  Also, I'm spotting today which means the T.O.M. will be here in several days, *and* my scale is due to come in the mail on Tuesday, Feb 22.  I've decided to weigh & measure myself on the 8th day of the VLCD (after one full week on). 

Had this horrible combative interaction on the HCGdiet board at yahoo...yeesh.  Either it's me who is all temperamental because of my approaching T.O.M. and/or the full moon, or my communication style evokes reactionary defensiveness.  Or, all of the above!!  Ah well, I explained myself enough, time to move on w/ things.   

Made an executive decision: Scale or no scale, I START TODAY

UPDATE:  3/3/11:  THIS WAS A MISTAKE. Do not rush into doing this diet.  Make sure you have everything you need and that you understand exactly what you're going to do.  Otherwise you'll waste your time and efforts like I did--as well as frustrate your first week's losses.   It's not worth it to be unprepared.


Ok, so here we go, I'm just going to plow forward whether I have a scale or not; this is because my scale hasn't arrived yet in the mail!  So, I'm just gonna have to literally skip right over the whole "Loading Gain - First VLCD day loss" dramatics & just go with my last recorded WW weigh-in weight, with a "one-week-on-the-diet"-1st weigh-in.    I dont' WANT to do this, but I want to get started this badly. 

Here's my starting measurements pic. 
Please excuse the um socks.

I figure that I'm ultimately trying to lose weight, so I can sacrifice those first few weigh-in numbers for the long-term gain of being thinner; so as long as I'm losing, then I'm going in the right direction.  My last recorded weight was 161.2 and that was 12 days ago (I skipped the most recent weigh-in; usually you weigh-in once a week).   I overate during that skipped weigh-in, so I'm guesstimating that I ultimately weigh about 162.  So let's just simplify this whole first week  (since I kind of HAVE to):  starting weight: 162.   Started the drops this morning, I'm starting w/ 6 drops 3 times a day.  Took my starting measurements.  That makes today Loading Day 1.  Now to set my iPhone alarm to alert me 3 times a day to take the drops. 

Starting Measurements:
upper arm = 13.5"
bust = 40"
chest = 34.5"
waist = 34"
hips = 41.5"
upper thigh = 25.5"
calf = 14"

My drops are here!!!

Wow, I ordered them on Monday and they are here (Wednesday)!!!   Well I guess I'll be starting sooner than I thought...except for that I don't have my scales yet.   I probably should HAVE those, at least a starting weight, while I'm doing the loading days.  Tonight I'll read every last thing that I can in order to get myself ready, and then I'll decide if I'm starting tomorrow or Friday.   I suppose I could go to WW and weigh-in w/ their scales to get my starting weight....I'll check & see if there's a place I can go....wait, wait, there's scales at my GYM.  This means I'll have to get there early before work each day until I get my scales.  hmmm....well I'll decide that later tonight.

Anticipation...

OK so my HHCG got shipped on Feb 15, and they said it would be 2-3 business days.   I was going to wait for the scale and the food scale to arrive before I officially started, but I'm too excited!  so I'm thinking my first day might be Saturday (Feb 19th).   We'll see though.  Stoked!!

Decision made, steps have been taken.

I bought the HHCG and you can't return it, so here we go. 

OK wait....if that sounds a little negative, let me fill in the blanks. 
I bought it *after* I heard that it worked as well as the Rx HCG, and it was cheaper, and after I'd decided that I really didn't feel like buying all the stuff you need in order to deal with the Rx HCG.  Didn't want to have to inject myself either. 

So of course I bought the homeopathic stuff based on many thumbs-ups I received from some protocol veterans.   I'm all stoked because I DID IT!! I BOUGHT IT!  

THEN I googled "homeopathy" and "how homeopathy works".   I clicked on one of the links given to me.  It takes me to a page that says only "It doesn't." 

Great.  I research a bit more and after reading a myriad of conflicting assertions about homeopathy in general, I figured I bought stuff that wouldn't work & got buyer's remorse!  But apparently it has worked for many many people, and *not* from a simple placebo effect; and since I can't return it (whoops!), I'm just gonna go for it & figure that it'll work.  Why not?

OK so since I'm going to DO this, I've taken some steps to get me going in that direction.

• Killed my membership at Weight Watchers.
• Bought a good bathroom scale.
• Bought a good kitchen / food scale.
• Joined that yahoo group that everyone keeps talking about.  Been reading the posts for a couple of weeks now.

Guess I'll have to post beginning pics at some point, w/ out my head or other distinguishing characteristics that make me ME.   I hate when people don't post pics, but I also don't want to be um . . . on the internet in my undies!!!  At this weight!!   Oh well, let's get started.

I will receive my HHCG in the mail hopefully by Friday, so let's see what happens.