Hi all,
It's been a while since I've posted but I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm doing great. Life after HCG is sweet! I have been maintaining about 6 or 7 pounds over LIW and am very happy with my results. However... since I never quite got down to my goal of 136 I always had it in the back of my mind that I would do another round some day. I was holding out for when I finally got my husband on board to do a round with me. And now it looks like he is actually ready to do one. Don't know when we'll start. Maybe later this month, or maybe we'll wait until after the holidays. The start date will really depend on his schedule and we're looking a when he will have a good three weeks to dedicate to the plan. It would be a short round since he only wants to lose 20 pounds or so and I've just got 10 to lose. So it should be a breeze after losing 58 pounds on my previous three rounds. I'm just hoping that my DH finds it as easy to stick to as I did. And that he doesn't have any unplanned trips to Atlanta that seem to pop up unexpectedly these days. He's taken on a new role in his job and that means more travel. So we have discussed that possibility and he thinks he can manage to stay on protocol somehow if he can't get out of a trip.
So if anyone out there still checks up on me... Stay tuned. And I'll blog about our experiences...
Thanks for being here...
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Life after Protocol
Hi to anyone out here who may still stumble across this blog. I haven't posted in a while because I've been really concentrating on negotiating my final P3 after the HCG protocol. I stopped the protocol just 3 pounds shy of my written goal due to several factors that were indicating to me that my body was done losing abnormal fat. I still think that I may have some lurking around, but I really believe that I needed to end the diet when I did because I wasn't losing anymore and I was experiencing occasional weakness and lightheadedness. So I continued until I had completed 21 effective injections AFTER my last break and then did the 72 hrs of the VLCD and stopped.
I've been enrolled in Biz's P3 bootcamp since then. This is a forum group that Biz monitors where the members who join are all trying to do a successful P3 in order to stabilize their weight on the break from the protocol. Some are planning to do additional rounds and don't want to put on weight that will just have to come off again once they start their new round. And some of us are completely done with the protocol and want to stabilize our new weights so that we can maintain our goal weights for life.
In bootcamp, you fill out a form in which you state you will follow the guidelines of the bootcamp including eating the correct P3 foods, drinking the right amount of water, staying away from sugar, starches, sugar free products and processed foods. You are required to look up your BMR and calculate your proper daily caloric intake and keep within the resulting window. Biz helps you figure out what percentage of fats, carbs and proteins you should be eating. And you have to post your daily menu and your weight each day. Then you can report whether you lost or gained and what you did that may have caused a gain. And if you go over the 2.o above your LIW, what corrective action you have taken.
So all in all, it just helps to keep you accountable to someone and makes you aware of what you're putting into your body. For me, it mean that after so many months of working to reach my goal, I wanted to get serious about maintaining it as well and it was so great having others who were going through the same phase with me. And it was also nice that my daughter and I did our last rounds together and went through boot camp together too.
And after all that long drawn out explanation, I am proud to report that there was only one day during my 21 days of P3 that I was more than 2.0 over my LIW. And I was planning to do an egg day to bring it down but was unable to complete it the same day. But I woke up the next day back within the "legal" range. And I ended P3 at 1.6 over my LIW!
So I'd like to thank those of you who read my blog and supported me during my journey and I hope to be able to continue to check on other people's blogs periodically as well.
Just know that the HCG protocol works. It's a real miracle to have discovered it. And if I can do it... Well, anyone can!
I've been enrolled in Biz's P3 bootcamp since then. This is a forum group that Biz monitors where the members who join are all trying to do a successful P3 in order to stabilize their weight on the break from the protocol. Some are planning to do additional rounds and don't want to put on weight that will just have to come off again once they start their new round. And some of us are completely done with the protocol and want to stabilize our new weights so that we can maintain our goal weights for life.
In bootcamp, you fill out a form in which you state you will follow the guidelines of the bootcamp including eating the correct P3 foods, drinking the right amount of water, staying away from sugar, starches, sugar free products and processed foods. You are required to look up your BMR and calculate your proper daily caloric intake and keep within the resulting window. Biz helps you figure out what percentage of fats, carbs and proteins you should be eating. And you have to post your daily menu and your weight each day. Then you can report whether you lost or gained and what you did that may have caused a gain. And if you go over the 2.o above your LIW, what corrective action you have taken.
So all in all, it just helps to keep you accountable to someone and makes you aware of what you're putting into your body. For me, it mean that after so many months of working to reach my goal, I wanted to get serious about maintaining it as well and it was so great having others who were going through the same phase with me. And it was also nice that my daughter and I did our last rounds together and went through boot camp together too.
And after all that long drawn out explanation, I am proud to report that there was only one day during my 21 days of P3 that I was more than 2.0 over my LIW. And I was planning to do an egg day to bring it down but was unable to complete it the same day. But I woke up the next day back within the "legal" range. And I ended P3 at 1.6 over my LIW!
So I'd like to thank those of you who read my blog and supported me during my journey and I hope to be able to continue to check on other people's blogs periodically as well.
Just know that the HCG protocol works. It's a real miracle to have discovered it. And if I can do it... Well, anyone can!
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
FINAL P3 - DAY # 5 LIW + .6
LIW date (6-24-2008) 139.4
Today's weight 140.0
Okay, so far so good. I'm at day 5 and not too bad. My biggest challenge is that I'm in a training class all week at work and they keep putting out goodies on the table. So far the only thing legal is a small selection of fruit and some mixed nuts. The oatmeal cookies have been calling my name though, so I'm trying to ignore them. I've joined Biz's P3 bootcamp which has been very helpful. I login everyday and check in with my current weight. And I post my previous day's menu by giving my sparkpeople link. I tried both fitday and sparkpeople and decided sparkpeople worked better for me. It's a fun site with a tracker for nutrition, exercise, and your fluid intake, etc. It also has lots of forums for different interests and on your home page, you can put your pictures and keep a daily blog. There is a forum there for HCG dieters so if you want an easy to use forum, I would recommend this. But it's no replacement for the HCG forum where all of our blogger friends are located.
So take care people, I will post pictures as soon as I can get my daughter to take some for me...
-------------------
Mary, don't worry... I'll keep checking on you and will give updates when I can!
Thanks Shelly! I'm so excited to go on to this next phase of my life. I'm loving how I look and feel! I still check on you all the time so please update your blog when you get a chance!
Today's weight 140.0
Okay, so far so good. I'm at day 5 and not too bad. My biggest challenge is that I'm in a training class all week at work and they keep putting out goodies on the table. So far the only thing legal is a small selection of fruit and some mixed nuts. The oatmeal cookies have been calling my name though, so I'm trying to ignore them. I've joined Biz's P3 bootcamp which has been very helpful. I login everyday and check in with my current weight. And I post my previous day's menu by giving my sparkpeople link. I tried both fitday and sparkpeople and decided sparkpeople worked better for me. It's a fun site with a tracker for nutrition, exercise, and your fluid intake, etc. It also has lots of forums for different interests and on your home page, you can put your pictures and keep a daily blog. There is a forum there for HCG dieters so if you want an easy to use forum, I would recommend this. But it's no replacement for the HCG forum where all of our blogger friends are located.
So take care people, I will post pictures as soon as I can get my daughter to take some for me...
-------------------
Mary, don't worry... I'll keep checking on you and will give updates when I can!
Thanks Shelly! I'm so excited to go on to this next phase of my life. I'm loving how I look and feel! I still check on you all the time so please update your blog when you get a chance!
Friday, June 27, 2008
R3-P2- Final 23 Days - DONE and DONE...
R3 P2 Starting weight on 4-7-8 158.2
Tuesday (6-24-2008) was LIW = 139.4
Wednesday's weight 140.0
Yesterday's weight 140.4
Today's weight 139.4
Overnight Loss -1.0 lbs
Today I am exactly at my LIW
Today is my first day of P3. I really felt like saying "Today is the first day of the rest of my life"! LOL! But I resisted... (or maybe I didn't!) This is my final round. I did not make it to my "number" goal of 136, and I thought about extending it to lose a few pounds more, but it seemed like I wasn't losing but gaining so I decided to hang it up. And of course, today I wake up with a one pound loss which puts me back at my LIW! Cool! And I look and feel just fiiiiine! I get compliments daily and people who have never spoken to me before at work are coming up and saying how good I look. One of the hairdressers at my daughter's salon saw me when I came in for a trim on my sassy new haircut and he said "That diet doesn't just make you lose weight, it makes you look younger and prettier every day!" Isn't that just the best compliment? I love male hairdressers because they really notice stuff! LOL!
So I'm off to check in on Biz's P3 bootcamp. If anyone is interested in seeing what that's all about, it's on the HCG forum at this link: http://myhcgjourney.com/forums/
Thanks to everyone for following me in my weight loss adventure. I will continue to post about my stabilization phase but as you can tell, I'm now posting just about every other day instead of daily. It just takes too much time and now that I'm thin and healthy and alive again, I've got a lot of living to do!
-----------------------------
B, you have been such a great source of support for me during the protocol. I appreciate having you as a P2 partner for a while and I wish you the best of luck! Love you girl!
Vic, I thank you for sharing all your valuable lessons and helping me to avoid the pitfalls that you experienced with the end of the protocol. Your tips about continued reshaping is very good news to hear since every little bit helps! Thanks to both you and Bill!
Mary, you have been the most reliable person and I always knew that even if no one else was around, you'd always be here saying something funny or sweet or just plain nice to me. So I thank you so much for that. And good luck to you in making your goals. You can do it!
Love you girl!
Liz, you're making me blush with all those compliments. But I guess I better get used to it huh? LOL! Thanks for your support and I'll be watching your progress too... Good luck with the protocol...
Tuesday (6-24-2008) was LIW = 139.4
Wednesday's weight 140.0
Yesterday's weight 140.4
Today's weight 139.4
Overnight Loss -1.0 lbs
Today I am exactly at my LIW
Today is my first day of P3. I really felt like saying "Today is the first day of the rest of my life"! LOL! But I resisted... (or maybe I didn't!) This is my final round. I did not make it to my "number" goal of 136, and I thought about extending it to lose a few pounds more, but it seemed like I wasn't losing but gaining so I decided to hang it up. And of course, today I wake up with a one pound loss which puts me back at my LIW! Cool! And I look and feel just fiiiiine! I get compliments daily and people who have never spoken to me before at work are coming up and saying how good I look. One of the hairdressers at my daughter's salon saw me when I came in for a trim on my sassy new haircut and he said "That diet doesn't just make you lose weight, it makes you look younger and prettier every day!" Isn't that just the best compliment? I love male hairdressers because they really notice stuff! LOL!
So I'm off to check in on Biz's P3 bootcamp. If anyone is interested in seeing what that's all about, it's on the HCG forum at this link: http://myhcgjourney.com/forums/
Thanks to everyone for following me in my weight loss adventure. I will continue to post about my stabilization phase but as you can tell, I'm now posting just about every other day instead of daily. It just takes too much time and now that I'm thin and healthy and alive again, I've got a lot of living to do!
-----------------------------
B, you have been such a great source of support for me during the protocol. I appreciate having you as a P2 partner for a while and I wish you the best of luck! Love you girl!
Vic, I thank you for sharing all your valuable lessons and helping me to avoid the pitfalls that you experienced with the end of the protocol. Your tips about continued reshaping is very good news to hear since every little bit helps! Thanks to both you and Bill!
Mary, you have been the most reliable person and I always knew that even if no one else was around, you'd always be here saying something funny or sweet or just plain nice to me. So I thank you so much for that. And good luck to you in making your goals. You can do it!
Love you girl!
Liz, you're making me blush with all those compliments. But I guess I better get used to it huh? LOL! Thanks for your support and I'll be watching your progress too... Good luck with the protocol...
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
R3-P2- Final 23 Days - INJ #23/skip day.... Maybe one or two more...
R3 P2 Starting weight on 4-7-8 158.2
Monday's weight 139.4
Yesterday's weight 139.4
Today's weight 140.0
Overnight Gain +.6 lbs
Stalling and gaining... I'm not doing things right...
Probably because of my indecisiveness. I can't decide if I need to keep adding in the 300 calories or if I should stick with the 500. So although I am keeping strictly to P2 food choices (other than boiled eggs) I am continuing to go over the 500 but am not going fully to the 800 either. So I've decided today to be strictly on the 500 calorie diet and as long as I feel NO weakness I will follow the plan. That being said though, I don't intend to sacrifice my health either so if I do feel weak or shaky I will go ahead and up my calories again. But will try to go the full 800 instead of being wishy washy and stopping at 650 or 700 like I have been doing. I think it's really hard to get your head around the fact that you need to increase the calories that high after months of thinking the exact opposite. I've got it programmed into me now. But it's really interesting to note that this is really a direct result of the HCG because when I was on my breaks and the HCG was out of my system, I was able to go to a much higher caloric intake without too much effort. The big difference being that I still craved mostly the healthy types of foods that I have been eating for so long. It was just such a relief to be able to not be so careful about how they were prepared or whether you were mixing veggies or not. And to have cheese and milk and salad dressings and butter... But while I'm still on the HCG, it's hard to increase to 800 for some reason... So I'll just do it one day at a time and if I don't make any progress, I'll just call it quits. I actually skipped an injection today so I could do one tomorrow and Friday if I need to. But I'm still going back and forth about it. I could actually make yesterday be my LIW if I wake up tomorrow with still no loss... So just call me miss ambivalent, or miss crazy can't make up her mind person... Just don't call me late for dinner...
-------------------------
Vic, if I could just make up my mind, I think we'd all be able to rest easy. I'm just using my women's perogative to the extreme right now! LOL!
Well Mary, I guess I can't even make my foray into the new decade stick. I'm just messed up here! But give me one more day and I'll have my decision!
Liz, Thanks... I really hope I make it back to the 130's! LOL! Still sending WARM wishes your way...
Monday's weight 139.4
Yesterday's weight 139.4
Today's weight 140.0
Overnight Gain +.6 lbs
Stalling and gaining... I'm not doing things right...
Probably because of my indecisiveness. I can't decide if I need to keep adding in the 300 calories or if I should stick with the 500. So although I am keeping strictly to P2 food choices (other than boiled eggs) I am continuing to go over the 500 but am not going fully to the 800 either. So I've decided today to be strictly on the 500 calorie diet and as long as I feel NO weakness I will follow the plan. That being said though, I don't intend to sacrifice my health either so if I do feel weak or shaky I will go ahead and up my calories again. But will try to go the full 800 instead of being wishy washy and stopping at 650 or 700 like I have been doing. I think it's really hard to get your head around the fact that you need to increase the calories that high after months of thinking the exact opposite. I've got it programmed into me now. But it's really interesting to note that this is really a direct result of the HCG because when I was on my breaks and the HCG was out of my system, I was able to go to a much higher caloric intake without too much effort. The big difference being that I still craved mostly the healthy types of foods that I have been eating for so long. It was just such a relief to be able to not be so careful about how they were prepared or whether you were mixing veggies or not. And to have cheese and milk and salad dressings and butter... But while I'm still on the HCG, it's hard to increase to 800 for some reason... So I'll just do it one day at a time and if I don't make any progress, I'll just call it quits. I actually skipped an injection today so I could do one tomorrow and Friday if I need to. But I'm still going back and forth about it. I could actually make yesterday be my LIW if I wake up tomorrow with still no loss... So just call me miss ambivalent, or miss crazy can't make up her mind person... Just don't call me late for dinner...
-------------------------
Vic, if I could just make up my mind, I think we'd all be able to rest easy. I'm just using my women's perogative to the extreme right now! LOL!
Well Mary, I guess I can't even make my foray into the new decade stick. I'm just messed up here! But give me one more day and I'll have my decision!
Liz, Thanks... I really hope I make it back to the 130's! LOL! Still sending WARM wishes your way...
Monday, June 23, 2008
R3-P2- Final 23 Days - INJ #22/1 remaining - Into the next decade...
R3 P2 Starting weight on 4-7-8 158.2
Saturday's weight 140.4
Yesterday's weight 140.0
Today's weight 139.4
Overnight loss -.6 lbs
Woo Hoo! I'm in the 130's now, baby! I've been feeling fine and no problems with weakness or hunger. I started adding in 300 extra calories by eating 3 or 4 boiled eggs in addition to the VLCD every day so I'm sure that's what's keeping me going. I have just one more day to make the 21 effective injection days after my last break. I'm debating going through the end of the week though, so I can get a few extra days in. My DD is going to do the P3 boot camp with me and we want to start on the same day, but since she's going to Vegas this weekend and won't be able to actually start boot camp until Monday (although she will be following P3 while she's gone) we figure we can both start together on Monday and this will give me a few more days on injections to see if I can go a little lower on my weight. I'm really trying to pay attention to how my body is feeling and not go overboard with wanting to get to a certain number, but there really is no doubt that I could comfortably go to a lower weight without depleting critical muscle mass. So depending on how I'm feeling, I may do one or two more injections than I originally planned.
-----------------------------------
Thanks Mary, I'm getting so close!
Lili, Thanks for stopping by. It's been a while since I've heard from you and lots has been happening. I am still hanging in there for a few more days and so far so good. I'll have to go check up on you now!
Saturday's weight 140.4
Yesterday's weight 140.0
Today's weight 139.4
Overnight loss -.6 lbs
Woo Hoo! I'm in the 130's now, baby! I've been feeling fine and no problems with weakness or hunger. I started adding in 300 extra calories by eating 3 or 4 boiled eggs in addition to the VLCD every day so I'm sure that's what's keeping me going. I have just one more day to make the 21 effective injection days after my last break. I'm debating going through the end of the week though, so I can get a few extra days in. My DD is going to do the P3 boot camp with me and we want to start on the same day, but since she's going to Vegas this weekend and won't be able to actually start boot camp until Monday (although she will be following P3 while she's gone) we figure we can both start together on Monday and this will give me a few more days on injections to see if I can go a little lower on my weight. I'm really trying to pay attention to how my body is feeling and not go overboard with wanting to get to a certain number, but there really is no doubt that I could comfortably go to a lower weight without depleting critical muscle mass. So depending on how I'm feeling, I may do one or two more injections than I originally planned.
-----------------------------------
Thanks Mary, I'm getting so close!
Lili, Thanks for stopping by. It's been a while since I've heard from you and lots has been happening. I am still hanging in there for a few more days and so far so good. I'll have to go check up on you now!
Saturday, June 21, 2008
R3-P2- Final 23 Days - INJ #20/3 remaining - Will I make it?
R3 P2 Starting weight on 4-7-8 158.2
Thursday's weight 140.8
Yesterday's weight 140.8
Today's weight 140.4
Overnight loss -.4 lbs
I've got 3 injection days left to go and I'm very close to the 130's. I'm wondering if I will make it or not. I have given up on believing I will make it to my "number" goal of 136 so I'm fine with that, but being in the 130's would mean my BMI would be in the 121 range. So that would be good. I've only got .4 to go to get me there so I'm thinking it's quite possible. I have been continuing to add in the extra 3 eggs for additional protein each day and I've been feeling just fine. Makes me wonder if I really needed to do it or maybe for just the one day I wasn't feeling so good. And my weight loss has not improved much although I have lost a little since then. So today, I'm debating whether to add the eggs or not. So I'll let you know tomorrow...
It's just after noon here in AZ and I've had tea and grapefruit so far. And I'm starting to feel hungry so I'll go have a little lunch now. So stay tuned for the next installment!
--------------------------------------------
B, you're lovely! And I'll get some pics as soon as I can!
Victoria, Thank you for your comments on the number thing and the abnormal fat. I do see some fat left, but it's not necessarily a bad thing since I really don't want to be skin and bones. I just haven't seen the sculpting like Jennifer got which made her muscles more defined. But then again, it might be the age thing! I've got a good 20 years on her!
Thanks Mary... I'm doing okay now...
Jenn, It hasn't really hit me yet. I still have the fear that I'm quitting too soon. But the timing is right so I'm sticking to it. And as long as I manage the stabilization phase the way I want to I WON'T be doing another round in the future. Although I hope someday to get my husband on the program and then I'll have to post about HIM! LOL!
Thursday's weight 140.8
Yesterday's weight 140.8
Today's weight 140.4
Overnight loss -.4 lbs
I've got 3 injection days left to go and I'm very close to the 130's. I'm wondering if I will make it or not. I have given up on believing I will make it to my "number" goal of 136 so I'm fine with that, but being in the 130's would mean my BMI would be in the 121 range. So that would be good. I've only got .4 to go to get me there so I'm thinking it's quite possible. I have been continuing to add in the extra 3 eggs for additional protein each day and I've been feeling just fine. Makes me wonder if I really needed to do it or maybe for just the one day I wasn't feeling so good. And my weight loss has not improved much although I have lost a little since then. So today, I'm debating whether to add the eggs or not. So I'll let you know tomorrow...
It's just after noon here in AZ and I've had tea and grapefruit so far. And I'm starting to feel hungry so I'll go have a little lunch now. So stay tuned for the next installment!
--------------------------------------------
B, you're lovely! And I'll get some pics as soon as I can!
Victoria, Thank you for your comments on the number thing and the abnormal fat. I do see some fat left, but it's not necessarily a bad thing since I really don't want to be skin and bones. I just haven't seen the sculpting like Jennifer got which made her muscles more defined. But then again, it might be the age thing! I've got a good 20 years on her!
Thanks Mary... I'm doing okay now...
Jenn, It hasn't really hit me yet. I still have the fear that I'm quitting too soon. But the timing is right so I'm sticking to it. And as long as I manage the stabilization phase the way I want to I WON'T be doing another round in the future. Although I hope someday to get my husband on the program and then I'll have to post about HIM! LOL!
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