Maintenance: Week One

Our first week off the hCG/500-calorie diet has been completed, and it has been a learning experience.

I was worried about staying within the "don't gain more than 2 lbs/don't lose more than 2 lbs" limits for 6 weeks. As it turns out, it's a valid concern, particularly during the week before Christmas!

The week began well enough...

Day 1: No gain or loss

Day 2: 0.8 lb gain

Day 3: 0.4 lb loss

Sarah did even better. She lost 2.6 more lbs during the first 3 days off the diet.

Then came Wednesday. Jacob decided to make one of my favorite foods, chicken enchiladas in green chile sauce. The rules say NO starches or sugars for the first 3 weeks, but I bought low-carb tortillas and told myself it would be okay. I also taste-tested several hand-dipped pretzels that night, plus some banana pieces dipped in leftover chocolate.

The next morning I was up 2.8 lbs! Sarah was up 1.6 lbs.

We reined it in for Christmas Eve, but we had planned to cheat on Christmas day, sort of like we did on Thanksgiving. I ate a couple of small cookies and candies (pre-Christmas gifts from friends), plus 5 pieces of my all-time favorite, English toffee. Our dinner was exactly the same as Thanksgiving dinner, except no candied yams this time, and I ate lightly. I did indulge in peach pie for dessert.

Yes, I was baaaad!

The next morning I was up another 1.2 lbs, putting me 4.8 lbs above my lowest weight from Sunday and Monday.

I was kicking myself and thinking, "You worked so hard for this! What, are you crazy?"

Fortunately, Dr. Simeons had worked out a solution for this situation. I reread the final chapters of his book, Pounds and Inches, to make sure I got it right.

I quote: "As long as their weight stays within two pounds of the weight reached on the day of the last injection [of hCG], patients should take no notice of any increase, but the moment the scale goes beyond two pounds, even if this is only a few ounces, they must on that same day entirely skip breakfast and lunch but take plenty to drink. In the evening they must eat a huge steak with only an apple or a raw tomato."

I had already expected I'd have to try this method the day after Christmas dinner, but the words I typed in bold letters leapt out at me. I was thinking I'd gained 4.8 lbs, but that was incorrect. I had actually lost 2.2 lbs after I stopped the hCG (but while still on the 500-calorie diet). Apparently that is unusual. Most people quit losing as soon as they stop the hCG.

That meant I was only 2.6 lbs over my weight on the day I stopped the hCG. That made me feel much better! I only had to take off 0.6 lb in order to stay within the 2-lb boundary.

As I said, it's been a learning experience. Yesterday I did the all-day fast followed by steak and a raw tomato, and this morning I had lost the 1.2 lbs gained on the previous day! Sarah has stayed within the 2-lb range, but she decided to try the fast-and-steak method with me. She had gained 1.4 lbs on Christmas day, and this morning she was back down exactly 1.4 lbs. Amazing!

So it seems at this point that Sarah and I are maintaining, even if we broke some rules and came dangerously close to blowing it.

For those who are wondering about the claim that the hCG diet changes your relationship with food, the jury is still out. I do see some positive changes, but the whole Christmas goodies theme has made it difficult to judge.

I cannot deny that I am loving eating the foods I missed during the diet.

Oddly, what I'm enjoying most is being able to eat eggs for breakfast again. To me, this spinach, cheese, and red onion omelet is heavenly!

Yet I haven't indulged myself as much as I'd expected I would after 7 weeks of deprivation.

I find I'm satisfied with less food and not inclined to want to snack. (The inability to resist Christmas sweets falls into another category, I think...)

When I sat down to Christmas dinner, I looked down at the small portions on my plate and thought, "I don't want this." And I didn't. I left food uneaten, but my belly still felt like it would burst!

So maybe there is a change. We still have 5 weeks of maintenance left to find out!

HCG: Week Seven

Well, we made it. Sarah and I survived 49 days of the 500-calorie hCG diet.

We made good progress toward our ultimate weight goals, losing far more poundage in that short period than I'd thought was possible.

I lost 35.6 lbs and Sarah lost 33.6 lbs!

Not bad, considering that Dr. Simeons's protocol states that dieters are not to lose more than 34 lbs during the 40 days of the diet. Calories must be increased and the hCG discontinued if the dieter reaches 34 lbs lost before the end of the diet. He does go on to say that severely obese patients may lose up to 40 lbs in the 40 days, so I guess I'm okay!

I like to graph my results when I diet seriously, and I've had some good graphs in the past.

But I've never had one that fell as far and as fast as this one did! It is most satisfying!

Today we started the maintenance period. We aren't supposed to gain more than 2 lbs or lose more than 2 lbs for the next 6 weeks.

I'm a little nervous about that.

Dr. Simeons says the maintenance period gives your hypothalamus time to reset to a lower weight set-point.

I say it gives me 6 weeks to enjoy food again and stop feeling hungry all the time!

For the first 3 weeks of this period, you can eat healthy fats, proteins, and vegetables, but no starches (bread, rice, potatoes, yams, corn, baked goods) and no sugars, including fruit. It's basically the Induction level of Dr. Atkins's diet. I can do that easily!

The second 3 weeks is when you gradually add back starches and fruits. After the full 6 weeks you can go back to eating normally, unless you decide to do another cycle of the 40-day hCG diet. Sarah and I plan to start the diet again sometime in early February.

Meanwhile, I'm going to savor eating my favorite foods again!

It was ecstasy to eat 2 eggs fried in butter this morning. I felt decadent melting sliced cheese on my burger patty at lunch.

At dinner Sarah and I relished the olive oil and vinegar on this salad of lettuce, red cabbage, carrots, tomato, red onion, cucumber, celery and radish...all mixed together at once!

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We went crazy with vegetables!

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So are you ready for the before and after pictures?

The photo at right was taken before school on Friday, October 30th, the day before Halloween. I think I look tired. I usually was.

We started the hCG drops that morning, and then we started the 500-calorie diet 2 days later, on Sunday, November 1st. You have to wait 2 days for the hCG to be well established before you begin the diet.

Likewise, we finished our drops on Thursday but we continued the 500-calorie diet until today because you must give the hCG 3 days to cycle out of your body.

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And this was taken this afternoon, 7 weeks later and 35 lbs lighter. I feel so much better!

On Wednesday I tried on my old pants, size 16, and they fit me! Sadly, 46 lbs ago I was wearing size 22/24.

If I lose just 45 more lbs, I'll weigh less than I've ever weighed at any time since high school (1972)!

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We didn't do a "before" photo of Sarah, but here's one that was taken at Meteor Crater on October 10th, 3 weeks before we began the diet.

She hated how she looked then.*

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And here she is today, almost 34 lbs lighter. I love to see how she feels so much better about herself now.

Her pants have gotten so baggy on her that they literally keep falling down!

We still have a long row to hoe. Ultimately, I'd like to lose 50 lbs more and Sarah would like to lose at least 90 lbs more, but at least now we've found a method to make those goals attainable.

That's a great feeling!

HCG: Week Six

Sarah and I are nearing the end of our first hCG quest.

We've been at it for 42 days now. I've lost 32.8 lbs and Sarah has lost 30.8 lbs.

It feels great to walk uphill without huffing and puffing. It's wonderful to tie my shoes without groaning, and to climb stairs without my knees aching.

I'm able to wear clothes that haven't fit me for years. In fact, some are already too large in the shoulders and will soon be passed on to Sarah.

I bought this dress more than 3 years ago. It was too snug to wear then, but I knew it would be perfect after I lost 10 lbs. Then, of course, I gained 20 lbs instead, so I never got to wear it.

Today I took it from the back of the closet and wore it to church. I received many compliments, but it's really too baggy at the top already.

(Keep in mind that I've actually lost 43 lbs total since last New Year's Eve.)

And check out the legs and shoes below. There is NO fat left below the knees. All swelling and puffiness is gone!

I bought those shoes a year ago because they were so darn cute, but heels aren't wise when you're old and fat! They've been gathering dust in the closet. Today these shoes felt great (although I'll have to retrain my ankles and feet to this tilted position).

I still have 40-50 more pounds to lose eventually, but I'm happy to hold at this weight for 6 weeks during the next phase of the diet.

And now for the promised discussion of the hCG diet controversies:

I am a big believer in research, so I went looking for studies based on Dr. Simeons's work. All I could find was a study of hCG research projects from the 1990's.

The author of this "overview" somehow located 24 studies on the effectiveness of hCG. He immediately discarded 12 of those studies because they were so poorly designed.

11 of the remaining 12 studies showed that hCG was no more effective than a placebo in causing weight loss when accompanied by a 500-calorie diet.

Hmmm.

As much as I respect research, I'm also a huge believer in anecdotal evidence. Not only are there literally thousands of people online who swear to the effectiveness of hCG, but I also had too many friends and family who've experienced it, as well as my own recent experience.

Why didn't the anecdotal evidence and these research studies line up?

I thought back to Dr. Atkins's 30-year struggle to educate people about the dangers of sugars and other empty carbs. His opponents dared him to prove his theories by research; he preferred to spend his time and money on his patients, who were his research. He saw the positive results in his clinic everyday. Today there are more than 60 studies vindicating Dr. Atkins, showing that a controlled-carb lifestyle achieves not only the best long-term weight loss, but also by far the greatest improvement in blood lipids, when compared to low-fat and low-calorie diets.

Dr. Simeons likewise did not participate in huge research studies. He did his own research by watching the results of his patients for decades and adjusting the diet and hormone until he achieved optimum success. For instance, the diet only allows a choice of 4 fruits: apples, oranges, strawberries, or half of a grapefruit. When his patients asked, "Why not a pear?" he simply replied, "Because when my patients eat pears they don't lose weight."

With this in mind, I dug a little deeper. I couldn't find any specifics about the lone study that showed hCG to be effective. But guess what I learned about the other 11? They were not modeled on Dr. Simeons's protocol. The researchers designed their own 500-calorie diets. Their research subjects complained of hunger (with hCG or the placebo) and lost insignificant amounts of weight.

Only one of the diets was similar to Dr. Simeons's, except that it called for the subjects to eat one baked potato each day. In 40 days these people lost an average of 7.5 lbs. How is that even possible? I lost 12 lbs in my first week! It's possible because Dr. Simeons allows no potatoes during the 40 days of his diet.

I then realized that these studies were only trying to test the hCG itself. They were not testing Dr. Simeons's protocol, which had already been proven decades earlier in his weight loss clinics.

So here is my own anecdotal evidence regarding the claims made about the hCG diet:

No exercise necessary: Absolutely true! I'm down nearly 33 lbs without the least bit of exercise. And I'm not weak from hunger or lack of activity.

At left, you see the hallway from the school parking lot, looking up to my classroom at the very top right. Our building (East Campus) is built on a slope. At least once everyday I have to walk downhill to the office in the West Campus, then walk back uphill across the sloped parking lot and then up this ramp-like hall.

When I began the diet, I would arrive at my classroom breathless. I'd have to stop on the flat landing midway up the hall to catch my breath.

Now I can take that long walk at a trot without a pause, feeling like I could walk another mile after reaching my classroom!

The Diet Contours the Body: This may have some truth to it. I still have plenty of fat to lose, but I do notice the areas that have lost the most are remaining remarkably firm. I had worried that losing so much weight in such a short time would leave me with hanging flab, but it hasn't. For instance, my upper arms have less wobbly flesh than they did when all the fat was still in place under the skin. We'll see if it's still true after the next cycle, when I hope to be within 20 lbs of my target weight.

Another concern with rapid weight loss is that sallow, gaunt look in the face that makes the dieter look older, but I've had none of that. I will admit that a couple of lines around my eyes seem slightly deeper, and Grandma Butler's jowls (one of her parting gifts to me) are becoming more prominent, but I'm not too unhappy with how my face is changing. Hopefully I won't end up looking like Nien Nunb of Return of the Jedi!

The Diet Changes Your Relationship with Food: We'll see about that when I get back to eating "real" food next week. I mentioned last week that I'm not craving junk food, but I do long for a variety of healthy foods. It is certainly true that on 500 calories per day you learn to take much smaller bites and chew your food longer. And I don't know if this is related, but I've suddenly stopped biting my fingernails, after years of chewing them to the quick.

I thought I'd display the rings my children have given me. The amethyst ring on the right was from Jacob for my birthday 2 years ago; Sarah gave me the pink heart ring for my birthday a year ago; and Dylan bought the big blue square ring at a gift shop last November when we were at the hospital visiting Callie. Knowing blue is my favorite color, he said he just knew he had to get me that ring. My tastes are more appreciative of smaller, delicate jewelry, but this gift came straight from his heart, so I love it!

The Diet Lowers High Blood Pressure Rapidly: For me, this is unquestionably true. In 2 weeks my blood pressure was normal and my hypertension drugs were cut in half!

HCG Increases Metabolism: I haven't turned into a dynamo of energy, but I do seem to need less sleep, I do have more stamina for housework, and I no longer need the daily after-school naps that have gotten me through the last few years. And, clearly, the pounds are burning off.

Many of this diet's naysayers claim that anyone can lose this much weight on a 500-calorie diet, even without the hCG. As one who tried low-calorie dieting back in the '90s, I have to disagree. I might lose for several days, but then it would stop cold as my body went into starvation mode and clung to its precious fat. To me, the fact that the pounds keep dropping off for the full 40 days is either a miracle or the hCG at work.

Sarah and I came up with a new dish this week: chicken fajitas! We actually made steak fajitas, too, and they were delicious.

I've always liked the flavor of onion in dishes, but I wasn't a fan of eating onions on their own. However, we both found the caramelized onions in these dishes to be yummy!

In summary, over the course of the past 6 weeks I have come to believe that Dr. Simeons's hCG diet is a safe, effective way to lose a lot of weight quickly.

Despite my initial misgivings, I also now believe that the extremely restrictive diet is safe if used in conjunction with hCG, and if used for a strictly limited time period.

In the words of Micky Dolenz: "I'm a Believer!"

HCG: Weeks Four and Five

I intended to blog about our progress last Sunday, but after indulging ourselves (be it ever so slightly) for Thanksgiving, I decided to wait and see how all that turned out.

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As of Friday 9 days ago, Sarah and I had both lost exactly 26.2 lbs in 26 days. Pretty good!

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That night we enjoyed a small holiday dinner, and within 2 days I'd gained back 1.2 lbs. Sarah had gained 2.0 lbs.
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Not bad. We'd hoped for no more than a 2-lb gain, and we quickly returned to our 500 calories per day.
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At right: ground sirloin and Italian-style diced tomatoes, one of our diet dinners. Flavorful!

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It took another 3 days to take off the weight and start losing again, so we basically lost 4 of our 40 allotted weight loss days.

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No more cheating for us!

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We've done well since then. As of today, we've each lost exactly 29 lbs in 35 days.

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Above, broiled chicken breast and diced cucumber in vinegar.

We've decided to extend the diet by 4 or 5 days, to recoup the days we lost. Our last day would have been next Sunday, Dec. 13th. Instead, it will likely be Friday, Dec. 18th.

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That's 47 days of diet, but really only 44 since we stop taking the hCG 3 days before ending the 500-calorie diet, allowing time for the hormone to leave the body. This prevents weight gain resulting from extra calories while fat released by the hCG is still in the bloodstream.
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Above, tilapia on a bed of spinach, baked in lemon juice and red wine vinegar. It's modified from one of my favorite recipes, but I do miss the drizzled olive oil and sliced tomato and red onion that top the original dish.
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At left, our dessert of apple slices and cinnamon, microwaved. It almost tastes like apple pie filling. Almost.
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At right, one of my school lunches: shrimp and sliced, seasoned tomatoes.
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The timing will be perfect for ending this cycle of the diet. Dec. 18th is the last day of the fall semester, and then Christmas break begins. I can endure this diet until school is out.
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Then I intend to fully enjoy eating normally during my 2 weeks of no school!

It's funny, but I don't crave junk food at all. I'm not yearning for cookies or potato chips.

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I long for healthy fats and proteins, like eggs for breakfast, cheese for snacks, a salad of mixed vegetables (lettuce, tomato, cucumber, red onion, radishes...) with my favorite olive oil and red wine vinegar dressing!
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In my last hCG post I mentioned the controversies of the hCG diet. I'd planned to go into those in this post, but I decided instead to update on our progress and share some of the meals that currently make up our daily menus.
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But next week, the controversies!