Second Chance

Something funny happened after I lost 77 lbs. I found the courage to take a second chance on love.
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Ed and Mary at breakfast the morning after their wedding

It’s amazing what can happen when you feel good about yourself. I met a wonderful man on April Fools Day and, after a whirlwind romance, I married my sweet Ed on May 21st.

Mr. and Mrs. outside the courthouse

Now, after neglecting this blog (for the best of reasons) these past four months, I’m back to update my hCG news and confess my dietary sins! (Get comfortable, because my sins are many!)

On the day I met Ed, I weighed 166 lbs. I looked good. I felt great. I never wanted to go back to my old, tired, uncomfortable, self-conscious, overweight self. In fact, throughout our courtship and the first weeks of our marriage, I continued the diet and the hCG drops. I fully expected to continue losing weight, perhaps another 10 or 15 pounds by the end of summer.

On the day Ed and Mary met

It didn’t quite work out the way I’d planned, though. I knew we would be traveling a lot during the summer for various reasons, but I wasn’t prepared for how difficult it would be to eat right while on the road, to stay organized enough to plan hCG-friendly meals away from home, or to face down the multitude of temptations before us.

For starters, 4 days after the wedding Ed had to return to his home in Wyoming to take care of some unfinished business. I joined him there 4 days after he left, and we spent 17 days in Cheyenne moving Ed out of his apartment and tying up other loose ends.

At first, Ed joined me on the hCG diet and actually lost 15 lbs in just 3 days! However, being newlyweds in a celebratory mood made it hard to resist going out to some of Ed’s favorite restaurants in Cheyenne. After “blowing it” several times during the first week, we agreed to focus on maintaining our current weight loss until we were done traveling. We quit the hCG and returned to our usual low-carb way of life. (When we met, Ed had already lost about 75 lbs by following Dr. Atkins’s diet.)

Unfortunately, we weren’t entirely successful in sticking to the low-carb plan, either. We spent the rest of June driving back and forth between Arizona and Wyoming, hauling Ed’s belongings to their new home here in the White Mountains. We quickly discovered how hard it is to stick to any diet while making that 12-hour drive multiple times, passing every fast food restaurant known to mankind!

The honeymooners after boarding the Sapphire Princess in Seattle, WA
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The diet disaster didn’t end there. Once we had Ed all moved to Arizona, we caught a flight to Seattle and took a weeklong honeymoon cruise to Alaska. You know all those stereotypes regarding the abundance of food on cruise ships? They are NOT an exaggeration.  It truly was like a floating smorgasbord! 

Mary strikes a swashbuckling pose on deck.

When we boarded the ship, it wasn’t too bad. I had gained back less than 10 lbs and figured I could hold the line there. Alas, it was not to be.

Mary stays warm in her jacket while relaxing on deck.

I actually did a pretty good job of limiting how much I ate, but the food choices included so many delicious high-carb selections that I weakened rapidly. I tried to focus on proteins and nutrient-dense vegetables, but I also enjoyed dishes containing the white flour, rice, potatoes, and sugar my metabolism can no longer support.

Mary in the cruise ship's buffet dining room during breakfast

We followed up the cruise with 4 days in Portland, Oregon, where Ed lived from 1999 to 2007. I met his friends, visited his old stomping grounds, and—you guessed it—dined in his old favorite restaurants. By the time we returned home, we’d both regained about 20 lbs (Ed insists it was closer to 30 lbs for him).

After a day spent driving the beautiful Oregon coast, Mary and Ed enjoy ice cream cones in Tillamook, OR. 

Finally, just 2 days after returning from our honeymoon, Ed and I packed up the kids and headed to Estes Park, Colorado, for the family vacation I had planned a full 8 months before I knew Ed even existed. For 11 days we traveled, we explored, we shopped, we visited Cheyenne (a 90-minute drive from Estes Park), and, of course, we ate out occasionally and indulged in the local shops' sweets, like fudge and root beer floats.

A morning horseback ride with the family in Estes Park, CO: Ed, Mary, Sarah, and Dylan.

The morning after we returned from Colorado, I gasped when I stepped on the scale. In just 2 months I had gone from 166.2 lbs to 200.2 lbs! That’s a gain of 34 lbs! Some of it was travel bloat, of course, and I lost 7 lbs in the next two days, which I never gained back. Still, it was disappointing to know I’d have to re-lose 27 lbs to get back to my happy-weight place!

Several days after we returned from Estes Park, I went back on hCG and quickly got my weight down to 188.6 lbs. Two weeks later Ed returned to Wyoming to join his Boy Scout troop at Scout Camp, an event for which he (as assistant Scoutmaster) had helped them prepare all year. I was happy to have him complete this commitment, but as the days dragged on I found myself missing him and making only a half-hearted attempt to stay within 500 daily calories. By the time he returned after a 17-day absence, I’d given up altogether and regained the few pounds I had lost.

On the plus side, my weight did stabilize in the low-190s, meaning I remained at least 50 lbs lighter than when I began the hCG diet almost 11 months ago. I call that a success!

Ed wanted to give the hCG diet another try (remember, he’d lost 15 lbs in 3 days on his first effort), so we decided to take the plunge together and make it work this time. To ensure success, though, we had to time it right.

Ed and Mary enjoy a romantic birthday dinner at The Pasta House.

As luck would have it, Ed and I share the same birth date, September 1st. We knew that would mean an evening out for dinner and dessert, followed by cake and ice cream at home. When we got married, we had also decided to commemorate our joint birthdays with something special on Labor Day weekend, since our birthdays will always fall on or just before Labor Day. This year we had an overnight getaway to a local resort and went out to eat for both dinner and breakfast. No sense starting a diet before these events!

Now, though, we are back on track. We started the hCG drops on Labor Day and completed our two days of loading, or “gorging,” on fatty foods. Then on Wednesday, Sept. 8th, we started the 500 calorie-per-day diet.

I got a second chance at love, and now I'm taking a second chance on weight loss and better health.  In just 3 days we’ve already had great results. But that’s a story for another day…

HCG #3: Back on Board

This is Sandi, who works in my chiropractor's office.  Sandi started the hCG diet back in mid-October, about 2 weeks before I began my first cycle of the diet.  She chose a slightly different route, though.  She has been doing the diet nonstop for 6 months, taking no breaks for maintenance between cycles.

In 6 months, she has lost 102 lbs!  Doesn't she look amazing?  It really is incredible that you can lose that much weight so quickly, yet the hCG prevents you from having sagging flaps of skin left behind.  She'd like to lose just 10 lbs more before she stops.  She's getting very close.

Sandi seems to prove that developing immunity to the hCG hormone is not a huge problem when you're using the homeopathic drops instead of the injections.  Once a month she "reloads" (that sounds more pleasant than "gorging"), regains up to 7 lbs, then loses a ton more weight the following month.  Now that she's close to the end of her weight loss journey, she cheats on Saturday but stays strict the rest of the week and still loses a pound or two per week. 

She inspires me!

Now, to pick up where I left off on my own journey.  I had finished the last cycle of hCG on March 20th, 64.3 lbs lighter at 179.0 lbs.  I felt great!  I had kept that weight for 4 days in a row and I anticipated no huge problems in maintaining it for the next 8 weeks, staying within 2 lbs of that weight either direction.

I'd purchased the brand-new Atkins book and studied it.  I bought all the foods needed to follow it strictly and planned out the first week.  I even made up a binder with journal pages to write down everything I ate and track my carb intake closely.  I was ready!

The first day off the hCG diet, we went to the Renaissance Festival.  I had good intentions and actually made wise food choices throughout the morning, but by afternoon I'd enjoyed a sugary strawberry slushy and by evening I'd devoured a luscious chocolate-dipped wedge of frozen cheesecake.  Oh, it was heavenly!

The next morning I'd gained 3.0 lbs, but I didn't panic.  I did a "steak day," as prescribed by Dr. Simeons, and I lost 1.6 lbs.  So far, so good.  I settled in to live by the Atkins code and maintain my weight loss.

From there is was an uphill battle.  My weight crept up day by day, no matter how good I was.  By April 1st I was back up to 185.6 lbs, a total gain of 6.6 lbs in 12 days.  And I wasn't cheating!  I was so frustrated.  I was afraid to eat anything, so I was certainly not enjoying the foods I was now allowed to eat.

I don't know exactly why this happened, since I was able to maintain after the first cycle.  Maybe I really messed up my metabolism by cheating on the very first day I was off the diet?  I was menstruating that week, so maybe it had something to do with that?  Or maybe my body is trying to finally shift into menopause, so there were crazed hormonal levels at work?

Whatever the reason, this was soooo not acceptable!  I had a whole bottle of hCG left over, so on April 1st--after less than 2 weeks on maintenance--I started taking the drops again.  For the next 2 days I did a small "gorge" and gained another 2.6 lbs, putting me at 188.2.  Then 3 weeks ago, on Saturday, April 3rd, I began my 3rd cycle of the 500-calorie hCG diet.  I decided that, if it worked so well for Sandi, it could work for me, too!

I re-lost almost all the extra weight the first week, getting back down to 179.8 lbs.  That's 8.4 lbs re-gone, never to be found again!  The second week I lost 3.4 more lbs, bringing me to 176.4 lbs.  That's the lowest my weight had been since 2003!  It also brought my total loss from 64.3 to 66.9 lbs. 

Now this week, the third week, I've lost an additional 3.4 lbs.  As of this morning I weighed exactly 173.0 lbs, for a total loss of 70.3 lbs!!!  Woohoo!!  That's a definite personal best!

Here's the funny part.  Remember how anxious I was to lose weight on the second cycle, and how frustrated I was at the slowness of the loss?  This time I've hardly paid attention to the weight loss.  It's as if mentally I'm just using the diet to maintain rather than to lose. 

I'm mostly following the diet to the letter, yet I often find myself in the evening doing something not quite in line with Dr. Simeons's protocol, such as eating a large pork chop fried in salsa instead of my tiny 100-gram, low-fat piece of broiled meat.  I've also started drinking a cup of sugar-free, 25-calorie hot chocolate (with a tablespoon of heavy cream) everyday to get me through the long afternoon, between the afternoon snack and dinner, which is often late at our house.

Despite these cheats, I'm still losing.  Perhaps it helps that I'm not stressing over the weight (although I do still weigh myself every morning).  Or perhaps my body needs a little fat to be convinced it's not starving, thereby becoming more willing to release the body fat!

At any rate, I plan to stay on the diet until mid-June.  I'll quit in time to do a few weeks of maintenance before we go on our Colorado vacation in July.  I've gotten so used to eating this way, it really isn't hard anymore.  It just seems natural.  Go figure!

And look what I found!  Well, actually, Wyndie found it at Safeway.  She called me from the store and I rushed over and bought them out of all 3 packages of grissini they had stocked.

I've been pretty clear about my dislike of the tasteless Melba toast allowed on this diet.  It's like eating crunchy cardboard.  Dr. Simeons recommended using grissini instead because it's tastier and psychologically more filling.  Boy, he was right!  To me, these skinny little breadsticks almost taste like cake compared to the Melba toast!  I hope Safeway gets more grissini in stock by the end of this week, before my supply runs out!

Before and After

I finally have an "After" picture to post with Jacob's "Before" pictures.  These first two photos were taken on January 30, the day we started the last round of the hCG diet.  Of course, that was Jacob's first and only time to do this diet. 

If he's diligent, he'll never need it again.

Standing 6 feet tall as he does, Jacob carried his extra weight well.  He wasn't remotely "fat," but he wanted to lose that extra little pudginess and gain the body definition that boys his age think they must have. 

15 Apr 2010 - Jacob's senior picture

And here is Jacob today, 30 lbs lighter.  His musculature and bone structure are definitely more defined than they've ever been.  He looks more like a young man than my baby boy now!  In the month since concluding the diet, Jacob has gained back a few of the 34 lbs he lost, but he is maintaining his current weight steadily.  It's a success story!

Now, here's a fun set of "Before" and "After" pictures.  Last night I chaperoned the junior-senior prom and I wore the same heavy, black, beaded dress I wore last year.  Last year, that dress was an exact fit.  This year, having lost 67 lbs, I was drowning in that dress.  But I'm not complaining!  Check it out!

Before:

25 Apr 2009 - Mary at age 54

After:

17 Apr 2010 - Mary at age 55

Within an hour after my arrival at Prom, I had 3 more people express interest in learning more about the hCG diet.  I hope they will check us out here on the blog.  If they do, and if they choose to join us on our quest for better health, I wish them well and offer all my support!

As for me, just 30 lbs left to lose!

By now, there is so much to update, I hardly know where to begin!  I promise to get caught up on the latest hCG happenings soon.  Stay tuned!

Wyndie's Report, Part 2

My hCG Experience – Part Two

...by Wyndie

As of Wednesday, April 7th, I finished the maintenance phase of my hCG diet, so it’s time to give you an update.

 My weight: I have successfully maintained my weight loss. I did get into the upper end of my weight range twice, and I went over once just this past Sunday. Not surprisingly, this happened when I overate or ate things I wasn’t supposed to be eating. The first two times, I did steak days with mixed results. My first steak day worked beautifully, but the second one I only dropped 0.6 lb. I cannot account for the difference. When I actually went over my weight, I chose not to do another steak day. Instead, I was very careful to eat only good, healthy foods the following day, paying attention to portion size. I dropped 2.4 lbs and was right back at my end weight.

• Lesson learned: I do better when I monitor my weight daily, but I don’t need to be concerned about minor fluctuations. I can immediately correct peaks, should they occur.

 My food issues: I have to say that the diet did change the size of my appetite, but not as much as I’d hoped. I also still have cravings, darn it! However, I have definitely become more aware of why I eat what I eat, and that has made a big difference. I now know that a small treat is okay if I’m in the right frame of mind. However, if I’m feeling stressed or frustrated, I’m more likely to keep indulging and then regret it later. I’ve also learned that eating after 8:00 p.m. is a big no-no for me. I’m okay having a cup of caffeine-free tea or diet hot chocolate, but anything else pretty much guarantees a weight gain the next day.

• Lesson learned: I need continue to eat wholesome, healthy foods and avoid sugary junk food. However, I can occasionally indulge if I’m careful about it.

 My overall health: I’m thrilled that my “extra-cushy” spots seem to be gone for good. In addition, I did see my doctor for a checkup. He did blood work, and all of my results came back normal. I exercised 3-4 times per week for 40-50 minutes at a time throughout my maintenance, and my endurance and stamina were just fine. Exercising has been enjoyable, and I look forward to it. I feel great, and I haven’t had any of those nasty, run-down afternoons since going on the diet, though I have had one migraine headache.

• Lesson learned: The hCG diet does not seem to have had a negative effect on my physical condition; if anything, it seems to have helped my overall health and sense of well-being.

On the whole, I am very pleased with my hCG experience. I have definitely learned a great deal about myself and my relationship with food. I have learned how my body reacts to different foods and how to respond to keep myself feeling healthy and happy. I would do it again, but hopefully, I won’t ever have to! Ü

[To read Part One of Wyndie's report, click here:]

            http://hcgandmary.blogspot.com/2010/02/wyndies-report.html

End of Cycle Two

We made it!  We survived another cycle of the hCG diet, and again it was well worth our efforts.

This picture was taken on the morning of March 20th, our first day off the 500-calories-per-day part of the diet.  I still have 30-40 lbs I'd like to lose, but it sure beats how I looked in those first couple of "before" pictures over there in the left sidebar!  My net loss since the first cycle is only 18.4 lbs, but I think it still made a nice difference.  Above, 179 lbs on March 20th; below, 197 lbs on December 20th.

In all, I lost exactly 27.0 lbs during this second cycle.  If you subtract the 4.6 lbs I gained on the two days of gorging, I still lost 22.4 lbs.  If you also subtract the 4 lbs I gained during maintenance after my first cycle of hCG (exactly as much as I was allowed to gain), then that leaves my net loss of 18.4 lbs in 7 weeks.  I can live with that!

My total weight loss for the last 6 months is 64.3 lbs!  I consider that a milestone because in the past the most weight I ever managed to lose (on the Atkins diet in 2003) was 63 lbs.  Of course, I still have to lose 10 more pounds before I weigh the same as I did in the summer of 2003, but hey, at least I'm on my way!

Today I also measured myself for the first time since I began dieting last year.  I've lost 36 inches altogether!  Of course, I measured every conceivable body part!  I've lost 5 inches from my bust; 4.5 inches from my midriff; 10 inches from my waist; 8.5 inches from my hips; 4 inches from my thighs; half an inch from my ankles (I've always had skinny ankles); 2 inches from my upper arms; a quarter-inch from my wrists; and 1.5 inches from my neck.  No wonder my dress size has shrunk from 22/24 to 12!

This is my weight graph from this cycle.  It's not quite as steep as the graph from my first hCG cycle, but despite my frustration at how much slower the weight came off this time, this visual makes it clear that the losses were steady and more than adequate.  I hope I can be more patient next time!

This shot of Sarah was also taken on Saturday morning (March 20th).  She's not feeling like she made much progress, but I think these two photos show that this cycle truly did make a difference for her.  I can really see the change in her slimmer legs, waist, and shoulders.  She lost exactly 24.0 lbs this cycle, with a net loss of 15.6 lbs.

Below, Sarah on December 20th, at the end of her first hCG cycle and 33.6 lbs lighter.  Above, Sarah at the end of the second cycle and a total of 49.2 lbs lighter!!  She almost hit the 50-lb-loss mark.  That's okay, next time she'll surpass it!

As for Jacob, we took "before" photos but forgot to do his "after" shots.  As soon as we remedy that situation, I will post his before-and-after here on this blog.

By far, Jacob lost the most of the three of us, even though he stopped the diet 3 days earlier than Sarah and I.  At the end of his cycle he'd lost 33.8 lbs, and he looks great!

We are now halfway through our first week of maintenance, and I won't lie, it has been a nightmare!  Next week I'll do an update on what went wrong and the steps we are taking to remedy the problem.  Until then, please keep sending good thoughts our way!

HCG #2: Week Six

We are winding down to the final days of this hCG cycle.  I can almost taste the variety of good foods we'll get to eat next weekend!

It is exactly 6 weeks today (42 days) since we began the 500-calorie diet, and technically we should be done now.  However, Sarah and I decided to give ourselves five extra days to try and shed an extra pound or two.  We will stop the hCG drops after Tuesday (47 days on the hormone), and have our last day of the diet on Friday (48 days on 500 daily calories).

The day after that will be the first day of Spring Break.  The perfect time to start on maintenance!

Since my last post 6 days ago, I've lost another 2.6 lbs.  Still not as much as I'd like, but I'm very happy for a couple of reasons. 

First of all, I realized this week that I've now lost slightly more than a quarter of my former self (and I hope I never find it)!  That is an accomplishment! 

Secondly, as of today my Body Mass Index (BMI) finally dropped below 30.0.  That means I'm no longer "obese" according to the charts; now I am simply "overweight."  I can live with that while I maintain my new weight for the next 8 weeks.  (The length of maintenance increases between subsequent cycles of hCG).

My total weight loss is now 63.5 lbs.  Not bad, not bad at all! 

Sarah struggled again, but she lost 1.6 lbs this week, for a total of 46.6 lbs lost.  We're hoping she can get another pound or two off before we end the cycle this week.

Jacob had originally decided to end this cycle today.  He took the last of his drops on Thursday, planning to finish the diet today and start maintenance tomorrow.  Then on Friday morning, he found he'd lost 1.6 lbs.  This was big, because it finally put him below 200 lbs!  That was his main goal, and there it was staring him in the face from the scale: 199.8 lbs!   

I asked him if he was sure he wanted to stop now.  Odds were, his weight would bounce back up to 201 or 202 during maintenance if he stopped there.  He confessed that his main reason for wanting to quit now was his desire to eat the "good salsa" he'd bought for his SADD Club meeting coming up on Thursday.  He was tired of denying himself while everyone around him enjoyed the food. 

 

So we counted off the days and figured that he could stop the hCG drops today and finish the diet on Wednesday, just in time to enjoy the salsa (but no chips--remember, no grains, starches, or sugars during the first 3 weeks of maintenance).  He'll finish up just 2 days before Sarah and I do. 

Jacob is glad he waited.  He lost 4.2 lbs this week, for a total of 33.8 lbs in 6 weeks!  As of this morning my 6-foot son was down from 231 lbs to 197.6 lbs.  I'm so proud of him!  Now he should be able to maintain his weight at under 200 lbs, as long as he follows Dr. Simeons's guidelines.  Keep in mind that for 6 weeks Jacob is to neither gain nor lose more than 2 pounds.

And so here we go into the final stretch.  Wish us luck!

I dreamed up another new recipe this week, which we found surprisingly tasty:

Herbed Beef and Tomato Soup

300 grams 93% lean ground beef

1 can petite-diced tomatoes

1 can beef broth

1 can water

2 pinches each: thyme

                             tarragon

                        basil

Brown the meat, then combine all ingredients in a saucepan.  Simmer 20 minutes.  Serves 3.

I rarely cook with herbs unless I'm following a recipe someone else developed.  I don't really know what herbs are supposed to go with what foods.  For this soup, I let my nose be my guide.  I chose the three herbs that most pleased my sense of smell, and wow, we all loved the flavor of this soup!

Another new idea I had was to dress up my shrimp.  I've really missed cocktail sauce, and plain shrimp was getting boring.  Then I noticed that a teaspoon of this Louisiana hot pepper sauce has no calories.  I mixed 1 teaspoon of the sauce with a teaspoon of water and used it to dip my shrimp in.  Mmmm!  I'm not a big fan of super hot sauces, but served this way it gave the shrimp a nice kick and only lightly singed my lips! 

And no, you don't have to count the hot sauce as your dinner vegetable!

HCG #2: Week Five

Here we are at the end of our 5th week of the hCG diet.  We have just one week left, although Sarah and I are planning to continue for an additional 5 days, finishing up just in time to enjoy Spring Break.  Anything to try and get off a few last pesky pounds!

Jacob says he'll quit next weekend, at the end of the 40 days.  We'll see whether or not he changes his mind by then.

This week definitely went better for me.  Nothing exciting, but better. 

I hope this means my plateau has ended and I can lose consistently for the next 8 to 11 days.  Remember that you continue the 500-calorie diet for 3 days after completing the hCG drops.  Apparently most people stop losing weight after they stop taking the drops, despite the low-cal diet.  (Although that wasn't true for me last time; I went on to lose 2.2 lbs more during those final 3 days.)

I'm pleased to report that I've lost 3.2 lbs this week, for a total loss of 61 lbs!  And feeling pretty darn good about it!

I did a few things differently this week, but I have no way of knowing whether that contributed to having a better loss this week. 

First, I quit eating a daily apple.  I still eat an orange as a midmorning snack, but I've switched to strawberries for my evening snack.  Much lower in calories, plus I'm burnt out on apples, which have never been a favorite. 



Since strawberries are still ridiculously expensive (out of season), I buy frozen whole strawberries with no sugar added.  I split a 16-oz bag into 3 servings, then sprinkle on some Splenda and heat it in the microwave.  Mmmmm...

Second, on most days I cut out one or both servings of Melba toast.  It pretty much tastes like cardboard to me anyway.  (Now, if I could smear on some garlic butter or spinach dip...)  However, on particularly long days I still eat both servings.

Finally, I was browsing some hCG websites and found one that claimed their clients seemed to fare better if they split their dose of hCG into 6 doses: 6 drops under the tongue 6 times per day.  I believe they said that equated to 1.2 cc (or mL) of hCG per day, which is the amount I was taking with my thrice a day doses.  It made sense to me that it might help to keep the hormone in your system more often throughout the day, so I've been trying it for the past 10 days or so.

Since I did not approach these changes in anything remotely resembling a scientific method, I can't say for sure whether any or all of them made a difference, or whether my plateau simply came to an end.  However, I mention them as possible things to try if any of you hCG dieters get stuck and want some ideas to possibly get the weight loss moving again.

I might add that I cheated last week for the very first time.  Could that have helped?  I don't know, but sometimes I wonder if I have to convince my body or mind that it's not being deprived before it will let go of the fat.  It wasn't a huge cheat, but I did "lick" the bowl (scraping it clean with a spoon) after making chocolate pudding mixed with crumbled Oreos and Cool Whip for a children's activity.  I did it twice, and I still lost weight on both mornings after!  So, who knows?

Sarah and Jacob had a tougher time this week.  Jacob only lost 0.2 lb for a total loss of 29.2 lbs.  Of course, he's lost so much weight so quickly, I think his body is just taking a breather to adjust to the new weight.  I told him it's probably a good thing at this point.

Last week we were so hopeful that Sarah's plateau had ended, but apparently not.  Sarah didn't lose at all this week, but she is totally maintaining her 45 lb. loss.  I think I'll suggest she try the 6 drops 6 times daily and see if it really does make a difference.  Please think good thoughts for her!  I know she's very frustrated.

We didn't come up with any new recipes to share this week.  We're getting so close to the end of this cycle that, when we think about food, our minds begin drifting toward visions of the lovely variety of flavors we'll be allowed to enjoy during maintenance!

This cycle has been much tougher than the first one Sarah and I did.  Even so, when I think of how much better I feel about myself and the fun of trying on new clothes that both fit and look nice, I must say it has been TOTALLY worth the effort!

HCG #2: Week Four

Our 4th week on this cycle of hCG has shown promise!  Jacob, of course, continues to chug along like a weight loss machine.  Sarah seems to have finally broken through her plateau.  And I'm hopeful that I may be at the end of my plateau, but we'll see...

In 28 days Jacob has lost exactly 29 lbs.  Not bad, my son!  We still have 2 weeks left on this cycle of hCG, so it looks like he'll reach his goal to lose at least 30 lbs!

Sarah's week started out unhappily.  She did the "apple day" and she actually gained weight!  We were stumped.  We'd tried everything we could think of.  I finally told her to try taking a diuretic one night, just to see if she was retaining water.  I don't recommend this since Dr. Simeons is against using diuretics as a diet aid, but we were desperate. 

It worked.  The next morning, Sarah had shed 3.2 lbs!  I told her not to be upset if the weight returned, that at least now we knew water retention was part of the problem, but the next morning she had lost another 2.0 lbs, this time without the diuretic!  Yesterday her weight remained the same, but today she was down another 0.8, for a loss of 6 lbs this week.  That makes her total loss now 45.0 lbs!

My week was also very frustrating.  I did maintain my 1.8 lb loss from last weekend's "apple day," but all week I lost only 0.8 more.  I planned to do another "apple day' yesterday, but then I changed my mind since I wanted to try a new chicken salad recipe I dreamed up (see below).  I figured I'd have the "apple day" today instead. 

Now I'm glad I didn't do the "apple day" yesterday.  This morning I found I'd lost another 1.8 lbs.  If I'd done the "apple day," I'd have attributed the loss to it, but now I know it was an actual loss.  I didn't do anything different yesterday, other than skipping one of my two servings of Melba toast (weekend days are shorter, due to being able to sleep in, so I don't need as many meals or snacks).  I spent about 6 hours on the computer, scanning in old photos and organizing them into my desktop files, so I certainly didn't get any more exercise than usual.  So it was my first real loss larger than a pound in more than 2 weeks!

Therefore, I'm not going to do any "apple days" this week.  I'm hoping that this loss signals the end of my plateau, too, and the regular losses, even just half a pound a day, will kick back in soon.

My net loss for this week was 2.6 lbs.  If you recall, I stated last week that anything less than a 3-lb loss in a week was unacceptable to me.  I still feel that way!  However, if I'm on the verge of returning to a pattern of regular weight loss, I'm willing to wait it out and hope for the best.

Meanwhile, my total weight loss is now 57.7 lbs.  Not too shabby!

I should also mention that, despite the slowness of our weight loss over the past 2 weeks, the number of compliments Sarah and I are receiving is multiplying at an amazing rate.  The pounds aren't exactly falling off, but apparently the inches are.  Suddenly everyone is noticing that we've lost a lot of weight.  Even my chiropractor expressed astonishment at how much thinner I am when I saw him on Wednesday.  I visit him every two weeks, so he has been aware of my diet since November and watched my progress, but he insists that even though I've only lost a few pounds lately, all of a sudden there is an obvious difference in my size.  (It makes my joints and muscles easier to manipulate, he says.)

Thank you to all of you who have said how great we look.  It kept us hanging in there through the tough times!

One last odd note: Of all the potential side effects of taking a pregnancy hormone (most of which are positive effects, I might add), I am experiencing the strangest one of all.  The hCG is changing my hair color!  Before I became pregnant at age 34 with my oldest, Sarah, my hair was still a bright yellow-white blonde.  During the pregnancy I noticed my hair turned to a richer gold.  Two years later, when Jacob was on the way, it became a darker gold.  By the time I had Dylan when I was 42, my hair was a much darker blonde.

Then, during the first cycle of hCG, several people commented that my hair was darker.  I didn't think much of it until I told Wyndie about the remarks, and she said it was probably the hormone.  I guess she was right, because it has already happened again during this cycle.  I think about a dozen people (including a couple of men I work with) have recently told me they love my new hair color--one colleague even gave it a name: champagne blonde!  They are shocked when I tell them I do not now nor have I ever colored my hair.  It must be the hCG!

Here are a couple of new recipes we have added to the menu:

We enjoy London broil steak quite often, but the asparagus soup recipe was developed by Wyndie.  It's quite tasty.

1 can or 1 bunch of asparagus,

            boiled and pureed

1 can chicken broth

1-2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp onion salt

Dash of allspice

One day I was thinking that chicken salad sounded really good, but how could we make it without some type of fat?

So I diced 3 small tomatoes and 300 grams of cooked chicken breast (that's 3 servings, enough for Sarah, Jacob, and me to share), mixed them up with garlic, pepper, onion salt, and paprika, then put it all in the fridge overnight to marinate.  It was yummy.

Next time I plan to try it with some dill (I was out of dill this weekend) and a few spritzes of red wine vinegar.

And here's a peek into my freezer.  I spent several hours this week cutting up steaks and chicken breasts; portioning out ground beef, chicken, and turkey; and counting out shrimp (7-8 medium make 100 grams).  Now my freezer is packed with little snack-sized bags of protein, enough to get us through to the the end of our diet in about 2 weeks.

The freezer was so stuffed that the little bags would fall out every time we opened it.  I solved that problem by packing 6 little packages per 1-quart freezer bag.  The freezer is still loaded, but the bags no longer fall out!

I also recommend labeling your packages.  Once they freeze, it's surprisingly hard to tell ground beef from steak or ground chicken from chicken breasts!

Wyndie's Report

Today was Wyndie's final day on the 26-day version of the hCG diet.  Tomorrow she gets to return to regular food (lucky lady!), albeit without starches or sugars for her first 3 weeks of maintenance.  Remember that for the next 6 weeks she's supposed to neither gain nor lose more than 2 lbs while her hypothalamus resets itself to her new weight.

Wyndie has kindly written up her experience to share with those who would like another perspective on the results of this diet, especially those who, like her, have little weight to lose and are considering the shorter 23-day hCG cycle.  To see her story in her own words, read on...

My hCG Experience – Part One

       ...by Wyndie

Many people wondered why I chose to go on the hCG diet. After all, I certainly didn’t have a great deal of weight to lose, just the typical five pounds we all seem to battle. After watching Mary go through her first cycle and reading more about the diet, my curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to try it for the following reasons:

 

 My endocrine system: Recently, I had begun to experience more and more symptoms of the thyroid problems that run in my family. Some afternoons, I would be unable to get off the couch because I was too exhausted to function, and these afternoons had become more frequent in the last year. In addition, type II diabetes is very prevalent in my family’s medical history. Both of these disorders have to do with the endocrine system being out of whack. I was also very interested in the concept of “resetting” my metabolism. I know some of the diets I’ve done over the years have been unhealthy, and I figured it couldn’t hurt to try this diet and see if it helped balance my system.

 My food issues: I have become a rather compulsive eater. I just like to put things in my mouth, chew them up, and swallow them, especially if they are loaded with the sugars and fats that are so bad for me. For some reason, I rarely feel full, and if I do, the feeling is short-lived. I do try to eat a healthy diet, but my efforts are often undermined by attacks of the munchies. Since the hCG diet purports to redefine your relationship with food, it was my hope that I would see a decrease in my appetite and cravings as well as come to understand why I eat so much, so often.

 My body proportions: While I am not overweight, I have never been overly fond of my hips. I have a weird “square” shape on the bottom because my hips immediately broaden out at the top. This has always caused me grief when it comes to getting pants to fit me. They usually ride up to fit the wider part on top of my hips, cutting me through the crotch. I am a regular exerciser, but no other diet or exercise regimen (and I’ve done a few!) has ever taken care of this particular problem. Other areas where I tend to hold fat are my upper arms and the lower part of my back. I wanted to see if the hCG diet would succeed in reducing these areas specifically and reshaping my figure.

I had some big concerns about this diet as well. I certainly didn’t want to lose too much weight; I feared that I’d end up looking older if I did, especially if I lost a lot in my face. I also didn’t know if it would really be possible for me to subsist on a mere 500 calories a day. Would I have enough energy to get through the day? Would I have low blood sugar issues? Would I lose muscle tone? Would I regain any weight I lost once my calorie intake increased? Upon completing the first 26-day phase of the diet today, I have a few preliminary findings to report, though some questions and concerns remain.

When I began the hCG diet, my starting weight was 131.4 lbs. I’m 5’4”, so this is considered a reasonable weight for my height and frame. I did the “gorge” days as instructed, gaining 3.6 lbs. and bringing my weight up to 135.0 lbs. I really enjoyed eating whatever I wanted, I must say!

When I started eating the 500 calories a day, I did experience some hunger the first day, but nothing I couldn’t handle. After that, my hunger pangs were few and far between. I felt “off” for about the first three days, a little tired and foggy. I’ve experienced this on the first days of some other diets, so I was expecting it. However, I had no noticeable drops in blood sugar or any drastic reactions. I had caffeine-free herbal tea and one fruit for breakfast each day, and then spread the rest of the allowed menu over the day, relying on my stomach to tell me when to eat. I did occasionally put a finger full of something off limits in my mouth, but overall, I did well sticking to the diet. I still craved chocolate, cheese, eggs, and milk and am looking forward to having them back in my diet tomorrow. I did have one really off day about a week and a half before the end of the cycle. I ate three store-bought sugar cookies that day! I don’t even really like them, but I was just starving. I still have not figured out what that day was all about, but it did set me back in my weight loss by about 1.6 lbs.

During this first phase of the diet, I lost a total of 10.2 lbs. from my gorge weight, or 6.6 lbs. from my starting weight, finishing at 124.8 lbs. It was just the perfect amount of weight to lose, as far as I was concerned. I am very pleased with this aspect of the diet.

As for my “extra-cushy” spots, I have to say I am certainly impressed by the results. The puffy patches at the top of my hips are gone and so are the flabby folds on my back. My upper arms are not as proportional as I’d like, but there was definite improvement there as well. I wish I had thought to measure these areas specifically before beginning, but I didn’t. I know on average, I lost about an inch everywhere, but I suspect these spots lost more. The diet really delivered on that promise! As for looking older, I didn’t notice any real difference in my face, though when I asked her, Mary said my cheekbones are a little more prominent. Ü

At the present time, I have no way to tell whether or not my endocrine system is functioning more efficiently. I plan to go see my physician for a regular check up, and I will have more information after that. I can report that I was not tired or run-down while taking the hCG drops and eating 500 calories a day. In fact, though I had planned not to exercise during the first phase, I did do some exercising for the last two and a half weeks of the diet with no ill effects. My muscle tone and endurance seem to be unaffected as well.

Additionally, I’m not sure yet about my cravings and appetite. I do experience feelings of fullness now that I didn’t have before. However, I still crave certain foods, and I’m nervous about my appetite soaring once I begin the next phase of the diet. I don’t think I will have too much of a problem avoiding sugars and starches for the next three weeks, since what I mostly crave are fatty items. But I am very concerned about piling weight back on after being so restricted the last few weeks. I’ll keep you posted. Ü ~ Wyndie

HCG #2: Week Three

We made it through week 3 of our second cycle of the hCG diet, which means we are halfway through the 40 days.  But that patience I've been trying to develop is already wearing very, very thin.

Jacob has left Sarah and I in the dust. 

Yesterday, after only 21 days on the diet, he had lost 25.2 lbs.  Amazing!


If Jacob loses just 8 more lbs, he will have reached the maximum amount of weight Dr. Simeons allowed patients to lose during one cycle of hCG, which is 34 lbs.  He should be able to do that easily over the final 3 weeks.  Then he will be mighty close to his goal weight.

For Sarah and I, though, this cycle and especially this week have been rather disappointing compared to our first round. 

Sarah lost only half of a pound all week.  That is so discouraging for her.  And yet I can see her becoming smaller around the middle, so it may be that the microbiologist I mentioned last week was right about a plateau being the time when the body loses inches.  She has a total loss of 40.4 lbs, so she is still doing well!

As for me, when I weighed myself on Saturday, I looked back to my weight on the previous Saturday and saw that I'd only lost 1.2 lbs over the 7 days between.  It made me mad!  I'm sorry, but on this diet I feel that anything less than 3 lbs per week is unacceptable.

So I decided to have an "apple day," which I described in last week's post.  It's Dr. Simeons's answer to breaking a plateau for us impatient folks.

I wasn't thrilled to do it, since I'm not a big apple eater (now, if it were a "strawberry day" or a "banana day" or a "kiwi day," that would be different!).  Still, I was desperate enough to give it a go, plus I thought it might be helpful to see if it really works and post the results on this blog for others who might wish to try it.

So I chose my 6 apples, fasted all Saturday morning, and ate my first apple at 12:30 (lunch time).  I ate another at 5:15, one at 7:30, and one at 11:00 pm, while I was on the computer.  By that time I was all appled out and called it quits.  I could have eaten the 5th and 6th apples on Sunday morning, but it didn't sound at all appetizing to me.  In the end, I only ate 4 of the 6 allowed apples.

Lo and behold, on Sunday morning I had lost 1.8 lbs!  That brought my total for the week to exactly 3 lbs, which I can live with.  Barely! 

I returned to the 500-calorie diet at noon on Sunday, eating lunch right before we left for church.  I was a little nervous that my weight might bounce back up this morning, but I actually retained the loss even though I weighed myself 3 hours earlier today than I did on Sunday.

That makes my weight loss in 3 weeks 17.8 lbs, for a grand total of 55 lbs gone.  That does make me feel pretty good! 

And, in spite of losing only 1.2 lbs during all of last week, I will say that I received more compliments in that one week than I have during all the rest of the weeks since I started the diet on November 1st.  Again, maybe it was time for me to lose some inches despite the plateau.  (I've lost 10.5 inches off my waist so far.) 

Sarah is doing the "apple day" today.  I hope it does the trick, kick-starting her weight loss off this plateau she's on.  We moms love to see our children succeed!

Here are a few new hCG recipes we've dreamed up these past couple of weeks:

Above, chili con carne.  We browned the ground beef, added 2 cups of chopped onion, and seasoned it heavily with garlic, chili, cumin, and parsley.  Then we simmered it in a little water until the water cooked away.  Delicious!

This one looks a little weird, but it was also yummy.  Jacob diced up chicken breast and added asparagus and seasonings.  Sarah doesn't like asparagus, so this one was just for Jacob and me.

I think this version of a strawberry smoothie has become a family favorite which will continue long after the diet is done.  We've only made it once in each cycle, so it's definitely a splurge, but we love it.

Simply fill the blender with fresh or frozen strawberries (we've used both) and fill it up halfway with a sugar-free strawberry-flavored drink, something like Crystal Light.  Then blend it until it's smooth or just a little chunky.  Mmmmmm!

If you use frozen strawberries, let them thaw a bit so they aren't rock-hard before blending them.

And here we have the finished product, ready to enjoy.  We got a little brain-freeze when we used the frozen strawberries, but boy, was it good!

Tonight Jacob is going to grill us some tiny steaks and make a nice asparagus soup on the side.  Wyndie came up with the recipe and says it is very tasty.  I'll share photos and recipe next week.

Wyndie has completed her 23 days of hCG drops and has just 2 more days on the 500-calorie diet before she begins the 6 weeks of maintenance.  She promised to write up her experience and results, which I'll share here soon.  Stay tuned!

HCG #2: Week Two

Our second week on our second round of the hCG diet has produced mixed results, but some success overall. 

Jacob is the clear winner.  He has lost 19.8 lbs in 15 days!  I put it down to the these contributing factors: this is his first hCG cycle, he is male, he is 18 years old, he has a healthy metabolism, and I'm so jealous!  Oh, sorry, I guess that last one wasn't a contributing factor... 

Sarah had some starts and stops earlier this week, but in 15 days she has lost 14.8 lbs, for a total loss of exactly 40 lbs as of this morning.  So today is a big milestone for Sarah!

It's been frustrating for me.  My goal was to lose at least 6-7 lbs more this week, but I only lost 5.4  for a 15-day total of 14.8 lbs (the same as Sarah).  That makes my total loss 52 lbs, which is nothing to sneeze at, I know, so I'm trying to focus on that success.

Here's how it went down:  At the beginning of the week I was losing much more slowly than usual.  There were a couple of 1-pound losses, but also a tiny 0.6 and 0.2.  On the last cycle, I didn't see such small losses until the final 2 weeks.  At least my weight was moving downward each day, but I didn't feel it was coming off fast enough.

I haven't cheated at all, not so much as licking my fingers!  The only thing that seemed different this time was that I wasn't hungry since I'd raised my three-times-a-day dose of hCG from .35 to .40cc.  Maybe it was releasing too much fat into my system, I reasoned.  Maybe the weight would come off faster if I went back to the .35cc.  Maybe my body wanted to be hungry!  Okay, maybe not, but I would rather be hungry if it would speed up the weight loss.

I reduced my hCG drops on Thursday morning.  By Thursday afternoon my stomach was growling, and it has pretty much remained like that ever since.  However, on Friday morning I'd dropped 1.4 lbs and on Saturday I'd dropped 1.4 more!  Almost 3 lbs in 2 days--now, that's more like it!  I thought I'd discovered my solution.

But then yesterday and today the scale hasn't budged, not so much as one ounce.  Back to frustration, square one.  And so, again, I am reminding myself not to compare this cycle to my first cycle of hCG (by day 15 last time I'd lost 18.2 lbs...Shoot!  There, you see, I did it again!).  And I am trying to focus on the 52 lbs that are gone and never coming back!

I found this picture online of a 5-lb chunk of fat.  Think about it.  I've lost a total of 10 of those!  That's like losing a whole child!  And in just the past 2 weeks I dropped 3 of those blobs, so I will try to be more optimistic and patient.  Okay, Mary, be patient...be patient...be patient...

Now it's Lesson Time for those of you sharing this experience: 

First of all, this week seems to prove that slightly increasing your dose of hCG can take away the hunger, if that proves to be a problem for you as it was for me.  I'm going to raise mine back to .40cc and learn to appreciate the small losses among the larger ones while not being hungry.

Second, my friend A'Lece learned something while she was doing the hCG diet last year.  She went for a whole week without losing any poundage, but her microbiologist friend (who has worked with hCG) told her that it's when the weight loss pauses that more inches tend to come off.  When she measured herself at the end of the week, she had indeed lost a large number of inches.

Finally, Dr. Simeons himself had something to say about plateaus.  Here's an excerpt from his book, Pounds and Inches:

"The third type of interruption in the regular loss of weight may last...ten days to two weeks.  Fortunately, it is rare and only occurs in very advanced cases, and then hardly ever during the first course of treatment.  It is only seen in those patients who during some period of their lives have maintained a certain fixed degree of obesity for ten years or more and have then at some time rapidly increased beyond that weight."

I hope this is just a 2-day thing that will resolve itself this week.  I hope I'm not an "advanced case"!  However, I am definitely in the weight range where I hovered for a couple of years in my mid-twenties.  At that time I lost 47 lbs after I discovered I had hypoglycemia and changed my diet, but by the time I married and delivered Sarah at age 35, my weight had crept back up to that range, and there it stayed until I was expecting Dylan at age 42.  During that pregnancy I had many medical issues and gained weight rapidly.  It wasn't until my doctor introduced me to Dr. Atkins's book more than 2 years later that I was able to lose it all and then some... for the first time, anyway... 

So, yes, I did maintain that "certain fixed degree of obesity" in my current weight range for almost 10 years, followed by rapid weight gain.  Nonetheless, Dr. Simeons assures his readers that this type of plateau never lasts more than 2 weeks.

Repeat after me: patience, patience, patience...

Regarding other plateaus, Dr. Simeons states that a plateau of 4-6 days is perfectly normal, especially in the second half of the cycle, and will always correct itself.  For those who are impatient, he does propose a solution called an "apple day," although he says it is purely a psychological fix since it really only creates water loss and the plateau will end itself without help.  He also says this method is useless unless the plateau has lasted at least 4 days.  Still, here it is:

Only water is allowed until lunch time.  From that point on, you may eat up to 6 large apples any time you like, until just prior to lunch the following day.  Once you begin eating the apples (and nothing else for that 24-hour period), you should only drink enough water to quench your thirst, not enough to feel full.  If you can't eat all 6 apples, that's fine.  And that's it.  The next day at lunch you resume the 500-calories-per-day diet.

I think that middle apple looks like an old boyfriend of mine!

The Short Form:  My friend Wyndie is continuing on her 26-day hCG cycle and doing well.  She lost more weight than she expected during the first week, which made her a little nervous since she does not want to lose more than 15 lbs.  However, the weight loss has slowed to an acceptable level and all is going well.  I'll give a full report when she completes the diet sometime next week.

And so I leave you now with this thought: Remember, patience is a virtue worth waiting for!