VLCD12

It's been a minute since I posted but I had some challenges to overcome and I had to get back on track. I believe I contaminated my supply of hhcg by touching my lip with the dropper and THEN I washed the dropper and put it back in the bottle while wet. OOOPSS !! So after several days I found myself ravenous ! And of course, I ate myself up 1.6 pounds.

Fortunately, I had a backup bottle and started using it as soon as I felt hungry. It took about 2 days before I wasn't hungry anymore but MAN !! I did not stick to protocol at all. So now I am at 216.2 and on my way back down. In total, I have lost over 10 pounds in 12 days so I am doing FABULOUS !!

Blood sugar is still not as low as I would like, but I am being patient until my next doctor's visit on Friday, where I see my FAVORITE doctor. She is actually a Physician Assistant but she is really sweet and caring. She is also knowledgeable and much more helpful than my endocrinologist.

Today I went nuts at the Farmer's Market and bought ribeye, london broil, crabs, tilapia, chicken breasts and ground sirloin. I still can't believe I bought all that meat ! LOL ! My birthday is on Wednesday so I think I will have crabs and rib eye that day to celebrate the big 4-5. I feel blessed to have made it to the midpoint of my life. I see another 45 years ahead of me. I intend to enjoy every minute as much as possible.

Tomorrow I will post measurements. Here's to another great week of losses !

VLCD9

Hi, there ! Today is Very Low Calorie Day 9 and I released .6 pounds ! I had a rough day yesterday - I drank too much Smooth Move Tea and had terrible stomach pains. I chose to remedy that with 2 large oatmeal cookies - bad move ! My blood sugar shot up and I had to go lay down, falling asleep. This upset my sleep for the night and I didn't get to sleep until after 1 am.

Thank goodness for the release because it kept me motivated to behave today. Let me tell you how my BMI has changed. When I first started it was 35.8. Now it is 34.86. Almost a full point ! I am still classified as obese but once I hit a BMI of 29 - I will just be overweight !

I got my bloodwork in the mail today from my endocrinologist. My Hemoglobin A1C is down 1.2 points from December. Yippee ! This number tells you how you are doing over a 3 month period. It is not a normal number, but it indicates my diabetes is more controlled. This I knew because I have been taking my medicine regularly. The more I think about it, though, I really want tighter control of my numbers. I really want to see double digits like I did on Byetta. But I agreed to be patient and give it a few weeks.

So today I put on those size 18 Baby Phat stretch jeans. I managed to zip them up. Not comfortably, mind you, but I did get them on. Then I wore another pair of size 18 jeans today. They were a bit snug at first, but I wore them and they loosened up some.

I also went to the gynecologist today and she said I still had some swelling (duh !) but I was healing really well. I didn't tell her I put aloe vera/vitamin E gel on my incision. They don't want you to put stuff on your incision, but being diabetic, I need the extra help. Plus, I tend to experiment and do what I want a lot !! I banged my leg on the edge of the bed four months ago and it still hasn't healed right ! So I need all the help I can get.

Time to prepare for bed - it's almost 11 pm !

VLCD7

Hello !!

Today is VLCD7 and I released 1.4 pounds ! Yippee ! A total of 2.4 pounds since my last post ! I now weigh 216. Yahoo ! I tell you, this diet gets easier and easier. It is so important to me not to get bored so I tried something new yesterday - radishes. I never liked radishes as a child. They taste much too spicy for me. BUT if you boil the color off of them, they are quite pleasant. Even better if you boil them in some low salt chicken broth. Plus they are very filling.

Today I really noticed that I have not felt hungry in between meals. My mind is adjusting to diet. I honestly don't ever feel starved but I am realizing that if I get bored, I want to eat whatever. Whatever I see on tv, whatever I see in a magazine, whatever. But those impulses are leaving me.

Let's talk about my measurements. I did not think I had lost much because I could not fit into my BIG jeans (size 18 Baby Phat stretch jeans !). I took my measurements this Sunday so here goes:

• Bicep - 15" - down .5"


• Bust - 47.5" - no change


• Waist - 43.5" - down 2" !!


• Hips - 48" - down 1.5" !!


• Calf - 15.75" - down .5"

Wow, I can't believe all those losses ! So I decided that as I move from size to size, I will get rid of the bigger clothes. What I will do is donate them to freecycle. It would be great if there was a resource for dieters who wanted to exchange clothes as they lose weight. I will have to look into that...

VLCD5

Howdy !

Today was VLCD5 and I released .8 pounds ! So far I have lost 7.6 pounds in 5 days ! I am very happy about that ! Tomorrow is my measurement day. So I am curious to see if I lost any inches. My pants don't say so but maybe the measuring tape will.

I have been watching a few vlogs on youtube to help me stay motivated. I tell you, there is nothing like looking at a friendly face who is doing the same thing you are and encouraging you. My two favorites so far are Blondyjo and Mumzeee. I really admire them for going on camera - I'm much too chicken. But they have both been really successful on the HCG diet and you can absolutely tell from their videos that they really lose weight. Mumzeee is diabetic like me and I think she stopped her meds completely before the diet. It took about three weeks for her numbers to go down radically. I'm too scared to go off my meds right now but I will definitely re-evaluate in a few weeks. Maybe my numbers will be lower then.

I bought some new things today to change it up - Walden's Farms Barbecue sauce and Ceasar Dressing. This stuff is full of chemicals - seriously, how can they make a sauce with no carbs and no sugar ? It gives a little more flavor, though, and until I learn to cook, it certainly helps break up the monotony.

I made some faux meatloaf today and added the barbecue sauce - dare I say it was yummy ? I also added shallots and Bragg's Amino Acids to it. I love shallots and garlic. The Bragg's is a little scary since it is made with soy protein. Soy is not so good for us ladies and I want to avoid anything that makes the fibroids come back so I will not use it often.

Well, it's past my bedtime. I have been getting into bed around 11pm and falling asleep earlier without having to take sleeping aids ! Yay ! So I want to keep that up. Not getting proper sleep contributes to obesity and diabetes.

VLCD3

Hello, there !
Today was Very Low Calorie Day 3 !! This morning I released 3.2 pounds !! Can you say amazing !?!! I am so very happy ! I finally surpassed the 220s and am now officially at 219.8 ! Yahoo !!

Today I had the same thing as yesterday except for dinner I had half a can of organic diced tomatoes with no salt added to my fish. The whiting was very dry so I decided to change it up. I also bought some wild Texas shrimp for tomorrow since that was the end of the whiting.

I bought a few new teas as well. I bought Mate Chocolatte - which is enjoyable - I have had two cups already. I also bought bought Smooth Move Chocolate just in case I become irregular.

My fasting blood glucose this morning was 137. Right now I am at 163 - the tomatoes and strawberries together jacked me up. I will have to make sure I don't eat them together again. At this rate, I won't be able to tell when I can stop my diabetes medicine. My numbers just aren't going down real fast. I have been wondering if the Januvia will keep me at a certain point and not let me get low. But for now I will be patient and keep on taking it. I will re-evaluate in three weeks. I really want to see double digits !

VLCD2

So.....drumroll please.....I released 3.2 pounds today ! Woo Hoo ! I am so happy and impressed with this stuff. I have had another easy day. If I feel even slightly hungry I will make myself a cup of green tea with splenda. I had a hard time getting to sleep last night because in general I rarely get to bed before 2 am. So the longer I stayed up, the hungrier I felt and I drank two cups of green tea. Bad move. I didn't get to sleep until after 3 am. Tonight I will take my Equate sleeping pills.

I realize I forgot to list my measurements. I am only sharing so that we can track my progress. There may be days when I don't lose actual pounds, but the inches will still be coming off.

• Bicep - 15.5"


• Bust - 47.5"


• Waist - 45.5"


• Hips - 49.5"


• Thigh - 26.5"


• Calf - 16.25"

I will probably check my measurements once per week. I am so excited about this diet ! I can't wait to see what the scale says tomorrow !

First Day of VLCD

So today was my first day on the Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD). It was not so bad. I had moments of hunger but nothing unbearable. I didn't feel like I was starving ever. Which is very important when you are on a diet. I know I fail whenever I feel very hungry.

Yesterday was my last load day and I did not gain any additional weight. This morning I woke up to 226.2 again. I had some organic coffee, black with stevia. I mix it with half decaf and half regular coffee because this particular flavor of coffee raises my blood sugar a bit. So my compromise was to mix half with the regular and half with decaf.

I made it to lunch time and had 3.5 ounces of chicken breast. I'm not much of a cook so I just seasoned it with garlic powder and basil, then baked enough for a few days. Then I had a whole raw cucumber. I cut off the green skin, cut it into chunks and sprinkled some of Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar and basil on them. I also had a cup of sliced strawberries sprinkled with stevia.

For a mid afternoon snack, I ate one melba toast. Then for dinner I ate the most: 3.5 ounces of whiting (seasoned with lemon juice and tarragon), 3 cups of romaine lettuce (seasoned with apple cider vinegar, minced garlic, basil and tarragon - like a salad dressing), one more melba toast. For dessert, I had a gala apple.

All my foods except the melba toast I got from the Farmer's Market. That way I know everything is organic with no hormones or antibiotics added. This is important because my gynecologist thinks there is a link between hormone fed animals and fibroids. After that surgery I want to do everything I can to keep them from coming back.

It is unfortunate that organic foods tend to cost more than processed foods. So far I haven't figured out a way around this. It does give me satisfaction that for the first time in my life, I am truly taking care of myself. I may have to research co-ops and local farmers if it becomes a strain on the budget but so far it's okay. Not to mention the meats in the "regular" section are so much bigger and more colorful than the organic ones !

Yesterday I went to see my endocrinologist and was very disappointed. Basically she ended with asking ME what drugs can she prescribe for me. My goal was to get her to file an appeal to my insurance for byetta. Instead she passed the buck to one of the nurses, who in turn blamed everything on the mysterious "Tina" who is supposed to call me. I won't be holding my breath. Perhaps my internist has had better luck in getting samples from the representative. I will have to wait until April 24th to find that out.

If all goes well with this diet, diabetes medicine may not even be an issue. I still took my Januvia this morning with my coffee. This morning my fasting blood glucose was 159. That's a little high for my goal. My goal is to keep my glucose levels between 80-140. 140 should be something I may see two hours AFTER a meal. But the loading days with all the fat and some sugar thrown in (which I don't normally have) resulted in the high morning number.

Before dinner I was at 117. That's a good start. When I was on byetta, I would see double digits, which is even better. Right now I am at 120. Hopefully tomorrow morning I will still be around 120. I won't be eating anything else tonight but I am drinking green tea. I drank almost a gallon of water today. Two liters is recommended but I found it easy to drink the water. Some people drink even more than a gallon.

Now if my FBG tomorrow morning is higher than 120, it will be due to dawn phenomenom. This happens to many diabetics. Your liver anticipates you waking for the day and dumps sugar into your bloodstream. Who wants that ? So many diabetics try to compensate by eating protein before sleep or flaxseeds, Apple Cider Vinegar, Red Wine, or waking up in the middle of the night to eat - whatever they can try to compensate but so far none of that works for me. So for now, I can't worry too much about it.

As far as I feel right now, I have a bit of a headache. This was explained by Dr. Simeons to be a need for potassium. I have potassium supplements on hand because one of my diabetes medicines (which may have been Actos) leeched the potassium from me and I would get horrible leg cramps in the middle of the night. Nothing worse than waking up to your calf muscle turning itself into a knot ! Of course, it still hurts the rest of the day just in case you forgot how excruciating it was !

Well, I am excited to see what kind of release I have tomorrow morning. All weight loss is described as "release" which I find interesting. You are releasing fat from your body. I have ketone sticks and in a few days I plan to test to see how much fat I am actually releasing.

Loading Day 2

I am starting to feel the effects of the hhcg. I actually felt it last night when I began feeling overwhelmingly stuffed. But this afternoon, I really did not feel like eating anything. Still it is very important to load so that I get the most benefits from the hhcg.

So this morning I went to Waffle House and had cheese eggs, hash browns smothered and covered, bacon and wheat toast. I had a little bit of cheesecake earlier. When I got home I had some dark chocolate covered hazelnuts. I finished off my Starbucks Java Chip Frappuccino. I had some Lay's French Onion dip with Ruffles. For lunch I had a cheeseburger with lots of miracle whip. Actually it sounds like I ate a lot anyways ! This is why it is so important to log what you eat. I'm thinking I was full and didn't eat much ! LOL !

I gained 2.4 pounds since yesterday. I did not drink as much water as I usually do. But when I start the Very Low Calorie Days, I will be drinking at least 32 ounces of water per day so that will help release weight. I'm not worried about the weight - it will all be gone in the first week.

The best news of all is that my blood sugar has not been ridiculous. The highest it has gotten is 168. Not bad at all. And that's after a meal.

I'm going to eat some more fatty foods this evening. Tomorrow I go see my endocrinologist and find out what options I have for diabetes medicine.

I do feel very tired. In fact, this afternoon I took a nap. I think it is all the fatty food I am eating. I will just go to bed earlier tonight.

Loading Day 1

Yay ! I got my hhcg yesterday ! So I went shopping for my load days. I plan to do 3 load days which is recommended with the hhcg. People who use the hcg amd mix it themselves usually do 2 days.

So what is loading ? Loading is when you eat a very high fat diet. So today I had chicken enchiladas with lots of shredded organic cheese. I just found out regular shredded cheese has starch on it to keep the shreds separate ! I had coffee and added whipping cream to it. I had cheesecake. Then for lunch I had Marie Calendars breaded chicken with gravy, mashed potatoes and veggies. I added extra butter to everything. After lunch I felt almost sick, I was so stuffed. The uncomfortable feeling did not go away until just now. For my afternoon snack I had more cheesecake. I think we will have lasagna for dinner. I am hoping I load properly.

I checked my bg after breakfast and I was at 118. Not bad at all. I expected to be much worse - like in the 200s. I did take Januvia and will continue to do so until my bg numbers are too low. If I go below the 80s on the medicine, I will stop taking it.

I haven't measured myself yet but my weight is 222.4 pounds. I will measure myself shortly and post the measurements tomorrow.

I really am excited about this diet ! I can't wait to see results !

Waiting for my HCG...

I am waiting for my HCG to arrive. I ordered a free trial from a company a week ago and I am still waiting ! Then yesterday I ordered a bottle from someone on eBay. I bet the eBay order comes first !

So let's talk about HCG and what it is. In scientific terms, HCG stands for Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, a hormone present in both men and women, but which is produced in great amounts in pregnant females. During pregnancy, the substance almost completely controls the woman's metabolic functions. In non-pregnant persons, research suggests hCG similarly increases the metabolism similar to a pregnant female. Thousands of calories in stored fat are released, and are used by the body or expelled. To keep the fat cells from immediately taking in more fat, the very low fat very low calorie diet (VLCD) is necessary.

The use of HCG and a VLCD are the design of Dr. A.T.W. Simeons. Dr. Simeons' research suggests a small, daily injection amount of hCG (approx. 125 IU to 200 IU), results in an average weight loss of 1 to 2 lbs a day when accompanied by a VLCD (very low calorie diet). You can get a free pdf copy of his book here: Pounds and Inches.

If you are interested in this diet, read his book. There are several ways to use the HCG. One way is to inject it. Another is sublingual, where you put drops under your tongue. Another is the homeopathic HCG (hhcg) which also comes in drops but is not pure HCG you order from another country. I have read success stories from all types. Neither one is better or worse than the other as far as losing weight. If you choose injections or sublingual, you will have to order your HCG from overseas and mix it yourself. If you order hhcg, it will already be mixed for you.

I chose hhcg because I read people still lose the same amount of weight and it was pre-mixed and cheaper. As I stated above, I ordered mine from eBay. Now since I haven't tried it yet, I am not going to recommend it to anyone but if I am successful, I will definitely let you know from whom I bought it and how to get it.

Meanwhile I am planning my loading days. The first 2-3 days, you load up on fats. I am making a grocery list and am excited about eating a lot of cheesy, gooey, fatty foods !

First Post, Getting Organized

So I have had it with being obese. I am so over it. I have this idea that if I lose a significant amount of weight, I can stop taking all these medicines. I have diabetes medicines and high blood pressure medicine. A few months ago, I was weighing at the most I have ever weighed in my life ! I saw 234 !! Yikes ! I am 5'6". I like to blame this on the diabetes medicines I was on - in particular Actos.

Thank goodness my new endocrinologist offered me something else - Byetta. I lost 14 pounds ! But I also underwent surgery for fibroids and that's a whole other story ! After the surgery, I ran out of Byetta and gained several pounds back. It costs $300 per month and I couldn't afford it. I have insurance but they refused to pay for it. Finally, something that works with the potential to get me off meds and they won't help.

I have been begging and scrambling for weeks now just to get another sample. No such luck. My next endo appointment is Monday and I have already found a cheaper drug - Victoza - with the same benefits as Byetta. So we shall see what happens then.

In the meantime, I have been researching supplements and HCG to continue my weight loss program. Now last year I tried HCG. I ordered it from abroad and mixed it myself. Maybe that's why I got rashes from my injection sites !

At any rate, the whole concept of HCG makes sense to me. After all, I lost weight while I was pregnant. It was so easy to eat healthy ! I ate an apple almost every day the first few months. After I had my child, I weighed less than before I got pregnant. So I know it will work for me as long as I get the right mixture.

I joined a group on yahoo for HCG dieters last year. It is HUGE. So it is hard to get questions answered and easy to get overwhelmed. Last week I joined a forum for lowcarbers. This place is much more friendly and supportive. Between the two, I hope to get questions answered and support for this journey.

So what are my goals for this blog ? To be open and honest about my mission. To hold my feet to the fire and not give up. To track what I'm doing and not lose focus. And hopefully, someone will come along and read this and join me if it turns out to be beneficial.

Off to do more research ! Although, I ordered a sample of HCG last week, it is taking its sweet time getting here. I may order from eBay in hopes to get one quicker.