VLCD 3

Well here are the first numbers:
VLCD 1 : 301.1
VLCD 2 : 299.8
VLCD 3 : 297.5

Today I switched the order of my meals. I had been keeping the early meals light, not by design but by accident. Today I moved my protein to my first "snack" and it seems to have helped my energy. I haven't had the early big loss numbers like I did the first round, but I didn't gain any weight during my load days.

I'm trying to pace myself as I adjust to the protocol this round. I am working hard to stay in the calorie window and not add food that isn't fat free or low carb. I have some LA Lite beverages that are 40 and protein. This seems like as good a time as any to drink them :) I am counting two of them as one of my proteins.

It is good to be low cal again.

VLCD 1

It feels great to be back on protocol. I have been very good today and have been getting used to the empty tummy, but not hungry feeling. I keep reminding myself that every decision about what to put in my mouth matters. Until I get used to the protocol I can't take it for granted that I will be as conscientious as I need to be.

So far I have had black coffee, an apple, and 3oz of chicken. Dinner will be a large salad with chicken and an apple.

Back in the Saddle Again

So I am finishing up my second day of loading and it feels great to be back on plan. Other health issues have been resolved and the doctor gave me the go ahead to get back to the protocol! Tomorrow is VLCD number one.

The hard part is that I gained all of my lost weight back while I was on treatment since I couldn't exit the protocol correctly. Now I am hoping that the weight is going to roll off as fast as it did the first time.

Update

Ok, just a quick heads up to the readers... I'll be back latter this summer. I have had a couple of other medical concerns pop up... have been taken off of protocol by my doctor so that they can more accurately access my condition. :P

No worries though, I'll be back in June....
I hope all of you are well.

And slowly rolling back down

So this morning I was 288. I will take a downward trend right now. I am not hungry which makes me think my hcg levels are finally where they ought to be. I forgot that it would take a little time for my own levels to come down too.

I have not done well eating enough food today. I am going to have to leave the office soon and get some dinner. I am thinking a tossed green salad minus anything not green and no dressing :)

Oh and I had to share.... I went to a luncheon and ate my apple!!! I am proud,
M

Back in the game

I will be able to start back to the protocol in the morning. I've done fairly well with the calories. I added in some protein and just listened to my body and now that the bleeding has stopped I don't feel like I need to eat more.

I can also tell a difference in my fat and my body mass. It will be interesting to see how the body reacts now that I am back on protocol since I should have some fluid volume to lose...

It feels good to be back... I look forward to getting to a healthy weight :) My weight has been bobbing around 289 while I was going through the "shift" and I am interested in seeing what my weight is over the weekend.

Some setbacks

Well, I can say that this has been an interesting lesson in how changing your life can result in some unstable cycles... I just had my first miscarriage, well I guess technically that is still in process. I started my second round and had trouble with the period that just wouldn't stop and when I stopped my Hcg, it would stop. I restarted my hcg on Sunday and Monday morning, it finally happened. I say finally, because now I know what was going on with my body.

I am relieved because I am not in a place where being a mom is an option and I haven't really talked about it with my family because they don't even probably remember the guy I was dating two months ago that well. I feel blessed because before I even knew I was pregnant it was over. So I didn't have to worry or make any hard decisions. I was able to just live in ignorance. I was unaware partially because I was on birth control that lasts for three months.

I am not sure if I have to wait to start my low calorie days back up... I am listening to my body now and trying to give it what it needs, so yesterday I had more protein than usual. We will have to wait and see how this plays out over the next few weeks.

VLCD - and the direction is still good

Sweet.... 288.8. I like the downward trends... i am getting hungrier in the evening than before i need to figure out what to do with my meals to make that work better. Perhaps I just need to go to bed earlier....

:)

VLCD 3 - Back in business

Ok, so not as low as I would have liked to be but 290.1 is a good chunk lower than 294. So, I woke up down 3.9 pounds from yesterday. I still feel bloated, my body is still trying to have a period, and at least I only work 12 hours today :) I would love some feedback on the whole TOM thing, I don't know if I should stop taking my BC and let TOM come, or if I should stick to the BC and treat it like breakthrough bleeding... I am using HCG from DD.ca this time and it doesn't feel the same as the HCG from NHW... in that I've felt hungry more... I'll wait and see if this changes over the next few days. I'm eating the same food as I was the first go around. So we shall see. Hope all is well with everyone...

Today's Menu:
Coffee, Splenda (2 packets) for breakfast
Blackberries, am snack 9:30
melba toast, no-fat cottage cheese, and mixed salad greens for lunch 1:00pm

Blackberries, melba toast, chicken breast, and mixed salad greens for dinner. 3:40

Round 2 VLCD 2

Argh!!!! Ok so this morning, I weighed myself a couple hours earlier than yesterday... I was up 2.2 pounds to 294.0. I vaguely remember something like this from round 1, and that afterwards I dropped a nice amount. I am however not trying to get frustrated. I could feel the bloating in my belly, so I at least know that it is water...

Today's Menu:
Breakfast: coffee, black with splenda
Morning Snack: A handful of blackberries (10:00 am)
Lunch: A handful Blackberries, 4 slices turkey breast no-fat, 1 cup mixed organic greens (1:00pm)
Dinner: No-Fat chicken broth, 100 grams grilled chicken breast, green onion

I am trying the blackberries because they are on the Native Healing Ways approved fruit list. My calories should total for the day 443.

Glad to be back in the game....

Pack for Round 2

Greetings all... as I approach my 31st birthday, I feel it is the right time to set some resolutions. One of mine is to keep my blog updated despite the intensity of doctoral study! I just finished my two load days and am one day 1 of VLCD. My post load weight was 291.8 this morning. I was maintaining at 283, until I got sick. I think that caused my body to retain some water and my weight was bouncing all over the place. I am curious to see how this round progresses. I feel as though I am starting it with a better mindset. I have been looking forward to starting and feel as though the structure of my schedule should help me stay on track. I've already brought Protein powder to the office in case I forget to pack my lunch. I am also fortunate that there are two grocery stores near campus.

I need to take my measurements latter today... but so far so good, 1 grissimi, salad greens, and 3 0zs of lean meat for lunch :) Now I just need to get in my apple :D

Sorry for the absence

Well ladies and gents I did my last injection for round one on Friday. I will enter P3 on Wednesday. I am really looking forward to bacon and cheese :) The last few weeks have been crazy with travel and with the spring semester starting. The best thing about this protocol is that it is very forgiving. I mean that in the sense that I went way off plan in week five. I really didn't keep myself from having what I wanted... and though my weight went up a little with water retention, it came right back down when I got back on plan. I can honestly say, with no diet or lifestyle change have I had the ease of returning to the plan or the response from my body. My body was happy to go back to 500 calories, my weight immediately corrected. So I know the bad thing is that I probably would have lost another ten pounds this round, but the good news is that I still have lost more weight in 6 weeks than I ever have before. I am actually looking forward to round 2 which I hope to begin March 21st.

Glad to be back.... Load 307, Current weight: 283.

VLCD 19 - 288.6

Greetings! It is a lovely rainy day here in the DC area. All I can say is wow what a snowstorm this would be if it was cold enough! This has been another slow week, but after incorporating the snack style meal plan things definitely picked up. I also am feeling like I have more energy. I want to get back to work and off of holiday. I feel like I need to get active. I do have some muscle fatigue when I climb a few flights of stairs and I have noticed that different muscle groups feel tight on different days.

My mom and I will be getting together latter today and I will finally be able to see how she is progressing with her hcg protocol. I am hoping that I will be able to help her out a bit while I am staying in her house next week by making some food and packing her lunch. She has been having trouble finding time to do those things for herself. I also need to schedule definitive boundaries around my schedule for the spring so that I can stay on top of my work. Perhaps it is that new year enthusiasm, or maybe I am realizing that as I am changing my living habits I can change all of the living habits that cause me problems. Obviously, not all at once.... but developing a vision of how I want to structure my life, handle stress, provide balance, etc... seems to naturally all flow together.

So thus far: 307-288.6=18.4

VLCD 16 -290.6

It feels so much better to see that whole pound drop :) The things I changed yesterday: eat every couple of hours, starting from within a half hour of rising; drank 3 liters of water; and added meditation and visualization. I read the Soul, Mind, Body Healing book and have added some of the healing meditations. I have worked in massage and with energy medicine in the past and it feels right to add it in. I am following these three additions today.

One thing I noticed as I follow protocol is that I am more expressive with my emotions. I am not "swallowing" them the way I normally do, and I don't mean by eating as much as by suppressing them. I think this might be part of the emotional side of healing my obese self. In eastern medicine, when you have feelings that you do not acknowledge it leads to imbalance and dis-ease within the body. I have recognized for some time that I take on the burdens of others without caring for myself. I cannot continue to live my life this way if I want to be nurtured and healthy. Perhaps that is one reason why my body believed it was starving, because it was energetically.

I also noticed as my ex-fiance let me down once more, that I coincidently have his exact body weight to lose... Talk about serendipity :) It seems like cleaning house on the physical, mental, and spiritual planes is part of this journey to health, at least for me.

VLCD 15 - 291.6

Ok, last week was frustrating. I don't know if I had a false low at 290, but I went to bed and woke up 2 pounds heavier than my pre bedtime weight... So on Th I was suddenly 294. One of my marine friends who has done some extreme dieting to make his weight has said this has happened to him too. I decided that maybe I didn't get enough water in and made sure to have more than 2 liters on TH. My weight was back down to 292.8 on F and then 292.6 on Sat, and finally Sunday was 292.4. I was glad this morning when I was down to 291.6. I can think of three things that may have contributed to the bounce and slow loss. 1. Not enough water 2. This was a weight that I was at for a while and so it might be a set point 3. I had fast bowls early in the week and that may have triggered the need to hold water.

I also thought about a post I read on the yahoo group board by Lynne, and the benefit of breaking up the meals into small snacks throughout the day instead of having two "large" meals. I broke my food into snacks every two hours. I have felt SO much better today. I have been having gentle cravings for protein off and on during the protocol. Today I felt infinitely better and am waiting to see how I do tomorrow. If this groovy feeling continues... well let's just say then next four weeks will be a breeze.

Even with last week's stall, I still think that this is the most reasonable life change/diet that I have done. I am noticing a difference in how I perceive portions that I have never experiences before. That alone gives me hope. Oh, and apples and salad greens never tasted this good before.