The Month Of Zen: My HCG Experience

R3 VLCD #More - Macadamias Smell Like Wax

2009-05-20T09:41:00.000-07:00

...and it sort of grosses me out. I really like them in, say, COOKIES, but I don't think that would have the same desired effect I'm striving for here.

I lost a half pound today! It doesn't seem like much but I have been hovering around 119 for the last week. So here I am at 118.5, popping another round of macadamias in my mouth. They DO have a delightful sort of crunch... almost buttery in a way. So in my eyes - the macadamias tentatively worked. I'm going to try another few days and see how things go. SEE HOW I AM SACRIFICING MYSELF IN THE NAME OF EXPERIMENTATION?! Well, I suppose it isn't really sacrifice if I'm going to get some good out of it too :] Not to mention it's kind of nice to eat something besides the normal P2 diet. The crunch! It's just so satisfying!

Last night I went to happy hour with T, A and K. T, my best friend, is moving to Denver in a week and a half :[ This makes me a saaaad sad panda. But really, she doesn't belong here in Phoenix. She's much more of an outdoors-y, green, not-desert kind of person. She will thrive in Denver, but will be sorely missed. So tonight is a sort of going away party for her, held simultaneously with a club event that someone we know is throwing. I don't think I'll have any wine since I had some last night, but we'll see :]

The REAL test will be Saturday, her actual going away party barbecue. It'll no doubt be tough to stick to protocol then, but I'm going to, because it will be the second to last day of injections! I can't screw things up that late in the game! Time will tell :]

Eater of Waxy Nuts (HA!),

R3 VLCD #Something+MAS - I'm Nuts About Macadamias!

2009-05-19T16:09:00.000-07:00

Hellooooooo party people!

I didn't lose that .5lb today... boooo. I had secretly predicted that I'd lose 1 pound, but nothing. Oh well. I hope I have a "woosh" in store tomorrow or SOMETIME before Sunday! But it really isn't TOO big of a deal, because I really like how I look now :D

SO! I read something interesting on HTA this morning. Someone on there read somewhere (someone told me that they told you that she told him that they told us that SHE said...) that a few macadamia nuts each day while on P2 increases weight loss a lil' bit. And THEEEENNNN a few people in the thread TRIED it and it worked for (most of)them! Seeing as how I haven't lost anything in the past few days, and that I am really happy with how I look nooow, I thought I'd give this little experiment a shot. The worst that could happen is that I don't lose, and that's not really a traumatic issue at this point. The BEST that could happen is that I lose more each day for the following 6 days and get to my 115 goal! Or beyond (fat chance)!!!!

So I moseyed on over to Sprouts this morning and got myself a bag of raw macadamia nuts! They were pretty tasty, although I DO prefer the salted ones. Most nuts I like raw, but these are just kind of bland. I ate 6.5 of them, which according to The All-Knowing Church of Google, equals about 130 calories. I worked waaay more than that off running this morning so we're all set! We'll see how it turns out tomorrow a.m.

I'm 'bout ready to be done with this mess. I want to eat normal food again. But not badly enough that when I go off the injections I fear I am going to pig out. I have definitely found an inner peace with all of this... my body, food, life in general.

AND I GOT SOME FRIGGIN' CUTE SHOES TODAY, TOO!

And THAT, my friends, is ALWAYS cause for celebration.

Happy Feet,

R3 VLCD #Something+some more - Home Stretch

2009-05-18T14:10:00.001-07:00

Alright people! Did you all have good weekends? Relaxing? Crazy? Blow-Your-Brains-Out Dull? Good good! Good to hear :]

We're in the final stretch! I'm still at 119, I got down to 118.5 on Sunday, but then ate every sample in sight at Costco. SAMPLES aren't supposed to count as real food! I thought that the oatmeal cookie, chicken pasta, and cream puff were completely devoid of calories. Evidently not. I don't know where I get my information but it's BADBADBAD. But the rest of my round will be as cleeeeeean as something reeeaaaaaally clean.

I'm sure it will come off tomorrow, if not that and then some. My final injection is this coming Sunday, and I am hoping to get down to 115, which has always been my final goal. Can she do it? Can she overcome all obstacles and be successful? Can she completely ignore the chocolate covered pomegranate bits in the cupboard(yesterday I evidently couldn't)? Tune in all this week to find out!

I have a BUNCH of hCG left, it's currently camped out in my freezer right behind the orange roughy. My friend B told me on Saturday that she is ready to take the plunge and change her lifestyle. She has been through a LOT in the last year, and wants to shed old habits and start anew. So I'll be giving that to her whenever she wants it.

I think that's about all I have for you today... I'm suddenly craving about 100 grams of ground beef. Haven't a clue why, but I think I'll go have some :]

ALMOST DONE!

R3 VLCD #Something - I'VE MISSED YOU SO MUCH SOBSOBSOB

2009-05-15T09:54:00.000-07:00

OH. MY. GOD... It's YOU!!! How are you?? OMG you look FAAABBUUULLOOUUUSSSS! It has been so LONG! What HAVE you been doing? Are you still with that one guy? Still working at that one place? I'm soooooo glad to see you're doing fabulously. You're just so completely fabulous.

Sorry to stay away so long. I am notorious for starting blogs and then growing tired of them and abandoning ship for a while. I think I pressure myself into posting every day, and then when I miss a day or two, I think it's futile and all is lost and I stop. You should see how many different LiveJournal accounts I have. I'm taking up so much space on the web that they're gonna go all airline on me and start charging me for TWO seats.

But now I'm back! From outer space! I just walked into see you here with that sad look upon your face! *boogies down*

But in all reality... I'm doing fantastic. My P3 didn't go quite as well as the first time... I was soooo tired of P2 and was getting weak which you can see if you recap my last few posts. SOOOOO in that nasty little grey area when you are no longer injecting but supposed to eat 500 calories per day, I sorta let loose. A lot. And then some more. Topped with even more with some MORE mixed in shakennotstirredthankyouverymuch.

My LIW was 122.5 and I got up to a whopping 127 (insert horror movie scream here). Shaaaame ooooooh the shame!!

SO! Here I am on P2 again, this time REALLY for my last time. I learned my lesson, I cannot CANNOT cheat those last few days of 500 calories, no matter how much justification I try to feed my hungry little sugar-starved brain. I am looking quite wonderful if I may say so myself, and I will :] THIS is a new feeling. Not just being OK with how I look but actually feeling HOT! I big puffy pink heart it a lot!

And guess how much I weight? Guess what IIIII broke into just this morning?!?!

THE TEENS! I'm 119! (insert Price is Right winner music here - circa Bob Barker NOT Dana Carvey)

I could not be more thrilled (unless of course I had magically dropped 4 more lbs and gotten to my final goal of 115 - but I do have a TOUCH of realism in me, I promise). The last few days I was getting a little mentally wishy-washy, wondering if I should just stop now instead of finishing up. I ALWAYS do that when I am about to reach a goal! I must not! I haven't been cheating, just toying with the idea of P3. I think I thought what Amie once told me - that I didn't think I COULD get below the 120s. That it was just unattainable even though I have abnormal fat left. It was just a mental block. But now I have opened the flood gates and feel great :]

Well I am sorry that I didn't keep up with you guys better - I will now go peruse your journals and see how you have been doing :]

All the best,

R2 VLCD #26 - I TAKE IT BACK

2009-04-10T13:30:00.000-07:00

The end! I didn't take an injection this morning. Last night after I got home from a relaxing Our Economy Blows Happy Hour with H (read: a bottle of wine bought at the store instead of drinks out) I had to make a cake. For H's bridal shower that I am throwing next weekend.

No no no I didn't make the cake this far in advance... I had to do a trial because I am making a

special cake! NO not that kind of special. C'mon people, can't you read my mind? A rainbow cake!! So I made it for Snack Friday (which you SHOULD know what that is if you have been keeping up). It will look much prettier than this,

it will be 2 layers and iced diff

erently and such, I was just seeing if I could achieve the tie-dye effect! (for the record, I did not eat any of the finished cake)

So I made the cake... and I licked the batter bowl... all 5 of them needed for the different colors. And plenty of frosting. I gained a pound today. And my stomach is PROTESTING. My intestines feel all weird and I'm all gurgley. That's what I get! I'm sure it'll come off soon enough, if this P3 is anything like my last P3. It was pretty darn easy. I know they are not all the same, but I work out so much that I think that helps a lot.

I'm just done. I tried to fight it, but I have no mental willpower left. I was starting to sabotage myself. As much as I hate to go back on my decision yesterday and say "no, I actually can't go further" I don't want to ruin what I have worked so hard for already.

So I will just leave the syringes in the freezer until I decide if I am going to do another or I'm done forever and toss them out. Right now I am up in the air. I wanted to end up lower, but I may very well just be able to do that myself with the insane exercise regimen that I will be partaking in now that I am not going to be taking in the same amount of daily calories as a small cat. We shall see.

I feel good about what I have done so far. I really do like myself now, which is more than I ever imagined I would get out of this! I am ready for P3. SO READY.

So... here I go!

Yesterday's exercise:

Ran 3 miles outside

Yesterday on my plate was:

1/2 grapefruit with Splenda

100g beef

A chunk of cucumber

1 yellow apple

1.5 glasses of Pinot Noir

Some sliced ham (that's all they had)

Cake batter and frosting, in "a lick here and there really adds up" amounts

Weight tracking:

+1lb today

-19.5lbs overall

+1lb over LIW (122.5)

Embarking On Another P3 Expedition,

R2 VLCD #25 - Say You'll Never Let Go, Jack, Never Let Go

2009-04-09T11:09:00.000-07:00

Last night... I almost gave up.

Actually, I DID give up. I was done! Fin! Over! You coulda stuck a fork all the way THROUGH me I was so done. I decided that this morning I was not going to take a shot, and just start my transition into P3. I was feeling WEAK! I had had it. I wanted "real" food. I wanted to lift weights again. I wanted a "normal" life back!

SO weak, that I had several FINGERS-FUL of FROSTING. Yes FROSTING! You read that correctly. Not peanut butter, not cream cheese, not Walden Farms no-cal caramel dip.... FROSTING.

And a bite of S's dinner, which definitely included carbs. And maybe 15 or so cashews.

This morning, I realized I was wrong. I woke up and didn't want to stop hCG. I felt renewed. I didn't feel too guilty about my little deviation (I think I actually needed some sugar) and I definitely didn't want to stop!

So I didn't! I TOOK that shot. STRAPPED on my running shoes. And CONQUERED my weakness.

And ya know what? That little bit of sugar sure made my run this morning pleasant. I didn't feel weak at all. And today still I feel great.

I have actually been contemplating something that'd probably be pretty controversial. Not contemplating DOING it per say since I'm about done, but thinking it may be helpful, for some people.

Perhaps during the protocol, after a few weeks of your VLCD, you need to take a day, have a small meal with something carb-y or sugar-y (not a lot - mind you - but enough to rejuvenate you a bit). Your brain has a hard time running off ketones all the time says S, so after a while it gets TIRED OF THIS and you crave, mentally and physically, sugars and carbs. Then the next day, take the gain or stall if you have one, into stride, and carry on. This may help people. I sure feel a helluva lot better today, where last night I was DONE. And I still lost a half of a pound! Granted - I think it would have been more had I not deviated, but I'm ok with it. I feel that I could go for another week. Or longer (I'm not though). I definitely retained some water from that frosting... I was SO THIRSTY for the rest of the night after eating it. SOOOO thirsty!

Now I'm not going to go out and tell people to do this, it's just a thought. And I think some would have a hard time sticking to just a little bit, or not doing it over and over again.

Well there ya have it. Now here I go, journeying into the end of my round, full force and ready to TAKE IT ON!

Yesterday's exercise:

Ran almost 3 miles (smooth move interruption!)

Yesterday on my plate was:

1/2 grapefruit with Splenda

100g chicken

A chunk of cucumber

1 green apple

100g beef

15 or so cashews

Several fingers-ful of frosting

A glass of pinot noir

A bite of S's dinner

Weight tracking:

-.5lb today

-10lbs this roun

-20.5lbs overall

EMPOWERED,

R2 VLCD #24 - A "Moving" Experience

2009-04-08T11:49:00.000-07:00

Well I lost that .5lb today, just like you guys said I would! Wheee!! Tomorrow I am expecting more loss... in the Smooth Move category. I hadn't had a BM in like a week and a half or something, so I had some unfair buildup. I'm not taking magnesium or anything, so I haven't really been helping myself in that category. But I like my Smooth Move! And I never gain anything after I take it, so I feel like my losses are somewhat legit. In a normal eating situation I'd not have this much crap (literally) inside of me!

Soooooo I took some around 3pm yesterday, hoping I'd wake up in the middle of the night, have a (in my experience, Not So) Smooth Move, and go back to bed. Well this wasn't the case. I felt a little rumbly before bed so I thought I was on the right track, but when I woke up for our run, still nothing.

I debated not running, but I consulted S and he just said "well just get as far as you can, and if you feel things start to move, then just head back". Logical, yes. I think my brain was just crying "SLEEEEEP! GIVE ME AN EXCUSE TO SLEEP MORE!" So I went.

I got almost all the way to the gym, when I felt those oh so familiar feelings when you know things are a-stirrin'. I walked for a moment, thought I was ok. So we ran again. NOPE! Time to go back! So I kissed S goodbye and turned around and started running home. I got about 1/2 mile more before I HAD to stop and walk. Srsly, I was about to run it right out of me!!

The rest of the journey home was... uncomfortable at BEST. I may have had a really close call. I am sure you all wanted to know this, but it's humorous. HUMOROUS, PEOPLE! Seeing my house come into view was almost a religious experience. The garage door opened on my first try. The world was working in my favor (and it had BETTER, after that little .5lb incident yesterday!)

So I feel light as a feather now! And hopefully tomorrow I'll be below this 123 that seems to like hanging around. Till then...

Yesterday's exercise:

Ran/walked 3 miles outside

Yesterday on my plate was:

1/2 grapefruit with Splenda

100g ground beef

100g chicken

A chunk of cucumber

1 small apple

Like 8 peanuts (OOOHHH SNAP!)

Weight tracking:

-.5lb today

-9.5 this round

-20lbs overall

Your Neighborhood Little Shit,

R2 VLCD #23 - Damn You, Universe, Damn You.

2009-04-07T13:34:00.000-07:00

The universe is playing tricks on me again. Remember when I got to my 10lb loss goal? And the very next day I gained .5lb? Well guess what? Remember how I got to my 20lb loss goal yesterday? Guess what happened today?! Yeah!? I'll even give you a minute.

...

YEP! I gained .5lb today! So every time I have a little happy-celebration-time, the Universe is all, "LOL JK! HAHHA ROFL 2 BAD 4U!" and I'm all, "f u".

Garsh darnit. I mean I know that it's NOTHING. It's ALWAYS NOTHING. hCG IS THE SWEET SWEET NECTARS OF THE GODS AND CAN DO NO WRONG, I KNOW. But it sure is frustrating seeing that delicious number go away. Victory was MINE! Now victory will have to be MINE TOMORROW. If I'm lucky.

I was even contemplating not going for the extra week because I thought I'd reach my 120 goal by the end of this one, but now I don't know. I just doooon't know.

And now for the "weight-gain-justification" portion of todays program:

1. Ate the damn salsa again last night. Too much salt? Perhaps!

2. Ate like 5.0163 cashews last night. Yes, that's 5 and a tiny chunk.

3. The gawddamn Universe is out to get me.

4. I have completely lost all ability to lose weight and I may as well just gorge myself on cake and Haagen Dazs because all is lost.

Guess which one my brain is telling me it is?!?!? Ha! Fooled you! Not number 4! And that in itself is a victory, because a few months ago before I embarked on this madness, I would have concluded that (really just an excuse to eat poorly again. But now I know that. And knowing, is half the battle).

Tomorrow will be better, I know. I can feel the scale's nasty, cold fingers releasing its slimy grip on my cerebral cortex though, which is huge progress for me. A year ago, my whole day would have been ruined, instead of giving me just enough fuel to write a melodramatic blog posting :]

Yesterday's exercise:

Ran 3 miles outside

Walked 20 min with S and the pups

Yesterday on my plate was:

1/2 grapefruit with Splenda

100g chicken

A chunk of cucumber

1 small apple

100g ground beef

A few sips of pinot noir

5 or 6 cashews

Weight tracking:

+.5lb today

-9lbs this round

-19.5lbs overall DAMN YOU!!!

Me, Being Me,

Amie - we can do it! I am determined to lose that 5lbs on my own. Unless I can't (harhar)

Applebottomblues - You, me and Amie, girl... we can do the 5lbs on our own! We totally can!

Biz - Thank you fairyhCGmother!!

Dawn - Thank you! Although you should take it back since I gained today. Dammit! I am unworthy of your praise

R2 VLCD Day #22 - I'm Walkin' On Sunshine...

2009-04-06T11:47:00.000-07:00

... and does it feel GOOD!

As of this morning, I have OFFICIALLY LOST TWENTY POUNDS WITH hCG! Do you know how EXCITING this is? I have been counting down to this day (well - as well as I can with the erratic weight loss per day that this programme entails) for a while now. omg. Omg. OMG!

So I just want to lost 3 more, which will put me at a solid 120. My FINAL goal is 115 but if I don't get there by the end of this round, I am going to try to do those last 5 pounds with normal exercise. I still have another vial, but I want to try on my own. I think I can do it on my own :]. hCG gave me the jump-start that I needed to bust full force into my new healthy lifestyle. I'm SECONDS away from being exactly where I want to be. I feel pretty damn good. DAMN good.

This weekend went really well. The only things that I had that wasn't exactly on protocol was wine, and I already know that doesn't hinder my progress.

I went out to a club night on Friday, in a scene that I used to frequent that I don't so much any more. EVERYONE was there and was gushing over how good I looked. And it happened again today when I came into work.

In other news, I am giving you another photo because I am feeling vain (that's appropriate for a while after you've lost 20lbs, isn't it?).

LIFE IS GOOD!

Yesterday's exercise:

Nothing

Yesterday on my plate was:

1/2 grapefruit with Splenda

100g chicken

1 small apple

100g ground beef

1/2 a glass of pinot noir

1 malt ball (tee hee hee)

Weight tracking:

-.5lb today

-9.5lbs this round

-20lbs overall

happy HAPPY happy,

For ALL the commenters - Thank you thank you thank you! You guys all make me feel so good about myself and successful and empowered. I don't know what I'd do without my support team *lovelovelove*

r2 VLCD Day #19 - Yo Ho Ho And A Bottle Of WINE

2009-04-03T09:32:00.000-07:00

Ok so not a whole bottle, but 2.5 glasses.

Last night was great, I went and helped H with some wedding details (3 weeks! I'm so excited for her!) and went to a little impromptu girl's night. Wine was of course involved! The only problem is that for my second protein I had to eat sliced ham... it was like 9pm and I needed my second fruit, protein and veggie, and NOTHING P2 legal was in sight! So I improvised. Not too awful if I do say so.

So I didn't lose today but I had woken up an hour before I weighed and drank tons of water because I felt all dehydrated (thanks, wine). I thought about it while I was drinking it, that in an hour when I weighed I would probably not have lost, but it wasn't worth it to me to sleep that one more hour feeling like the sandman missed my eyes and instead dumped the Sahara into my mouth. Oh well. Not too upset about it. I'm sure I'll see a loss tomorrow.

Hey! Look at that! Not too upset! I am beginning to like myself enough that the numbers aren't mattering to me as much anymore. I like how I look and feel! Yay! :D

Though I couldn't run this morning. My legs just wouldn't do it. So I walked the 3 miles. That felt good! When I got home I ate a banana (bad, I know) but I was feeling woozy and there wasn't an apple in the house anywhere, nor any other simple sugars to raise my blood sugar level a little. Still, not too worried about it. I'll use that as my 2 fruits, of course!

I'm noticing a difference in my face. I no longer have that little "half double chin" when I smile anymore. That was always one of my biggest woes. You couldn't tell from the front, it wasn't that big, but from the side there would be this little pooch behind my chin. I will demonstrate:

Taken somewhere around last September. Notice the little "lump" just behind where my chin stops:

And this was taken yesterday. Because I was feeling pretty. In the car. In traffic. No lump:

I feel prettyyyyyy... oh so pretttyyyyy... I feel prettty and witttttty and gaaaaaay!

So there you have it my friends. If you want some REAL before and after (well, during, just from the end of the last round) go to happilythinnerafter.com. I put BIKINI photos up there. Zomg. It's shameful. You don't have to look. I even don't recommend it, I cannot be held responsible for any emotional trauma that comes from seeing that. Kay?

Yesterday's exercise:

Ran 3 miles outside

Yesterday on my plate was:

1/2 grapefruit with Splenda

100g beef

Chunk of cucumber

2.5 glasses pinot noir

Some deli ham

Weight tracking:

-0lbs today

-7.5lbs this round

-18lbs overall

IT'S FRIDAY!,

Biz - you totally inspired me to exchange the dresses. So it's your doing that I got another! Thank you!

Mollie - Yaaaay!! Let's do this together sistah!

R2 VLCD Day #18 - It's A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood...

2009-04-02T13:12:00.000-07:00

Down another pound! Woohoo! Although I have to admit - when I first stepped on the scale it was only .5lb. Then 20 minutes later it was 1. I WANTED it to be 1 because of the 0 loss yesterday. Neurotic much!? I hope that tomorrow I don't see a small or no loss, because of my wanting to have lost 1 today. Am I crazy? Probably. I don't deny that at all.

What's even more important than weight loss - I feel MUCH better. I think my last batch was indeed losing potency. I'm no longer run down, my cramps from my IUD are a bit worse (something I noticed in the beginning of this round when I had freshly mixed it), I'm not as hungry, my run wasn't so bad, no more cravings, and of course I lost another pound.

So to be sure this doesn't happen again, I have the majority of my pre-loaded syringes in the freezer, and I will get out small batches as I run out of them in the fridge. It's no fun to do 500 calories with dying hCG, and what's MORE, 500 calories and running 3 miles a day at 6am, with dying hCG.

That's about all I have to report for today - oh - I returned those dresses that were too small, and ordered them in XS. AANNNNDDDD to my great pleasure, when I re-ordered, there was a sale of 20% off your whole order, so I got another cute little dress for free basically! YAAAAYYYY sometimes things just go your way :D Yes Biz I will still post pics when I get them!

TWO MORE POUNDS until I have lost 20!!! (in total with hCG, not just in this round :])

Yesterday's exercise:

Ran 3 miles outside

Yesterday on my plate was:

1/2 grapefruit with Splenda

100g chicken

Chunk of cucumber

1 small apple

100g of DELISH steak that S grilled up

1/2 a glass of pinot noir

Weight tracking:

-1lb today

-7.5lbs this round

-18lbs overall

Much Luuvvv,

R2 VLCD Day #17.5 - I GOT IT!!!!!!

2009-04-01T13:40:00.000-07:00

MY SCALE IS APRIL FOOLS-ING ME! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA oooh scale, you're such a silly bitch.

(I hope someone gets that Dane Cook reference, I'm not really that profane)

(ok so I am but I wouldn't have said that ;])

R2 VLCD Day #17 - Re-Up The Drugs

2009-04-01T11:54:00.000-07:00

It's that time again. That dreaded time. That time where life gets hard, times get tough, and you can't call on Miller Time to help you out.

It's that time in P2 where the weight loss slows down. DUN DUN DUUUUUNNNNNNN!

As a loyal advocator of instant gratification, this is when protocol starts to get mentally trying. I'm losing. I'm not losing. I'm losing again. I'm fluctuating. I'M DOING EVERYTHING RIGHT GODDAMMIT!

I know it's normal but losing 1 pound a day is miiighty tasty. And when you get a taste of that mighty taste, you want MOOOOAAAAAR!!!

I didn't lose anything today. There are a couple factors besides the normal ebbs and flows of le programme that could be contributing.

1. My hCG was at the end of the 5000i.u. vial. Could have been losing potency. I hadn't been feeling 100% the past two or so days (a bit hungry, tired), so this is probable.

2. Aunt Flo is (I think) here. I say "I think" because I got an IUD literally a few days before I started the round, and I have been spotting ever since (normal). It just got heavier and I'm crampy so I *think* she is here?

3. 126 - strange number, I know - could be kind of a "set point" for my body. I remembering hovering at this number for a loooooong time, even when I was trying to lose weight.

4. My body lost enough weight last week that I am retaining water and will have a "woosh" soon.

The most probable cause is that it's "just that time again". Here I am grasping at straws to keep losing at an unreasonable rate. I know I am still losing, I just need to back The Crazy out of the "instant gratification" corner of my brain and into a synapse that involves slower, steady, progress.

Yesterday was my last shot of the old batch, so I mixed a new one up. I so conveniently didn't have any of the large mixing syringes left, so

I HAD TO USE ONE OF THE TINY ASS INJECTION ONES.

Do you know how much that sucks? Do you?? Well let me tell you. The tiny syringes are only .5mL. So if you need to add 6mL of air to something, you have to add TWELVE SYRINGES FULL. Needless to say, it took a while. But alas, I finished, CORRECTLY, I might add (this leaves a lot of room for error but I was quite meticulous) so now I have more liquid miracles to flood my belly button with. Enough for the last 11 days of this round + 7 more. I haven't decided if I am going to extend my round 7 days (I'm not sure if I have the stamina for that) or save them for another time, if I even need another time. I could just trash them in a month or so. They are frozen for now.

I have a feeling that in 11 days I won't be terribly interested in going for another 7. We shall see. We shaaaall see.

Yesterday's exercise:

Ran 3 miles outside

Yesterday on my plate was:

1/2 of a grapefruit with Splenda

100g ground beef

Chunk of cucmber

1 small apple

100g of chicken

Weight tracking:

-0lbs today

-6.5lbs this round

-17lbs overall

My Crazy Is Showing,

Biz - Thank you thank you! Although today is another story :[

Applebottomblues - I just started doing a SERIOUS run in my last P3. I found I could eat basically whatever I wanted and maintain under my LIW. Now I'm not saying that this will be the same for everyone so don't go out and scarf cake and run a few miles and condemn me in the morning, but I found that it certainly gave me a LOT of leeway. That being said - I have ran a bit my whole life... it has never helped me lose, really, just maintain.

R2 VLCD Day #16 - Meeeeaaaat....Give Me Meeeeeaaattt!!!

2009-03-31T11:03:00.000-07:00

Hi again! Please excuse the blah-ness of my last post... all day yesterday I was soooo exhausted and I couldn't figure out why! I thought maybe I just tossed and turned all night, that maybe one of our dogs crept up onto the bed and was licking my toes. Or S. Who knows.

So I went home and flung myself around and whined to S and he snuggled me even though he had lots of other things to do because he is amazing. AMAZING I TELL YOU!

Around 8 I thought "I should probably eat something" so I went to the fridge. I opened it up and looked around at my options and thought "Hmmmm... about 100 grams of meat sounds JUST right." Crazy, I know. I musta got a wild hair up my arse or something. So I reached for my delightfully pre-weighed chicken... and hesitated. There was 100g of ground beef just behind that. Did I want THAT instead? Suddenly that sounded JUST like what I needed. I salivated even!

So I cooked that beef up and ate it and you know what? I instantly (where "instantly" means "10 to 20 minutes") felt better. I was anemic! I needed iron! I generally eat beef for one meal a day on this programme of carniverous activity, and I hadn't for maybe 5 days.

ALSO, S discovered that the #1 thing that stops the absorption of iron??!?!? Green tea!!! Um, h-ELL-o! #1 Drinker of the tea of green here! I have 4 cups a day! So I MUST eat red meat, because I am not absorbing iron from my other foods since I inhale green tea like a woman possessed.

I'm pretty tired again today, but my run was much easier. And I have more ground beef for lunch, so I think I just need to re-stock my reserves. Here we go! Wheeee!

I lost another pound today, wooohooo!!! This piques my curiosity... perhaps the running really DOES excellerate my weight loss. Over the weekend I lost erratically, but the day after I run again, there goes another pound. I guess we shall see as the week progresses...

Yesterday's exercise:

Ran 3 miles outside

Yesterday on my plate was:

1/2 grapefruit with Splenda

100g chicken

1 small apple

Chunk of cucumber

100g of ground beef

Weight tracking:

-1lb today

-6.5lbs this round

-17lbs overall

Turning Sherlock Super-Sleuth,

R2 VLCD Day #15 - Roller Coaster... Of Looooove

2009-03-30T12:36:00.000-07:00

I am pretty tired, so I'll give you a bare bones update on the weight-loss related topics from the weekend!

Saturday I weighed and I had lost nothing. WTF. Alright I was actually ok with it because I had lost a lot the last week and my body was probably just catching up.

Sunday I weighed and had lost 1.5lbs. Wooohooo!!!

BUT

Today I weighed and I had gained .5lb. Boooo.

The only thing I did differently yesterday was eat my chicken and vegetable right before bed (I forgot to eat dinner and then made myself right before I went to sleep), and I had some salsa with it. I think the salsa makes me retain water. There are no hidden illegal ingredients in it (all natural, P2 legal foods) but it's pretty salty. Damn, it's delicious.

Well anyhoo we'll see how tomorrow's weigh in goes.

Yesterday's exercise:

Hiked a mountain with S

Rode horses with H

Yesterday on my plate was:

1/2 grapefruit with Splenda

100g tilapia

1 small apple

100g chicken with salsa

Chunk of cucumber with salsa <-- Really good!

Weight tracking:

+.5lb today

-5.5lbs this round

-16lbs overall

Sleepily,

R2 VLCD Day #12 - Second Verse, Same As The First!

2009-03-27T12:03:00.000-07:00

Wooooohooo another pound down today! I wonder how long I can keep THIS up! Hopefully for a while :]

I think it's due to my (insanity) running in the morning. Actually, I'm pretty SURE it's due to my running in the morning. I don't run on the weekends so we'll see how my losses vary Saturday and Sunday, and see if it changes next week when I start up again!

Also I have not been eating any cocoa powder, Walden Farms products, nor anywhere NEAR as much Splenda as last round. Those are probably factors as well. So my diet is not as creative and diverse, but my losses are better (so far). So...

A) Two more weeks of way boring menu... awesome losses

B) Two more weeks of pretty boring menu... not as good losses

I think I can handle the WAY boring menu. It's only two weeks. It's only two weeks.

At work I invented this thing called "Snack Friday". 20 of us participate, and basically the gist is that each Friday someone brings in snacks for the 20 of us. It rotates so you only have to make snacks one out of every 20 Fridays, but you GET snacks EVERY Friday. It's pretty brilliant, if I do say so myself... if you're not trying to lose weight. People have come and gone as they diet, but I can't because I run the damn thing! SO I just deal with my torture, one Friday at a time. Makes me strong, right?

So last night was MY snack day, and I made Tiger Butter. It's delicious... white chocolate and peanut butter melted together, then spread out about 1/4" thick on a lipped pan. Then on top of that is melted milk chocolate, and you swirl a knife through it so it's stripey and pretty, and then you chill it until it's hard.

It's currently sitting within arm's reach, but I am being SOOO good! I have to admit, I had a tiny crumb that fell off of one of the pieces (like the size of a ladybug) but I think that's O.K. :] I don't think I've ever made a batch of sweets without having some. This is weird. I felt a little deprived, but then I looked down at my glorious flat tummy and reveled in my strength.

We had people over last night and I didn't even have WINE! It hasn't affected my weight loss yet in and of itself, but I am doing so well after my deviation that I just don't want to risk it! I feel like I have been given a second chance, so I'm going to take full advantage.

Yesterday's exercise:

Ran 3 miles outside

Yesterday on my plate was:

1/2 grapefruit with Splenda

100g beef with onions

100g chicken

1 small apple

Weight tracking:

-1lb today

-4.5lbs this round

-15lbs overall

15 POUNDS! 15 POUNDS!,

R2 VLCD Day #11 - Bagel, Anyone?

2009-03-26T09:37:00.000-07:00

...not for me of course. But one of our vendors had Einstein Bro's catered in today for our enjoyment(dismay).

Actually, I don't feel bad at all about not having one. I think my deviation has put me on the straight and narrow. I'm not even tempted! I AM however, having half of a cup of coffee, with Splenda and a splash of Half and Half, although I'm even a little hesitant about that. I actually think I need a little boost - my run this morning was PRETTY HARD. Running 3 miles on a 500 calorie diet is NOTHING like running 3 miles on a 1700 calorie diet. NOTHING. And now I feel pretty run down. I was going to have an extra apple but I think the half and half will do. I will still have the apple if I still feel sluggish later. No need to hurt myself.

I'm going to venture to say that most people don't run 3 miles a day on this beast of a "protocol". But again, I could be wrong! Maybe everyone is running FIVE miles and I'm slackin'! But I doubt it.

The stabbing today went marginally better. I still had to sit my arse down and wind up a few times... finally what got me to do it was I told myself that afterwards I would go try on the red dress that I got, that I could see a tiiiiny hint of my tummy pooch in when I first tried it on. So I stabbed away (gulp), and tried on that dress, and you know what? I think I need an XS in that one too. That's 3 that I need to send back now. The red one fits PERFECTLY now, and the other two are a bit too big. So in another 2 weeks when I'm done, they're going to be really big.

I hate exchanging catalogue-ordered things, it's a pain in the butt. But necessary. The good thing about VSC exchange is that if you call before you exchange them, they will just go ahead and send you the new ones right then (and charge you again of course) and then credit your card when they receive the ones you sent back. I like this because I am IMPATIENT. NOW! NOW! NOW! And I've never had a problem with getting $ back from them. I love VSC clothes *swoon* they are great quality, extremely comfortable, and fit really well. I have clothes I bought from them in high school that have not lost their shape, color, and I still love.

So my friend H started the programme of hopes and dreams! She had just transitioned into really being healthy, working out, and not eating like crap. So this is kind of a "boost" for her. Her load days were the days that I was deviating like an asshole. She seems happy with it so far, she's making awesome progress :D

Oh and just a teeeeny "by the way"... I AM OFFICIALLY IN THE 120s today! Wooooooooh!! 129. Yeah baby, lost another pound! I can't WAIT until I see 125! And then 120! Which is my goal for this round. Happy! AAAAND... one more pound and I will have lost 15lbs (net) with hCG! Celebrate! Celebrate! Dance to the musiiiiiic!

But you know what the BEST part of today is?!!? S comes home!!!! :D :D :D <3333948273472

Yesterday's exercise:

Ran 3 miles outside

Yesterday on my plate was:

1/2 grapefruit with Splenda

100g chicken

Chunk of cucumber

100g beef with onions

1 small apple

Weight tracking:

-1lb today

-3.5lbs this round

-14lbs overall

happy HAPPY happy,

Ps. I'm totally hopping on the "respond to comments in the next post" train. Good idea guys :]

applebottomblues - In your thigh?? Really? Why the switch? S didn't hesitate either. Our big strong manly men :]

Biz - You poor thing! But now you're a friggin' zen masta' at this whole protocol thing! Seriously, I bow down to your knowledge and experience.

betweenagirlandherfood - You can totally do it. Do like 1 lap around your block and call it quits. The trick is to start REALLY slow so that you ENJOY it, instead of pushing really hard in the beginning and hating it, until you stop! I believe in you! Listen to your dreams girl, they're talkin' to you!

R2 VLCD Day #10 - Sweet Sweet Masochism

2009-03-25T10:47:00.000-07:00

s is out of town

S Is Out Of Town

S IS OUT OF TOWN!!!

What does that mean to me besides crying myself to sleep in a cold, empty bed (well, not entirely true - I let our dachshund sleep with me last night SSHHH DON'T TELL), piping up to tell him about something cool only to find he's not there, and feeling like half of me is missing? It means that...

I HAVE TO STAB MYSELF.

I will now repeat that for dramatic emphasis.

I HAVE TO STAB MYSELF.

I know you brave souls that do this daily are out there, and are possibly even reading this blog. But I AM NOT ONE OF YOU. I can stab my friend H (who started the protocol btw - I'll get to that later). I could stab S. Never had to, but I could. I can stab anyone else, all day long! Stab! Stabbity Stab Stab Stab! But me? Stab MYSELF? Are you KIDDING?!

So there I was.... 6am and up for my morning run, standing naked in the kitchen.

Vial sterilized? Check.

Needle filled? Check.

Tummy sterilized? Check.

Holding the syringe half an inch from my skin. I thought "Hey! No problem! I can totally do this." and I tried. Where "tried" means my brain said "Ok, one... two... three... GO!" about 50 times while my hand was off in la la land listening to some Pearl Jam and completely disregarding the message.

At this point I felt my legs get a leeeetle wobbly and my fingers shake a bit. This was not working. So I sat down on a kitchen chair and regrouped. I think I have to do this sitting down. Well when I sat down, Einstein our 5 month old maltese puppy of course put his front paws up on my knee, and Tango our dachshund sat there and stared at me. Now I had an AUDIENCE! Wheee this keeps getting better! So cold puppy paws and all (I think they gave me support) I closed my eyes, wound up, and stabbed.

Needle in skin? Check.

Push in the liquid miracles? Check.

The whole ordeal seriously took me about 12 minutes (not like I checked or anything... *shifty eyes*) but in the end I DID IT! Wooooooo go M!

I'm sure it gets better each time you do it but I sure am glad that tomorrow is the last morning that I am going to have to impale my own body. Believe you me.

Ok so now that I am done being all dramatic (it's in my nature, what can I say?), I lost another pound today. Wooooo I am back to where I was on Friday before my weekend of devil worshipping and greed.

So that means that if all goes well, tomorrow (TOMORROW!) I SHOULD be in the 120's! 130 is sort of a "set point" for my body. A few years ago I went from the low 120's to 130 and I wouldn't budge much below that point.

BE GONE, 130! FOREVER!

Yesterday's exercise:

Ran 3 miles outside

Yesterday on my plate was:

1/2 grapefruit with Splenda

100g beef with onions

1 small apple

100g chicken

Weight tracking:

-1lb today

-2.5lbs this round

-13lbs overall

Lonely, Oh So Lonely,

R2 VLCD Day #9 - Reaping the Consequences?

2009-03-24T14:21:00.000-07:00

I'm not feeling very eloquent today so I'm going to cut right to the chase. I lost 2.5lbs today. Not that it was all lost in a "fat" sort of manner... I took some smooth move yesterday to rid myself of all the nasty food that was sitting in my intestines. Although I didn't have much of a "move". But also, some of the weight gained from my deviation was obviously not all fat either, but food sitting inside of me (I didn't have a BM all weekend) so I feel pretty even. So I am 1lb over what I was when I went to Strawberry for the weekend.

IF I had not deviated, I'll bet I would be at 127 right now but noooo. Instead I sit here at 131. But I can "I'll bet" all I want. I need to just LET IT GO.

S went to Milwaukee this morning, so I am without a husband for a few days. Sadness :[

Tomorrow, I will be back to my regular bloggy self. I assure you.

OH! I almost forgot to tell you. When I got back from Strawberry my dresses were indeed here! And almost to mock what I did over the weekend... they fit perfectly. One was even a tiny bit big. I don't know whether to send it back and get an XS or just live with it. Hmmmm. I will post photos just for you BIZ! :D

Yesterday's exercise:

nothing

Yesterday on my plate was:

1/2 grapefruit with Splenda

100g chicken

100g beef with onions (extra onions b/c I didn't have a veggie during the day)

small apple

Weight tracking

-2.5lb today

-1.5lbs this round

-12lbs overall

Your Friendly Sourpuss,

R2 VLCD Day #8 - SHAME! OH THE SHAME!

2009-03-23T14:36:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes, this is exactly what you expect. I went back and forth all morning deciding whether I was going to post or not, and I decided that I would not benefit AT ALL by crawling into my little hole and hiding my sins from all of you. Especially you, Biz. I feel the need to be held accountable for my actions... via internet blogging.

... and the scale.

So this past weekend we went to Strawberry again, as planned. Remember last time, how I was so good and resisted everything and just ate my chicken and apple and was SO worried because I ate AN EXTRA APPLE to help my blood sugar level late at night?

Well that happened again, without the being good part. Or the extra apple part. And add in a burrito and cheesecake and peanuts and pretzel crisps and steak and grapefruits and wine. Lots of wine. Over a period of a day and a half.

So Friday on our way to Strawberry, about halfway through the day I was having "oh just a bite" here and there, which I have NEVER done before. A cashew or two. A bite of H's ice cream. A sip of S's shake. Then later in the night after a few glasses of wine (which doesn't inhibit my weight loss - but DOES inhibit my BRAIN) I totally cracked. Threw all caution to the wind.

All of Saturday I ate whatever.

Sunday I finally put myself in check and said NO MORE! So I was good all of Sunday, and today has been 100% clean as well.

I don't know WHAT I was thinking! Actually, I do. I was weak minded. I thought that enjoying delicious foods with my husband and friends would be worth the major cheat that I was committing. Erasing the weight loss I have achieved on this round so far? No problem! No big deal! Right?

WHAT?! No! NO! NOOOOOOOO!

I gained 3.5lbs. It is a sad sad day in M land. But more than sad about the weight gain, (I feel that I deserve 3.5lbs at LEAST), I am sad at myself for being so weak.

One of the worst parts? I was down another 2lbs on Friday! Putting my net loss this round at 2.5lbs (since we know I don't count load weight) and my net loss for hCG at 13lbs. I was at 130 on Friday, and was looking forward to coming back from the weekend in the 120's and having another naked-on-the-scale-celebratory dance.

UGH! UGH UGH UGH!

So I'm not up above my load weight, but I'm .5lb above my LIW for last round, and 1lb above my pre-load weight this round.

I certainly learned my lesson though. It is NOT worth it. AT ALL. When I woke up on Sunday morning I immediately felt so guilty. I knew that I would be feeling completely different had I stayed strong all weekend. I would be looking forward to stepping on the scale on Monday to see what my hard work earned me. But instead I just had a gut full of half-digested cheat food that I no longer appreciated and angry masses (thats you guys) to report to today.

*shame*

Please don't throw the rocks too hard, I learned my lesson I promise :[

Chain Chain Chaaaaiiinnn... Chain of Fooools,

R2 VLCD Day #4 - Impatient

2009-03-19T13:13:00.000-07:00

Half pound down! Again - not SUPER excited because I have .5 more until I match the lowest I've been since I started all this... this... business. But I'll take it! It's a loss!

I'm getting a little anxious about the second round curse. I guess I just have to wait and see in a few days if everything goes well. It's alllll just a wait and see :]

My run this morning went a little better than yesterday's. Rolling out of bed was a chore though. It's nice to roll back over... and close your eyes for a moment... and imagine... that you are just going to keep on sleeeeeeepinggg...... *snaps out of it.* I still got winded easily but I was able to run longer distances without stopping. Normally I can run the whole thing without stopping. Yesterday I needed several breaks.

My dresses are supposed to arrive tomorrow! That is SUPER fast for Victoria's Secret. They tell you 2 weeks delivery time and generally it takes that long. But I am in luck! It probably has something to do with the fact that this time the supplier was in California. And I in Phoenix. I just hope it comes by 11am tomorrow because that's wheeeeen...

*drumroll*

...we are going to Strawberry! Remember when we went before for a friend's 30th birthday? Well we liked the cabin/house so much that we are renting it this weekend for S and I and another couple to go relax in. I am somewhat disappointed that I cannot partake in all the delicious food/beverages (besides some wine perhaps) that will be there, but alas, I am losing weight. And that is a million times better! Right? RIGHT?!

Not that I am going to wear the dresses in Strawberry anyways, seeing as it will probably be pretty chilly (um, HELLO?! 9" of snow last time!!). But I'm excited! :D Maybe I'll even post a photo or two IF I'M FEELING REALLY CRAZY.

I officially need my rings sized down. They REALLY spin on my fingers now and am afraid of losing them. I want to wait until the end of this round to get them sized because I haven't even hardly BEGUN yet, but they are at risk of flying off my fingers as I swing my arms. I will walk in fists.

Yesterday's exercise:

Ran 3 miles outside

Yesterday on my plate was:

1/2 grapefruit with Splenda

100g of beef with onions

Chunk of cucumber

small apple

100g chicken with onions

Weight tracking:

-.5lb today

-.5lbs this round

-11lbs overall

WHY CAN'T MY DRESSES JUST COME TODAY??,

R2 VLCD Day #3 - All Bettah!

2009-03-18T10:40:00.000-07:00

Today I got back down to my LIW. Huzzah! Now I can actually start LOSING weight. Although the cynic in my head is saying that I have one more pound to go until I am at my lowest since starting HCG. I was generally under my LIW on P3.

SO yeah! I feel pretty great. S and I went running this morning... we had skipped Monday and Tuesday on account of getting to bed at 3:30am after the show Sunday night! Monday wasn't happening, and Tuesday when we woke up S was like "how ya feelin" and I'm all "zomg zzzzzz" and he's all "kthxbai zzzzzz"

It's amazing how much better I feel after a morning run. I really love it. HOWEVER, it was quite a bit harder, this being the first day I've ran on my 500 calorie diet. I could DO it, it was just significantly more difficult. I feel great now though, so I don't think I am doing any harm by running on the diet. If I start to feel weak I will just eat a bit more, until I don't. I am not sacrificing my running this time.

I am really excited about the outcome of this round. I hear that R2 is like hiking to Hell and back for a lot of people, but I'm trying to be optimistic. Perhaps I'm getting what I want to happen confused with being optimistic about what I think is really going to happen, but whatever. I have a good mindset! I did so well during P3 that I am confident that I will be able to keep all of this weight off for good. I was literally flying high on P3! No problems even though I INDULGED!

It's definitely all the running. Which I am more than willing to do. So if that's how I have to live the rest of my life in order to be thin and enjoy carbs and sugar, I'll take it!

It's definitely harder to resist things, this P2. I'm not hungry, and I'm not craving, but since I was able to eat things like cake on P3 and not gain, I see those things now and I'm like WANT! And I think I'm justified. But I'm not ON P3 anymore. It's a mental hump that I'll just have to get over.

Like yesterday, someone brought in green rice crispy treats and a cake of the flag of Ireland.

And TODAY, the SAME person brought in these AMAZING cookies called TimTams from Australia. I LOVE them and you CAN'T get them here. So the fact that there is 1 box, and that 1 box is NOT going to have TimTams left in them by the time I'm off the shots, makes me want some because they will be gone!

But it's ok, cause I'M LOSING (winning? :]) AND THEY'RE NOT! Neener :]

Yesterday's exercise:

Nothing

Yesterday on my plate was:

1/2 a grapefruit with Splenda

100g of chicken with onions

100g of beef with onions

small apple

Weight tracking:

-1.5lbs today

-0lbs this round

-10.5lbs overall

Chuggin' Along,

R2 VLCD Day #2 - Playing Catch-Up

2009-03-17T10:29:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patricks Day everyone!!! I may be like 90% Irish but I shamefully forgot to wear green AT ALL today. I mean not even a lick. My solution? I made a bracelet out of an old Christmas garland decoration that was never taken down, near my cube. 'Cause I'm resourceful like that. It's actually quite cute in a 4-year old at a crafty birthday party sort of way. And now there is a photo.

I think subconsciously I didn't wear green because I know I cannot properly participate in St Paddy's day this year. No green beer for me! What was I thinking?! I should have started a week later. Bah humbug (appropriate because of the above Christmas reference).

I lost 2.5 lbs today... not a huge whooptie-do to me because I am still 1.5lbs above my pre-load weight. NO, I DO NOT COUNT MY LOAD WEIGHT IN MY TOTAL LOSS. C'mon people, ALL that does is make you feel like you've lost more weight than you really have. Yes, this programme works, but there is no need to make people think it works better than it actually does. No one starts a "diet" saying "Ok, I want to lose 10lbs. But first I need to gain 4, so I really need to lose 14lbs". So to ME, the weight loss doesn't really start until I am back down to the weight I was before I stuffed my face with as much fat as I possibly could for two days. You wouldn't purposely gain 4lbs and then lose the 4lbs a few days later and go around telling people "HEY I LOST 4 LBS!!" That's just silly. And no one cares as much as you, so it's just deceiving to yourself! I know that "but but but Dr. Simeons SAYS we are to count that in our weight loss!" Oh you wanna know WHY?? Because he wants it to look like you've lost as much weight as possible so others will want to do it, and you'll want to do it again! What other valid reason is there? None! Sure, he was a good doctor and cares about people and wants them to get healthy, but he also was selling his services and method, ok? I think we forget this. And there really is no need for the exaggeration, because this plan really DOES WORK.

*gets off her soapbox* So yes! Hopefully tomorrow I will be back to or below my pre-load weight, so we can get this show on the road :]

Speaking of loading... I must have done something right this time because I do not feel hungry at all! Do you remember my first few days, my first time around? I was FAMISHED. Quote time! This was from my VLCD #3:

"Now I feel fine. But MAN I needed that apple. Even my delicious Jasmine Green Tea was making me feel nauseous. Hey! WHEN is that "I'M ONLY EATING ENOUGH FOR A 3 YEAR OLD OR A RUNWAY MODEL BUT SOMEHOW I'M MAGICALLY NOT HUNGRY" thing kick in!? huh?! HUH?!"

So hooray for me. N stuff. N stuff nstuff nstuff.

Yesterday's exercise:

Walked the puppies with S, about a mile

Yesterday on my plate was:

1/2 a grapefruit with Splenda

100g of chicken

100g of chicken with onions

1 small apple

Weight tracking:

-2.5lbs today

+1.5lbs this round

-9lbs overall

Ready to Start LOSIN!,

R2 VLCD Day #1 - On the Road Again...

2009-03-16T10:11:00.000-07:00

Load weekend: complete! In fact, I even loaded 2.5 days!! S and I got home from work on Friday, all prepared to have a quiet evening in, and he wanted pizza. This is not a common occurrence, S wanting unhealthy food. I thought it sounded FAB but I wasn't to start loading until Saturday! S being ever so resourceful, was just like "Well why don't you just take a shot and start now?"

GREAT idea. Brilliant even! Who says you can't take it in the afternoon! So I started a bit early, and nommed down a whole entire medium cheese pizza with loads of ranch dressing. I mean like a LOT of ranch dressing. The pizza was literally a vehicle FOR the dressing. I think I got my fat in.

Saturday and sunday were not nearly as indulgent, but I still had plenty of delicious and coma-inducing foods, that really, I don't miss all that much. I actually like eating healthy most of the time, and occasionally indulging, much more than "loading". I don't NEED something fatty and unhealthy at every meal. In fact on Saturday... I even ate an apple. But that chocolate milkshake from In N Out SURE WAS GOOD.

So I gained a whopping 4lbs on my load days. This time I don't feel nearly as full up to the brim, but I sure have retained a lot of water. My fingers are all sausage-like and my rings all tight. Icky.

I'm super excited to be back on the weight loss train! I'm not hungry this morning, and I feel pretty good. Exhausted, but good. But that was from the show we saw in Tucson last night....we didn't get back till 3am so ahhhh, needless to say, waking up at 8 was rather hard. And so is sitting at this desk. Awake.

I'm tired so I'm going to cut this short. Maybe after I mainline some green tea I'll be up for a better entry :]

Yesterday's exercise:

Danced my arse off for 3.5 hours

Yesterday on my plate was:

Load food.

Including Indian and banana pancakes

Weight tracking:

+4lb today (or for the weekend rather)

+4lbs this round

-6.5lbs overall (that looks scarily small because of the load! Aaah! My eyes!!!)

Zzzzz,

P3 Day #16.5: NEWCLOTHESNEWCLOTHESNEWCLOTHES

2009-03-12T12:16:00.000-07:00

Woooohoooo I just ordered some new dresses from Victoria's Secret. They are having an AWESOME sale on EVERYTHING so if you need (or want) stuff, go do some online shoppin' :].

I have decided that I want to live my life in dresses and skirts. I just feel so much cuter in them. And I know S likes it ;]

So here is what I got (in these colors). ALL in size SMALL because that is my size now! Woooohoo!

and the back to that one...

Can't Wait for the Mail to Come,

P3 Day #16: 100 Lashes With A Wet Noodle

2009-03-12T10:30:00.000-07:00

Blah blah blah my life rocks... blah blah blah this is so easy... blah blah blah I ate chocolate cake yesterday and lost a half pound because of it...

Don't worry, my dear readers. On Monday, I will stop blowing sunshine up your arses. On Monday, I will be on my first day of my VLCD and I can go back to being miserable. But BEFORE that, I get to load for two days this weekend! Neener neener neeeeener!!!

Actually I'm not all that excited, I'm just being mean and taunting you. I mean it will be nice to have some of those things I guess, but I just feel so GOOD and HEALTHY right now that eating that way means I may feel a little shitty. Oh well, I'm going to run Sunday morning so I won't feel THAT bad.

And THEN I will be losing weight again! Wooohooo! I am hoping to lose 12 pounds. Then I will be down to my "goal". My REAL goal was really 5lbs below that, but in 3 weeks I don't know how likely that is. And really, that was just a number. A number in my head. That means nothing now that I am more muscular than I was back when I weighed that. We shall see.

All in all, this HCG thing has changed my life. Not just doing it and losing some weight, but also the life changes I have made because of it.

Working out in the morning is one of the best things I have ever done for myself.

Running to the gym and back is amazing.

Food no longer has control over my thoughts.

When I taste things I used to LOVE (bagel, semi-sweet chocolate chips) I find that they really AREN'T as good as I thought they were, I was just addicted to sugar. And now I am able to make that distinction and put them down after a bite.

I now know that I really DO need to eat 1400-1800 calories per day, and I won't gain weight because of it. This is a big one, because as someone with a past eating disorder, that is a VERY hard thing to let go of, even when healed.

I can allow myself to eat things that I really DO like, such as cake and Thai food with rice, and not feel guilty or gain weight, because I eat healthily 95% of the time.

I don't feel deprived of anything, and I have never felt so physically and mentally good in my life.

I still have some weight to lose. I am still not completely content with how I look, but I am getting there, and making progress. I am much happier with myself now than I was 3 months ago. I want to, and KNOW I WILL, get to the point where I am content with myself, and then maintain successfully.

I'M ON MY WAY!!!

Yesterday's exercise:

Ran 3 miles outside

Yesterday on my plate was:

Peanut butter - 90

1 deviled egg - 70

A few bites of bagel with cream cheese - 50

Piece of chocolate cake - 400

2 deviled eggs - 140

Malt ball from Sprouts - 20

Cashews - 160

Apple - 80

2 deviled eggs - 140

Cashews - 140

Pork rinds w/ sour cream - 300

2 glasses of Pinot noir - 150

Total Calories - 1840

Weight tracking:

-.5lb today

-11lbs overall

-1lb under LIW

<3456789,

P3 Day #15: Second Verse, Same As The First

2009-03-11T09:26:00.000-07:00

I really don't have anything noteworthy to say about yesterday! Since I was .5 above me LIW (I know, not a problem, but still I'm much comfortable below rather than above) I was really good. I still ate about 1600 calories but they were all good things. Besides the lemonade :]

Well it paid off because I lost a pound, putting me .5lbs below my LIW. Wooooo! This is all too easy. Ridiculously easy even. LAUGHABLY easy. Has it always been this easy and I was just naive? Probably. Perhaps the fact that I have been avoiding scales for the past 6 years of my life because that was the trigger that made me stop eating completely, contributed to that. But I feel that I have gotten over the daily fluctuations, at least enough to prevent myself from obsessing over the numbers or weighing myself 10x per day. Oh and I enjoy eating food too. That helps. Yay health!

Did I tell you that S and I have been running outside in the mornings? We have this master plan... our gym (our brand shiny new gym that is) is 1.5 miles away. So we get up early, run 1.5 miles to the gym. Work out (consisting of heavy weights) and then run the 1.5 miles back. Pretty good work out huh??

So far I have just been running there and back. S stays and does the weights. Since I start my next P2 in 3 days where I am a bit too fatigued to do any sort of good with weights, I'm liking my just running routine for now. When I transition into my next P3 I will add the weights part back in. I really love working out with weights and miss it, but this is what I have decided to do.

Running outside, is decidedly harder than running inside. Running never made me sore on the treadmill, but I am definitely feeling it now! Which means better workout. Oh yeeaaaahhhh :]

Did I mention that I just ate a piece of chocolate cake? Wait where did that come from!? Hahah but really. I don't feel bad about it. The best time to eat sugar is in the mornings. It's 9:30! You use it as energy instead of storing it that way.

My justification is that I planned on having a bagel this morning. After my run, I just had a spoonful of peanut butter and a deviled egg, to tide me over until I got to work. The reason being, is that we had an early meeting this morning, and they give us Einstein Bro's bagels. I planned on eating a bagel. By the time I got to work, I reduced that to half of a bagel. When I got my half of a bagel and actually had a bite, I had a revelation. It wasn't that good. I didn't want it! I had about 3 little bites and tossed it. I was so proud. So instead, I allowed myself to have a small piece of cake, of which I ate the frosting and surrounding parts (that's my favorite part) and tossed the rest. And I don't feel bad in the least because I had an awesome workout and totally denied the bagel I was going to eat. THIS is how you're supposed to live, people! In moderation, but not denying yourself completely! I can totally do this!

I feel so empowered!

Yesterday's exercise:

Ran 3 miles outside

Yesterday on my plate was:

Scrambled eggs with steak bits, cheese, butter, onion, salsa and deliciousness - 510

Small apple - 65

Caesar salad from Port of Subs - 540

Peanut butter - 180

Grilled chicken - 120

Home made lemonade - 100

Cocoa and Splenda and heavy cream all mixed together - 100

Total calories - 1615

Weight tracking:

-1lb today

-10.5 change overall

-.5lb under LIW

<3,

P3 Day #14: Aaaand She's Back!

2009-03-10T12:04:00.000-07:00

I'd like to insincerely apologize for my hiatus over the weekend. Apologize because part of me hopes that SOMEONE reads this enough that they actually missed me, and insincerely because I'm not really all that sorry. I was really busy this weekend and blogging is not exactly on the top of my list when I am otherwise occupied by FUN. What of it??!! WHAT?!

So my best friend from high school, K, was in town over the weekend! She came on Thursday night and stayed until Sunday afternoon. Over that period of time (besides doing really fun things) I... drank loads of wine, vodka diet cokes, beer, salty cashews, a few handfuls of Cheese-Its, some white cheddar popcorn, margaritas, more wine, and ate mexican food twice (yes, tortillas, rice, beans, etc)... and I am still only .5lbs above my LIW. How. HOW!?!?! HOOOOOWWW?!!? I mean, I like it and all, it just seems... magical? I guess it is probably my running that is helping me out. I mean, to give myself a bit of credit, I didn't go hog-wild or anything, I made pretty good choices considering (i.e. vodka diet cokes instead of long islands, cashews instead of chips, only half of my MASSIVE burrito at the mexican place - but two margaritas so I guess that cancels that out...). And yesterday I ate Thai food (yellow curry with some *gasp* white rice) and two little chocolate truffles (remember the ones I was given for Valentines day by one of our execs? There were 4 in the lil' box, and I cut each in half to be sure they were flavors I liked - two of them weren't, so I tossed them :D), and lost .5lbs today! I feel blessed.

Oh gods of weight maintenance, I thank you for your mercy. I cannot say I shall never do it again because really I didn't do too bad. I just ate worse than I thought I could and still I am ok. PRAISE THE HEAVENS!

Also, during the week I am being really strict. I am sure that contributes to my success as well. I'm totally diggin' this P3 thing. Maintaining seems to be easy for me, if I monitor my weight. And everyone says it's the hardest part. Ppssshhhh.

Well, this Saturday is my first load day of the second half of my P2. I'm glad I took this break. I can't tell you how my weight loss is going to be on P2, but I'll bet it will be better than had I continued on one long round rather than having the break! I am excited to lose a bit more weight. I want to fit into those old pants I have hanging in my closet. Wanna know a secret? I never wore them. I got them in college, when I didn't really wear nice black pinstriped pants. Then after a while, I fatted out of them. Why yes, yes I did just make up a new verb. There are also some skirts in there that I can almost wear and be decent again - haha :] I'll fit into those for sure :]

So load days on Saturday and Sunday coming up - I'm not going to go too crazy, but have a few things that I love *coughindianfoodcough*, to prepare for another 3 weeks of 500 calories a day.

Yesterday's exercise:

Ran 3 miles, outside, to the gym and back. Note: running outside is decidedly harder than running on a treadmill.

Walked ~1mi with S and the puppies

Yesterday on my plate was:

Small apple - 65

1/2 grapefruit + Splenda - 45

Chicken sausage - 160

2 truffles - 150

1.2 grapefruit + Splenda - 45

Chicken Sausage - 160

Some Peanut Butter - 90

Pork rinds + sour cream - 200

Yellow curry with rice - 800

Total Calories - 1715

Weight tracking:

0lbs today

-9.5 change overall

+.5 over LIW

LOVELOVE,

P3 Day #8: House-Guests

2009-03-05T09:00:00.000-08:00

I declare this weekend, the weekend of house-guests. (spell check is telling me to hyphenate that... really?) Not only did Aunt Flo arrive yesterday with a vengeance, but my childhood best friend, K, is arriving tonight from Kansas! Which is my home state! Yee-haw. Just kidding, I lived in the suburbs. No haw-ing here.

I'm determined to be good though! Aside from wine, which hasn't seemed to affect me yet. I had a glass and a half last night and no gain today, Even WITH Aunt Flo barging in on me. Wooohooo! Perhaps I'll "cheat" a little when we go get some Mexican food, but if all goes well I'll just get some carne asada and sour cream and continue on my jolly P3 way.

So today is MY Friday! I even woke up early and went to the gym early so I could get to work early so I could leave early! *takes a deep breath* Even though I was up until like 2am... I could NOT sleep. I was just not tired in the least! I think it was that I didn't go to the gym yesterday morning. I didn't think I'd have a hard time sleeping! But now I'm re-gymnitized, even though I didn't get much sleep, and I still feel pretty good :]

Oh gym, how I love you in the morning.

So in my twisted "milk it for all it's worth" brain... I'm thinkin' that since Aunt Flo is here, I HAVE to have retained some water... and I'm still a half of a pound up from where I was before the weekend of fury... maybe after she takes a hike I'll be back down to -11.5! I KNOW I should be happy with 1lb under LIW, but what can I say. I'm greedy. I tasted -1.5 before and now I want it again! BWA HA HA HAH AAAA

Anyhoo, I'm going to happy hour at this place with killer bruschetta but I will only be partaking in 2 glasses of wine. Tops. So take THAT delicious bread and olive oil and pomodoro tomatoes and basil. Take that.

Yesterday's exercise:

None, giving my strained calf a rest

Yesterday on my plate was:

2 deviled eggs - 100

1 small apple - 65

Chunk of cucumber + spray dressing - 20

Grilled Chicken Caesar salad from Port of Subs - 540

Coco crack - 194

1 large strawberry - 6

Bratwurst salad (brat, romaine, shredded parmesan, onion and goddess dressing) - 400

Pinot noir - 200

Total calories: 1525

Weight tracking:

-0lbs today

-11lb change overall

-1lb under LIW

Playing Hostess,

P3 Day #7:TOUCHDOWN!

2009-03-04T08:52:00.000-08:00

I am currently sitting in my cube, doing a little endzone dance in my head. So Smooth Move paid off... not only do I feel normal again, but I lost 2lbs this morning, putting me back below my LIW by a pound. Yes. THATS how extreme it was, people. TWO POUNDS!

A half pound more and I will be back at my lowest since HCG, since I lost 1.5lbs after my last injection. If I don't get back down there immediately, that's ok, as long as I am in this range!

Aaaah I feel like a weight has been lifted, pun definitely intended.

I didn't go to the gym this morning, I strained my calf. It hurt yesterday and the day before, but I just pushed through it, and yesterday afternoon it was hurting pretty bad. So this morning I took a break and I already feel a bit better. I think I should be ok for tomorrow morning!

Really, I never intended to go to the gym EVERY DAY, I only meant to go on the weekdays. I have just felt so motivated, that I'm going daily! It was nice to get a few extra hours of sleep this morning, but I did miss going for sure. Tomorrow I will be back at it :] Before I started going in the morning I only went four days a week, sometimes three, so it's quite a change!

I tried some clothes on last night from a smaller period of my life, and I'm happy to say that I could actually pull up my old size 1/2 and 3/4 pants! The 1/2s were a struggle, and even the 3/4s didn't come even CLOSE to fastening, but it was an achievement nonetheless! Hopefully after the next round I will be able to wear them. That may be stretching it though. I know those sizes sound small, but I've never been like, stick tiny. I'm just so short that I can have some meat on my bones and still fit into those sizes. So don't worry, I love (and S loves) my curves and I never want to lose them :]. Nor could I even if I wanted to, it is DEFINITELY not in my genetics to be a stick.

Today a friend and I, A, are going out to lunch. We're going to a sub place, and I told myself earlier this week that if by today I got back under my LIW I might allow myself half of a wrap. But today is here, I'm back under LIW, and I don't really feel the need. I would much rather not compromise my success, so I will stick to a chicken caesar salad thankyouverymuch, for which I looked up all the nutrition facts online, and is well within "legal" range.

Yesterday's exercise:

40 minutes at 3.6 on a 4.5 incline (cut short due to smooth move!)

Yesterday on my plate was:

3 deviled eggs - 150

1 small apple - 65

1.4 piece of coco crack - 55

2 deviled eggs - 100

2 pegs grapefruit - 10

1/2 of a stuffed pepper - 300

A chunk of cucumber - 15

2 large strawberries - 12

Steak with pepper jack cheese and butter sauteed onions - 400

1 deviled egg - 50

Pork rinds with sour cream - 220

A chunk of cucumber with chinese ginger spray dressing - 20

Total calories: 1397

Weight tracking:

-2lbs today

-11lbs change overall

-1lb under LIW

QB of Weight Loss *one last endzone jig*,

P3 Day #6.5: Jelly Belly Abstinence

2009-03-03T14:43:00.000-08:00

That's right. No Jelly Belly sex until marriage. No exceptions, kids. Unsafe Jelly Belly mattress mambo can wind you up in diabetic hell.

Actually, I am sitting here, listening to my co-worker pour a cupful of Jelly Bellies out of our HUGE (I mean 1-gallon milk jug huge) container of Jelly Belly sugariness sitting conveniently in the next cube over. I have absolutely no desire to join her.

And not that "I've-just-lost-weight" high that you get where you really do want something but you're not tempted because you look fabulous... I really have no desire. I think that's a good thing. I am suspicious.

I also heard those oh-so-familiar "Oh, yes, just a few. Always around this time of day I need a little something..." trailing off, justifying yet another day of downing a cupful of bean-shaped death. As if you're trying to explain to the person sitting next to said Jelly Bellies that you really AREN'T chunky because you willingly eat 1000 calories of pure sugar every day, but that you just have this INSATIABLE draw towards glucose at 3:45pm every weekday (and all day on weekends) that you cannot ignore, or you just may spontaneously combust. I'm not talking about this co-worker in particular, but rather ALL people. It's sort of sickening. I never tried to justify it. I take full responsibility for my sugar intake, the only thing to blame it on is my former lack of willpower.

And that's the way it REALLY is, people.

Momentary Realist,

(Oh - The REAL reason I was writing this post, before I got so distracted by the sugar consumption of my co-workers, is that I decided that I will not eat coco crack [the delicious coconut bark I made] or other EVEN sugar-free sweet things unless I am AT LIW or below. The end.)

P3 Day #6: Returning to Earth

2009-03-03T09:05:00.000-08:00

This entry talks a lot about poop (although not in great detail). You've been forewarned.

Aaaaah I have never been so relieved to have a BM than I was this morning. Even if it cut my morning run a little bit short if you know what I mean. I officially feel back to "normal" again, whatever that is. Yes YES I have learned my lesson and I'm not doing THAT again! I swear I lost like 2lbs. I feel light as a feather!

This morning (before the gym and massive BM) I had lost another .5lb so I am creeping back down to where I was. Tomorrow morning I am SURE I will register more loss, which will be good. I'm almost positive that tomorrow morning will find me back at my LIW, if not lower, like I was before the Disaster WeekendTM.

Ahh, sweet sweet relief.

In other news, yesterday was also the first day that I was able to eat enough to get within my range of calories needed for my basal metabolic needs, plus all the exercise I do, in order to maintain my LIW. And I still lost! I ate about 1700 calories. It seems like a lot when I look at that number, but I was actually hungry for it. I guess I *need* to eat food, or something. Imagine that! Without my exercise I need like 1300. Sometimes I have a hard time getting even that, so I am glad I am keeping track of my calories, so I ensure that I get ENOUGH! I never thought my problem would be that. I guess that goes to show why my weight has creeped up over the years... I am so afraid to eat too much that I have been under eating and screwing up my metabolism. Of course that isn't ALWAYS the case, I overate some too, but mainly I wasn't eating enough. I know that now.

Moral of the story: Counting calories can be a royal B*TCH, but it seems like it's necessary, at least until I get a good handle on what 1400-1700 calories is just on my own. I'm measuring out all my food so I can get a good idea of what "2 tablespoons" or "150 grams" is. Health for life, woooooohoo!

Yesterday's exercise:

Ran 3 miles on a 2.5 incline at 4.0

Walked 1.4 miles with S and the puppies

Yesterday on my plate was:

Pork rinds + sour cream - 200c

1/2 Grapefruit + Splenda - 45c

1 chicken and artichoke sausage - 160c

Chunk of cucumber with ranch - 140c

Dry roasted unsalted peanuts - 100c

1 chicken artichoke sausage - 160c

Pork rinds + sour cream - 250c

3 deviled eggs - 150c

1/2 roasted stuffed pepper - 300c

tasting things while cooking :] ~ 200c

Total calories: 1750

Weight tracking:

-.5lb today

-9 change overall

+1lb over LIW

Shrinking, Again,

P3 Day #5.5: She's a Brick...House

2009-03-02T13:22:00.000-08:00

She's mighty mighty, just lettin' it all hang out. Srsly, this song IS me right now. I still feel like I have cement in my intestines and it's really quite an uncomfortable feeling. I'm taking tons of fiber pills, eating fruits and veggies, and downing more water and tea than should be humanly possible, so GET MOVIN', C'MON NAW! The top part of my abdomen is starting to feel slightly normal. I think. So we may be making progress.

On the bright side, I'm peeing every 10 minutes so hopefully I am getting rid of some of that pesky water weight that I gained on my binge royale this weekend. My rings are loose again (which I really need to get sized since my recent weight loss) so that's a good (although dangerous - I'd DIE if I lost them) sign. On Sunday when I woke up they were TIGHT(OMG). On the unpleasant side, I'm peeing every 10 minutes. The bathroom is rather far from my cube.

S is officially off the shots too. He had his last one on Friday I do believe. He lost 10lbs in his round. Same as me. Although he ate/cheated way more. Men always have it so easy (er, easiER) with weight loss!

I'm trying not to look forward to my next load days too much. I am not necessarily craving those things at the moment (gee, I wonder why, couldn't be because I ate enough for a family of FOUR this weekend) but there are a few things that I miss. In all reality, I'm not looking forward to them in the same way as I did my first ones. I have definitely changed my attitude about food a little bit, although not apparent by this weekend. I want a few yummy meals from some places that I adore, but I don't feel the need to, say, inhale a whole pan of brownies or anything. Progress, people, progress.

I am oh so hopeful about stepping on that scale tomorrow morning - so much so that I just want to friggin' go to bed and wake up so I can stop feeling guilty (and more importantly - overstuffed) and get on with it. I was doing so well! I always seem to sabotage myself. No more, I say, NO MORE!

In other news... I gave all my size 7 pants away to a friend! I officially fit comfortably in 5s, and I never want to go back up again. In the past, I have always kept my larger jeans "just in case" but this time, there is no just in case. I absolutely will not allow myself to go back up. This way if I feel my pants become a bit tight, I don't have the comfy option of just "wearing the 7s for a week or so until I get a few pounds off" and then just growing into them instead. No sirree. I have to wear slightly tight pants which will further motivate me to lose that poundage QUICKLY. It's not like 10lbs just sneak up on you, I'm not going to totally muffin top it or anything... you can TELL when you have gained 2 or 3lbs by your jeans being just a tad snug. I hope to go down to a 3 after the next round :D

Solid. Like A House.

P3 Day #5: Forgive Me For I Have Sinned

2009-03-02T10:11:00.000-08:00

Ooooh. Oooooohhhhh it was a baaaad weekend diet wise. Oh yes, yes my friends and faithful readers, I feel the need to confess.

Friday was good. Friday was really good. S and I went and saw Cavalia (Cirque De Soleil with horses) and were good. No gain after that, on Saturday. We got some cashews and a hot dog which we split, sans bun or any dressings, just to get some calories in. Then we went home I made some DELICIOUS coconut bark and peanut butter fudge that I found on www.happilythinnerafter.com. SO good. I probably ate a little too much of that, and had some wine, but no change on the scale.

Saturday I went to the gym in the morning because I was feeling motivated, and then went to Costco. Uh oh. Costco on the weekend has all sorts of delicious samples. I really didn't eat many of them at all, but the ones I did had BREAD. Delicious WHITE bread. With spinach and artichoke dip on it. *drools*

But I limited myself. I got what I needed and went home. We were having a barbecue. So I made my OWN spinach and artichoke dip (P3 legal of course) which was amazing, and a huge hit. I probably ate too much of that, with pork rinds as my vehicle, so I didn't eat any chips. I didn't really eat much non P3 legal stuff, I just ate a LOT. I had chicken, and a part of a sausage, coco crack, P3-legal pb fudge, guacamole (again with pork rinds, not chips) 3 or 4 glasses of wine...and THEN a small tortilla *gasp* (with carne asada, lettuce, tomato, sour cream and cheese...). But only one, and it was small. Still, doesn't matter because on Sunday...

I HAD A 4 POUND GAIN!

I'll say it again for additional humiliation

I HAD A 4 POUND GAIN!

There. I said it. I was contemplating not telling you, but that would really not do me any good. Seriously, when I woke up on Sunday, I felt like I had eaten an entire brick house. There was still food in my stomach! Not to mention I was bloated from wine, and not enough water. So all that combined led to my extreme gain.

Sunday morning I went on a pretty strenuous hike with T, so I felt a little better after that. Then I drank some smooth move (which has still not fully taken effect).

I STILL feel like I have cement in my intestines. I ate literally 1 chicken sausage, half of a grapefruit and a banana on Sunday. I wasn't even hungry for THOSE, but I needed to eat something before my hike (banana) and afterwards (sausage) and then at 8pm I had the half of a grapefruit. I probably had 300 calories yesterday. I'm STILL not hungry.

So I ate more than I should have, but I didn't eat a lot for my old ways of eating. Not enough to warrant this kind of intestinal disruption anyways. I guess my body just isn't used to putting it away anymore.

Anyhoo, this morning before the gym I was back down 1lb from where I was yesterday, and I expect more tomorrow after smooth move helps me regain normality, and I increase my water intake now that I have marginal room in my stomach to PUT water.

I feel so ashamed. I mean I know it's just "food sitting in my intestines" weight, along with water weight from HAVING so much food in my intestines and not drinking enough, but still. To see that 4lb gain I was pretty mortified! But I am back within my 2lb of LIW range so I shouldn't cry too much. I just won't ever do THAT again.

Anyhoo, I am going to eat extremely "clean" until I at least get back down to LIW (hopefully tomorrow) and preferably back UNDER it so I have some "wiggle" room. I am still going to the gym every day in the morning, so that helps as well.

Yesterday's exercise:

Strenuous hike with T (1 hour 45 min?)

Yesterday on my plate was:

1 banana - 90c

1 chicken sausage with artichoke and garlic - 160c

1/2 of a grapefruit with Splenda - 45c

Total calories: 295 (read: and not hungry b/c still full from the day before - UGH!)

Weight tracking:

-1lb today

-8.5lb change overall

+1.5lb over LIW

Shame, OH THE SHAME,

P3 Day #2:Rockin' the Suburbs

2009-02-27T08:26:00.001-08:00

Well, yesterday was nothing remarkable, besides the fact that I ATE CHEESE! SWEET SWEET CHEESE, ALL DAY LONG. YUM!!! And you know what? It didn't affect me at all today! YAAAAYYYYY one of my favorite foods, I do not have an intolerance to! Do you know how happy that makes me??? DO YOU?!?

Well, now you do I suppose! And I brought MORE for today! Wheeee!

This will be a short entry this morning, nothing major to report... the morning workouts are still going VERY well, I feel fantastic. Better than I have in my whole life :] S even came with me this morning and I think he liked it too :]

Yesterday's exercise:

1 hour at 3.6 on a 4.5 incline

Yesterday on my plate was:

1/2 grapefruit with Splenda - 40c

Salad: 1.5c spinach, 1.5T ranch, 1/6c shredded cheese - 190c

100G lean beef, 1 slice cheese melted on top - 230c

1/2 grapefruit with Splenda - 40c

Chunk of cucumber with red wine & olive oil vinagrette - 45c

100g Tilapia with 1 slice cheese melted on top - 170c

1 malted milk ball from Sprouts :] - 20c?

A few bites of ground beef with onion - 50c?

4 cups of jasmine green tea

Total calories: 785 (eep, not nearly enough!)

Weight tracking:

-0 today

-11.5lbs change overall

-1.5lbs under LIW

Your Local Ray of Sunshine,

2009-02-26T12:25:00.000-08:00

O... M... G...

For the record... a slice of cheese melted on steak chunks is one of the great pleasures of the world. I think I died and went to heaven.

P3 Day #1: Journey Into the Unknown

2009-02-26T08:50:00.000-08:00

I am OFFICIALLY in Phase 3! *Throws a party, does a dance, gets drunk and passes out* For you non-HCG programme experts, P3 is when the HCG is totally out of your body and it is completely safe to eat all the junk food, carbs, sugar, fat, ANYTHING again that you have been depriving yourself of over the last x amount of days that you were shooting up.

Wait, that's not right...it's 3 weeks of Atkins-like eating (proteins, fats, veggies, and select fruits) in order to stabilize your weight. The idea is that if you MAINTAIN (meaning not going more than 2lbs under or over) your last injection weight for 3 weeks, you will be more successful at keeping that weight even if you start to relax your eating a bit more. I think it sounds logical, but S may or may not think it's kind of hokey.

However my P3 is not a *real* P3 in that in 2.5 weeks I am going back on P2 and the VLCD of horror and doom (and, subsequently, weight loss).

So while the fact that I lost another .5lb this morning should send me into an alert "I-am-getting-too-close-to-the-limit-of-what-I-can-fluctuate-in-P3" mode, I don't really mind. In fact, if you don't tell anyone....I LIKE it. That puts me at a 11.5lb loss so far!

I talked to S about it a little this morning and he said since I am still eating well and losing, it is likely due to my new exercise routine, and it's ok. My logic is that + the fact that I am just sort of trying to hover here for a few weeks until I can get back to losing on P2 for another 23 days. I do not want to go OVER my LIW in this 2.5 weeks, but under I can do. I will stabilize for real after my next P2 round. Does that make sense? It does in my head.

So today I brought more food with me, since I am supposed to up my calories. I have a bit of cheese, and a tad of ranch salad dressing even! No carby stuff, just a little fat added in. I have never been so excited for a spinach, cheese and ranch salad in my life. I don't know how long I am going to be able to hold off before I eat it. We'll see how it effects my weight tomorrow :]

Yesterday's exercise:

1 hour at 3.6 on a 4.5 incline

Yesterday on my plate was:

100g lean beef

1 Grapefruit with Splenda

A chunk of cucumber

~130g of lean beef (uppin' it a little!)

1 apple

4 cups of jasmine green tea

Weight tracking:

-.5lbs today

-11.5lbs change overall

-1.5lbs under LIW

FULL OF ENERGY,

VLCD Day #24.5: Introducing...

2009-02-25T10:52:00.001-08:00

S and M! And I am not talking about kinky bedroom practices. I thought I'd introduce S and myself... I find it much more gratifying to read blogs when I know the face behind the words. I'd introduce the whole gauntlet, T, H, P, etceteras, but I haven't asked if it was ok.

So here we are! :]

We are nearly incapable of taking a "normal" picture... but that's just our fun personalities, right? Here's what we *really* look like. When we've been on the top deck of a windy cruise ship.

Bye! :D

VLCD Day #24: Crushed

2009-02-25T10:01:00.000-08:00

My car, not my ego. I was rear ended on the way to work today! What a load of crap! The (slightly crazy) lady even had the nerve to get out of her car, look at my bumper, and before I had even stepped foot on the pavement come to my window and say "It's ok! There's no damage! It's alright!" and start to go back to her car. As I got out she was like "Really! See? No damage! It's ok!" and start to wave good bye.

Oh no. Nooo no no no. I was like "Sorry. It doesn't work like that." and so we pulled over and I got her (expired) insurance and phone number and address and signature in blood and promised me her first grandchild.

I have a moral dilemma here. It's not AWFUL, I could live with it I suppose, but I can see the damage if I go up within a few feet of it. I could be nice, and just let her off, or I could exercise my right as a citizen whose car has been hit and get it fixed and make her pay. Or I could make her pay what it would cost to fix, and buy a video camera which S and I have been jonesing for. Hmmmm. She doesn't have collision insurance, just liability, so she would be giving me cash out of her pocket. She doesn't have collision insurance but she has a Tom Tom. Which she was staring at when she hit me. Interesting. Her whole "Oh no just forget about it" attitude bugs me. She hit me. It's her fault. Don't try to blow it off like you stepped on my foot, you HIT MY CAR. I had literally been stopped at that light for a full minute when she hit me! It's not like I stopped short or something and I was sort of being a jackass!

Ahem! Anyways! Last night T and I had an impromptu Mardi Gras get together. I had a glass of wine and one of her tiny buffalo wings (meanwhile she had a whole PLATE of buffalo wings, salad with bleu cheese dressing, a loaf of amazing bread in a cheesy vinaigrette, a glass of wine and a girly drink... did I mention she is tiny?), with a tad of ranch dressing on it. Guess what? I didn't gain anything! Neener neener neeeeeener! I am still 1lb under my last injection weight and I feel pretty darn good about that. And I had that on top of my regular 500 calorie intake.

You know what else I feel pretty darn good about? Working out in the morning. I don't know if I mentioned HOW AMAZINGLY AWESOME IT IS. Srsly. Today is the 3rd day of it, I am not having problems getting up in the morning, and I feel like I am walking on clouds all day until I have to force myself to go to bed even though I am not tired.

EVERYONE should do this. I think it is my "answer". And by "answer" I mean "fitting exercise into my schedule in a way that doesn't make me want to open fire on a crowd of unsuspecting people". I actually.... wait for it... ENJOY IT. ::gasp::

So today is my last day of 500 calories. I am glad...I can feel the HCG wearing off in the sense that I am starting to get even hungrier. Not starving, but my tummy is rumbling a bit more than when I was on the last of the presumably diluted shots. I upped my calories a bit yesterday and I am going to a bit more today, even though I know you're not actually "supposed" to until 72 hours after your last dose. Just by like 200 calories each day, so I think I'm ok. After all, I did that and drank wine which is NOT on le programme and it didn't bother me. I think the gym time helps too.

Yesterday's exercise:

1 hour at 3.6 on a 4.5 incline

Yesterday on my plate was:

100g lean beef prepared with Walden Farms BBQ Sauce <--- YUM!

1 Grapefruit with Splenda

A chunk of cucumber

1 glass of Cabernet Sauvignon

1 small (2") buffalo wing dipped in ranch dressing

100g of lean beef in hot sauce and the WF BBQ sauce

4 cups of jasmine green tea

Weight tracking:

-0lbs today

-11lbs change overall

-1lb under LIW

With Mangled Car, But Not Spirits,

VLCD Day #23: Off the Juice

2009-02-24T14:25:00.000-08:00

So today, day 'o days, was the first morning in almost a month that I haven't been stabbed before going to work. It's a healthy feeling, getting up, getting dressed, and not inserting a needle into your body.

Speaking of healthy, I have been going to the gym in the morning, before I go to work! Where "have been" means "today and yesterday". But I LOVE it! A big fight between me and the gym is that after work, I am run down and just want to veg and relax. Going to the gym then sucks, because I have close to zero motivation. But going in the MORNING! I have the ability to wake up early, so that's not an issue for me. And I feel so energized all day! EVEN after work! So in essence, it is giving me more productive hours because after work I don't feel like dying on the couch with Spongebob Squarepants and a pint of Haagen Daas. Not that I ever did that anyways, but you get the idea.

A friend, on Facebook, gave me this quote which I love:

"I have to exercise in the morning before my brain figures out what I'm doing"

-Marsha Doble

Well put, Marsha, you are a wise, wise woman.

This way, I am also going 5 days a week instead of 4, because I prefer to keep my weekday sleep-schedule the same. No waking up at 6:30 one morning, and then 7:45 the next. That messes with my clock. You know, the one wedged between your heart and your lungs.

I FEEL EMPOWERED!

That is all :]

Oh wait, no it's not. I lost 1 lb today, but I think I can entirely attribute that to the 4 fiber pills and 2 cups of Smooth Move Tea (yes, the same one that ONE cup made me about DIE) because I realized I hadn't crapped in over a week. Yes, my metabolism REALLY shut down. This break is much needed.

If you're REALLY paying attention to my blog (and I'm sure no one looks this closely) you'll notice that I added another section to the "Weight tracking" portion of my daily log. LIW = Last Injection Weight. On this programme of programmes, one is not supposed to go 2lbs above or below the weight that they were at when they took their last injection. The reason for this is that you are supposed to stabilize for 3 weeks so your body can set a new "weight point" that it wants to hang around at. If you are fluctuating all over the place during the 3 weeks, this won't happen and you will probably gain it back. Just a little explanation.

Yesterday's exercise:

1 hour at 3.6 on a 4.5 incline

Yesterday on my plate was:

100g lean beef

1 grapefruit with Splenda

A chunk of cucumber

100g of lean beef over a spinach salad prepared with Walden Farms bleu cheese and Emeril's hot sauce

1 apple

4 cups of green tea

Weight tracking:

-1lb today

-11lbs change overall

-1lb under LIW (last injection weight)

Conqueror of Mornings,

VLCD Day #22: The End Is Near

2009-02-23T10:11:00.000-08:00

Alright people. I have made a decision. Today is the last day of my injections... for now.

Let me explain.

For the last week or so I just have not felt good. I have been starving, having major cravings, grumpy, and really run down. Aunt Flo is not due for a visit for quite some time, and I am not sick.

I think I mixed the last vial of HCG wrong.

I know I know, you're thinking "But M! Goddess of bacteriostatic water, bringer of HCG! How could YOU ever falter?! For surely if you have, then I, as well, have mixed my HCG incorrectly." but don't fear my shrinking friends, I too make mistakes. You are in the clear.

Last week I only lost 1.5 lbs. The week before it was 2.5. I could theoretically do about that in a week of heavy exercise and a strict diet. Laying off the weight lifting and only eating 500 calories is ok when I am losing a significant amount of weight and not feeling like crap, but that is not the case here. So either my body gets particularly resistant to this stuff quickly, or I mixed it wrong.

Either way, I think it will be beneficial for me to take a break. This morning I had my last injection for about 3 weeks. I am going to start to transition into P3 on Thursday, which will be 72 hours after my last injection. S will then finish another week, which will bring him to the minimum of 23 days on the injections since he started a week after me. Then he will join me on my quest for the holy grail, I mean, stabilization on P3, and we will start the second half of our injections on March 14th.

I have read that many people have better luck on the shorter rounds, and the average losses are a lot higher. I don't mind waiting another 3 weeks to drop the next 10 lbs that I want to lose, especially if I can keep my sanity.

And really, I feel great about the 10 pounds that I have lost! I bought a pair of size 5 jeans yesterday since my 7s were literally falling off of me! That was pretty great! I just need to see if I have the discipline to stabilize myself now on P3.

Today is another day of carb-heaven here at the office. Why must everything revolve around delicious food!? It's pizza day, which we have once a month, free pizza! All you can eat! Or better yet, just stick it straight down your pants and pack it onto your thighs. ALSO, a co-worker brought in GIRL SCOUT COOKIES (aka the nectar of satan himself) and another brought in the very same SOFT, ICING-LADEN SUGAR COOKIES THAT I WAS CRAVING LAST WEEK. I think if I venture to go near them, I have to get some duct tape and make myself a little belly-belt out of assorted snacks. Kind of like those pregnant suits that sex-ed classes made teenage girls try on so they would abstain.

Goddammit.

Willpower is definitely lower when you have decided that you are going to take a break, and you haven't eaten anything besides apples and chicken for the past 3 weeks. But I need to just take a deep breath and realize that a break from HCG cannot equal eating whatever I want on a whim, and gaining back the 10 lbs I have already lost. Breathe. BREATHE, DAMMIT! IN! OUT! IN! OUT! REPEAT! OK! THERE!

I'm going to keep updating this of course with my P3 adventures, and then on to my next round of shots. So stay tuned for tomorrow, where I eat only 500 calories and NOT take a shot that is supposed to make me full! Wheee! :D

I can get through this. pizza I will get through this. chocolate cake I will be successful. cookies I will PREVAIL! I think I am developing food-tourettes.

Not Quitting, Just Adjusting,

VLCD Day #19: A Beautiful Day In the Neighborhood

2009-02-20T13:59:00.000-08:00

One of the perks of living in a state full of plants that can severely injure you and dust instead of grass, is that there are beautiful 73 degree days like today, in February.

Today for lunch my "team" (as we call our little graphics group at work - I think it's a unity boosting thing) went to lunch at a little outdoor farm on the side of a mountain. It was AMAZING outside. And as I passed the smorgasbord of chocolate-peanut butter cookie bars drizzled in fudge, giant cupcakes doused in coconutty frosting, and mayo-loaded egg salad sandwiches on homemade white bread, I grabbed a raw salad sans cheese and dressing and enjoyed the warmth of the sun on my back.

And now that I am done blowing sunshine up your arse, I'll have you know that I could have mowed down every bit of that sweet sweet buffet of insulin and cellulite and enjoyed every blissful second of it.

But really, the weather is fabulous, and the thought of laying out by the pool in my bikini NOT looking like something a fisherman discarded whilst harvesting tuna, made me persevere. I ate my raw lettuce, spinach, cucumber and tomatoes, and contemplated the farce of mixing vegetables and what will happen to me tomorrow morning when I step on the scale.

I think I did pretty damn good :]

And this morning I lost a pound, which really means that in the last three days I have lost a half of a pound, since I had a gain yesterday. Hopefully I have another "woosh" of weight loss tomorrow to make up for the other .5 lb that I should have lost yesterday and today. I'm on a schedule here people, and .5lbs in 3 days does not translate well on my calendar.

Despite my cynical blog, I am in a great mood :] In fact, I am a very happy-go-lucky, pleasant person. The small portion of my life that you see here is just my inner-thoughts about weight loss, which are considerably more pessimistic than the rest of the workings of my brain :]

Know that, and be happy.

Yesterday's exercise:

Nothing

Yesterday on my plate was:

100g grilled chicken

1/2 of a grapefruit with Splenda

100g of Halibut (YUM!)

Some celery sticks

1 apple

4 cups of jasmine green tea with Splenda

Weight tracking:

-1lb today

-10.5lbs change overall

The Human Manifestation of Your Hopes and Dreams,

VLCD Day #18: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

2009-02-19T11:24:00.001-08:00

So remember how excited-thrilled-ecstatic-HAPPY I was yesterday that I had lost 10 pounds? Well just go ahead and take that all back.

I.... dun dun DUNNNNNNN.... GAINED half of a pound today putting me right back to where I was the day BEFORE yesterday. So 9.5 pounds it is. Any you KNOW that when I lose that .5lb again, I can't be nearly as excited as I was yesterday about a collective 10 pound loss.

Thanks, weight, for totally harshing on my sunshine.

Sure sure it's water accumulating in my now empty fat retainer cells, and in a day or so I will have a sudden weight loss, and I'm still losing inches and really getting thinner. I GET that. I get it I get it I get it.

I'm not really upset about a gain in general, but TODAY of all days I was hoping to lose. Why? Why you ask? Well I am glad you did. I was hoping to lose today, because yesterday I felt like complete and utter shit and I wanted it to be for SOMETHING. I was sooo tired, and hungry, and stressed at work, and craving an emming effing burrito.

Oh well, another pound, another day. :]

Yesterday's exercise:

Walked for 1 hour at 3.3 on a 4.5 incline

Yesterday on my plate was:

100g beef

1/5 of a grapefruit with splenda

100g grilled chicken

2 cups of coffee with 1 Tbsp milk

1 apple

Weight tracking:

+.5lb today (BOOOO)

-9.5lb change overall

Me, Only Heavier,

VLCD Day #17: Shapeshifter

2009-02-18T13:13:00.000-08:00

The word "shapeshifter" generally incites images in your head of ancient Native American legends, X-Men, or Nickelodeon Gak. But in this case, I'm talking about me.

I noticed this morning, as I have at other periods in my life where I am losing more than a few pounds of weight, that weight loss compared with how good you look is not always linear. Let me explain.

Today I put on a favorite shirt of mine, a shirt I tried on last week and it looked fabulous. Although I am several pounds lighter this week, I think it looked better on me then. Why? Because my waist was more defined last week. It seems that I have lost some weight in my "love handles", making me look more like a block, and less like an hourglass. I'm not complaining, I just feel like I'm at an awkward point. Do we not lose weight all over at a steady rate? It certainly doesn't seem like it.

Well I told T about the programme last night and she actually took it really well. S said she would, I just didn't know! She is a very all-natural kind of person. She totally understood. I felt good about that :] She said she had been concerned because she realized she never saw me eat or drink anymore, and was worried that I was losing weight in an unhealthy way.

So everything is peachy here in the life of an M, with the exception of some people at my work being beyond incompetent, but I suppose I deal with that on a daily basis.

Yesterday's exercise:

Nothing

Yesterday on my plate was:

200g Beef (split between 2 meals

1 serving of cooked onion with my evening beef

1/2 of a grapefruit with Splenda

2 cups of coffee with 1 Tbsp whole milk and Splenda

1 apple with Walden Farms Caramel Dip (yum! and guilt free!)

Weight tracking:

-.5lb today

-10lb change overall (fiesta!)

Irritated At My Co-Workers,

VLCD Day #17: DECADE pounds!

2009-02-18T09:44:00.000-08:00

If wishes were horses then beggars would ride. If body mass were length of time then today I lost a decade.

10 POUNDS!

Can you tell that I am excited? So I lost .5lb today! Wheeee! That's great and all but it is overshadowed by the greater good which I am not sure if you caught, but

I HAVE LOST 10 POUNDS!

And that is all I have to say for this morning :]

More to come in a few hours after I revel in my own glory :]

THIN,

VLCD Day #16: On the Road Again

2009-02-17T11:21:00.000-08:00

Woooooh I lost another pound again this morning!! To be quite honest with you, I was feeling a little down yesterday about the 2.5lb loss of last week. Not really sad, but like "hey, I'm tired of doing this. I want P3 LIKE NOW OMG GIMME CHEESE". My mind gets rash and I overreact and feel like le programme will no longer work for me because I had a little extra steak on Saturday night. I am SLIGHTLY crazy. But today I feel much better... seeing those numbers move (and putting on pants that used to be tight and fitting PERFECTLY) sure is gratifying. We all have moments of weakness, eh? This weekend will not include things like wine and steak sauce, and I am sure I will lose more than 0 lbs for the effort ;]

So about a month ago I went to Dubai and shopped for literally 12 days straight. I brought home a whole new (smaller than I could fit into) wardrobe, knowing that I was going to lose a bunch of weight. I could put them on, but they just looked tight and awkward. Well those clothes fit now! Everything I put on looks fab. I feel so vain, staring at myself in the mirror but dammit, I'm working for this. It's nice to check out the results. About every man I pass thinks it's nice to check out the results as well. I always tell S that I can tell when my "dieting" is working, because people start staring again. I really don't mind being stared at, I never have. It's a compliment. Except for at the gym. I mean c'mon. You're sweating and panting and everything is wiggling and bouncing in such a strange manner.... it's just not necessary. THAT I can do without.

Tonight T is coming over and I am going to tell her about le programme of hopes and dreams this time. It's a 1 on 1 thing so I don't have to either corner her in a back room like a creeper or announce it to the world. We told P and H over the weekend and they thought it was cool, H even wants to try it out if I recommend it when I am done. They are getting marred in April... I wish I knew about HCG before we got married, man. It was just a few months before I discovered this, this, launching of oneself into thindom.

SO SO SO SO Tomorrow! If I lose at least .5lb I will have lost 10 POUNDS!!! OMG YAAAAAY!!!!!

Oh and HI BIZ! :D

Yesterday's exercise:

Walk around the neighborhood with S and the puppies, about 1 mile

Yesterday on my plate was:

2 egg whites with hot sauce

1/2 of a grapefruit with splenda

1 apple

100g of beef

1 cup of coffee with 1 Tbsp whole milk

(yeah I sort of slacked in the veggie department)

Weight tracking:

-1lb today (wooo!)

-9.5lb change overall

Back on the Wagon,

VLCD Day #15: DEVIATION!

2009-02-16T10:25:00.000-08:00

Here we are again, on the Monday after the weekend. Again, we were out of town, so I couldn't weigh myself on Sunday morning.

I'm kind of glad.

This weekend was not completely the best diet weekend in the world. I did pretty well though, considering. All the way down to Tucson, I stayed on the programme... even at the gem show I got a chicken caesar salad without the dressing and discarded the cheese and croutons. So basically, chicken, lettuce and 3 tinier than tiny tomatoes.

Then things went awry.

We stopped at a wine store and purchased some Valentines celebratory vino. The four of us got 3 bottles. We drank two. For how tipsy I got, you'd have thought I drank both of the bottles by myself, although I only had about 2.5 glasses of it. I don't know for sure because it my glass wasn't empty when it was refilled. I can generally finish a bottle by myself and be comfortably functional between tipsy and drunk, but that is not the case on this madness!

I think it was a combination between the facts that I hadn't (and couldn't) eat anything absorbent all day, and the funky hormones that I am mainlining every morning. I mean I wasn't obliterated or anything, it just snuck up on me.

Dinner was FANTASTIC! We went to a little restaurant called Kingfisher that is one of S and my favorites from when we lived in T-Town. I had a steak grilled sans butter, and veggies. The problem is that the steak had some sort of (delicious) sauce on it that didn't taste very programme-legal. I was tipsy enough that I didn't really care, and hungry enough that I probably would have bitten anyone's hand off who dared to take it away from me. I ate a bit more than my 100g too, but I gave the rest to S, who is doing a modified version of the programme, as he doesn't need to lose 1lb per day. He "needs" to lost 10 lbs in 43 days.

I thought I did O.K., but after all the wine and the steak sauce and then the omelette the next morning (prepared with only whites and no cheese or butter) I didn't lose anything this weekend. But that is also O.K. because I didn't gain either.

I stepped on that scale this morning prepping myself for like a 3lb gain, telling myself that it wasn't fat and that it would come right off, but it wasn't even needed! I think that's why I'm not to devastated about the standstill. I totally deserve it. And it was totally worth it.

I am not going to do it again, but I have been doing so well that it was a welcomed break, and sort of a treat. And the fact that it didn't screw me up just means my stars are aligned and I deserved the treat :] Or at least that's how I would like to look at it thankyouverymuch! And really, I didn't totally bomb or anything, all things considered I was pretty angelic :]

Oh by the way, S got me an AMAZING Valentines Day gift at the gem show... a beautiful Blue Topaz, Amethyst and Diamond necklace. Blue Topaz is my birth stone, and Amethyst is February (V day!) It's so gorgeous! I was totally not expecting that! :D

Yesterday's exercise:

Nothing

Yesterday on my plate was:

1 egg white omelette, prepared with no cheese or butter, only peppers, bits of ham, and onion

2 strawberries

1 piece of canadian bacon (grilled dry)

2 cups of coffee with 2 Tbsp whole milk

1 apple

100g of lean steak

Weight tracking:

-0lb today

-8.5lb change overall

The Neighborhood Deviant,

VLCD Day #12.5: B-A-N-A-N-A-S

2009-02-13T15:02:00.000-08:00

About this time every day (or rather about half an hour ago - 3:30pm). I fail. I cannot do "desk" anymore. Suddenly, there is a string on my jeans I need to pick at. Or I have a hangnail that needs immediate attention. I start finding excuses to get up every 5-10 minutes to walk around the office.

I don't think I was made to do this corporate-sit-on-your-ass-all-day-thing. It's more mentally painful than it is physically, even. I NEED TO GET OUT OF THIS OFFICE. LIKE NOW. Perhaps if I had a window or something it would be better. I need some fresh air and sunshine.

On a bright note, I successfully avoided my FAVORITE (and I'm not joking this time) chocolate covered banana from Edible Arrangements.

I'm not kidding people... if you are ever in the mood for chocolate ANYTHING, get a chocolate covered banana from Edible Arrangements. Rather, you'll have to get like 20 chocolate covered banana chunks in the shape of a bouquet because well, that's what they do. But they are SO GOOD!

But when offered a piece of the bouquet of dreams, I opted for the only programme-legal "flower" on it. A plain strawberry. How very valiant/boring of me.

Not to mention I got a Valentine Heart Box of chocolates from one of our executives. So now I have 4 truffles nestled safely in the depths of my desk for a brighter, more sugar-filled day. C'mon people, it's not like I'm NEVER going to eat sugar again. I wasn't going to toss it or anything. Maybe I'll just forget about it. Interesting fact: this executive is one of the ones who did HCG!

This weekend S and I are going on (yet another) trip out of town. Yaaaaaay! We are going to the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show! It is faaaaantastic. We are going with another couple-friend of ours, H and P, and staying at a fancy resort.

Assuming that H and P do indeed need to eat sometime over the course of two days, we are going to have to tell them about the programme. Especially since it is Valentine's weekend and we won't be partaking in any delicious-fancy-restaurant-action. This is ok, but again we have to pack our cooler o' shit, and lug it around with us. Woooo.

BUT! It is a very small price to pay for how I am starting to look and feel. And I have a feeling they will be pretty open-minded to the news :]

World (State) Traveller Extraordinaire,

VLCD Day #12: Another One Bites the Dusttaaaaaahhh

2009-02-13T10:01:00.000-08:00

Another pound down, another pound down, another pound bites the dustttaaaaahhhhh!

Yeah you read that right. I'm awesome. I was a tad concerned, because at girl's night I had a few sips of WINE. ZOMG. I read on www.happilythinnerafter.com that some people don't find any fault (read: stalls) in substituting their fruit for the day for a glass of wine or two. So, while I don't necessarily think it's healthy to do OFTEN since you need the nutrients that you get from fruit, since you're eating so little, every once in a while it is quite an attractive bargain. I thought I could do it....

I ate my orgasmic half of a grapefruit for breakfast yesterday... or rather the meal closest to the morning, and then saved my apple to see if I wanted wine at girl's night. I thought I could do it. When T handed me a glass (she still doesn't know) and said it was a really good wine, I thought, "Ok, I sorta planned on this." And had a sip. She was right, it WAS a really good wine.

But then I looked down at my newly flat stomach and my thinner thighs and immediately felt guilty. But I pressed on. Over all, I had about 4 or 5 small sips, and then just couldn't do it. I put the glass down (by this time everyone else had drank a few and there were wine glasses all over the place, so no one noticed) and ate my apple :]

I was proud of me :]

I also drank a ton of extra water, because after a night of wine indulgence I usually am SO bloated the next day. I guess it's silly to think the same would happen with a few sips versus, like, 4 glasses, but I was being cautious.

Looks like I did ok! :]

Yesterday's exercise:

Nothing

Yesterday on my plate was:

100g chicken with cooked onions

Half of a grapefruit with Splenda

4 or 5 sips of Cabernet Sauvignon

100g filet mignon with cooked onions

1 apple

Weight tracking:

-1lb today

-8.5lb change overall

Feeling Fantastic,

VLCD Day #11.5: I'll Never Recover

2009-02-12T14:02:00.001-08:00

Ladies and gentlemen, gather round. Closer. A little bit closer... OK OK not that close, please, back off. There.

I just had a near death experience.

Please pause for a moment to let that sink in.

There I was at work. Just having finished my delicious reheated chicken and onions that I made last night. My cell, er, I mean cube mate, H, let me use some delicious Poblano hot sauce that her boyfriend loves.

It was delicious.

But that's not all. After eating said spicetastic meal, twas a tad thirsty. I thought, "Hey. I have already had 2 cups of green tea, and 2 cups of water. It's tea time again, I do believe." So off to my regular water cooler/heater I journey. Only to find it EMPTY.

Panicking, I look around me. Lil' ole me of a small 5'1" stature does not stand a chance changing the giant Sparkletts water tank myself, and even if I could, the water would not have time to reach the near boiling temperature I needed in order to brew my tea of green.

So then I was off. Off to the faaar far water cooler slash heater all the way in the community break room. It's not so bad, I can stand for a little walking. That also gives me a chance to stop for the 32nd over-hydration induced bathroom break of the day.

I take care of my business. I continue on my way.

As I approach the break room, I start to smell the familiar aromas of day-old reheated fish, and bags of burnt popcorn. But there is something else in the air. Something much, much, more tantalizing.

I creep up warily, not knowing what I will find. Driven by my desire for hot tea, I enter the break room.....and then

BAM!

Literally THOUSANDS (read: tens) of slices of DELICIOUS LOOKING CAKE await me on the tables. There were CHOCOLATE (my favorite) and CARROT (my favorite) and WHITE (my favorite) hunks of cakey and icing-y goodness staring up at me, oh so innocently from the tables. So I ogle them back, breathing in their silky sweet aroma, feeling the pounds accumulate on my thighs as I inhale the calories.

And then I did something truly, truly, earth shattering.

I walked right up to that table of answered prayers and I flipped those cakes off. Once! Twice! THREE TIMES!! And the last time I even added a big "UMPFH!"

I then refocused on my original antioxidant rich yet calorie-free goal, and sauntered right over to the water cooler/heater.

I had succeeded.

Let this be a lesson to you all. I DO have willpower of steel. Which I get to exercise again tonight at girls night, which will be filled with wine and pizza. I will reign supreme.

Leaper of Tall Buildings in a Single Bound,

(Ps. I thought it important to note: During that 48th bathroom break of the day, I noticed I had my panties on backwards and inside out. Yes, I re-oriented them.)

2009-02-12T11:39:00.000-08:00

I just got the STRONGEST craving for soft sugar cookies with loads of icing. GO AWAY AUNT FLO!!!

VLCD Day #11: They Don't Taste Like Grapes, Though

2009-02-12T10:42:00.000-08:00

O...M...G.....the gym helped SO much! I felt so fabulous afterwards. I want to go EVERY DAY. I know that's not feasible because I have such a busy life, but every day that I can! I actually felt euphoric afterwards, like someone had injected happy sauce directly into my brain.

My gym pants are quite loose. Which is a) nice because it signifies that I am losing weight, and b) annoying because the last thing you want to have to do while you are working out is hike your pants up every 5 steps. I'm sure everyone around me is all "GEEZ! JUST GET SOME PANTS THAT FIT ALREADY YOU HUSSY!" Im SORRY if my butt crack peeked out once or twice, I'm tryin' here!

But... small price to pay for weight loss! Woot woot! Yes, you cycle away behind me on your elliptical listening to bad 90s music and re-living your youth, I have a secret that would change your LIFE... if you didn't think I was crazy! Bwa ha ha hahahaaaaaaaa.

Speaking of thinking I'm crazy... I told my Dad about this programme of insanity this morning. He was actually really interested! My family has always been extremely weight-conscious... not necessarily always successful at it, but conscious. My parents have tried every diet under the sun, from Atkins to Cabbage Soup. Like me, it never really worked. Except the whole I'm-Not-Going-To-Eat-At-All-Throughout-My Highschool-Career-Diet that killed my metabolism. He listened to what I told him about it, congratulated me on my weight loss, and inquired about the price and where to get it. I think he would be really good at this...thing, he is really diligent about sticking to them, as long as they work. And boooy does this work.

I lost another .5lb this morning! Party tiiiiime in my (loose) pants! I also re-discovered grapefruit yesterday. OMG. I thought I had died. I used to eat it all the time, but somehow along my unhealthy way, I decided I liked bagels for breakfast better. And donuts. And chocolate. (kidding). But it was deleeeeectable. I sliced that puppy in half and put it in the most adorable pink with white polka-dot oversized tea cup that my Grandma gave me for Christmas, doused it in Splenda and scooped it out and had little orgasms in my mouth for a good 10 minutes. And I brought the other half for lunch today. I'm going to eat it RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE!

Yesterday's exercise:

1 hour walk at 3.3 on a 4.5 incline

15 minute walk at 3.3

Yesterday on my plate was:

Buffalo Chicken Salad (100g chicken and veggie portion - lettuce, green onion and celery)

An apple

Half of a grapefruit with Splenda

100g of Filet Mignon cooked with onions

Weight tracking:

-.5lb today

-7.5lb change overall

Your Friendly Neighborhood Needle Junky,

VLCD Day #10.5: Fat....Or Fab?

2009-02-11T14:19:00.000-08:00

Ugh. I do NOT feel good and skinny and healthy right now like I did for the past few days. I think that maybe the Walden Farms products are too...too....not-real for P2 of this programme of hopes and dreams. Don't get me wrong...it's delicious...but maybe for afterwards. Especially 2 meals in a row. Just kinda don't feel as good as when I was NOT eating it. Maybe I had too much of it too... the recipe called for 1/4 of a cup and it ended up being a lot of sauce. Maybe if I used sparingly...

I feel icky and fat and bloated today. Maybe it's placebo because the damn scale decided it was going to eat my sunshine for the day, or maybe I'm retaining water that Flo is pouring down my throat, or maybe it's the Walden Farms dressing of anarchy and pain.

I hope the gym today fixes that, it usually does.

Bleh,

VLCD Day #10: The Day The Earth Stood Still

2009-02-11T08:31:00.001-08:00

The Earth didn't move today. It didn't go up or down or even waver a tiny bit. The Earth is frustrating sometimes, but I know there has to be days like this, it can't move every day! That just wouldn't be natural! Although I do have to say, if the Earth decides that it isn't going to budge tomorrow either, I may have to kick it's ass.

Now substitute every instance of "the Earth" for "my weight".

*le sigh*

It's ok though. I'm about due, I think, losing so quickly and all. I'm also a bit more bloated today (I always gauge by how my rings fit). Sometimes when Aunt Flo starts to pack her things, she gets depressed and starts to drink heavily or something and III get to retain the water. And hey! Maybe I'm losing inches, right? Maybe? Please?

So a tiny voice in the back of my head says "Hey! M! You've been mixing veggies and trying new things and that is BAAAAD", but the logical part of my brain says "that's a bunch of excuses you placate yourself with when the scale doesn't go down" I don't think that having celery with my lettuce is srsly going to stop me from losing weight. Really? REALLY?

So last night I bought some delicious Warner Farms products to spice up our food with a bit (I am now saying OUR because S is on his very first VLCD day today! Woooo give a round of applause to S!) I made a Buffalo Chicken Salad that was on www.happilythinnerafter.com and it was OMG SO GOOD! 10x better even than the Chinese Chicken Salad, which was still delicious. Here is thine recipe:

Chopped romaine lettuce

Celery, chopped

1 Chopped green onion

Emeril's Wing Sauce

Walden Farms Bleu Cheese Dressing

100g chicken, marinated in the wing sauce for an hour

The Walden Farms and the Emeril's both have 0 calories, 0 fat, 0 sugar, 0 carbs, and it's natural. Weird, huh? It's made with like, water and flavorings and magic.

So you make your salad and put the cooked chicken over it, and then combine 1/4 cup of the Walden Farms dressing with 1 Tbsp of the Emeril's sauce, and pour it over.

O....M....G. It tastes JUST like hot wings. Not even exaggerating. I will DEFINITELY eat this after the programme o' programmes is complete. S made a good point, not only are we losing weight, but we are finding good meals to eat when this is over, that are both delicious and completely guilt free!

Yesterday's exercise:

None

Yesterday on my plate was:

Chinese Chicken Salad (100g chicken and veggie portion - cabbage and lettuce)

A tomato with salt

Buffalo Chicken Salad (100g chicken and veggie portion - lettuce, green onion and celery)

An apple with Splenda and cinnamon

1 cup of Pretty Darn Good coffee

Weight tracking:

-0lb today

-7lb change overall

Me-Being-The-Same-Weight-As-Yesterday,

VLCD Day #9.5: Chicken de China, de Chinese Chicken...

2009-02-10T13:37:00.000-08:00

I just had my delicious Chinese Chicken Salad for lunch today! I think next time I will use a bit less vinegar. Because although the burning sensation in my stomach MIGHT be it doing it's vinegary job by cleaning out my insides, it's not the most pleasant sensation in all of the world.

I drank some coffee this morning... we had an early meeting and they had EINSTEIN BROS CATERED IN. Trying to kill me? I believe they are. What I wouldn't do for a tasty toasted bagel slathered with more cream cheese than any one human being should eat in a sitting.

But alas, I reached straight for the black coffee. I wasn't going to miss out on treating myself SOMEHOW! So I had some Splenda in that coffee and by golly it was pretty darn good (HAR HAR SEE WHAT I DID THURR? EINSTEIN BROS PRETTY DARN GOOD COFFEE). One thing that I have noticed since I DRANK said coffee, is that I am not able to gulp water like I've lived seven years in the desert with a dry mouth and only beef jerky paired with sheer will to choke it down my throat. ...Although now that I think of it...I HAVE lived in the desert almost 6 years, though I have been provided with plenty of hydration, compliments of the water tables we are bent on depleting here in our fine state. I'm not even kidding. When I lived in Tucson, a big intersection by my house suddenly sank 2 feet one day without warning. We had DRAINED IT.

But what's a little more asphalt to fill it in, right? At least we can have grass in our sand-ridden yards where it never should be naturally possible!

S emailed me today saying that he felt kind of spacey and was yawning a lot. Anyone else report this during their initial days of HCG? I yawned, but didn't feel spacey. No more than normal, anyways.

All and all the day is going well, Aunt Flo seems to be starting to pack up her things, so nothing much to report here. Everything is juuuust peachy!

THE END!

(Ps. I'd like to note that S and I do not have grass in our yard, though many of our neighbors do)

VLCD Day #9: La La-La La La La Life Is WONDERFUL

2009-02-10T09:14:00.000-08:00

If you haven't heard "Life Is Wonderful" by Jason Mraz, you are missing out. In fact for every one song you haven't heard by Jason Mraz, your life is deducted 1 happy point on a Complete Happiness Scale of 1: being deeply depressed, to 10: being the happiest person to ever exist. Depending on your expertise in all things Jason Mraz, you may be in the negative. And THAT is no way to live, people. I, for one, am so much in the EXTREME positive that my cup runneth over, which I shall share with you, faithful readers, until you fulfill your full happiness potential via Jason Mraz music.

In other (possibly more relevant) news, I RELEASED another pound today! This time I took it to a nice wooded area next to a lake, with plenty of vegetation and various wildlife to eat, so I am sure it will be fine. I may go back and check on it from time to time, but I assure you I don't want it in my life again. Maybe I'll see it someday in a new home, on the woman in the drive-through line at McDonalds. Or the guy walking into the Krispy Kreme shop perhaps. I will smile faintly, and perhaps wave in acknowledgement of our time together, but shall I invite it back? Nay, nay I say. It's in a better place.

Last night I made a Chinese Chicken Salad that I found in the Phase 2 recipe section of www.happilythinnerafter.com. It was really good! I modified the sauce a bit though, 1/4 cup of Splenda seemed like a TON. Here was my recipe:

Salad:

1 serving of chicken, sautéed and chopped

1/3 cup chopped lettuce

1/3 cup chopped cabbage

Sauce (enough for 3 or 4 salads):

A bit under 1/2 cup rice vinegar

1.5 Tbsp Worchestershire sauce (no sugar, no carbs)

6 Splenda packets

Mix the sauce well and microwave for about 30 seconds, pour 1/4 of it over the salad, and save the rest for another 3 or 4 salads!!

YUM! And SO easy! I also tried making Cinnamon Sugar Apples. They were delish too. Definitely dessert worthy.

1 apple, cut into bite sized chunks

1.5 packets of Splenda, sprinkled evenly over the apple chunks

Cinnamon to your heart's content, sprinkled over the apples

Then microwave the apple for about a minute and a half (until hot and kind of soft) and OMG. It's like apple pie or something.

I will definitely be repeating this one as well! It's so good I can envision myself eating this after this madness is over too, for a sweet snack. I am REALLY excited to try more of the recipes on that site, the people there are so full of awesome ideas!

I think I am going to start documenting not what is on my plate for today, but what I ate yesterday. With all these new recipes I never know what I am going to have for dinner, when I blog mid-day!

Yesterday's exercise:

Walked for 1 hour at 3.3 on a 4.5 incline

Walked for 20 minutes at 3.0

Yesterday on my plate was:

A chunk of cucumber

100g lean beef

A tomato with salt

Chinese Chicken Salad (100g chicken and veggie portion - cabbage and lettuce)

An apple with Splenda and cinnamon

4 cups of jasmine green tea

Weight tracking:

-1lb today

-7lbs change overall

Yours Shrinking (no really, I am SHRINKING) Truly,

VLCD Day #8: Walkin' on Sunshine

2009-02-09T09:49:00.001-08:00

Hellooooooo my beautiful, fit, intelligent, savvy readers! (yes that encompasses all of you, I am not directing this to a subsection ;])

Today is a beautiful day. Not only am I down 1 more pound from the weekend, but I am starting to look amazing if I do say so myself! It's hard for me to tell the difference with my clothes off because all I see is "too fat", but when I put clothes on and see how loose my pants are and how fabulously small my waist looks, I rejoice. S notices the loss more when I'm naked. I wonder why THAT is :] He loves me at this weight. In fact, he loves me at my pre HCG weight. And not like a you're-my-wife-and-even-if-you-were-100-lbs-overweight-I'd-still-love-you kind of love, but an I-really-go-crazy-over-your-body kind of love. While I don't see eye to eye with him (obviously, which is why I am participating in this madness), he makes me feel like the most beautiful, sexy, woman in the world, and for that (and about a bajillion other reasons), I love him a MILLION times over. Sometimes it's hard for me to understand how he feels this way, he's into body building and has the most perfect, built, muscular, gorgeous body in the world, so you'd think he'd want the tiny, (society's version of) perfect, body on his wife. But luckily for me, he likes his women with curves :] Sorry, sometimes I have to gush a little about my amazing husband.

So yes! Everything is going swimmingly. Now I KNOW that I probably won't keep up this extreme rate of weight loss through the entire programme, but it's been a nice boost for the first week. S expects me to lose about 20lbs. My final goal weight is 28 lbs away from my starting weight (so now 22), but that may be unrealistic for 43 days, and I am aware of that. If it is, I will adjust my mindset as necessary. And really, that's just a number I'm shooting for that looked really great on me before, but that was high school so it may not be feasible. Also, I have put on a lot of muscle since S has me doing squats, dead lifts and bench press (the HEAVY weights, with the big bar and plates, not little 10lb hand weights n' such) so I may be too small at that weight. Just looking at myself in the mirror, I would guess that I was about 8lbs lighter than I actually am, judging from my pre-weight lifting days. I haven't weighed myself in about a year - something that helps my quality of life a lot - I generally judge my weight by how my clothes fit and try not to fixate on numbers. 20lbs may be perfect.

S started his injections today too! Today and tomorrow are his loading days (LUCKY!!!). He doesn't really have weight to lose, but he says he thinks he will lose about 10lbs. I don't think he has that much fat on him, period! Well he injected himself this morning, my brave brave man, like it was nothin'. It will be fun to do this together :]

Well my hunger is officially GONE! And I mean gone gone! (does that mean I "realeased" my hunger? Does it?!) I mean, it's almost noon and I just picked up my cucumber to start munchin', not because I was hungry but because the idea of not eating for so long scares me a little. Slowing down my metabolism is not going to help my post-programme success at all. I need to keep things movin'!

I don't actually really like cucumbers all that much. They need a lot of salt, and their texture beneath the skin is a little weird to me, but I can do it. Usually I eat thin slices and that's fine...especially with a little seasoning salt. But this chunk thing I am eating more out of necessity than taste. Ugh. Definitely. *gags*

OH!!! OH!!! I almost forgot about something AWESOME!!! A friend at the cabin this weekend brought this amazing little all-natural tablet called Miracle Fruit that makes sour things taste like you're munching on Jolly Ranchers. I am not even kidding. You let it dissolve on your tongue (it takes like 45 seconds - and tastes pretty godawful), moving it around to coat as much of it as you can. Then, you have super altered taste buds for the next half hour to hour! It's like a party in your mouth, without the embarrassing stories the next day.

Here is a site to get it at.

We sampled lemon slices, orange slices, grapefruit slices, and even VINEGAR and they all tasted DELICIOUS and CANDY SWEET! This is AWESOME if you're craving sweet things like candy. Also they said it makes Guinness (my favorite beer!) taste just like a chocolate milkshake. I didn't try that of course, but I can't wait to. I am not exaggerating the awesomeness of this, srsly, TRY IT.

Ok well I should probably get SOME work done today, so for now, I will bid you adieu :]

Yesterday's exercise:

None

Today on my plate is:

A chunk of cucumber

An apple

A tomato

100g lean beef

100g chicken

Some onions cooked with the chicken

4 cups of jasmine green tea

Weight tracking:

-1lb today

-6lbs change overall

Your Deliriously Happy Patron of the HCG,

VLCD Day #7: Cabin Fever

2009-02-08T12:52:00.001-08:00

Good mooooorning snow!! We woke up in Strawberry this morning to TONS of delicious snow all over EVERYTHING. It's so beautiful. I hadn't seen snow yet this winter, living in Arizona will do that to ya. S and I got one of the three bedrooms since we're married. I didn't realize we got such perks, we hadn't been on a group trip since we got hitched (3 months ago)! We're relatively young (I'm 24 and S is 27) so most of our amigos are not married.

So I'm not really sure how we are going to get home.... There is currently 6 inches of snow covering everything. If not I may REALLY starve, I only have chicken rations left for today, and cucumber supplies are getting low. I may have to resort to the famed and feared, possibly stall-enabling ORANGES. Not to mention I don't have a shot for tomorrow. I didn't predict getting SNOWED IN. Geez, I'm so ill prepared. Oh HCG gods, merciful lords, please forgive my carelessness, I shall never forsake you again...

Hopefully we can get home and I don't even have to worry about it. We've had a fantastic time here though, it's been a blast :) I've stuck hardcore to the programme... Despite all the delicious alcohol and rice krispy treats and chocolate covered espresso beans and various other community party food floating around. Here I sit, black coffee in hand, conquering temptation one tortilla at a time. Oh wait, I had an extra apple last night around 2am... I was seriously about to faint from low blood sugar... I don't think Dr. Simeons planned on us staying up all night when the diet was planned out. So if I don't lose tomorrow because of it, that's ok with me, because at least I didn't pass out and crack my head open on the floor. I wouldn't lose much weight being force fed in a hospital, would I.

There's no way for me to weigh myself here, besides the LOADED SYRINGE I had to pack, bringing a scale would have been even more of a pain. I had to keep that syringe pretty concealed... I don't want my friends thinking I'm a closet heroin junky or something, even a shrinking heroin junky. Just gotta get my fix man! My FIX!!

Maybe it's better that I can't weigh today, with Aunt Flo in town I may not lose, or even GAIN! While I know I could totally take it (be strong!) it would be nicer to not have to :) Maybe by tomorrow Flo will getting tired of my place and start to contemplate leaving.

Well despite how fantastic typing a whole blog entry on an iPhone is, I shall go and enjoy the rest of our time here... which.... hopefully, won't be for several more days. I don't think anyone wants this blog to turn into the tragic documentation of the last days of my life, starving to death from the lack of HCG compatible food.

Your Faithful Shrinking Blogger,
M

VLCD Day #6: Hi Ho, Hi Ho, Its Off to Strawberry We Go..

2009-02-07T13:34:00.001-08:00

S and I are currently on our way to a little town in the mountains called Strawberry! It's my friend H's 30th birthday, so about 20 of us are going to go play around in a (not so roughin' it, actually quite fancy) cabin for the remainder of the weekend. We fit so much crap into the back of S's little Scion that you'd think we were moving out. So who knows, we may not come back *shifty eyes*

Actually we have to come back, because I have a contract with the devil which I signed in blood and promised our firstborn to, that I would complete 43 days of stabbing myself and starvation. So I'm sort of bound.

Speaking of, packing up my HCG for tomorrow morning was interesting... I read some threads about travelling with it on www.happilythinnerafter.com, and sort of pieced together my own ideas from that. So I loaded a syringe with the magical elixir from the fountain of youth and placed the cap back on the needle. I then wrapped said syringe ever so gently in tissue and placed the whole package in a hard sunglasses case. Perfect fit! The case then went into a ziplock baggie and into our ice chest nestled right between the champagne that I will not be drinking and the tortillas I will not be eating. Oh no, no no. All IIII need is a tiny little squirt of tear drops from a unicorn and suddenly I am INVINCIBLE against the draws of carbohydrates and liquor. INVINCIBLE I tell you!

Well on to relevent matter... I "released"(godammit) 1 lb into the poor unsuspecting world today. My loss, their gain. HAR HAR HAR SEE WHAT I DID THURR?? DIDJA???? I was quite pleased. OH! AAAND Aunt Flo (read: time of the month) came to visit today, and I've been reading everywhere that you don't lose well on it. I can tell I'm a bit bloated, my friggin' toe ring wouldn't even go on this morning! So perhaps I've lost even MORE than 1lb and I'm just retaining water?? Yeah?? Think so??? :D Time (approx. a week) will tell. Time will tell.

So. My meat is all pre-cooked and places in serving-sized baggies, we are all packed up and currently on the road out of the city. Oh yeah, I'm typing this on my iPhone... Now THAT'S dedication, people.

Yours Ever So Truly,
M

VLCD Day #5.5: I Hereby Declare...

2009-02-06T14:26:00.000-08:00

...today, to be national no-hunger day.

Because since I'm not hungry, no one is, right? Isn't that the egocentric way to view the world? THANK GOD I'm not that deluded.

But really! I'm good! Fine! Nope, don't need that second fruit just yet! It was noon before I even realized I hadn't eaten my apple yet. It was 2:30 before I realized it was way past lunch time and I should probably eat my delicious re-heated, somewhat tasteless, chicken breast portion. Which I had to eat with my hands. Because I forgot to bring a fork. Reppin' the cave woman style. I feel ever so primitive.

I was ever-so-gently schooled today on www.happilythinnerafter.com that my loss today was nothing abnormal and I shouldn't be such a maniac. Of course they didn't say that, they are all really really sweet over there. If you haven't checked it out yet you should... there is a WEALTH of knowledge (I'm talkin' like a year's salary worth, not a paycheck or two), and really really supportive members and moderators.

I ALSO learned that the tomato-a-day I have been eating is actually a FRUIT (which, of course, I KNEW tomatoes were fruits but you know how weird and ambiguous and easy to forget that is) and I should be subbing that for one of my apples, which may be harmful to eat two in one day. Unless, of course, you are doing an apple day, where you eat six. *Ponders*

So! I am changing my diet up to include one apple and one tomato a day as my fruits, and for my veggies to be cucumber slices during the day, and onion cooked with my evening FLESH (gross - I don't know why I just said that).

By the way the beef and onion and garlic and chili powder concoction of wonder that I cooked last night was PURE AMAZINGNESS. I hope to (insert your holy being here) that's not what made me lose so little.

wait...NO! NOOOO! NO! BAD M! BAAAAD! I didn't lose "so little" today. I lost just fine thankyouverymuchMEEEEE. Psssh.

All of the ingredients are on the "morally acceptable" list, and the amounts were proper too. The only thing I haven't eaten until then was the onion. And the garlic. And the chili powder. Ok maybe the only thing I HAD eaten was the beef. Dammit I hope I am not "resistant" to any of that because those are what I love best! I love aaaanything that makes you reek for several days after you eat it.

BUT NO! I didn't lose little. So all of those things are fine. Just fiiiiiine *crazy eye*.

Less Insanity Tomorrow - I Promise,

Oh I just wanted to add, that it was my Snack Friday at work (my invention - someone brings in snacks every Friday for all the participants to enjoy - it rotates) and I brought in mini Ben n Jerry's single-serving ice creams for everyone, and I didn't even have the urge to have one. Not at all! *proud*

VLCD Day #5: SUSPICIOUS!

2009-02-06T08:50:00.000-08:00

Well I successfully evaded all wine and chicken and cheese nachos last night at "happy-but-not-delicious-or-tipsy-hour" with T. Oh and home made guac. Mmmmmmmm...

So I didn't tell her about my "programme" (spelled the foreign way to make me feel extra cool). I think I'll wait until.... a little longer. Really, we are going to a cabin this weekend with like 20 other people, and I don't want it to slip out in a moment of drunkenness (which will not be mine of course since alcohol is strictly forbidden), and then I have to explain it to EVERYBODY, not just whom I deem worthy of such knowledge. I don't mind if people know I'm on a "diet", just not this particular one. Until I look fabulous, of course, and they're all like "oooh, wooow, M, what DID you do you look FAB!" and I'll be like "Oh yes yes, I know, I really do don't I, I'm just so fabulous, so wonderful" and they'll be all "Oh M, tell us your secret! Your divine way of the gods that made you so fabulously fabulous, DO tell. ANYTHING! I'll do ANYTHING!" and I'll be all "Ok well it all started with..."

...Ahem. I got a little carried away there, didn't I.

Anyhoo... back to cruel cruel reality... I "only" lost .5 lb today. Now I KNOW that sounds ridiculous to the average dieter and a reason for at least half a tub of Ben and Jerry's as celebration, but it was after only my 4th day of VLCD! Isn't the first week when you are supposed to see these extreme losses and then it sort of slows down from there? Huh?? HUH?!

I'm sure I'm (mildly) flipping out for no reason. Everyone's different, and I know I started out pretty small....but I went to www.happilythinnerafter.com's journal area and looked at everyone else's first week of weight loss, and everyone's lbs were flying off!

Breathe. Just breathe.

I know this is normal for other weeks, but it was this first, holy, golden week of pride and fairies and patriotism that is supposed to get you jump started to last through 43 days of roller coasters and pulling your hair out.

S says it's because I didn't walk yesterday, but SO many people to this programme without any exercise whatsoever, so I tend to disagree. I mean I WISH it was that, and that if I walked every day I'd guarantee a 1-2 lb weight loss, but in the end, it's probably the nuances of different people's bodies, and the fact that I was pretty average sized and exercised and ate pretty healthily to begin with.

Yesterday's exercise:

Nothing unless you count gabbing with your best friend for a few hours

Today on my plate is:

100g of lean, trimmed steak

100g of chicken breast

1 apple

1 tomato

some cucumber slices

some onion

4 cups of jasmine green tea

Weight tracking:

-.5lbs today

-4lbs change overall

Magically suspicious (sung to the tune of the Lucky Charms jingle),

VLCD Day #4.5: Sunshine and Rainbows

2009-02-05T14:24:00.001-08:00

Today, not much to report. Not really hungry, feel great, just an overall sense of well-being. I suppose that is GREAT to report, but it makes for a very boring blog entry. I'm going to "happy hour" with my best friend today...I put that in quotations because usually it involves lots of wine and delicious food...UNTIL NOW (dramatic "DUN DUN DUNNNNNN").

She actually doesn't know about this... thing I am doing. I am hesitant to tell people because a lot of them react adversely (as I did when I first learned about the... program. PROGRAM! A-HA! THAT IS THE PERFECT THING TO CALL THIS MONTH OF... MONTHS!). Telling someone who cares about you that you are eating 500 calories per day and shooting yourself up with hormones every morning doesn't always go over well. She also is naturally thin and doesn't struggle with her weight. I love the girl but she is QUITE opinionated (which is part of why I love her so much) and I think I'll have to ease her into this one with lots of wine (while I watch). I don't think it will go over well. But we'll see. I could be surprised! (Hi T! If you ever read this :])

Well, loyal readers (is there anyone out there?), I will return tomorrow, when I am thinner, and even more fabulous.

All the Best,

VLCD Day #4: Chippin' Away!

2009-02-05T08:22:00.000-08:00

Wooooooh! Another 1.5 lbs down this morning! I wanted to do a happy dance. In fact, I DID do a happy dance. Naked. In our bathroom. S was asleep so he didn't have to see the horrors (although between you and me, he woulda liked it ;]).

It's been a pretty friggin' good morning and it's only 9:29 yet! I blasted the new Moby album and danced in my car all the way to work. I even let people merge in front of me in traffic. I KNOW, RIGHT?!!?

I am not famished this morning. I don't know whether to take this as a good sign or a bad sign. In my past, whenever I am dieting and not hungry, it means my metabolism has slowed down and I am no longer losing weight at a rapid rate. Depending on what this HCG business REALLY does, hopefully we won't have that problem this time.

Yesterday I didn't want to be hungry. Today I'm scared that I'm not hungry. Oh weight loss, you are a cruel, cruel mistress.

I definitely look visibly thinner. S noticed it (he always notices before me) and III noticed it too! I feel great :D I'm really loving this so far (apart from the fantasy I've been having about nachos with that spicy, creamy, fake, delicious cheese that you get at ball games or the movies).

Yesterday's exercise:

20 min walk around the neighborhood with S and the dogs.

Today on my plate is:

100g of lean, trimmed steak

100g of chicken breast

2 apples

Onion cooked with my beef and some garlic

4 cups jasmine green tea

Weight tracking:

-1.5lbs today

-3.5 change overall

Over and thinner and out,

VLCD Day #3.5: All Quiet On The Western Front

2009-02-04T15:20:00.000-08:00

Nothing much to report this afternoon... EXCEPT THAT I DROVE RIGHT INTO A HUGE FIGHT ON THE WAY BACK TO WORK FROM THE POST OFFICE!

Well the aftermath of, really. And at the time I had no idea what was going on. I had the good sense to snap a cam phone photo of it... that was not even 1/4 of the cop cars there. I counted between 30 and 40 from where I was sitting alone! Those and the fire truck, and ambulances, and the helicopter flying overhead. Can't say I wasn't a bit freaked out, traffic was not moving and I was right next to it and I'll state again importantly I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON. LITTLE OLE ME SITTING IN THE CRAPPIEST PART OF CRAPPY TOWN AMIDST HULABALOO AND CHAOS AND ANARCHY!!111!1!! If I didn't burn like 6 lbs of fat from anxiety alone then I'll feel totally jipped.

So I sat there for 15 minutes not moving because cops were starting to swarm around the line of traffic I was in, biting my proverbial nails and gritting my proverbial teeth never having wished I was back in the office more than at that moment.

Srsly. My losses tomorrow have got to be huge. C'mon HCG gods, take pity on me and my strife.

It was a strange day for driving M today, I saw a dead man on the highway on the way to work, motorcycle accident. I can only hope that I and everyone around me makes it home from work.

Purveyor of chaos, catalyst of fury,

Oh p.s I'm not hungry anymore :]

VLCD Day #3: Sweet Release

2009-02-04T09:09:00.000-08:00

So according to some of the HCG sites I have visited, I am not supposed to say I am "losing" weight. Evidently this has some sort of negative connotation in your brain, so your body tries to hold on to your fat.

So let me get this straight. If I say I want to LOSE weight, my body somehow goes into freakout-I-don't-want-to-LOSE-anything-DON'T-TAKE-PART-OF-ME-AWAY-PLEASE-I-LIKE-ME-JUST-FINE-mode, and I don't "lose" a pound, no matter how hard I workout, how carefully I diet? Let me ask you. If you go get liposuction, and they take out 10 lbs, and you say "I lost weight" your body will suddenly, without explanation, gain 10 lbs back in order to not have "lost" anything??

Does this sound sane to you?

So this morning, according to what I have read, I RELEASED 2 lbs into the world. Fare well, 2 lbs, I hope you find your rightful place, hopefully on, say, Nicole Richie (who in my opinion looked AMAZING about 10 lbs heavier) and not back on my ass. I promise I didn't lose you, I let you go. LET YOU GO! BE FREE! GO!

So if any of you find the 2 lbs I released out there in the world, do yourself a favor and leave it be. It never did me any good, and it won't you, either.

This morning I woke up and was feeling pretty good. I hopped on the scale and saw the lbs gone, and of course felt fantastic. Took my shot as normal, drove to work, and then proceeded to STARVE. I don't mean "hey, I could go for a burger right now if you're up for one too" kind of hungry, I'm talking ravenous. I usually eat my first apple around 11am, since you for whatever reason are not supposed to eat in the morning on this...this....THING I am doing, but I absolutely devoured that sucker at 9:50am. My cube mate, H, probably thought I had eaten something like 500 calories yesterday and nothing since, to be that hungry. Wait......

Now I feel fine. But MAN I needed that apple. Even my delicious Jasmine Green Tea was making me feel nauseous. Hey! WHEN is that "I'M ONLY EATING ENOUGH FOR A 3 YEAR OLD OR A RUNWAY MODEL BUT SOMEHOW I'M MAGICALLY NOT HUNGRY" thing kick in!? huh?! HUH?!

Ok. Breathe. Patience. Actually, it's really not that bad. I'm just being dramatic. Hey, I'm a Sagittarius, it's what I do :] But I DID feel the wrath of whatever lord you worship within me not 40 minutes ago before I ate that apple.

Onto the stats!

Yesterday's exercise:
1 hour walk at 3.3 with 4.5 incline

Today on my plate is:
100g of lean, trimmed, steak
100g of chicken breast
2 apples
1 tomato
4 cups jasmine green tea

(didn't eat my 2nd veggie - just wasn't hungry)

Weight tracking:
-2lbs today
-2lbs change overall

Full of delicious organic apple and happiness and sunshine,
M

VLCD Day #2.5: Getting better...

2009-02-03T14:09:00.000-08:00

So part of my team just went out to ice cream. I maintain that a tomato is MUCH better than, say, a chocolate milkshake. All natural and none of that processed, chocolatey, milky, creamy, delici-NO! Just kidding - I'm actually really good at turning these things down and not thinking twice, when I put my mind to it. Which I am. Not that I ever really went to get ice cream before this...this...month of zen....but now that I can't have it, it sounds all the more appetizing. Such is the way of the M.

I do have to say, Jasmine Green Tea is a FABULOUS thing. I have been drinking Green Tea pretty religiously for a year or so now, but just started on my Jasmine box today. It is quite delicious and smells wonderful too.

I'm not as hungry now, my tomato slices really filled me up. That's how it's supposed to be, right?

Yours Truly Sans-Ice Cream,
M

VLCD Day #2: Hungry Like the Wooooolf....

2009-02-03T08:54:00.000-08:00

So yeah. Still hungry today. I guess the HCG has not kicked in yet? Well I'd love to give it a jump-start because I'm pretty hungry! That combined with the fact that you aren't supposed to have anything for breakfast makes me a hungry M. I never USED to eat breakfast up until about a year ago, but S has me eating religiously every morning so that's what I'm used to now. I never knew how much I would miss my protein bar of hopes and dreams. Oh that sweet sweet chocolatey, peanut buttery, crunchy, fake-tasting goodness that I so took for granted, clutched in my paw while I screamed at people during rush hour on the way to work. I'll never forsake you again.

I hopped on the scale today not expecting TOO much, seeing as since I am still hungry, the HCG must not be full throttle yet. I had lost the 4 lbs I "gained" during the loading days. So that's good, but that also means I am exactly back to where I started before all this madness. The Smooth Move (gag me about the name, please) tea that S and I had before bed last night probably helped that along as well. So much for "smooth move", I woke up at 5am feeling like I was bringing Satan into this world. I'd heard about this tea on one of the HCG forums, people seem to love it. Maybe we're just particularly sensitive to it because S is having a day from hell, too. Thank goodness mine just lasted the night.

Last night I cooked my chicken which was delicious, and had some fresh cucumber slices with seasoning salt. They were really good too. The beef and pasta S was having smelled SO scrumptious but I stayed strong!

I also went to the gym with S last night...I did:

Yesterday's exercise:
1 hour walk at 3.2 with 4.5 incline

Today on my plate is:
100g of lean, trimmed, steak
100g of chicken breast
2 apples
1 tomato
some cucumber slices
4 cups jasmine green tea

Sounds familiar, no?

Weight tracking:
-4lbs today
0lb change overall

And I am sure you were quite concerned, I am wearing much more sensible footwear today :]
M

VLCD Day #1.5

2009-02-02T14:30:00.000-08:00

Not gonna lie...I'm pretty hungry at the moment. Wasn't this what the "loading days" were supposed to take care of? I found that I actually got more hungry after I ate.

I have had...

1 apple

100g of steak

1 tomato, sliced and salted

4 cups of green tea (1/4 of a gallon)

1/4 of a gallon of water

I've peed probably 10 times and my feet are starting to get blisters on them due to the new shoes.

Said Cute Shoes

Until tomorrow, hopefully a day of comfortable footwear and weight loss,

VLCD Day #1 - And We Commence

2009-02-02T08:45:00.000-08:00

I woke up today feeling fabulous. I don't know if it's the HCG or I just got enough sleep or maybe a combination of the two, but I feel great. I am not tired at all, and not hungry. Which makes sense considering the sheer amount of food I ate yesterday.

This morning when I weighed myself, I had gone up 4 LBS today since Saturday morning! That is to be expected with the loading days, but it still was hard to see. And I know it's not pure weight gain, there is a lot of water retention with all those sweet foods, not to mention I am sure a chunk of it is still sitting in there. Still, hopefully that goes away soon.

My third injection was equally un-painful...I told S that I always think it's going to hurt worse than it does. Pretty darn easy!

Last night S was a sweetheart and chopped and weighed the raw beef and chicken into 100g pieces...I dislike touching raw meat. We packaged it up in little baggies and added spices and such, and I cooked my lunch for today. He is so good to me :]

Today I seem to be going to the bathroom a lot. I wore the wrong shoes to work for this today (but they're really cute!), as the bathroom is pretty far from my desk. But I think I'll live to see another day! This is all pretty easy so far. We'll see what happens when I'm a few weeks in!

Today I have planned to eat:

100g of lean, trimmed steak

100g of chicken breast

2 apples

1 tomato

a handful of cucumber slices

4 cups of green tea sweetened with Stevia

Weight tracking:

+ 4LBS since before loading days.

Until tomorrow,

We Feasted Like Kings

2009-02-01T18:29:00.000-08:00

Oooooh so I did a much better job of gorging myself today. I'm pretty full.

S and I made mac n cheese and put hamburger and lots of hot sauce and garlic in it...it's pretty freaking tasty. We also had more spinach and artichoke dip and hummus, and french bread, and some Campfire Mix from sprouts, oh and I made brownies. Which I could only eat a little piece of. The rest will go to our co-workers tomorrow. I successfully "loaded" today. I can't understand how some people do 3 days of this. I think I would explode! Let's get to the weight loss part, are we to that part yet? Please?

I've drank my half-gallon of water and then some...and I still feel parched. It has to be the all the sugary foods I'm eating. I've been reading up and that seems to be a common "side effect" of HCG, which is actually pretty useful since you are supposed to drink as much water as humanly possible.

Off to get another glass!
M

Day 2 - Still Loading

2009-02-01T08:59:00.000-08:00

Well yesterday as I got through the day loading wasn't so hard. I still didn't gorge myself like I read a lot of people do. After the aforementioned pizza, I had some spinach and artichoke dip with french bread (yum) and a dinner with friends at The Melting Pot (SUPER yum), read: lots of delicious meat, sauces, and chocolate fondue for desert. I definitely got my half gallon of water in as well, plus more.

Today I woke up really early, despite going to bed really really late, as I usually do on the weekends. Of course the only two days I am allowed to sleep in, I can't. S doesn't have this problem, so I got everything ready and woke him up very briefly at 8:40am to "shoot me" again. Same as before, couldn't hardly feel the needle at all. I am still glad he is doing it and not me though, I don't think I'm ready yet.

S is starting HCG next weekend...he is into bodybuilding and he had one more week of building muscle before he wanted to start. I was just so excited that I couldn't wait. He says I should give him the injections but I don't know if I can do it. I suppose I can try. I'll probably surprise myself. Maybe I should practice on an orange or something, that's what my mom did in nursing school. S doesn't really have much weight to lose, he's pretty perfect, but he's curious.

So this morning I had a delicious bowl of spinach and artichoke dip, and later on I am going to make macaroni and cheese and some brownies (with fudge frosting - omg - yum). All of my favorite foods.

I have been feeling particularly thirsty, both yesterday and this morning. I don't know if it's the HCG or all the bad foods I have been eating, but I thought I would note it. Also sometimes I get a dull headache, which I hear is typical early on, too. It's nothing even worth taking an advil for though, it is very slight and goes away pretty quickly.

Well that's all for now...at some point I am going to take some "before" photos, perhaps sometime today (which I guess is the last real "before" day!).

have a good'en,
M

Pretend like this was written yesterday...

2009-02-01T08:58:00.000-08:00

Ok so I know this blog is called The Month Of Zen, and HCG lasts for 43 days, but A Little Over A Month And A Half Of Zen doesn't sound quite as nice, does it. So bear with me here :]

I'm M, and I have some weight to lose. I'd love to lose about 20-25 lbs on this "protocol", but I'm not that tall and I don't have a TON of weight to lose, so I don't know how realistic that really is. Speaking of "protocol", I don't really know what to call this. Diet doesn't work, and protocol sounds pretentious. Some people call it a journey but I think that's rather ridiculous sounding as well. I suppose for some it's a journey - for me I just want to lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle and eating habits afterwards.

I took my first injection of .25cc of HCG this morning at 10am. Or rather my husband (S) gave it to me. When I saw the needle it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. It's only about a half an inch long and really thin. I get the feeling that I could probably do it myself after a few days. We'll see. I couldn't even really feel it.

I don't really "feel" anything, but that's to be expected. It doesn't kick in for several days. For this reason, the first two days of injections are "loading days". You must eat as much fatty food as you can. You need to build your fat reserves so that for the first few days on the Very Low Calorie Diet (from here on referred to as VLCD) you don't starve, while the HCG hasn't began to work.

I liked the idea of these loading days - eating deliciously sinful foods for a PURPOSE - but it's 1:20 pm, I've had a (rather large) slice of pizza with ranch dressing, a few Costco samples, and I'm pretty full. I refuse to push myself past confort level of eating, so that's all for now. I am going to take a little nap and see how I feel afterwards.

As for what HCG is and how it works - google it. I am not going to go into the details, and chances are if you have found this blog, you already know what it is and how it works.

Over and out,
M

The Month Of Zen: My HCG Experience

R3 VLCD #More - Macadamias Smell Like Wax

R3 VLCD #Something+MAS - I'm Nuts About Macadamias!

R3 VLCD #Something+some more - Home Stretch

R3 VLCD #Something - I'VE MISSED YOU SO MUCH *SOBSOBSOB*

R2 VLCD #26 - I TAKE IT BACK

R2 VLCD #25 - Say You'll Never Let Go, Jack, Never Let Go

R2 VLCD #24 - A "Moving" Experience

R2 VLCD #23 - Damn You, Universe, Damn You.

R2 VLCD Day #22 - I'm Walkin' On Sunshine...

r2 VLCD Day #19 - Yo Ho Ho And A Bottle Of WINE

R2 VLCD Day #18 - It's A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood...

R2 VLCD Day #17.5 - I GOT IT!!!!!!

R2 VLCD Day #17 - Re-Up The Drugs

R2 VLCD Day #16 - Meeeeaaaat....Give Me Meeeeeaaattt!!!

R2 VLCD Day #15 - Roller Coaster... Of Looooove

R2 VLCD Day #12 - Second Verse, Same As The First!

R2 VLCD Day #11 - Bagel, Anyone?

R2 VLCD Day #10 - Sweet Sweet Masochism

R2 VLCD Day #9 - Reaping the Consequences?

R2 VLCD Day #8 - SHAME! OH THE SHAME!

R2 VLCD Day #4 - Impatient

R2 VLCD Day #3 - All Bettah!

R2 VLCD Day #2 - Playing Catch-Up

R2 VLCD Day #1 - On the Road Again...

P3 Day #16.5: NEWCLOTHESNEWCLOTHESNEWCLOTHES

P3 Day #16: 100 Lashes With A Wet Noodle

P3 Day #15: Second Verse, Same As The First

P3 Day #14: Aaaand She's Back!

P3 Day #8: House-Guests

P3 Day #7:TOUCHDOWN!

P3 Day #6.5: Jelly Belly Abstinence

P3 Day #6: Returning to Earth

P3 Day #5.5: She's a Brick...House

P3 Day #5: Forgive Me For I Have Sinned

P3 Day #2:Rockin' the Suburbs

P3 Day #1: Journey Into the Unknown

VLCD Day #24.5: Introducing...

VLCD Day #24: Crushed

VLCD Day #23: Off the Juice

VLCD Day #22: The End Is Near

VLCD Day #19: A Beautiful Day In the Neighborhood

VLCD Day #18: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

VLCD Day #17: Shapeshifter

VLCD Day #17: DECADE pounds!

VLCD Day #16: On the Road Again

VLCD Day #15: DEVIATION!

VLCD Day #12.5: B-A-N-A-N-A-S

VLCD Day #12: Another One Bites the Dusttaaaaaahhh

VLCD Day #11.5: I'll Never Recover

VLCD Day #11: They Don't Taste Like Grapes, Though

VLCD Day #10.5: Fat....Or Fab?

VLCD Day #10: The Day The Earth Stood Still

VLCD Day #9.5: Chicken de China, de Chinese Chicken...

VLCD Day #9: La La-La La La La Life Is WONDERFUL

VLCD Day #8: Walkin' on Sunshine

VLCD Day #7: Cabin Fever

VLCD Day #6: Hi Ho, Hi Ho, Its Off to Strawberry We Go..

VLCD Day #5.5: I Hereby Declare...

VLCD Day #5: SUSPICIOUS!

VLCD Day #4.5: Sunshine and Rainbows

VLCD Day #4: Chippin' Away!

VLCD Day #3.5: All Quiet On The Western Front

VLCD Day #3: Sweet Release

VLCD Day #2.5: Getting better...

VLCD Day #2: Hungry Like the Wooooolf....

VLCD Day #1.5

VLCD Day #1 - And We Commence

We Feasted Like Kings

Day 2 - Still Loading

Pretend like this was written yesterday...

R3 VLCD #Something - I'VE MISSED YOU SO MUCH SOBSOBSOB