We went on our first checkup after starting the injections yesterday. It almost seemed like the nurse and doctor were cheerleaders . . . lots of positive encouragement, including a high-five from the doctor. A little weird. Anyway, I have lost a total of about 7 inches (from about 9 measurements).

This morning I am down 5 pounds since yesterday, and more than 17 pounds total. I think the huge loss yesterday may be due to heat – I was in the heat quite a bit yesterday. I drank quite a bit of water, though, so I shouldn't have been too dehydrated.

Haven't really had cravings in a couple days. It seems that when I'm busy and not around food, I don't have cravings. It's when I'm idle and around food (birthday party, etc) that I get cravings. I have noticed that the days that I have intense cravings are the days I don't lose much. I don't know if there's a causal relationship there or if so which way the causation lies.

Still, 17 pounds in a week and a half is incredible.

I also pulled out a physical assessment I had just over a year and a half ago. I am now 5 pounds less than I was back then. That sounds good, except that I know I lost 15 pounds after that assessment. That means that in just over a year, I had put on a total of 27 pounds. That in itself is depressing.

I'm hating this diet.

I've been fairly active for the past couple days – going to the zoo, several birthday parties, etc. I also have had incredible cravings. I'm not hungry, but I can't get food off my mind. It doesn't help that I've been at birthday parties and the zoo, though . . . food seems to be EVERYWHERE.

I've been getting more tired than I think I should, and have had a slight headache off and on.

I lost 2 pounds this morning, but only 0.4 the day before. I'd better loose something tomorrow, or I don't know if I can go on . . . today was miserable, so I had BETTER be getting something for it!

A Little Weak

Maybe I've gone overboard.

Yesterday, I had that apple at noon, and 2 cups of lettuce and 100 g of scallops at 6 PM. Because I had a fasting blood draw this morning at 10 AM, I ate nothing else, and didn't eat anything this morning.

After the blood draw, I went back to work, then went on a walk at noon (still having eaten nothing). By the end of the 1/2+ mile walk, I was barely able to stand. I got an apple and a can of tuna at the grocery store, ate the apple on the way back to work, and ate the tuna at my desk.

It's been an hour, and I'm still feeling weak. My eyes are closing, and my legs feel like I shouldn't walk far.

I have a piece of Melba Toast here at my desk that I'm going to eat, then I'll have more to eat in a couple hours at home. I think I'm going to eat the full 500 calories for a change today.

The movie went fine last night . . . no cravings whatsoever. This morning, I am down another 4.2 pounds, making my total loss since day 1 more than 7 pounds (and more than 11 pounds since completing the gorge 3 days ago!)

A Challenge

I have been doing very well today. I have already drank nearly 2 quarts of water, and have had only 1 or 2 cups of coffee. I ate an apple an noon and have eaten nothing else. I have not been hungry at all. But I am still having cravings . . . perhaps not quite as bad as yesterday, but they are still there. Around lunchtime, I could TASTE a Subway sandwich. It was incredible how real the taste sensation was.

Because I'm not getting hungry, I'm starting to wonder if I have to eat anything at all . . . what if I ate nothing for a day? I may try that and see what happens – or at least see what it would take to make me hungry. It almost seems like I've been given some kind of Superhero resistance against hunger. It's starting to feel almost weird how little I have to eat.

Here is the upcoming challenge – we are going out to a movie tonight. Although I always try to resist the concessions, we very rarely do not have popcorn, and it is usually me who gives in to the smells. And we always have soda to drink. Tonight will be a challenge. I wonder if the butter wafting through the air in the theater violates the rule against applying oily creams or lotions to your skin. Perhaps I really CAN gain weight by just SMELLING theater popcorn. I'll soon find out!

Second Day Weight Loss

This morning's weighing shows a loss of more than 3 pounds since yesterday.

I was a little hungry this morning. A cup of coffee and about ½ quart of water later, and the hunger is gone. I'm also pretty busy at work this morning, and that helps.

Second Day of VLCD

Day 2 of the VLCD (Very Low Calorie Diet) has been a little weird.

I have not been hungry all day. Didn't eat anything until noon, and even then wasn't really hungry. But I have been CRAVING food ALL DAY!!! It's not a physical craving . . . my stomach does not feel hungry, I'm not weak or lightheaded or anything like that. I just really, really want good, juicy food. It's a mental craving, and I can't kick it. At lunch, I went for a walk. On my way past the first ripe blackberries I've seen this year, I actually picked one and nearly popped it into my mouth before remembering. This evening, I was driving past the mall and caught the faint whiff of a steak grilling in one of the restaurants. It was a very faint and far off aroma, but my mouth started watering bucketfuls.

I had a conversation today about how it is easier to stop something cold turkey than it is to cut back. I think food is the same way. In some ways, it seems easier to simply say no to everything than it would be to analyze each and every piece of foodstuff individually and decide whether it is "too much".

I did better with water. I drank only 2 cups of coffee, and have had just over 2 quarts of water. Because it is very warm (it got up to 90 today), and I have been outside a bit . . . going for a walk, and playing a band concert in the park . . . I should have drank more. But I did better than yesterday.

I have had 407 calories, made up of:

• 100 g Chicken Breast + 1 Apple at noon
  
• 2 Cups Lettuce with Apple Cider Vinaigrette around 6 PM
  
• 100 g Steak + 1 Large Walla Walla Sweet Onion around 10 PM
  

I've got to add that I am really loving that Apple Cider Vinaigrette. If I get nothing else out of this diet, I have discovered a new favorite food . . . Lettuce with Apple Cider Vinaigrette.

What is 100 g?

Most of the protein servings are 100 g uncooked weight . . . how much is this?

I've purchased a digital kitchen scale to measure meat with, but 100 g is approximately 3 ½ ounces. This means that if you buy 1 pound of meat, it will make 4 servings, with some left over. You're allowed two of these servings a day, so that's a little less than ½ pound per day.

The good news is that you can buy the expensive cuts, and your grocery bill will go down . . .

Doing Good

Morning of the second day, and I found out how I did yesterday. During the two binge days, I gained 4.2 pounds. This morning, I am down 4.2 pounds, so I exactly lost what I gained during the binge. Not bad.

Today I'm going to focus on drinking more water. I pounded a lot of coffee yesterday, but not much water at all. I'm going to take a water bottle to work today and try to turn that around.

By the way . . . right now I could go for a bagel with cream cheese, but I'm really not hungry. I keep asking myself whether I'm REALLY not hungry, or if all the HCG hype has me HYPNOTIZED into THINKING I'm not hungry. Either way, my stomach feels fine. At the end of the day, does it matter whether it's the HCG or a placebo? Probably. But as I'm sitting here writing this, I am not hungry.

First Day of Limited Calories

It's time to turn in for the night, and I've got to say that the first day on the diet was not really that difficult.

Grand Total for the day, I ate 353 calories (and I made a spreadsheet to calculate daily caloric intake). That comes from:

- 100 g Chicken Breast
- 100g Scallops (with Garlic Salt and a sprinkle of Lemon Juice)
- 1 Apple
- 6 largish Strawberries
- 2 Cups Lettuce (with a vinagrette made from Apple Cider Vinegar and Stevia . . . yummy!)

I bought the Garlic Salt this afternoon at Albertsons, and could not find any that looked very pure. Most of their Garlic Salts have sugar. The Albertsons brand does not have sugar, but the last ingredient listed is Garlic Oil, so it's probably not good. I bought the Albertsons brand anyway, but will look at Whole Foods later this week for a more pure Garlic Salt.

I also made the freshly squeezed juice of one lemon into a glass of lemonade (with Stevia).

I've had a lot of coffee, and not nearly enough water.

That's it. The apple I ate around noon, the chicken breast about 6 PM, and the rest of it within the last hour. Most of the day I have not felt hungry at all. There were some times that I was incredibly tempted, but it wasn't out of hunger. I walked through a kitchen with an open bag of chips . . . Albertsons had a dozen donuts on sale, with a giant, juicy maple bar sitting right there in the front . . . I smelled some Burgerville hamburgers . . . As hard as it was to walk away from each of these temptations, I was not HUNGRY.

I switched to Dial soap, Tom's toothpaste, and Thai Crystal deodorant today. I am still using Head & Shoulders shampoo, but will need to switch that soon.

The deodorant is odd - it is a hard, dry crystal. You have to wet it, then you can rub it on. It has no odor. I did sweat a bit today (it was in the 90s outside), but I believe there was no odor. My jury's still out on this stuff.

I had gained 4.2 pounds during the 2 binge days over the weekend. We'll see what my weight is like in the morning.

First Hurdle - Success!!!!

It's the afternoon of Day 3 (first day of the restricted calorie diet), and I've already overcome my first challenge.

So far today, I've drank several cups of coffee and eaten one apple. It was a large apple from Costco, but it was only one apple. I was getting a little hungry before lunch, but not as much as I normally do when skipping breakfast. After eating the apple, I got hungrier . . . then it subsided.

I met a couple old friends at noon for lunch at a Teriyaki restaurant. They both had plates of Teriyaki, and I had a black coffee. I didn't even really notice the aroma of the food (and I LOVE Teriyaki!).

It's now after lunch, and I seem to be fine. Despite having only eaten an apple today, I'm not hungry, I haven't passed out, and my head isn't spinning. All is well.

HCG Diet

We've started our HCG diet . . . today is Day 3. Last week, we cleansed for a week (ate a half-hearted diet, cutting out sugars and carbs). Over the weekend, we binged, and today is the first day of the 500 calorie diet. This will be my diet log, with weight lost, food eaten, how I'm feeling, as well as ideas and inspiration for others who may follow.

I have got to say that this is an extremely controversial diet plan. The FDA does not endorse it, and it has been called a "fad diet" by the Journal of the American Medical Association. It comes with a personal recomendation, however, from our family physician of 15 years, whom we have grown to trust. She has personally lost over 40 pounds, and looks much better than she has in the past.

We'll see how it goes. More to come . . .