It has been a few days. I did suffera mild plateau after eating birthday cake on Monday. It was fascinating to see the immediate result that one peice of cake had on my weight. I went up to 156-157 and stayed there for three days. By Thursday morning the scale started dropping again and today, Friday, I weighed in at 155 even. This is a half pound below my weight on Monday morning. Let me tell you that certainly helped me avoid those cookies at the seminar yesterday. They looked absolutely delicious, but I realized that I wasn’t willing to go through another three days plateau brought on by my own lack of willpower.
I am still not hungry, and I feel better every day. I honestly think my body is loving that everything it gets right now is easy to digest and good for it. I used to be tired and want a nap around 3-4 in the afternoon. Right now I could lie back and cuddle in a quilt, but I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep if I tried. I have more energy the longer I stick with it and I am noticing that I am getting more done. I no longer need to sit and relax when I get home from work, instead, I am motivated to get dinner on the table and clean the kitchen. In my mind I am thinking that if I do that stuff first I will be able to enjoy my relaxation time even more.
As far as mental focus and clarity, I am not noticing any down sides. I have noticed that I have been a little more cranky than usual, but this only occurs when I am late in getting my lunch or dinner. I don’t feel hungry at any point, but I do notice that if I don’t have lunch prepared by 12:30 and dinner prepared by 6:30, things stress me out a little more. Of course, I have been stressed lately due to work issues so that also could account for some of it.
This week I have been feeling a little bloated. I am wondering if this is because of all the vegetables. I rarely eat veggies normally so I think my body is still getting used to roughage. I am not having consistent BMs, but that is probably because I am not eating much that I am not using.
As time goes on my cravings are shifting. I know that phase 3 of the diet allows me to add in fats and all kinds of fun stuff that I can’t have now. I really want cheese. I started this diet wanting cereal, swiss cake rolls, and macaroni and cheese… now I would just kill for one slice of American on top of my chicken.
I am finding more and more information and support groups on the web. On Sparkpeople.com there are a few private groups for hCG users and they are incredibly helpful. I even found a huge recipe book for this phase of my diet. What I am allowed to eat is very limited, but a chef who is succeeding on this diet realized that combining foods in different ways would help keep us hCG believers happy and motivated. I am going to find a few recipes to make for next week.
My favorite recipe this week has been a sweet and sour cabbage soup. OMG it is delicious. All that’s in it is chicken broth, cabbage, apple cider vinegar, and stevia. It has a tang to it but it is sweet as well. This is one recipe that will probably follow me even after the diet is over since it is such a great way to get in a serving of veggies, acv and a little extra protein. I just had that for lunch along with some cajun tilapia. That is another new favorite thing; I found a cajun seasoning with no sugar in it and it has been spicing up all of my food lately. The extra spice makes my meal feel a little more special so I really look forward to it rather than wishing I had that darned American cheese.
My finger nails and hair are looking beautiful right now, this hormone must be responsible for making your hair and nails grow during pregnancy.
I have told a couple of people about my diet plan and all of them seem very skeptical, or think I am crazy for eating so little. I have opted to tell most of them that my main reason is to regulate my thyroid. That is partially true since this diet has been known to have that effect, but my real reason is that I do want to be happy in my own skin. I am not entirely comfortable in my body right now and this is a fast, effective, and as far as I can tell, healthy method of reaching that goal. I have decided I will not talk about the diet in person anymore, but I am directing people who have questions to this blog. I will be happy to answer any questions, but I think many people immediately assume it is unhealthy to eat as little as I do, or that I am taking some radical drug that can’t be healthy. I mentioned before that I was ashamed of this diet. I am certain I will feel better about it when I have reached my 40th day and my goal weight, but until then I am pretending I am just trying to eat healthy, or that I had a big breakfast.
It is amazing how much of life revolves around food really. For my birthday a coworker wanted to take me to lunch, and my boss bought me a cake. At the conference yesterday, the first thing they tried to do was hand me a sugar cookie slathered with icing. People look at you funny when you say no thanks to something like that. Everyone loves cookies right? Well sure I do, I love cookies but I also love my size 8 jeans… and I would like to stay in them please. It’s no wonder people get overweight and can’t keep it off when there is so much pressure to eat rich foods.
Anyway, I am nearing the end of week two, which means only four more weeks of this. It is far easier than I ever thought it would be. I would say I am impressed with my will power, but it’s not will power. I want those foods I can’t have, sure, but I feel no motivation to grab them and put them in my mouth. I feed my girls whole eggs and toast, or peanut butter sandwiches all the time. I want one, I do, but my hand never even starts to bring it toward my mouth. I don’t know how to describe this mental disconnect. I am not controlling it, I am just doing it. Maybe that’s what Dr. Simeon meant when he said we are resetting the hypothalmus. Maybe he meant that food just wouldn’t be as important anymore. I’ve got this; I’ll keep you posted.
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