Dreamchaser's Journal

[Dreamchaser]

Finally starting one! Thursday, 6-30-11, was R1P2VLCD30 for me and I'm only down 11 pounds. That puts Thursday's weight loss average at .38 of a pound a day (not including load day gain and loss). And I am even a strict protocol gal. I am 5'3" and shooting for a total loss of about 60 pounds or so. I still have around 50 to go. I hate that I don't get to experience the life altering, speedy rates of losses that most people do while on this diet. I was so full of hope and excited about that when I started. But unfortunately it didn't work out that way for me. It definitely takes the fun and excitement out of it which is extremely important when you are only eating 500 calories a day. It is something I have had a very hard time coming to terms with. Some days/moments I am much better at handling this emotionally than other times. Yesterday was a really BAD day for that, probably the worst yet! Today, a little better, not much. I had gotten down to 173 on Wednesday which was exciting because that was a new hcg low for me. But then I woke up today only to feel "slapped in the face" because I was back up a half a pound to 173.5

On the good side, an 11 pound loss is a heck of a lot better than no loss at all, which is what I have been experiencing the last few years despite being a very clean lowcarber and hardly ever going off of plan. I have been an Atkins/lowcarb girl for 10 years. I started Atkins in 2001 at 227 pounds. The lowest I have been able to get down to while lowcarbing (this was several years ago) was in the 160's. I wish I knew the exact number but I don't remember what that was. But I do know that when I am able to reach the 50's again, that will be brand new weight loss territory for me within the past 20 years.

I am going to try my best to hang in there for a 60 day round. That would put me on P2 all the way through July. What's motivating me to do the long round is that I'm going on vacation to the beach on 9-3-11 for 4 weeks and I am absolutely terrified/mortified/petrified to have to get back in a bathing suit again. I seriously want to get off as much weight as possible before having to be in that dreaded bathing suit every dang day! Actually it's tempting to try to stay on P2 up until almost vacation time but it's probably best to take the month of August to get acquainted with and hopefully well stabilized in P3/P4 before going on vacation in September.

My thyroid doctor suggested the hcg diet to me on 5-2-11. I thought it was a crazy, insane idea but I have a lot of trust in him so I started researching like crazy. I absolutely love lowcarbing and plan on doing it the rest of my life. I lost very well lowcarbing for a long time. But I never got within 40 pounds of my goal weight. After several years of lowcarbing, for some reason, I had gotten to the point where I was maintaining well but not losing any more no matter what I did. I was/am absolutely desperate to finally get the rest of this weight off so here I am.

I battle hypothyroidism, adrenal fatigue and hormonal/menopausal issues. I truly believe that these things are the root of my inability to lose weight properly. I am an 11 year breast cancer survivor My ovaries shut down when I had chemo and radiation in 2000 which put me into early menopause. And I have been dealing with being in and out of menopause and crazy hormonal issues ever since! At this point, I believe I am technically considered post menopausal but I still have irregular periods! Not to mention the fact that I have been through 4 (unsuccessful) invitro attempts. So there is no telling what that has done to my body on top of everything else. This bod has been through a lot! And having to either completely avoid or be extremely careful with any exercise because of the adrenal fatigue certainly doesn't help matters. If I overdo it with my activity level, it can just completely wipe me out for a couple of days, or even more.

It would have been a dream come true if Hhcg would have put me on the fast track to getting this weight off but for whatever reason (not that there aren't many to choose from ), it just hasn't happened for me and I don't have any choice but to accept it and keep moving along with the plan. After a full month of being on Hhcg, I can see that I am going to have to struggle hard for every ounce along the way. I am thankful for, at least, those 11 pounds so far, much better than nothing. I am 46 years old and 47 is looming near. Hopefully I'll get to goal sometime before I'm 90........

[Balance101]

Dream, you really have been through a lot. I worry that I too, may be let down once I start R1. I don't lose like everyone else either. I'm 47, perimenopausal and have been yoyo dieting most of my life. In my mind I keep thinking by the end of P2, I'll be down 30 pounds, but I really should shoot for 20, or I will most likely be devastated. On the other hand, when it's hard to lose like it is for us, 11 pounds, is pretty damn good! Hang in there hon. As long as you don't give up, you have nothing but more loss to look forward to. Keep it going!

[LilacBruze]

I'm sorry.

On one hand I of course want to say that 11 lbs in 30 days is good results on ANY plan when you have a hard time losing weight. But on the other, I know how frustrating it is to sacrifice and stick to a plan without it yielding good results. When I first started Atkins Induction in March, I lost only 9 lbs in that same amount of time (I had done Atkins a few times previously and results were just crap this time around). My doctor was all like, "9 lbs in one month is great!" and yet I was extremely dissatisfied.

I guess the important thing to keep in mind is that we didn't GAIN the weight in 30 days (or 60, or 180, or whatever) and so we must EXPECT it to be slow in coming off. If it comes off quicker, then great. But if it doesn't, we would spare ourselves the mental meltdowns!

[Dreamchaser]

Originally Posted by Balance101

Dream, you really have been through a lot. I worry that I too, may be let down once I start R1. I don't lose like everyone else either. I'm 47, perimenopausal and have been yoyo dieting most of my life. In my mind I keep thinking by the end of P2, I'll be down 30 pounds, but I really should shoot for 20, or I will most likely be devastated. On the other hand, when it's hard to lose like it is for us, 11 pounds, is pretty damn good! Hang in there hon. As long as you don't give up, you have nothing but more loss to look forward to. Keep it going!

Please don't let my slow rate of loss spoil your happy excitement! You have a lot to look forward to and you can pretty much bet that you will see quicker results than I have! I haven't seen anyone on this board who has as much to lose as I do (60 pounds total) and still looses as slowly as I do! Doesn't mean there isn't anyone but I've been reading this board for almost 2 months and I sure haven't run across them. I am a very rare bird compared to all of the other hcger's! Lucky me!

Don't worry, I will keep on hanging in there and good luck to you!

[Dreamchaser]

Originally Posted by LilacBruze

I'm sorry.

On one hand I of course want to say that 11 lbs in 30 days is good results on ANY plan when you have a hard time losing weight. But on the other, I know how frustrating it is to sacrifice and stick to a plan without it yielding good results. When I first started Atkins Induction in March, I lost only 9 lbs in that same amount of time (I had done Atkins a few times previously and results were just crap this time around). My doctor was all like, "9 lbs in one month is great!" and yet I was extremely dissatisfied.

I guess the important thing to keep in mind is that we didn't GAIN the weight in 30 days (or 60, or 180, or whatever) and so we must EXPECT it to be slow in coming off. If it comes off quicker, then great. But if it doesn't, we would spare ourselves the mental meltdowns!

Hi LB. You are right. 11 pounds in 30 days is not bad. It's just sooooo super slow for hcg and it's tough to handle when you are only eating 500 bland calories a day. (The food is starting to get harder for me). But I need to keep reminding myself to look at the glass as being half full instead of half empty. I'll take those 11 pounds and remember that it could be even worse....not likely but it could be!

[Dreamchaser]

The ground round I was using before was 90% lean. But yesterday I switched to Laura's Lean Ground Sirloin which is 96% lean. Maybe that will help me out.

[Balance101]

Ooh, I have a box of her burgers in the freezer, but they are 4 oz each. I wonder if I could sneak those in.

[Dreamchaser]

Originally Posted by Balance101

Ooh, I have a box of her burgers in the freezer, but they are 4 oz each. I wonder if I could sneak those in.

Some people do use 4 oz instead of 3.5. You could try it out!

[Dreamchaser]

What I had yesterday:

Lunch:
P2 Chili
Orange

Dinner:
Chicken breast grilled on indoor grill with sauce
Oven roasted asparagus with sauce
(Sauce made with ACV, lemon juice, mustard, water and NuNaturals stevia)
Fresh strawberries sprinkled with NuNaturals stevia

Water with lemon all day to drink

Today:
* Only got about 4 hours of sleep.
* Lost that stubborn half pound that came back yesterday. I'll have to see if it sticks this time.

[Dreamchaser]

I'm considering only weighing once a week while on P2. I hate to do that but it might be worth it to help save my sanity.

[LilacBruze]

Originally Posted by Dreamchaser

I'm considering only weighing once a week while on P2. I hate to do that but it might be worth it to help save my sanity.

Are you hiding your scale? I know I have said I was going to do that but was never able to do it, lol.

I wish I could offer you some advice that would bring on a nice, big whoosh. You soooo deserve it! I know you have tried hard and have followed protocol and really, honestly, I don't know why you haven't lost more. The only thing I can possibly think of is your hcg. Could it possibly be inactive? No, right? I mean, you'd be really hungry if it was inactive, right?

Or maybe the ground beef wasn't lean enough? My 96/4 still had a whopping 8g of fat per serving. Maybe the beef fat was too much for your system to burn more of your own fat reserve?

[Dreamchaser]

Originally Posted by LilacBruze

Are you hiding your scale? I know I have said I was going to do that but was never able to do it, lol.

I wish I could offer you some advice that would bring on a nice, big whoosh. You soooo deserve it! I know you have tried hard and have followed protocol and really, honestly, I don't know why you haven't lost more. The only thing I can possibly think of is your hcg. Could it possibly be inactive? No, right? I mean, you'd be really hungry if it was inactive, right?

Or maybe the ground beef wasn't lean enough? My 96/4 still had a whopping 8g of fat per serving. Maybe the beef fat was too much for your system to burn more of your own fat reserve?

Hi LB. I need to hide my scale. I probably won't be able to do it either though.

I have the Intermountain drops from Netrition and as far as I know, it's working. I have slight hunger every once in a while but not very much and nothing abnormal. I'm sure I'd be starving if it wasn't working. I did also get some Intermountain pellets at the same time I bought the liquid. I thought about trying those to see if it makes any difference in the weight loss. But I don't know. I haven't opened that bottle yet and my liquid is a big 4 ounce bottle. It seems like the drops are working just fine and I would kind of like to keep the pellets fresh and unopened for now.

I don't *think* the beef was a problem because there were some days I didn't eat it but I still lost slow the whole time. It's hard to say. I was going to try go without the beef but I missed my chili too much so I got over that idea quick. The ground beef brands that I were using before were probably about 10-15 grams of fat per serving. I'm not sure because there wasn't a nutrition label. But I have decided to only use the Laura's Lean now while on P2. (They just started selling that here). And it's only 3.9 grams per serving So who knows, maybe it will make a difference. I'm really glad I found that because going without the chili while on P2 is soo not an option for me! As a matter of fact, I have pretty much decided that I need to be able to eat it for one meal every day no matter what the outcome is. That's another thing I told Dh I probably need to do to keep my sanity since I'm trying to stick it out for a long round!

It's OK. I'm not looking for advice any more. I have almost given up trying to figure out the reason for the slow loss. I hate it but I just have to deal with it and keep doing what I'm doing if I want to be able to lose any weight at all. So I don't really have a choice. I will just keep hanging in there and trying my best!

[Dreamchaser]

YAY! Down a pound today!

I got down to 172 which is a new number so I'll have to wait and see if it "sticks"!

Yesterday's Menu:

Breakfast:
Celestial Seasonings Cinnamon Apple Spice herbal tea with stevia

Lunch:
P2 chili with 96/4 beef and canned tomatoes

Snack:
Oven baked apple with cinnamon and stevia (yummo)!

Dinner:
* Oven baked Atlantic cod with fresh lemon juice and Mrs. Dash lemon pepper
(171 grams, individually wrapped from Sam's)
* Oven roasted asparagus with fresh lemon juice and Mrs. Dash lemmon pepper
* Fresh strawberries with stevia

Water with fresh lemon juice to drink

504 calories

[LilacBruze]

Congrats on being down a lb! I think you gave it to me since I am UP a lb today! LOL!

I am curious to know if eating the lesser fat ground beef will make you lost a little faster. I know what you mean about needing the P2 chili. Before I found the ground beef and cabbage recipe here, I didn't think I'd be able to stick to protocol. I ate that dish for 2 meals a day for like, 2 weeks! And then I found the P2 chili recipe and ate that!

Now I have moved on to the P2 smoothie recipe! Thank goodness for this board!

[TurnNBurn]

The P2 chili saved me as well!
I just can't stand baked chicken or fish. I'm from Ky... I luv me some fried chicken LoL

[Dreamchaser]

Originally Posted by LilacBruze

Congrats on being down a lb! I think you gave it to me since I am UP a lb today! LOL!

I am curious to know if eating the lesser fat ground beef will make you lost a little faster. I know what you mean about needing the P2 chili. Before I found the ground beef and cabbage recipe here, I didn't think I'd be able to stick to protocol. I ate that dish for 2 meals a day for like, 2 weeks! And then I found the P2 chili recipe and ate that!

Now I have moved on to the P2 smoothie recipe! Thank goodness for this board!

I'm sure that pound will be gone in a flash and probably then some!

I am really curious to know if the switch in ground beef will help me too! Haha, you sound like me. P2 chili and beef and cabbage are my favorite meals. And now the shake is a really nice addition! I just told dh yesterday that I think I will try the shake every day for lunch and alternate the chili and the beef and cabbage for dinner every day for a while. I'm getting so sick of those darn, bland fish and chicken meals!

[Dreamchaser]

Originally Posted by TurnNBurn

The P2 chili saved me as well!
I just can't stand baked chicken or fish. I'm from Ky... I luv me some fried chicken LoL

I bet the P2 chili saves a lot of people!

[Dreamchaser]

Today is VLCD33. I wasn't going to weigh today but I couldn't help myself. I was happy to see that my new low of 172 stayed with me today so I'm happy. Yesterday was my first rogue day with the addition of protein powder.

Yesterday's menu:

Lunch:
P2 Smoothie
Horizon organic lowfat cottage cheese - 100 grams
Fresh organic spinach - 90 grams
Frozen organic strawberries - 101 grams
Water
Ice
Stevia to taste

Snack:
P2 Slushie
Warrior Whey protein powder - 26 grams
Frozen organic strawberries - 130 grams
Water
Ice
Stevia to taste

Dinner:
P2 Chili with 96/4 beef and tomatoes

464 Calories

To drink:
Water with fresh lemon
Mineral water with stevia and Sweetleaf chocolate raspberry

[LilacBruze]

Yay! I am keeping my fingers crossed for you! Who knows! Rogue could work wonders for ya!

[Dreamchaser]

Originally Posted by LilacBruze

Yay! I am keeping my fingers crossed for you! Who knows! Rogue could work wonders for ya!

Thanks Lilac! I am not holding my breath but then again......Oh man I hooooooooooooope so! Doing my best to be "cautiously optimistic"!

[VEEnVEGAS]

Not sure if you were losing so slowly before you added the chili to your menus or not, but any soups I made with tomatoes totally brought my weight loss to a screeching halt! I never used beef in them so it wasn't that, almost certain it was the tomatoes or possibly just a matter of too much sodium.
One week it was a chicken and spinach soup, this equaled 6 days either stalled or a rise in weight. As soon as I stopped eating that I had an immediate loss of 2.5 lbs. Another week it was chicken chili...total stall that week until I stopped eating the soup, and again, a nice loss when I stopped eating that.
Maybe leave it alone for a few days and see how you do?

[Dreamchaser]

Originally Posted by VEEnVEGAS

Not sure if you were losing so slowly before you added the chili to your menus or not, but any soups I made with tomatoes totally brought my weight loss to a screeching halt! I never used beef in them so it wasn't that, almost certain it was the tomatoes or possibly just a matter of too much sodium.
One week it was a chicken and spinach soup, this equaled 6 days either stalled or a rise in weight. As soon as I stopped eating that I had an immediate loss of 2.5 lbs. Another week it was chicken chili...total stall that week until I stopped eating the soup, and again, a nice loss when I stopped eating that.
Maybe leave it alone for a few days and see how you do?

Hi Vee. I have gone without the chili for several days before and it didn't make any difference. So I figured I might as well go ahead and eat it! I've been losing consistently but very, very slowly the whole time.

[LilacBruze]

So? Any loss today! I notice you were up late, I am hoping you got some decent sleep!

[Dreamchaser]

Originally Posted by LilacBruze

So? Any loss today! I notice you were up late, I am hoping you got some decent sleep!

I have been super stressed about starting the shakes and the effect they might have on my weight. I'm having a shake for the first meal and then having a regular meal for the other one. I've been having a hard time balancing out the nutritional ratios with the shakes to get them to compare to my other protocol days. It seems like I am always lower in calories for the day but high in protein with the shakes. I am worried about getting too much protein and gaining from it.

I am still going to keep tweaking with the shakes and the dinners to try to get things to work out better. But I didn't get hardly any sleep and still stepped on the scale anyway today and I was down another half of a pound! Very, very happy about that. I wasn't expecting it, that's for sure!

[Dreamchaser]

* The previous menu was actually the one for July 2. Unfortunately I can't go back and edit it now.

July 3, 2011 - R1VLCD 33
Menu (Rogue, experimenting with protein powder shakes)

Lunch: Strawberry Veggie Shake
* 100 grams Horizon organic lowfat cottage cheese
* 10 grams (1/3 scoop) Jay Robb vanilla protein powder
* 90 grams raw organic spinach
* 100 grams frozen organic strawberries
* Water, Ice, Stevia to taste

Snack: Strawberry Shake
* 100 grams Horizon organic lowfat cottage cheese
* 10 grams (1/3 scoop) Jay Robb vanilla protein powder
* 101 grams frozen organic strawberries
* Water, Ice, Stevia to taste

Dinner: P2 Chili
* 100 grams Laura's Lean ground sirloin (96/4)
* 130 grams Muir Glen roasted tomatoes

Water with fresh lemon to drink

487 Calories

[Dreamchaser]

July 4, 2011 - R1VLCD34
(Rogue Menu - experimenting with protein shakes)

Lunch: Strawberry Protein Veggie Shake
* 100 grams Horizon organic lowfat cottage cheese
* 30 grams (1 scoop) Jay Robb vanilla protein powder
* 90 grams fresh organic spinach
* 98 grams frozen organic strawberries
* Water, Ice, Stevia to taste

Dinner: P2 Chili
* 100 grams Laura's Lean ground sirloin (96/4)
* 200 grams Pomi chopped tomatoes
* 268 grams Apple sprinkled with cinnamon and stevia (Too much apple)!

Drinks:
Water with fresh lemon
1 liter mineral water with Stevia and Sweet Leaf chocolate raspberry drops

545 Calories
Oh man, I orginally miscalculated something on ****** and didn't figure it out until after I was done eating. Didn't mean to go over on my apple calories like that!

[RedsSkinnyJeans]

You're doing great! Hang in there!!

[Dreamchaser]

Thanks Red!

Today is VLCD35. No weigh-in for me today (first time since starting). Not enough sleep. I thought I would hate not weighing in but it was actually kind of nice not having that stress for a change.

[LilacBruze]

But you got a big whoosh today, right? Right???

[Dreamchaser]

Originally Posted by LilacBruze

But you got a big whoosh today, right? Right???

I wish! Nope, lost a half a pound. And for once I even got good sleep too. It seems as though I'm losing at the same rate whether I'm having the shakes or not having the shakes.