HCG Alternative Plans - Week of August 1st!

[julieboolie]

Liz-I wish I hadn't dosed today, then I could move on sooner. Oh well, I'll tough it out tomorrow on VLC, but will probably bump up closer to 1000 cals by Sunday.

Cheryl-good suggestion. I'll take tomorrow's weight. But I already know it'll be the same . Oh well. You're right, I can lose 5 lbs on almost any plan down the road. I'm gonna' take the not too subtle hint from my body and move on.

Mini-sounds like a good plan. The up/down looks like something I'd like to try, eventually. I'm gonna' focus on maintenance. I hope that's enough to keep me on track.

Watching Soul Surfer w. my fam tonight. We enjoyed it in the theater and it's even better the second time . Wish I could hit the beach though!

Nice quiet weekend planned, for a change. It's hot here so I'm hoping we'll go swimming. Haven't been out much since we got home from MN.

[paulabob]

Originally Posted by julieboolie

Nice quiet weekend planned, for a change. It's hot here so I'm hoping we'll go swimming. Haven't been out much since we got home from MN.

I hope it's cooler there than here. We are about 35 days into 100+ temps. Even worse, the nighttime temps only dip to about 85-86, so it's just hot, hot hot. I remember the Texas heat wave of 1980 when I was 10, and this is definitely just as bad. School starts in two weeks and it will be miserable for those poor kids on the buses after school.

I've been swimming every day, but it's not a huge relief...the pool is about 93 degrees...like taking a lukewarm bath.

At least my son's marching band training is going half time this next week (7am to noon) instead of all day. He is pretty darn tired now!

Looks like there's been a lot of poor rounds for us roguers lately. I didn't love that my LDW was only 5 pounds from my last LDW. Not after loading July 4th and going until August 1st, albeit poorly some days. Hopefully we will all have more luck in the future!

I think I'll rent Soul Surfer this weekend, sounds like such an inspirational movie!

[minimonkey]

I ended up doing a pretty intense HIIT workout this evening, plus 30 minutes of isometric leg work... so I think I more than compensated for any extra calories eaten today. I needed to work off some serious aggression.

I feel good at the moment, and I actually held up well and felt very strong during the workout... I was able to do some strength moves that I couldn't do before, so that was exciting.

I'll keep up the intense workouts as long as I can.... maybe I won't have to scale back too much. The HIIT actually felt great tonight.

[paulabob]

Originally Posted by paulabob

I didn't love that my LDW was only 5 pounds from my last LDW.

Up 2.4 today...now I'm in last round's range. 132.8 this morning.

I know it didn't help that I woke up at 4:30, but still....no reason to be up 2.4 pounds (had 1900 calories yesterday, 1400 the day before).

I refuse to CD on the weekend...we're having our anniversary supper anyways tonight. I made a huge batch of chicken legs....maybe I'll save the leftovers for CD on Monday. The last yogurt CD didn't do much for me last round, but then I used it 5 times last round.

[PiDevil]

Just wanted to pop in to say - I finally made onderland - Yay! This is VLCD Day 5 and I am down 3.4 not including the 2.5 lbs of load wt I lost.

paula - I am feeling for you with those temps. We had those temps & excessive humidity for a few days a couple weeks ago and with no central air in most houses it was a lot to deal with. Like your pool, ours was so warm it was not refreshing. Its been pretty beautiful weather since that cleared out. Hope yours end soon too.

I am guessing the rounds are less successful as you get closer to a goal wt. It seems like many of you fellow roguers are. Hang in there & persevere!

Going to take the doggy for a nice long walk in the woods today. Have a nice Saturday, all.

[paulabob]

Originally Posted by PiDevil

Just wanted to pop in to say - I finally made onderland - Yay! This is VLCD Day 5 and I am down 3.4 not including the 2.5 lbs of load wt I lost.

Woo Hoo! Great results!

[jules57]

Just checking in...have company here this weekend so not to much time to post and chat. Like others on here I had a less than stellar loss today just a .2. It is a loss. I still am not back to where I was from my first aborted attempt. I am sure tomorrow or the next will be better. Hey a loss is a loss.

Week 1-R2P2VLCD6- so far (7.2) if I use the weight I was at the start of my R1. I have 7.2# to go.

[julieboolie]

Good morning ladies!!

Mini-great job on the workout!! Hope your cycling keeps you strong and full of energy so you can continue to shred!!

Paula- that's not a fun way to celebrate tonight!! It's gotta' be water. Just stick to the safe foods and you'll be back down again soon. Enjoy tonight!! And our heat it normal for AZ, in the 105 range, but w/o humidity swimming is a nice relief. That "evaporative cooling" thing still amazes me! Really crazy to have goosebumps when it's over 100 outside! . Everything here is is air conditioned too, so there's loads of relief. I do start looking forward to cooler weather in Sept. though. Doesn't really come for us until Oct/Nov though .

Pat-That's ONEderful!! Congrats!!

Jules-you're right, down is def better than up! Enjoy your company. That's hard to do P2 during I'm sure!

So, I took a high dose of mag. last night b/c bernice has been avoiding me. She came by this morning, but my LDW is still the same as the past week (more or less, at least in the 153's!). So, I'm going to ease into P3 this weekend. I'm not a big believer in the 2 days of 500 cals w/o dosing, but I do ramp up to P3 slowly. Add extra LF cottage cheese, a bit larger portion of chili etc. I want this P3 to go well, and have every expectation that I should be able to maintain in this range pretty well since I've already been here for 2 weeks!

I am going to focus on maintenance for a while. Looking forward to it! I'll be around still though .

[minimonkey]

Whoohooo Pi! Onederland!!!!!!!!!!!

Julie and Paula -- so sorry that these rounds have treated you so badly NOT FAIR!

I am exactly the same weight as yesterday -- that's okay. I know I've had rounds that have taken several days or even a week to start seeing losses, so I am not freaking about that. I am not, however, hungry at all this morning.... and I am quite cold... so that is probably a good sign.

Going for the 500 cal day if I can manage it today --- def going to try getting in a workout too.

Logicallly I know that I have to lose fat eating this little, and if I can do it without hunger, so much the better.

[CherylB]

Originally Posted by PiDevil

Just wanted to pop in to say - I finally made onderland - Yay! This is VLCD Day 5 and I am down 3.4 not including the 2.5 lbs of load wt I lost.

I am guessing the rounds are less successful as you get closer to a goal wt. It seems like many of you fellow roguers are. Hang in there & persevere!

Going to take the doggy for a nice long walk in the woods today. Have a nice Saturday, all.

WTG! You got there! Now you can enjoy the moment and set your next goal. Don't you love that? Progress! Enjoy the walk with that cute little fluff ball. And I agree with the notion of future rounds of hcg not being as effective. Makes me want to pout. But in some ways, I guess this diet is a lot like others that have the same diminishing returns.

Jumping up and down for all the good reports, sending big hugs for all the stallers, etc. I'm right there with you. I am still suffering from whatever is causing this damn allergy attack. I have hives pop up in various places (not dramatic ones but the slow-creeping ones.) I have one brewing on my right cheek right now. I can feel it! And my eyes are still really puffy below and crusty all around. I have such sensitive skin that I can't even do what I'd like to do and apply some lotion to the dry, crusty parts. That would only make things worse and I can't risk that.

I take benadryl and then the itching goes away, but it does nothing about the swelling. I had this same thing happen in 2010. I took pics of my face and I just went back and looked at the date. It was 9/18/10. I then tried to find that date in my food journal and naturally, the one that goes back to that month starts at 9/28 or something. I know there is an earlier food journal but I have to dig it up from Lord-only-knows-where.

I refuse to go to the ER because they will only give me steroids. They won't bother trying to find the cause, they'll just treat the symptoms and send me packing. I know too much about steroids not to take them unless it was do or die. I'm not to that point yet.

So, that's my day! My weight is back up to 164.2 and I'm sure it has a lot to do with all this swelling. Thank God I don't need to go anywhere looking like this. I will be staying home for the forseeable future.

I hope everyone has a better health day than I'm having! Love you lots.

[Lbibclc]

Hang in there Cheryl with the allergic reaction. Wish you could figure out what it is.

Love to hear some are still having luck losing. I wonder if this is why the clinic in Omaha suggests staying on till you reach goal instead of doing rounds? If the rounds become less effective or if it is just because we are closer to goal. I still have plenty of fat to lose so it isn't that. My goal is still to lose 100 pounds!

[Lbibclc]

Originally Posted by julieboolie

Good morning ladies!!

Mini-great job on the workout!! Hope your cycling keeps you strong and full of energy so you can continue to shred!!

Paula- that's not a fun way to celebrate tonight!! It's gotta' be water. Just stick to the safe foods and you'll be back down again soon. Enjoy tonight!! And our heat it normal for AZ, in the 105 range, but w/o humidity swimming is a nice relief. That "evaporative cooling" thing still amazes me! Really crazy to have goosebumps when it's over 100 outside! . Everything here is is air conditioned too, so there's loads of relief. I do start looking forward to cooler weather in Sept. though. Doesn't really come for us until Oct/Nov though .

Pat-That's ONEderful!! Congrats!!

Jules-you're right, down is def better than up! Enjoy your company. That's hard to do P2 during I'm sure!

So, I took a high dose of mag. last night b/c bernice has been avoiding me. She came by this morning, but my LDW is still the same as the past week (more or less, at least in the 153's!). So, I'm going to ease into P3 this weekend. I'm not a big believer in the 2 days of 500 cals w/o dosing, but I do ramp up to P3 slowly. Add extra LF cottage cheese, a bit larger portion of chili etc. I want this P3 to go well, and have every expectation that I should be able to maintain in this range pretty well since I've already been here for 2 weeks!

I am going to focus on maintenance for a while. Looking forward to it! I'll be around still though .

You may still go down from Bernice. You may just have some inflammation and retention of fluid from the avoidance.

[ellenalesa]

Really hoping that's just water! Started dosing again this morning. Ate high fat food yesterday, thinking at least let it be like a load.

Is it possible that that could be FAT in just 2 days? When I realized what was h appening, I stopped hhcg.

Back on the wagon today. Fingers crossed that I can drop these 5.5 pounds quickly.

[julieboolie]

Liz-that'd be nice. I could use a bit of wiggle room! Hope you're stabilization goes well. Just had a second cup of coffee!! That's a treat I haven't indulged in for a few weeks.
I do think that the subsequent rounds are less effective. I think there's a "first time" success for all diet plans - Atkins included.

Hope the calorie cycling works for the last bit of weight for me sometime this Fall. I lose better in the Fall anyway, but haven't tried that approach yet.

Cheryl- on the allergic reaction. That's so frustrating to try and figure out the cause. What new foods have you added that you haven't had in a while? Hope you figure it out, or if it's environmental, hope it goes away soon!

[minimonkey]

ellenalesa

No, the majority of that gain isn't fat -- it's mostly water. Get back on track and I suspect it will fall off pretty quickly. One thing hhcg/hcg seems to do is to make us very prone to rebound gains if we stray from the beaten path at all, though...

I'm going hardcore on myself this round... jonesing for a workout already today. Everyone in this house is still asleep except me, so I am not able to hit the gym without fear of waking them up

Maybe I will take a walk and get some apples-- I have run out of those.

This is war, baby... against fat.

[Lbibclc]

Originally Posted by julieboolie

Liz-that'd be nice. I could use a bit of wiggle room! Hope you're stabilization goes well. Just had a second cup of coffee!! That's a treat I haven't indulged in for a few weeks.
I do think that the subsequent rounds are less effective. I think there's a "first time" success for all diet plans - Atkins included.

Hope the calorie cycling works for the last bit of weight for me sometime this Fall. I lose better in the Fall anyway, but haven't tried that approach yet.

Cheryl- on the allergic reaction. That's so frustrating to try and figure out the cause. What new foods have you added that you haven't had in a while? Hope you figure it out, or if it's environmental, hope it goes away soon!

I haven't tried the cycling yet either but plan to do that this fall as well. It makes a lot of sense in terms of Are you going to do the JUDDD? Or your own thing? I don't know much about the JUDDD plan except it is a cycling plan.

I may not try the HHCG again until after the new year. I still have a stash of pellets.

[minimonkey]

I'm with you, Liz - this is my last hhcg round for a while. I will give it all I've got, and then I am putting it away for a good, long while. I may end up doing a long round, though, if I don't see results fairly early on... which may mean buying some more pellets.

[nola baxter]

Hi Cheryl
I know this is disgusting belated;
but Happy Birthday!

And congratulations on moving past the stall you had before- with the higher cals too!

I hope it continues to go well for you, and that the damn hives will go away..

My son just had some kind of a histamine reaction- masses of small itchy spots over his body-
I put deodorized coconut oil on the skin for the itchiness and redness, and it helped a lot.
Apart from that, we just waited it out- I didnt give him anything else,and I dont know why/how he got it..
It is all going away now- took about a week.

Your presence on these boards is very cheering, and friendly.

Nola

[CherylB]

Thank you, Nola! Bless you for that. I'm sorry your son has been going through such a rough patch. Sounds like it's better now, so I'm glad for you both. I didn't do anything drastically different so when things like this crop up, it's anybody's guess what's the culprit. Sometimes I wonder if it's something systemic rather than environmental. Maybe something in the fat cells at this weight level (hormones, chemicals, toxins) that are being released again as the fat is used up?

I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed but there are my thoughts on the matter! Wouldn't it be a bummer if it turns out that I'm allergic to Benadryl?

[nola baxter]

Hi Cheryl..thanks..
My son has been through the wars a bit lately..

I have had the occasional histamine like reaction, with rashes, itching, swelling face, and so on.
I have never figured out the reason for any of them , and they usually just dissapate of their own accord, usually within a couple of weeks for the worst cases.

Who knows what it is all about?! An inside or outside culprit- I dont know.

Allergic to Benadryl?! lol..
that would be a pain..

[Lbibclc]

I wonder if a homeopathic remedy would help? Is there such a thing?

[CherylB]

You mean like holding my head upside down in a bucket of ice water? Sorry. But sometimes that does sound like a good plan!

Goodnight, you lovely ladies! See you tomorrow, God-willing. Be safe!

[minimonkey]

Well, day 3 almost over -- averaging around 700 cals so far, and actually not doing too badly with it.

Gonna go hit the gym!

[paulabob]

Good morning!

We really enjoyed our anniversary supper (crabs & butter). I also made a lovely salad with green leaf lettuce, avocado slices, yellow bell pepper strips. And corn on the cob for the family (not my fave but they love). We watched the Adjustment Bureau - turned out to be a great choice. Part romance, part action flick.

Weight same from yesterday (still UP). Took my weekly inches, and noticed I've lost an inch or so from last week (not a huge diff 301 6/7 to 299 3/4). Normally I don't see reshaping in P3...but maybe I do this time.

Have a great Sunday! I will probably be doing a yogurt day on Monday.

[julieboolie]

Paula-glad it was a nice night and no new gain! Ironically, coming out of P2, I would actually welcome a GYCD!

I'm ramping up my cals today. I hit 1100 yesterday, and I know that's early, etc., but I worked out earlier in the day and then enjoyed my favorite salad at one of my fav restaurants for the first time in a few months, so I justified it. I'm up 0.2 today, so apparently my body was ok w/ it too. I do so hope to stabilize pretty easily here.

I forgot all about the lovely readjustment to digesting actual food. Need to get take a probiotic and go a bit more slowly on the roughage. I plan to keep working out 3x/week and am looking forward to upping the weight lifting part. I've been doing 30 min of cardio, which I'm not as big a fan of, while in P2. I guess somewhere deep in my psyche I hope it'll help burn fat, but I know it'll at least help my overall fitness and aerobic capacity. The weights I've been doing have been great, I can see muscle definition which is always nice. I hope to up that strength now that I'm not in such a caloric deficit. We'll see.

Anyway, gonna' go get ready for church. Hope you all have a wonderful Sunday!

[mousie tartufo]

Hello ladies! Checking in today (forgot yesterday) - into new territory for me! It's a bit more difficult than normal right now, what with company around, but I merely explained I'm on a strict diet. A few weird looks, but no comments, so that's good. The tough bit is making full meals for everyone else (P3 style), but not getting that much myself - makes me hungry!! But, I'm tougher than my fat, so I'm sticking it out - I even used a ketostix this morning and it says I'm in deep ketosis, so that's proof that being disciplined is paying off! Just keep telling myself "I can have that...later."

Sticking to this is tough, so congrats to everyone - especially those who are stalling.

[CherylB]

"Morning", ladies! Checking in for the day. Allergies are better today but face is still puffy. Down the bump-up on the scale and 0.2 lbs of virgin weight. I'm claiming it! Soon I will have less than 20 lbs to lose in order to reach goal and that will be a day for celebration! Woohooo!

I'm going to continue my current eating plan until I am safely on the other side of summer, then I will most likely do another round to get up some speed! I'm kind of getting tired of the things I've been eating and even toying with the idea of restarting LC (Atkins '72.) That's so limiting, though. Much to think about. Being this close to goal makes me want to do something that isn't "a diet" and just learn to eat things in moderation and lose that way.

Anway, this post has been being written for about 20 minutes. I keep getting distracted and go off to do something. So, that's my report for the day!

Bless all of you and stay safe. Should we start the new weekly thread today or tomorrow? I don't like seeing people post something good and then not getting the replies they should have gotten because we go elsewhere.

[minimonkey]

Good morning, all -- and great job! Excellent on being so tough on the fat, Mousie!

Stalls are truly tough.

I am down a pound today I'm not one to drop big amounts in the first week (except on my very first round, I did) so this is fine -- especially since I have been working out pretty hard.

Ate my teeny tiny breakfast, and feeling just fine... so here goes another day!

[BlueMonday]

Haven't been able to check-in all weekend until now!

I think I have broken my stall (down .6). I upped calories by adding fat yesterday (i know, horrors!! ). And now I am seeing a nice loss this morning. Back to the more traditional VLCD today.

Cheryl -- glad your allergies are getting better. It doesn't seem to be blocking your progress, but still a bummer to deal with. Under 20 lbs to go -- Yeaaah!!

Julie -- Yes, that readjustment can be tricky. I have found the probiotics to be helpful for me too. Good for you on the gym. I really hate it but I try to make myself go. I just get so bored and end up watching the clock until I have "done my time." Wish I could enjoy it more.

Paula -- Looove crab!! What a nice treat for your anniversary. And of course butter after P2 is like heaven. I will be making my way to P3 hopefully soon. Maybe in a week if I can make so good progress this week.

Mousie -- I really hate it when I have to explain myself around other people. I don't know why people make such a big deal out of it. No one says anything if someone is shoveling piles of crap into their mouth. Oh well.... you got through it!!

[CherylB]

Originally Posted by minimonkey

Good morning, all -- and great job! Excellent on being so tough on the fat, Mousie!

Stalls are truly tough.

I am down a pound today I'm not one to drop big amounts in the first week (except on my very first round, I did) so this is fine -- especially since I have been working out pretty hard.

Ate my teeny tiny breakfast, and feeling just fine... so here goes another day!

Yea! Nice job, Mini!

Originally Posted by BlueMonday

Haven't been able to check-in all weekend until now!

I think I have broken my stall (down .6). I upped calories by adding fat yesterday (i know, horrors!! ). And now I am seeing a nice loss this morning. Back to the more traditional VLCD today.

Cheryl -- glad your allergies are getting better. It doesn't seem to be blocking your progress, but still a bummer to deal with. Under 20 lbs to go -- Yeaaah!!

Julie -- Yes, that readjustment can be tricky. I have found the probiotics to be helpful for me too. Good for you on the gym. I really hate it but I try to make myself go. I just get so bored and end up watching the clock until I have "done my time." Wish I could enjoy it more.

Paula -- Looove crab!! What a nice treat for your anniversary. And of course butter after P2 is like heaven. I will be making my way to P3 hopefully soon. Maybe in a week if I can make so good progress this week.

Mousie -- I really hate it when I have to explain myself around other people. I don't know why people make such a big deal out of it. No one says anything if someone is shoveling piles of crap into their mouth. Oh well.... you got through it!!

Well, at least you are "doing your time." I feel the same way about it but I'm not pushing myself to be disciplined at all. I just put it off and put it off. Days turn into weeks and then months and I just don't do it. I know I need to if I don't want to look like a blob of jell-o for the rest of my life.

When I'm camping in another week, I'm going to be taking my roller blades and a bike. I will be more active while there for 5 days. (Well, 4+ days. We pack up the camp site on Friday.) I am not a good roller-blader so I have a walking stick that I'm going to use to steady myself.

So glad you broke your stall! Great feeling, isn't it? Thanks for doing all the personals. I'm going to just say "I second what Blue said" and hopefully skate by on that.