Hcg Rogues and Alternatives, week of 10/31

[minimonkey]

New week, ladies!

[minimonkey]

I'm the early bird today, so I will kick this off.

Disney -- so sorry the ankle is still bothering you! I know that must be worrying this close to the marathon.

Paula -- whoohoo on the no-gain weekend! May you break new ground this week!

I finally saw a nice drop of 1.4 lbs... so I am at 112.8 today. I would LOVE to break 110 this week -- oh please oh please oh please! TOM is still very much happening -- I'd also love for that to stop now.

Wishing us all a good week!

[paulabob]

Subbing In! Great loss Mini!

[catjrow3]

Mornin ladies!!

I was down 1.2 this morning (1# fresh since I was up 0.2 yesterday) but glad for a drop this morning! Now its a new week should be good for some more losses!!! Bought candy I dont like for tonight so I will not be tempted. I also dont have little ones trick or treating anymore at home either!! Whoo hoo.. Lets lose big girls for our final push towards Thanksgiving!!!

Great job Minimo... we will cross our fingers and toes for 110 barrier this week..

Paula, great job on keeping the weight down this weekend. Now, lets all have a good week!!!

[tay65]

up .3 today....no big thing.
Hello to everyone! Have a good losing day!

[DisneyPrincess]

Marking my spot. I managed to stay away from the cookies I made with the kids. I will not eat the Halloween candy! Nope nope nope. I'll make Dh put it away after tonight so I won't get into it

[westiesam]

I stayed the same today too-- great losses and "stayed the sames" for everyone else!! Have a great hcg week everyone!

[Karlasmom05]

Good morning Ladies!!!
I'm new here.... My name is Kacey and I'm starting R2P2D1 today.....trying very hard to stay strong!! I had been doing Atkins for a few months with little or no success. This is my second round and I'm hoping it's a GREAT one! I ordered my Meridian pellets on Friday and it looks like I will be recieving them today. I had some drops left over from my last round, so I took those for my loading days and this morning as well. Will probably take first dose of pellets this evening.
I'm wondering, what protocols do you ladies follow? There are so many out there, it's quite overwhelming! I've dabbled around with 2 different ones and they seem to have worked out well. Just curious to see what has worked for you ladies....
Also I've been hearing alot of buzz about the Walden Farms products.... are they okay to use... I saw that one of the ingredients is sucralose (Splenda)...isn't this to be avoided??
Sorry for all the questions... just want to make this a successful round! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!! Have an AWESOME day girls!!!!

[catjrow3]

Originally Posted by Karlasmom05

Good morning Ladies!!!
I'm new here.... My name is Kacey and I'm starting R2P2D1 today.....trying very hard to stay strong!! I had been doing Atkins for a few months with little or no success. This is my second round and I'm hoping it's a GREAT one! I ordered my Meridian pellets on Friday and it looks like I will be recieving them today. I had some drops left over from my last round, so I took those for my loading days and this morning as well. Will probably take first dose of pellets this evening.
I'm wondering, what protocols do you ladies follow? There are so many out there, it's quite overwhelming! I've dabbled around with 2 different ones and they seem to have worked out well. Just curious to see what has worked for you ladies....
Also I've been hearing alot of buzz about the Walden Farms products.... are they okay to use... I saw that one of the ingredients is sucralose (Splenda)...isn't this to be avoided??
Sorry for all the questions... just want to make this a successful round! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!! Have an AWESOME day girls!!!!

I dont think any of us have a particular plan. Quite a few on this thread use the OWL program.. You can google owl and hcg to get more specifics, but otherwise, some just up the protein, some try off the rails things, some do fat fasts. There are no particulars. Its kind of see what works for you and go with it.. IF it does not work, try something else. Me, I eat salad, not a lot of meat, eggs occasionally, fat free fage yogurt and sugar free jello! No fruit really and no breadsticks... good luck with whichever plan you choose!!

[pugswin]

Hi All,

Caved in at my son's end of season BBQ yesterday and had a turkey dog.. and then they brought out chicken sausages.. and I had to ahve one of those too.

And TOM started

AND: up 1.5 lbs for the day, 2.5 for the weekend. Grrrrrrrrr 201.5 to start the week.

[minimonkey]

Welcome, Karlasmom! Yes, we all kinda do our own thing here -- and we experiment a lot.

Pugs -- I think TOM and the sodium from the sausage are probably the culprits -- bet that comes off in no time!

Great loss, Cathy --

Stay strong everyone -- candy is NOT worth it!

[minimonkey]

I had a clothing victory this morning -- went to grab a pair of jeans, and grabbed the wrong ones.... I thought -- well, I wonder how far these are from fitting.. maybe I will try them on -- they are one of my smaller pairs. They fit! Comfortably, too, and I wore them

So I am definitely smaller at this weight this time than I was before -- and I look a lot better too -- not so floppy and saggy.

I'm doing another regular p2 day -- tomorrow will definitely be a high fat day. I think my cals may end up a little over 1000 today, but I am not going to stress that. I can generally still lose if I go a little over 1000 -- it's just a bit slower. TOM is still raging, and that's making me feel a bit depleted -- so I had an extra serving of fage 0 and berries... not the end of the world.

That said, I would really, really like to see 110 this week! It's only 2.8 lbs away... I should be able to do that.

[minimonkey]

Oh, and for what it's worth... I eat enough Splenda that I should probably consider buying stock in the company that makes it...lol. It has never stalled me, at least that I can tell.

[tay65]

I use artificial sweetner too! A ton of it....Aspartame! Splenda gives me headaches, so I use that.
I ate turkey hotdogs in the beginning and I noticed they slowed me way down. So I stick to the beef hot dogs (fat free w/reduced sugar ketchup!).
I eat alot of things I'm not 'suppose' to eat! Like the hot dogs & ketchup, lots of cottage cheese, cauliflower, spray butter, low fat milk in my coffee, aspartame,..... I average 1/2 lb/day loss. I guess I'm lucky!
Happy Halloween!

[minimonkey]

Tay -- this is why we're rogues

I find that I lose pretty consistently as long as I keep the calories low -- doesn't much seem to matter what the calories come from, in my case.

I do find that sodium makes me retain water - I never realized I was that sensitive to it.

The high fat/low everything else days tend to give a slightly higher rate of loss for me than others, for whatever reason.

I'd probably lose faster if I did this by the book, but ....well, that isn't what I'm doing

You are having phenomenal losses with your current plan ... keep it up!

Oh -- and too much aspartame seems to trigger migraines for me, but Splenda is fine.... weird that way,

I am having another day where I feel I am dropping a lot of water, so I hope the scale agrees with me tomorrow. I am feeling hopeful that it will.

[minimonkey]

Man, I am chatty tonight -- or, more likely, procrastinating on getting work done.

I am seriously hungry this evening. I am going to ride it out and hope for a reward in the morning, but it is making me a bit cross.

I will be so darn glad when I finally hit goal and can move to p3! I suspect that may be more challenging than this round is turning out to be, but I am still looking forward to it.

Since I'd like to maintain at 105, I think I am going to shoot for 102 or even 100, to give myself a bit of bounce back room. That will extend this round undoubtedly, but I think I should still be there by the first of the year if I am diligent about it. I also may decide I don't want to go that low, but we'll see.

I'll deal with the holidays as they happen, and just roll with any stalls or gains that occur from unavoidable eating.

I am going to do a mega closet clean when goal happens, and alter all the clothes that don't fit properly.

[paulabob]

No loss after my Down Day - but my legs are a bit sore, and could be pretom water retention going on. Was a heck of a busy day yesterday - at least I slept great!

Then again my weight has been rock steady despite the ups and downs of JUDDD. My last 4 weigh-ins have been 128.8, and the 4 previous were 129.4. Sometimes I really get on a roll with steady numbers.

Congrats to all the losers, and sending virtual strength to all us maintainers (who want to lose!).

[catjrow3]

It will catch up Paula, you are doing great this week!! My TOM is due end of the week!! UGH!!

[pugswin]

quick stop in before I get working..

Was back at 199.0 today. Gave into the 8 pounds of halloween candy that the boys brought in and had three of my favorites. (Actually I only ate two of the three I chose, just realized) but skipped my protein on dinner.

I'm going to do a medical scale weigh before lunch and blood pressure check, will fill you all in on that tomorrow!

Yay November is here and our weather is still nice (sorry east coasters!)

[minimonkey]

Morning, ladies!

Paula -- sorry that scale isn't budging!

TOM is a bother isn't it, Paula and Cathy? Mine is still here, and has been heavy for the past couple of days ... dearly hoping that it finishes this cycle and actually stops for a bit -- all this bleeding is starting to take a toll I think.

Pugs -- even though you gave in to the candy, you practiced amazing restraint and compensation with it, and for that you get big kudos!

[HexaTheAmazon]

Originally Posted by minimonkey

I'm the early bird today, so I will kick this off.

Disney -- so sorry the ankle is still bothering you! I know that must be worrying this close to the marathon.

Paula -- whoohoo on the no-gain weekend! May you break new ground this week!

I finally saw a nice drop of 1.4 lbs... so I am at 112.8 today. I would LOVE to break 110 this week -- oh please oh please oh please! TOM is still very much happening -- I'd also love for that to stop now.

Wishing us all a good week!

Is that what you look like now??? What.. No Way... You go girl. I have started weight training with a professional body builder. It is tough for me to lean out because of the weight. Do you weight train on the HCG? I know that you eat more protein when you weight train. How does it go for you? Do you feel weak? We weight train three times per week and I hope the HCG will not affect it negatively. I have just restarted rounds. thanks

[minimonkey]

I saw another nice drop today -- down 1.2 lbs -- for 111.6!!! Yahoooo! Even with the endless TOM, this IS working.

I don't mind the hunger nearly so much if I am actually getting results. Breaking 110 this week is looking very, very possible (Of course, that is assuming I don't stall, or have another weird jump up on the scale, or what have you....)

I'm fitting into many of my goal clothes again -- that's doing a lot for my self esteem, which has been pretty fragile of late -- so I'll take it.

Still thinking I may be able to hit goal by Thanksgiving .. if not, certainly by the first of the year. Now that I am getting real results, my determination to finish this is back in full force.

[minimonkey]

Hexa -- Thanks!!

I am leaner now that I was in that photo -- and about 11 lbs lighter. I've retained most of my muscle mass, I think.... at least visually I have. I am sure I've lost some strength, but I am blessed in being able to gain muscle and strength pretty quickly in the grand scheme of things.

I haven't been able to keep up the weight training on p2, sadly -- I just get way too dragged out, and my body fights me all the way to keep every ounce of its fat when I am working out.

Once I hit p3, I am hitting the weights again, and hard! I miss my workouts terribly!!!!

[minimonkey]

Hexa, I hear you about the weight training vs. leaning out -- my body just wouldn't do it.

I was forced to take an exercise break due to a Lyme flare up, so I decided to use that as a chance to do a p2... and since the p2 is finally working to get rid of the fat I gained on my hcg-bulking experiment, I decided to finish the job.

From here on, I am going for the slow, slow bulk only -- I gained a lot of muscle while bulking, but I also gained fat that was super resistant to coming off... so no more of that for me! I'll train again in p3, and I will be very diligent about maintenance.

Very cool that you are training with a professional!!! Good luck on your round -- I hope you are able to do the p2 and keep up the training as well. Hope you keep posting here

[paulabob]

Originally Posted by minimonkey

TOM is a bother isn't it, Paula and Cathy? Mine is still here, and has been heavy for the past couple of days ... dearly hoping that it finishes this cycle and actually stops for a bit -- all this bleeding is starting to take a toll I think.

It really can make you anemic so take care!

TOM showed up a day early, so I'm pretty sure that's why the scale didn't budge after my protocol-ish day. Off to eat a nice filling lunch! And drink my green tea with a bit of shepherd's purse and cramp bark too.

[minimonkey]

I was thinking about the anemia potential, Paula -- my multivitamin has iron -- I hope that is sufficient.

You'll see a nice drop, I bet, once TOM gets rolling!

[Karlasmom05]

Hi there ladies!!
I'm so glad to read that some of you still use artificial sweetener and not just Stevia.... I can not stand the taste of it.... I still use a bit of Sweet n low...but I miss my Diet Cokes. I guess all I can do is try one and see if it affects my losses tomorrow. Why do people steer away from it anyway??Today is P2D2 for me.... I lost 1 lb. (not much, but I'll definitely take it). I could have sworn that I lost more the first time around...
@MiniMonkey...You look AWESOME girl!! I don't think I've ever had a bicep...LOL
If you ladies don't mind me asking, what type of HCG do you use? Drops or pellets? Has anyone tried Meridian Health labs?? Just started those yesterday. Hope they work just as well as the drops....!

Have an Awesome day!!!

[CherylB]

The most unlikely of my two options happened at around 0340. The power came back on!!!! I woke at 4 to a strange noise. The furnace was running! I looked to my right and the time was flashing on the VCR. I looked to the left and saw the nightlight glowing in the bathroom. PARTY TIME! I got up and prepared what logs were left smoldering in the fire so they could die down. As soon as it's safe to, I'm going to close the flew and be done with fires for a long while!

I unpacked the cooler and put everything back into the refrigerator. Turned the ice maker back on. Checked the freezer foods and everything but a package of hot dogs were still frozen. Then I got busy dismantling my battle station on the floor. I'm currently back in my bedroom and I couldn't be any happier than I am right now.

What a relief! No motel and wasted money! No boarding the dog and staying with my Mom (that was an option she mentioned late last night.)

So, I flushed all toilets and ran water in all sinks and showers. No frozen pipes! I've never been so happy to have electricity in my entire life, girls. And to be back on the computer is AMAZING!

I will regroup on the diet situation and see how I should proceed now. I may just wait until January and not stress-out over when I actually hit goal. I just need a clear window to do this in, and there isn't one now. Well, I need to think it through and I'll do that today.

In the meantime, just know how thankful I am for all your prayers and well-wishes! I'm sure they helped to resolve the situation here sooner than it would have been. And God Bless all those who have been slaving to get power restored all over this state!

I need to work on the tree limb removal now and getting snapped tree/bush sections cut. I don't want to be looking at that carnage for the rest of my time here. Looks like it's time to oil up the electric chain saw and drag out the ladder. The snow is melting during the daytime. Temps get up into the 50's so hopefully the snow will all be gone by the end of the week.

Thank you again so much for your support and concern!

[CherylB]

Wow, ladies! I'm just getting caught up on my threads and so I'm just reading the things you wrote to me while I was out of touch. Thanks so much! I am BAAAACKKKKK! Trying to get caught up on mulitple threads but wanted to say hello.

(Posted these on the old thread. I'm out of touch!) Give me time and I'll be back to normal again!

[minimonkey]

CHERYL!!!!!!!!!!! Thank G-d you are ok! I think a lot of us were worried about you, sweetie!!