Rogues and Alternatives, week of 12/5

[minimonkey]

Look, I got the month right AGAIN!

[star a.d.]

yay! hehehe!

marking my spot!

P3 is a trip. I still can't believe I haven't put on any weight.

[Gremom]

marking my spot too! Heading off to bed.

[minimonkey]

You are doing so great, Star! I'm thrilled for you!

I did start TOM, so that explains a lot of things (mood, migraines, gain, cravings).... and I am going to be completely virtuous from here on in (I do much better once it starts) so that I can have a nice drop when the weight comes off.

I think this is going to be a good week for us ladies -- it's just a hunch, but it's a hunch I like, and I say we make it a reality

[paulabob]

Subbing in, off to bed! Taking all supplements needed to help me sleep past 3 am.

Night roguers!

[minimonkey]

I just had a nice thought ... (and, yes, I am totally stalling on doing more writing, lol...)

When I went through my closet and tried everything on, I actually had PMS... so that means maybe I am a little closer to my size goal than I think. Wow, it's the little things that make me happy sometimes!

Although I am not so happy with myself for caving and eating earlier, I must say that it feels really, really nice not to be hungry tonight ... so I am going to be grateful for that part of it.

Night, all, and I hope you all sleep well and have wonderful dreams.

[tay65]

marking my spot! G'Nite!

[star a.d.]

Originally Posted by minimonkey

You are doing so great, Star! I'm thrilled for you!

thank you!

I'll be surprised if TOM doesn't show up on monday or tuesday. and I had fruit today AND got super close to my caloric goal, so I'm nervous to weigh tomorrow. if tom shows up, and/or I don't get much sleep tonight...yeeesh.

[DisneyPrincess]

Good morning.

Mini- I'm glad TOM explains some things for you. You'll have to try on your jeans all over when it's gone

Nice work star! You are handeling p3 so well

Good morning everyone else. I didn't weight this morning as I'm not feeling good and I'm super sore from my weekend workouts. Hopefully I'll see a nice number when I do weigh next.

My aim for the week is to get under 110, so that 2.7 pounds. Totally achievable! I'm ready to see some changes here!

Let's make this a good one ladies!

[ggg]

I am taking shots- 3xs a week at a clinic. I am trying the alternative method and I am on my second round P2. I weighed in at 157.4 this morning. My first cycle I lost about 5lbs a week. I am interested to see how much I will lose this week. My plan for today is:

B- watermelon
L- salad with small amount of cheese, chicken, and boiled egg whites, light ranch dressing, diet Dr. Pepper
D- chicken thigh, broccoli

Crossing my fingers that the scale will go down!
Have a great Monday!
Jen

[paulabob]

Good morning! Down .6 of 3.8 bump. Today is a CD - doing a variant I've done before, meat egg & cheese (very little cheese). That way I can have my big breakfast aka leptin reset style. Very light protein lunch, and STEAK for dinner.

Can I just say I hate breakfast? Or I should say I hate eggs. But they are so filling I know I need them to keep cravings down. If I tried a bacon breakfast I could eat the whole pack.

[minimonkey]

Good morning, Ladies!

Good luck with your correction day, Paula -- you're already dropping weight, so that is a great start -- and may the rest of it drop off too

Disney --sorry to hear you aren't feeling well You can totally break 110 this week -- I have every faith in you on that one.

GGG-- glad you are posting with us! Hope the alternative plan is great for you and that you lose as well as you did the first round.

I am staying off the scale this morning .... I got way too little sleep, and with TOM here the number would be meaningless anyhow... I will weigh when TOM is really rolling, and I've had a good night's sleep. In the mean time, I am going to be very, very careful with diet -- today is a fat-fast day for me -- shooting for an absolute maximum of 1000 calories.

I am not going to worry about re-trying jeans, lol -- but hopefully I will be surprised when I do put them on and they are looser than I expect. I'm going in for baggy and warm in the clothing department anyhow -- it's cold today!

This is my big race to the finish line with work for the semester, and I am starting the week quite tired... but once this week is over, I'll be in a much less stressful situation, at least for a little while (at least G-d willing!)

I am looking forward to my high fat breakfast ... I'd think my breakfast habit alone would have reset my leptin by now... but I don't eat paleo, so I am not following that protocol at all, really.

[PenPen13]

Good morning ladies
Quick question: what other food items can you do for a stall besides the apple? My bestfriend is P2VLC7 and has been stuck for 4 days at the same weight and is ready to kill! Can we do eggs or chicken thighs? I know you can do them for a correction day but what about to break a stall? Any other suggestions? She has been really good about her eating and drinking. I am at a loss about what advice to give her.
thanks!!

[paulabob]

Originally Posted by PenPen13

Good morning ladies
Quick question: what other food items can you do for a stall besides the apple? My bestfriend is P2VLC7 and has been stuck for 4 days at the same weight and is ready to kill! Can we do eggs or chicken thighs? I know you can do them for a correction day but what about to break a stall? Any other suggestions? She has been really good about her eating and drinking. I am at a loss about what advice to give her.
thanks!!

I've never done it but heard of a mini-steak day. You skip lunch, and eat a 7 ounce steak with tomato or apple for dinner.

To be honest I never did any stall buster during a round. Simeons says you can if you feel the psychological need to break the stall, but no harm in waiting it out. I guess I thought the brutality of the apples was worse than seeing the same # on the scale.

[minimonkey]

Penpen --

The only protocol approved stall breaker is an apple day -- but some of us have done protein days, egg days, or high fat days with success. 4 days is not a long stall, however... ( although it may seem like it while on vlcd) -- and you are always taking a risk by breaking the rules.... if she can stand to wait it out, that is what I would suggest.

Rogue plans can backfire at times, so if she does one of those variants, it is at her own risk...

I find combining the Atkins fat fast with hhcg to work really well for me, as long as I only do it occasionally. Other people gain doing that ...

[minimonkey]

Okay, one meal eaten, and it is calorie free for the rest of the day for me! I may have come in a bit high on the calories (fat adds up really fast!) but I think as long as I keep it to a fast for the rest of the day, I'll still be good for a loss. I'm basing this on past experience, but it isn't foolproof.

I'll be happy if I can emerge from this week at 109-ish or lower-- I'm not going to push the losses for the next few days, but am hoping at least for maintenance of my pre-TOM-gain weight, and I can resume losing in earnest on Friday when the stresses ease up.... there will be a lot of goodie dodging this week, with end of semester festivities... and I am happy if I just stay on my own plan.

I'm going to try lowering the hhcg dose today too and see if that helps the hunger -- it might, given how easy my two pellet free days were before my refeed.

Tomorrow I will go back to a combination of fat and protein, and I will drop the calories significantly if my hunger levels are minimal.

Have a good one, lovelies!

[minimonkey]

I did one apple day in round 1 -- it was miserable, really... and I love apples. I was hungry and my blood sugar was unstable from all the fructose... I lost a pound, but regained it immediately, and have had no desire to repeat the experience.

[Gremom]

Morning!

I am up 1.5 today. Not surprised. PMS always puts on 3-5lbs and I am feeling the bloat. Wasn't going to weigh, but whatever, I didn't gain 1.5lbs of fat overnight. I think TOM will probably come by the weekend, so I may not weigh this week. And then next Monday I am having wisdom teeth yanked. Thinking this won't be a fun couple of weeks.

We have our last home study meeting for our adoption tonight and it is at our house, so I am off to do some more tidying before the kids get home from school and mess it up again!

Hope you feel better DP! Glad you know that TOM was messing with you mini. BBL!

[minimonkey]

Gremom -- ouch, about the teeth! I hope that goes smoothly and that you feel a lot better for having it done.

And I hear you about TOM and weight.... there's just not much we can do about it but know that it is temporary, and keep sticking to our plans. I think your attitude is a good one.

I am likely staying off the scale this week too, since it just messes with my head if I weigh while I am bloated, and it tells me very little about what is really going on in my body.

I just need to make sure that I don't use this as an excuse to keep going off plan -- I don't mind that my fat-fast meal was perhaps a tad high in calories, as long as I honestly keep it to that for the day, which I feel confident that I can do -- I'm hoping that not only boosts my metabolism a bit, but also kicks me into ketosis and helps kill hunger for the rest of the week.

I'll shoot for a weigh in on Friday, if TOM is on the way out by then... if not, it may be the weekend for the weigh in. If this week is a wash on the scale, but a victory on the academic front, that is good enough for me.

[minimonkey]

Okay, one last post and cup of coffee... and then I am really getting dressed and leaving for the day

It looks like I have very little in terms of holiday meals to schedule around this month ... we aren't doing much for the holidays due to illnesses in both mine and my partner's families (my mom is recovering from shingles, and his sister from cancer surgery).

Thank you all for your prayers for his sister! The surgery went as well as could possibly have been hoped -- the surgeons removed 40% of the pancreas and a bit of surrounding lymph tissue, but no other organs. The tumor was cancerous, so she will be going through chemo, and probably radiation as well, but she is recovering better than expected from the surgery itself.

So, in terms of dietary roadblocks, I only have one day that I need to plan.... there will be one day around the first of the year that we celebrate my birthday, my mom's birthday, and a combined holiday all at once.

If some miracle occurs and I am at goal by then, I'll simply do a p3 day and call it good... my mom is so used to my wacky diets that nothing phases her anymore in that regard, and I've been low carb for years, so that is old hat.

I'm thinking that if I am not at, or very near, goal by the end of the month, it'll be time for a couple of weeks of p3 in any event ... and I can resume p2 after that for the last few lbs....

The sheer amount of time it is taking to reach goal is forcing me to develop some patience, which is not a bad thing in the grand scheme of things. I'll be able to maintain my losses more easily, I suspect, than if they were happening more quickly -- and it gives my brain time to catch up with my changing body.

Okay, morning introspection and think-out-loud session over -- I am off to face the day.

Thanks to all of you lovely people for being my sounding board for everything that is on my mind... I don't have anyone else I can bounce this off, and it is helpful to put it out there somewhere....

[MaryMouse49]

Hi everyone, been so busy at work haven't had time to post. I had a few bad days around thanksgiving, but back on track, down to 164.4 today, trying to get to 150s in 2 weeks before company comes. I have a question, can I stay on p2 ish till xmas eve and day and either refeed or load on those 2 days without going into p3 three at all. I know I will not be on program those 2 days, to much cooking and company, thanks for any help. Mary

[paulabob]

Originally Posted by MaryMouse49

I know I will not be on program those 2 days, to much cooking and company, thanks for any help. Mary

I think it's better to think of it as a short/small refeed - if you load it would definitely take longer to get rid of the weight. So hard to stay on any sane program with holiday cooking involved!

Nice to see you again!

Sorry all the ladies where TOM is kicking your butt! Hate water gains!

[CherylB]

Here we go! Took notes from last page of last thread and all of the new posts on new thread and I have my work cut out for me.

Firstly, Marymouse, I'm not sure what you're asking. You want to do P2 up until Chrismas Eve and then go off plan completely for two days ("not do P3 at all") but then I'm not sure what you plan to do. Go back on P2 to complete the round?

Mini, that's great news about his sister's surgery! Thank you, Lord! Looks like she's got a very tough road ahead of her. I hope that her recovery and response to chemo and radiation (if they do that too) goes perfectly.

You say that you are used to do LC. When I do Atkins, it naturally supresses my appetite. I hardly have the desire to eat at all when in Ketosis. Have you considered just doing Atkins while taking the pellets? Those two methods combined might kick your hunger to the curb once and for all.

Who is it that said they are doing Atkins on hcg right now? I'm so . But she's doing great on that plan! Why not give it a full week and see how you feel and how the losses go?

DP, I love my new TM! I am in awe that I got it basically for free. (The elliptical was something I got for free on Freecycle, so trading it for the TM makes it also FREE!) I'm sorry you are sore today but that means you worked out hard. Hope you feel better very soon. Recover!

Cathy, thanks for the tips on TM maintenance. I looked online for a downloadable manual but can't find one for this model. It's a Proform 350. I did find a few things online where they are on sale (Amazon has a used one for the ridiculous price of almost $700 but other reviews make it sound like they cost $400 when new.) Little by little I'm learning about the TM. I love it, no matter what. It's like new! The belt is fine. I did a little jogging on it last night to test it and there was no slippage. I just think it might need a little oiling.

Alaska, I TOLD YOU SO! I knew you'd make it to the 140's before you ran out of drops! You still have the hcg in our system over the two VLCD's ahead, so maybe you'll get a little more of a cushion to be able to maintain in the 40's! Wooohoooo!

Stephanie, you get a monthly massage? OMG. I'd love to set up an appointment like that. Actually, a massage is on my list of things to reward myself with when I get to goal. That and a brand new mattress and box spring.

An hour on the TM for your son sounds like a lot to start out at. Is he into things like shooting hoops? Places like Freecycle (online, a group in your area) often have stuff like that. Just join and place a "wanted" ad for a portable driveway basketball hoop. That would be great exercise for him too, but be more likely something he'd enjoy.

I never experienced foot numbness on the gym ellipticals and the manual one I had was so hard for me to do that I was never on it long enough to get numb! But I do love the plug-in models of ellipticals. I think they are great machines.

I always keep taking my pellets on schedule when I do a refeed day. (You asked about that.) If you were doing a true Interruption, I'd go off the pellets.

Paula, what is an "SI Joint"? Can't figure that one out. If you hate eggs, for goodness sake, stop eating them! There must be something else you can eat that will give you the same hunger control. Are you one of the people who enjoy GY? How about Cottage Cheese? I enjoy just noshing on a 1-2 oz chunk of cheddar cheese (when LC-ing.)

(Getting there! Page two of my notes)

Stacey, thanks for the happiness for me about the new TM. I'm sorry you are tired of dieting, 3 weeks into the round. Been there! We all have. You get your second wind if you keep on plugging. Maybe change your menu up a bit and try some different things that would still work for the plan you are on.

You are so close to being ready for that adoption! You must be so excited! When will you actually get the child/children? Please keep us posted! And I hope all goes well with the Wisdom teeth extraction. (Are they wise teeth because they come in later in life? Strange name.)

Star, That bump up has a lot to do with the odd sleep you got last night, too. You said you didn't get in from seeing the band until 3 am. That alone would do it. Don't panic! Get a good night's sleep tonight and then reassess. You've really been doing well in P3! KUTGW!

Jen, I would be THRILLED for an average of 5 lbs/week in a round! Was that an average taking all lbs and dividing by the total weeks? Week one is always stellar, but then it peeters off terribly. So, the clinic that administers your shots says to eat watermelon? I always thought that was a high-glycemic-index fruit, like grapes.

Penpal, if your friend needs a P2 CD, she doesn't have to eat "6 apples." That's just the maximum we can eat. Sometimes I've only eaten 3 and I still drink black coffee with Ez Sweetz that day (ALL day). You are supposed to limit your water intake on an apple day, but the coffee doesn't seem to matter. I always lose after an apple day and I never rebound. Just have her eat her favorite apples. I'm persnickity about apples. Gala or no way!

I made it! All done and caught up! No more note-taking, just multi-quoting. Waste of good ink and notepad paper.

I'm down another 1.6 today (not counting the 0.4 that I was up yesterday.) (I wish the kicker wasn't kicked to the second page of smilies. I love him!) This is day 7 of VLCD, so today is really only my 6th weigh-in since finishing my load days. Tomorrow I will see what my one week tally really is. But already it's a new record!

I'm going to continue eating chicken breast cooked on the grill (oh, yeah! Need more propane) seasoned with s/p and cayenne, then dipped in WF BBQ sauce, steamed broccoli w/ ICBINB spray, and an occasional apple, black coffee w/ Ez Sweetz and water. Maybe an occasional diet soda. No grain is working great for me. In a way, this is a low-fat version of Atkins! (I'm also eating organic chicken! Think it might be helping.)

That's my menu, folks! That's all she wrote!

Have an excellent day and let's have a spectacular week! If I were to make a goal for this week, I would hope to be under 160 by the time we start our next thread. That's asking a lot of week 2, but anything is possible.

So, here it is! Typos and grammatical errors and all.

[DisneyPrincess]

Good afternoon. Ahhhh nap time! If only it meant I could nap. I have a bit of work to do today but wanted to check in.

Had a hearty meal of chicken and veggies with a little wild rice and a little ranch. I'm so full! I'm not going to eat again today except maybe a salad with dinner.

I think I'm going to start weaning off some caffeine as well as my creamer staring tomorrow. I'm drinking a lot of coffee and diet soda and it's just plain not good for me. It's going to be hard, but I'm thinking it might also move along my weight loss

Im really ready to break past this set point and stay down! Hoping this is my week to do it

[Violet_Dream]

Originally Posted by CherylB

Stephanie, you get a monthly massage? OMG. I'd love to set up an appointment like that. Actually, a massage is on my list of things to reward myself with when I get to goal. That and a brand new mattress and box spring.

An hour on the TM for your son sounds like a lot to start out at. Is he into things like shooting hoops? Places like Freecycle (online, a group in your area) often have stuff like that. Just join and place a "wanted" ad for a portable driveway basketball hoop. That would be great exercise for him too, but be more likely something he'd enjoy.

I never experienced foot numbness on the gym ellipticals and the manual one I had was so hard for me to do that I was never on it long enough to get numb! But I do love the plug-in models of ellipticals. I think they are great machines.

I always keep taking my pellets on schedule when I do a refeed day. (You asked about that.) If you were doing a true Interruption, I'd go off the pellets.

Several years ago, my sweet hubby got me a gift card for Massage Envy (they are a nationwide chain and have several locations in CT, btw). I was so hooked that I've now been a member for several years and it's very reasonably priced. Thanks for the suggestions to get our little guy active, we'll talk about that and I agree that an hour is a lot. I'd like to see my husband do an hour. I'm not sure if she shoots hoops at school - I'll have to ask him when he gets home. Can I call the interruption day a re-feed day? Do I have to do the two-days weaning off the pellets? I guess I'm a little confused. TY

Good Morning Friends! Thanks for getting us started mini! R3VLCD9 here and I'm down another .6. TOM is just about over and I've shed weight every single day during this time. This is usual for me and I'm grateful that I don't gain weight when I have it. Also, I'm back to exactly 60 pounds gone (all three rounds combined) so I got to change my avatar back!

It makes me feel pretty sad that after seven years with the same company - this is the first department that I've been in where there's so much negativity. Supervisors and lots of top performers have moved on and found things elsewhere. I am not leaving the company, but am still getting settled (been in dept. since July) and have no intentions of staying. I want out of leadership and am looking at this as a message that I moved here for a reason and this is what it took for me to realize this. Our 12 year-old son has more maturity than most of the adults that I feel I babysit on a daily basis. I work Tuesday-Saturday and am really dreading going back tomorrow (particularly because of the negative meetings I had last week). However, as I always say - for me the glass is truly half full and we all have choices.

It's all good, I AM grateful that I do have a job. Hope everyone is doing well and make it a wonderful day.

[paulabob]

Originally Posted by CherylB

Paula, what is an "SI Joint"? Can't figure that one out. If you hate eggs, for goodness sake, stop eating them! There must be something else you can eat that will give you the same hunger control. Are you one of the people who enjoy GY? How about Cottage Cheese? I enjoy just noshing on a 1-2 oz chunk of cheddar cheese (when LC-ing.)

I like all those things, but I know eggs quench my appetite so much better than anything else. I'm almost nauseated after eating them (not really, but you know what I mean?). I enjoy all those foods but I'm ready to snack after a couple hours on them, and the leptin reset protocol is no snacking.

SI joint - I think si stands for suprailiac. Those weird joints in your lower back that go crazy when you're in labor. For me, they are bad because I have a shortened right leg so there is uneven stress being placed on my joints. They are in pretty good shape now that most of the weight is off...still don't want those puppies inflamed, hurts like the dickens and standing/sitting/lying all uncomfortable.

I'm in awe at how you do personals Cheryl.

[catjrow3]

Marking my spot on the new thread!

Cheryl, glad it helped a little. Glad also its not slipping and does not need adjusting, thats great! Oil is a good thing... just not too often or it will slip then... Enjoy it!!

[star a.d.]

Originally Posted by minimonkey

I am staying off the scale this morning .... I got way too little sleep, and with TOM here the number would be meaningless anyhow... I will weigh when TOM is really rolling, and I've had a good night's sleep. In the mean time, I am going to be very, very careful with diet --

ME TOO. I barely slept last night (was too wound up after watching a couple of episodes of breaking bad), no TOM yet (but his messenger migraine has arrived...blah), and visible bloating. up 1 lb + change. still in my window, but not what I wanted to see.

I'll still weigh, but I totally support you in not.

man, this headache and lack of sleep is making me dough-headed today.

[CherylB]

Originally Posted by Violet_Dream

Several years ago, my sweet hubby got me a gift card for Massage Envy (they are a nationwide chain and have several locations in CT, btw). I was so hooked that I've now been a member for several years and it's very reasonably priced. Thanks for the suggestions to get our little guy active, we'll talk about that and I agree that an hour is a lot. I'd like to see my husband do an hour. I'm not sure if she shoots hoops at school - I'll have to ask him when he gets home. Can I call the interruption day a re-feed day? Do I have to do the two-days weaning off the pellets? I guess I'm a little confused. TY

Good Morning Friends! Thanks for getting us started mini! R3VLCD9 here and I'm down another .6. TOM is just about over and I've shed weight every single day during this time. This is usual for me and I'm grateful that I don't gain weight when I have it. Also, I'm back to exactly 60 pounds gone (all three rounds combined) so I got to change my avatar back!

It makes me feel pretty sad that after seven years with the same company - this is the first department that I've been in where there's so much negativity. Supervisors and lots of top performers have moved on and found things elsewhere. I am not leaving the company, but am still getting settled (been in dept. since July) and have no intentions of staying. I want out of leadership and am looking at this as a message that I moved here for a reason and this is what it took for me to realize this. Our 12 year-old son has more maturity than most of the adults that I feel I babysit on a daily basis. I work Tuesday-Saturday and am really dreading going back tomorrow (particularly because of the negative meetings I had last week). However, as I always say - for me the glass is truly half full and we all have choices.

It's all good, I AM grateful that I do have a job. Hope everyone is doing well and make it a wonderful day.

I would only call it an Interrupt if it was more than 2 days. And if 2 days or less, keep taking your hcg. Just keep motoring on through. If doing more than 2 days, ween off like you would at the end of a round (with 2 VLCD's off the hcg) then do P3. I guess if you were going full-on P4 or complete abandon, you could regain some of what you lost and have to lose those lbs again. Tricky business, this hcg stuff.

I googled that massage place and naturally, the three that are in CT are nowhere near me. It would defeat the purpose to get a massage and then fight traffic for 25 miles afterward. If I decide to do it, I'll go with the closest place to home.

I hope your son does enjoy shooting hoops. That would be fun for him and work his whole body. I'm always amazed at how hard it is to throw a basketball overhead. What a weakling I am!

Nice job on the 0.6 drop! Doing great so far. Hope you find a good niche to work in at your job. It makes no sense why one department would be such a mess when all the others never were. I agree. Leadership jobs SUCK. I was only in one (Case Manager in Hospice) and it was by far the toughest job I ever had. I prefer to begin and end my shift and not have anything waiting for me that was left unfinished the next day.

Originally Posted by paulabob

I like all those things, but I know eggs quench my appetite so much better than anything else. I'm almost nauseated after eating them (not really, but you know what I mean?). I enjoy all those foods but I'm ready to snack after a couple hours on them, and the leptin reset protocol is no snacking.

SI joint - I think si stands for suprailiac. Those weird joints in your lower back that go crazy when you're in labor. For me, they are bad because I have a shortened right leg so there is uneven stress being placed on my joints. They are in pretty good shape now that most of the weight is off...still don't want those puppies inflamed, hurts like the dickens and standing/sitting/lying all uncomfortable.

I'm in awe at how you do personals Cheryl.

Okay. I get it now! (SI). Thanks for the appreciation for the personals. It gets exhausting sometimes. Today I just feel completely wiped out from them. I'm about to keel over.

Originally Posted by catjrow3

Marking my spot on the new thread!

Cheryl, glad it helped a little. Glad also its not slipping and does not need adjusting, thats great! Oil is a good thing... just not too often or it will slip then... Enjoy it!!

I'll be careful not to make anything worse. I just wish I could locate an online manual to download.

My goal for the TM will be to walk 30 minutes twice a day. I want to incorporate turning the speed way down to 1 mph and do lunges for awhile to build up my legs, hips and buttocks. Will also strengthen my core. I will eventually throw in a few minutes of sprinting to push myself during the 30 minute sessions. That should get me going in a hurry! I also want to walk backwards slowly on it, maybe do the side-stepping on it and do something I've seen videos of that people hold themselves in a plank and walk on the treadmill with their hands.

[Violet_Dream]

Originally Posted by CherylB

I would only call it an Interrupt if it was more than 2 days. And if 2 days or less, keep taking your hcg. Just keep motoring on through. If doing more than 2 days, ween off like you would at the end of a round (with 2 VLCD's off the hcg) then do P3. I guess if you were going full-on P4 or complete abandon, you could regain some of what you lost and have to lose those lbs again. Tricky business, this hcg stuff.

I googled that massage place and naturally, the three that are in CT are nowhere near me. It would defeat the purpose to get a massage and then fight traffic for 25 miles afterward. If I decide to do it, I'll go with the closest place to home.

I hope your son does enjoy shooting hoops. That would be fun for him and work his whole body. I'm always amazed at how hard it is to throw a basketball overhead. What a weakling I am!

Nice job on the 0.6 drop! Doing great so far. Hope you find a good niche to work in at your job. It makes no sense why one department would be such a mess when all the others never were. I agree. Leadership jobs SUCK. I was only in one (Case Manager in Hospice) and it was by far the toughest job I ever had. I prefer to begin and end my shift and not have anything waiting for me that was left unfinished the next day.

Thanks Cheryl and congratulations to you on your success as well! Christmas Day will be my only "off" day so as you said, I will not stop the hhcg. When I get to goal, I'll probably eat very much like P3 for the rest of my life. I feel the best when I eat low carb and keep the pounds off. I'm also going to resume to 4-5 days per week of moderate to brisk exercise.

That's too bad about the massage place, I was hoping one of them was near you.

I know five team leads (my current position) who've gone back into production and three supervisors who've done the same (two of them were my actual supervisors back-to-back and one of them said how being a supervisor SUCKS). He was the happiest guy before we moved to this department and as each day passed, I could see he was getting more and more unhappy. He told me that he was given a laundry list of things to do that he couldn't get done, so we had to do them at home. I said that's ridiculous and if that were me, I'll tell them they could take a flying leap off a short pier. I was so happy in my old department (collections), but am just done and it is weird how unmanageable this department is compared to the other ones. Talk to you all later or tomorrow. Have a great rest of your day/evening.