Hcg Rogues and Alternatives 1/16/12

[minimonkey]

Sorry to hear you are sick, Melanie! Hope that passes very soon!

Mr. Scaley still hates me -- I am actually up again today, but can tell I am retaining water. I actually *look* thinner -- I'm definitely getting some reshaping going on, so I will try not to stress the scale too much, and stay the course.

No fast today -- I really don't have it in me... so it is a fat fast instead, which is just fine. If the new hhcg does work better, maybe this will get the scale moving.

I don't have to go anywhere tomorrow, so tomorrow may well be a fast day -- I need to go out to school today -- first day of the semester in the sculpture studio

I am not going to be deterred by a couple of pounds on the scale, no matter how frustrating they are. They'll come off eventually, or I will make peace with this being the lowest my body is willing to go... one or the other.

I'm not giving in without a fight, though... and I'm not done fighting yet. I'll definitely do a couple of fast days before I am willing to give up and take a break -- but I need to feel that the time is right, or it will just be miserable all around.

Hope you ladies all have a good day -- I will check in later this evening, I'm sure....

[star a.d.]

melanie, head cold high-fives. mine started to really kick in on friday, bad on saturday, really bad on sunday, better yesterday, and less good today. frustrating. I'm going to yoga tonight anyway. and am at work right now, sniffling to myself, hahaha! I'm replacing someone who is...off sick.

[Nicole T]

Originally Posted by star a.d.

melanie, head cold high-fives. mine started to really kick in on friday, bad on saturday, really bad on sunday, better yesterday, and less good today. frustrating. I'm going to yoga tonight anyway. and am at work right now, sniffling to myself, hahaha! I'm replacing someone who is...off sick.

Count me in too! Two of my three boys just had it and now it's starting with me. Took Zicam last night so I'm hoping I caught it early. I can say that I have NO desire to eat right now and yet my stomach feels like it's eating itself LOL

[star a.d.]

mini, I'm sorry the scale isn't being nice. how long have you been on this round now? seems unfair that it's still up!

[star a.d.]

Originally Posted by Nicole T

Count me in too! Two of my three boys just had it and now it's starting with me. Took Zicam last night so I'm hoping I caught it early. I can say that I have NO desire to eat right now and yet my stomach feels like it's eating itself LOL

what a drag! well...sickness misery loves company, right? I wish I'd taken this homeopathic stuff as soon as I realized that the little sore throat wasn't going away. stupid immune system. I wish it killed my appetite though, yesterday and today, I'm like "EAT ALL THE THINGS!".

[tay65]

Down .4 again today. Slowly losing, but I'm patient. A loss is a loss in my book.
Mini, sorry about the scale!

[tay65]

Originally Posted by star a.d.

melanie, head cold high-fives. mine started to really kick in on friday, bad on saturday, really bad on sunday, better yesterday, and less good today. frustrating. I'm going to yoga tonight anyway. and am at work right now, sniffling to myself, hahaha! I'm replacing someone who is...off sick.

Get Well Soon!

[agentventi]

Thanks everyone. You all are too nice! I def do not feel pretty or anything close to that but you all did make my day I used to want to look "skinny" but now I want to look "lean" more than skinny. It is just so hard to lose fat and not muscle. I may weigh less now but I for sure lost some muscle tone.

Scale was back up .08 today and I feel pretty bloated. Must be a water retention day. I also ate some of an all natural energy bar...probably shouldn't have but I am struggling to stay on plan this round and just want it to be over! One more week until p3. Yippy and then it is hard core workout time.

[minimonkey]

Star -- I have been on this round since the beginning/middle of August. I started at 123, and am now hovering in that 105-107 range. I really want to be at 100, or a little below that.

Talk about a long, torturous round! I haven't really taken a break to speak of during that time -- a couple of planned mini-refeeds, but that's it. No sugar. No starch. I fasted on Xmas and New Years weekends.

I've tried low fat, super low calories, higher fat, and so forth and so on... and I am just stalled out. My pattern at this point seems to be that I can drop three or four pounds, and then I stall for another three weeks... and it is getting old!

I'm giving this new bottle of hhcg a chance... and I think I will do a couple of fast days later in the week... but if that doesn't work, I think a p3 break is in order soon.

The one thing that is stopping me from doing that right now is that I am getting a lot of visual changes in my body -- my squooshy stomach is tightening up now, and my poor butt and thighs are like a water balloon I don't want to stop until that gooshy fat leaves, at the very least!

I am still losing inches... so progress is being made... but the process is trying my patience at this point.

I might return to protocol and see if that gets me anywhere at this point, if the fat fasting/fasting doesn't get the scale moving.

[RileyWorm]

count me in as one retaining water today too. ugggh almost painful bloating today! i think it was the 100 cal popcorn.
i was wondering if anyone would mind sharing exactly how they are 'rogue-ing' on hcg? i am following the omaha plan but wondering about other suggestions/alternatives.

)

[BaileysGirl]

Hi Roguers! I'm trying this b/c Star recommended it! Here's my menu for today is this fine?

B - cold apple, green mangosteen peach tea
S - about 100 cals worth of light popcorn
L - P2 turkey chili about 1 1/2 cups (not sure how much protein this is or calories)
D - taco salad made w/ ground beef & little salsa (I think I may only have about 2 oz of it left...What else can I do here?)
S - strawberries w/ truvia

Any recommendations? Tomorrow I'm making some chicken breasts. Thinking of just doing them w/ hot sauce and having cucumbers w/ those. That should last me the rest of P2 alternating between the chili, tuna & ground beef. I guess I should be eating 2 cans of tuna instead of the 1 now since if upping the protein? It would add an extra 120 cals. I have some frozen broccoli on hand as well. This time my veggies are mostly cucumbers, lettuce, had some greens & green beans but those are gone. I just can't take them "plain" w/o bacon grease. Should I skip the beef and do only turkey and chicken this last week?

[minimonkey]

Venti -- One more week to go-- yahoo!

Please be assured that you really are very pretty, and you already look pretty lean, too! a few weeks of working out and I think you will love the end result!

[minimonkey]

I still have the hardest time wrapping my head around the idea that I could be losing inches and not seeing it on the scale I've read the science... I know it is possible, but wow do those old number-demons still haunt me.

Off to face my day -- have a good one, everybody!

[star a.d.]

I'm still calling my scale Layne Scaley. hahahaha!

ok, that's only funny to alice in chains fans, but still.

[minimonkey]

Star -- thanks for providing the Alice in Chains reference ... I totally didn't get that.

I'd like to call my scale a few other things right now, but they would get auto-censored...lol!

[star a.d.]

hahaha, my scale gets a lot of verbal abuse from me too.

BG, keep us posted on your progress with the extra protein and popcorn!

[agentventi]

I thought I was the only one who talks to my scale, haha.

Thanks Mini for all your kind words.

Rielyworm-I add coconut oil in. About a tablespoon and a half a day. I also have eggs for breakfast so I am getting 3 servings of protein. (2 whites, one whole) Without the coconut oil I come in at about 630ish calories Most days I also do 3 servings of fruit but no melba. So that is how I "rogue" it

[RileyWorm]

Originally Posted by agentventi

I thought I was the only one who talks to my scale, haha.

Thanks Mini for all your kind words.

Rielyworm-I add coconut oil in. About a tablespoon and a half a day. I also have eggs for breakfast so I am getting 3 servings of protein. (2 whites, one whole) Without the coconut oil I come in at about 630ish calories Most days I also do 3 servings of fruit but no melba. So that is how I "rogue" it

This is about what I do. I have eggs for breakfast (usually 1 hardboiled); I also only eat one fruit, but I add in H/H in my coffee. I usually stay away from the toasts but tried popcorn last night. I figured that I am close to around 700 calories but it varies. I have to change it up alot so I don't get bored. I have been losing just as well on this method, too (so far, fingers crossed!)

Just wanted to see if I was kindof on par with the rest of y'all.

Thanks for the response!

[RileyWorm]

Originally Posted by BaileysGirl

Hi Roguers! I'm trying this b/c Star recommended it! Here's my menu for today is this fine?

B - cold apple, green mangosteen peach tea
S - about 100 cals worth of light popcorn
L - P2 turkey chili about 1 1/2 cups (not sure how much protein this is or calories)
D - taco salad made w/ ground beef & little salsa (I think I may only have about 2 oz of it left...What else can I do here?)
S - strawberries w/ truvia

Any recommendations? Tomorrow I'm making some chicken breasts. Thinking of just doing them w/ hot sauce and having cucumbers w/ those. That should last me the rest of P2 alternating between the chili, tuna & ground beef. I guess I should be eating 2 cans of tuna instead of the 1 now since if upping the protein? It would add an extra 120 cals. I have some frozen broccoli on hand as well. This time my veggies are mostly cucumbers, lettuce, had some greens & green beans but those are gone. I just can't take them "plain" w/o bacon grease. Should I skip the beef and do only turkey and chicken this last week?

Your menu sounds good to me - I eat beef at least every other day, but mostly every day! I get sick of chicken so quickly. I have had no problems eating beef this often. I also don't always weigh portions - like your chillii- portion sounds good to me! I mix veggies so I would throw in a little onion and more tomatoes to my taco salads - I even dollopped with FF Greek yogurt - YUM! And I hear you about the veggies - I miss butter!!!!

[Trishagrrl]

Hi all! I've gotten behind again. I did want to say kudos to you guys for posting pics. You look really good!

I'm feeling really discouraged. I gained a couple of pounds a couple of days ago and I'm up AGAIN today! So, on VLCD15 I'm only down 2 pounds from my pre-load weight. Frustrated? YUP. I really don't know what to do. If I'm breastfeeding and not dieting, I just put on weight like crazy. Yet, it's SO hard to eat like this and see such pathetic weight loss.

[star a.d.]

FF greek yogurt as sour cream = totally works in a pinch!

[RileyWorm]

Originally Posted by star a.d.

FF greek yogurt as sour cream = totally works in a pinch!

Yes it does! I hate to keep both on hand because it takes forever to get through one container when you're HCG'ing.

[minimonkey]

Trisha --

I just want to send you a hug... I hear your frustration, and I hope it gets better for you soon!

[mdolph]

Yep, head cold and retaining water. Fun times! I'm up 3 pounds from my morning weight. Normally they are about the same. I took some cold medicine and I can't believe how hard it hit me. Now if only I could actually go to bed instead of giving kids baths, doing homework and making lunches. Yeah, DH is less than helpful today!

[paulabob]

Hope everyone's day has improved. I've definitely been a moody mess today. Tomorrow will be better...will be out of the house, that's always great for a good dieting day and my mood. Wednesday's are supposed to be my regular maintenance day, but I'll stay low cal since Mon/Tue were ... let's just say IFFY. (1360 and 1000 calories instead of my goal, 600 calories). What to bring to work? guess I'll go poach some fish before I go to bed.

I'm leaning towards buying a new bottle of hhcg since I'm not using it now. I really didn't have this problem in November when I went without it. But ya know, things change.

[CherylB]

I really don't have the energy or desire to do this, but I started multi-quoting before equine care and finished it after I got back home. I'll see how much I can get accomplished.

Originally Posted by minimonkey

Cheryl -- chronic anxiety is largely mediated by stress hormones... and for a lot of us, the system is in a constant state of over-activation, meaning that all kinds of chemicals (like histamine) can be released as a result.... histamine causes hives.

Not all hives are stess related, but it certainly is possible for anxiety to cause them... it isn't "in your head" though... it's in your body ... the body reacts physically to the stress, and releases chemical messengers, that then cause hives.

Stress is an immune destroyer, too -- so a compromised immune system is a lot less able to combat imbalances.

My disability is anxiety-related. If it could be treated or even resolved by hormones, bring it on! I could really use a nurse's paycheck again. I think I want to have the cortisol spit test done again. I don't think I did them at the right times last time. I'd do it differently this go-round.

Originally Posted by minimonkey

Melanie -- whoohooo on the eating and the no purging! Now that deserves a round of applause

It'll get easier, once you get used to eating again... that is something that this protocol really distorts... our sense of what is "normal." Realistically, there's nothing "normal" at all about eating 500 or 800 calories a day, even for most dieters. Following that, it is really difficult to eat anything like normal portions and not feel as if one is gorging.

I felt the opposite as you on this one because I usually only ate one meal a day (not counting when I'd eat an apple or the 100 calorie popcorn.) It showed me what a portion really was.

Originally Posted by mdolph

I think that is where part of my problem lies Mini. I've been doing so low calorie for so long or fat fasting where calories come easily in a small portion of food so eating somewhat normal seems like a binge to me. I do not vomit with every meal or every day for that matter. There is a definate pattern of it on the weekends and holidays or when we eat at an all you can eat buffet like tonight. The difference is that during the week I plan every morsel of food and stick with it. I prepare meals ahead of time, pack lunches or know where to eat and what to keep my calories and carbs in check. On the weekends I let the kids and the hubster make those decisions. Its an entire loss of control for me that sends me over to crazytown.

The person who is training me told me I need to consume 2000 calories a day minimum as I will be burning 1000 calories a workout easily. Does that seem right to you? I figured I burn 750 calories on a normal run for me (45 minute run) so I'm guessing it would be possible to burn 1000 calories in a one hour personal training session? Anyway, the thought of 2000 calories a day seems crazy to me right now. I've got a month to wrap my head around it!

Cheryl, I loved your swimming analogy. You were right on with that! You should put that in your siggy!

That makes sense that at the times when you have less control over what you have to choose to eat that you would exercise control in purging. 2000 calories sounds like a lot to me, even if you are working out hard. I'd play that by ear, IYKWIM. That's a big jump for someone like you. See how hungry you get and see how your energy level is, and then go up from there.

I may put that swimming analogy in my siggy if I can put it into a concise phrase. It's amazing how a visual can really work to keep you focused. My sis Donna uses one of a cat clinging to a tree. Between the cat and the tree is a calendar page for that day. Then there's a dog waiting for the cat to jump down and eat him. I find it really funny but it works for her. I told her if that was me, my cat would jump down and kick that dogs @$$! I guess the calendar being pinned to the tree by the cat's claws also gives her the visual of the page drifting to the ground if the cat gives up the fight.

Originally Posted by minimonkey

I'm wondering something.... if it turns out that my new bottle of drops works wonders... do you think I need to do a full 21 days of them, or just stop when/if I hit goal, or stall out next?

The point is probably moot -- I'll probably lose a few, and then stall again -- but what if I don't? What if they end up working and I really start losing?

Just a thought.

I won't know much till after the fast anyhow -- that is pretty much a guaranteed loss of at least a couple of pounds.

NO. Good grief, Mini! You said yourself that you've been doing this since August.

Originally Posted by paulabob

I'm so far behind...had some computer problems. They are finally fixed!

Agentventi- you look great! If I had that body I would stop there and run around in a bikini 24/7. Everything mini said made sense to me, so do what you want without stress!

Having a hard time with my plan...let emotions get the better of me yesterday. Sometimes wish I were single. Started taking my kelp powder again, after two months of 24 day cycles (and wanting it's hormonal regulating effects). Maybe it's worked too well, I'm on day 29. Now I don't want it to come...will be on my feet all day tomorrow.

Everyone have a great day!

Computer problems suck! Glad they are behind you now. I'm sorry you are struggling lately. I hear the "wishing sometimes you were single." When I wasn't single, and I was truly and deeply miserable, I realized that there were far worse things than being alone. After my husband finally passed away (after years of illness,) I just didn't have it in me to try again. I'll likely be alone until my dying day. I'm fine with that because I value peace and control. I hope whatever it is that is making you feel like this passes soon.

Originally Posted by lunagirl704

I've been offline all weekend...busy with family stuff so I see i have a lot to catch up on!! I'm taking a one week break from the hhcg and just eating low carb...lots of protein, veggies and healthy fat. I was very discouraged by maintaining and maybe it's too early to interrupt it but I think it's what I need. I will properly load 1/21 and 1/22 (not looking forward to it but I didn't load last time...will keep the carbs low and eat fats) and start Intermountain drops on Monday 1/23. I'm thinking (hoping) maybe the pellets I was using were off, as I was hungry all the time and there was no loss. Here's to trying again....

And here's to a great week!

I hope your interrupt works for you; either physically or mentally! That sucks when you are fighting constant hunger on P2. I could never have survived if that happened to me.

Originally Posted by Nicole T

VLCD 15 and stayed the same today--totally fine and expected since I dropped .8 yesterday. It's funny--now that I hit my low from last round (165--pretty much my ideal weight), I feel no pressure to get to 160. It's so nice not to look at the scale and feel bummed for the rest of the day. If it happens by next Sunday, great, if it doesn't, I'll be happy at 163 or so too

Did you want 160 to give you some wiggle room? Whatever you decide to do, as long as you are happy, we are behind you!

Originally Posted by mdolph

Blah, being sick sucks ass! I have a head cold. I NEVER get sick. I'll get a scratchy throat and then wake up fine. I had the chills so bad today and my skin hurts. For me that indicates water retention. Sure enough ring won't go on. I did have a drop on the scale- one pound from yesterday, but if I was a betting woman I'd imagine it'll be back tomorrow. I broke down and took some cold medicine. I had to be at work today so you do what you gotta do, right?

No personals for now. I need to veg for a few here at my fav. coffee shop and move onto another site today!

I had two bad colds so far this season and I'm not one to get sick often, either. I'm a big baby when I get sick and there's no one around to take care of me or to run to the store, etc. In fact, that's one of the times in my life when I wish I wasn't single. I hope you feel better fast!

Originally Posted by star a.d.

melanie, head cold high-fives. mine started to really kick in on friday, bad on saturday, really bad on sunday, better yesterday, and less good today. frustrating. I'm going to yoga tonight anyway. and am at work right now, sniffling to myself, hahaha! I'm replacing someone who is...off sick.

You get better fast, too!

Originally Posted by Nicole T

Count me in too! Two of my three boys just had it and now it's starting with me. Took Zicam last night so I'm hoping I caught it early. I can say that I have NO desire to eat right now and yet my stomach feels like it's eating itself LOL

Dang it! I hope the Zicam helps to nip it in the bud.

Originally Posted by star a.d.

what a drag! well...sickness misery loves company, right? I wish I'd taken this homeopathic stuff as soon as I realized that the little sore throat wasn't going away. stupid immune system. I wish it killed my appetite though, yesterday and today, I'm like "EAT ALL THE THINGS!".

Feed a cold, starve a fever. Drown everything!

Originally Posted by agentventi

Thanks everyone. You all are too nice! I def do not feel pretty or anything close to that but you all did make my day I used to want to look "skinny" but now I want to look "lean" more than skinny. It is just so hard to lose fat and not muscle. I may weigh less now but I for sure lost some muscle tone.

Scale was back up .08 today and I feel pretty bloated. Must be a water retention day. I also ate some of an all natural energy bar...probably shouldn't have but I am struggling to stay on plan this round and just want it to be over! One more week until p3. Yippy and then it is hard core workout time.

You're very attractive! Even without makeup. Happy for you that P3 is just around the corner. It's really hard to stay the course when your heart isn't in. (I KNOW ALL ABOUT THAT.)

Originally Posted by BaileysGirl

Hi Roguers! I'm trying this b/c Star recommended it! Here's my menu for today is this fine?

B - cold apple, green mangosteen peach tea
S - about 100 cals worth of light popcorn
L - P2 turkey chili about 1 1/2 cups (not sure how much protein this is or calories)
D - taco salad made w/ ground beef & little salsa (I think I may only have about 2 oz of it left...What else can I do here?)
S - strawberries w/ truvia

Any recommendations? Tomorrow I'm making some chicken breasts. Thinking of just doing them w/ hot sauce and having cucumbers w/ those. That should last me the rest of P2 alternating between the chili, tuna & ground beef. I guess I should be eating 2 cans of tuna instead of the 1 now since if upping the protein? It would add an extra 120 cals. I have some frozen broccoli on hand as well. This time my veggies are mostly cucumbers, lettuce, had some greens & green beans but those are gone. I just can't take them "plain" w/o bacon grease. Should I skip the beef and do only turkey and chicken this last week?

Only suggestion I have is don't estimate! Weigh your raw meat and know what you are eating. This diet is very particular and if you find that things aren't going as well as you hoped, you need to know exactly what you're taking in so you can adjust cals up or down to see what works best for you.

I don't know what that "green peach tea" is but it sounds like it comes from a bottle, ready to drink. Be careful because they put flavor-enhancing chemicals and msg in so many things! I am very sensitive to those things and you might be, too.

Originally Posted by Trishagrrl

Hi all! I've gotten behind again. I did want to say kudos to you guys for posting pics. You look really good!

I'm feeling really discouraged. I gained a couple of pounds a couple of days ago and I'm up AGAIN today! So, on VLCD15 I'm only down 2 pounds from my pre-load weight. Frustrated? YUP. I really don't know what to do. If I'm breastfeeding and not dieting, I just put on weight like crazy. Yet, it's SO hard to eat like this and see such pathetic weight loss.

Oh, that sucks! What are you eating and drinking? I remember you talked about this before, about not losing while nursing your babies. Maybe if you are rogue, you should try to be closer to protocol. We can help!

Originally Posted by mdolph

Yep, head cold and retaining water. Fun times! I'm up 3 pounds from my morning weight. Normally they are about the same. I took some cold medicine and I can't believe how hard it hit me. Now if only I could actually go to bed instead of giving kids baths, doing homework and making lunches. Yeah, DH is less than helpful today!

I think when you are sick like that, your hubby needs to take up the slack. I mean, isn't that what love is? Being the strong one when the other one is weak? Maybe you need to pull rank tonight.

I'm so tired and I'm glad I made it to the end of this post!

[minimonkey]

Evening, ladies. Just checking in -- I ended up staying at home and taking care of a lot of paperwork that needed done today -- getting ready to launch into the semester's craziness. Hangin' with the fat fast today, though I'm finding myself struggling not to eat more... it isn't exactly hunger, but not exactly not-hunger either.

Still toying with the idea of fasting tomorrow -- we'll see if I have it in me. Today is just one of those "tired of dieting" days -- you all know that feeling, I know.

I will be back on the run at the end of this week, and keeping busy -- maybe the additional hustle and bustle will make the next few weeks a little easier on the dieting front. One can hope, right?

[CherylB]

Equine care went fine. It's so weird because the weather is different everytime I go there and I'm finding out things that I'd have never known. Such as, today there was a little layer of snow on the ground but it was warm enough for the ground not to be frozen. Cleaning up the paddocks went so much easier! The snow slicked up the ground and made everything easier to rake up. Only thing was the total weight of the wet hay and stuff was extra hard to lift up into the wheelbarrow. I cleaned two paddocks and then decided I was done with that particular chore.

I noticed one of the goats not acting her usual ravenous self when I went to give she and her mother their evening grain. I reported the problem to the girl who is the only one of us making money and I don't think she really took me seriously. She said it was probably due to there being a little urine in the bucket that I poured the grain into. I noticed that her "vent" was also dirtier than normal. Goats drop little pellets of poop so even if she had diarrhea, I don't see how her hind end could have looked that dirty.

So I took their grain buckets and washed them out, and we gave the one that was acting strangely another cup of grain. I held her mother's collar so she wouldn't suck it all down herself. She did end up eating her grain the second time, so maybe the hired hand knew what she was talking about. I am going to send an email to the equine manager anyway, just to see what she thinks and so she can keep an eye out for more signs of illness, too.

The black bunny that likes to be loved is named Bugsy (I remembered to ask today, so I'll remember that one easily!) I groomed just one of the horses. They had their raincoats on all day which kept them pretty clean (other than the ones that just insist on rolling in the mud.) Big Red was pretty clean to start with, so it was a pleasure to do his care.

Even though it was drizzling the whole time, I just did what I needed to do. This is really building up my character! It's making me tougher and I am learning commitment that I never learned at any other time in my life.

[CherylB]

Originally Posted by minimonkey

Evening, ladies. Just checking in -- I ended up staying at home and taking care of a lot of paperwork that needed done today -- getting ready to launch into the semester's craziness. Hangin' with the fat fast today, though I'm finding myself struggling not to eat more... it isn't exactly hunger, but not exactly not-hunger either.

Still toying with the idea of fasting tomorrow -- we'll see if I have it in me. Today is just one of those "tired of dieting" days -- you all know that feeling, I know.

I will be back on the run at the end of this week, and keeping busy -- maybe the additional hustle and bustle will make the next few weeks a little easier on the dieting front. One can hope, right?

Do what you feel you need to do. You deserve (more than anyone else here) to be tired of dieting.

[BaileysGirl]

Hi Cheryl - I have weighed my meats all 3oz cooked. I just had a bit of leftover taco meat, it was 1oz. So no issues there. My green mangosteen peach are in tea bags! I steep a green tea bag most mornings as suggested in protocol to drink green tea.