Another newbie with questions

[vickjd]

Hi, everyone! I started the HCG diet 14 days ago after considerable research and some lurking on here. So far, it's gone fairly well. I had some hunger the first week, but nothing I couldn't live with. Today, though, I'm suddenly ravenous. My stomach is literally growling, I'm dizzy, and I feel like I've been hit by a truck. I haven't changed anything I'm doing/eating, so I'm perplexed. I do have a nursing 13-month-old who's been nursing fairly heavily the past few days (teething), and I'm wondering if that could have anything to do with it? And if so, any ideas for what can I do to compensate without messing up the diet?

For reference, here's what I've eaten the past couple of days:

Yesterday:
B: 1 c. coffee w/ Truvia & milk
L: 100 grams chicken breast stewed with celery and curry; melba toast; apple
D: 90 grams baked tilapia w/ garlic salt, cracked pepper, basil, and juice of 1/2 lemon; 1 c. roasted asparagus w/ sea salt and cracked pepper
S: 1/2 c. blueberries

Today:
B: 1 c. coffee w/ Truvia & milk
S: Melba toast + 1 strawberry
L: 125 g. baked tilapia & 1 medium zucchini (I was starving and upped the protein in hopes that it would help.)
S: 100 g. strawberries (minus the one eaten earlier); melba toast
D: 100 g. chicken, stewed and shredded, mixed with 2 c. cabbage, 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar, hot sauce, and 1 Tbsp. Walden Farms ginger dressing; apple

As an aside, I know the diet is not recommended while breastfeeding, but I've been pregnant and/or nursing for 5 1/2 years now and have gained close to 100 pounds in the process. (I'm one of those unfortunate few who GAINS while nursing.) I got Baby Girl past the 1 year mark and am now desperate to reclaim my body.

[C'Marie]

There have been a couple other ladies who started threads related to breast feeding while doing the protocol. I'm not positive how to find those, but on the short, I think they had some extra protein because of the nutritional needs of nursing.

And I understand - I lost weight almost all the way through the pregnancy until the end, then I gained quite a bit nursing.

[vickjd]

Thanks for the input. I added in a small extra serving of protein the past couple of days (2 oz.) and felt better. I was down a pound yesterday morning in spite of the extra protein, but only half a pound this morning. Don't know if it's a natural slow-down or if the extra calories are messing me up.

[shelbyla]

Congrats on the pound down and a half is nothing to sneeze at either! You may already know this, but zucchini and blueberries aren't on the protocol list. If you are consciously adding them, that's cool. Just wanted you to know in case you weren't intending to go rogue.

[vickjd]

Originally Posted by shelbyla

Congrats on the pound down and a half is nothing to sneeze at either! You may already know this, but zucchini and blueberries aren't on the protocol list. If you are consciously adding them, that's cool. Just wanted you to know in case you weren't intending to go rogue.

True. I should have noted that I'm following an expanded list which includes everything in Pounds and Inches, plus several more "these work for most people" items. So far, the only thing that's stalled me were mushrooms, though tomatoes seem to slow me down. I've still managed to drop 18 pounds (21, counting loading weight) in 17 days and am *hoping* to be down below Baby #2 weight by the end of this round, so I'm pretty happy.