Call to Freedom Using Hunger/Fullness Scale

[adelinesdream]

Christy --- "I would be curious to see some of your hunger patterns. I know it's different between P2 and P3/P4, but it might be helpful for all of us. I am trying not to judge my hunger, but sometimes I get a little confused by it. Like if I am hungry again 1/2 hour-45 minutes after eating is that just normal, or does that mean I should have eaten more the last time? "

quoting you to answer your question about my hunger patterns, I'm still learning as I go what my real hunger feels like. Sometimes I giggle cause it's just a bubble in my stomach that eventually comes out as a burp. Robin speaks about using "urgency" for hunger and "feeling" for full. Also she speaks about foods that make us more Leptin sensitive, if I'm remembering correctly. Are you eating popcorn on P3? I'm not judging but I thought we are to not touch starch or sugar for entire P3 or are you on P4. Cause popcorn isn't a P3 food, it messes with your homeostasis (balance of your hormones and organs). She said we need to have a good three weeks to give our bodies a chance to adjust after a round of P2 , otherwise we could gain back quickly. I am finding right now with me really focusing on only eating til "satisfied" and not to "full" waiting 20 minutes to see if I'm at a 5 on the scale, that I'm eating about every 2 hours with half portions of my allowed foods, I eat slowly and slice my apple into many small wedges or slices to savor the flavor and allow my signals to come through. I'm not doing the starches so I'm hoping it's putting me under 500 calories. I hope this helps.

[jt_gmotu]

Originally Posted by adelinesdream

Christy --- "I would be curious to see some of your hunger patterns. I know it's different between P2 and P3/P4, but it might be helpful for all of us. I am trying not to judge my hunger, but sometimes I get a little confused by it. Like if I am hungry again 1/2 hour-45 minutes after eating is that just normal, or does that mean I should have eaten more the last time?

quoting you to answer your question about my hunger patterns, I'm still learning as I go what my real hunger feels like. Sometimes I giggle cause it's just a bubble in my stomach that eventually comes out as a burp. Robin speaks about using "urgency" for hunger and "feeling" for full. Also she speaks about foods that make us more Leptin sensitive, if I'm remembering correctly. Are you eating popcorn on P3? I'm not judging but I thought we are to not touch starch or sugar for entire P3 or are you on P4. Cause popcorn isn't a P3 food, it messes with your homeostasis (balance of your hormones and organs). She said we need to have a good three weeks to give our bodies a chance to adjust after a round of P2 , otherwise we could gain back quickly. I am finding right now with me really focusing on only eating til "satisfied" and not to "full" waiting 20 minutes to see if I'm at a 5 on the scale, that I'm eating about every 2 hours with half portions of my allowed foods, I eat slowly and slice my apple into many small wedges or slices to savor the flavor and allow my signals to come through. I'm not doing the starches so I'm hoping it's putting me under 500 calories. I hope this helps.

Thanks for phrasing what I've been trying to do here on my P3...and soon to move into P4. It's slowing my meals down...and seeing if it's that I want the "taste" OR if I'm really hungry. And usually it's that I like the taste...but do not need another mouthful.

Jodie iun AZ
R4P3

[christyb]

Originally Posted by adelinesdream

Regarding being afraid of too low calories. . . we have to stop judging food, too much or too little, wrong kind, wrong type, when we truly own following hunger/fullness it will be sooooooooo freeing. I JUST KNOW IT!

Regarding momma. It's so good that you are foreseeing the potential derailment. Think through what you're gonna do in advance. Don't let it catch you off guard. Do NOT allow mom to suck you back into dysfunctional emotional gluttenous eating. The cost is way to high. You'll mess up your hormones and it's just not worth it. Sorry about the new scale being higher. It's really not about our weight now is it? It's about respecting how the Great Designer designed us, so fearfully and wonderfully that we have a signal in our bodies an on off switch which when we use it, works perfectly and keeps things in balance and in harmony. YOU'RE DOING IT GIRLFRIEND!! I will definitely be praying. Make a plan not to fail.

I'm going to attach a before and an after photo if I can.

I know you are SO right about not judging food etc. It is a hard habit to break! On a gut level I really think that everything Robin says makes sense. But I can't help but doubt and wonder, "what if she's wrong?!"

Thank you for the encouragement about mom. It's been hard already. I feel like I need to fix her like I'm fixing myself. My husband keeps reminding me that she isn't my repsonsibility, but it's so hard to separate myself! I've got mama issues from waaaay back!

And you are right again (will you stop that already?! ) about the scale and it not being about the weight! I need to get my head around that. It's been the weight for sooooo long!

I will do this!

Last night I couldn't sleep and was up till about 4 am. I weighed myself before going to sleep and got myself all worked up because it seemed too high to be down enough by morning. Ugh! It was ok this morning and wouldn't you know I was retaining a bunch of water. I spent half the day in the bathroom and wouldn't you know by the middle of the day today I was at my LDW (yes, I weighed again! ) I can definitely see why Robin has he patients skip the scale! Probably a good idea!

Sounds like you're rocking it on P2!! I hope you keep enjoying the food and figuring out your hunger! Great, great job! You look so amazing in your photos! Make me so inspired!!

[christyb]

Originally Posted by adelinesdream

Christy --- "I would be curious to see some of your hunger patterns. I know it's different between P2 and P3/P4, but it might be helpful for all of us. I am trying not to judge my hunger, but sometimes I get a little confused by it. Like if I am hungry again 1/2 hour-45 minutes after eating is that just normal, or does that mean I should have eaten more the last time? "

quoting you to answer your question about my hunger patterns, I'm still learning as I go what my real hunger feels like. Sometimes I giggle cause it's just a bubble in my stomach that eventually comes out as a burp. Robin speaks about using "urgency" for hunger and "feeling" for full. Also she speaks about foods that make us more Leptin sensitive, if I'm remembering correctly. Are you eating popcorn on P3? I'm not judging but I thought we are to not touch starch or sugar for entire P3 or are you on P4. Cause popcorn isn't a P3 food, it messes with your homeostasis (balance of your hormones and organs). She said we need to have a good three weeks to give our bodies a chance to adjust after a round of P2 , otherwise we could gain back quickly. I am finding right now with me really focusing on only eating til "satisfied" and not to "full" waiting 20 minutes to see if I'm at a 5 on the scale, that I'm eating about every 2 hours with half portions of my allowed foods, I eat slowly and slice my apple into many small wedges or slices to savor the flavor and allow my signals to come through. I'm not doing the starches so I'm hoping it's putting me under 500 calories. I hope this helps.

I started P4 on Friday! I did P2 and P3 without any cheats! On Sunday I had popcorn when I took my kids to the movies. I have had some chips almost every day and other things I like and seem to still be maintaining nicely. It just feels too good to be true!

[minimonkey]

Rock on, Christy and Adeline!

Sounds like you are both learning some valuable lessons and doing wonderfully!

I'm also focusing on identifying hunger -- it's harder than it sounds, particularly after many months of disregarding it. I did a lot of reading the past two days about metabolic rebound/damage after severe calorie restriction (particularly as it pertains to figure contestants) -- wow, do I fit every single descriptor of that syndrome! I am actually sitting here feeling very thankful that I am catching this now, and not after another round of starving back to goal, and dooming myself to a life of being afraid to eat anything at all....

I feel pretty encouraged at the moment -- my voracious appetite post-p2 turned around quite quickly, meaning my body is probably healing fairly fast. The rapid-fire gaining also stopped pretty quickly all things considered -- and relative to the explosive gains some people experience, I am actually feeling rather fortunate by comparison.

I'm doing pretty well eating to hunger, I think, and am shooting for maintenance for the time being. I find that challenging -- I'm so used to dieting, that I am inclined to jump right back on board that wagon -- and I think that is the worst possible choice I could make.

So, instead, I am concentrating on the fact that I have this time to grow more muscular and stronger -- I had great workouts yesterday (lower body) and today (biceps, chest, and shoulders) -- I felt strong and very steady in the gym, and my energy gets better every day.

There have been some benefits from my time on hcg -- I've taken good advantage of the regain cycles, and have put on quite a lot of muscle in a relatively short time this past year -- I'm starting to have an honestly developed upper body, and I am loving that!

Also, the protocol seems to have restored my insulin sensitivity (I used to be very insulin resistant) -- I can now eat carbs (fruit, complex starches) and feel great afterward -- good, steady energy, rather than a high and a crash -- and this thrills me. I don't have any desire at all to eat sugar or junk food -- my tastes just don't run that way -- but being able to add back some truly nutritive carbs into my diet is very, very exciting!

I'm feeling that things may be coming back to balance in my body -- I really hope so!

[adelinesdream]

Originally Posted by minimonkey

Rock on, Christy and Adeline!

Sounds like you are both learning some valuable lessons and doing wonderfully!

I'm also focusing on identifying hunger -- it's harder than it sounds, particularly after many months of disregarding it. I did a lot of reading the past two days about metabolic rebound/damage after severe calorie restriction (particularly as it pertains to figure contestants) -- wow, do I fit every single descriptor of that syndrome! I am actually sitting here feeling very thankful that I am catching this now, and not after another round of starving back to goal, and dooming myself to a life of being afraid to eat anything at all....

I feel pretty encouraged at the moment -- my voracious appetite post-p2 turned around quite quickly, meaning my body is probably healing fairly fast. The rapid-fire gaining also stopped pretty quickly all things considered -- and relative to the explosive gains some people experience, I am actually feeling rather fortunate by comparison.

I'm doing pretty well eating to hunger, I think, and am shooting for maintenance for the time being. I find that challenging -- I'm so used to dieting, that I am inclined to jump right back on board that wagon -- and I think that is the worst possible choice I could make.

So, instead, I am concentrating on the fact that I have this time to grow more muscular and stronger -- I had great workouts yesterday (lower body) and today (biceps, chest, and shoulders) -- I felt strong and very steady in the gym, and my energy gets better every day.

There have been some benefits from my time on hcg -- I've taken good advantage of the regain cycles, and have put on quite a lot of muscle in a relatively short time this past year -- I'm starting to have an honestly developed upper body, and I am loving that!

Also, the protocol seems to have restored my insulin sensitivity (I used to be very insulin resistant) -- I can now eat carbs (fruit, complex starches) and feel great afterward -- good, steady energy, rather than a high and a crash -- and this thrills me. I don't have any desire at all to eat sugar or junk food -- my tastes just don't run that way -- but being able to add back some truly nutritive carbs into my diet is very, very exciting!

I'm feeling that things may be coming back to balance in my body -- I really hope so!

hi mini, that is sooooo wonderful that you are able to focus on results and make everything a positive experience. It's also great that you are learning to honor your body and allow it to heal and rest and that you came to the realization that you need no longer live with such a restricted diet. And that's awesome about the turn around in you to be able to metabolize carbs!!! wow I wonder if it's that combined with your muscle building and the hcg. . . hmmmm. I know I'm insulin resistant. They say for people with insulin resistance and pcos they should build muscle because muscle replaces fat and then your not storing all those hormones in your fat that cause you to be insulin resistant--at least that's what I think I remember. Cool about the great workout and upper body development. I would so like to take baby steps when I'm on P4 to building muscle. I was able to press a good bit of weight in my younger years about 20 years ago. I may still be able to eventually build muscle well. I need something very very basic and simple to start. I get overwhelmed otherwise. Let us know how your maintenance and continued healing goes. Also that's wonderful about not having a terrible rebound and your appetite simmering down fairly quickly. Sending you hugs.

[adelinesdream]

THINGS I'M DOING DIFFERENTLY THIS ROUND:

1. using RXHCG injections
2. not weighing
3. tuning into and obeying hunger pangs and subsidence
4. cooking more flavorfully to not get bored or turned off by what I do eat
5. seeking to get off the weightloss merry-go-round by obtaining permanent results

And I'm expecting different results because I'm taking different actions.

[adelinesdream]

I'm wearing a pair of pants I was afraid to try, for fear of how tight they might have become. They're snug but they will get looser and looser. I'm obeying hunger and fullness. I'm mostly eating half of my meal at a time and it's looking like a pattern of about every 2 hours. We'll see. I'll weigh in this weekend. For now, I'm following directions in WLA and going by how my clothes fit, so I thought I'd mention that with my pants. I want to color my hair before I go away to a conference that's coming up and she says not too. I may rebel about that.

[christyb]

Originally Posted by minimonkey

Rock on, Christy and Adeline!

Sounds like you are both learning some valuable lessons and doing wonderfully!

I'm also focusing on identifying hunger -- it's harder than it sounds, particularly after many months of disregarding it. I did a lot of reading the past two days about metabolic rebound/damage after severe calorie restriction (particularly as it pertains to figure contestants) -- wow, do I fit every single descriptor of that syndrome! I am actually sitting here feeling very thankful that I am catching this now, and not after another round of starving back to goal, and dooming myself to a life of being afraid to eat anything at all....

I feel pretty encouraged at the moment -- my voracious appetite post-p2 turned around quite quickly, meaning my body is probably healing fairly fast. The rapid-fire gaining also stopped pretty quickly all things considered -- and relative to the explosive gains some people experience, I am actually feeling rather fortunate by comparison.

I'm doing pretty well eating to hunger, I think, and am shooting for maintenance for the time being. I find that challenging -- I'm so used to dieting, that I am inclined to jump right back on board that wagon -- and I think that is the worst possible choice I could make.

So, instead, I am concentrating on the fact that I have this time to grow more muscular and stronger -- I had great workouts yesterday (lower body) and today (biceps, chest, and shoulders) -- I felt strong and very steady in the gym, and my energy gets better every day.

There have been some benefits from my time on hcg -- I've taken good advantage of the regain cycles, and have put on quite a lot of muscle in a relatively short time this past year -- I'm starting to have an honestly developed upper body, and I am loving that!

Also, the protocol seems to have restored my insulin sensitivity (I used to be very insulin resistant) -- I can now eat carbs (fruit, complex starches) and feel great afterward -- good, steady energy, rather than a high and a crash -- and this thrills me. I don't have any desire at all to eat sugar or junk food -- my tastes just don't run that way -- but being able to add back some truly nutritive carbs into my diet is very, very exciting!

I'm feeling that things may be coming back to balance in my body -- I really hope so!

It really is hard to relearn hunger! Whether you've been ignoring it for weight loss reasons or emotional eating reasons. But good for you for working at it! I'm so glad you're working on it now too before things get even harder! It sounds like what you've read has given you hope. Do others recover well from it and get back to "normal"?" I think you are really smart to stick to maintenance and allow your body to heal. It seems like so many people get themselves in a hurry and ignore what is best for their body in order to get the numbers down.

You obviously work out a lot, you look incredible in your photo. Do you do body building competitions?

I think it is amazing that you have basically reversed your insulin resistance! I have heard stories of people reversing their diabetes with the protocol (my nurse's sister did), so it makes sense that you could to that with IR, too. You give me so much hope! If I could look half as good as you, I'd be a happy, happy girl!!

Originally Posted by adelinesdream

I'm wearing a pair of pants I was afraid to try, for fear of how tight they might have become. They're snug but they will get looser and looser. I'm obeying hunger and fullness. I'm mostly eating half of my meal at a time and it's looking like a pattern of about every 2 hours. We'll see. I'll weigh in this weekend. For now, I'm following directions in WLA and going by how my clothes fit, so I thought I'd mention that with my pants. I want to color my hair before I go away to a conference that's coming up and she says not too. I may rebel about that.

Wooo hoooo for the pants! You really have made such a huge difference in yourself already! Your photos are amazing! And what is even better is that you're getting your mind in order, too, so you will be able to keep it off permanently! It's really awesome!

I had a good day today. I can't remember if I shared on here that I was really worried about being over my window yesterday etc. Well I was up really late again last night because I couldn't sleep and I ended up sleeping late today. I didn't weigh till about noon and I was .2 over. I emailed my nurse to ask what I should do. But then I decided to just go in there because I needed my weekly iron shot. I am SO GLAD I did!! She weighed me on their scale and my body fat had gone down 5 POUNDS!!! My weight was actually higher than it was last time, but it was all water. I was just so excited! And I have lost another 3 inches since I ended P2. 1.5 of those were from my hips!

What I really need to remember is that I need to back off of the scale and trust the process. It's hard, though, to trust a process that you've never been through!

I talked to the nurse today about Weight Loss Apocalypse. I told her how life changing I believe it could be and how I think their other patients could really benefit from using it as part of the program. She said she's going to read it and watch some videos.

Anyhow, keep it up guys!!

[adelinesdream]

Originally Posted by christyb

It really is hard to relearn hunger! Whether you've been ignoring it for weight loss reasons or emotional eating reasons. But good for you for working at it! I'm so glad you're working on it now too before things get even harder! It sounds like what you've read has given you hope. Do others recover well from it and get back to "normal"?" I think you are really smart to stick to maintenance and allow your body to heal. It seems like so many people get themselves in a hurry and ignore what is best for their body in order to get the numbers down.

You obviously work out a lot, you look incredible in your photo. Do you do body building competitions?

I think it is amazing that you have basically reversed your insulin resistance! I have heard stories of people reversing their diabetes with the protocol (my nurse's sister did), so it makes sense that you could to that with IR, too. You give me so much hope! If I could look half as good as you, I'd be a happy, happy girl!!



Wooo hoooo for the pants! You really have made such a huge difference in yourself already! Your photos are amazing! And what is even better is that you're getting your mind in order, too, so you will be able to keep it off permanently! It's really awesome!

I had a good day today. I can't remember if I shared on here that I was really worried about being over my window yesterday etc. Well I was up really late again last night because I couldn't sleep and I ended up sleeping late today. I didn't weigh till about noon and I was .2 over. I emailed my nurse to ask what I should do. But then I decided to just go in there because I needed my weekly iron shot. I am SO GLAD I did!! She weighed me on their scale and my body fat had gone down 5 POUNDS!!! My weight was actually higher than it was last time, but it was all water. I was just so excited! And I have lost another 3 inches since I ended P2. 1.5 of those were from my hips!

What I really need to remember is that I need to back off of the scale and trust the process. It's hard, though, to trust a process that you've never been through!

I talked to the nurse today about Weight Loss Apocalypse. I told her how life changing I believe it could be and how I think their other patients could really benefit from using it as part of the program. She said she's going to read it and watch some videos.

Anyhow, keep it up guys!!

Christy, girl friend, that's amazing the fat loss! WHOO HOO!!!!! tell me please, cause Im not under a doc's care with this--how do they tell what your fat loss is, do they measure with calipers? or what? I'm just going by how my clothes fit. I am trying different foods to make them interesting and tasty, not straying from simeons protocol but adding taste to the food. I remember on past rounds I got soooooooo sick of the food that I hated it and couldn't wait to get off and eat something with taste. I had a cold coffee left from yesterday's pot that I refrigerated with my Tablespoon of milk and some vanilla stevia. I love that vanilla stevia yum! I love the injections as compared to the hhcg way better. This morning I cooked myself up a chicken strawberry spinach salad from a recipe. was very easy. That's my lunch. I want to do a long round this time. I'll skip my injections once a week (I think) unless I find info elsewhere that says I don't have to. I think the hunger is ceasing way more now, cause I didn't even eat 1.5 of my fruits yesterday and actually think I ate dinner without real hunger. I think the hcg is building up in my system and that the 125 IU is perfect for me.

Of course it will take time to learn to trust the process, to relearn to eat when hungry and stop when the hunger is gone and not go past that point. I ate dinner without real hunger last night. I just felt I should eat, BAD MOVE. NOT APPROPRIATE (Robin says on her youtube video). I love not being in the food craziness while I'm on HCG it actually comforts me. I love the absence of cravings. At least that's where I'm at right now. We'll see toward the end of my round how that goes.

Great about sharing the book info with the nurse. OMG--so many people need this to save their lives!

FREEDOM!!!! shout it out with me!

[christyb]

Originally Posted by adelinesdream

Christy, girl friend, that's amazing the fat loss! WHOO HOO!!!!! tell me please, cause Im not under a doc's care with this--how do they tell what your fat loss is, do they measure with calipers? or what? I'm just going by how my clothes fit. I am trying different foods to make them interesting and tasty, not straying from simeons protocol but adding taste to the food. I remember on past rounds I got soooooooo sick of the food that I hated it and couldn't wait to get off and eat something with taste. I had a cold coffee left from yesterday's pot that I refrigerated with my Tablespoon of milk and some vanilla stevia. I love that vanilla stevia yum! I love the injections as compared to the hhcg way better. This morning I cooked myself up a chicken strawberry spinach salad from a recipe. was very easy. That's my lunch. I want to do a long round this time. I'll skip my injections once a week (I think) unless I find info elsewhere that says I don't have to. I think the hunger is ceasing way more now, cause I didn't even eat 1.5 of my fruits yesterday and actually think I ate dinner without real hunger. I think the hcg is building up in my system and that the 125 IU is perfect for me.

Of course it will take time to learn to trust the process, to relearn to eat when hungry and stop when the hunger is gone and not go past that point. I ate dinner without real hunger last night. I just felt I should eat, BAD MOVE. NOT APPROPRIATE (Robin says on her youtube video). I love not being in the food craziness while I'm on HCG it actually comforts me. I love the absence of cravings. At least that's where I'm at right now. We'll see toward the end of my round how that goes.

Great about sharing the book info with the nurse. OMG--so many people need this to save their lives!

FREEDOM!!!! shout it out with me!

Thank you! I'm still pretty excited! They have a special scale that measures how much is water, fat and lean mass. It is really interesting to see how everything changes. It is helpful, too. Watching that is what made my doctor end my round earlier than planned. I had started losing lean mass instead of fat and that's what told them my body was done for that round.

The girl I watch on You Tube bought an Omron fat loss monitor to use at home. I've heard good things about them and they are surprisingly inexpensive. Part of me would like to get one to use at home. But it's probably better that I don't.

So what is it you like better about the injections? Even though it's not great that you ate dinner without hunger, it is great that you recognized it! That is most of the battle!! You can take that experience and learn from it. You will do better next time!

I didn't know anything about WLA during my P2. I ate without hunger a lot because I thought I was supposed to eat all of the 500 calories. Of course, I was completely unaware of hunger at that point. The good thing is that P2 is so forgiving in that way! It's a great time to learn! I think it will be interesting to see how I do next round while incorporating hunger. I wonder if I would lose more weight eating to hunger vs. eating all of the calories. I guess I'll find out in 2 weeks!

Glad you're enjoying your food more! That is a good thing! I will admit that I am dreading P2 a little bit for that reason. But I am looking forward to watching the scale go down!!

Have a great day!

[TiffanyM]

I am loving this thread and do you care if I join you?

[adelinesdream]

Originally Posted by TiffanyM

I am loving this thread and do you care if I join you?

You are always !!! nice to meet you Tiffany.

[minimonkey]

Whooohooo Ladies!

Thank you, Christy, for the kind words about my avatar! I've never competed, though part of me is tempted to do it at some point -- I am blessed with a body that builds muscle easily, and I think with proper prep and coaching I probably *could* take the stage.

What deters me is the h*ll that figure and bodybuilding competitors put themselves through in order to get stage-ready -- they are often the ones who end up with horrible metabolic damage in the long run, from going to extreme measures to look excessively lean. It's a pretty neurosis-inducing profession/hobby.... and I have a tendency towards neurosis on a good day, anyhow

There are a couple of coaches out there whose philosophies are sane, and sound ... and whose athletes are healthy, with strong metabolisms.....and I've been reading their blogs and writings a lot, and trying to follow their recommendations for how to train. If I ever do decide to compete, I will pick my coach very, very carefully!

Right now, I am lifting and bodybuilding for the love of doing it -- I love getting stronger, and seeing muscles form in places I've never had them before. I love being able to lift things that were once impossible to lift.

I realized this week, that I also love the sound that an iron barbell makes when I put it down... the clinking of the weights as it hits the mat.....lol. You know you're addicted when...

[minimonkey]

I'm using this time of repair to really capitalize on the muscle growth potential -- like most women, I've held myself back from what I am capable of achieving, because I have refused to nourish my body properly to allow for maximum muscle growth.

Well, the challenge now is to get past that -- get used to living in a bigger body for a while, fueling it well, and nurturing my musculature as it grows.

Being a woman who bodybuilds is rather sticky business, societally -- we've come a long way towards accepting that women can be strong and capable, but some of those old ideas run very deep and are hard to shake away, no matter how progressive one believes oneself to be.

I like defying those taboos-- and it is making me challenge some of the notions I hold about what is, and is not, acceptable or desirable.

[TiffanyM]

Originally Posted by christyb

Thank you! I'm still pretty excited! They have a special scale that measures how much is water, fat and lean mass. It is really interesting to see how everything changes. It is helpful, too. Watching that is what made my doctor end my round earlier than planned. I had started losing lean mass instead of fat and that's what told them my body was done for that round.

I worry about this happening if I go too far past the 23 days. At what point did he stop you?

[christyb]

Originally Posted by TiffanyM

I am loving this thread and do you care if I join you?

Please do! Tell us more about yourself!

Originally Posted by minimonkey

Whooohooo Ladies!

Thank you, Christy, for the kind words about my avatar! I've never competed, though part of me is tempted to do it at some point -- I am blessed with a body that builds muscle easily, and I think with proper prep and coaching I probably *could* take the stage.

What deters me is the h*ll that figure and bodybuilding competitors put themselves through in order to get stage-ready -- they are often the ones who end up with horrible metabolic damage in the long run, from going to extreme measures to look excessively lean. It's a pretty neurosis-inducing profession/hobby.... and I have a tendency towards neurosis on a good day, anyhow

There are a couple of coaches out there whose philosophies are sane, and sound ... and whose athletes are healthy, with strong metabolisms.....and I've been reading their blogs and writings a lot, and trying to follow their recommendations for how to train. If I ever do decide to compete, I will pick my coach very, very carefully!

Right now, I am lifting and bodybuilding for the love of doing it -- I love getting stronger, and seeing muscles form in places I've never had them before. I love being able to lift things that were once impossible to lift.

I realized this week, that I also love the sound that an iron barbell makes when I put it down... the clinking of the weights as it hits the mat.....lol. You know you're addicted when...

Yikes! Maybe doing it for a hobby for a while would be a better idea! The kind of pressure that comes with competing sounds like it could take anyone over the edge!

I am completely worn out today and we just hung around the house. It's really hard to watch someone eat so destructively. Especially knowing that not that long ago I was doing the same thing. I find myself getting really frustrated, but I know I need to have more grace and compassion because it's what I would want. I have a really hard time separating myself from my mom (issues that run deep) and I always end up feeling like I'm responsible for her. I know in my head that I'm not. But I feel that way sometimes.

Anyhow, I think I haven't eaten without hunger at all since P2, so I feel like that is a big victory!

Keep it up, ladies!

[minimonkey]

Christy -- big hugs to you -- parents can indeed be exhausting! I know all about the deep mother issues, too... I have my share of them.

You ladies are doing phenomenally well!

Yeah, for now, the bodybuilding is purely for the joy of it. Most of the "fitness" industry is promoting unrealistic expectations, and it isn't much better than the old "diet" industry from which it sprang. It is possible to get in excellent shape sanely, but far more often, people go off the deep end and end up much the worse for wear.

I'm as guilty as the next guy of dieting too severely for my level of training, while overworking my body and mind at the same time -- which is precisely why I am in my current metabolic pickle!

I've definitely become an advocate of the limited time approach to calorie restriction -- if you are going to do it, do it for short amounts of time, or risk the consequences....

[Melloyello]

I finally purchases WLA yesterday...and proceeded to read the entire book in one sitting.
Wow! That was very thought-provoking.
I have a lot to think about and consider.

[Felina]

I have been eating to hunger and still haven't managed to get in 400 cals. This is VLCD day 12. I am trying to weigh once a week. I weighed today. Very disappointed. From days 5 - 12, I only lost .6 of a lb. Sigh.

Maybe it's better to weigh daily. Perhaps I could've identified the culprit. I stayed on protocol but it could've been the orange or some salt that I added or when I had a grassini. I think weighing daily could've helped me to see if I stalled and for how long or if I lost but a particular food caused a gain, etc.

[adelinesdream]

Originally Posted by Felina

I have been eating to hunger and still haven't managed to get in 400 cals. This is VLCD day 12. I am trying to weigh once a week. I weighed today. Very disappointed. From days 5 - 12, I only lost .6 of a lb. Sigh.

Maybe it's better to weigh daily. Perhaps I could've identified the culprit. I stayed on protocol but it could've been the orange or some salt that I added or when I had a grassini. I think weighing daily could've helped me to see if I stalled and for how long or if I lost but a particular food caused a gain, etc.

were you eating your protein as your first course of action when you got hungry? did you get all of your proteins in? I haven't managed to get all my calories in either, but I am wanting to learn to get off the constant dieting, that is why I'm doing WLA hunger scale. I have been doing rounds for over a year, possibly 1.5 years now. I keep playing with 20 lbs up and down the scale each time, but I did keep off the first 25 lbs I lost and lost another 20 or so which the 20 I've been playing with. But confusion isn't good. So either weigh every day or not. Are you drinking enough water? 1/2 your body weight in ounches? I can understand your disappointment. So maybe weigh every day and see if that helps you do better. So what is your weight today? How much have you lost so far? I can't tell by the info you're giving me. I think you're doing great. Sometimes our bodies don't want to get to the next set point, or we are losing inches and fat, but retaining water. There are soooooooooooo many variables and reasons that the scale number doesn't change. How do your clothes feel, are they looser? I haven't weighed since my first vlcd last week on the 3rd of August. I'm on day 8 of my vlcd and I'll weigh tomorrow. I'll let you know what my results are, but my clothes are fitting better and I know I'm making progress. The best progress I'm making is toward freedom and healing my Leptin cause I'm eating to hunger and stopping when full. That is the only way for your body to heal ultimately. If there's some other issue going on in your body medically, I don't know. you have lost, from what I can tell 81.4 lbs since you started your journey. That's nothing to sneeze at. You're at 48 lbs from your goal. How about celebrating your sprouts. What I mean by that is. . . if someone buys a very good plot of land for farming, buys the best fertilizers and seeds and hires some experts to plant and maintain his crop and comes back a number of weeks later and sees some tiny tiny green sprouts peeking up out of the soil. . . what do you think he will do? Will he go over to the sprouts and jump up and down and stomp on the sprouts? Will he smash them and scream look at all the trouble and expense I've gone to, to plant this crop and all I got was these dumb little green sprouts. What will he do? What will he say? He would protect and nurture those sprouts. They are very precious to him. He will say. . . there's a harvest in my future, there's a crop going to explode. Felina, everyone's body is different. Everyone's timing is different. Eventually you will reap what you sowed in every way. Nourish and protect those sprouts and you'll be amazed when you speak life over yourself and your results that you'll get more of what you already have. I hope this helps and that I'm not overstepping my boundaries. I'm sharing some things that revolutionized my life from over 3 years of working with the most amazing success coach in the world. I'm going to hear and see her next weekend and I'm sooooooooooo excited. Would you be willing to share some before and after photos? I'd love to see your progress.

[adelinesdream]

Originally Posted by Melloyello

I finally purchases WLA yesterday...and proceeded to read the entire book in one sitting.
Wow! That was very thought-provoking.
I have a lot to think about and consider.

Let us know what you think about WLA would love to hear your take on it!

[adelinesdream]

Originally Posted by christyb

Please do! Tell us more about yourself!



Yikes! Maybe doing it for a hobby for a while would be a better idea! The kind of pressure that comes with competing sounds like it could take anyone over the edge!

I am completely worn out today and we just hung around the house. It's really hard to watch someone eat so destructively. Especially knowing that not that long ago I was doing the same thing. I find myself getting really frustrated, but I know I need to have more grace and compassion because it's what I would want. I have a really hard time separating myself from my mom (issues that run deep) and I always end up feeling like I'm responsible for her. I know in my head that I'm not. But I feel that way sometimes.

Anyhow, I think I haven't eaten without hunger at all since P2, so I feel like that is a big victory!

Keep it up, ladies!

Christy--you are doing fabulously well. with all the emotional and physical challenges WOW. Pat yourself on the back and go, "Ata girl!" It's so good that you realize you have boundary issues with mom. Somewhere somehow in our childhood when we have a dysfunctional relationship with our mom's or other parents, we do have some blurry boundaries. I have had exactly that. Little by little as the Lord has helped me do the healing work, the boundaries have gotten much better. This is giving you such an opportunity for healing and restoration. I hear FREEDOM calling your name. And. . what you wrote about your mom is resonating in me that I have some more work to do when it comes to DH and my relationship. But it's good. The beginning of healing is realizing something is broken and needs to be fixed. I am soooooo proud of you. There's FREEDOM ahead I can taste and smell it. The other good thing about seeing another person eat themselves into destruction is you know where you never want to return to again. Thank the Lord you're not there anymore, in that place of a temporary pleasure that ulitmately results in horrendous pain, discomfort, disease, disability and more. I feel so good while on HCG and the relief I get from the eating frenzy. I pray I can take that in to the next phases.

I watched Robin's video and took notes regarding getting into the next phase 3 & 4.

Fat cells are hypersensitive after doing the VLCD Pase 2 of HCG Protocol. On the 3rd day of no injections, hunger increases. Have coffee. Wait til hunger comes. Trust your hunger zone. Listen to your body. Do what your body says.

You need to do this for 3 weeks! Keep foods hormonally weak. You need to eat things that take a long time to digest. This wards off the crazed, uncontrolled, emotional eating. Start slowly like you're feeding a baby that's being introduced to new foods. Start with coffee. Wait til hungry. When you're hungry eat an egg, maybe with peppers and onions. Eat slowly. Chew very well and enjoy. Stop as soon as hunger stops. Wait until you're hungry again before eating.

I paraphrased some so I'm not putting quotes, but it's Robin paraphrased.

[minimonkey]

Adeline -- I've totally done the same thing with the 20 lbs up and down ... three times now! I hope you are on the road to success this time around!

Felina -- I'd be disappointed, too! I have had long stalls in each round, though, and so have many other people. Adeline asks a good question about the inches... I know I tend to lose inches most rapidly when the scale is stalled (weird, but true).

I assume you got my pm?

I am actually going to be going to see that doc myself -- my mom kindly offered to pay for me to go in for a good endocrine workup, and I am totally taking her up on that. I love my doctor -- and I am so glad to have the opportunity to get this done!!

After a ton of reading, I have decided to take a full-on diet break, and work on healing my metabolism a bit. My weight is stable at the moment, so I am playing around with finding out what foods I can eat without gaining, and trying to nourish myself as well as I can without causing gains. It's a strange process. I'm so used to "dieting" that it is really hard to break the habit, and allow myself to eat to satiety without guilt.

Adeline, you and I are taking a bit of an opposite approach to getting off the diet wagon, and I hope we are each finding what we need to be doing.

[adelinesdream]

Me too mini, 3 times UCHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! I am sick of it and I want to back down to that weight for me it's 155 and stabilize maybe a bit lower. I am so glad you decided to take a diet break and that mom's paying for the doc you love to give you a major workup. You'll feel so much better once you know the results. YES! I would imagine it to be hard to let yourself go after dieting so long. It's like part of you. Glad to hear your weight is stable. I guess for you, you need to eat to just under full.

I am reporting on here for the first time my results from my first week on RXHCG protocol and the details surrounding it. I am thankful for my sprouts!!! I am thankful Lord that I am losing and I will not be ungrateful.

Starting weight on 1st Load day - 177.4
Gained up to after 2 load days - 182
Today which is exactly 7 days of vlcd first morning weight 172.6 a bit later 172.2
Total weight loss 9.8 lbs
Actual weight loss from prior to this round 5.2 lbs

Details: I started with the wrong dosing. I used too much water in my solution which I am not good at math, though I thought I followed the directions--but when I realized I was supposed to get 16 injections and got 23, yet it took me a couple of days to realize that something's fishy here.

I have done differently with my food this time. I eat til just satisfied and do my best to only eat when hungry through I slipped a couple of times eating dinner too soon. I believe I'm under 500 calories which probably isn't serving me well in terms of weight loss but I'm learning to follow the directions of WLA which believe it or not, is actually more important to me at the moment. sounds crazy right? Also I've had cottage cheese two times for my dinner in a shake form with spinach, and I had eggs yesterday from 3 egg whites and 1 yolk. I didnt' eat all my fruit every day and I never touched a grissini or a melba the entire time. Now for my measurements. which may not be correct because I found instructions for how you should measure on a website but I didn't have those upon first time measuring. I am hoping they are somewhat accurate cause I lost 11 inches if they are correct. My next measurements will be because I'm standardizing how I do it going forward. I may not be drinking enough h2o so I'm going to up the anty on that. Also I used truvia a couple of time, but I'm not hooked on liquid vanilla stevia for my coffee which is great!

[Felina]

Adeline- No, I don't usually start the day with protein. I usually eat an apple around noon and my first meal around 1:30. I've been getting in about a gallon of water a day and that's good because I don't care for it and I have to make myself drink it. Not that it's helped any, but I can eliminate that when I'm trying to find the reason that I cant seem to lose.

Today I'm up half a lb so I haven't netted any losses in 13 days VLCD.

I am so busy. I'm sure that I must be burning about 4,000calories a day. i don't know how I continue to function, but I do just fine being very active on barely any food or sleep. I just don't think the hcg is working for me anymore but even if it isn't, a normal person would lose weight on a consistent diet of 380 calories a day.

Mini- My husband told me to contact the endocrinologist and find out about it. If I knew she could help me it would be worth it at any cost. But that's just the thing. I don't know and I can't afford a specialist if it won't get me anywhere. Well, I'll need to consult with them first and then make a decision. Thanks for your help. Good luck on your diet break. I hope you get things figured out.

[adelinesdream]

Originally Posted by Felina

Adeline- No, I don't usually start the day with protein. I usually eat an apple around noon and my first meal around 1:30. I've been getting in about a gallon of water a day and that's good because I don't care for it and I have to make myself drink it. Not that it's helped any, but I can eliminate that when I'm trying to find the reason that I cant seem to lose.

Today I'm up half a lb so I haven't netted any losses in 13 days VLCD.

I am so busy. I'm sure that I must be burning about 4,000calories a day. i don't know how I continue to function, but I do just fine being very active on barely any food or sleep. I just don't think the hcg is working for me anymore but even if it isn't, a normal person would lose weight on a consistent diet of 380 calories a day.

Mini- My husband told me to contact the endocrinologist and find out about it. If I knew she could help me it would be worth it at any cost. But that's just the thing. I don't know and I can't afford a specialist if it won't get me anywhere. Well, I'll need to consult with them first and then make a decision. Thanks for your help. Good luck on your diet break. I hope you get things figured out.

Felina, so so sorry to hear about your struggle. Wow that is really strange. I don't know how you survive. I used to say when there's a famine in the land. . . I'll be thin and everyone else will be dead. You're doing injectioins of RXHCG right?

[Melloyello]

Originally Posted by adelinesdream

Let us know what you think about WLA would love to hear your take on it!

I absolutely loved Weight Loss Apocalypse!
She explains the science behind everything so simply, and I found that to be refreshing. I walked away from reading WLA with a complete understanding as to how leptin is so important in our bodies.

I am currently trying to practice the hunger scale as she outlines in her book. It's a little difficult to use while on the hcg protocol, as there are times when I am hungry and not hungry because I'm having DOSE ISSUES. *grumble, grumble*

I had planned on doing JUDDD between rounds or for maintenance so that I can keep my weight on track. However, after reading WLA - I think I'm going to simply use the hunger/fullness scale and see if I can use some self-discipline in that area. If I am simply unable to keep my weight under control, then I might have to implement JUDDD along with the hunger scale until I can learn how my body is speaking to me.

I want to be free from emotional hunger, don't you?
I'm tired of living and dying by that number on the scale.
(Coincidentally, the scale has not moved for me in 8 days...can you say 'frustrated' - yeah that's me.)

I am on VLCD 21, with a total loss of *almost* 10 pounds.
I was really hoping for better results by this point.
But, strangely enough - I've lost almost 20 inches - but I haven't gone down a dress size yet.

I remain hopeful.
I'm need to conquer this whole 'diet' mentality.
Like Robin suggests, I'm trying to find other ways to measure success besides that dumb number on the scale.
I'm trying to be proactive and CREATE my own happiness instead of expecting it to just happen to me.
That little book was a lot to digest...I'm still digesting it and taking it in.

[adelinesdream]

Originally Posted by Melloyello

I absolutely loved Weight Loss Apocalypse!
She explains the science behind everything so simply, and I found that to be refreshing. I walked away from reading WLA with a complete understanding as to how leptin is so important in our bodies.

I am currently trying to practice the hunger scale as she outlines in her book. It's a little difficult to use while on the hcg protocol, as there are times when I am hungry and not hungry because I'm having DOSE ISSUES. *grumble, grumble*

I had planned on doing JUDDD between rounds or for maintenance so that I can keep my weight on track. However, after reading WLA - I think I'm going to simply use the hunger/fullness scale and see if I can use some self-discipline in that area. If I am simply unable to keep my weight under control, then I might have to implement JUDDD along with the hunger scale until I can learn how my body is speaking to me.

I want to be free from emotional hunger, don't you?
I'm tired of living and dying by that number on the scale.
(Coincidentally, the scale has not moved for me in 8 days...can you say 'frustrated' - yeah that's me.)

I am on VLCD 21, with a total loss of *almost* 10 pounds.
I was really hoping for better results by this point.
But, strangely enough - I've lost almost 20 inches - but I haven't gone down a dress size yet.

I remain hopeful.
I'm need to conquer this whole 'diet' mentality.
Like Robin suggests, I'm trying to find other ways to measure success besides that dumb number on the scale.
I'm trying to be proactive and CREATE my own happiness instead of expecting it to just happen to me.
That little book was a lot to digest...I'm still digesting it and taking it in.

Hello Melloyello, thanks for your post! I am with you totally. I want to have a solution for a life time. Are you on RXHCG injections? What kind of dose issues are you having? What dosage are you on? typically woman lose 1 to 1/2 lb per day. So are you at 181? Is that 10 lbs including what you gained during loading?

I'm judging success my progress by how my clothes feel. I am thrilled to be in some old clothes I was afraid to try for a while. I am thrilled to be off the reckless eating turnpike.
Feel free to PM me anytime. I'd love to encourage one another on our journey. Yeah emotional eating sucks big time!

You're right very dense and intense book. I carry it around in my purse in case I need more motivation. Also I just love her youtube videos!

[Melloyello]

Originally Posted by adelinesdream

Hello Melloyello, thanks for your post! I am with you totally. I want to have a solution for a life time. Are you on RXHCG injections? What kind of dose issues are you having? What dosage are you on? typically woman lose 1 to 1/2 lb per day. So are you at 181? Is that 10 lbs including what you gained during loading?

I'm on rxHCG - Hucog - by injection.
I started out this round sublingual, and I was having decent results at the beginning. However, I found it hard to hold the drops under my tongue and all of that.
I did not gain during loading days...who know why not because I DID eat.
But I've lost nine pounds total - including loading and everything.
So that's an average loss of about .42 daily.
Although...for the past 8 days...I've simply been dancing with 181 and making no progress in that front.

I increased my dose this morning to 175 iu.
I began at 150...but was hungry...then lowered to 125...and was still hungry.
So, I'm hoping that increasing instead of decreasing will resolve the issue.

People speak of not being able to eat the entire 500 calories.
But not me.
I can eat all of those calories...and then I find that evening comes and I'm still hungry.
I've been paying close attention to physical vs. emotional hunger.
I'm sure I haven't come close to knowing the absolute difference yet...but I am certainly trying.

Thanks for your support.
Feel free to PM me as well.
I might not be a 'pro' at this, but I can certainly listen and support!