First Week Recap of HCG Phase II

I know you have all been waiting to see this post. :- o Today I will focus on what I have thought of my first week of Phase II while balancing my insane schedule, as well as sharing with you my results, mistakes, and feelings thus far.

I was really hungry until about Wednesday or Thursday. My stomach was talking to me all the time. Gurgling, moaning. I just tried to space out eating my fruits, and melba toast on a needed basis to reduce the pangs. There is definitely a balance to when you eat when you have to consider a schedule that consists of going to classes during your work shift. I think I will have a better handle on it this week. I had five interviews last week at work (on top of regular editing and programming planning- one which was also a video shoot), a meeting for The Winona Variety Show, and a practice for the Vagina Monologues. At one point, I went into work on Saturday to finish up something I forgot about that needed to air Monday. This was most likely due to adding homework into the equation. (Yes, there was homework the first week. There was a bunch of reading.) Sunday I attended my Belly dancing classes. Thankfully at 3:00 (about a half an hour to finish) we switched to practicing our zil techniques, which gave a reprieve from the dancing. I was beginning to wear out, and was feeling weak. There is a point when your body will tell you "OK, you need to stop" when on 500 calories. That is for sure.

It's really important to stay hydrated on Phase II. Your fat cells will try to glom onto water in your body during the diet, so the more flushing you can do, the better off you are. So, I like ice tea. Unsweetened ice tea. I usually put lemon juice in the tea, with Stevia. Normally this isn't a problem, however I learned that the lemon juice I was using had a bit of lemon oil in it, which comes from the skin of the fruit. Once I found out this little tid-bit of info, I just started squeezing my own. There are companies out there that have lemon juice without oils. It's literally just the juice. One such company is Santa Cruz Organic. If you are juicing your own, do remember to count calories. One ounce is 8 calories. A great resource for calculating calories is myfitnesspal.com. It's free to set up an account, and there is even an app for the iPhone/iPad. For me, it makes it easy to keep track of what I am doing food wise during and after HCG.

So how did I fair with the weight loss? That's a hard question to answer. Due to my own fears, I did not step on the scale during the loading Phase I period. Before I started loading I was at 160.4. It's safe to say based of previous loading phases I completed (when on HCG Fusion drops last year) - that I probably started Phase II somewhere between 163 to 165. On Thursday I made the mistake of stepping on the scale at night (trust me, this makes a difference) and saw I was 157.6 or so.  I felt awful, but I was being stupid, not thinking of the weight I must have gained during the loading period, and not seeing the big picture. (Like I should b*tch about losing 2.5 pounds in 5 days.) On Saturday, I weighed in at 155.9. Sunday I was at 155.3.  I am trying not to step on the scale everyday. If you get into that habit during Phase II, it will drive you crazy. It's better to look at it a week at a time.

As of today, I noticed I was comfortable in my size 10 jeans (before I gained the weight, I was mostly rocking my size 8's. Now the 10's feel loose, which is a reward in itself.

Now for the details, my measurements:

Body Measurement	1/3/12 Prior to HCG	1/14/12 Phase II HCG	Difference
Upper Arm Right	12	11.5	-0.5
Upper Arm Left	12	12	0
Bust	36.75	36.5	-0.25
Waist	30.75	29.25	-1.25
Abdomen	37.75	37.25	-0.5
Hip	41.75	41.5	-0.5
Upper Thigh Right	26.25	25.5	-0.5
Upper Thigh Left	26.25	25.25	-1.0
Lower Thigh Right	23.25	22.25	-1.0
Lower Thigh Left	22.75	22.25	-0.5
Upper Knee Right	19	18.5	-0.5
Upper Knee Left	19	18	-1.0
Lower Knee Right	14.5	14.5	0
Lower Knee Left	15	14.75	-0.25
Calf Right	15	15	0
Calf Left	15.75	15.25	-0.5
Ankle Right	12	12	0
Ankle Left	12.25	12	-0.25
Total Body Inches	392	383.25	Lost Inches = 8.5

Well, there you have it. That's a overall 8.5 inch loss in the first 8 days of Phase II. You want to know my feelings on this? I will not lie, I wish my husband and I could go out and eat. It's going to be a while till that happens. We have a family gathering coming up Saturday - and it's a birthday party for the most adorable one year old ever - our nephew Jake. This means there will be cake. Lots of cake and other food which I cannot partake in. How do I deal? I pack my own food and eat with everyone else, and then I leave the room when the cake comes out.

For the most part, Jon and I are avoiding other social gatherings that revolve around food. Jon had a work holiday party on Saturday. He attended that, while I attended a play with mine and his parents. That's kinda how we'll be handling things. The last time we went to a social gathering with Jon's work friends during Phase II, it was a nightmare. Initially we were all going bowling - but then people wanted to stay and eat. I ordered a steak and told the wait staff that I needed the grill cleaned and no seasoning, butter or oil to go near it - which they did. I also had steamed broccoli. They brought out a side salad that had shredded cheese on it and croutons which I had to pick off. I felt like a freak while others ate pizza, huge delicious burgers, wraps, appetizer plates, you name it. And there I was, picking off something as tame as shredded cheese and croutons from my salad like it was a lab experiment or something incredibly offensive. I cried after we left. Lesson learned.

Last Monday a commercial came on for Papa John's Pizza, when Jon noticed me staring intently at the screen. Really intentley. I was looking at it the way a teenage boy would stare at his first porno. Jon turned the TV off after noticing this for the following 30 seconds to ease the pangs/feelings for the food. When you are on Phase II I swear your sense of smell is heightened to unbelievable proportions. You can smell chocolate from isles away from you in a supermarket. A pizza; somedays it feels you can pickup on the scent a block away. However, this Phase is for only 41 days. Currently I have 34 days till I can start adding calories back in during Phase III. This doesn't go on forever, and the payoff health wise is big. It's a small price to pay in my eyes!

Till Later!

The First Days of Phase II

Yesterday was the first day for me on Phase II of the HCG Diet. Since I managed to gorge myself sufficiently, I felt no hunger on Saturday.

Today I slept in late, performing the injection about 38 minutes later than normal. I showered with my regular body wash because I forgot to reach for the bar soap. (Yes, you have to avoid oils even in soap.) It's going to be a hard habit to break.

I reviewed my monologue, put in some laundry, and then started cooking two pounds of chicken on the George Foreman grill. I cut up the chicken in 3.5 ounce servings before cooking, seasoned them with a chipotle seasoning and some with a thai seasoning. None of the seasonings I used contained sugar. I also steamed a bunch of green beans. Everything was then packed away in individual containers so if I need to I can just "grab and go".

 For those of you wondering what a typical day will look like while on 500 calories, read below: 

Breakfast:
Tea or Coffee. No sweetener.

 Lunch:
 3.5 oz (weight pre-cooked) Protein of Chicken, Lean Beef, or fish (think tilapia, cod, ect.)
One Veggie: Think greens, radishes, tomatoes, red pepper, green pepper, onion
One Fruit: Pink Grapefruit, Apple, Strawberries, Oranges, Lemon, Lime
Half a melba toast or a Grissini Breadstick (12 cal)

 Dinner:
3.5 oz (weight pre-cooked) Protein of Chicken, Lean Beef, or fish (think tilapia, cod, ect.)
One Veggie: Think greens, radishes, tomatoes, red pepper, green pepper, onion
One Fruit (Pink Grapefruit, Apple, Strawberries, Oranges)
Half a melba toast or a Grissini Breadstick (12 cal)

 You are not to repeat the same vegetable, fruit, or meat in the same day. You are not to combine meats, fruits, or veggies either. If you cannot hit the 500 calories, you should make it up with veggies preferably. However, fruit can be acceptable too.

So yesterday I had a can of Tuna in Water for my lunch protein and 96/4 red meat at dinner - which I formed into a patty, then cooked in a pan with chopped green pepper. The patty broke up, and it was like an odd casserole, but it was fine. It tasted alright. My fruits were strawberry and and apple, and my veggies were green pepper and spinach. I also had a melba toast.

 Today I had the chicken for lunch with green beans and half a melba toast. I forgot my fruit before running out the door for my belly dance lesson which is a 30 minute commute. Dance class went over (which I do not mind AT ALL because I love that class) which made me late to the first rehearsal for the Vagina Monologues. I had emailed the directors previously to let me know that I might run late. Thankfully they are changing group rehearsal times to 4:30. I was mildly hungry when I got to rehearsal. By the end I was REALLY hungry.

I arrived home, had an orange, finished the last half of a melba toast, cracked open a can of tuna,  and steamed a bag and a half of spinach. I later had two apples. One medium, one large. Slicing the Apples, I then sprinkled some cinnamon and stevia (natural sweetener from a plant leaf that does not count as sugar) over them, and nuked the apples for 4 min. Taaaa-Daaaa! Baked apple dessert! I had two apples due to the fact that I was having a hard time reaching 500 calories for the day, and I could not bring myself to more spinach or other greens.

Tomorrow school starts and thus ends winter break. For the first time since 2004 I am back in a classroom as a student. I am nervous and excited at the same time! I have to end this seeing I still need to transfer more laundry over, and call it a night. To meet my goal of being to work at 8, I need to get to bed earlier.

Later!

Full...Oh, Dear Lord...Sooooo Full...

I cannot possibly put another piece of food in my mouth. OK, I could, but I would feel dirty and sick. The HCG hormone already suppresses the appetite, so I just end up feeling like Jabba The Hut. I'd rather be in Leia's position. Awesome bod and a kick ass bikini. Working on it...

In case you have no idea what I am talking about, today was day 2 of Loading - Last Day of Phase One on the HCG Diet. I moseyed out of bed a little before 9am, administered my injection, showered, dressed and had breakfast. Breakfast consisted of a really thick peanut butter and jelly sandwich on wheat with a chocolate soy milk yogurt. This afternoon's delicacy was left over meat laden pizza slices from Rocco's and a Mountain Dew. At other times I drank large amounts of Crystal Light - the kind made with sugar. Not the artificial crap. I know this sounds strange coming from one who gorged the last two days, but Aspartame - that shit will kill you. No joke.

This evening Jon and I played the "where do YOU want to eat" game. We decided on Bub's which is a great bar with a damn good menu for what it is. (It's pronounced "Boobs") We went with the appetizer sampler. Jon had a reuben with onion rings. I chose a cajun burger with mozzarella, peppers, onions and guacamole. Jon entertained the idea of ice cream. It made me want to hurl. However, after a trip to the grocery store, we did manage to crack open the cookie dough and the two of us indulged while watching "The Daily Show". I finished the dough off. There is no possible way I could be more disgusted with myself then I feel right now. It's OK. It's over. Thank. God.

Tonight's trip to the grocery store was an in/out success. Since I have been on HCG before, (and the diet is the same for the injections as the drops for the most part) it was easy to fall back into habit, grabbing what I would need. The above picture illustrates it all. There is chicken thawing in the fridge that I have had for a while which is not in the shot. (My protein rotation will be fish, chicken, beef. Turkey is not allowed. Some people eat it, but then could stall in their weight loss.) The clear-like stick is crystal body deodorant which is to be used during HCG instead of other deodorants.

I managed to get my last run on the elliptical at the gym today. A whole hour on interval mode. Felt good! When on the elliptical I usually try to catch up on CSI. Not the crap CSI - the Las Vegas one. It never disappoints. Having that time to myself means a lot. With classes starting on Monday, and rehearsals for the Vagina Monologues beginning on Sunday, time to myself will soon become nil. To give you a taste of my upcoming weeks schedule - here's an example:

Saturday
Work on freelance stuff, and regular work duties. (I need to catch up due to last weeks illness)
Memorize monologue for The Vagina Monologues

Sunday
Work on memorization on monologue for The Vagina Monologues
2 PM - 3:30 Belly Dance Class
4 PM - 6 Vagina Monologues Rehearsal

Mondays
8 AM Work
12-12:50 Class
1 PM Work
2 PM Class
3 PM Work till I am done with tasks for the day

Tuesday
8 AM-4 PM Work

Wednesday
8 AM Work
12-12:50 Class
1 PM Work
2 PM Class
3 PM Work till I am done with tasks for the day
6 PM Winona Variety Show Meeting (I'm working with the committee and performing. Luckily there are only two rehearsals, and one performance.)

Thursday
8 AM - 10:50 LAB/Class
11 AM Work
2 PM Class
3 PM Work till I am done with tasks for the day

Friday
8 AM Work
2 PM Class
3 PM Work till I am done with tasks for the day

You might be wondering when I take lunch. I normally work through it since I have a mini fridge and microwave in my office. Since I will be packing all my meals, it actually makes the day easier. An 8 AM start will be a challenge for me. I usually get in between 9 and 10. Let's call it a "New Year's Resolution". It's a more practical start time since classes will be happening during my work shift. I want to be out of my office at a reasonable hour. It doesn't always work that way. Sometimes I have 12+ hour long days. It all depends on what is happening in the community. Somewhere in my schedule will be homework and blogging. The most important thing to me is maintaining a happy and healthy relationship with my husband through all of this. I love him so much, it's ridiculous! He is such a great support to me and all my endeavors. I am a lucky lady. While I am going through HCG, he is putting himself on a diet as well. Just not the same one.

Till tomorrow!

Loading Time and Breaking Water!

So, you may be curious about what the title of this entry alludes to. You're in luck. I am going to give you ALL the details. Probably more than you want to know. One of my nicknames used to be "Teri Too Much" or "TMI Teri". I will show you why if you decide to keep coming back for more.

Anyhow, this morning around 8:30 AM was the first day of taking my HCG injections. The best part is I have to eat like a pig. The worst part is - I have to eat like a pig! Ha! Let me first get to what HCG is.

Stephanie, (a dear friend of mine - friends since middle school) has been working on a handout that best describes it. (Stephanie runs Brilliant Bodywork. She introduced me to HCG and helped me shed the first 50. She honestly saved my life. We'll get to that later as I reveal more about myself.) According to the handout:

"HCG is a natural hormone produced in the body. It has many functions and is used medically to treat a variety of conditions. It is the pregnancy hormone. This hormone allows the body to metabolize fat and use it as energy for both mother and fetus. This acts as a "fail-safe" mechanism when energy is needed immediately. For weight loss, we use only a very small amount of HCG to capitalize on this same mechanism."

"HCG releases your fat reserves, your body begins to “consume” the fat, which acts as a source of energy in place of food. In essence, you burn about one pound of fat each day (one pound is 3,500 calories). Therefore, your total consumption each day will be about 4,000 calories – 500 from food and 3,500 from fat. That is why most patients do not experience extreme hunger while using HCG."

On the first two days of injections you are instructed to gorge yourself on food. This may seem counterproductive, but it works. Apparently, doing this primes the body for the 500 calorie diet I will be enjoying for the following 40 some odd days. It gets my fat cells ready for action. I am to eat as many fatty foods as I can. Rocco's pizza from Goodview? Check. Tub of cookie dough? Check. Taco Bell run? Check. The last of some Cadbury Creme Eggs my husband had been stashing for me? Check and check! You get the idea. Somehow I managed to down a bunch of pistachios. Haven't touched the cookie dough yet. Just cannot bring myself to do it now. I am pretty stuffed. Yet it sits in the fridge, calling my name and taunting me. "Teri, c'mon! Let's do this! You can't have me or any other treats for a looooooong time after Friday. Put me in your mouth!" One is warned that it is hard to eat to capacity during this "loading phase" (also known as "Phase One"), but it must be done. I am really thirsty though. Extremely. Thirsty.

The above picture is of the needle I am to administer myself with every morning around the same time. You can see how small the needle is. Somehow I managed to stick myself this morning. I thought I was going to have to have my husband Jon do it but I put on my big girl pants and did it myself. Growing up, my Mother was a nurse. She was like a ninja with a needle. I would get surprise attack flu shots when not looking. "This is no big deal" I thought to myself, but even today there was slight hesitance of shoving a foreign object into my body. Truthfully, you can't really even feel it. You are to rotate around injection sites between the tummy, thighs, the buttocks, and arms.

Some of you may be tripping up on the 500 calories for 43 days part. (Known as Phase Two.) Yeah, I realize it sounds pretty awful. The first week takes some getting used to. This will be partly timed with my first week of college classes. College, which I haven't been in since 2004! I had mentioned in my previous entry that I have used HCG before, via taking drops. Supposedly taking injections guarantees a certain amount of the hormone, most likely more than I was getting with the drops. Therefore less crankiness when starting. Supposedly I won't feel hunger because the hormone will be using my fat for energy - instead of muscle.

So, what does one eat while restricted to 500 calories? Not much! Lean meats, and mostly green veggies, tomatoes. Fruit selections consist of oranges, apples, strawberries, and pink grapefruit. Carbs? Not really. Other than a cracker of melba toast, or a Grissini Breadstick (think the kind you get in a cafeteria shrink wrapped - only longer and no sesame seeds) twice a day. No oils, no dairy, no sugars. The no sugars thing is tricky - especially when it comes to using spices. You have to be religious when checking labels. No soda. Coffee and tea are allowed. I can make myself fake lemonade by using Stevia (a natural sweetener that your body does not process as a sugar) and lemon. It actually tastes pretty good.

So, why the heck would I do this? Because it works and it's not drawn out over a year. I am EXTREMELY impatient. If I do not see results right away, I jump off the wagon. I need an extreme diet to go with my extreme personality.

In other news, the water heater decided to take a crap last-night. I knew there was a problem when Jon brought the garden hose in from outside. His response when asked what was wrong was "Oh nothing. Didn't want the hose to freeze". I asked him again five times. Then he said the basement was wet/flooded. The thing is - Jon is a joker, and sometimes I can't tell if he is joking or not. It's part of his charm. He smiles when he does it to keep you guessing. After a while, he sat on the couch next to me, put his arm around my shoulder and said, "The water heater is dead. It's done dancing. You want to survey the damage?" Whenever Jon uses the term "done dancing" he means it. Then I know he's not joking. There wasn't much water down there, a couple of things were damp, but not ruined. I had to bum a shower from the in-laws before going to work after my morning injection. This afternoon, Jon purchased a new 40 gallon water heater from Fleet Farm, which ended up only costing us about $227 due to a nice amount of gift cards we received as wedding presents. It took Jon and his Dad from 1 PM - 6:40 PM to install it, but it's installed and working well. We have hot water. We could not be happier about that!

Jon and I have had a bit of bad luck lately. Friday before Christmas Jon's car slipped on some ice and skated a curb. Some damage was done to the right from rim, and control arm. The car needed an alignment. We were quoted $500 - $600 in repairs. Since it was a holiday, we wouldn't get the car back until Friday Dec 30th. Jon works in LaCrosse. I work in Winona. The repair shop wanted $30 a day for a rental. We wanted no part of that. So, how did we manage? Well, it was the holidays and I had some time off. Friday through Monday. I managed to get really sick that Monday the 26th, which lasted through early Tuesday the 3rd. Transportation issue solved! It did suck being stranded - but it wasn't like I was going anywhere - other than the doctor multiple times. The kicker? When we went to pick up the car, it was over 1k in repair costs. I was furious no one called us to let us know that struts and other misc parts needed to be ordered. They say bad luck runs in threes. I think our turn is done!

This is getting really long. More tomorrow!

Hello New Year! Hello Challenges!

It's that time of the year again. The time where everyone goes ahead and makes resolutions, with promises of implementation.

Last year I lost about 50 pounds. produced over 200 some radio shows, participated in The Winona Health Follies, The Winona Variety Show, and married the most amazing man ever! So what's on the plate for this year? Here we go:

Starting January 5th, I will be trying to loose 20 - 30 pounds. I am once again going to do this using HCG. This time I am going on injections. (Before I was on the homeopathic drops.) Currently (depending on the day) I weigh anywhere between 160 and 155. I would like to get in the 130s. I am 5'6, and I exercise about 3-4 times a week. Exercise will be close to nil on this diet due to the 500 calorie a day intake in conjunction with the injections. The diet is 43 days long, following that is a 3 week period of maintenance with no carbs or sugars till the three weeks are up. I will still be participating in my once a week belly dancing class. No one is taking that away from me.

So, normally this would be easy, right? Work and a diet. Big woop. However work is producing 5 radio shows a week, while training two student assistants and dishing out work to them. I love my assistants - they help make sure the ship (the radio station) does not sink. Without them, I would be SOL. On top of work, I am going to start taking classes. That's right, back to college for this lady! I will be taking a science class with a lab, and a class on music in film. I am a Professional Studies Major with an emphasis on Film Studies.

In the month of February I will be in The Vagina Monologues at the University I work at, and in The Winona Variety Show. If I get through February without a major breakdown, I will be amazed.

Stay tuned to see how and if I keep it together. Here goes everything!