HCG diet SUPPORT thread - Page 94

[homemademom]

Inspiring because you are so committed to meeting your goals and you've doggedly done MULTIPLE rounds (I'm nervous starting day 1 of p2 tomorrow)! I've been amazed reading about your and others' journeys on this thread. I hope I can have the same success with losing these stubborn pounds.

Yeah, on the calories, I honestly don't know what is "low" or "high" enough. It's been something I've struggled with this whole year. I've gone high cal (high fat, high protein) and stayed the same weight, and I've done low cal (with no particular carb/protein/fat division), and I've always stayed the same.  I was just wondering if when you looked at your calorie intake if there was anything noteworthy. But 1700 seems totally reasonable and your menu looked really good, so. . . I completely get your frustration!  

The only other thing I could offer up--and I don't even know much about it-- is that the clinic I'm doing the shots with (run by a naturopathic doc and an MD) wants to run a panel of blood tests including thyroid (not just the basic one, but T3 uptake and TSH "ultra-sensitive"), as well as hormone levels.  I'm looking at my order and it calls for progesterone, testosterone, and some others.  She said that I won't be able to maintain the weight loss at the end if we don't address the root cause for why I wasn't losing in the first place. Part of the fee I pay will be for her to develop a dietary plan when the shots are finished.  When I see her again in 3 weeks, I plan to ask her more about it.

Originally Posted by Maiasaura 

It IS frustrating. My story is inspiring? Really? How so? Thanks, though!

I ate my 1/2 apple by itself, with a couple pieces of jerky after. I ate the green beans with the wings. Two whole wings, which would be 4 wing sections if they'd been split apart. Why?

My calorie intake? Low enough? It's usually roughly 1700cal a day. Yesterday I can assure you it was probably much lower than that, being that I was traveling and I forgot my dang breakfast on the road!

Today's intake was roughly this:

~plenty of cream in my coffees (3 cups of coffee?) and a bit more that I whipped with stevia in a babyfood jar for a whipped cream treat

~a chicken thigh

~two eggs, with about 2Tb of sugar free mayo for egg salad

~bottom round roast for dinner, with butter

~a hot dog (compliant) cooked in butter

~about an ounce of very sharp cheddar

I think that's it. Can't remember.

[Maiasaura]

Originally Posted by homemademom The only other thing I could offer up--and I don't even know much about it-- is that the clinic I'm doing the shots with (run by a naturopathic doc and an MD) wants to run a panel of blood tests including thyroid (not just the basic one, but T3 uptake and TSH "ultra-sensitive"), as well as hormone levels.  I'm looking at my order and it calls for progesterone, testosterone, and some others.  She said that I won't be able to maintain the weight loss at the end if we don't address the root cause for why I wasn't losing in the first place. Part of the fee I pay will be for her to develop a dietary plan when the shots are finished.  When I see her again in 3 weeks, I plan to ask her more about it.

Yeah, please do, and post her response! I'm curious. When I weighed 184 I stayed the same for years, within like 3lb. Unless I glommed a whole bunch of sugary things, then I gained exponentially, but if I stopped that, I'd go back down again. I just can't seem to stabilize at THIS weight, dang it!

I have had my thyroid checked...it's been awhile, but it came up fine. LMK what your Dr. says!

[KTH711]

My HCG clinic told me to try a splash of Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk in my coffee. DON"T USE CREAMER- I did for a few days then my weight loss screeched to a halt for a few days! The Almond milk is fine as a splash or 2 & it didn't have any effect on my weight loss.

[Maiasaura]

Originally Posted by KTH711 

My HCG clinic told me to try a splash of Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk in my coffee. DON"T USE CREAMER- I did for a few days then my weight loss screeched to a halt for a few days! The Almond milk is fine as a splash or 2 & it didn't have any effect on my weight loss.

For Phase 2? I have used half and half for the last 3 Rounds and did fine-- but I do have to limit myself to ONE cup of coffee a day, which is really hard. I like lots. But I tell myself, it's temporary, it's temporary, it's temporary.

[Valerie.Qc]

I haven't post yet but I've read!

I've done a round of homeopathic HCG, just entered into P4.

In order to stabilise in P3, I had to cut eggs, dairy and nuts for 2-3 weeks and eat 2000 calories/day. I have reintroduced eggs, almonds and walnuts, milk and some cheese without problem but really need to watch salt content. I don't count calories anymore... but have to make sure to chose nutrient dense food (and have coconut oil/milk on a daily basis).

I plan on doing another round in May/June, starting after DD2's dance recital (don't want to be on 500 cal. on that crazy day! ). 

[NewDirections]

I just ordered my Hcg.  I'm so excited!

[NewDirections]

Starting Day 1 today!!!!  Loading up :)  I was 187 this morning.

[Maiasaura]

Originally Posted by NewDirections Starting Day 1 today!!!!  Loading up :)  I was 187 this morning.

Good luck to you!

I am afraid to hope-- but I have been within the same two pounds for twelve days now. I have never stabilized before in 4 rounds, so I am just astounded and hanging in there one day at a time

[Valerie.Qc]

Good luck NewDirections!

Yay Maia! More "stable" vibes for you! :-)

Waiting for my drops... Hoping to start a second round on Sunday. Been on P4 since March 21 and stayed within 2 pounds of my reference weight since then.

[Maiasaura]

Originally Posted by Valerie.Qc Yay Maia! More "stable" vibes for you! :-)

I am up slightly, but hardly much. Still within the same two pounds as before! I can't believe this. It's a dance, with food, I tell ya-- but I am so grateful. All I want in the whole world is to keep this up so that I can lose 30 more pounds one of these days!

[Valerie.Qc]

P1 - day 2.

[Valerie.Qc]

VLCD01

I miss my bulletproof coffee...

[Valerie.Qc]

VLCD02   -1.6lb on the scale this morning! 

Must remember to drink A LOT!!!

[NDbarrelracer]

Ok all I am new here and I posted somewhere, no idea but I need some serious help with HCG, so sorry if you read this somewhere else.  You all seem to really help and cheer each other on, and is exacly what I am looking for.  I am not new to HCG, I took the injectable and I had great results round 1 had a little trouble keeping it all off, round 2 was harder, I was allot more hungry but still lost and then I did round 3 and it was, as my son would say, and EPIC FAILURE.  Was STARVING and had terrible cravings.  I went thru some serious personal issues and gained allot of weight, so need to get it off, for my health.   So I have been reading about D140 and D147, plan on getting the D147, because I know I am a stress eater, and have terrible cravings, but I am not sure which HCG to use.  I am on some liquid vitamins from evitamin.  I am taking some stuff to clean out my spleen and stuff for adrenals, I do think I may have some thyroid issues.  So do I take D140 or the HCG with amino acid, when I was on the injectables I had absolutely no energy and we farm and ranch and I train horses and am way to heavy, so someone please help.  I have 2 amazing childern and hubby, and I want to stick around for a while.   Sorry if this sounded confusing, and thanks in advance.

[Maiasaura]

Originally Posted by Valerie.Qc I miss my bulletproof coffee...

Originally Posted by Valerie.Qc VLCD02   -1.6lb on the scale this morning! Must remember to drink A LOT!!!

Yeah, next time I am going to miss BP coffee, too! And yes about the water! On P2 I always drink a gallon or more.

Originally Posted by NDbarrelracer Ok all I am new here and I posted somewhere, no idea but I need some serious help with HCG, so sorry if you read this somewhere else.  You all seem to really help and cheer each other on, and is exacly what I am looking for.  I am not new to HCG, I took the injectable and I had great results round 1 had a little trouble keeping it all off, round 2 was harder, I was allot more hungry but still lost and then I did round 3 and it was, as my son would say, and EPIC FAILURE.  Was STARVING and had terrible cravings.  I went thru some serious personal issues and gained allot of weight, so need to get it off, for my health.   So I have been reading about D140 and D147, plan on getting the D147, because I know I am a stress eater, and have terrible cravings, but I am not sure which HCG to use.  I am on some liquid vitamins from evitamin.  I am taking some stuff to clean out my spleen and stuff for adrenals, I do think I may have some thyroid issues.  So do I take D140 or the HCG with amino acid, when I was on the injectables I had absolutely no energy and we farm and ranch and I train horses and am way to heavy, so someone please help.  I have 2 amazing childern and hubby, and I want to stick around for a while.   Sorry if this sounded confusing, and thanks in advance.

I gotta get Mary back on here to reply to you. She's awesome. I also had harder and harder times. I've done 4 rounds and never stabilized till recently, and still it's a daily dance with the scale. And with food. She and I and another friend have been doing this together (online) since September '10-- well, Mary's been doing it a lot longer-- and we've all been exploring metabolism and diet and bodies and emotional eating and etc. Hugs, in the meanwhile.

[mary3mama]

 I'm here 

1st -- I'm in the midst of a round right now -- not quite 2 weeks in.

2nd -- I have NOT given up my bulletproof coffee. I hate, hate, hate, hate black coffee -- ugh, tastes like eating fireplace ashes. So I decided to try a round with just a teeny-tiny smidge of butter in my morning joe. So far? Great! Doesn't seem to be impacting me at all. 

3rd -- I BELIEVE (meaning I am not trained, skilled, certified in any of this) that Hcg resistance is real. I think that is a more accurate term for what Simeons considered 'immunity.

I haven't done a *real* hcg round since last November. I have tried. But within the first week of several attempts I felt like I was totally starving -- like lay down and drift away starving. Not good. I'm not in this to abuse my body, so those rounds had to be stopped with immediate fat and protein.

I am able to stay stable these days -- which took discovering how little protein and how much fat I really need -- but wanting to get more weight off. This is not a matter of what the scale, my dress size or mirror says -- it is a matter of getting more weight off my achey knees (weak knee joints seem to be a family trait -- and I don't want to have to have those joints replaced like both my mother and grandmother did!)

4th -- IF one can become hcg resistant then something else is needed.
One way to do it would be to find out how low cal a diet your metabolism can handle -- but making sure you have PLENTY of healthy fats. Like 80+% of your calories coming from the fats. That should help keep the hunger and 'starvation hoarding' of your fat cells at bay. But in concert with that, you'd need (IMHO) to restrict the calories as a whole so that your body is motivated to unlock stored fat for fuel.

I hypothesize that this is more than likely to be successful -- but only if you keep your carb grams terribly low (max 20g/day) -- and you will lose, but not anywhere near as fast as the fat/lbs came off during a successful hcg round.

5th -- During this round (because I absolutely believe that I am, however temporarily, hcg resistant) I am utilizing an hcg/hormone-free homeopathic remedy. It has been developed (as far as I can tell) specifically to mimic the action of hcg within the body, but without the hcg itself. 

D148 (I get it from evitaminmarket which has better shipping than most -- but if you google it you can find other online sources)

I was totally skeptical but also extremely curious whether an hcg/hormone free formula could really work -- so I gave in to my curiosity and started a new round.

I am floored by how well this round is going. 

So far I am dropping more than 1.5#/day on average -- with no hunger. 
When I say 'no hunger' what I mean is that my stomach grumbles from time to time but I am not weak, dizzy, or lethargic. I have great energy and mood. My mood is the first to change when I'm not getting enough calories. I know how it feels for my metabolism to start shutting down: cranky, irritable, low energy, cold, want to lay down and sleep all day. None of that is happening this time around.

6th -- I just read this book: Weight Loss Apocalypse

The Kindle edition is only $11, I think.

Really something that anyone and everyone should read to better understand not just the protocol but how the protocol can be evaluated through the lens of decades of newer research into nutrition, metabolism and physiology.
 

If ANYONE asks me about the protocol anymore I will tell them to read P&I AND Weight Loss Apocalypse before they make plans to try it.

One of the main points that the author of WLA makes is that one should only eat when hungry and only eat enough to be 'not hungry'' anymore -- not full, not sated: not hungry. That goes for on the protocol as well, IMHO. I have not wanted all the food allowed by the protocol most of the time. But I felt like I HAD TO eat it.

Now I follow my hunger cues. I prioritize the protein. I eat that first. If I'm still hungry I have a compliant-veggie -- but again, only to the point of 'not hungry.'

Most days I don't even get to the veggie.

Again, I am not in this to abuse my body. I am listening intently to my body's cues about what it wants. I am learning again what those cues feel like.

This is an important part of my psychological healing: instead of eating everything allowed to me at each meal because 'I've earned it' I eat only what my body really wants. That is a great lesson to learn that will help me post P2.

Because I know the danger of transitioning to P3 with a mindset of 'ooooooh, now I get to eat lots more!!!' Overeating because we 'deserve it' lies down that dangerous path.

I want to transition to: what does my body need right now, at this moment, to continue to be awesome and healthy. 

Ok -- gotta get off to my day.

Again -- these are just my meandering ruminations after a 2 year journey of learning and experimenting and trying and learning more.

I hope that this post helps inspire a dialog. I am not trying to 'give wisdom' to anyone. 

[Avani]

I'm starting a new round this week...I am just waiting on my shipment..stabilizing is really tricky for me. I have found that I must have some dietary issues with gluten and sugar. I get instantly bloated, constipated, angry, irritable, depressed and anxious as soon as I start eating them again. The first day that I tried incorporating them I felt almost high, really energetic and happy, The next day I got all the above symptoms and they stayed with me until I cut them out again. I will look into that book MAry..sounds interesting! Good luck to everyone..
 

[Avani]

I agree to the HCG resistance theory that Mary has.

[Maiasaura]

See? Toldja Mary's awesome

[PhatBaby]

Hi... don't get discouraged. Did you do an apple day??? This is only my second day on P2 and I've lost 6 lbs and I can feel my stomach shrinking. I am very excited and you can do an apple day once a week, where you only eat 6 small apples for a day.