R2P3D16 An unexpected weight loss!

Weird things are happening! I have been on P3 now for just over 2 weeks. My weight has been pretty good about staying within the 2lb LIW range. The day after Thanksgiving was a bit rough but I got over it. Today, I am -2.2 LIW! I am thrilled and the last 5 days have brought a total weight loss of 3.8 pounds. So the question is what has changed? The only thing I am doing differently is that I have added a liver cleanse that I bought at Whole Foods. My diet and water intake are the same. I thought that I would do a liver cleanse before I started my new round to see if it would offer better results. I didn’t think I would see results this soon. Can a liver cleanse really do that much? Anyway, I am taking what I get because at 172.6 I am at a new low! I love to get little surprises like that!

R2P3D13 November 30, 2009

My last injection weight was 174.8. Today, I was 174.1. My highest weight on phase 3 was 178.1. This was the day after Thanksgiving. I had eaten really salty stuffing on Thanksgiving so I figure my big gain was a result of that. I did a steak day and it quickly fixed my problem.

I am finally starting to enjoy phase 3. My diet has expanded somewhat to include a variety of meats, cheeses, eggs, and fruits. I still keep the majority of my diet phase 2 foods but have added real salad dressings, Caesar is my favorite. Snacks now consist of cubed cheese, olives or Greek yogurt. I also drink about 3 or 4 glasses of wine a week. I still steer clear of breads and starches but I have had a few bites of chocolate since starting phase 3.

Normally, my meals include a large salad with chicken for lunch, a fruit or Greek yogurt for snack, some meat and a vegetable for dinner and a fruit or cheese for an evening snack. On Sunday, I may have breakfast consisting of an omelet with cheese but I find that I still enjoy just having my coffee with almond milk. I know every weight loss expert says you need to eat breakfast but I have found I do better without. It was that way for me when I weighed 120, too. I have not been hungry at all. If I do feel the need for something I just drink some water and have an apple.

I have noticed gains when I eat out at a restaurant where the meat or veggies may have a sauce on it. I have found ordering “naked” works best for my diet. A few items I have eaten out are the Cobb salad at Panera and the Victoria’s Filet, green beans and salad at Outback Steakhouse. I order everything prepared without seasonings or butter. I did eat at Outback one night and did not order my food “naked” and it actually tasted terrible. I have noticed that my palate has changed and that the true taste of the food is actually more appealing to me than it is when covered with sauces and seasonings.

I have also had an easier time going places that I used to associate with certain foods. Movie theaters are not a problem any longer. When I did my first round being near popcorn about killed me but now I just sit back and enjoy the film. I don’t feel the need to constantly be snacking. Eating has become a time to feed my body and not my emotions.

While being able to eat more foods has been nice I am becoming anxious to start my next round. I would like to lose 30 more pounds. I plan on starting my next round January 4^th. I would like to do a 40 day round but that will depend on how long I keep losing. I would like to be at my goal weight before swimsuit season.

R2 P2 VLCD 6: Goal Setting

Today has been a difficult day for me with the time change. I know have 25 hours I need to keep myself from going off the program. I have been doing fairly well. I was thinking about setting some goals and putting them down on paper to make them real. I came up wiht a list of mini goals that will be easier to obtain that just stating "I want to lose 75 pounds". Here is what I came up with:

Goal 1: 177.5 be overweight not obese
Goal 2: 175
Goal 3: 174 40 pound weight loss
Goal 4: 170
Goal 5: 164, 50 pound weight loss
Goal 6: 160
Goal 7: 154, 60 pound weight loss
Goal 8: 150
Goal 9: 147.8 be a normal weight not overweight
Goal 10: 144, 70 pound weight loss
Goal 11: 140
Goal 12: 134 80 pound weight loss
Goal 13:130
Goal 14: 128.6

147.9 (>25% BMI) to 177.5 (>30% BMI) for 5’ 4.5” overweight
109.5 (18.5% BMI) to 147.8 (25% BMI) for 5’ 4.5” normal weight
Under 109.5 (<18.5% BMI) for 5’ 4.5” underweight

I am trying to come up with some "treats" or rewards for hitting these goals. (This was discussed as a question of the day on spark people) A lot of people said they treated themselves to mani's and pedi's. Which work but I want to think of some other great things to use too. So, now the plan is to come up with my list of rewards.

I have also decided to make a gold star poster. For every pound or 5 pounds I lose I will put a gold star on it. (Yes, like Weight Watchers.) I think the visualization will help me out. I might make squares for every pound I need to lose and fill it in with a star. I will have to let you know what I come up with! :)

R2 P2 VLCD2 and dealing with the temptation of others

Wow! I awoke to a weight loss of 4.2 today! That makes me feel a lot better after being such a pig on our Disney trip! I figure by the end of the week I will be down to my LIW from R1. I am already feeling much better and just an overall cleaner feeling. My jeans I bought 2 weeks ago were loose yesterday. I am going to go broke buying new clothes. I may have to just wear yoga pants for a while and give up on buying new denim until the New Year. I was on the phone with my Mom yesterday who was asking what she should get everyone for Christmas and I told her that I wanted a gift certificate to a clothing store. Hopefully, I will have a reason to go out and get some new clothes! Another blogger brought up the topic of someone eating infront of her and the temptaions that it brought on. I thought I would share how I deal with that situation. When someone eats infront of me something that I can't have I find it helpful to imagine what that is doing to their body. For example, if someone was eating a cheeseburger infront of me I imagine how the grease and fat dripping off of it is sticking to the walls of their arteries and how that big lump of meat is sitting in their bowels giving them a bloated, painful distended belly. I know it sounds wierd but it works. I did it when I quit smoking 10 years ago and it really helped. The more graphic I paint the picture the better it works. Does anyone else do this?

Round 2 Load Day 2

After my trip to Disneyland and Southern California, I returned with an extra 5.5 pounds! I had been off the hcg for 2 weeks after a 25 day round. I was supposed to wait 3 weeks to start another round but I am so disgusted with the weight that I put on. I don't know anyone who has started another round so quickly but I am willing to take that leap to see what happens. I figure that this round will also be a short round due to concerns of immunity developing to the hcg. I will attempt to do a 23 day round but if I am still losing by then I think I may keep going.
I am amazed how terrible I feel now that I am eating regular food. My stomach is killing me! My belly is bloated and I have a general yuck feeling about me. I also noticed how much more my knee has been bothering me since I have gained back 5 pounds. I figure by next week I will be in ketosis again and feeling better. I spent the morning cutting up and grilling chicken and prepping veggies for my VLCD 1. Tonight we will go out for our last hurrah for the next month.
This is also the first time I am doing the hcg on my own and without using a clinic. I figure that if I cut the clinic out I save myself about $200. I really don't think that they did anything for me at the clinic. I actually only saw the doctor 2 times. Once at my initial visit and at one follow up visit. I did one weigh in with his office staff since he was out that day. I really don't need to pay $200 extra for that. The hcg that I am using for this round was from Pharmacy Escrow. I have not tested it but it is the same that others have used on the HCG board.

Half Way There!

I weighed 179.5 today! This is the half way point of my weight loss goal. I am super excited! My goal for this round was to get under 180 on P2. Today was my last vlcd on P2 and I start P3 tomorrow. I am excited and scared about starting P3 tomorrow. The worst part is that we are leaving town! In 5 days I will be at Disneyland. We will be staying at one of the hotels in the park. This means I will be exposed to every delicious little morsel in the park! I have a feeling that there will be a cheat coming in my near future. My goal is to stay in 3 pounds of LIW. I am already 1.5 under that. Please send good thought my way that my will power doesn't fade on me!

Day 26

This morning I weighed in at 180.5 and have lost 14.7 pounds this round. Yesterday was my last injection. I have 2 more days of VLCD. I am anxious to start P3 but I am also nervous about going outside of my small selection of foods that I normally eat. I will absolutely do another round of hcg. This is the easiest diet that I have been on. I still plan to lose another 35 pounds. Anything above and beyond that will be a bonus. My plan is to do the best I can to maintain my weight until Thanksgiving. My plan is to start another round the Saturday after that. My biggest challenge will be my trip to L.A. this weekend. I will be there for 8 days with my husband and 2 children. I have decided that I will do my best to maintain a low carb diet with a few cheats. I figure with all the walking that we will be doing I will be burning some extra calories. I guess I will give an update when I get back.

Day 18: VLCD # 16

Well... after having the flu for a week I have finally made a full recovery! Unfortunately, I fell off the program somewhat but I am working on getting back on track. I weighed 189.1 this morning which was a bit disappointing.

My goal at this point is to finish up with my injections on Friday, October16th. (That is as far as I am paid up with the med spa clinic) My family and I will be in LA from the 16th to the 24th. I decided that I am going to enjoy my trip and not worry about packing and flying with syringes of hcg. My goal for vacation is to stay within a couple of pounds of my finishing weight. When I return from LA I am planning on starting a new round for 43 days. That will put me in early December. I will follow P3 until after the first of the year and hopefully get in a third round before summer rolls around. I have already purchased my hcg for my second round. I am sure my hubby will want to do it again too.

I am really paying for cheating while I was sick. When I was first sick the doctor told me to just treat the flu. Well I did that my eating soup. I tried to be good and have only broth style soup with veggies and without noodles. I also ate crackers with the soups. We went to a party the first day I was feeling better and I had some pizza, chips and dips. I figure I was 188.8 when I got the flu so I haven't done too bad. I did get down to 185.5 with the flu but I was probably dehydrated also. Since I cheated I have been really hungry and do not have the full feeling I did before the flu. It has been a bit difficult but not unbearable. I keep drinking lots of fluids. Hopefully, tomorrow will bring better numbers on the scale.

Day 11: VLCD #9

Much has happened since my last blog. I am currently weighing in at 185.5. I am down 8.9 pounds since starting the hcg.

On Monday, Mick and I had our first weigh in at the Dr.'s office Mick was down 10lbs! I was down 5.4. We were happy with the results that we had in just 1 week. The diet has not been easy. It takes a lot of planning to make sure that we have healthy items on had to make our meals. It also makes it difficult to go out to eat. We have not attempted to do this yet but are talking about making plans to have dinner with a family member at a restaurant soon. One thing that has been difficult is the social aspect of going out to dinner with friends and family. I miss just being able to go when ever we feel like it and eat what ever we want. I think this has caused me to be a bit depressed. I knew that that the hcg protocol was a huge life change and that I was going to have to commit to complete it. I am currently trying to find ways to make it a bit more exciting now that I am 11 days in. I feel that it I am in a lull eating the same things over and over again. Foods that I really enjoy are shrimp, crab, tenderloin, salads (yes, I mix my vegetables) and Walden Farms dressings. I like the Caesar dressing the best. It makes a good dip for vegetables also. The other night Mick and I experimented with making bison meat hamburgers. We wrapped them in lettuce with tomato, onion, mustard and hot sauce. It was pretty good. I think if I do it again I will make it with lean beef though. I thought the bison had a bit of a gamey flavor.

I have also changed some of my beauty products. I had 2 days where I gained small amounts. I had been borrowing my husbands shampoo which had grape seed oil in it. I changed that and the next day I lost almost 3 pounds. It is amazing how such a small item can make that big of a change in my losses. I also found a nice facial moisturizer at Whole Foods called Juice Beauty. I love it! My skin feels so soft.

Yesterday, I suffered a huge migraine headache. I do not think it was related to me taking hcg because I have experienced these before starting the protocol. I was very nauseated and vomited a few times. All I ate for the day was a chicken breast and some cherry tomatoes. I am hoping that this does not affect my weight loss tomorrow if I resume my normal diet for today. I plan on taking today fairly easy because of how terrible I felt last night.

Day 7: VLCD #5

Today's weight: 189.2 lbs Weight loss since starting hcg: 5.5 lbs

Well, I am still trucking on the hcg but it has been a long week. The last 2 days have been very difficult for me. While I have had good weight loss the lack of variety of foods is becoming difficult. The chicken and shrimp were wearing me out after 4 days. So, I made a trip to the grocery store this morning. I picked up some crab legs, lobster, steak and of course, more chicken. It was a pricey bill but I figure since I am eating 1/4 of what I used to eat it was OK to spend extra money. I have cooked more meat in the last week than I probably used to cook in a month though! We were complaining about how much we run the dishwasher now that we don't eat out. I have noticed that we have been hanging around the house a lot more and having extra free time since being on protocol.

I am still having a hard time with the veggies. Mick and I have been eating broccoli (not on protocol) and I have decided that the gas that it gives me is no longer worth it. I guess I will be returning to my salads, tomato, celery and cucumbers (the only veggies I like on the protocol). The Walden Farms products are something Mick and I have been using to keep the food a bit more interesting. I am thinking that I might try to make a veggie soup. I would actually eat cabbage and onions if it were in a broth.

The last 2 days has also left me with no appetite after dinner. I am not eating my second serving of fruit or cracker. I am worried that if I don't eat enough that it will make me stall. Along with the decreased appetite, I have had a spell of being light headed, some weakness and a bit of lethargy. I wonder if my body is telling me that I should not be losing weight this way? Is my body trying to figure out how to regulate blood sugar and insulin production? I have heard of the symptoms coming on others but I understand that it passes. If I still feel this way after a couple of days I may have to consider my options. I am also going to try to rearrange how I eat my foods and see if getting all of the servings in will make a difference.

My children were out of school on Friday so it has been a long weekend. My son loves to make popcorn which was a huge temptation for me. We also saw "Sunny With A Chance Of Meatballs" today. So, I feel like I have been surrounded by popcorn for the last 2 days! They sure aren't making this easy but I have stayed strong. I know if Mick wasn't doing this with me I would have stopped by now. We are really trying to work hard and keep each other on track.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's blog. I am doing my measurements since starting hcg.

Day 4: VLCD #2

Well, I haven't starved to death yet. And I only ate 551 calories yesterday.

The best part of the day was waking up and looking at my scale showing 2 pounds less! One of the things I have noticed since starting the hcg is that I have felt a bit emotional. Nothing bad but almost like the "baby blues". How odd is that? For example, I was watching Kelly Osborne on Dancing with the Stars. I kept thinking was how graceful she looked and how proud her parents must be. In came the tears! I also had another instance of the weepys later in the day. All I can think of is that I don't realize how hungry I am or it must be the hcg. Hopefully if it is the hcg it will eventually go away! Other than the teary jags I am feeling great!

Day 3 VLCD #1

I woke up this morning weighing 195.5! How could I weigh less after eating all of that disgusting crap yesterday??

I did well with my eating today. I had made up all of my meals the day before since I was working a 12 hour shift at the hospital today. In the morning I sipped hot tea and drank my 1 diet coke for the day. For lunch I had Chicken Meatballs and steamed broccoli. Afternoon snack was strawberries. For dinner I had 7 shrimp and 1 cup of grape tomatoes. I then left the hospital and went home. I had saved my fruit for an evening snack along with a melba toast. I figured that I ate 551 calories yesterday. I did not feel like I was starving but I did feel like something was missing. One thing I missed the most was watching evening tv and munching on some popcorn (one of my favorite foods).

It seems as if the hcg is making this easy. Maybe it is my mind playing tricks on me. I guess I will have to see how the week plays out.

Load day 2

Woke up this morning and was at 196.7. I guess a gain of 1.7 is not too bad. However, tomorrow morning may not be as good because I pigged out today. Mick and I had McDonalds for breakfast. I had a McGriddle and 2 hashbrowns. I was feeling so bad from all the fat I ended up going back to bed until 11! Out to lunch for nachos and a chimichanga. I was definately force feeding myself at the end of the meal. I decided to go to the grocery store to pick up some items to make for food tomorrow. While I was there I picked up a venti latte made with whole milk from Starbucks. I spent the afternoon nibbling on chocolate covered cherries while I was preping food for Mick and I. After the kids got home from school we ventured of to Long John Silvers for more binging. I have no room left in me. I feel horrible and I am actually looking forward to eating some fresh food tomorrow.

Interesting thing happened tonight. Mick went up to change his clothes and made the mistake of getting on the scale. He has gained 10 pounds since we started loading! I hope that it is because it is late in the day and he is full of fluids and not fat!

Diet Coke update

I am now down to 1-2 Diet Cokes a day now. I am feeling really good. My headaches are gone and I know I have a lot more energy. I am convinced Diet Coke is poison in a can! My sleeping pill dosage is 1/2 of what I was originally on. I am very happy with the progress that I have made.

HCG Day 1!

Mick and I woke up today for our first hcg injections. I weighed myself 194.7 . Then gave us our shots and off we went to fat load. We ate breakfast at Cracker Barrel. I ate a bunch of breakfast meats, hash brown casserole, biscuits and gravy. I felt like I completely pigged out. While we were at our church festival I had 1/4 of a funnel cake. For dinner I had a big steak, bread and butter, and a salad with really oily dressing. To top everything off tonight I ate a bag of Funyons. Grease is now seeping from my pores. I have brushed my teeth 10 times and my mouth still feels really slick. Gross! I am worried I did not eat enough but really I don't know how I could have. I think I will be okay because last night we were at Applebee's and I ate a appetizer sampler which was full of some really fatty foods. One more day of eating this way and I can not wait until it is over! My plan for tomorrow is to eat everything terrible and go to the grocery store to pick up food to make some yummy P2 meals for work this week.

Meeting the Doc! 9/17/09

Today my husband, Mick, and I were to meet the Dr. who runs the clinic that we will be receiving our hcg injections from. Mick and I were going to do this on our own but because of the amount of prescription medications that Mick takes we decided that it would be best to go through the doctor at the clinic. If everything goes as planned we will probably not use the clinic next month and I will just do the mixing for us.

The clinic was very nice. It was a "med spa" where they do a lot of skin care and injectables to make people look younger. When we arrived we filled out a short health questionnaire. We meet the Dr. who reviewed our health histories with us. I was suprised that he never checked our blood pressures. The Dr. said that his wife and him had done the hcg themselves and that he has been able to keep of the 20lbs he lost. The he took our weights. I weighed in at 197.4. I blame this on the fact that I drank a large glass of bloody mary mix yesterday. However I was 196.6 on my home scale this morning so it seemed fairly accurate to me. I think Mick weighed in at 253.4 or something like that. The Dr. went over the program with us. He wanted me to continue on the hcg while I was having my period which was different from what I was reading on the internet. I have decided I will be doing some research on this. Then he talked with us about what we could eat and couldn't eat. I was suprised that he told us he allowed 1 cup of watermelon, honeydew melon or cantalope as a fruit along with the apple, orange and strawberries. He also did not allow crab or lobster. I was bummed about this He said that if we wanted lettuce or spinach we could have unlimited. He also allowed 4 breadsticks or 5 melba toasts a day. When I asked him about why he didn't allow the crab or lobster he stated that this was how he was running his program. So, I guess I will take that with a grain of salt and see what works for me. The Dr. encouraged Mick and I to take a Calcium with vitamin D supplement and a Vitamin B complex. We ended up buying his supplements which were similarly priced to the nutrition store. He then gave us our hcg in syringes that were premade. He did not make us learn how to do injections as I am an RN and will just give myself and Mick the injections. Of course, we then had to pay the clinic. It was $400 per person for a month and $250 if we decide to do additional months. We made a follow up appointment for the following week to check in, get weighed and get our new injections. The Dr.'s wife is his office manager. She told us to call her with any questions that may pop up and she can get the answers for us.

My overall opinion was that the clinic experience was just OK. I felt we just went in to pay for the hcg and left. There was no physical exam of anything! He just took what we told him and went off of that. I am glad that I had done so much research on the internet before we went in. He did give us a binder with information that was basically his version of the hcg protocol. I was bummed that there were not any recipies in the book. He did have examples of products he recommended for use with the program to show us(Walden Farms, etc.). Thank goodness for the internet. I have already found a lot of recipies that I plan on making.

Since I am working 12 hour shifts the next couple of days at the hospital, Mick and I decided that we will start day one this Sunday. We have been discussing what we will be eating for our load days. Both of us are really anxious to get started.

Update on my Diet Coke addiction: Yesterday and today have been 2 can days. Last night I had a headache but not until it was time for bed. I took 2 Tylenol but I don't think I really slept well. I am feeling really well though. I don't feel like I am dragging like I have been the last 2 weeks.

Diet Coke love actually hurts! 9/15/09

As today has moved on but my headache has not! The plan for today was to drop down on my Diet Coke intake. I had planned to have 4. I had 1 can in the morning, 1 can before lunch and a 20oz bottle at a meeting this afternoon. It is now almost 6pm and I plan not to have anymore for today. I did not think that this was going to be as painful as it is. I am still suffering a headache that has actually gotten worse since this morning. I have taken ibuprofen and Tylenol with no avail. I have tried to eat but tonight have only been able to drink a Special K protien shake. Along with the headache, I have been lethargic, irritable and jittery with occasional periods of nausea. I am currently laying in bed thinking resting will make me feel better but I can not seem to settle down and relax! The smell of the food my husband is cooking is whafting into the bedroom causing my nausea to increase. I wonder if I would be better off going cold turkey rather than weaning myself off. Unfortunately, I have not found a protocol to assist me in my conquest!

I just did a Google search for Diet Coke addiction and withdrawal. Apparently, there are many people battling Diet Coke addiction in the world. I can find a ton of people blogging about their love for the delicious soda and how terrible they feel. One thing I am not finding is easy ways to feel better. I keep reading about how I should drink lots of water and flush out my system and if I keep with it I will eventually make it through the withdrawal pains. Not exactly what I am looking for but I know that turning back is not going to get me to my goal.

Getting ready! 9/15/09

Today's weight 193.1! I am now down 16.9!

I am really getting excited to see the doctor on Thursday for my consultation. In preparation for the hcg program, I have been taking a good look at some of my bad habits. One of the first things I need to change is my Diet Coke addiction. Some days I will drink more than 12 cans! So I decided that Monday was going to be the day of reckoning for that problem. My goal was to make it through the day on 6 Diet Cokes. It wasn't too hard I just drank water in place of pop. Today, I plan to drop to 4 diet cokes. I would like to be drinking 1 or 0 a day when I start the hcg program. My second addiction is sleeping pills. I have been taking sleeping pills for about 5 years. It was something that I started while I was going through my back surgeries and recovery. I have taken every prescription drug for sleep but finally settled on a drug named Trazadone. It has worked well for me unlike Lunesta and Ambien . Both caused me to have crazy dreams and feel more tired the next day. My Trazadone dosage has gradually crept up to 200mg at bedtime. On Sunday, I cut my dosage in half and have kept it there. Today, I have a headache. I am hoping some ibuprofen will clear it up.

I have trying to find out what types of items people are using to help them in their quest for the perfect weight. I ventured out to my local Target store to see what I could pick up. While at Target, I found a Weight Watchers scale for $40 that I had never seen before. It measured weight down to a 1/10th of a pound! I knew I had to have it. I also picked up a digital food scale because the one I have is a very, very old dial scale. I figure the scales is a good place to get started for the program. A lot of people have posted that they do a colon cleanse before they start the hcg protocol. I have been curious if this is necessary and have decided to do a bit more research on it.

One item that came up while talking to my husband, Mick, this morning was our trip we have planned to California in October. I am a bit worried that if I start the hcg weight loss program that I will completely cheat on our trip. I told Mick that maybe we should wait to start when we return from our trip. Mick was really against this. He told me "If you wait until after our trip then you will do the same thing with Thanksgiving and Christmas." He was right. If I was going to commit to a healthier lifestyle I was going to have to do this in the real world. I am sure with good planning I will be able to survive. The biggest issue is going to be resisting the temptations at Disneyland. Luckily, we will have a rental car which will let me get out to a grocery store. I am hoping to find a Whole Foods or similar store fairly close. One nice thing is that all the hotels we are staying in have fridges.

Introduction

Hi! My name is Megan. I am 37 years old. Married with 2 kids and 2 dogs. I live in the Midwest. My family has never been one to be classified as lucky with the skinny gene. My Mom has always maintained a normal weight but she is very mindful of what she eats. My father and his family have always had to work a bit harder. Many of the people in my Dad's family are morbidly obese. One of them has had gastric bypass but is still large and another is currently living in a nursing home due to obesity. I refuse to follow in the footsteps of these people!

I have been on a diet since I was 11 years old. Sometimes the diet is a real diet and sometimes the diet is the "See food" diet. I have always yo-yo'd my weight my entire life. My weight became a larger issue when I was in college. That is when I really started gaining and it continued until the birth of my second and last child. Upon the birth of my kids I realized that I did not want to be the "fat" mom at my kids school. I embarked on the Weight Watcher's diet. I did really well at first. I was able to eat a lot of points due to my size (about 190 lbs). I was also breastfeeding my 6 week old daughter when I began WW. The breastfeeding melted the weight off of me. About 6 months into my weight loss I hit a stand still point. This is when I joined a gym. I became a gym rat spending up to 3 hours a day there. I ended up doing WW for approximately 18 months. At the end of it I weighed 137 lbs. and wearing a size 8. (I had not worn a size 8 since I was in high school.) I was happier than I had been in a long time and was loving my new size. I was able to maintain under 145 lbs for another 6 months.

In September of 2003, I was in a terrible accident. This accident required me to have 2 major surgeries and many multiple smaller procedures. From the day of the accident to the day I was healed was 4 years. I was left depressed, addicted to pain killers and 65 pounds heavier than I was when I was doing Weight Watchers. Over the next 8 months I spent my time detoxing off all medications. It wasn't hard just scary because I had developed a huge fear of pain. When I was able to return to work in February 2008, I was approximately 224 lbs. (My highest weight ever!) I was huge and wearing a size 18-20. The thought of having to shop in large women's clothing store really stressed me out. I was able to lose a bit of weight, just enough to keep me out of the Fat Girl store. My knees were killing me and I had to have surgery on my left knee due to the arthritis I had developed. I couldn't believe that I was looking at a knee replacement at 36 years old! My doctor told me that he could not do a knee replacement on me at my age and the best thing I could do was lose weight. Since then I have signed up, started and failed Weight Watchers twice. I have lacked the motivation to start the program and exercise. I was at my wit's end.

In July 2009, at 22o lbs, I decided to attend a surgical weight loss informational meeting. I couldn't believe I was sitting in that room was some of the largest people I had ever seen in my life! Was I that big? According to my BMI, I was at 35, I was morbidly obese. This was enough to make me want gastric bypass the next day! I made an appointment with the surgeon but I had to wait 3 months to get in. I knew that they were going to make me do a medically supervised weight loss program with a doctor for 6 months. So, I was looking at least 9 months down the road before I could even have surgery. What was I going to do??? I discussed surgical weight loss with my orthopedic surgeon and he said he would back me in my choice. I decided to make an appointment with my family practice doctor to see what his opinion would be. I weighed 214 lbs on the scale at his office in July 2009. He heard me out and I was sure he was going to tell me that I was crazy. Nothing such as that happened though. He decided that if I needed to be on a medically supervised program that we were going to start it that day! He wrote me a prescription for Phentramine and sent me on my way. I was to follow up with him in 1 month. At my next visit in August I was down 1o lbs! This was great I thought! I can keep doing this I told him! It was easy. I wasn't starving and was eating what I felt like if we went out to dinner. The Phentramine made me feel a bit jittery but this was a side effect of the medication. My doctor warned me that Phentramine can lose its effectiveness after 3 months of use. This made me a bit disappointed but I wanted to continue on. I knew the month August-September was not going as well as before. The weight seemed to be taking longer to come off so, I began to look at different ideas for weight loss. I came across the hcg weight loss program. I was flabbergasted at the weight people were losing on it! I spent the next week researching it. I discussed it with my husband (who needs to lose about 50lbs) and we decided that we were going to look into it together. I made an appointment with a doctor in my area that specializes in hcg weight loss for a consultation. That brings me to today, September 14th, 2008. I had an appointment at my family physician and was down another 5 lbs this past month. (I weighed 197 at his office and 194.3 at my home.) I asked him about hcg weight loss I was surprised that he did not know anything about it at all! He suggested that I continue doing what I had been doing for the past 2 months. If what he told me stands true, this month on Phentramine could be my last. I am worried it may be a temporary fix and once I go off the weight will come right back on.

In the reading I have been doing about hcg weight loss many people report the energy they gain due to the program. It is also reported that because the diet does not allow dairy or gluten that the inflammatory process in the body is decreased. I am wondering if this may improve my arthritis in my knee. I have decided that I am going to keep my consultation appointment for the 17th of September to find out some more information.

I am hoping to keep this blog as a chronicle of my weight loss. Hopefully, it will motivate me in whatever endeavor I decide to pursue with my weight loss.