| Day 29 | 11/29/2010 | 203.2 | -0.4 | -26.4 |
| Day 30 | 11/30/2010 | 203.2 | 0.0 | -26.4 |
| Day 31 | 12/1/2010 | 201.4 | -1.8 | -28.2 |
| Day 32 | 12/2/2010 | 201 | -0.4 | -28.6 |
| Day 33 | 12/3/2010 | 200.8 | -0.2 | -28.8 |
| Day 34 | 12/4/2010 | 199.6 | -0.8 | -30 |
| Day 35 | 12/5/2010 | 200.8 | 1.2 | -28.8 |
| Week 5 summary: down 2.8# this week; 28.8 total | ||||
| Day 36 | 12/6/2010 | 200.8 | 0.0 | 28.8 |
| Day 37 | 12/7/2010 | 199.2 | -1.6 | -30.4 |
Y'all, my body just wants to be done with this for awhile. If I wasn't trying to prove something to myself by going the whole 40 days (which it turns out is actually 43 days, since you stop taking the drops on day 40 but keep doing the low calorie thing for 3 more days), I probably would have just stopped already. I can feel my body craving fat and calories and taste and FOOD! I'm getting progressively hungrier and hungrier, and am having some low blood pressure symptoms (nothing dangerous). I guess it's good to notice those feelings, know I can live with them, know that they don't have to result in binge eating, and know it will be over soon. It's good to know that my body is capable of having intuition about what it needs, even though I will be ignoring that intuition for the next few days. Ha. Tough shit, body wisdom!!
Last night I went to a group meeting for a bunch of women who are doing this locally, and got mesaured again. It's only been two weeks and 8 pounds since I was measured last, so I wasn't expecting much. But I was actually way UP in a lot of areas, which just doesn't make sense to me.
If you look at this chart, you can see that I lost HUGE inches between my first measurement date on 10/27 and my second, which was after a 20 lb weight loss. It was a big deal at the time and heralded by me and others as proof of the diet's amazing success at not only reducing pounds but reducing inches.
Last night, which was only two weeks later and 7 pounds later, I actually gained inches in some areas (neck, arms, bra line, knee?) That seems unlikely if not impossible. Yes, I've been doing yoga and walking, but not enough to build the kind of muscle mass that would increase my size despite weight loss. I think what is more likely is that those 11/20 measurements were wrong (what did we expect considering they were done furtively in a bathroom in the back of a kid's gym??) Probably I should delete that column all together and just look at the first measurement compared to last night's measurement, which reflected a difference of 27 pounds and 5 weeks on the diet. It makes a lot more sense.
| DATE: | Difference from 10/27 to 11/20 | Difference from 11/20-12/6 | Difference 10/27 to 12/6 |
| WEIGHT: | 20.2 | -7.2 | -27.4 |
| Neck | -1.75 | +0.75 | -1 |
| Shoulders | -3 | -0.5 | -3.5 |
| Right Arm | -3.25 | +2.25 | -1 |
| Left Arm | -2 | +1 | -1 |
| Upper Chest | -2.25 | 0 | -2.25 |
| Chest/Bust | -3.5 | 0 | -3.5 |
| Bra Line | -4.5 | +3 | -1.5 |
| Upper Stomach | -1.75 | -1.75 | -3.5 |
| Waist | -4.75 | 0 | -4.75 |
| Belly | -4.25 | -0.75 | -5 |
| Hips | -2.75 | 0 | -2.75 |
| Right Thigh | -2.75 | 0 | -2.75 |
| Right Knee | -1.5 | +1 | -0.5 |
| Right Calf | -1.5 | 0 | -1.5 |
| Left Thigh | -2 | 0 | -2 |
| Left Knee | -0.5 | 0 | -0.5 |
| Left Calf | -1.5 | 0 | -1.5 |
| TOTAL | -43.5 | +5 | -38.5 |
Bottom line, I'm wearing jeans that are 2 sizes smaller, and I have lost almost 3" off each thigh and my hips, almost 5" off my waist, and 3.5" off my shoulders in 5 weeks. I'm happy.
I learned a lot about maintenance last night, which was very useful. The current thinking is that you should basically do the first two weeks of maintenance using the same foods as you have been using in phase 2, but just more of everything so you're getting more calories. They're advising holding off on adding eggs and cheese and nuts and oils right away, which is a huge fucking bummer, because as you know, I have been dreaming of the eggs and cheese I would have on Tuesday, 12/14, two weeks from today.
Ideally, on day one of maintenance, you would eat the same kind of stuff you have been eating with two exceptions: you would eat it 5 times a day instead of twice a day, and you can mix vegetables to your heart's content for all kinds of salads and soups. You can experiment with small amounts of oil or dairy or eggs and see what happens, but ideally not more than one new thing in a day so that you can isolate the cause if you have an increase. Then on week 3, you can start to add very limited and careful starches, always making sure you're never more than 2 pounds up from your last recorded HCG weight. I think I've got this right. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.
As for food intake, you're supposed to eat when you're hungry, pay attention to how you feel, not count calories, but make sure you eat basically as much as you can while still maintaining your new weight.
After 6 weeks, you are ready to begin normal life, which involves eating all foods in moderation, or you can go back for another round. Still undecided on that, but leaning toward another round in late January, hoping to be done with this shit forever and ever Amen by late February/early March.
Kat, I feel similarly to you about the end of this. I'm not hungrier though, but just sick of it all. Still going strong, just ready to eat differently.
ReplyDeleteI want an egg. Like nobody's business. And some brussel sprouts.
Those measurement discrepancies are weird. I agree with you that you should look at the net and leave it at that.
I am going to vary maintenance, because if I don't I'll go insane. I'm having an egg and brussel sprouts. One egg. Small serving brussel sprouts. I don't care.
My chiropractor went back to eating normally on maintenance and gained a bit, but not much. I am going to do what I need to do.
I definitely don't mind focusing more on the P2 foods. I do mind not increasing my fat, gradually. I will begin to do that right away. I also will vary my vegetables greatly. I will go slowly with the dairy, very slowly, probably even put that off for a while. I don't plan on ever eating "normally" if that means regular processed carbs. I have always believed intellectually in an unprocessed lower carbohydrate, moderate protein, moderate-to-high fat diets. And will follow that.
I also am persnickety about the types of fat. Mostly coconut oil, no trans fats (of course), naturally occurring fat in eggs and meat (only clean, grass-fed meat and fish). Lots of grass-fed butter. I used to be kind of relaxed about the fat, but no more. I can easily do without it, as I've found in this diet. If it's not from a "clean" source, it could sabotage all of this hard work.
Now, this is just what I'M doing. Everyone else of course should do whatever works for them, follow the protocol and the ideas that make sense to their particular philosophy of eating. I have different goals than many people--my goal is not JUST weight loss, but my pre-diabetes and overall health. I feel as strongly about that as I do about my spiritual beliefs!
I guess my point is that we are free, and you can choose what works best for you. If it is to listen to the group members and/or your coach, then it is your choice, and a good one!