Final Stats for Round One

Day	Date	Weight	Daily Change	Total Loss
Day 1	11/1/2010	229.6	n/a	n/a
Day 2	11/2/2010	225.6	-4.0	-4
Day 3	11/3/2010	221.6	-4.0	-8
Day 4	11/4/2010	218.6	-3.0	-11
Day 5	11/5/2010	218.6	0.0	-11
Day 6	11/6/2010	216.4	-2.2	-13.2
Day 7	11/7/2010	215.8	-0.6	-13.8
Week 1 summary: down 13.8 #
Day 8	11/8/2010	214.8	-1.0	-14.8
Day 9	11/9/2010	215.4	0.6	-14.2
Day 10	11/10/2010	213.8	-1.6	-15.8
Day 11	11/11/2010	213.6	-0.2	-16
Day 12	11/12/2010	215	1.4	14.6
Day 13	11/13/2010	213	-2.0	-16.6
Day 14	11/14/2010	212.2	-0.8	-17.4
Week 2 summary: down 3.6 # this week; 17.4 # total
Day 15	11/15/2010	212.4	0.2	-17.2
Day 16	11/16/2010	210	-2.4	-19.6
Day 17	11/17/2010	210.2	0.2	19.4
Day 18	11/18/2010	209.4	-0.8	20.2
Day 19	11/19/2010	208.6	-0.8	21
Day 20	11/20/2010	208	-0.8	21.8
Day 21	11/21/2010	207.6	-0.4	-22
Week 3 summary: down 4.6# this week; 22 total
Day 22	11/22/2010	206.6	-1.0	-23
Day 23	11/23/2010	207	0.4	-22.6
Day 24	11/24/2010	206.6	-0.4	-23
Day 25	11/25/2010	205	-1.6	-24.6
Day 26	11/26/2010	204.6	-0.4	-25
Day 27	11/27/2010	204.6	0.0	-25
Day 28	11/28/2010	203.6	-1.0	-26
Week 4 summary: down 4# this week; 26 total
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
Day 38	12/8/2010	199.2	0.0	-30.4
Day 39	12/9/2010	198.8	-0.4	-30.8
Day 40	12/10/2010	198.4	-0.4	-31.2
Day 41	12/11/2010	197.6	-0.8	-32
Day 42	12/12/2010	198.2	0.6	-31.4
Day 43	12/13/2010	197.8	-0.4	-31.8
Day 44	12/14/2010	198.2	0.4	-31.4
Week 6 summary: down 2.6# this week; 31.4 total

MEASUREMENTS	Difference 10/27 to 12/6
WEIGHT:	-27.4
Neck	-1
Shoulders	-3.5
Right Arm	-1
Left Arm	-1
Upper Chest	-2.25
Chest/Bust	-3.5
Bra Line	-1.5
Upper Stomach	-3.5
Waist	-4.75
Belly	-5
Hips	-2.75
Right Thigh	-2.75
Right Knee	-0.5
Right Calf	-1.5
Left Thigh	-2
Left Knee	-0.5
Left Calf	-1.5
TOTAL	-38.5

100's, We Meet Again (P2, D37)

Back in the 100's today, which is nice, and feels more permanent than it did last time. Here's what the last week and a half looks like:

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.