Day 1: The Office Visit - 500 calories a day? Who are you kidding!?!
History: I'm 45 years old and despite eating a low glycemic index diet, I've gained 70 lbs since the last time I was journaling on WISH. The worst of it is that I've actually put on 25 lbs just in the last two months and believe me, I have not been eating cookies non-stop from a box hidden under my pillow.
My father is very overweight and since his early 40s, he has not been able to lose any weight for any substantial amount of time and keep it off. To be truthful, he likes his protein and salty, crunchy things. But he isn't a glutton and he does exercise a moderate amount--mom drags him on an hour walk each day at a pretty brisk clip.
In my 30s, I taught skiing fulltime in winters along with walking or hiking an hour each evening on and off season. My weight during the off-season would go up by 20 to 30 lbs despite being very careful about what I consumed and even trying to up my exercise level with weights and dance classes. I didn't worry too much because I knew as soon as December rolled around I'd lose what I gained plus some. When I could no longer justify teaching skiing fulltime and needed to find a fulltime job that paid more, I found that there was no amount of exercise, or cutting back on food that would take the weight off.
In 2000, my husband and I starting eating low-carb - Atkins program. Wow, it worked, lost almost 40 lbs, along with my walking routine, until we began adding in more carbs - whole grain starches and fruits. Soon the weight wouldn't budge even with going back to induction-level fats and proteins. We have tried South Beath and the Med and Sonoma diets since, I lose 2-5 lbs the first two weeks, then nothing, then I actually begin gaining weight despite cutting down portion sizes and refined carbs. I increased the amount of time exercising and it actually made the weight gain worse. (I'm now back to 40 minutes of walking 3 to 5 times a week, and 20 minutes on off-days.)
When my stress level goes up, so does the weight gain. May was a super stressful month (thought I would lose my job or at the very least be transferred) and I put on 15 lbs! Today at the my appointment, I found out that I put on another 10 beyond that! That's 25 lbs in just 6 weeks and no, I don't eat fast food, or doughnuts! (I did get to keep my same job-but the stress level is still high right now even if I'm not teaching this summer.)
What led me to HCG diet? My sister is a RN and she, like my mother (who is 5'2" 105 lbs), thought that I must be eating nothing but junk and sitting on my behind all day and night. Then my sis needed knee surgery and was sidelined from being able to take her daily run or ice skate for 6 weeks. Yes, she eats very carefully and continued to during her time off her feet. But, low and behold, she put on 20 lbs in the first month and gained another 10 the next two weeks during her rehab. Once she could exercise again the high level she was doing prior to surgery, she couldn't drop the weight either. "See," I said, "that's what I'm talking about and it will only get worse, you'll see!" She is three years younger than I am and had not seen the dad-like weight gain before.
She lives in Utah and a friend recommended two things to her; get your thyroid checked and go to the HCG clinic and get B12 shots. Her nurse practitioner put her on thryroid meds and she began the B12 shots weekly (she didn't do the HCG because she had less than 40 lbs to lose to her goal weight--120 lbs). Her diet plan is less restrictive also; still low carb, but with much more choice in fruit than what I am starting on this week. She was up here over the weekend and told me to find a clinic in my area and just try it. (I've since had my thyroid checked and I'm low in the same area-T3 uptake-that she is, but I've yet to find a dr. that will take new patients in my area.)
Truthfully, I'm very skeptical, but desperate enough to try anything for two to four weeks. If I don't have results in four weeks, I will try and find a surgeon.
Vital Statistics (to keep me honest):
5'3"
Weight: 218.4 lbs
Bust: 48.5
Waist: 45
Hips: 48
Size: 16 W or 1X
Goal Weight: 122 lbs
Goal Size: 12 on top, 10 on bottom
First Cycle Goal: 35 lbs (183 lbs) with 4 weeks
Tonight and Tomorrow Meal Plan:
2 days of "loading" - eating all the high fat, high carb, high sugar (fruit--since I don't like pastries) food I can stuff into myself without being sick (not as easy as it sounds as I don't eat this way ever!) and self-administered HCG shots.
First day of HCG shots, shakes, and VLCD beginning Friday
WISH me luck and willpower
Laurie
History: I'm 45 years old and despite eating a low glycemic index diet, I've gained 70 lbs since the last time I was journaling on WISH. The worst of it is that I've actually put on 25 lbs just in the last two months and believe me, I have not been eating cookies non-stop from a box hidden under my pillow.
My father is very overweight and since his early 40s, he has not been able to lose any weight for any substantial amount of time and keep it off. To be truthful, he likes his protein and salty, crunchy things. But he isn't a glutton and he does exercise a moderate amount--mom drags him on an hour walk each day at a pretty brisk clip.
In my 30s, I taught skiing fulltime in winters along with walking or hiking an hour each evening on and off season. My weight during the off-season would go up by 20 to 30 lbs despite being very careful about what I consumed and even trying to up my exercise level with weights and dance classes. I didn't worry too much because I knew as soon as December rolled around I'd lose what I gained plus some. When I could no longer justify teaching skiing fulltime and needed to find a fulltime job that paid more, I found that there was no amount of exercise, or cutting back on food that would take the weight off.
In 2000, my husband and I starting eating low-carb - Atkins program. Wow, it worked, lost almost 40 lbs, along with my walking routine, until we began adding in more carbs - whole grain starches and fruits. Soon the weight wouldn't budge even with going back to induction-level fats and proteins. We have tried South Beath and the Med and Sonoma diets since, I lose 2-5 lbs the first two weeks, then nothing, then I actually begin gaining weight despite cutting down portion sizes and refined carbs. I increased the amount of time exercising and it actually made the weight gain worse. (I'm now back to 40 minutes of walking 3 to 5 times a week, and 20 minutes on off-days.)
When my stress level goes up, so does the weight gain. May was a super stressful month (thought I would lose my job or at the very least be transferred) and I put on 15 lbs! Today at the my appointment, I found out that I put on another 10 beyond that! That's 25 lbs in just 6 weeks and no, I don't eat fast food, or doughnuts! (I did get to keep my same job-but the stress level is still high right now even if I'm not teaching this summer.)
What led me to HCG diet? My sister is a RN and she, like my mother (who is 5'2" 105 lbs), thought that I must be eating nothing but junk and sitting on my behind all day and night. Then my sis needed knee surgery and was sidelined from being able to take her daily run or ice skate for 6 weeks. Yes, she eats very carefully and continued to during her time off her feet. But, low and behold, she put on 20 lbs in the first month and gained another 10 the next two weeks during her rehab. Once she could exercise again the high level she was doing prior to surgery, she couldn't drop the weight either. "See," I said, "that's what I'm talking about and it will only get worse, you'll see!" She is three years younger than I am and had not seen the dad-like weight gain before.
She lives in Utah and a friend recommended two things to her; get your thyroid checked and go to the HCG clinic and get B12 shots. Her nurse practitioner put her on thryroid meds and she began the B12 shots weekly (she didn't do the HCG because she had less than 40 lbs to lose to her goal weight--120 lbs). Her diet plan is less restrictive also; still low carb, but with much more choice in fruit than what I am starting on this week. She was up here over the weekend and told me to find a clinic in my area and just try it. (I've since had my thyroid checked and I'm low in the same area-T3 uptake-that she is, but I've yet to find a dr. that will take new patients in my area.)
Truthfully, I'm very skeptical, but desperate enough to try anything for two to four weeks. If I don't have results in four weeks, I will try and find a surgeon.
Vital Statistics (to keep me honest):
5'3"
Weight: 218.4 lbs
Bust: 48.5
Waist: 45
Hips: 48
Size: 16 W or 1X
Goal Weight: 122 lbs
Goal Size: 12 on top, 10 on bottom
First Cycle Goal: 35 lbs (183 lbs) with 4 weeks
Tonight and Tomorrow Meal Plan:
2 days of "loading" - eating all the high fat, high carb, high sugar (fruit--since I don't like pastries) food I can stuff into myself without being sick (not as easy as it sounds as I don't eat this way ever!) and self-administered HCG shots.
First day of HCG shots, shakes, and VLCD beginning Friday
WISH me luck and willpower
Laurie