Day 6 TOM VLCD 170.2 36.9% Body Fat

170.2 lbs.

No drops

Hungry.

Diet:
60 oz. water
3 cups herbal tea
2 melba toasts
2 cups asparagus w/salt, pepper & garlic
steak w/ salt, pepper & stevia
tilapia w/salt, pepper & paprika
10 strawberries w/stevia
1 apple
1 sauteed onion

Day 5 TOM VLCD 170.4

170.4 lbs.

No drops

Hungry.

Diet:
60 oz. water
1 melba toast
brandy wine tomato w/fresh sweet basil, red wine vinegar, salt & pepper
1 melba toast as "the bread" for a tomato sandwich with one of the tomato slices
spinach salad with 1/2 grapefruit
10 strawberries w/stevia
Juice of 1 lemon
Steak w/steak rub
Tilapia w/salt and pepper

Day 4 TOM VLCD 171.2

171.2 lbs.

25 drops (10:15 a.m.)

TOM means Time of the Month. Apparently, I can't take the hcg during that time. I had taken some drops in the morning. I didn't take any after that.

Pretty hungry. Not sure if this is working, but I'm sticking with it.

We went to the sand dunes. So, I took pre-cooked meat and fruits and veggies I could hold.

Diet:
60 oz. water
2 melba toasts
1 cucumber
1 tomato
steak w/steak rub
chicken w/salt, pepper, garlic, and Italian seasoning
1 orange
1 apple

Day 3 VLCD 172.6

172.6 lbs.

15 drops (8:50 a.m.)(3:15 p.m.)(9:30 p.m.)

This morning I am lethargic, weak, and hungry. I may have to up the dose. I have heard of people on homeopathic hcg having to do that. I will go with 15 at a time through tomorrow. Then, I will go with 20 drops.

I am in ketosis. The test strip says so. Now I need to know if I have too much protein in the urine. So, I will go get some albumin test strips.

I still haven't given up. I am hopeful. I have read that some people are hungry through the 2nd week. I hope that doesn't happen to me, but we'll see.

Tonight, we went on a short hike, 1/2 mile round trip, to a grotto with waterfall. I thought I would be really hurting for energy, but I did fine. I just brought my food with me. I am hungry now though. I am going to finish my tea and take the last round of drops for the day. I have a headache so I am going to take some aspirin.

Diet:
68 oz. water
Juice of 1 lemon used as described
1 melba toast w/stevia & cinnamon
10 strawberries w/stevia
1 cup sauteed onion w/garlic, salt, pepper & stevia
steak w/steak spice rub
1 melba toast plain
chicken w/garlic, salt, pepper, italian seaoning, stevia & vinegar
2 cups spinach w/lemon juice, white wine vinegar, salt, pepper & stevia
1/2 grapefruit, pieces added on top of spinach
1 cup herbal tea

Day 2 VLCD 174.0

174.0 lbs.

15 drops (9:40 a.m.)(4:00 p.m.)(11:20 p.m.--wow, way late!)

It was nice to see a 3 lb. loss. I am a lot more hungry today. I am really hoping that I am doing this right. Now I see that the loading days so important. It just seemed scary to put all of that fatty food into my body in two days. But, as I said, I am really hungry.

My timing is all off. My 1 yr. old daughter was up from 2 am to 5 am. We are trying to straighten schedules out.

This diet is forcing me to play with seasoning combinations. I tried some more today--ok, but I'm still searching for that perfect combo for meats and vegetables. Stevia and cinnamon are awesome!

I am using the ketone test strips. There is a comparison chart on the bottle. Light tan means negative for passing ketones. Dark maroon means that there is a large amount of ketones. Ketones in the urine means that the liver is breaking down fatty acids that have been released into the blood stream. Ketones are the end-product of rapid or excessive fatty-acid breakdown. Ketones will be present in the urine when the ketones in the blood go above a certain level. The idea here is that when on the hcg diet, the body is releasing lots of fat into the bloodstream for use by other cells for energy. So, if the levels are above normal, it means that fat is being broken down. I guess when you are on this thing, you want the test to show a dark color. I tested the night of Day 2 Load and it was negative. I tested today and it was "trace." So, I am curious to see if it will get darker as the days go by.

I haven't switched to taking the drops 6 x/day yet. I am still doing 3x. My husband seems to enjoy the 45 minutes of "quiet time" 3x/day. For once, he gets to do all the talking. heehee.

Diet:
68 oz. water
10 strawberries w/stevia
1 melba toast w/stevia and cinnamon
1 cucumber w/red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, dill, cumin, and mustard powder
1 melba toast used as crouton in cucumber salad

Tilapia w/lemon, salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic

Chicken w/garlic, paprika, salt, pepper, marjoram, and parsley
2 cups spinach w/lemon juice, red wine vinegar, dill, salt, pepper, and stevia
1 baked apple w/stevia & cinnamon
Juice of 1 lemon used as described above

Day 1 VLCD 177.2

177.2 lbs.

15 drops (9:30 a.m.)(3:00 p. m.)(8:40 p.m.)

I gained 2.2 lbs. I was curious what those fat loading days would do. I am a little hungry today. But, it's not that bad. I think it's about spacing out the food. I can see why the load days are so important. I think I could have done a little more. My proteins tasted pretty good. I was a little unsure because I'm cooking without butter, oil, or spray. I am noticing I am using a lot more salt than I normally would.

I am probably going to space out the drops over 6 Xs instead of 3.

Diet:
1 cup green tea
2 melba toasts
10 strawberries
1 tomato w/red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, cumin, & garlic powder
chicken w/paprika, garlic, salt, pepper, & stevia
tilapia w/lemon juice, salt, pepper, & dill
2 cups asparagus w/lemon juice, salt, pepper, dill, garlic, & nutmeg
1 pink lady apple, baked w/cinnamon & stevia
Juice of 1 lemon used on the tilapia & asparagus
60 oz. water

By the way . . .

I'll get pictures of my before and what I looked like at 113 soon.

I have decided to hold the homeopathic hcg under my tongue until it doesn't tingle anymore and until it seems like there is hardly a taste. I have been holding it on average for about 45 minutes. I know that the websites are only saying you need about 10 minutes, but I am paranoid about this working. I don't mind the quiet time.

Also, I am going to post my fat % and tummy roll inches once a week.

VLCD = very low calorie diet

Day 2 Load 176.6

176.6 lbs.

15 drops (9:40 a.m. woke up late)(2:00 p.m.)(10:15 p.m.-woops kinda late!)

Wow, I feel like a gluttonous pig! But, I am not as lethargic as I thought I was going to be. My husband and I had fun trying to find the most fattening foods to eat, both at the restaurant and at the grocery store. But, it is also a challenge. A lot of foods don't have as much fat as I thought. Many companies are trying to make their products more healthy.

It is my understanding that the foods that should be eaten on load days should have lots of fat since the idea is to build up normal fat reserves. So, my gorging has been mostly about the fat and not the sugar.

It is hard work! I am a bit turned off now. Today seems more like a chore than a treat. But at the same time, I am trying to savor each bite as kind of a send off to this type of eating. I am hoping that this experience will change my habits. I look to food as a reward, the "I'm worth it" thing. I really should be buying jewelry or something else instead. But, I don't buy things, I eat out. I love being waited on and ordering something that tastes good.

Well, really, the only thing I am looking forward to today is Ben & Jerry's Phish Food--my absolute favorite ice cream.

Diet:
2 glasses skim milk
1 glass orange juice
4 hash brown patties
1 sausage patty
2 eggs scrambled
3/4 pint Ben & Jerry's Phish Food
2 Banquet beef pot pies
Finished off chocolate chip mint ice cream from freezer
1 cup potato salad
3 Krispy Kreme donuts

Ok, day is over. I am so looking forward to healthy food! I am going to get some Ketostix to measure whether I am actually losing fat or losing muscle. So, I will go to a pharmacy tomorrow.

Day 1 Load 175.0 37.5% Body Fat

175.0 lbs.
37.5% body fat
43 1/2 inches around tummy roll

15 drops held for 50 min. (7:47 a.m.)(1:09 p.m.)(7:55 p.m.)

Diet:
10 Mozarella cheese sticks & fry sauce
1 small piece chocolate cake
10 cashews
1 cup potato salad
1/2 avocado
3 glasses skim milk (still had that in fridge)
2 glasses orange juice
1 wheat roll with lots of butter
1 trip to "Golden Corral" restaurant--holy cow!

• lots of mashed potatoes with gravy
• 1 piece pot roast
• 3 seasoned french fries
• corn dog bite
• couple of cooked carrots in butter
• 1 fried drumstick including breaded skin
• 1 small serving mac & cheese
• 1 small slice meatloaf
• 1 piece of cheesy garlic pizza bread
• 1 chocolate chip cookie
• 1 small piece of chocolate volcano pie

1 Banquet turkey pot pie
1/4 pint Ben & Jerry's Phish Food

Day 1 Pre-Load

Got my homeopathic drops in the mail directly from an out-of-state naturopathic center--not ordered from a website. The local centers were too expensive. The mark up is ridiculous, and the difference is the "coaching" and "monitoring." Not too worried about that, so onward I go. The referral for the naturopath came from a friend who had success with the homeopathic drops. I have read the protocol, Dr. Simeon's manuscript, Linda Prinster's book, and have read several websites and blogs. I have made my shopping list and have started thinking about what I want to eat today.

I am anxious to start the process. Thus, I am sitting here at my computer at 3:17 a.m. For the program to work, you have to have 6-8 hrs. of sleep. I am hoping that not getting good sleep the night before I start won't make much of a difference.

The bottle says to take 10 drops 3x/day. I have read on other blogs that some still feel hungry and should start with 15 drops 3x/day. Then, after that if still feeling too hungry, up it to 20 drops 3x/day. I ordered 4 bottles, so I have plenty to last me through a 40 effective day round. I have 50-60 lbs. to lose. I am hoping to drop at least half that weight during my first round. I think I will start with 15 drops, so we will see how that goes.

Today's Agenda:
1. Try to get some sleep before my 1 yr. old daughter wakes up
2. Weigh in and take measurements
3. Start eating 3000 - 4000 calories
4. Go shopping for 500 cal diet food and a mail scale that measures in grams
5. Drink lots of water
6. Get organized--maybe even start creating 100g protein portions and freezing

So, to quote the Peter Pan ride at Disneyland . . . "Here we goooooooo!" Or, maybe here I go is more appropriate. Either way, wish me luck!