Beta HCG -- Hating Vegetables

Before this diet I liked onions and celery as long as they were cooked and not raw. I liked asparagus and zucchini. I could eat tomatoes even if I didn't love them. Now I wonder if I will ever eat any of those again after this diet ends. Every meal I dread the vegetables. I choke them down each time but I grimace when I do. Oh, for some butter to saute the onions in and some cheese to make asparagus tasty! Sigh.

I am only on Day 16 with 24 days to go. Then for another three weeks I can't eat starches or sugars. I know I will make it to the end because I am so determined. But I sure hope it gets easier.

Okay, part of my whining is probably due to the fact that I've only lost one half of one pound since Wednesday. I lost like my insides were melting until then and suddenly slammed into a big brick wall. So my total loss is 10-1/2 pounds. That actually may not be right; it may be more, depending on how you figure things. I had gained an additional 8 or 9 pounds just before my arthroscopic surgery about a month ago and lost it all just after my surgery. And two weeks after surgery I started this diet. So I've lost 10-1/2 on the diet but an additonal 9 pounds right before that. Could my body be adjusting to the nearly 20 pound loss or am I just temporarily stuck? Either way, I'll be glad when the scale starts sliding down again.

Tell me this will get easier!

Beta HCG Diet -- I Miss Food!

This diet is going well. I'm doing everything according to the plan. I'm losing weight. I'm feeling thinner. (Hey, everything is relative.) I feel good about this whole program I'm on. Only one problem....

I miss food! I long for a Subway turkey and provolone sub. I want a big bite of a Red Robin Pub Burger, medium. I could resist their fries, which I seriously love, but the burger, cheese and bun...oh, big sigh! I'd love to wrap my mouth around a hunk of string cheese. I could sink my teeth into a big old salad with chicken, a mix of vegetables, hard boiled egg and a little dressing. I can't wait for when I can eat the whole Flo's Filet, medium rare, at Longhorn Steakhouse.

It's not that I want to go back to the way I was eating --I definitely do NOT! -- but I don't know where to draw the line or even if I can. I know I don't have to worry about it for another 27 days and I only have to handle one day at a time, but I'm scared of gaining the weight back. Statistics are on the side of gaining it all back plus more. I don't want to go through all of this only to gain it back. I think it's almost healthier to keep the weight on than to be yo-yoing

These are thoughts. I can have my thoughts, feelings, doubts and fears and still stick to my plan the whole 42 days. But I sure hope that in the next few days -- or certainly by the 42nd day -- I will feel differently about how I'll re-enter my normal life, whether I plan to go through another round or two of this diet. Yes, diet. Even though I want to think of it as a health program, right now I just see it as a damn diet! Wish me luck. And stay tuned....

Beta HCG Diet -- Down 10 Pounds But Not Enjoying Food

Wow! I'm really down 10 pounds! I'm already fitting into pants I haven't been able to wear in awhile. I'm not hungry. I'm eating real food.

Only problem is...I'm not enjoying most of the food I'm eating. It tastes awful! Frozen lobster tail that tastes fishy. Leftover chicken from restaurants that was good the first time but tasteless when I eat it at home. Vegetables so dry, chewy or limp that I can hardly choke them down.

Well, at least the fruit is good. And the melba toast. I never particularly liked eating an apple by itself, found it did weird things to my stomach. Now I'm loving it and getting along fine with it. A whole orange seems like a lot of food. Strawberries are great, at least the ones I eat when they're first fresh, before I freeze them.

Tonight I went to Longhorn Steakhouse and had a filet. Well, half of one, the other half is now in my fridge for tomorrow. OMG, was it good! My vegetable was asparagus, naked, and it was edible, at least. Half of it is also in my fridge, as is a lobster tail that was the other item in my combo order. This lobster won't taste fishy!

Blah food won't make it into my lifestyle when I go off of HCG. If I truly want to change my lifestyle I can't go back to the way I was eating before. So I have to make the food I eat at home taste as good as what I get in a restaurant. Ha! Good luck with that. Or I have to go out more and take home doggie bags. Oooooh, expensive!

Well, thanks to Longhorn at least I know I have tasty food for the next two meals. And a friend who's a terrific cook lent me her George Forman grill so we'll see if that helps. Stay tuned....

Strawberries Shouldn't Be This Tough!

To further demonstrate how totally undomestic I am, I am asking for help dealing with strawberries. Yes, strawberries. Fresh strawberries.

You'd think that wrangling fresh strawberries would be relatively easy. They're not complicated fruits. But they have me baffled.

So far in the week that I've been trying to have strawberries at the ready for my Beta HCG diet, I have ended up with strawberries that are so moldy I couldn't save many of them, frozen fresh strawberries that when they were defrosted were so mushy they were nearly liquid, and strawberries that I didn't wash until I got them out of the freezer but they then lost much of their red coating when I gently washed them with cold water and were much like lightly flavored ices when they started to defrost.

So what do I do? Buy fewer at a time so they don't go moldy? Or is there some secret to keeping them mold-free, mush-free and redskin jacketed? Help!

Beta HCG Diet -- Why I'm Doing This

Now that I've been on this diet -- or wellness plan, as I prefer to call it -- I can say emphatically that I am NOT having fun! Living on 500 calories a day is not easy, even if I'm not hungry as such. Thank you, Beta HCG, for that. But having to weigh and measure everything is a pain, though I am getting pretty good at eyeing things when I'm not near my letter scale. Finding things to eat is challenging, especially since I basically don't like either the food or the nakedness of it. The recipes I discovered last night on this site should help, but still...I like my food blended -- okay, covered up -- with other ingredients. I can eat food I am not wild about if it's "disguised" or folded in with other foods, and on this plan there's really none of that. Veggies with cheese and breadcrumbs are palatable. Naked veggies: not so much.

So why am I doing this? I don't want to live as I have for the past four years since I started dealing with first a bad hip and then a bad knee. I gained weight with each because it hurt to move from the bed to the bathroom, let alone walk around the block or get on an elliptical machine. My hip replacement two years ago was a godsend but not long after that my knee went crazy. For no apparent reason. No idea where that came from. So now that my knee is fixed, too, thanks to very successful arthroscopic surgery three weeks ago and wonderful physical therapists, I am ready to tackle the rest of my health. And that means not just losing the weight I have gained in four years -- probably about 25 pounds -- but also the several dozen pounds that I was already overweight. A daunting prospect.

It's not just about the weight. It's also the whole way I've been eating. As a bona fide addictive person, anything with sugar and carbs had me hooked. I knew it but was not able to do anything about it and was not ready to try. There's a tv commercial that shows two women on a split screen, one of whom continually chooses healthy foods and the other that chooses all of the bad foods. I was that latter one, absolutely. I didn't want to be that person anymore. I didn't want the health challenges. I didn't want the lifestyle of a FAT person. I didn't want to keep feeling sluggish and lethargic. I didn't want to keep having to wait for the handicapped stall in public bathrooms. I didn't want to keep struggling and moaning when I get in and out of my car. I didn't want to keep having to sit down after just a few minutes. I wanted to be free of all of that and to feel normal again.

So that's why I am cutting up celery, which I hate raw, and cooking it with extra lean ground beef, with chili con carne spices and forcing it down. I love those two things in spaghetti sauce (I know -- celery is not common in spaghetti sauce but I like it) but that's not on the plan for now. And that's why I am stopping at 3.5 oz. of protein twice a day. And that's why I'm drinking so much water that I'm up peeing 3-5 times a night. That's why I will keep on this plan for the next several weeks. Because I think it will pay off in long-term and short-term ways.

Then there's the vanity factor. And the shame factor. Two sides of the same coin. The prospect of running into people who knew me years ago, even a few years ago but especially many years ago, is downright frightening. A few years (and pounds) ago, I saw an old boyfriend at an airport where I had a brief layover. I spotted him from a distance and I had plenty of time if I'd wanted to go talk to hiim. But I was so ashamed of the weight I'd gained, especially since the last time he'd seen me I was at my very thinnest as an adult, that I turned around and walked the other way. A few pounds are one thing; over 100 make it a whole 'nuther thing. I want to be able to walk up to anyone from any time in my life and joyfully say hi. Ah, vanity.

My clothes already fit better. My cravings are going...going...not quite gone. The smell of freshly baked bread when they bring it to the table in Longhorn Steakhouse still gets to me, even though I don't have an irresistible desire to reach out, rip off a hunk and sink my teeth into it. I'll be thrilled when I can have cheese again, especially in and on things. And I have a new appreciation of sauces and I long for them, even tomato-based ones that I used to stick my nose up at in favor of the creamier ones. Okay, I'm not going to keep going down that road. Just suffice it to say that even after a week, I feel confident that I am no longer hooked on sugars and starches. That can only lead to good things.

So I'm in this for the (relatively) long run, though I'm dealing with it all one day at a time, one meal at a time and sometimes one minute at a time. They all add up.

Beta HCG - Ugly Food Day

Yesterday -- Friday -- was a disaster in many ways. I had physical therapy early and forgot to take my HCG spray with me. PT was torture. I barely labored through it. Discouraging since I'd been doing the exercises with a lot more vigor earlier. But I made it.

Then I went to the grocery store, came home just long enough to drop everything off, then had to leave for a meeting. I had time to eat half an orange, the first half of which I ate before PT. On the way to the meeting I ate my first of two allowed pieces of melba toast. The meeting was at 1:00, over at 2:00, so I figured I would use my $10-off coupon at Ruby Tuesday afterward and take home the extras. They make good tilapia and they were willing to eliminate the oils and sauces in that and zucchini when I was there on my first diet day, so I was looking forward to a nice, long, leisurely late lunch with delicious food.

'Twas not to be. And I was in such a rush in my few minutes at home that it didn't even occur to me to spray or to stick it in my purse. Not good.

The meeting went 45 minutes longer than anticipated and then I accepted an invitation to go to lunch at a nearby cafe. I was in one of those super prickly low-blood-sugar modes where I want to kill something large and furry. I knew it was chemical but it was all I could do to sit there patiently pretending to be a sane person while they prepared everything for us. Our waitress brought my two compatriots' plates one at a time and then stopped to talk to the manager, who was sitting at the table next to us. And kept talking. I could see my plate sitting there waiting to be picked up, and after a few minutes (probably in reality maybe two or three) I blurted out pretty loudly, "Hello! Can I get my food too?!?!" I was clearly annoyed. Then when she brought my plain chicken, it had some kind of gooey sauce all over it. I was totally exasperated and fortunately the manager came to my rescue. She whisked the plate away and a couple of minutes later I had my plain chicken, which was actually not bad. But by that time it was 3:15 and with no HCG and no food to speak of, I knew I needed to get home to my HCG.

I still had another stop to make, to get the battery replaced in my watch. I didn't get back home until 5:00. Headed right for the HCG.

We had an autumn "do" with lots of yummy food at the complex where I live and I figured there would be nothing I could eat so I took my lemon water with me and an apple. Sure enough, all I could eat were veggies in salad but everything was coated in oil so I was content with my apple. Passing up dessert didn't phase me. I only truly mourned not being able to eat the meatballs, which are always scrumptious. Headed back upstairs about 8:30, was absolutely starving -- my body, not my mouth -- and didn't want to take time to cook anything. Since I'd planned on going to Ruby Tuesday, I didn't have anything thawed except for "extras" of shrimp (1.1 oz.), frozen lobster (1.4 oz.) and I cut off another little piece of the leftover chicken to make the 3.5 oz. of protein I could have. I'm not sure you can mix the protein, since they say only to have one veggie at a meal and not mix them, but that's what I had so I went with it. The shrimp was good. It was the last of it or I would have had more. The lobster was AWFUL! I love lobster in restaurants, prefer it with butter but can do without. It's never tasted fishy. This frozen-but-defrosted lobster tail (little pieces) was fishy and I could barely choke it down. Even the leftover chicken -- cold -- was pretty grim. I sliced a tomato and even that was hard to get down. Boy, that was the least fun dinner I've had in a long time. The melba toast I had to top it off was the only saving grace. Who knew that melba toast would be such a treat?

Today is a new day. And I'm definitely headed to Ruby Tuesday for a GOOD meal! Oh, and by the way, I'm down a total of six pounds!

Beta HCG - Down Another 2 Pounds

A week ago today was my #1 gorge day. Friday was #2 gorge day per the Beta HCG diet. Gained 5 pounds on those two days, lost them in 48 hours. From back to my original weight, I'm down five pounds total. Down two from yesterday to today. I even weighed myself twice a couple of hours apart -- same thing. My jeans actually were a little loose today, though I'm sure another good washing in hot water will make them fit just fine again.

So far I've stuck to the plan. Nearly perfectly. The "nearly" part came last night when I couldn't bring myself to eat leftover asparagus (which I'd already had some of at lunch) or a tomato or half an onion,which were all the veggies I had. So I skipped the veggie and had a few strawberries a while after dinner instead, even after already having my 2-fruit allotment for the day. I won't make a habit of it.

I had to laugh at myself. I'm so NOT domestic! I bought one of those plastic juicers. (I get the juice of one lemon each day). I went to wash it but couldn't get the plastic part apart from the glass bottom part that holds the juice. I pulled and pulled, tried to pop it with my fingernail. Nothing. While it was in the sudsy water, I accidentally twisted the top and it came right off. Duh....

My energy level is still low but the headache is gone, the nausea is gone, my aches and stiffness were better today, and my head is clearer. Progress! Stay tuned....

Beta HCG - Achey Breaky Day

The good news is that I'm down a total of 3 net pounds since Monday morning. Yay!

The other good news is that the headache I had yesterday and the day before has subsided.

And the last good news is that I was able to get a bunch of my questions answered by my doctor, Dr. Pieter DeWet, last night on a support call he holds every Tuesday night. The best news from that is that I get to drink flavored coffee -- Dunkin Donuts french vanilla! -- as long as the flavor comes from the beans and not the syrup they put in in the store. I have DD french vanilla in my freezer and I'm thrilled that I can indulge in that, especially since I can only have 1 T of milk a day.

The not-so-great news is that I have been achey all day. Physical therapy this morning (for my knee after arthroscopic surgery) was more difficult and painful than usual. Even some of the exercises that I'd been doing relatively easily and pain-free were suddenly not so doable. What's that about? The weather changing from sunny and dry to rainy/drizzly? I doubt it. Dr. D said I can't have ibuprofen or Celebrex anymore, one or the other of which I've been taking pretty much every day for quite awhile.Dr. D said not only can they be tough on the kidneys and liver, they can also further harm the joints, and I definitely don't want any of that! I've been off of all that stuff for a couple of weeks, as well as glucosamine and chondroitin, per the instructions of the HCG diet, but I sure don't like this aching and stiffness. I'm looking into a homeopathic or herb solution....

I ran an errand after PT and then gratefully drove home, cooked up some hamburger (extra lean, of course) with salt, pepper and chili seasonings along with leftover asparagus from dinner out last night and ate a very unsatisfying lunch. Talk about blah taste! (I need to learn how to cook stuff without sauces and oils.) Then I eased myself under the covers and took a great nap.

Last night was a taste treat. My dinner pals and I went to Longhorn Steakhouse and that 3.5 ounces of filet minon were fabulous. The other 3.5 ounces are in my fridge now and I will probably eat it cold tonight because I can't figure out how to warm it up without cooking it, and it 's perfect at the medium rare that Longhorn delivered it to me at.

This change stuff is a challenge. I was so comfortable eating the way I was, even if it was sending me on my way to an earlier grave. I am eating totally differently now -- totally! So it'll take me awhile to make the switch and get good at it. I just wish I could stop aching and get some real energy in the process. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

HCG - Day 5 - My First Pounds Lost!

OK, so I've not blogged the past two days. Sunday I just didn't feel like it. I was watching NFL football and the Indy race and when Dan Wheldon got killed, I lost my heart for writing about dieting. And yesterday I was running around all day, first to physical therapy (2-1/2 weeks after arthroscopic knee surgery) and then to my surgeon, who's quite happy with my progress.

Yesterday was the first day I've actually felt good in quite awhile. Driving to my surgeon's office, I had this wonderful peaceful feeling. Oh, I'd love to bottle that up and sprinkle it over myself and others at will. Peace is better than euphoria, IMHO.

Progress on the Beta HCG weight loss program: I am going to start calling it a health program rather than a weight loss program because my ultimate goal is -- and I think the ultimate result will be -- much better health. The first few days haven't been easy. My stomach is still hungry some of the time; it rumbles at times. I don't crave anything, but boy the foods I eat, especially the protein (especially shrimp!) and Melba Toast, sure taste good! The veggies? Tomatoes, which are the easiest veggie to work with, just aren't that appealing to me. Yesterday I had a mild headache all day and today it's more intense. Ugh! I still have moments of nausea, too. The other night I said in my head, "F*ck this! It's not worth it." But thinkin' ain't doin' and I knew I'd stick with it. And I have.

It took 48 hours to lose the 5 pounds I gained on my "gorge" days, so by yesterday morning I was back to where I started. Today I'm down 2-1/2 pounds! My first loss! I am quite excited because it's been way too long since the scale actually was going in the downward direction. I can see why they tell you to weigh yourself at the same time every day, upon waking and after peeing. After drinking 2 huge glasses of water, the scale showed that my 2-1/2 pounds were back. OK, so I was curious. I know I'll be down again tomorrow morning and nearly every morning after that, other than plateaus.

Having real food around is much more challenging than the artificial and/or packaged food I lived on before. I'm not used to having food around that spoils or gets moldy. Strawberries and tomatoes get moldy. Meats spoil. I've got all kinds of real food now, much of which I stuck in the freezer until I'm ready for it.

I am getting used to the mechanics of the plan, i.e., weighing the meat and fish on my letter scale. I now know what 3.5 ounces of shrimp and beef look like. Tonight I'm going to Longhorn Steakhouse with my usual Tuesday dinner pals and I'm ordering the 7-ounce filet (Flo's filet) and I'll bring half of it home. I get two pieces of Melba Toast a day, and as I told my HCG mentor, John Martin, yesterday when he called to check up on me since I hadn't blogged for two days, that Melba Toast tastes so good that I can say with certainty that if I drop a crumb on the floor, I'd definitely pick it up and eat it. So I'm keeping my floors exceptionally clean. Stay tuned....

HCG "Diet" Day 1 - This Has Got to Get Easier!

After two uncomfortable days of eating way more than I ever have in that time to fulfill the requirements of the Beta HCG plan, today was Day 1 of the "diet" part. And it was rough!

I was hungry, for one thing. My mouth wasn't hungry but my stomach was. I wasn't hungry for anything and food didn't really appeal to me all that much. (I saw a tv commercial for Pizza Hut and it didn't do anything for me.) But my stomach was rumbling off and on all day. I can live with that, knowing it won't be that way probably beyond tomorrow.

Then there was the drinking-water thing. Not just water. Can also be black coffee, tea and sparkling water. The only sweetener can be Stevia or Saccharin. Where do you even find Saccharin these days? What about Splenda? And Aspartame? I like diet colas. I like flavored water, like Fruit2O. I like diet cranberry-grape juice mixed with white grape sparkling water, both artifically sweetened but not with Stevia or Saccharin. I am not wild about plain water. I load up my coffee with whole milk or half-and-half. And I loathe tea other than tea that is disguised as something else. But I'm supposed to be drinking a minimum of two liters a day of the stuff I don't like. Two liters? OMG!

OK, so I went to the store and bought plain filtered water and plain sparkling water. I can have the juice of one lemon a day. Well, that'll certainly help.

So I did everything I was supposed to do today and didn't do anything I wasn't supposed to, at least I think so. And I felt pretty rotten. Lightheaded all day. Not dizzy but a degree or two this side of dizzy. And I felt nauseous all afternoon. And of course I had to pee every little while.

I am willing to go through this on the first day. After all, I'm completely changing the way I eat. I will put up with it for another day or two if necessary, but by then I should be adjusted to my new regime. By then if I'm not, I can call the doctor's office and see what they suggest.

So Day 1 is almost over and I survived it. I am glad it's Saturday. I gave myself permission to do whatever I wanted today, including nothing -- other than go to the grocery store to get what is on the "approved" list. I watched all of the episodes of the Rosie show on OWN all afternoon when I was feeling so lightheaded, and laughing did me good. Tonight I have a NASCAR race to distract me. I will go to bed as soon as it's over.

And then tomorrow will be Day 2. And I will be one day closer to the new, improved me.

HCG Diet - 'Gorge' Days Finito!

Thank heavens these two days of "gorging" are done. I've had my last heavily buttered piece of toast. My last creme-filled donut. My last bacon cheeseburger. My last french fries. My last Baskin-Robbins Pralines 'n Cream -- that one I may actually miss. But for right now, I am relieved that these two days are done. I am going to bed now and when I wake up, I will be on a whole new program. More about that tomorrow.

Overeating, while not easy the last two days, has been familiar. Just not to this degree. I am used to eating sugary foods, fatty foods, lots of proteins AND carbs. I am used to eating a lot. I didn't get to this point "because I grew older and it doesn't come off as fast as it used to." I can't blame it on menopause. I can't blame it on anything. I earned every pound. I love food and I have used food for comfort, for escape from discomfort and for celebration -- and actually for anything in between. I have turned to food much like an alcoholic turns to alcohol, i.e., when a non-addict wouldn't think of eating, it's the first thing I think of to handle other elements of my life besides nourishment to live. I know I'm not alone in that....

So now I step into change. I need to change. The problem is that I don't want to go through the act of changing. I just want to wake up...changed! Doesn't work that way, I know. I'll be going through each step, regardless of what my attitude is.

I actually am feeling all kinds of things now. I'm excited. I'm scared. I'm dreading it. I'm thrilled by it. Most of all, I'm determined. I figure I can do anything for 40 days -- one day at a time, one hour at a time, one meal at a time, one moment at a time, if necessary.

Last time I lost a couple of dozen pounds, I remember going through the phenomenon of re-experiencing the memories and emotions of what was going on when I gained those pounds. It was quite eerie and unsettling. I wonder if anyone else has experienced that. Well, this time I will be losing a lot more than a couple of dozen pounds -- do you hear that determination? -- and I could be in for quite a roller coaster ride. But that's okay; I have my seat belt fastened.

HCG Weight Loss Plan - Gorge Day #2

Wow! Having to "gorge" for two days is brutal. Who knew?

Psychologically, I think this is good. I don't want to see another chocolate anything, another sweet anything, another fatty anything any time soon. On my worst binge day in my life, and I've had a few over the years, I never ate like I've eaten the last two days. Instructions are to "eat to capacity" the whole time for two days. That ain't easy. I've tried to eat what I normally love and save for treats but mostly I've had to force myself to eat all of it. The only thing I've actually enjoyed is my one-scoop ice cream cone of Baskin-Robbins' Pralines 'n Cream. I may have to top off my day today with another one. It will be the last one I'll have for a long, long time, maybe ever.

Last night I went to sleep about 1:15 a.m. and I got up several times but basically slept for about 10 hours. I'm used to closer to six hours of sleep a night. Believe it or not, I actually felt guilty when I finally dragged myself to the shower because I hadn't been eating for all those hours, other than a donut at 7 a.m. before I went back to bed. I felt half lethargic, half sick.

If I were reading this about anyone else, I'd say, "This is crazy. Why are you doing it?" Well, I've committed to this Beta HCG Weight Loss Plan, and this is part of it, so I will stick to the plan and reserve judgement for another week or so. I'll link to the site of the doctor whose plan I'm following after I have made my own determination of what I think of the plan. I am optimistic or else I wouldn't have committed to it.

When I lived in Manhattan, I went to the Atkins clinic and Dr. Atkins was my doctor. This was just before he was widely vindicated for his low-carb lifestyle plan. So I'm not intimidated or put off by the controversial or unconventional. I did well on the low-carb plan, by the way. The HCG plan is low-carb, too, just more extreme.

I know that the way I've been eating for many years is not good for my long-term health. It's also made me not just fat but obese. Not just obese but morbidly obese. The Bariatric Surgery Center of Highland Hospital, an affiliate of the Rochester Medical Center says, "An individual is considered morbidly obese if he or she is 100 pounds over his/her ideal body weight, has a BMI of 40 or more, or 35 or more and experiencing obesity-related health conditions, such as high blood pressure or diabetes." Yep, I qualify.

Like the frog in the water that doesn't feel the water slowly rise to a boil because it's so gradual, I can't imagine how I got this way. But I did. I can't imagine how horrified people who knew me 100 pounds ago would be if they could see me now. I've hidden out for many years, avoiding cameras, avoiding people I haven't seen for years, avoiding the truth about my weight. But now that I've gone through a hip replacement -- two years ago -- and arthroscopic knee surgery just two weeks ago, I am ready to tackle my weight and long-term health. Hence, this weight loss plan. Tomorrow it starts for real. And I am ready!

Maybe I'll get the video camera out that I've had for nearly two years and kept new in the box. Maybe I'll try doing a little video diary. If I do, I want to start it right away. I want to show the "before" and hope it's very different from an eventual "after."

HCG Weight Loss Plan - Day 1 Noon

So, today and tomorrow are supposed to be "gorge" days. I'm supposed to be eating as much high-fat food as possible. Over the top. Truly gorging.

Surprisingly -- though I'd been warned this would be the case -- I'm not having a good time.

I had toast with lots of butter plus my favorite Dannon coffee yogurt for breakfast. Leftover pizza and Godiva chocolate for lunch. I'm supposed to keep eating now and I just don't want to. But I will. Maybe some more chocolate. In an hour or so I'll forage for something else. I stocked up on ice cream -- and not the low-fat kind -- and friends have brought over plenty of Godiva chocolate. Maybe I'll go get some scrumptious Red Robin french fries later. Gee, normally I'd be thrilled to eat all of this forbidden food. But now I just feel overly full and I have hardly begun to get through this very strange assignment.

More later....

Beta HCG Eve

I'm taking the plunge. Tomorrow I start the Beta HCG weight loss program.

This is not the usual "diet." It's sure to be controversial. When I first heard about it, I thought, "You're kidding! That's crazy! And harmful!" But since then I've read a lot about it, talked to someone that has had great results with it, and I figure it couldn't be worse than what I've already been doing to my body with the way I've been eating.

So here goes.

Tomorrow and Friday what I'm supposed to do is eat as much food as possible, especially high-fat foods. They call it force feeding. They suggest including ice cream, pork, bread with lots of butter, milk chocolate and peanut butter. And I start taking the HCG spray plus some supplements that come with the program.

I am not really looking forward to these two gorge days. Lord knows I've had many gorge days, though not to this extent, but I don't know how my body is going to react to deliberate overloading two days in a row. They say it's important and not to skimp, so I'll do it. Then Saturday the serious restrictions begin. I don't really want to talk about any of it ahead of time. But stay tuned.

Contemplating Beta HCG Diet

A year ago or more, I threatened in this very blog to attack my weight/health issues. Hasn't happened. But I'm here to say that it will, this week.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to start the Beta HCG diet, supervised by a doctor. It's radical. I am in the mood for radical because Lord knows, "cutting back," "moderation," counting points, cutting out sugar and other tactics haven't done much for me. (Or should I say, I haven't done much with them.)

Right now I'm reading the material that my holistic doctor sent me along with the spray HCG. I've gone through the material once and will do so again another couple of times to familiarize myself with the rules of the HCG road. I'm also going to research it on the always-reliable web. Someone I know and will be working with has had terrific luck (results, not luck) with the HCG diet, and he's my layperson guide and a key part of my support system through this process, should I choose to go through with it, and I think I probably will. If/when I do, I'll try to report in here every day or two.

Stay tuned....