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.