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Back in the Saddle

By on January 6, 2011 in 4-Hour Body, consistency/commitment, determination/motivation, eating, food, hcg, plan, R2P4, working out

Hey y’all!  I hope you enjoyed the guest posts over the last couple of days – I’m so grateful to Tara and Betsy for sharing the writing load with me this week!  I’m finally back in Seattle and, just like every time I take time off, I’m wondering if the vacation time is really worth the mounds and piles of work I have waiting for me when I come home!  Who am I kidding – it’s totally worth it! – but if you are wondering where I’ll be for the next week?  A good bet will almost always be my desk!

Vacation was great – it was really nice to take a mental and physical break.  Before you shake your finger at me, don’t worry – I didn’t take a total break from working out.  In the 5 days I was gone, I got in one awesome gym trip, a 3.5 mile run, and a 3 mile walk.  And yesterday, my first day back, I hit up the gym for an AWESOME kick-my-own-arse cardio and core session.  I can’t wait to meet up with my trainer this afternoon and get back into the groove with her, too.

Another thing that has me excited is that I’ve decided to give the slow carb diet from The 4-Hour Body a try for the next 2-3 weeks.  I won’t weigh myself until Sunday to give myself a few days to lose a bit of water weight, but I already know that I’ve put on probably 10 pounds over the holidays.  So I’m ready to get that weight off and prep my body for all the awesometasticness that 2011 will hold, like running lots of events – including the Warrior Dash, Ragnar, and a half marathon – and another round of HCG.

So today I started on The 4-Hour Body slow carb diet, which is basically as follows:

RULE 1: AVOID “WHITE” CARBOHYDRATES.  Avoid any carbohydrate that is, or can be, white.

RULE 2: EAT THE SAME FEW MEALS OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

RULE 3: DON’T DRINK CALORIES.

RULE 4: DON’T EAT FRUIT.

RULE 5: TAKE ONE DAY OFF PER WEEK.

I know these rules might seem uber-restrictive because, well, they are!  I am not worried about feeling deprived for two reasons.  One is that one day each week, I can eat what I like.  At this point, I am sure that will include lots of fruit (which I will miss), some dairy, and maybe even pizza.  The second reason I am not worried about feelings of deprivation is that I don’t intend to follow the slow-carb diet for ages.  I’m using it as a tool to help me take off a few of the pounds I’ve gained and to get me off sugar completely before I start my next round of HCG.

So there you have it – I feel fantastic today because I got a good night’s sleep, fit in a fantastic workout, and have eaten yummy, healthy food all day today.  Oh, and I’m taking a trip to Whole Paycheck Foods tonight on my way home to stock up on lots of essentials, including white truffle sea salt, eggs, chicken, beans, lentils, veggies, and more.

How are you?  I’m still catching up on blogs, so fill me in on your news and goals for 2011!

Comments { 24 }

HCG…Different but the Same

By on November 9, 2010 in eating, emotional stuff, hcg, R2P3

I’ve been mulling over some thoughts on the HCG Protocol for a while; thoughts that are less about the mechanics of the Protocol, and more about how people approach it.  I have a good friend who’s on it and I know a few other people who know others who are on it.  So within two degrees of separation, I’m hearing reports of how people are doing, and what they’re doing while on HCG, from about a half-dozen peeps on the Protocol.

I also got an e-mail from a blog reader who has a friend who was extremely successful on the Protocol, but who has since gained all of her weight lost back again (and guess what? I’m sure it brought friends.  Cuz it always does, dammit.)  Of course, then I read an article like this one, which cites the extremely high maintenance rate of those who lose using HCG (60-70%) over those who lose using other methods (10% or less).  And I’m left to wonder, as many of you may be, what is the truth?

What is the “best” way to lose weight?
Is HCG the “magic bullet” that we’ve been waiting for?

You already know my answer to that; at least, if you’ve followed my blog for any length of time or know me personally at all, you do.  Of course it’s not a “magic bullet.” As Oprah has said, if a magic cure for obesity/overweight existed, believe me when I tell you I’d have found it by now!  And used it!  No matter the cost!  (Okay, that’s not really true, but it makes for pretty good reading, doesn’t it??)

The bottom line is that like all other diets (yes, I hate that word too, please don’t blast me for using it in this context), HCG is simply a tool to take off excess weight.  It does a little bit extra for many of us, in that it also allows your body to reset the hypothalamus.  Whassat you say??  In layman’s terms (cuz that’s what I am people – a layman…or woman…but laywoman doesn’t sound entirely…appropriate…but I digress): using the HCG Protocol allows your body to (a) shed excess weight that it may have been resistant to shedding before and (b) fix some of the damage we’ve done to our bodies (or some pre-existing dysfunction) with yo-yo dieting by resetting it’s “set point.”  (“The set-point theory essentially argues that an individual’s metabolism will adjust itself to maintain a weight at which it is comfortable.” Click here for source & to read more.)

So, yeah, it makes sense then, if you believe that HCG operates in this way, that maintaining weight loss is slightly “easier” for those who use HCG as their tool.  But that does not mean that maintenance is easy; that you can eat whatever you want and not gain weight.  Maintenance is a life-long work that we all have to participate in. It will look different for each of us.  But there are common threads: commitment to eating healthy.  Balance/moderation/harmony in how we approach food and exercise.  Mindfulness.  And yes, that dreaded word…WORK.

I’m very frustrated when I hear of people who think HCG is a magic cure-all or easy fix; who don’t follow the Protocol and then bitch (sorry, I’m not sorry) about not losing weight.  Or whine about not keeping the weight off.  Who think that this is the magic pill we’ve all been dreaming of our whole lives.  That pill doesn’t exist, friends. And guess what?  One way in which the Protocol is exactly like other diets is that if you don’t follow the “rules,” it won’t work for you in the long run.*

Think about it.  Calorie counters?  If you throw counting to the wind and/or ignore what your calorie range should be for weight loss (or maintenance), how long will you continue losing/maintaining?  Weight Watchers; if you ignore your points range and just eat what you want, what happens?  South Beachers, if you start sneaking too many simple carbs into your plan, how well does that work for you?  Whatever your program or diet or tool or whatever of choice, it likely only works if you actually…you know…follow it.

By the same token, if you ignore the Protocol; cheat while on Phase 2; eat like a madwoman once you’re back to “normal” eating (I never say I’m going back to my old “normal” eating habits – I’m moving on to healthy eating habits!); sneak a drink (or three) at a party while you’re on the low-calorie phase of the Protocol…one of three things will happen:

(1) You will not lose weight;
(2) You will gain weight; or
(3)You will lose weight, think you dodged the bullet, and at some point in the future (probably when you’re trying to stabilize at your new, lower weight) it will come back to bite you in the ass.

Just as with anything else in life, our decisions and our actions have consequences.  Don’t pretend that just because your weight loss tool of choice is HCG, that rule of the universe does not apply to you.  No matter what tool you are using to lose excess weight, know that you still have to do the work.  The physical work.  Following the plan.  Also, the mental/emotional work that will allow you exist in a healthy-weight body without freaking out every time you look in the mirror because you feel like you’re seeing a stranger.

You gotta do the work, people.  Bottom line.

Thoughts?  I’d love to hear what y’all think about this stuff.

*This post is not intended to bash anyone who is struggling to follow-through, whether you’re on HCG or WW or PCP…oops, I mean, you know what I mean.  I get that it is hard sometimes.  Hell, I spent the better part of two decades struggling, doing well, stumbling, falling on my face, and getting back up again.  This post isn’t about the struggle.  This post is about trying to “game the system” and being pissed off when that doesn’t work.

Comments { 4 }

Pounds and Inches Update

By on November 5, 2010 in beauty/beautiful, body, eating, emotional stuff, hcg, hope/inspiration, R2P2, self-image, weight

I started to add this update to yesterday’s post, and then realized it really deserved its own separate post.  Big changes are happening around here, which you’ll understand as you keep reading.

Today is my last day of injecting on my second round of the HCG Protocol.  I am thankful to report that the weight I had gained during my little “interruption” of this round is long gone, along with a few extra pounds.  Today I weigh 189.5 pounds. People, that is momentous!  I honestly don’t remember the last time I was under 190, but I do know it was at least as far back as my junior year in high school.  I feel fantastic and am so excited to start my maintenance phase and keep focusing on my running, strength training, and overall health and wellness.

For those of you who are interested in an outside perspective/opinion on the Protocol, here’s an article on HCG by a thyroid patient advocate – a friend of mine shared this with me.  Let me know what you think!  I’ll be sharing some more in-depth thoughts with you in the near future about this Protocol and how it’s different – but in some ways exactly the same – as any other method of losing weight.

I’ve been promising to share measurements with you for a while, so here is the chart I’ve been using since I started.  It’s hard to see but if you click on the image it gets bigger!

I’ve lost a total of 32.5 inches off all the parts of my body that I’m tracking!  (Note: I only measure one side of my body, so right thigh, right bicep, etc.)  And with today’s weight of 189.5, I’m up to a total of 63 pounds lost on HCG, and a grand total of 109.1 pounds lost since my highest recorded weight in 2006.  Holy sheesh – that seems crazy to me – does it seem crazy to you?

For any new readers who may have stumbled on my blog recently, I want you to know that you can do it.  For years – decades, even – I felt hopeless.  I never gave up, but I never really believed I could do this, you know?  There was always a small big-ass kernel of doubt in my mind that made me wonder – can I ever really do this?  I had failed at reaching a healthy weight for so long, I didn’t know how to be anything but a fat girl who failed at weight loss.  And I’m not saying that to garner pity or admiration or for any other reason than to say, to those of you who may be feeling the same way, that I know how it feels.  And there is hope.  And you can succeed in your desire to achieve a healthy weight, a healthy body.  So please, never never never never never give up.  And as important as that: love yourself.  Know that you are enough and lovable and good and worthy just as you are.

So there you have it, folks.  My pounds and inches update.  A transition, after today, off the injections.  And Tuesday, I start phasing back in higher amounts of protein, fruits, and veggies.  I can also eat dairy, but I will be talking with my N.D. about how and when to add certain foods back in, since I might as well do this deliberately and test out whether I have any food sensitivities or allergies, right?  Anyhow, I’m excited.  So excited for what the next couple months hold.

How about you?  What are you looking forward to in the coming months?  And, if you could share one piece of advice with someone who is struggling right now, what would you say?

Comments { 18 }

One Day at a Time

By on November 3, 2010 in emotional stuff, fear, hcg, hope/inspiration, prayer, R2P2, worry

Hi friends – happy Wednesday!  Hope you’re excited to be halfway through the week.  Me?  Here’s the scoop: I’m doing the workouts I promised myself I’d do.  The HCG I’m using to finish out my prematurelyabortedandthenrestarted Round 2 is working like a charm.  And?  I am feeling caught up at work for the first time in WEEKS.  *cue the choir of angels*  I might actually only work 40 hours this week.  Crazy, no?

As I was thinking about how good this feels, there was a small part of me started to wonder when the next wave of crazybusy was going to hit.  And I nipped that thought in the bud, because as Miz always says, worrying is like praying for that which you don’t want to come into your life!  And (yes, I digress) that is so true.  When we spend all of our time focusing on the things we worry about, we become our worry, which makes us unable to live in the moment and accept the good that comes our way every day.

So yeah, I quit worrying like a mofo and instead decided to focus on today.  The good of today includes:

I love my outfit.
I feel strong.
I get to workout with my trainer three times this week!
I had an awesome run over the weekend.
I’m still smiling about trick-or-treating with the kids.
I voted.
I live in a country where I have the right to vote.
It’s a good hair day.
I love my sweater.
I get to hang out with my husband all evening.
I had two awesomely sweet, crispy, tart apples. And ridiculously good chicken for lunch.

And so on.  You get the picture.

When we live in the moment, and choose to be grateful and blessed for the things we are given that day, worry can’t worm its way into our hearts.  And if it tries, we have a choice.  We can either obsess over the bad stuff that could happen (what if I gain weight this week? what if I gain it all back? what if he doesn’t like me? do i look fat in this outfit?) or we can choose to refuse that worry a place in our heart.  Just like we refuse to give fear and shame a place in our hearts.  Right?

So what can you let go of today to take your focus off worry and put it on gratitude?
How can you focus on taking life, and this healthy living journey, one day at a time?

Comments { 7 }

Go Where the Road Leads You

By on October 26, 2010 in consistency/committment, emotional stuff, hcg, R2P2

The older and more mature (hopefully!) I get, the more I realize that what mom always says is true: “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.”  No disrespect intended to anyone who disagrees with the theology of that statement, but I think we’ve all been there before, right?  You make plans.  Get all excited.  And then…life happens.  Spoke in the wheels.  Wrench in the works.  Whatever.

And no matter what the cause for the disruption, we have two choices for how to respond.  We can freak out, stress, worry, and give ourselves a heart attack.  Or, we can … just breathe.  Accept that there are things beyond our control, do what we can about the rest of it, and let go of the outcome.  But keep doing what we know we need to do, staying committed/determined to the important things.

What does this have to do weight weight loss or healthy living or running?  (Okay, really?  Do you have to ask that question??)

Well, I made a decision last week to shorten my latest round of HCG because my weight loss was stalled and there were some other things going on that just didn’t feel right.  I made the best decision I could with the information available to me, as we all do every time a choice presents itself.  I chose to end my round early, and guess what?  My weight won’t stabilize to save my life!  And since stabilization at your new, healthier, lower weight is a huge part of the Protocol…well, this is a problem.

Instead of agonizing over it, I just observed my body for several days.  I did some research.  And I e-mailed my doctor with the thought that I’d like to treat my brief foray into Phase 3/Maintenance a an “interruption” of my longer round and go back on the injections to see if I can’t get my body to stabilize a bit better.  Know what I found out?  Several doctors have had patients stall around the same period of time, and they all use the same pharmacy as the supplier for their HCG.  There’s a suspicion in the medical community that a less-than-perfect/potent batch is the culprit.  Which would explain perfectly why my body isn’t stabilizing and why I was feeling less-than-stellar towards the end of my round.

So, I got some new injections and am restarting/finishing out my Round 2 Phase 2 today.  11 more injections.

Weight today: 199.6.  Yeah, that bites.

But you know what?  I’m not worried.  I’m not going to gain all my weight back.  This isn’t the end of the world.  The other day, these words actually came out of my brother’s mouth: “You’re going to have to stop standing sideways in pictures anymore, otherwise you’ll disappear!”

And, yes, I realize that at 199 pounds, I am not in danger of disappearing.  But you know what?  I’m so much healthier and happier than I was even 6 months/55 pounds ago, that no “detour” or road block or stumble or mistake or obstacle can deter me from my goal.  I’m staying on this road, and my destination is certain.  How long it takes me to get there?  Who cares?

So that’s my deep thought for the day.  Go where the road leads you.  Don’t freak out.  Do the best you can.  Don’t hide it when something imperfect happens.  And know that you’ll be okay.

Where’s the road leading you right now?

Comments { 9 }