HCG Part dos.. =D

When I last left you, I was discussing the GORGE phase in the HCG diet.. Indeed, this was the fun part.. LOL But as they say, all fun things must come to an end and we have to GET SERIOUS.. lol Whoever said that needs to be put in timeout!! But anyway, I felt I needed to change more than just what I was eating.. This diet really helped me put things into perspective!!

My main problem was trying to change my HABITS.. You know OLD HABITS DIE HARD right? Well my biggest issue was I was a social eater.. I was also a BOREDOM eater.. I was an emotional eater and add all of that up and multiply that with an autoimmune thyroid condition and you have a recipe for FRUSTRATION and constant failure.. I cant tell you HOW MANY TIMES I have gained and lost the same 40 pounds!!!! It gets really old..This is how I was forced to put things into perspective by the HCG diet..

The daily intake consisted of this:
1. 3.5 ounces of chicken or crab, LEAN beef, veal,shrimp, lobster and wild forms of flounder, sole and halibut, but ONLY one of those selections..Weighed RAW, TWICE daily..(so basically 7 oz of meat daily)
2. a medium sized apple, or orange,1/2 grapefruit or 6-10 medium strawberries.. ONLY one of them , twice daily..(so basically two servings of FRUIT daily)
3. ONE serving per meal of one of these veggies: Lettuce(2 cups),Spinach(2 cups), Chard(2 cups), Celery(2 cups), Red Radishes ( 1 cup), Cabbage(2 cups), Cucumbers (2 cups), Tomatoes (1 cup), Onions (1 cup).. You do this twice daily as well..
4. 2 pieces of Melba Toast or 2 Grissini Breadsticks per day.. One per meal..
You are also allowed unlimited amounts of WATER and you can have unsweetened tea and black coffee.. You are also allowed the juice of ONE lemon per day.. Sounds swanky, I know =P..

Thats NOT alot of food huh? LOL Believe it or not, there were some days where I STRUGGLED to get all of that in!! Not many of those days, mind you, but a few.. LOL It was during this time that I learned to not eat socially.. I couldnt eat out with anyone because NO ONE eats like that in a restaurant.. LOL I saved alot of money though.. ha I made a few mistakes on this diet because I wasnt aware of the fact that I shouldnt be drinking Diet Mountain Dew.. UGH.. it was my only salvation at that time it seems.. LOL I had a few stalls in weight loss that probably could have been contributed to drinking Diet Mountain Dew and also using Splenda.. Splenda is not allowed as well.. You can use Stevia.. But thats about it..

BORING is what you are probably thinking.. And it WAS.. For REAL!!! BUT, it helped me realize that food is sustenance, NOT FUN.. Food shouldnt be a trip or a ride.. It makes your body work.. Food should NOT be what makes you happy.. Although ANYTHING with chocolate on the outside usually makes me VERY HAPPY!! haha This is where BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION came into play.. I had to retrain my way of thinking..

I was REALLY TESTED right at the end of my round on HCG.. We had a PLANNED family vacation to the BEACH the last week of my HCG diet.. I VOWED I wouldnt go off it.. I even brought my scale to the beach.. I knew I would probably develop an attitude eventually because everyone was eating and drinking and being merry and *I* was sitting in the corner eating my stupid 3.5 ounces of chicken, my medium apple, my LETTUCE salad with yucky balsamic vinegar ( NO OIL), and my pitiful melba toast.. My sister was eating dang chocolate cake from Publix( the one with the cherry in the middle- SO WRONG!!!)and drinking Margarita's at night.. I had my dumb lemon juice from one lemon daily, in ice.. LOL Yeah, at one point, I had to close myself up in my parents bathroom and take a LONG bath and HIDE from the food..

But, something wonderful happened while I was there.. I LOST 5 pounds that week!! I have NEVER lost weight on vacation!! I usually GAIN it.. haha I weighed myself everytime I got an attitude about not getting to eat.. It was positive reinforcement at its best, IMO!!!At the end of my round on HCG, I lost 30 pounds total!! I came away with a great feeling of accomplishment and I felt wonderful.. I also didnt turn into an apple or an orange and my body didnt go into intense starvation mode on 500 calories either.. I found myself, after the maintenance phase being able to maintain my weight effortlessly and I even lost another 4-5 pounds after I stopped the injections.. I was a new person!! I maintained it all until I was put on Celexa, an antidepressant in February this year, due to stress.. I have gained about 18 pounds back.. 10 of those pounds were put on in the month that I was taking the Celexa.. I stopped it after 5 weeks and have not been able to lose any of that weight gained and have actually put MORE weight on..

I, as well as my thyroid doc, feel that the Celexa sent my body back into hypothyroid mode.. It is known to do that.. I am so pissed I took it.. LOL My thyroid doc didnt put me on it.. My general practictioner put me on it.. Thats the LAST TIME Ill let that happen!! haha So this will bring me to Part Three..To Be Continued!! =D