Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to check in and say hi and tell you where I'm at!

I didn't do another round, I worked the extra gain of pounds off by getting into a religious schedule of exercising at least 4 times a week - 1 1/2 hour walk/jog (more walk than jog!) or pilates.

I watch what I eat, minimal sugar (weekends only), and all carbs are eaten before 3 o'clock. I got this advice from a Naturopath and it seems to be working. I eat low carb anyway, but make sure I have none after 3.

I am currently maintaining at 140-142 and broke the 130 barrier only once at 138.6. It seems that for me to stay in the 130's I have to work my ass off and be super-strict with my eating, and I'm simply not prepared to be that way.

I'm comfortably into a size 8, some clothes are loose and so I go to a 6. I have noticed in the past 2-3 weeks I am more toned and the size 6's are fitting better. I hope by Christmas with the constant exercise to be able to transition most clothes into 6's.

I have learned that even if the scale doesn't say the figure you want it to, you can still be in the size you were aiming for by exercise and toning. Essentially hard work and discipline with eating really are the answer - at least for me.

HCG did teach me discipline with my eating and for that I'm grateful.

I am blogging a few times a week about life, family and humor over at An Observant Mind, so I'd love to see you over there if you want to join me, and a few times a month over at Natures Conspiracy.

I will keep checking back in, and I hope everyone has a great Halloween!

Update

Its been so long since I have posted! I can't believe I have neglected this blog for so long.

Coming back I see that some of my friends who were doing HCG when I was, have also been AWOL - I guess we are all busy with life. If you guys come by here, drop me a line, I'd love to hear how you are doing!

So for me...

Well I failed this HHCG run. For me there was a definite difference, I really struggled on the HHCG and felt that the weight wasn't coming off as it should. I ended up at exactly 140lbs - not in the 130's as I wanted, but certainly for me, a decent weight and well within the normal range for my height.

I tried to decide if I just wasn't committed and I think that definitely had something to do with it, but the injections vs HHCG for me...I could tell a difference. Perhaps a bad batch? Who knows.

Still, I want to see those 130's (I'm obsessed!) and so I don't think I will call myself finished until I finally get there.

Sadly, we have had a lot going on here and I have not been eating right. I have been eating pizza, pasta and breads - all the things that even before I started HCG I hadn't touched in years, save for the occasional dinner out with friends.

It has not done me well.

A few days back I weighed in at 149.4 eeekkk! I was annoyed (OK more than annoyed), that I let myself get back there, and the fear of seeing those 150's again motivated me.

However, I am trying something a little different for now...

I have been sugar free for 3 days, and carb free for 3 hours (ha!)

My plan was to cut out sugar for one month, and then introduce only natural sugars (fruits, honey etc), for another month,  and then allow myself occasional cheats of sugar when out to dinner etc.

Though I had a screaming headache for the first 3 days (addicted to sugar, who me?), I got through it - today feel really good, and have also lost some weight. That being the case, I wondered if I cut out all refined carbs (rice, bread etc), what kind of difference would that make to my weight and well being also? 

I have also made sure I walked at least 45 minutes per day. Its spring here and the beaches are beautiful and so walking is not a chore.  I am not hungry, because I eat all I want - without being ridiculous of course, I eat until I am no longer hungry - not until I'm stuffed!

As at today (morning of the 3rd day) I was 147.4 - so we'll see where this takes me.

I will be sure and drop back in at least once a week to let you know how and where this is going.

Before I go, if you want to read a really hilarious account of my sisters first experience into the dieting world, you can check out a post on my other blog here. I promise you, it will make you smile (even as you will probably commiserate).

Hope everyone is well out there and whatever diet you are currently working,  chin up and remember:  

'Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels! '

(oh and of course you're health is important too ;)

Round 3, Phase 2, Day 5 - 143.0lbs (-0.4) TWL 3.6lbs

Checking in.

Small loss, but the number is going down!

I'm doing HHCG this time, so it will be interesting to see how/if it differs to the injections.

Round 3, Phase 2, Day 4 - 143.4lbs (-3.2)

I havent posted my beginning of the diet in posts as Ive been pretty busy, so here's the details:

Day 1 VLCD 146.6 (loading weight weigh in)
Day 2 VLCD 145.6
Day 3 VLCD 145.2
Day 4 VLCD 143.4

Of course as anyone who has been a regular reader will know, I am aiming for the 130's. In a perfect world Id like to be in the early 130's but ill take mid 130's as an end point. I don't seem to lose as dramatically on this diet as some others, so we'll see where this round takes me.

Hope everyone is well out there, I intend on spending some time this evening catching up on peoples blogs. Look forward to being a little more 'checked in' to the community!

I have finally finished my website and its up and running, check it out!

143.6 (+/- 0.0)

Still staying firm here but not losing.

I have finally gotten the foods I need and will be starting the new diet today - will see what comes of it. I also have myself scheduled in for pilates four times this week, so we'll see what a check in next week brings with regard to weight loss (I hope!)

I hope everyone is well, wondering how a few of you are doing, its been ages since we've seen you and I miss checking in with you! Drop me a note if you can, let me know how things are going.

I know over in the US its 4th July today, have a happy day and enjoy the sunshine and fireworks!

143.6 (+0.8)

I have pretty much stayed around the same weight, though I havent been 'dieting' at all.

I have as usual tried to make good choices. Bad food for lunch, good food for the rest of the day. So far maintenance is fine, but I still need to lose. Need to make the decision to go with this un-hcg diet or not.

Need to make decisions!

I have been so busy, had a lot of jobs come through (I am a freelance writer by trade) that have had me up until 3am some mornings trying to get them done, and my study is killing me on top of it, I'm considering switching to a part-time load. I love it though so its a hard decision.

I have never mentioned my other blog in a post, but if you haven't heard about the horrific things that have happened at Iowa Select Farms to piglets and mother pigs, I think you need to. Either do a search for it or check out the post on my blog .

Anyone that eats pork needs to boycott the pork at Safeway, Costco and Kroger, and in your restaurants. This is beyond horrific and anyone who considers themselves humane should never support these practices with their grocery dollars.

Have a great day everyone!

Day 6, 142.8 (-0.0)

Well, not good and not bad.


I really had a pretty busy day yesterday so food was a bit of a hit and miss with no real schedule:

Breakfast: Egg, 1/2 buckwheat pancake with real maple syrup

Lunch: 2 bites of my sons steak for lunch and a bite of his corn (ie. really no lunch)

Dinner: I made a delicious yellow curry with coconut milk, chicken, spring onions, potato, cherry tomatoes and rice. I ate, barring the rice. It was GOOD.

Not sure why no loss, could be the weird eating day, could be karma for my cheats the day before, could be because I under ate! Who knows? Until tomorrow...

Day 5, 142.8 (-0.6)

So I screwed up after dinner by eating some dessert (at least I shared!), but even so I had a decent loss.

This is really going to be an interesting experiment to see how this does over the long term. So far every day I have made the reasonable choices I have lost.

I also took a pilates class yesterday, which felt SO good to get moving again.

I just realized that today's weight got me back to where I was when I last finished the HCG round. So I have effectively spent the past 5 days getting rid of the excess 'party pounds'. From here on in, it will be able to be considered 'actual weight loss'. And so it begins.

Here's my foods yesterday:

Brunch: Broccoli with cheese and sour cream

Snack: Marys Gone Crackers x 3 w/ cheese and tomato
Snack: (I was hungry!) 1 boiled egg

Dinner: Roasted chicken, carrots, peas, sweet potato, gravy. (I didn't eat the potato that the boys did and I only ate 1/2 my sweet potato, wasn't sure where it rated for this diet (ie as too 'carby' or not).

Dessert: Shared a cream caramel with cream and ice cream with my hubby (filled with sugar!)

Day 4, 143.4 (-1.6)

A good loss and I stuck pretty religiously to the eating like I needed to, I will be interested to see what the loss is tomorrow if I eat on course again today. Will it be as big a drop? We'll all find out soon enough!


Breakfast:

Unsweetened yoghurt with almonds


Lunch:

4 x "Mary's Gone Crackers" seed crackers

1/2 tomato

1 slice cheese


Dinner: 

Lamb roasted in Rosemary and red wine with onions, carrots, corn a very small jacket potato with cheese and sour cream. Cooked in Olive oil.

Day 3, 145 (+0.4)

I ate:

Breakfast: None

Lunch: Out, gorgeous beef and mushroom pie with a salad and Cosmopolitan cocktail and a glass of red wine.

Dinner: Garden Salad w/ balsamic vinegar for dressing and Home made sweet potato and coconut soup (yummo but not so great for a low carb diet!) I passed on the bread roll my hubby and son ate.

Snack: (It was State of Origin game 2 tonight - huge deal here in Aus) Organic Corn chips with hummus and a bite of my sons ice cream and cookie concoction my husband made him (sooo good!)

So clearly I wasn't sticking to well to my diet. I need to get my head in the game and get religious about this if I want lose instead of gain and to get to these 130's without having to do another round of HCG.

Day 2, 144.6 (-1.8)

Well I expected a decent drop - not from diet necessarily, but from not eating as badly as I had been!

1.8 is a good start and will get my back on my way down.

Yesterday I ate:

B: Oatmeal in the morning with unhomogenized organic milk and a few organic almonds

L: Salad with grilled chicken and balsamic vinegar as dressing for lunch

D: Home made Sweet N Sour Pork for dinner (incredible tasting recipe on all recipes!) though I didnt eat any rice with it, but it DOES have sugar in it (that I substituted with agave syrup)

I did snack after dinner just ate 3 'Marys Gone Crackers' organic seed crackers (so delish they are my fav!)  with about 1tbsp hummous

So I wasnt really eating no sugar/low carb, but it worked for me anyway.

Today I have already blown the 'low-carb' since my hubby took the day off work and we went to lunch and a movie together and I had a cocktail - we'll see what tomorrows numbers show like...

'The Experiment' Day 1 - Starting Weight: 146.4

So here is where the damage stops! I actually was 146.8 yesterday morning but this morning (Tuesday here) with everyone gone, the house cleaned up and the 'party' style foods and drinks either eaten, drunk or disposed-of, this is the weight I woke up to.

I actually had a really fun weekend (as evidenced by the weight!) I made a 'Thanksgiving in June' dinner for everyone here - we don't eat most of the traditional thanksgiving items here in Australia so it was cool to cook them for everyone and hear and see their reactions. I did it up traditional style: turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, bread rolls, gravy,  pumpkin and pecan pies.

It was all home made (even the rolls - from scratch!) Nothing worse than introducing something new to people and having them not like it because it doesn't taste like it is supposed to. My husband was in heaven - given we missed Thanksgiving all together last year. It was a normal day here so hubby was at work and my son at school and with just the 3 of us I wasn't planning on cooking up a storm - I think I may have made him a pumpkin pie out of sympathy, so this was his 2010 Thanksgiving (somewhat delayed).

Anyway, we had a blast and it was a real success with everyone marveling over the new and strange flavors (pumpkins is roasted here with a leg of lamb - pumpkin as a dessert was considered bizarre!) I was asked to make it an annual event, so I call that success - even with 5 extra pounds to show for my efforts.


So now I am ready to give this 'un-hcg' a go and see where it may (or may not) lead.

The plan is to try this way of eating until mid July when I have a party to attend in Sydney. (yes another trip to Syd, I'm thinking I should just give up and move there!)  Upon return if I am not liking the loss results I will do my last round of HCG to get to those 130's.

As you see my title has changed. Ill just call this 'the experiment' for now, here's to day one!