The HCG Diet Experiment

Ever since a back injury in my early 20s I have struggled with my weight. I made it through college at a fairly muscular 190 pounds, which fit my 6' frame well. Now I find myself at 270. Despite being careful about what I eat, cutting out sodas and a lot of processed foods, exercising, I have not been able to shed the pounds. After a battery of tests, my doctor has decided I have weight-related sleep apnea. The effect is I don't get the sleep I need in order to lose the weight. He told me what I need is a shock to my system, to lose weight rapidly, and to keep it off. His suggestion - The HCG Diet.

HCG stands for Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, a hormone naturally produced by the placenta in pregnant women and that almost completely controls the metabolic function through the hypothalamus throughout the pregnancy. While you may have heard of HCG in fertility treatments, this is a slightly different animal, made from sterile cells in a lab. The idea is you inject the HCG as an appetite suppressant, take a bunch of vitamins, and go on a Very Low Calorie (VLC) diet. 

Now this is a fairly controversial method of weight loss that has been around since the 1950s. There are 3 main phases to address. Phase 1 is Detox. You eliminate alcohol, sugar, and carbs from your diet, and drop to 1200 calories max. You take several vitamins and a detox agent, and you basically prep your body for the VLC portion of the diet.

Phase 2 is where you start the injections. This begins with 2 "Load" days followed by either a 25 or 40 day sequence of the VLC. The load days are during the first two days of the injections, while the HGC is initially getting into your system. The plan is to gain 10 pounds. Eat all day. Whatever you want. The fattier the better. I mean GORGE yourself. The idea is to get your body thinking this is normal calorie intake. When you begin the VLC phase, it will attack this new fat and keep burning fat, as opposed to structural muscle. 

While in phase 2 you will be consuming 500 calories a day. That is not a misprint. It is all but a starvation diet. You will be eating high protein foods, though with a limit on red meat. At these calorie counts, of course you will lose weight. In fact, the claim is an average of a pound a day. The HCG is supposed to prevent the hunger pains associated with it. 

After you have completed the injections you maintain the 500 calories for the next two days, as the HCG leaves your system. That is when you enter Phase 3,  21 days of maintenance. You slowly ramp up your calories until you're back around the 1200-1500 range, leaving out starches and sugars. After that you enter your new permanent diet, with the goal of maintaining the weight you are at. 

Now, this sounds almost too good to be true. That brings me back to the controversy part. The FDA has not approved HGC for weight loss, and many mainstream doctors are VERY against it. To them it is like all crash diets. Sure you will lose the weight, but you will put it right back on. From what has been explained to me, the end benefit of the injections isn't just to eliminate hunger pains, but to help you retrain your eating habits. If you come off of any diet and go back to eating the way you were, of course you are going to gain the weight. If, however, you actually DO change your diet.....well, all I can do is try it and keep you updated on what I find out. 

We won't be alone on this journey. We are doing it under the supervision of Low Country Plastic surgery, and our personal support and guidance agent is Amelia. We have been sending her our menus for approval and she has been a source of great info and support. 

                                                     Phase 1 Week 1: Detox
Day 1
Weight: 270
Breakfast 1 orange, 1 scrambled egg
Snack 1 cup Cauliflower with Walden Farms Ranch
Lunch 7oz Chicken, 1 cup lettuce, 1 cup green bell pepper, 1/2 cup Cucumber, Walden Farms Italian dressing
Snack 1/2 cup cucumber
Dinner 10.5 oz steak, 2 cups green beans
Calorie total: 1135
Today wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. First of all, the iron supplement actually tastes good. Throughout the day I have been mildly hungry, but not bad. No headaches or cravings. 

Day 2
Weight: 262.6
Breakfast 3 scrambled eggs, 1/3 cup veggies shreds cheddar cheese
Snack Fuji apple
Lunch 7oz tuna, 1 cup iceberg lettuce, juice of one lemon
Snack 1 cup broccoli, Walden farms ranch
Dinner 8 oz cod, 2 cups asparagus, 1 cup tomatoes 
Calorie total: 1060
Wow....I can not believe the loss on the first day. Im guessing water weight mostly, as I had no salt.....well thats the theory at least. Feeling good. Getting my gallon of water hasn't been hard, I was close to that already. I think Im actually a little more clear headed than I have been. Turns out The Girl actually enjoyed the cod. who knew?

Day 3
Weight: 261.8
Breakfast 1 cup strawberry, 2 eggs
Snack 1 cup cucumber, Walden Farms ranch
lunch 2 cups mustard marinated shrimp, 2 cups lettuce, 2 cups cucumber
Snack 1 yellow squash, broiled
Dinner Chicken stir fry, 10.5 oz chicken, 1 cup each yellow, green, red bell pepper, onion, swiss chard.
Calorie total: 1056
Today was the first tough day. I really wanted bacon with breakfast. Hot sauce helps (no sugar, just vinegar and heat baby). Turns out no matter what I do, The Girl still hates Swiss chard. That makes me sad. I love the taste of lightly wilted chard, kissed with lemon juice. Still no headaches, which I had expected. The Walden Farms Ranch is starting to grow on me. It is looser than I like, and at first has an artificial after taste, but the tanginess offsets it. 

Day 4
Weight: 260.8
Breakfast 3 eggs
Snack 1 apple
Lunch Chicken soup (10.5 oz chicken boiled in 3 cups water with 6 cloves garlic, 1 cup onion, 1 teaspoon each oregano and cumin, topped with hot sauce)
Snack 1 cup broccoli with Walden Farms Ranch
Dinner 7oz steak, 1 cup green beans
Calorie total: 1138
Tonight was the hardest day so far. Had to make the grocery store trip to stock up for the next few days. Waited till after steak dinner. Turns out every little thing in the store made me hungry. Surprisingly, those God-awful little chocolate donuts were the worst for me. I haven't had those in 15 years, but they looked sooooo yummy. The chicken soup was actually delicious. Add some white beans and it would be a fantastic and light soup. Hunger pangs only really bothered me in the store. It isn't so much a hunger, as a longing, a missing if you will. Starch and carbs, such a huge part of what makes a meal a MEAL to me, are sorely missed. Boy I sound whiney right now, only been four days without, but almost 10 POUNDS down!!! I think even after the diet is long gone, I will keep the phase 1 diet scheme Monday-Thursday.

Day 5
Weight: 259.8
Breakfast 2 eggs, 1/3 cup veggie shreds cheddar
Snack 1summer squash mad into chips 
Lunch 7 oz tuna, 1 cup lettuce, 1/2 cup onions, Walden Farms Mayo, apple cider vinegar 
Snack 1cup Cauliflower, Walden Farms Ranch
Dinner 8oz Cod, 2 cup asparagus, 1 cup tomato
Calorie Count:1083
Today was a good day. I've fallen in love with the Summer Squash chips. Slice super thin, Spray with Coconut Oil (Like Pam, but healthier), liberally apply Goya Adoba seasoning. Bake in a 425 degree, preheated oven for 15 min, flip, repeat. Seriously addictive. As for the Walden Farms, I have found that their products tend to the over sweet. You HAVE to be careful with them. Weight loss has been way ahead of where I expected it to be, considering this is just the detox week. Interested to see where it goes from here. 

Day 6
Weight: 258.4
Breakfast 2 Eggs
Snack 1 orange
Lunch Blackened Chicken Salad (7 oz chicken, blackening seasoning, 2 cups lettuce, 1/3 cup veggie shred cheddar, 1/3 cup green bell pepper, Walden Farms Italian dressing)
Snack 1 cup Broccoli 
Dinner Bison Sliders (Two 3.5 oz bison patties with 1/4 cup diced onion, salt, pepper, Montreal Steak seasoning, Briggs Amino Acid) Grilled, topped with Veggie Slice American, wrapped in iceberg lettuce leaves, served with Squash chips (See above)
Calorie Count: 1137
Easy day. Stomach is always just slightly less than satisfied, but not distracting. I feel very clearheaded, and feel like I have more energy. The burgers turned out great! Veggie Slice American cheese tastes EXACTLY like the Kraft version when melted, but they take longer to melt. I found it best to grill the sliders for about 4 minutes, flip, place on the cheese slices, then let cook for another 6-8 minutes. Though I am looking forward to my load days, this part hasn't been that hard.

Day 7
Weight: 257.2
Breakfast 2 eggs
Snack 1 Cup Cucumber
Lunch 7oz Tuna, 1 Lemon, 1 cup lettuce, 1 cup cucumber
Snack 1 cup cucumber
Dinner 10.5 oz steak, stir-fry with 1 each red, yellow, green bell peppers, Walden Farms Sesame Ginger Dressing
Calorie Count: 1142
The week ends well. I've finally found some new breakfast recipes, so I can vary and not just have egg, egg, egg and more egg. Overall weight loss on Detox week was 13 pounds, which was not expected. Not very hard to keep this menu up

                                                         Phase 2
Week 1
Sat-Sun were load days. Ate everything I could get my hands on. Injections started Saturday. By lunch on Sunday it was hard to eat. Really didn't want to by that point.

Day 3
Weight: 265.8 (I am not sure how I didn't gain 20 pounds
Breakfast 1 egg
Lunch Chicken Soup Recipe (See Above)
Snack 2 cups cucumber
Dinner Bison Burgers (See Above)
Calorie Count: 496
Not too bad. Defiantly had moderate hunger pangs, but I was able to go through the grocery store after dinner and wasn't tempted. My mind feels clear, and I feel like I am more focused. I hope it stays that way.

Day 4
Weight: 261.2
Breakfast Homemade turkey sausage
Lunch 4.5 oz tuna, 1/2 cup celery, 1 cup lettuce
Snack 1 cup broccoli 
Dinner: 4.3 oz tilapia, 2.5 cups cucumber, apple cider vinegar 
Calorie Count 500
Hunger is a little more today, and my stomach has been making fuuuuuuun noises. Not horribly hungry, though. Getting the menu down has been a little hard, making sure to rotate proteins and veggies. Have to remember to marinate the tilapia, though, to ensure more flavor. 

Day 5
Weight: 257.8
Breakfast 2 eggs
Lunch 3.5 oz tuna, 1/2 cup celery, 1 cup lettuce
Snack 1 cup Celery, Walden Farms Ranch
Dinner 4oz cod, 1/2 cup tomato, 1 summer squash chips.
Calorie Count: 505
I think the cod is better than the tilapia. It is a little meatier, and doesn't need to be marinated. A nice surface seasoning is great. I think I need to make sure tuna is on the same day as a red meat, though, as it doesn't feel quite as filling

Day 6
Weight: 255.6
Breakfast 3.5 oz turkey sausage
Lunch 4.5 Oz Chicken, Walden Farms BBQ sauce
Snack 1/2 cup celery, Walden Farms Ranch
Dinner 3.5 oz steak, 1/2 cup each Red Green Yellow bell peppers
Calorie Count 505
Adjusted the turkey sausage recipe slightly. Added in Bragg's Liquid Aminos and organic tomato paste, not anywhere near as dry. Lunch was fantastic. Simply marinated chicken breast tenders overnight in the Walden Farms BBQ sauce, skewered, and grilled. For dinner made a stir fry. The steak was marinated in Thai seasoning (via World Market), liquid aminos, garlic, and ground ginger. Seared it off stir-fry style and was tasty as hell. This has been the closest to full I have felt all week, but still not there. 
Overall feeling really active and clear-headed. My energy level feels like it is starting to rise. Hope it continues.

Day 7
Weight: 254.8
Breakfast 1 egg, 1/8 cup veggie shreds
Lunch Boom-Boom Shrimp Salad (3.5 oz), 1 cup lettuce, 1 cup matchstick cucumber
Snack 2 cups cucumber
Dinner 4.5 oz chicken, 1 cup tomato, 1 cup cucumber
Calorie Count: 505
Boom-boom shrimp was a big hit. Marinated in Liquid aminos, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, lime juice, red pepper flakes and a touch of hot sauce, then grilled up. WONDERFUL. After, we went to see Amelia at Low Country Plastic Surgery, and we are looking GREAT so far. She seemed happy with our progress and how well we are sticking to the program. Also got to spend 30 minuets in the infrared sauna. Boy do I sweat like a pig at a BBQ. Felt amazingly clear and energetic afterwards. Not sure if it really had an effect or just some placebo magic. Who knows, but I like it


Day 8
Weight: 253.8
Breakfast 3.5 oz Turkey sausage
Lunch 4.2 oz tilapia
Snack 1 small orange
Dinner 4.5 oz Grass fed steak, 1 cup asparagus 
Calorie Count: 509
Thanks to Dr. Sal of Mignano's Family Chiropractic, we now know that the Piggly Wiggly on Harborview Rd is trying to end importation of Mexican beef. How? Grass fed beef from GAFFNEY!!!! That is correct, SC grass fed. The grass fed is SO much better for you as a red meat. On the original HGC protocol, normal American beef is verboten (that is German for Yea, no, you don't get none of that). Grass fed is not only tastier, but better for you. The whole good fat/bad fat is a discussion for another day, but suffice it to say that grass fed is your friend. Another interesting development, this has been the first day I wasn't in hunger pain most of the day. Still hungry, but I can ignore it pretty well. My head is much clearer. The complete elimination of processed foods has been amazing for my powers of make good thinking. 

Day 9
Weight: 252.2
Breakfast 1 cup strawberries
Snack  1 yellow pepper
Lunch 3.5 oz Turkey sausage
Dinner crabcake hash
Calorie Count: 498
Crab cakes didn't work out as cakes, but as a has very tasty. Little spicy. Another good day.

Day 10
Weight: 251.2
Breakfast 1 medium apple
Lunch Buffalo tenders
Snack 1.5 cups cucumber
Dinner 3.5 oz Bison burger sliders, Veggie slice American cheese
Calorie Count: 500
Buffalo tenders rocked. LOOOOOVED it. Turns out The Girl stalls on fruit, so no bueno for her. I, however, seem to be okay. Going to try strawberries again tomorrow. Hopefully I keep loosing, the taste of the fruit is a great treat. Bison burgers are going to be a main stay in our menu. Been hungry all day, though. I think I ate lunch too early. The Girl had to do a short road trip, packed her a lunch, but didn't time my lunch well. Grr, I would kill for a slice of pizza today, seems like they have had TV commercials all day. I need a food-specific commercial skipping device.

Day 11
Weight: 250.6
Breakfast 6 tablespoons All White egg whites
Lunch Tuna salad
Snack Celery
Dinner Spaghetti with meat sauce (Angel Hair Miracle Noodles, ground grass fed beef, cherry tomatoes)
Snack Summer squash
Calorie Count: 503
Wholly cow the Miracle Noodles worked out well, I mean really well. Took cherry tomatoes, red wine vin, tomato paste, garlic, basil, garlic powder, marjoram, and Mrs. Dash Italian seasoning, blended it down, then simmered it with Bay leaf. Made a really good pasta replacement, with only 250 calories. A little on the thin side, but I think with plum tomatoes instead of the cherries it would be tighter. Only 6 tenths of a pound to go to 20 pounds down. Heck yea!

Day 12
Weight 249.2
Breakfast Turkey sausage
Lunch Boom boom shrimp salad, spinach, tomatoes 
Snack tomatoes
Dinner Tuna salad
249.2 might not be a big deal for you, but for me it is huge. 20 pounds down on the diet is the first reason I'm so happy to see it. Second, this is the smallest I've been in more than 3 years.    I still have a long way to go, but it is working. I feel better, and cant wait to get to the point where I can start exercising heavily again. It is coming, I know it.


Day 13
Weight 249
Breakfast 1 small apple
Lunch Tacos
Dinner Buffalo Chicken and cucumber
 (BEST TACOS EVER-recipe makes 2 tacos) 3 oz ground grass fed beef marinated in Braggs Liquid Aminos. 1 tablespoon diced onion, sweat in a nonstick skillet. Add ground beef and brown. Add 1/8 cup water, minced garlic, garlic powder, oregano, cumin, and cilantro. Use one romaine leaf cup for each taco. In the bottom place veggie shreds cheddar cheese, add beef to top. For a spicy kick mix 1 teaspoon Mexican hot sauce to 1 teaspoon Walden Farms ketchup. 
Didn't loose much today. Im hoping it isn't a stall. The only thing I ate yesterday that I could justify as a stall item would be tomatoes. I don't know, Ill probably drop a pound and a half tomorrow. A little hungry today, but the great flavors of lunch and dinner really carries me over. I want to try the tacos again with ground chicken see how it comes out.

Day 14
Weight 246.8
Breakfast 1egg, 3 eggs worth of egg all whites
Lunch Boom Boom shrimp salad with romaine lettuce and roasted red peppers
Snack green bell pepper
Dinner Foil baked maui maui and bell pepper mix.
Okay, that is a huge swing in weight. The scale now says change batteries. Great, wonder if that will change anything. The Mahi Mahi I marinated in Liquid Aminos, Lemon juice, ginger, and lemongrass. I then baked it in a foil pouch with fennel, fennel fronds, and lemon. Tasty, but I didn't marinate it enough. Im getting tired of these damn needles. I don't know if I could survive as a diabetic.

Day 15
Weight 246.6
Breakfast turkey sausage 
Lunch Baja Citrus Chicken
Snack 1/2 Apple
Dinner 4oz Grass Fed steak, roasted cherry tomatoes
Okay, so I am hoping this weight thingy was from the scale batteries going caploey. That is a technical word, look it up. A real test today. Made a pizza for a friend. Im practicing for a cook-off, and can't actually try it, so Im inviting taste-testers. Smelled fab. I would murder someone for a slice of pizza. Deep breath. Smuggled water into the movies. Good day. Tomorrow will be better than today.

Day 16
Weight 246
Breakfast 9 tablespoons egg whites, 1 egg
Lunch Italian herbed tilapia, 1 cup pepper veggie mix
Snack green bell pepper
Dinner 7oz Crab hash
Really easy day. The crab has RELLY fills you up. Made a trip to Whole Foods, who I wish was closer. Picked up some Jay Robb protein shakes to try, and will be going back for Zevia Soda. I'll cover that more once I try it.

Day 17
Weight 244.8
Breakfast Turkey sausage
Lunch Chicken tacos
Lunch Med Squash
Dinner Cod with 1 cup green beans.
25 POUNDS DOWN!!!!  That's right, since day one of Detox till this morning, I've lost 25 pounds. Feels good, but I feel like I could easily cut 25 more. As for the chicken tacos, made it the same as the beef, just with diced chickens. 

Day 18
Weight 244.6
Breakfast Jay Robb Tropical Dreamcicle Shake
Lunch Bison Ribeye steak, pepper mix
Dinner Honey Dijon glazed chicken, fire roasted green bell peppers, Roasted asparagus
Jay Robb wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Doesn't mix especially well. Think I put too much water in it. The Bison ribeye tasted more like prime rib. Next time I need to cook it closer to rare than medium. Also, had my first Zevia Cola Soda. Zero Calories, all natural, gluten free, carb free, sweetened with Stevia. The first two sips had a slight back-end twing, but after that it tasted like a Sam's Choice soda. Picked up Lemon-Lime twist, Black Cherry, Cream Soda, and Root Beer to try as well. Hopefully I have found a once a week no penalty treat.

Day 19
Weight 242.2
Breakfast 1 egg, 3 egg whites
Lunch Tuna Salad
Snack Celery
Dinner Miracle Noodle Spaghetti with meat sauce
Woke up with a bad sore throat. Trying to take pride in the great weight loss, but it is hard when it feels like your throat has found a new form of ebola. On the bright side, the Miracle Noodles are incredible. Soaking them in my sauce helped really flavor it, and the Galaxy Foods Veggie grated park is a wonderful topper. Well, back to my hot tea now. 

Day 20
Weight 241.6
Breakfast Turkey sausage
Lunch 3.5 oz chicken Alfredo with WF Sauce, Veggie Shred Mozz, and Miracle Noodles
Dinner Tuna Salad
Used the Walden  Farms Alfredo sauce to make a chicken Alfredo. A little on the sweet side. Toned it down by melting in Veggie Shreds and adding garlic powder and pepper. Having some major food longings. I don't think I should watch live tv anymore. Recorded TV is safer. I mean I found a Wendy's commercial appetizing for God's sake. 

Day 21
Weight 241.2
Breakfast egg mixture
Lunch Cod and 1 cup green beans
Dinner Miracle Noodle Angel hair stir fry with beef, broccoli, and red bell pepper.
Cold coming on. Feels like it is going to be a rough one. Loved the stir fry. Garlic Pepper Asian hot sauce took it to the next level. Freaking dead on. 

Day 22
Weight 242.4
Breakfast Turkey sausage
Lunch Chicken Skewers
Snack Squash Chips
Dinner Shrimp Stir Fry with green bell pepper, cabbage, Miracle Noodle Rice, and egg.
Ok. Cold full on kicking my butt. Weight gain must be water retention, right? Im not going to worry till this is gone. The Shrimp stir fry was INSANELY good. Ill post the recipe on the Blog page. Cutting it short so I can go die now.

Day 23
Weight 242.4
Breakfast Jay Robb Chocolate Shake
Lunch Crab hash
Dinner Inside Out French Dip sandwich, onions, au jus with Garlic Cauliflower mash
Another day of looking death in the face, no weight loss. Feeling someone better by dinner. The Cauliflower mash was fantastic. Wrapped cauliflower in foil with a couple cloves garlic and salt n pepper, placed in the oven at 400 for 24 min. Put in the blender with some home-made chicken stock, adding the stock slowly till I got the right consistency. Delicious. 

Day 24
Weight 240
Breakfast Egg Mixture
Lunch Cream of Chicken Soup
Dinner Bison burger sliders with Veggie Slices
Feeling better. Loosing 30 pounds doesn't hurt. But seriously, out from the cold and two and a half pound disappear. Hopefully that continues. 

Day 25
Weight 239
Breakfast Turkey Sausage
Lunch Cod and green beans 
Dinner Beef lettuce wrap tacos
Feel great today, though the cough from my could keeps reappearing at night. My sleep has, overall, become much better. Energy level is through the roof compared to a month ago. Feel damn right bouncy.

Day 26
Weight 240
Breakfast Jay Robb
Lunch Grilled buffalo chicken
Snack Red bell pepper
Dinner Shrimp stir fry
Okay, whats up with that pound gain? Im going to guess that it was because we ate dinner after 10pm. Im hoping that is it. I have to check in the morning to make sure I don't need a correction day. Met with Amelia in the morning, and she says we are both doing fantastic. The stir fry has become one of my favorite dishes, and is SOOOO filling. Love it

Day 27
Weight 239.4
Steak Day 3.5 oz steak and an apple for dinner.
What is a steak day? It is a reset for times when your weight stalls. I know mine isn't actually stalled, but The Girl did. So why am I doing it too? Well, she didn't have to do HCG with me, so why would I let her do the steak day without me? It has been almost 24 hours since I ate, but surprisingly I don't feel that hungry. I've fasted for various Jewish holidays, so I know how it feels once you hit that happy point on the fast, but I've never had this much energy during it. The steak day reset was the last thing on the protocol I was afraid of, and now I know it really isn't that bad. Don't get me wrong, I am so looking forward to that shrimp salad tomorrow, but right now Im just going to sit here and enjoy my cool glass of ice water.

Day 28
Weight 235.8
Breakfast Turkey sausage
Lunch Shrimp salad with roasted red peppers
Dinner Kung pow chicken with Miracle Noodle Angel hair pasta
Heading out of town for the weekend, updates will only cover the whats for a few days

Day 29
Weight 237.4
Breakfast Scrambled eggs
Lunch Grilled Chicken
Dinner Tuna fish salad

Day 30
Weight 235.8
Breakfast Jay Robb
Lunch Tuna fish salad
Dinner Inside out french dip with cauliflower mash

Day 31
Weight 235
Breakfast Turkey sausage
Lunch Grilled Chicken
Snack cucumber
Dinner Shrimp fried rice

Day 32
Weight 234
Breakfast Scrambled eggs
Lunch cod with green beans
Dinner Steak with asparagus
I have to admit Im looking forward to be done with both the shots and getting to eating more food. Even with as much flavor and seasoning as I add in, I feel the monotony of the limited food food choices setting in. On the bright side, 36 pounds and counting.

Day 33
Weight 234
Sorry for the long break, been catching up on school work. Will crunch through all the days Ive missed

Day 34
Weight 233.4
Breakfast Turkey sausage
Lunch Shrimp salad
Dinner Kungpow chicken

Day 35
Weight 232.8
Breakfast egg mix
Lunch grilled chicken and cucumber
Snack yellow bell pepper
Dinner Tuna salad
Traveling to Charlotte today. First and only trip while on the diet, and made travel ready meals. Stopped at the Super G Mart (Asian supermarket) and picked up Thai Lemons. Best Lemons EVER

Day 36
Weight 232.8
Breakfast Jay Robb
Lunch Tuna Salad
Snack Cucumber
Dinner Bunless french dip with garlic cauliflower mash
I am SOOOO ready to ignore tuna salad. Food monotony is starting to set in. Mentally, Im starting to struggle a bit. The end zone is in sight....keep....chugging....on

Day 37
Weight 231.8
Breakfast turkey sausage
Lunch Grilled chicken
Snack cucumber
Dinner shrimp fried rice
Woke up with a headache. Couldn't loose it all day. Shrimp fried rice is the most filling recipe we've done. Love it

Day 38
Weight 232.8
Breakfast egg mix
Lunch Cod with green beans
Dinner Grilled steak and asparagus
OH COME ON! where did that pound come from? Im not slogging through this to GAIN weight. Eesh. Too mentally fragile for this, yo

Day 39
Weight 230.8
Breakfast Jay Robb
Lunch Steak and grilled tomato
Dinner Cod and green beans
I know, meals for today are kinda thrown together from what we have. It happens. But 2 pounds baby!

Day 40
Weight 229.4
Breakfast Turkey Sausage
Lunch grilled chicken and green bell pepper
Snack Cucumber
Dinner Steak stir fry with bell pepper mix
FORTY POUNDS DOWN!!!!!!! HECK YES

Day 41
Weight 229
Breakfast Egg mix
Lunch Shrimp Salad
Dinner Buffalo Burger
Today is my last injection day. I screwed up the day count somewhere in there. So, for the next two days I will be staying on the 500 calorie menu as the HCG exits the system. The, I will have 3 weeks of 1200-1500, limited dairy, no carbs or startches or sugar. The goal is not to vary +-2 pounds from TODAYS weight. I will continue the weight ticker, but will not update menus (unless I find something fun) and only make notes as something special comes up. I will do another recap at the end of maintenance.
As for the 40 days, It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. The keys for us were menu planning and committing to cooking. For 40 days I cooked 3 meals a day. I am mentally exhausted from that, though.  I wouldn't be opposed to doing a second round, but it would have to be the 28 day variety. Forty pounds, now lets keep it off

Day 42 (500 Calorie)
Weight 227.4 (-1.6)

Day 43(500 Calorie)
Weight 226.8 (-.6)
REALLY HUNGRY by the end of the day. Must. Not. Eat. Everything

Day 44 (12-1500)
Weight 228.2
(-.8 from final injection weight)

Day 45
Weight 229.2
(+.2)

Day 46
Weight 227.8
(-1.2)

Day 47
Weight 229.2
(+.2)

Day 48
Weight 228.8
(-2)
Had an event last night for the blog. Carbs EVERYWHERE. Supposed to be avoiding them, but hard too when they are in every dish. Boy did I feel sluggish and fuzzy afterwards. Today I still feel like Im trying to think through cotton. Surprise of the day, though, Lowcountry Bistro is superb

Day 49
Weight 229
(0)

Sorry about not posting in a while, the holidays have been crazy, and we went on holiday to Portugal. So, how did I do with the weight through all of that great eating? Down to 223.8!!! That is right, down 5.2 pounds through the holidays!!!!!! I have to admit I am very pleased with how things are going!

#HGC