natalie1

Hello all…It has been harder and harder to get on here and keep things updated. I love being on buddyslim too, so it really bothers me. I guess the biggest reason is that my husband, kids, and I share the computer, so I hardly get the chance to even glance at it.

A quick update is what I will post…I have finished my 40 days on the protocol and I’m about 5 days in on my maintenance diet. I have lost 25 lbs. and 22 inches. I’m pretty happy with my results and so far I’ve been able to maintain. I am supposed to go back in about a week and a half to start the protocol all over again but I’m still giving it thought. Right now I’m eating all the fruits and veggies I want (with the exception of potatoes, peas, bananas, and corn). I’m eating more meats with more seasoning. I’m also eating cheeses, eggs, and yogurt. I have also started an exercise regimen. I’m starting with 15 mins a day on my elliptical. I’ve told myself that I can only watch the biggest loser (one of my favorite shows) if I am exercising while watching. So far this idea is helping me to stay dedicated.

I want to wait and see what my results are after doing this type of eating and exercising for a couple of weeks. If I can continue to lose than I may just stick to this, and skip the second round of HCG all together. I don’t want to spend the extra money unless I need to. Which leads me to my good news…

I had an offer accepted on a home just yesterday. Today I sign papers and start the escrow process. We are really excited and feel that our hard work is really starting to pay off. We got a great deal on the house, so it’s just a matter of time before we move in. I’m still keeping my fingers crossed, knock on wood, and all of that good stuff.

I’m looking forward to this weekend because I’m going to Viva with my hubby and some friends which should be fun. I will be able to get all dolled up in a pretty dress and kick up my heels. Then Easter will be family day with some relatives driving up and bbq. It will be a blast I’m sure!

I’m happy to say that things are looking up my friends!

So I’ve had a run of bad luck lately. Life has been challenging me in ways I didn’t see coming. Not in ways that are too horrible, and nothing I can’t overcome but my migraines have been full blown lately. I’ve been in this tunnel and I’m coming to the end of it because I can see the light. I can almost reach out and touch it. Things are looking up!

Nevertheless, my progress is good. I should be like gaining all kinds of weight right now with all the added pressure and my tendency to run to the yum yums for relief. I’m happy to report that this is not the case. I have lost 22 lbs thus far. I have 7 more days on the protocol and then I start my maintenance diet. I’m excited to be able to eat more varieties of foods. I still have my cravings and I’ve found that Saturdays are next to impossible for me to not cheat on. So I thought…what the heck! If I’m doing good all week long, I might as well allow myself a little indulgence for one day. I’m not overdoing it either. I just have a little something extra and try to make it a smart choice. Overall, my weight loss has been good.

The part I sometimes want to kick myself for is if I hadn’t cheated at all, I’d probably be at about 30-35 lbs lost by now. Oh well. I’ll take my weight loss, it’s still a great number. My goal is to NOT cheat this weekend and finish at a 30 lb weight loss by the end of the week. It’s a long shot, but we’ll see.

I’m excited to keep going. I’ve changed, I can feel it. My choices are smarter. I crave veggies and fruits and I can’t wait till I can try new recipes!

I have lots going on lately and it has certainly distracted me from Buddyslim. My diet is going good. I have lost 17.6 lbs. I had two doctor’s appts in the past 2 days and all is well. She went over my blood work and everything was within normal range. The only things she noticed was that my metabolism was on the low side, and my progesterone was also low. Progesterone affects mood. I have been moody, I admit it. She is going to give me some to increase my metabolism and help with the swings : )

I’ve been kinda bummed because our house that we have been waiting 10 looong months for fell through at the very last moment. It was literally 2 days before we were going to close escrow. I had been patient and bit my tongue in the hopes that I would be rewarded for all of our efforts. It just didn’t happen that way. Now we have to start all over again. I just felt like giving up, but I know that if I don’t do it now, we probably won’t get another chance like this. So we’ve begun to pick up the pieces and may just switch our realtor to someone who can get this done quick.

I’m trying to focus on the fact that everything happens for a reason. Something must have been wrong with that house and in time we will see the bigger picture. I am trying to remain optimistic because I know that there are tons of people who wish they could be buying a home right now, or even have a job right now.

It’s just frustrating. I’ll get through it. We always get through the rough spots one way or another.

It’s been a while between posts and let’s see…just a few updates.

Had my blood work done, but the doctor’s visit was postponed till early next week.

Bad news! My euphoria on Saturday was short lived. My family came to visit like I said they would. What did I do? I cheated. I told myself “oh I already lost 15 lbs in a week so I can afford to cheat a little and I’ll just burn it right off again.” Why do I lie to myself like that? Ughhh! So Saturday I had a slice of cake and some salty pot roast. Saturday I went out to lunch which consisted of salad with dressing, and went out again for dinner and ate crab (with butter) and a loaded baked potato : (. I gained a little over 3 lbs during the weekend. I know…it’s horrible.

So as crushed as I was, I jumped right on track on Monday and haven’t cheated since. Now the scale isn’t moving like it was. It’s just creeping down and I am currently at 191.4 and I have lost 13.4 lbs. Jeeze louise!!

They tell you not to cheat. They emphasize it. Why didn’t I listen? I gave into temptation and it sucks. What keeps going through my mind is “Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels!” It’s true. So I’m just doing my best to keep with it and waiting for that scale to say I’ve lost 15.2 lbs lost. I am sure that the ecstatic feeling will come back again once that happens. I have to stay strong! We can do this!

I’m at 190! I’m so happy! My husband gave me the greatest compliment last night. He hugged me and told me how glad he was that I am doing this. This is coming from my biggest skeptic. He already sees the change in my energy, body, and attitude. I saw my family last night, and they all told me how good I was looking and that I was losing weight. They are being super supportive. My amazing friends are also encouraging me through this. I’m so glad I am doing this, I already feel so different in body, mind, and soul…

Just a quick update…
Yesterday was a hard day. I worked and I seemed hungrier than usual so I ate more fruit. I’m off to get my blood work done and I am down .8 lb today. I’m happy about my results.

Thanks for the comments on yesterdays blog…they were encouraging : )

I also wanted to make one thing clear…

Just because you don’t agree with my choice. Don’t knock it. Have you tried it? All I know is it’s working for me right now. It is motivating me to stay dedicated. I’m eating right and enjoying it. I’m not saying it’s the choice everybody else should make. I’m not saying I condone it. I’m just saying this is what is right for me, and it is working. I have tried eating right and exercising while keeping a diet journal. I was eating 1300 calories a day. That is what I was doing when I reached my all time high. It obviously didn’t work for me.

No choice is an easy choice, and no weight loss plan is an easy journey. They are all hard…

The weight loss journey is

Today is my 7th day in and I’m down another 1 lb for a total of 13.4 lbs. lost. This brings me to 191.8. Does that mean that I might actually be in the 180’s after the weekend? That is so exciting to me. Never did I think I’d be doing this well.

Tomorrow I will be getting up a little earlier than usual to get my blood work done. I have to fast until it is all done so I am not looking forward to that. Tomorrow morning is also my measurement day. Even though I weigh myself daily, I only measure once a week on Fridays. I will be posting that here too.

This weekend will be interesting. Not only am I working, but my family is coming up for a visit. I’ve already warned them that I won’t be eating like my usual self. My mom is actually very supportive and wants to go walking with me. It is my dad’s birthday on Saturday and I’m going to have to bake him a cake. Not only that, but I promised to take them out to dinner a couple of months back. I’m kinda scared about that one. I’m also supposed to bring a homemade dessert to a jewelry party on Saturday night. I figure I might as well bake two cakes, and take one of them there. Ughhh…..

Then Monday will be doctor’s visit day. They will be checking on my progress and all of that good stuff. I do have a couple of concerns so far. I am being real and said I would post the negative along with the positive.

First off…while I’m ecstatic I’m losing a lot of weight, I’m scared that it may be too much. If I lose another 1 lb. today that will bring my total to 14.4 lbs. That’s nearly 15 lbs in a week.

Secondly…yesterday I literally had to force myself to eat. I was not hungry at ALL! I could have gone all day without eating a thing. Of course a little part of me is jumping for joy at the fact that I’m not running to the food for once, but it’s still a little unnerving. I’m not used to it.

I’m just happy that I have a doctor to go to who is monitoring my health. 2 of them actually. So I hope I can stay strong this weekend and keep myself from licking the spoon while baking my cakes.

So I’m back today with some updates and I thought I would also include some info on my “diet history”…

I’m down 1lb. today which brings me to 192.8 and a total loss of 12.4 lbs. Yesterday was a good day at work. I got through it with no migraines and plenty of energy. I did however experience minor hunger just before my first break which tells me I need to eat a little more before I go to work.

Today I am home with my daughter because she is sick. She was fighting it yesterday, but alas, she woke up with a fever and a cough. It is the worst when your kids are sick : (

I was looking into my old blogs and I realized that I have never really talked about my weight loss journey (or weight gain for that matter) before I started this. It has been a long road for me so far and a constant struggle. I was a plump preteen who always liked the taste of food. My weight has always crept into my face and tummy making me look larger than I really was. When I hit puberty and discovered boys my eating habits changed and I really started exercising. I was thin all throughout high school and I was always conscious of what I was putting into my mouth.

Senior year of high school I got pregnant with my son, and that is when things changed. I moved away from my family and in with my then boyfriend (now husband) and he introduced me to some very icky eating habits. With the lack of money, no parental guidance, and the excuse of a pregnant belly, I ate things that I had never tried before. We ate a lot of fast food. I cooked for him constantly to fill my day with activity. I also had to accustom myself to his “favorite foods”. Chili cheese dogs, bacon cheeseburgers, enchiladas, steak and potatoes, and lots of other fried foods just to name a few. I could now also drink as much soda as I wanted without my mother or father breathing down my neck. I figured after I had the baby, I could go back to my regular eating habits and start exercising again. Besides I was young and my body would bounce right back right? Wrong!

Things never changed, and though I had dropped weight immediately after having my son, I never got down to my pre-baby weight. After that weight slowly but surely kept creeping on. I had my daughter a few years later and my weight continued to climb. My weight fluctuated between the low 170’s and high 180’s for years.

I have been on numerous diets and methods throughout these years. I have tried the atkins, weight watchers, 30-day body makeover, the gym, south beach and while some would take a little weight off, I never reached my goal weight of 145 and never went below the 170’s. About 3 years ago, I held a different position at work that was very stressful and very labor intensive. When I first took the position my weight plummeted and I lost about 30 lbs. in 30 days. I had gotten to my lowest weight in YEARS, 162 lbs. I was hardly eating and when I did eat it was usually a salad or tuna and crackers and I worked 12 hour days. It was no wonder I lost that weight. But as I got used to the job the lbs. came back. It did something to me though. It gave me a taste of what “thin” felt like again. My confidence came back and I had bought cute clothes. I now knew that I was capable of losing weight.

A year ago I tried isagenix. I lost 20 lbs bringing me to down to 179. I felt good and my energy level was back but it was expensive to keep up so I had to quit. Recently I had hit my all time high of 205 lbs. I have never been that big. What made it worse was I was trying to watch what I ate and I was exercising yet the lbs. kept coming. I was starting to feel so depressed all of the time. This past week has really been great! I can’t remember the last time I had so much energy and motivation. While I know it is not a “healthy lifestyle change” type of diet that I am on, I am not looking at it as a quick fix either. It is still taking hard work, and will continue to for me to maintain. I believe it is really showing me the difference of food reactions in my body, and cravings versus hunger. I am blogging so I can get the support I need and so I can share my experience with others. I hope this sheds some light on why I have made the decisions I have about trying the HCG protocol.

I’m down again to day! Woo Hoo! I have dropped 1.6 lbs since yesterday for a total of 11.4 lbs. lost. I am now at 193.8 and I’m feeling great this morning!

Yesterday evening was a struggle for me. My cravings kicked in big time! I wanted chocolate in the worst way. I actually bought my husband a box of ferrero rocher chocolates and have been staring at them ever since. That is sooo bad! I really just need to hide them. What I did do is bought some Truvia sweetener. I guess it is from stevia and it’s a natural sweetener. I drank two glasses of iced tea and split one pack between the two. This really helped me and it wasn’t cheating. However, I did feel my insulin spike. I felt different. I felt swollen like I was retaining water. I’m going to try avoiding the sweetener unless I’m really struggling because I like the idea of my body abstaining from sugars for a while.

Since I have started my diet I have been off from work. Today is my first day back. It will be interesting to see how my energy level does today. I’m nervous about it and I really hope I don’t get a migraine.

To answer a question from an earlier post: I am also taking b12 shots twice a week. I’m not sure these are helping with my energy level or not because I have taken b12 before and it didn’t do anything for me.

So I have decided that even if people don’t agree with what I am doing, or have doubts, I will still blog about my journey because I’m sure there are some that are curious as to what the results will be. For those of you that don’t know, I started the HCG protocol.

I am the most curious about my results. I know that my intention is to get well. My one and only goal is to lose the weight and keep it off. Do I know that there is a good chance that I could lose the weight and gain it all back? Yes! Especially when deprivation is at hand. However…something is happening that I didn’t anticipate. I’m realizing that cravings are waaay different from what I need. It is such an eye opener to rid myself of all the carbs and sugars.

I have been watching tons of video blogs on youtube waiting to hear something horrible. Nothing horrible is being said. It has also been motivational for me.

So first I will let you know how I’m doing so far. The first two days are loading days, where you stock up on calories and basically binge. After these two days I was at 205.4 lbs. Friday was my first low calorie day and so far I have been sticking to protocol. That in and of itself is huge for me since I have huge commitment issues with dieting. I am on the 4th day in on my “LCD” and I have lost 9.8 lbs so far. I am at 195.4 lbs!! That is motivation enough for me…

Now secondly I will say that though it hasn’t been easy thus far, it hasn’t been nearly as hard as I thought it would be. In fact I haven’t really been hungry. The hcg has definitely helped me with cravings and hunger. That is really a big deal for me because I’m usually losing motivation by the second day. I am supposed to eat 500 calories a day. This is to consist of coffee, tea, water, fruits, vegetables, and meat. I can use spices but no salt. I can use an artificial sweetener but I have opted out of that one so far. The idea is to eat minimal calories and then your body taps into its fat reserves for the energy it needs. The HCG injections help to unlock those fat stores and gets your gland to release unwanted lbs from your body. So far it’s working!

Some of you may think (as did I), of course you are losing weight! You are starving yourself! That is what I thought but here are a couple of points I need to make. I know from personal experience that when I have previously reduced my calorie intake to next to nothing, I was tired!! So tired! I had no energy to exercise or do anything and I craved foods all day everyday. This is not happening now (much to my surprise). I actually have energy, and I feel good. I’m not hungry yet I do have the occasional craving.

Secondly, Do you remember the whole deal with if you reduce your calorie intake too much your body will go into starvation mode and you will not lose weight. In fact your body hangs on to all the fat reserves because it thinks you will need it to survive. This is not happening which leads me to believe that the hcg is definitely helping and unlocking that aspect of my body.

Now I am by no means an HCG advocate. I am just blogging about my experience so far. I just thought that some people may be looking into this and may want to see what the experience is through someone else first. I am just as curious as anyone else. I have no guarantees that this will work, and I am looking into the maintenance program to see how I can keep the weight off. Feel free to ask me questions, I’d love to find the answers. So far it makes sense to me….and it’s working!!