Diet Transition

Today is the first day going completely off the 500 calorie diet. It has been rather anti climactic and kind of disappointing. We have looked forward to this for 2 weeks, made all sorts of plans on what we would eat. It turns out we can't eat quite like we used to - which is probably a good thing. It's kind of strange to me that fruit and vegetables still taste the best, especially since the choices aren't so limited now. We are to stay off starch and sugar for the next 3 weeks and then gradually introduce them back into the diet after that. I lost approximately 9 lbs, I think it was worth it but I wouldn't choose to do it again. We have decided to eat healthy 6 days a week and to give ourselves one day a week off to eath whatever we want. Hopefully this will help us keep the weight off and also not make us feel deprived of those foods we really like but shouldn't eat so often. I am looking forward to getting some stamina back in my muscles. When I exercise my lungs do all right but my muscles just don't have any stamina. There is quite a hill leading up to our condo, I use to be able to ride my bicycle all the way to the garage, today I couldn't even walk it without having to stop and rest.

We had a creepy experience yesterday. I was sitting at my little table in my room , I glanced up at the windows and saw the shadows of a bunch of bugs against the curtains, I thought it was strange that so many bugs were on the outside of the window. I came back in about 15 minutes and noticed there were about twice as many shadows and then I saw one of the bugs come up over the top of the curtain. When I pulled back the curtain it was covered with flying bugs. We think they are winged termites. We sprayed so much stuff on them we made quite a mess and a not so pleasant odor. We called the HOA and got the name of the exterminator they use and will have him come out tomorrow and look at the samples we saved. If it is termites the HOA insurance will pay for it, if it is something else we will have to pay for it.

Day 12

Only lost .2 lbs yesterday. We talked it over this morning and decided we were done doing the drops. We will have 3 days of the 500 calorie diet while the HCG gets out of our system and then 3 weeks with no sugar or starches. In some ways I feel like a quitter but I am pretty much OK with ending it now. Even though it didn't play into our decision to stop, I am glad I will be back to a normal diet by the time I have my surgery. From the things I have read eating is going to be a chore for awhile as it is so I would like to have more of a variety to choose from.

From previous experience with botox injections I know that swallowing any kind of liquids without choking will really take some concentration for a few days. I remember the first botox shot I had Bill would make a barrier between us at breakfast with the cereal boxes because I was prone to choking and spitting my vitamins across the table as I was trying to take them. It did get easier after the first shot but even now I have trouble eating a juicy apple or orange without choking for a couple of weeks after the shot. I am hoping this surgery means the end of the botox shots.

Lisa started a part time job this week and it is really strange to have her gone during the day. I find myself wandering around wondering what to do. I guess maybe it's time to pick up some of my hobbies again.

Day 11

Only down .4 lbs this morning. I am wondering how much longer I can do this diet. The food choices are so limited. The things I make taste really good but I don't know how many more salads or how much more cabbage and celery I can eat. I am never ravenously hungry and I was thinking tonite that I would almost rather not eat than eat the same things over and over. I enjoy the fruit the most but I can only have 2 fruits a day. I guess it's one day at a time for now.

Day 10

We broke down and bought a digital scale so we could track our weight better. My weight this morning was 147.4. I am not sure of my exact starting weight but I am using 155. If I discount the 2 days of loading I have lost about a pound per day.

We do quite a bit of walking and I also try to get on the nordic track every few days. Intense exercise is kind of discouraged on this diet but I really don't want to lose my aerobic capacity. I haven't felt any ill effects from it so far. My pants might fit a bit looser but it isn't anything that is really noticeable.

Day 8

No weight loss for the last 2 days, no gain either. If there is no loss today then I am to have and apple and water day. 6 apples and water for a day and nothing else. I might give it an additional day. I enjoy my evening apple so much I kinda hate to ruin that by eating 6 in one day and getting burned out on them. Someone brought a whole box of grapefruit into the station last week so I snatched up 5 of them. I love my half a grapefruit in the morning.

I am enjoying cooking different things on this diet. It is a way I really haven't cooked before. Every time I make something I am a little hesitant to taste it for fear it will be yucky but it has all been at least edible so far and some of it downright delicious. Yesterday we saved all of our protein for our final meal and each had a decent sized steak for dinner. I have found you can make almost any cut of meat into a tender steak by rubbing each side with a kiwi fruit about 30 minutes before grilling it. Today we bought a bottom round roast at the store. I cut it into 3.5 oz portions, rubbed them with kiwi and Lisa grilled them while I used 2 portions to make us some chili for dinner.

I am rarely hungry on this diet, I am supposing it is the drops working as they should. One unexpected benefit is the fact that I am no longer tired during the day. I have been tired for so long that this is really strange for me. I almost don't know what to do with myself.

I have surgery on my vocal cords scheduled for Oct 19. I am pretty scared to do this. I want it to work so badly. I want to be able to just open my mouth and say my words without having to struggle. I enjoy my job so much more on my good voice days. Another thing that scares me is that I will no longer have the disorder to hide behind. I will no longer have an excuse not to talk to others or join in conversations. I have thought about approaching someone from the Ward here to give me a blessing before I go in. I am still undecided though, gonna have to think about that one a bit longer before I make a decision.

Diet Day 6

It's just wrong to come into work and have a package of chocolate oreos sitting here just begging to be eaten. I am realizing this battle is more of a mental battle than a physical one. It's not that I am outrageously hungy, it's just that I want to eat whether I am hungry or not. I love breads and its really hard to make toast for the birds in the morning and not get my little bite, I love chocolate and it seems like it is everywhere I turn. This may be the longest I have ever gone without chocolate. Even in my strictest eating days I allowed myself 6 M&M's a day. I reminded myself this morning this is a choice I am making, it isn't something I am being forced to do.

This morning I was down 6 lbs.

The HCG Diet - Day 5

We heard about this diet from Lisas brother at the family camping trip a few weeks ago. We debated and thought about it for quite awhile and finally decided to give it a try. In a nutshell, you take HCG drops daily and after 2 "loading days" where you get to eat anything you want you start on a 500 calorie a day eating plan. The HCG is supposed to release your bodies stored fat to be burned to make up for what you aren't eating. Weight loss should be between 15 - 20 lbs for the 23 days you are on the drops.

Today is day 3 of the 500 calorie diet and I am feeling pretty confident I can see it through. The first day I felt pretty confident, yesterday I didn't think there was any way I could do it. I weighed this morning and I believe I am down 4 lbs. It is kind of hard to say because our scales aren't the best, we should really have digital scales but they just aren't in the budget right now.

I am going to try and track results here in hopes that it will give me the motivation to see this through to the end.