What!? It's been more than a year??

It's hard to believe it's been so long since I've updated this blog about my progress.

I'm sad to report that the HCG Protocol didn't work for me. At least not the way I had dreamed. HCG will help you lose weight, no doubt, but what it won't do is help you keep it off.

By last October, I was down a total of 80 pounds. Today, I'm only down about 30 pounds. In 6 months I gained back 50 pounds! Talk about a yo-yo! Not good, I know. I now see where my mistake was. It's the same thing that would've made having gastric bypass a big mistake. I hadn't learned how to eat right. Portion control was a foreign concept to me. Making a conscious decision to choose what I eat, versus what's available & fast, was something I hadn't fully grasped.

All along, I had planned to join Weight Watchers after I had lost most of the weight. I knew I had to learn some skills, I just didn't know I needed them before I began my HCG journey.

I've finally decided to get my act together, utilize the tools available to me, & try again. I don't consider my gaining back so much weight to be a failure. I know the only way I fail is if I give up & give in. I joined Weight Watchers a few months ago, went to a handful of meetings, saw exactly what I was paying for, deemed it a waste of money (who needs someone trying to sell me the next great thing in body sculpting? I'll pay for nutrition classes, but not to be sold a gadget or gizmo, thankyouverymuch), & I'm working the system on my own. I'm still doing the program, only I'm not paying for the meetings or the online tools I never would use.

I'm only down 12 pounds so far, but I wasn't really serious about until about a month ago. And progress is progress!

The best news is, I've had a change in the way I think about food. It's a turning point for me. "Food is fuel, not fun. " (kind of like another favorite saying "Fish are friends, not food", only without the fish. haha) I have committed myself to making better choices in the things I put in to my body & also my family members bodies. My 8 year old chose to be a vegetarian about 2 years ago, & I've decided he's on to something. So for the past 5 weeks I've been meat-free. I love seeing all the gorgeous colors of fruits & veggies that adorn my counter & I'm trying so many new things I never thought I'd try, let alone like!

Life is GOOD! :)

Nearing the end of this round

Yesterday was my 40th injection for this round, so today & tomorrow I'm sticking with the 500 calorie plan, then on Tuesday I'm moving on to Phase 3. In P3, I get to re-introduce all kinds of goodies! On the very top of my list is:

• coconut
• cheese
• nuts
• anything other than chicken!

I'm almost as giddy as a school girl at the thought of Tuesday night's book club, where fabulous fondue will be served. :D :D :D

So, for this round, I lost a total of 33 pounds, on the nose. My losses were a little slower this round, but the results are still amazing! So far I'm down 60 pounds since January!!

Wednesday is my 9 year anniversary with my best friend & sweetheart. We'll be celebrating by heading to the Temple to do some family sealings & remember the covenants we made with one another so many years ago. Afterward, we'll go to some nice restaurant where I plan to enjoy a delicious steak & my company. :)

The almost ironic part of it all is, as anxious as I was to make my way in to the 100's with this round, my scale didn't agree with me. At yesterday morning's weigh in (my last injection weight or LIW), I was 200.2. I kind of feel like someone's pulled a fast one on me or something, being *that* close, but I'm okay with it. It just means that in 7 more weeks, the only numbers I'll be seeing on the scale from now on, FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE (!!), will start with a '1'. Now that I can live with! :D


Though the disembodied head is a little creepy, this t-shirt embodies my thoughts. And though it's taken more than just thought to get me half way there, that's exactly where I find myself. I'm half way to my long-term goal! Sixty pounds down, another sixty to go.

Upon reflection, I find I have a lot more faith in my ability to do good things for myself than ever before. I've heard it said, & even repeated it more than a few times, "if you think you can, you can, and if you think you can't, you can't". In this battle to find myself, regain my health, build my faith, & begin to fully realize that I can do so much better (& that I'm deserving of so much better than I'm used to), my attitude is vitally important! Combined with hard work, & of course prayer, I can do anything! :D

One-derland

It's so close, I can almost taste it!! A mere 5 more pounds & I'm THERE! I'm hoping tomorrow brings loss greater than 1 pound. I want it. Bad. It's been a while, it seems, & I'm just ready to move on to phase 3. I want cheese. Bad.

Becoming a Member & a ?*&%#$!*! Plateau

There is good news & bad news here in the McK household today. First, the good news. :)

I finally got up the gumption to step foot in the doors of a local "athletic club". I took a tour, with my two oldest sons in tow, & was mightily impressed with the facility & marginally impressed with the salesman. It sports a running track, full gym, aerobics/yoga room, two racquetball courts, two pools, a womens-only room, child care-included, & a bazillion steps on the massive staircase to get to it all. :)


That was fun. And I was slightly surprised to see that not every one was wearing a unitard & sporting fabulous leg warmers. There were no "jazz-hands" thrown out by the male aerobics instructor. All in all, not bad for a days work!


Now if only the husband will let me keep it. I signed up, knowing there was a 3 day rescission period that was designed specifically for people like my husband. It's not that he's not supportive of me, but that he's deathly afraid of commitment. I barely got him to marry me nearly 9 years ago, for heaven's sake! It's also a problem because he hates to feel like he's been "sold". He's a salesman & knows all the tricks, so when someone tries to use their punie Jedi mind tricks on him, he doesn't find it amusing; he just bolts.

Secondly, the sales guy asked me today if I'd hit a plateau in my weight loss yet. It didn't hit me until this moment that that is, in fact, what I'm dealing with here. I've had very small losses lately, a slight gain, then a stall for about a week or so now. It clicked in my brain, finally, that I was once about the weight I'm currently at for quite some time, several years ago. Dr. Simeons warns of this in his book Pounds & Inches. It's nice to finally know what the deal is & now I'm hoping to break through the invisible barrier & move on with my weight loss.

As of this morning, I'm down 24.6 pounds for this round. I reeeeally want to get to the 34 pound mark before my anniversary at the end of the month. And really, if I'm being honest here, I'd like very much to get to my goal before the quarterly mom's book club night where much cheese fondue will be had. Really. Really really.

8.6 pounds in 8 days?

Can I do it? I'm certainly going to try. I only have 8.6 pounds left to go until I hit my short-term goal of 34 pounds gone forever in this current round of hcg.

Just around the corner is a phrase I stole from other bloggers... one-derland! I'm only 8 pounds away from kissing the 200's goodbye forever!

I was thinking about this the other day while in the shower (it's where I do my best thinking, for those of you who wanted to know); I'm going through my options & thinking about the future. I know I won't maintain this weight I've lost if I return to my old habits when I finish with the diet. When all is said & done, I plan to join Weight Watchers. I know that sounds kind of backwards, but really it's just for the knowledge more than it would be for further weight loss. Plus, I told my husband I want a gym membership for Mother's Day. And I want him to join me with that membership.

A gym membership isn't likely on the top of the list for other mother's, but I'm fairly practical & it's something I've been wanting for a long time now, so it seems ideal for me. Plus, I figure if I get one & start getting more in shape, the husband will follow suit.

If I can get these last 8+ pounds off quickly, the sooner I can start using that membership! :)