Tracking my Progress
So I kept a chart of my weight, all the way from Day 1. Here is how it went:
Gorge phase:
Day 1- 185
Day 2: 185.6
Day 3: 188.8
Day 4: 185
Day 5: 183.2
Day 6: 183.2
Day 7: 182.0
Day 8: 181.4
Day 9: 181.4
Day 10: 180.4
Day 11: 179.8
Day 12: 178.8
Day 13-16: ? Christmas celebrations
Day 17: 179.6
Day 18: 178.8
Day 19: 177.6
Day 20: 177.4
Day 21: 176
Day 22: 175.6
Day 23: 175.4
Day 24: 174.8
Day 25: 175.0
Day 26: 175.8
Day 27: 174.8
Day 28: 175.0
Day 29: 174.6
Day 30: 173.8
Day 31: 174.0
Day 32: ?
Day 33: 173.0
Day 34: 172.8
Day 35: 174.8
Day 36: 173.2
Day 37: 172.6
Day 38: 170.4
Day 39: 169.8
Day 40: 168.6
Day 41: 168.1
Day 42: 167.0

The stats are in- that's 22 pounds lost in 42 days. At first I didn't want to bother with keeping a log of my weight loss, but now I am so glad I did. Per the instruction manual,  I start my second round in 6 weeks (March 5th) three weeks of the maintenance phase,  3 weeks of nothing at all, then the 3 days of the gorge phase. I am so tempted to keep going with the drops, but I know if I do that then I run the risk of becoming immune to them and never being able to lose the rest of the weight. I've heard that people still lose weight even after stopping the drops- I am very interested to see if that happens to me! If not, then another 42 day cycle will bring me almost to my goal weight of 125 lbs. I will keep everyone updated.
Stay tuned! :)

The Final Day

In the before picture, I weighed 188.9 pounds. My measurements were 44, 40, 44. 

In the after picture, I weigh 166.4 pounds. My measurements are 39, 34, 39. 

This process took 42 days, total pounds dropped equaling 22.5 pounds. The weight loss would have been much greater had I 1) Not started it 2 weeks before Christmas, and 2)Eaten more. I went through 11 days without losing weight because I was not eating enough and my body was holding on to the calories. 

In the beginning I set out to disprove the HCG diet. I thought, "A diet that gets rid of a pound a day- with NO exercise and you actually get to eat? There's no way that's possible." But, the evidence speaks for itself. Today is the final day, #42, so when I wake up tomorrow I will have lost 23 pounds. I could never have done this on my own- I tried many times and failed. I still have a long way to go- my goal is to lose 70 pounds- and one more round of HCG should do the trick. I have to wait 6 weeks in between rounds, but hopefully I will keep losing even after I stop the drops.

So in conclusion, to anyone who is thinking about doing this diet- whether you want to lose 7 pounds or 70, I say go for it. The only thing you have to lose is weight!

Thank you HCG!

Stay tuned :)

Days 22-37
The Plateau

So I've been going through what they call The Plateau- where weight loss comes to a standstill. I've been at the same weight- roughly 173, for 11 days so far. This morning I weighed in at 172.6. I haven't been eating  nearly enough because I was afraid of eating too much- and that caused the opposite to happen- my body started hanging on to every single calorie, almost not even losing an ounce from day to day. I also believe it's because I stopped eating apples. Sounds strange, but the very day i stopped eating them- (2 a day for 3 weeks and you get pretty sick of apples) was the day I quit losing. I didn't see a need to blog about weight loss because well, there wasn't any weight loss to blog about. But I think (knock on wood) that I'm back on the right track. Today is Sunday, and as of Saturday I'll be done with my first 42 day phase. Then I start the Gorge Phase all over again- and man, am I ready! Bring on the fast food, fried chicken, and SWEETS! Oh how I have missed bread, chocolate, sodas, and most of all, again, FRIED CHICKEN. So if I keep losing, by Saturday I will be at 166 lbs- that is 22 pounds in 42 days. If it weren't for the holidays (and my own mess-ups, of course) it would be 42 pounds. So by the end of the second 42 day cycle, I should be approaching my goal weight of 120 lbs. After all, I'm very short- 5 foot 2- and 120 is a good weight for that height. Maybe I'll try for 110-115...it depends on how I look and feel.
One thing I will say- I will NEVER futilely slave away in the gym EVER again. Thank you HCG!
Stay tuned :)

Catch up-
Days 12-21
Sooooo there's not much to tell here lately- holidays were crazy (wonderful, but crazy) and even I found it hard to stay on track. I didn't gain any weight, but I didn't lose any either. I'm currently down to 176 pounds- roughly 12 pounds in 21 days. I'm still having an extremely hard time sticking to this diet but I'm doing it...I've also decided that once I hit the 20 lb loss mark I'm taking a break. I just cannot live on apples, pears and chicken breasts for that much longer. I won't be taking a massive break- just one day to get some Subway or Chinese food...more of a mental break than anything. There is a restaurant on Hwy 26 called Pacific House Chinese, and their Pad Thai is literally to die for, so I'm thinking I'm going to get some of that when I hit 168.
This diet, although extremely rigid and restrictive, has given me control back. It's taught me to eat the way we all should- by cutting out fatty foods and loading up on fruits, veggies, protein, tea and lots of water. And I really do enjoy that aspect of it. I've gotten to experiment with all kinds of different spices and see what I like and what I don't, and I've learned that planning my meals helps me avoid temptation. Most of all, the HCG diet has given me my life back. I wish everyone would do this diet- we could put fast-food chains out of business!!!!
Next stop, 168!!!
Stay tuned :D
oh, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

Days 11 and 12

10 pounds down! Wahoo! Haven't lost any inches though...weird. Today was the office Christmas party...I had carrots, grapes, 1/4 of a piece of cornbread, deviled eggs minus the yellow stuff, and a tablespoon full of macaroni and cheese while everyone else gobbled down cornbread, pasta, dirty rice with sausage, brownies, raspberry and pumpkin cheesecake, chocolate mint cake, fried chicken, chicken and dumplings, and all the gooey, delicious, warm macaroni and cheese their plates could hold. Needless to say, I didn't stay long. I didn't eat much at all- barely a plate full, but I'm sure as strict as this diet is, that I won't lose anything tonight.
But i have to say, I've been amazed at how well this works. I'm down to 179.8 today, all the way from 188.9. I'm now a firm believer in it. If you stick to it and do NOT deviate, this works. It's already changed my life. It's the hardest thing I've ever done, but the most worthwhile.
10 pounds down!
Stay tuned :D

Day 10
What I ate today:
1 cup of Columbian Via
2 crab cakes
1 roma tomato
1 anjou pear
1 chicken breast w/garam masala and paprika

WOW! I cannot believe this is actually working.  So far I am a little over eight pounds down, from 188.7 to 180.4! I confess, I've cheated a little. It would be 10 pounds, because it's been 10 days that I've been on the diet...if I hadn't cheated :p I'm loving this- even though it's extremely difficult to stick to, I'm managing to do it, and in the process, I'm learning how to eat healthy. NOT easy, I might add!
Tomorrow, the 170's!!!!!!!!
stay tuned :D

Days 6 and 7
Won't go into detail about what all I ate in the last 2 days because I don't remember and it doesn't really matter, but i will say that i am very surprised at the results I'm getting. Other than the one bite of chocolate I had then spit out, and using mint toothpaste, (I never understood that one) I am following this diet to the letter. I'm weighing my food, measuring out drops, and not cheating. But this is sooooo difficult. I am starving all the time (I'm sure it's because i'm not eating enough, but I'm scared of eating too much and rendering my $70 bottle of drops ineffective)...As christmas gets nearer and nearer, I'm surrounded by all kinds of delicious, heavenly food...that i can't have. I walked into Wal-Mart today and saw a chocolate mint fudge cake just sitting there looking at me...One of the billions of desserts I had to walk past just to get to the produce. So yeah...this diet is extremely difficult for me. If I wasn't seeing results, there is no way in heck I'd be able to stick to it.
But on the upside, I do feel better. I have more energy, and I literally feel lighter. I am lighter- 7 pounds lighter!! 7 pounds in 7 days, baby! Just like the book says. I have to confess, I'm still a little skeptical. I've been able to get out of the 180's by myself, so maybe once I get into the 170's, then I'll be a believer. Yeah yeah, call me a doubting Thomas.
But....
It's working!
Stay tuned :)