I used my new scale today. It was quite the bittersweet experience.
The good news is, I'm down to 165. I'll take it.
The bad, shocking, horrible, gut wrenching news is that I also found out what my body fat percentage is. I knew it was bad, but I had no idea. I fall firmly in the Obese category.
Are you sitting down? 38%. Yes, my friends, I am over one third FAT! Is that disgusting or what!? I struggled to even write this out; it's so shameful! I mean, really, what kind of person has 38% body fat!???? A fat one, that's what!
Anyway, it was a huge wake-up call and it has totally put a fire under my bumdiggity to change that embarrassing fact. I really hope with this HCG diet releasing my stored fat that that ugly number will quickly begin it's descent into a healthy range.
Obese is considered anything over 32%. An "acceptable" percentage for women is 25-31%, the percentage for an active woman should be 21-24% and for hardcore women athletes they should be around 14-20%. Or so the world wide web tells me. ;-)
So anyway, there it is. The good, the bad and the ugly. I am really, really looking forward to changing things around here, to learning to live a healthy lifestyle of moderation and getting into the healthy range for both my weight and my body fat percentage.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Saturday, May 15, 2010
The Website
If you are interested in more info on this diet, I ordered the kit from here:
www.handstoheavenonline.com
There's lots of good info about how it works, how to do it, etc...
You can buy the HCG hormone other places on the web, for cheaper, but I chose to go through this website because they include a Weight Aid that helps with blood sugar regulation and hunger pangs. They include those things in their HCG also.
Let me know if you have any other questions... ask away! :0)
www.handstoheavenonline.com
There's lots of good info about how it works, how to do it, etc...
You can buy the HCG hormone other places on the web, for cheaper, but I chose to go through this website because they include a Weight Aid that helps with blood sugar regulation and hunger pangs. They include those things in their HCG also.
Let me know if you have any other questions... ask away! :0)
Prepping for the Big Diet
Today I bought a new scale (and it reads body fat as well... NOT excited to see that particular nugget of info!) and a food scale with which I'll weigh my portions for the HCG diet. I also loaded up on the vegetables and fruit I can eat.
Dawne asked what the hormone does exactly. This is from the website: "This hormone allows the body to metabolize fat and use it as energy for both mother and fetus. This acts as a “fail-safe” mechanism when energy is needed immediately. For weight loss, we use only a very small amount of HCG to capitalize on this same mechanism. Using HCG in this way does not mimic pregnancy; in fact, it can be safely used by both men and women."
So apparently it allows the body to metabolize stored fat and use it for energy.
I must say, I am very excited to begin this diet. I know if I am faithful to stick to it that I'll see great results, and I think that will motivate me to continue on. I do plan to regularly go to the gym once my energy is back up; not sure exactly when that will happen, though. I can tell I am very, very out of shape. My muscles quiver and ache when I carry the groceries up the 2 flights of stairs into the house and I get out of breath.
So I'm excited to get in good cardio shape, and also work in some weight lifting perhaps to tone my muscles once a good portion of the fat covering them is gone. From what I've read most people lose approximately 20 pounds per round of HCG. I'm doing it this once for sure, and I may do another round later this summer. I have to do some more research to see if there is a recommended waiting period between doses, but so far it looks like you just need to give yourself 3 weeks after the diet for your weight to stabilize and your hypothalamus to be reset.
If I did it twice and lost 20 pounds each time, that would put me a few pounds below my goal weight of 130. I've never been below 130; at least not since my weight stabilized as an adult. I will be measuring myself during the diet; it's highly recommended you do so, as the scale may stop dropping so drastically but the inches continue to melt off. So, for me it doesn't matter so much what the number on the scale is. I'm more looking to get down to a healthy size; an 8 or so.
I will definitely be blogging every step of the way. I am mentally preparing for the first 4 days to be excruciatingly hard. Actually, now that I think about it, I should make some meals and put them in the freezer for those days. Good thought. =) In addition to the food menu they suggest, I will be taking a multivitamin and also drinking one glass of low sodium V8 a day for the potassium.
I'm excited to see how things will go! I'm especially excited to see the number on the scale start moving down, and for my poor little turtle ticker who has been stranded at 7 pounds lost to be able to move forward. :0) I think I will weigh every Monday and post a picture of what the scale says. I've seen other bloggers do it and it's more exciting to see the real thing than for me to just say, " I lost xx amount of pounds". So you'll get to see my little tootsies once a week; a good excuse for a pedicure, no?
Dawne asked what the hormone does exactly. This is from the website: "This hormone allows the body to metabolize fat and use it as energy for both mother and fetus. This acts as a “fail-safe” mechanism when energy is needed immediately. For weight loss, we use only a very small amount of HCG to capitalize on this same mechanism. Using HCG in this way does not mimic pregnancy; in fact, it can be safely used by both men and women."
So apparently it allows the body to metabolize stored fat and use it for energy.
I must say, I am very excited to begin this diet. I know if I am faithful to stick to it that I'll see great results, and I think that will motivate me to continue on. I do plan to regularly go to the gym once my energy is back up; not sure exactly when that will happen, though. I can tell I am very, very out of shape. My muscles quiver and ache when I carry the groceries up the 2 flights of stairs into the house and I get out of breath.
So I'm excited to get in good cardio shape, and also work in some weight lifting perhaps to tone my muscles once a good portion of the fat covering them is gone. From what I've read most people lose approximately 20 pounds per round of HCG. I'm doing it this once for sure, and I may do another round later this summer. I have to do some more research to see if there is a recommended waiting period between doses, but so far it looks like you just need to give yourself 3 weeks after the diet for your weight to stabilize and your hypothalamus to be reset.
If I did it twice and lost 20 pounds each time, that would put me a few pounds below my goal weight of 130. I've never been below 130; at least not since my weight stabilized as an adult. I will be measuring myself during the diet; it's highly recommended you do so, as the scale may stop dropping so drastically but the inches continue to melt off. So, for me it doesn't matter so much what the number on the scale is. I'm more looking to get down to a healthy size; an 8 or so.
I will definitely be blogging every step of the way. I am mentally preparing for the first 4 days to be excruciatingly hard. Actually, now that I think about it, I should make some meals and put them in the freezer for those days. Good thought. =) In addition to the food menu they suggest, I will be taking a multivitamin and also drinking one glass of low sodium V8 a day for the potassium.
I'm excited to see how things will go! I'm especially excited to see the number on the scale start moving down, and for my poor little turtle ticker who has been stranded at 7 pounds lost to be able to move forward. :0) I think I will weigh every Monday and post a picture of what the scale says. I've seen other bloggers do it and it's more exciting to see the real thing than for me to just say, " I lost xx amount of pounds". So you'll get to see my little tootsies once a week; a good excuse for a pedicure, no?
Friday, May 14, 2010
Well, this is one way to lose weight...
Illness. I tell ya, we have been sick basically since we moved! Colds, bacterial infections, ear infections and now, apparently, the flu.
So gross and yucky. We're all just laying around feeling queasy. Occasionally making a mad dash for the bathroom. The crazy thing is that last night we were all perfectly healthy and fine! We even went to a lake and had a picnic.
I took this picture for DAWNE... reminded me immediately of her daughter who rows. =)
I should be getting my HCG kit tomorrow, but I won't start it until I'm healthy. The first two days you start you're supposed to "pig out on fatty foods". I kid you not. That's what the website says! So I don't want to be sick for that. :-P
Hope everyone is healthy and has a happy weekend!
So gross and yucky. We're all just laying around feeling queasy. Occasionally making a mad dash for the bathroom. The crazy thing is that last night we were all perfectly healthy and fine! We even went to a lake and had a picnic.
I took this picture for DAWNE... reminded me immediately of her daughter who rows. =)
I should be getting my HCG kit tomorrow, but I won't start it until I'm healthy. The first two days you start you're supposed to "pig out on fatty foods". I kid you not. That's what the website says! So I don't want to be sick for that. :-P
Hope everyone is healthy and has a happy weekend!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
I'm Going For It
Well, after lengthy talks with my husband and lots of pondering, I've decided to give this HCG diet a try. I'm scared, to be honest. I just don't want to/can't mess it up. I purchased the Diet Kit today... $106 bucks for the HCG, the Diet Aid and shipping.
It's very restrictive, but I've asked Josh to help me out... help keep me on the straight and narrow and also help pick up the slack around the house the first few days.
I'm excited and nervous. I hope it starts things moving in the weight loss department. I'm hoping that by continuing to see the scale go down that I will stay motivated.
Here's what a sample menu looks like, during the 21 day diet:
Breakfast: as much coffee or tea as I'd like... without creamer. I can use an artificial sweetener, such as stevia.
Snack: an apple, orange, 1/2 a grapefruit or 6 strawberries
Lunch: 3.5oz chicken and 3.5oz of one type of vegetable, NOT including potatoes, carrots or corn
Snack: apple, orange, 1/2 grapefruit or strawberries
Dinner: 3.5oz chicken and 3.5oz vegetable
Water- A LOT; minimum of 2 liters a day.
So I guess I'll have to wait on those Mary's crackers. I'm still going to check into the Miracle Noodles, though. I also need to get a working scale.
I don't plan to try to work out on top of the diet, at this point. I will take walks with my kiddos, but don't know if I'd manage a workout at the gym. Not at first anyway. If I get into it and am feeling fine I'll perhaps head to the gym for a 20 minute HIIT workout on the elliptical. We'll see how that goes.
I want to really use the diet to learn new portion sizes and make healthy choices. Obviously while I'm on the diet I'm limited to chicken and vegetables/fruit. Which isn't so bad. Once the diet is done and my 3 weeks maintenance afterward is over I will slowly allow baked goods into my diet, but in moderation.
I'll post regularly to chronicle this journey. =)
It's very restrictive, but I've asked Josh to help me out... help keep me on the straight and narrow and also help pick up the slack around the house the first few days.
I'm excited and nervous. I hope it starts things moving in the weight loss department. I'm hoping that by continuing to see the scale go down that I will stay motivated.
Here's what a sample menu looks like, during the 21 day diet:
Breakfast: as much coffee or tea as I'd like... without creamer. I can use an artificial sweetener, such as stevia.
Snack: an apple, orange, 1/2 a grapefruit or 6 strawberries
Lunch: 3.5oz chicken and 3.5oz of one type of vegetable, NOT including potatoes, carrots or corn
Snack: apple, orange, 1/2 grapefruit or strawberries
Dinner: 3.5oz chicken and 3.5oz vegetable
Water- A LOT; minimum of 2 liters a day.
So I guess I'll have to wait on those Mary's crackers. I'm still going to check into the Miracle Noodles, though. I also need to get a working scale.
I don't plan to try to work out on top of the diet, at this point. I will take walks with my kiddos, but don't know if I'd manage a workout at the gym. Not at first anyway. If I get into it and am feeling fine I'll perhaps head to the gym for a 20 minute HIIT workout on the elliptical. We'll see how that goes.
I want to really use the diet to learn new portion sizes and make healthy choices. Obviously while I'm on the diet I'm limited to chicken and vegetables/fruit. Which isn't so bad. Once the diet is done and my 3 weeks maintenance afterward is over I will slowly allow baked goods into my diet, but in moderation.
I'll post regularly to chronicle this journey. =)
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Noodles
So, my good friend Dawne posted about these miracle noodles on her blog. Check them out HERE. I'm super excited to try them out... I mean, they are NOODLES with ZERO calories and are wheat and gluten free. Amazing! And even more amazing, they are sold right here, in the city I live in!
I am excited to try them out.
As far as the HCG diet goes... it does seem unreasonable and crazy and unhealthy. But when you do the research, it makes sense. Yes, you're only eating 500 calories a day, but your body is getting all the rest of the calories it needs from burning your body fat. It's natural; not a synthetic drug or anything. And the process resets your hypothalamus, so you'll continue to burn fat with an increased metabolism after you're done with the diet.
Don't get me wrong, I'm still leery of it. Mostly I'm afraid that I'll do it wrong and gain a bunch of weight. If you do it correctly, that won't happen--even after you're done with the diet. But if you do it incorrectly and cheat, it can cause weight gain. I think I will give it a shot. I'm going to talk with my husband and make sure we're on the same page, make sure I can stick with it.
Sherah also brought up a very valid point... that if it makes me freak out on my kiddos then it's NOT worth it. My good friend who is doing it right now says the first 4 days are pretty hard and basically all you should expect to get done is feeding your kids and yourself. No housework or anything. But once your body start really letting go of that stored fat, you don't feel hungry and shaky anymore.
So we'll see. I'll let you know if I end up doing it. I need to buy a new scale if I do, because part of the process is to weigh yourself every day after the initial 21 days of taking the HCG.
Anyway, I've never been into fad diets or extreme dieting. It's so not worth it to do something if you're just gonna pile the weight back on as soon as you stop doing it. But this seems a bit different, even though it absolutely is extreme. It actually is resetting the hypothalamus and because you're eating small portions for almost a month, your stomach shrinks so you don't require as much food to feel full. And it is actual fat that you're burning and losing, not muscle.
It also helps that I know people, in real life, who are doing it and have been successful with it. My friend's mom has done it since Sept and has lost 70 pounds so far. It's just comforting to see people I know who have done it, been successful and are still alive and well. ;-)
I don't know, I'm totally on the fence. The idea of losing many pounds quickly, of FAT, is very tempting. I feel like if I can get a jump-start on that, it will be easier to go to the gym and continue to eat sensibly and healthfully. I have this weird mentality where I feel like I need to lose weight before I go to the gym. So weird, I know.
I also know that if I cut calories and exercise I will see the same results. Maybe not as quickly, but I WOULD lose weight. The only problem with that is I seriously have no energy. I'm not sure why; I don't know if my thyroid is wonky again or what. But I wake up tired and go to bed bone tired. It's all I can do to make meals and do laundry, much less go to the gym and actively WORK OUT. Does it sound like I'm making excuses? ;-) Maybe I am, but I really do have low energy levels.
ANYWAY, in the meantime I will definitely be checking into those noodles; if they really are calorie free it seems I would be able to eat them even on the HCG diet and they would help with the hunger pangs.
I'll keep you posted. =)
I am excited to try them out.
As far as the HCG diet goes... it does seem unreasonable and crazy and unhealthy. But when you do the research, it makes sense. Yes, you're only eating 500 calories a day, but your body is getting all the rest of the calories it needs from burning your body fat. It's natural; not a synthetic drug or anything. And the process resets your hypothalamus, so you'll continue to burn fat with an increased metabolism after you're done with the diet.
Don't get me wrong, I'm still leery of it. Mostly I'm afraid that I'll do it wrong and gain a bunch of weight. If you do it correctly, that won't happen--even after you're done with the diet. But if you do it incorrectly and cheat, it can cause weight gain. I think I will give it a shot. I'm going to talk with my husband and make sure we're on the same page, make sure I can stick with it.
Sherah also brought up a very valid point... that if it makes me freak out on my kiddos then it's NOT worth it. My good friend who is doing it right now says the first 4 days are pretty hard and basically all you should expect to get done is feeding your kids and yourself. No housework or anything. But once your body start really letting go of that stored fat, you don't feel hungry and shaky anymore.
So we'll see. I'll let you know if I end up doing it. I need to buy a new scale if I do, because part of the process is to weigh yourself every day after the initial 21 days of taking the HCG.
Anyway, I've never been into fad diets or extreme dieting. It's so not worth it to do something if you're just gonna pile the weight back on as soon as you stop doing it. But this seems a bit different, even though it absolutely is extreme. It actually is resetting the hypothalamus and because you're eating small portions for almost a month, your stomach shrinks so you don't require as much food to feel full. And it is actual fat that you're burning and losing, not muscle.
It also helps that I know people, in real life, who are doing it and have been successful with it. My friend's mom has done it since Sept and has lost 70 pounds so far. It's just comforting to see people I know who have done it, been successful and are still alive and well. ;-)
I don't know, I'm totally on the fence. The idea of losing many pounds quickly, of FAT, is very tempting. I feel like if I can get a jump-start on that, it will be easier to go to the gym and continue to eat sensibly and healthfully. I have this weird mentality where I feel like I need to lose weight before I go to the gym. So weird, I know.
I also know that if I cut calories and exercise I will see the same results. Maybe not as quickly, but I WOULD lose weight. The only problem with that is I seriously have no energy. I'm not sure why; I don't know if my thyroid is wonky again or what. But I wake up tired and go to bed bone tired. It's all I can do to make meals and do laundry, much less go to the gym and actively WORK OUT. Does it sound like I'm making excuses? ;-) Maybe I am, but I really do have low energy levels.
ANYWAY, in the meantime I will definitely be checking into those noodles; if they really are calorie free it seems I would be able to eat them even on the HCG diet and they would help with the hunger pangs.
I'll keep you posted. =)
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
I'm back... with a broken scale
Hi Friends!
Sorry for the long delay in updates. I did have internet access, but I did not have time. It was a whirlwind weekend, full of fun and mishaps and overall great. But didn't leave much room for getting on the net.
I got home yesterday and was all pumped to get on the scale this morning and then head to the gym. I got up and stepped on the scale. Nothing. Took the (new) battery out and put it back in. Nothing. Took the battery out again and turned it upside down. Nothing. I managed to get an "E" message and an "ERR" message. I hop in the shower and remember that Kate has a check up this morning, which means no gym.
Then I had to take Christian to the doc and it turns out he has double ear infections. Owen is just a whiny, grumpy young man. So no gym for me today.
I'm okay with that. My kids aren't in any shape to go to the daycare there anyway.
I'm contemplating doing something new and drastic as far as diet goes. My good friend is doing it, her mom did it and I'm tempted to. It's the "HCG Diet". Yep, that's the pregnancy hormone for all you who might recognize it. Nope, I'm not pregnant. ;-) Anyway, you take low doses of the HCG hormone and eat no more than 500 calories a day. The HCG causes your body to release your stored fat and burn it for fuel/energy. So you lose a LOT of fat without losing muscle mass.
It's expensive, and honestly... I don't know if I can eat just 500 calories a day. You can't have ANY fat. You can't use suntan lotion, even, because of the oil in it. You can't take fish oil or Vitamin D, because it's fatty. You have to do the low calorie diet for 21 days, then 3 days of low calorie without taking the HCG and then you have to be really careful with what you eat.
It's extreme. But it works. And I want to see results. I'm contemplating it.
You can read more about it HERE if you're interested.
Thoughts?
Sorry for the long delay in updates. I did have internet access, but I did not have time. It was a whirlwind weekend, full of fun and mishaps and overall great. But didn't leave much room for getting on the net.
I got home yesterday and was all pumped to get on the scale this morning and then head to the gym. I got up and stepped on the scale. Nothing. Took the (new) battery out and put it back in. Nothing. Took the battery out again and turned it upside down. Nothing. I managed to get an "E" message and an "ERR" message. I hop in the shower and remember that Kate has a check up this morning, which means no gym.
Then I had to take Christian to the doc and it turns out he has double ear infections. Owen is just a whiny, grumpy young man. So no gym for me today.
I'm okay with that. My kids aren't in any shape to go to the daycare there anyway.
I'm contemplating doing something new and drastic as far as diet goes. My good friend is doing it, her mom did it and I'm tempted to. It's the "HCG Diet". Yep, that's the pregnancy hormone for all you who might recognize it. Nope, I'm not pregnant. ;-) Anyway, you take low doses of the HCG hormone and eat no more than 500 calories a day. The HCG causes your body to release your stored fat and burn it for fuel/energy. So you lose a LOT of fat without losing muscle mass.
It's expensive, and honestly... I don't know if I can eat just 500 calories a day. You can't have ANY fat. You can't use suntan lotion, even, because of the oil in it. You can't take fish oil or Vitamin D, because it's fatty. You have to do the low calorie diet for 21 days, then 3 days of low calorie without taking the HCG and then you have to be really careful with what you eat.
It's extreme. But it works. And I want to see results. I'm contemplating it.
You can read more about it HERE if you're interested.
Thoughts?
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