HCG Diet Update: Days 10 – 16

I’ll be posting my daily progress under the title HCG Diet Update so you can blow right past it if you aren’t interested in whether this so-called “weight loss cure” works for me. My goal is to lose 28 pounds in 26 days and reach 132 pounds, what I weighed for years eating normally until I begin taking a migraine preventative medication in October of 2009. My husband and I are doing the diet together.

If I could sum up the past week in a word, it would be bored. As in exponentially greater boredom than previously recorded on this diet. I just miss eating a variety of food. The choices are fairly broad, but we haven’t invested in an HCG cookbook, and are just grilling our protein and steaming our veggies. I would recommend getting a cookbook if you are considering doing this.

I do have a new-found love of chard, however. Oprah was right. It’s similar to collard greens, but there is much more sweetness and a complexity to the flavor. We will definitely keep chard around.

Overall, this experience has reawakened in me a love of cooking. I really enjoy the process of making meals with just protein and vegetables. The lack of a bunch of ingredients and pots and pans to clean has made me appreciate the simplicity of the food and the joy of preparing it.

Jack and I both feel that everything has more taste now. When I can eat normally again (ONE WEEK FROM TODAY!) I plan to keep up with cooking every night and with actually cooking something for lunch, instead of getting fast food or eating what’s easiest – and not usually nutritionally sound.

The most exciting thing to happen this past week was my Big Fat Day of Cheating on Sunday. I started off the day with scarfing down a piece of the kids’ bacon. I looked it up. Only 27 calories, but over 6 grams of fat. Nice. Strangely, it wasn’t as tasty as I imagined it would be.

Later in the day we went with the kids and some friends to the Arcadia Rodeo. As expected, the food offerings were deep fried deliciousness and ice cream. They even had fried pickles, one of my absolute favorite foods, but we were strong and got absolutely nothing. Unless you count the beer. We each had a Michelob Ultra, not the end of the world, but it did give me a nasty headache. Thanks for nothing.

My final cheat came as we were leaving. Our friend was given some boiled peanuts by the guy who let us park in his yard. Arcadia folks are nice. By this time, I had been driven nearly insane by the scent of frying elephant ears and had to have something. I just ate a few, but they have a lot of fat and I was truly expecting to see weight gain this morning. No gain, but no loss either. So, a wasted day.

Also, when I’m wrong, I’m wrong. My baking soda and cornstarch deodorant failed me after a few days. Apparently, regular anti-perspirant and deodorant works by clogging up your sweat glands and this took a few days to go away. Remember that crystal deodorant I was snarking about? It’s totally awesome. I got a sample size when I was at Whole Foods the last time. I don’t know how it works, but it does. Here’s what I’m using.

My morning weights:

Day 10 (Monday, 3/7)
148.8

Day 11 (Tuesday, 3/8)
147.4

Day 12 (Wednesday, 3/9)
146.4

Day 13 (Thursday, 3/10)
146.2

Day 14 (Friday, 3/11)
145.6

Day 15 (Saturday, 3/12)
144.6

Day 16 (Sunday, 3/13)
144.2

Overall mood: Bummed that my weight loss slowed down this week, even though I was told it would. I like to be the star student. Harumphhh. Meanwhile, Jack has lost 23 pounds. He looks fantastic and as a special bonus for me, he has completely stopped snoring!