HCG Day 8 - Equilibrium

So I've been doing the diet part of this diet for seven days. And I've finally reached a state of equilibrium. Actually, I think I hit it on Sunday. That was day 5 of the actual diet. But I wasn't sure if it was from my tiny carb slip up or not. but now that carbs have been out of my system for a couple of days and I'm still feeling great, I think it's safe to say that things with this diet have normalized.

I feel:

normal
happy
not starving
hopeful
energized
healthy
satisfied

Quite a drastic change from how I felt a few days ago when I couldn't stop thinking of food and I felt famished, weak, dazed, headachy, foggy, and slightly like cat in a washing machine. (But not that hairy or wet).

I find this diet completely manageable now. The portion sizes are pretty satisfying. Breakfast is still a little sparse. And I still see sweets/fats/dairy etc and want to eat them. That never goes away with any diet, I'm guessing. But I don't feel any feeling of desperation anymore.

I've found a few things to eat that I think help. If I'm really craving sweets after a meal, I have a big strawberry with Truvia (natural sweetener) on it. It actually curbs my dessert craving.

Or I make myself an Almost As Good As Apple Crisp. I cut up one apple, sprinkle it with cinnamon-Truvia and some lemon juice, put it in a bread pan lined with foil, crush up one melba toast to crumbs, add Truvia and cinnamon to those and sprinkle it over the apples, spray it with butter flavored pam, and bake 45 minutes. It comes out warm and cinnamony and almost fools my body into thinking I'm eating a decadent dessert!

I've also started eating a few off-diet vegetables. The vegetables that this diet allows are kind of odd. Spinach, lettuce, cabbage, onions, celery, and then a bunch of greens we Americans (at least those not in the South) never eat, like beet greens and chard. You can't just eat onions on their own. And as far as I know, no sane human ever eats celery plain either. It just needs ranch or peanut butter or dip. And I've found I can only eat salad (whether spinach, lettuce, or cabbage) so much before I want to scream. I need something warm, something more wintery and satisfying. So I've taken to eating broccoli, zucchini, and cauliflower. I really think eating a hot vegetable with my meat makes me feel like I'm eating a full dinner instead of meat and an appetizer salad. I know they're not allowed. And if I don't have better weight loss by tomorrow, I may consider cutting them out for a day or two to see if it helps. But for now it's making the difference between feeling hungry and feeling full, so I'm going to keep it.

So that's where I'm at, for those of you wondering whether you can do this diet. You can! The first few days were hard, I won't lie. But I've reached the point where my body has gotten used to this calorie intake and/or the HCG is releasing all those extra calories into my body from the stored fat. Whatever the case, I'm now at a place where I feel good about going on like this for another two weeks.

The one down side of my carb load is that I gained back 1/2 lb yesterday and had no loss (or gain) today. I'm crossing my fingers for something good tomorrow.


Daily Loss: 0 lbs
Total Loss: 3 lbs