Day 10, Round 3- Little black dress...

weigh in: 145.4 pounds
loss of: 1.0 pound
total loss of: 9.8 pounds

It has been a crazy past two days. I am not really sure what all happened, but I am still down regardless of not being strict to protocol. I went to a craft night where there was a wonderful sampling of casseroles and I had some (a very small portion mind you, but still). Last night was our annual Realtor Christmas party. We had such a good time and I ate prime rib and fruit and some corn (I resisted the starches!). I would like to take a little more time to discuss the party, because for the first time in my life I wore a black strapless dress. I felt amazing! I was cleaning my downstairs closets last weekend and I came across an old bridesmaid dress. I never wore this dress. I was to be in a wedding 6 months after I had my first daughter and I was so much larger than I had ever been in my life. I brilliantly, ordered the dress 3 sizes too small thinking I would work hard to lose weight to fit into the dress. I must have been insane! I would have had to lose 35 pounds!!! I know this because I just tried it on for kicks and it fit perfectly!

I want to share my new found love of alteration! This is the dress before alterations (I just had it shortened to right below my knee): I look weighed down and not as skinny as I really am, but...

Here it is after!!! A completely different dress! I got a beautiful party dress for the cost of $30 in alterations. (Sorry, I didn't want to take the time to set up the tripod and the mirror is pretty dirty with little kid hand prints :)). I think I look pretty darn amazing!


I found these adorable shoes downtown! Love them!

I have a collarbone and shoulders!!! :)

My handsome date! ;)

Cutting a rug! My husband and I danced and tried to remember the West Coast Swing dance we learned a few months ago, but to no avail. We have fun anyway! I also got to dance some western swing with our friend and fellow Realtor. I haven't danced that dance for years and it was so much fun! My husband got some shots, but unfortunately my camera doesn't do so well in low light.


It was so wonderful to have people notice how differently I look since last Christmas, but more importantly it was how I felt this year- confident and beautiful! No girdles, uncomfortable self-conscious tugging at my dress or rearranging in the bathroom- just fun and enjoyment of a night out in the company of my husband and friends.

Happy Holidays! December has officially begun! :)

Day 9, Round 3

weigh in: 146.4 pounds
loss of: 1.0 pound
total loss of: 8.8 pounds in 8 days!!!

Pretty... pretty... pretty good! :) Any, Curb Your Enthusiasm fans out there, will get that. :) I was so happy to see that loss today. I think it is more irritating when you do everything right and don't see much of a loss than when you know where you went wrong and can remedy it if you choose so. On those days little comfort can be had with understanding that it is normal and to be expected.... Anyway...

Lunch: hamburger patty cooked with onion, and an orange.
Dinner: chicken tenderloin with orange on spinach.

I will write more later!
Have a great day everyone!

Day 8, Round 3- Peanut butter

weigh in: 147.4 pounds
loss of: 0.2 pounds
total loss of: 7.8 pounds

I told you weight loss would inevitably come to a screeching halt. Don't worry we are just at a stop light and the light will turn green soon and I will hit the gas. :) Cheesy, again! :)

I feel great this morning, regardless! I feel like I did a really great thing yesterday. I talked with one of my comrades, Hormonally Changed Gal (Thank you, thank you!) about how I was having an urge for peanut butter. I took her advice to plan a cheat and do it mindfully. I ate a tablespoon of peanut butter, deliciously slow and consciously. I ate it and moved on. I felt in control and when that is the feeling- then a 0.2 loss does not bother me. I felt like I needed to do what I could to not guilt myself, punish myself or deny myself. I am in this for the long haul and so I can't go full fledged into self sabotage. I think it did the trick, because of how I feel this morning. Ready again to stay true to protocol!

So, don't feel like you are a failure if you have cravings. If you can thwart those without giving in that is wonderful, if you can't fully squash those yearnings do it in a way that does not defeat you, but rather helps you. Thank you again for the support!

Keep your head down

Here is a little encouragement from WeightWatchers.com that I thought was pretty neat. The last portion of this segment about peddling a bike up a hill I thought was a very good analogy to keep in mind. Whether you have many or few pounds to lose we can be creatures of immediate gratification and can get discouraged when it doesn't come off fast enough.

Here is the link: Success Stories

Day 7, Round 3- Still a good loss

weigh in: 147.6 pounds
loss of: 1.2 pounds
total loss of: 7.6 pounds


Lunch: chicken tenderloin and chopped apples on spinach
Dinner: hamburger cooked with chopped onions and celery, and an apple

I drank a complete 3.5 liters yesterday! Along with a couple cups of tea...

Still a good loss and morning weigh-in has been my motivation through these days (and needs to be throughout my last round)! I need to do the absolutely best I can during the day and then whatever the number on the scale pops up I can still be proud of myself. :) As we all know, who have been on HCG for any length of time, as long as you stay true to protocol even if you have a day with low losses or no loss at all it doesn't mean things aren't happening. I am glad this round I am not just thinking it is all butterflies and buttercups, because if you aren't prepared for a slow than you will most definitely be disappointed. HCG is not completely magic, just partially. haha!

Measurements

Measurements are in! I have no idea why I didn't do these at the beginning of my journey?! :) (Thank you to my husband for helping me get all the following measurements- so much easier when someone else can help you!) For those of you who are contemplating taking HCG I would suggest taking measurements. It just adds to how much your body really transforms- at least that is what I have seen from others!

weight: 148.8 pounds

arm: 11 1/2"
chest: 37"
waist: 30 3/4"
hips: 38 1/2"
thigh: 22 1/2"

I have never measured myself in my life so it was kind of interesting to see the figures. I don't have a really defined waist. I was kind of disappointed to see it hasn't dipped below 30 inches. However, I am happy that I am pretty well proportioned when it comes to hips and chest. Wish there was more in the chest area. haha! Can't wait to see what happens over the next weeks!

Day 6, Round 3- Return to 140's

weigh in: 148.8 pounds
loss of: 2.6 pounds
total loss: 6.4 pounds in 5 days!!! (I count the load days, because without them I couldn't have lost 6.4 pounds in 2 days of VLCD! :)).

Back into the 140's, oh yeah! Can't believe I let myself move out of the range, but what are you gonna do? :) I am feeling really quite well so far- no headaches!!! *Knock on wood* I think this is due to the vitamins I am taking this time around. That is really the only thing I have changed so far(besides taking 3 load days instead of 2).

Yesterday we all went sledding! Too much fun!!! It was a good little exercise to add to my day and we all had such a wonderful time.

Lunch: orange and apple (we were sledding and it happened to be over the lunch hour- I just drank a ton of water and had these two fruits)
Dinner: chicken tenderloin (I tried this cut of meat last round and LOVED it! It is much more tender and juicy than chicken breast- duh. :) It is white and lean enough that it doesn't seem to affect my weight loss drastically.)

Thanks so much to you all for following my story and encouraging me along the way!

Happy losing!