The night before Christmas...

I felt like a kid waiting for Santa once I received my HCG. I could hardly sleep. I was so anxious to start. I received my HCG on July 24, 2009.

(I am writing these first posts from my journal I am keeping during this experience. Once caught up I will plan to update this blog daily.)

My projected end date will be September 2, 2009- 40 days of taking HCG and on the diet. My goal is to lose 35 pounds. I think it is important to have a set number in your mind when embarking on something like this, whether it is wise, I am not sure?

In my HCG tracker journal I will make note of the following:

• date
• morning weigh-in
• food consumed
• any additional or notable feelings or experiences

I will recap my writings in my journal thus far.

July 24, 2009

The night before starting HCG. I am so excited and nervous all at the same time. I worry about the diet. (It will become clear just how strict the diet is in future posts- HCG makes your body extremely sensitive to any deviations of the diet, but this is also why it is possible to lose so much so quickly and safely.) But, I am committed- only 40 days of my life initially to potentially turn everything around in regard to not only how I look, but also my self-image, which has suffered far too long. I am ready for this.

I have had diet plans since I was in high school. I have pulled out many of my "goal journals" and every single one has an eventual goal weight of 120 pounds. This is the weight I would absolutely LOVE to attain, but it has always been a wish, never a realistic possibility. Now, I think perhpas I can reach that goal after a couple rounds of HCG. How amazing to be on the brink of a diet that I don't believe will defeat me even before I begin! I just have to remain diligent and make the most of this 40 day period.

I would like to take a moment to show some pictures of a few garments I would love to wear that have been hanging in my closet for quite some time.

This dress is so pretty, and I would love to wear it on August 22, 2009 to a auction/dinner called An Evening at the Ivinson's.

I bought this jacket on sale at Nordstrom's and the price was so good, I justified buying a size 8. I have been saying for 2 years now, "Oh, I'll lose the weight to fit into it." Well, it hasn't happened, yet!


The only piece of clothing left from my "skinny years" are these jeans. I bought them when I was working one summer on a guest ranch as a wrangler. They are a size 6! I love them and they fit so well when I can squeeze my butt into them. :)

So, there you have it, my incentives! I yearn for some future day when I can go into a store and basically buy whatever I want within the constaints of my body type. I look forward to being able to look at different styles trying them on and realizing, "Yep, I can pull this off, and look darn good!"

Tomorrow is the day. Wish me luck!