Checking In...

Sorry so long since my last post. I was able to have a consultation with Sugar Free and go over my blood work. I have ordered the supplements I need to help get my numbers back in line, and am getting ready to leave for vacation. When I get back I should have everything I need to start getting my body back on track! I hope you all are having a great summer :) No one is posting anything so you must be busy. Talk to you when I get back....

What Do I Do Now??

I got my response back from SugarFree as follows:

"Well, the good news is that your fasting insulin and leptin are just
fine; no worries there. The bad news is that you have pretty severe
thyroid hormone resistance -- in other words, you are, despite your
low TSH (which is actually a pretty useless test since it doesn't
measure anything directly, but by inference), very hypothyroid. Worse:
until you get your ferritin and D levels *way* up, there's nothing you
can do about it, since any medication will not be properly absorbed or
used.

As for elevated RT3 in HCG patients, I'm not surprised -- but it's not
the HCG causing that problem; rather a different and even worse double
whammy. Here's what's happening:

1: The HCG turns adipose proto-fat cells into full fat cells, just
waiting to be filled. Not good.

2: The Simeons' protocol -- as written -- drives up fasting insulin,
sometimes into hyperinsulinemea, which drives fat storage over the
long haul, once you're no longer starving yourself. Really bad.

3: The sub-starvation level calories, according to every thyroid
medical textbook ever written, WILL, if done over an extended period
of time (more than 2 or 3 weeks), CAUSE thyroid hormone resistance in
the form of high RT3. The worst.

This is what women are doing to themselves (needlessly, as I've proven
in my blog in so many ways), and this is why I started my blog to
begin with. So that they could see, through Simeons' own words, logic,
and science, and a live experiment -- working so well! -- what HCG
doesn't do (open fat cells or help with weight loss in ANY way), and
what it and the protocol as written does do: trash the metabolism,
make insulin resistance worse, make more permanent fat cells, and
promote thyroid hormone resistance.

Then they wonder why they keep gaining back the weight -- and so
easily. It's a horrible downward spiral, and I am so happy that I have
apparently helped some folks to see the light and give this up
forever."

I was really discouraged after reading that, but have since spoken with her directly and we are going to work together to get this fixed. I have to bring up my Ferritin and Vit D levels before I can start the medication to fix my Reverse T3 issue. She said that even though it might take a little longer having to do it this way, it will be easier in some ways because once that is fixed, I don't have the insulin resistance or leptin resistance issues to conquer as well. I am happy that I have a way to fix my issues once and for all. It is going to take a little time, but it will be so worth it!

Back in town.....

Finally got back from Houston and was able to pick up my blood work. Everything was looking pretty good except my Reverse T3 was way too high (not good if you would like to burn any fat), and my Ferritin levels were extremely low. I also remembered that someone posted a comment back in 2010 that after HCG they had very high Rev T3 and her doctor told her that she was seeing this in over 60% of her HCG patients. I have submitted my results to SugarFree and am interested in hearing her suggestions on how to get my body working properly again. I will post as soon as I hear back :)

Just Checking In...

I have been in maintenance since Monday. I have not been weighing or measuring anything. I am just choosing meats, veggies, fats, and a little fruit or starch. I have lost .6 since Monday. My glucose numbers have gone up a little now that I am eating around double the food I was before. Fasting glucose is between 80-90 most days, and the highest number I have gotten in the first hour after eating is 103. I think that is pretty good. I am going in this morning and seeing if my doctor will do the blood tests for me. I finally get to see my husband for the first time in a month!! He is flying in today. The next week will be insane, so I am going to do the best I can (4 day road trip) and then get my blood work back when I return. Then at that point, I can get to work :)

This might help....

Hi guys, I created a sidebar gadget that has the individual links for each part of the HCG Diet Analysis. This makes it simple for you to read and get all the information without getting lost in the process. Also, Sugarfree herself commented on my last post and would like your input about some possible ways of getting the information out to the masses :) Be sure to weigh in, and let her know what you think would be helpful. She also mentions that a new thread will be added in the next day or so with more information. I will post that when it comes up. Hope you are having a great day :)

As for me I am just following the same basic principles of high sat fat, mod protein, and low carb. I am not eating any carbs if I eat before noon. I am just eating when I feel that I am hungry, and that is not often. Here is what I have had so far today:

9:00am

2 eggs

1 strip thick bacon

spinach

sprinkle of cheese

3:45pm

romaine lettuce

ground beef with chili powder

1/2 avocado

sprinkle of cheese

dressing of sf salsa mixed with sour cream

3/4 of a small apple diced and fried in coconut oil. Served with sliced almonds and a drizzle of heavy cream.

My fasting glucose was 75. After my lunch it was 90. Very pleased with that. Not sure what else I will have today. I will wait and see where my hunger leads me :)

1 Week Results of the Un-HCG Experiment....

I finished one week of the experiment and here are the results:

Weight lost: -2.4lbs

Lost -1.5 inches off waist

Lost -1.5 inches off hips

Lost -.25 inches off each thigh

(Those were the only locations I measured, but I know I lost inches in other places as well.)

Avg fasting glucose: 74

Avg lunch 1 hr pp: 74

Avg lunch 2 hr pp: 74

Avg dinner 1 hr pp: 84

Avg dinner 2hr pp: 85

Overall I would say that is pretty good. The scale was frustrating. Now I remember why I got rid of it :) I lost for 3 days in a row really well. Then it went nothing, up, down, nothing. But no hunger or cravings at all. Energy getting back to normal levels. I also have to consider that before I started this I had been bedridden for 6 weeks, so using the muscles finally could be skewing the weight loss a little as well.

I fought headaches that were pretty intense and realized that this pain was the beginning of the pain that had put me in bed! I remembered how I promised myself I was not going to create that stress again, and that nothing was worth the pain I had been in. I said I would not be a freak and would just be sensible, and no scale. Well here I am weighing, counting and measuring everything. Stressing every time the scale said something I did not like. You give me numbers to hit and I will hit them. I follow everything to perfection. And I wonder why the pain was coming back???

So here is what I took from this experiment. I don't believe that HCG has anything to do with actual weight loss. I believe it is the composition of the foods we eat (at any calorie level) that determines if we lose or not. I believe that how easily we lose, under the right composition if food, is then largely affected by our own person levels of insulin and leptin resistance. I believe that on HCG, even though I lost ok, the hunger I felt tells me that much of the losses I had were at the mercy of my lean muscle. I can read back over the posts when I finished rounds that said I felt "skinny fat". Knowing that the HCG adds fat cells to my body that can now be filled, really bothers me. I also can't think of anyone who has really kept it off completely without eventually having to do more rounds to keep it there. (Myself included) Their hypothalamus did not reset, they just changed their eating habits enough to keep the weight stable. Then, if they start eating badly again, the weight starts creeping back on regardless of the new "setpoint". And for those who are not being really careful, they just gain it all back and then some.

Am I sorry I did HCG? No. Other than the fact that I made new fat cells :(, the rest is just a placebo in my opinion. But, it taught me how to break the sugar habit, to learn immense self control, to realize I really could lose the weight if I wanted to, and most importantly to realize that at the end of the day it was the choices I made of what to put in my mouth that made the difference, not HCG. It gave me confidence in ME.

So now I want to take all of the lessons I have learned so far, and put them all together. I want to make good food choices everyday. I want to keep sugar and processed foods to a bare minimum. I want to keep carbohydrates at a level that is effective for allowing my body to lose fat. I want to enjoy the food I eat and not be hungry. I want to be relaxed in my approach to weight loss and be able to flow with the ups and downs as they come. I want to accept that life isn't perfect and neither am I . Slip-ups happen, but I can be smart about them and get right back on track with little damage. I want to exercise because I enjoy it, and how it makes me feel. NOT to lose weight. I want to become the healthiest, best me, possible.

I am going to enter maintenance for a month and try to practice these principles. I am going to get the blood work done to see exactly how my metabolism is functioning, and where it needs help. Then in about a month I will do this program again for a week or two, and so on :) I am turning 40 this year in December, and my goal is to find that balance and start really living my life. Oh yeah, the scale is going back. My tape measure works just fine :)

Day Five of the Un-HCG Experiment...

Stayed the same today. I worked in the yard all day yesterday weeding and mowing. Must have gotten up and down a million times :) Very sore, so a little water retention is definitely a possibility! I still have the headaches here and there but less and less. I also am beginning to think they might be more related to my neck issues rather than any diet issues. What I really love so far, is that other than a period of hunger in the morning, I have no hunger what so ever. I mean none. On HCG even though I wasn't starving, I was always a little hungry or thinking about how long it was till the next meal. On this I don't feel anything. Also, I crave nothing. Weird. I know if I put a cookie in my mouth it would taste good, but I don't WANT to put it in my mouth, or spend anytime wishing I could. Now that is a first :) I found that by eating an ounce of protein or a TBSP of heavy cream in the morning helped the am hunger I was having. After that, I am good to go. I am absolutely loving the sunshine, FINALLY!