Go back to Jill's HCG Before and After Journey (Part 2 of 9).
Jill's HCG Diet Journey
(Part 3 of 9)
HCG VLCD - Day 3
Today was another good day. I started out with my morning weigh-in and I'm down another 2.2 lbs! Yay!
I'd have to say my best choice was what I made for lunch... Chicken Salad! I took my pre-cooked chicken portion (seasoned with Lemon Herb Seasoning from the Simple Girl Seasonings and Spices Gourmet Seasoning Pack) and combined it with diced apple and celery, then I tossed it with the juice of a quarter of a lemon, a splash of apple cider vinegar, a packet of powdered stevia, and a shake of powdered mustard, celery seed, salt, and pepper. It turned out so tasty!
Aside from the mild hunger off and on all day, I generally have felt fine. I'm told that those feelings should mostly go away in the next couple of days, so I'm really looking forward to that. I'm definitely getting into a routine now and it's making life a lot easier than the first couple days.
HCG VLCD - Day 4
I could hardly believe it when I stepped on the scale this morning...UP .9 lbs. Dang it! I started to go into problem-solving mode and the best reasoning I could come up with was that the culprit was either my shampoo and conditioner (it was the first time washing my hair and I didn't invest in an HCG diet-safe product, I just used what I already had, but I rinsed it off really fast) or when I accidently over-seasoned my cucumber chips with dinner (ended up super salty). So, I started today a little disappointed, but determined to do better.
I made more chicken salad for lunch, drank an extra liter of water, and had Tilapia and stewed tomatoes for dinner. I'm really hoping they were all good choices. I guess we'll see in the morning!
HCG VLCD - Days 5 and 6
I think they were good choices. I was down 1.8 lbs on Friday and another 1.4 on Saturday. I generally felt fine these days, except for a little bit of melancholy. Once I thought about it for a while, I realized, and this may sound a little silly, that I have been going through the stages of mourning for the foods I am not allowed to eat while on the VLCD phase.
Stage 1: Denial – At first, I just pushed it out of my mind that I even missed things. I said to myself, “hey, it’s only a few weeks; I can give up just about anything for a few weeks.”
Stage 2: Anger – Around day 3 or so, when my husband and I were making our respective dinners (mine, a miniature serving of steak and spinach, his, a big plate of roasted herb-rubbed chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy with sautéed carrots and zucchini), I snapped at him for who-knows-what while we were maneuvering around in the kitchen. It was totally because I was jealous of what he was getting to eat! And I don’t even really like carrots or zucchini! But I would have traded my dinner for his if I could avoid the feelings of guilt that would inevitably follow such an act.
Stage 3: Bargaining – Ok, this one is kind of weird, but when I thought about it, there were several moments on day 5 where my imagination went a little crazy. At one point, I thought about grabbing a Wheat Thin out of the open box my husband left on the coffee table. I thought, “what would it matter? It’s not like anyone would know.” But I would, and the scale probably would. Later, I also thought seriously about opening up a bag of chips my husband bought and instead of eating them, maybe I could just – wow, this is embarrassing – lick a few. That’s right, I fantasized long and hard about licking chips.
Stage 4: Depression – This is where I found myself on Friday and am still working to move on from. First, I sat down to watch a little TV before making dinner. I wanted to watch what was on Food Network, but instead opted for what I thought was a safe choice, a rerun of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, only to be bombarded with food-related commercials. Then, my husband came home from work and wouldn’t stop talking about ordering a pizza. He didn’t end up getting one, but just hearing him talk about it made my mouth water and made me feel, well, kind of sad. I just miss certain things. I miss cheese. I miss potatoes and pasta and bread. I miss MIXING VEGETABLES. I even miss simple things like Triscuits and pineapple and the taste of real sugar. I miss creamy things and cooking with oil. I think this is the part of the diet I just really wasn’t prepared for.
Stage 5: Acceptance – This is where I’m trying to get to. I knew when I started the HCG Diet that it would be a learning experience, but I really underestimated it. I know that I can live without all the things I am missing. I know it’s going to be hard. I know I can get through this diet without cheating. The thing I don’t know is how to find the balance between how I want to look and how I want to eat, and what will have to be sacrificed in order to find that balance. This is turning into my biggest hurdle on my HCG Diet journey, but I have faith that I’ll figure everything out and, in the process, become a stronger, skinnier, healthier person.
Click to read Jill's HCG Before and After Journey (Part 4 of 9).