Day 21

Good Morning! Down 2.2 today to 203.2. I've not weighed this in 2 years. Last time I was 203, I had just found out I was pregnant with my second child. During my pregnancy with him, I gained 50 pounds, so it has been a long time coming. I feel great! 18.8 pounds down, ONEDERLAND is so close I can taste it. I could be there in a couple of days.

I'm figuring out that certain foods just don't work as well as others on this plan. Beef happens to be one of those foods, while fish allows me to lose MUCH more weight. If I eat fish for lunch and chicken for dinner, it's amazing at the weight that is off the next morning.

There was an article in Self Magazine this month discussing Doctors prescribing hormones such as HGH and HCG. It focused primarily on the HGH and how people are choosing to use the hormone, but it did go into HCG a bit as well. The article didn't have a lot to say about HCG, though they tried to keep it as negative as possible. The typical "this doesn't work, there's no proof" etc. The proof is in the pudding, not to mention the clinical trials that HAVE been done where they found that the people on the HCG vs. the placebo did actually retain more muscle and lose significantly greater inches than the group on the placebo. I can tell you first hand that I have done a 700 calorie diet without the use of HCG and felt like I was going to starve to death. That just simply isn't the case on this diet. Let me weigh my pros with my cons:

Let's start with the pros: 18.8 pounds lost in 20 days, mega inches lost (4 on my bust, 3.3 on my waist as of 2 days ago), more energy, more self-esteem, clothes are fitting better, getting compliments from people again, not being ignored because I'm fat, my hydradenitis has been so much better (skin condition), my bladder doesn't leak as much (biproduct of having children and being obese), I'm not obsessed with food, I'm not going down a path of destruction by continuing toward diabetes. Those are my successes in just 20 days.

Cons: I was hungry the first week, I do cheat from time to time, needles still make me nervous a little, the first day on plan I was hypoglycemic because I wasn't spreading out my food.

The potential side-effects that nay sayers are worried about are increased fertility, birth defects if used during pregnancy (which makes absolutely NO sense because HCG is present in your body when you are pregnant and we know the benefits it has to growing a baby. Not to mention that they are using side effects found in the fertility treatments which happen to be approx. 10000 units a day which is about 29-58 times what you inject daily. I think the article mentioned that the amount used during fertility treatments ends up being double or more of the total amount of HCG used during a diet protocol. The problem is, all of the speculation about side effects is just that, speculation. They've not seen it when used as a weight loss tool.

Doctors would rather prescribe you phentermine for weight loss, which serves as a similar function (affects hypothalmus and allows you to restrict calories without being hungry). Phentermine also allows rapid weight loss, on average 8-12 pounds per month. Let's look a little deeper at Phentermine. My personal experience was with my Doctor in a consultation regarding weight loss, where we discussed the possibility of using it. At the time I was breastfeeding and on anti-depressants. He said I would need to stop breastfeeding but could remain on the anti-depressants. I asked him what the contraindications would be with Zoloft, he said "maybe heart issues." Hmmmm, right away I said no. Side effects: dry mouth, sleeplessness, constipation, headaches, restlessness, anxiety, racing heart, dizziness, blurred vision, urinary hesitation in men, changes in sex drive, upset stomach. Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue); bizarre behavior; chest pain; fainting; fast heartbeat; pounding in the chest; shortness of breath; swelling of the legs and feet; tremor. Effects of Phentermine on certain systems:

Cardiovascular: Phentermine generally causes a significant rise in heart rate. Hypertension and arrhythmias may be problematic in susceptible patients. Valvular heart disease has been reported in patients taking phentermine in combination with fenfluramine or dexfenfluramine, but not in patients taking phentermine alone. Analysis of available data suggests that fenfluramine and dexfenfluramine are the causal agents, and both drugs have been withdrawn from the market as of September 15, 1997.

Central Nervous System: Overstimulation, restlessness, dizziness, insomnia, euphoria, dysphoria, tremor, headache, rarely psychotic episodes at recommended doses.

Gastrointestinal: Dryness of the mouth, unpleasant taste, diarrhea, constipation, other gastrointestinal disturbances.

Allergic: Urticaria.

Let's compare Phentermine with HCG. HCG side effects: "The side effects of HCG use are uncommon. The HCG side effects one will have to keep an eye out for include the onset of headaches, irritability, restlessness, slight water retention, tenderness of breast tissue, swelling of the injection sight, and depression. There are some rare, severe side effects as well which include the development of ovarian hyperstimulation in females. The latter condition requires immediate medical treatment and is accompanied by the following symptoms: tremendous pain in the region of the pelvis, the swelling of feet, legs, and hands, abdominal pain, abdominal swelling, difficulty breathing, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, a diminishing of urination, and weight gain. If a user of HCG products notes any side effects it is recommended that he or she cease using the products immediately and that he or she seek out the assistance of a physician." This same site happen to mention that these are side effects that "may" be seen. The primary research for these side effects stem from the fertility treatments which we've already established are significantly higher in dosage.

To me, it is clear that Phentermine has a much longer history of known and observed side effects than HCG. Could I not do either? Absolutely, but then we're back to the same old problem....an improperly functioning hypothalmus of which Weight Watchers or South Beach may seem to work for a time, but from personal experience have always gone back to the same habits, cravings, and yo yo dieting. All of which, according to Dr. Simeons, is a result of a hypothalmus that still hasn't been "reset."

This is why I've chosen this plan, obviously it's not for everyone. Those skeptical aren't being forced to do the plan. I can tell you that hundreds and hundreds of people are seeing real results and keeping the weight off. 85% of people who do this plan and see it through, keep the weight off. Can the same really be said about South Beach or even Weight Watchers? For me, it's a tiny window of injecting and low calorie. 40 days. That's not even an introductory period at a new job. That's a tiny time frame. For those with more to lose, they could do the protocol more than once. After 40 days, you aren't restricting calories, you increase protein and eventually stabilize and begin to eat normally. You repeat the phases as many times as you need to complete your weight loss. I will likely complete 2 rounds or 3 rounds depending on the success. The time I will spend on the HCG is 120 days at max, of which is miniscule in comparisson to how long I've been obese. The risks to my health, my heart, my organs, my risk for cancer are all elevated with being obese. Being obese for much longer than I will be exposed to the potential side effects of HCG, which are far less dangerous than that of Phentermine and other weight loss drugs on the market, approved by the FDA.

Enough soap box for today, lol. Have a great day, I will see you tomorrow!