HCG Experiment #1: Akcrawford72

Does HCG “work” as Dr. Simeons described? I believe this analysis has proved it does not. Does HCG do anything at in terms of obesity (except to make more fat calls from proto fat cells)? I believe this analysis has proved it does not.

But demonstrating something from a logical, scientific point of view will only go so far, for skeptics. That’s why I’ve designed what I believe is the perfect real-life experiment to prove or disprove the efficacy of HCG once and for all. I have enlisted several participants, who will be following strict rules.

There will be Four Stages of the experiment, which will last about fourteen days. Each participant will be given his or her own ‘thread’ on which they will post daily about the results of the experiment to date.

GENERAL EXPERIMENT PARAMETERS

– Each participant will be on hcg throughout the experiment.

– Each participant will eat 500 calories throughout the experiment.

– Each participant will set up a FitDay account, and will log all food intake daily.

– No participant will learn of the next Stage until it is time for that stage, thus avoiding any placebo anticipation.

– Each participant has agreed to write honestly here about the results of the experiment, good, bad or ugly.

– Each participant will post daily their level of ketosis measured by a ketostix every morning, as well as the following blood glucose readings from a meter: Fasting, and Post-Prandial 1-hour and 2-hours after beginning their main meal of the day.

Once all four stages are complete, anyone reading this blog will have all the information they need to try the experiment for themselves — and I hope they will.

STAGE ONE

For the first two days of the experiment, participants will take the normal amount of hcg they usually do, and eat precisely the same food they usually do. They will log the foods at FitDay as well as here, on their thread, and will post their keto and BG numbers here for both days. Results for Stage One will begin posting on April 25th.

This is Akcrawford72’s Thread

Introduction:

I am 38 (39 on the 25th of April, Happy Birthday to ME!). I have struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember. My grandmother “put me on” and paid for me to be on Nutri-System in high school. I lost about 14 pounds and of course gained it all back.

I have since then been on Weight Watchers, Jennie Craig, Nutri-System again, Phen Phen, and had a consultation for a Gastric Sleeve surgery. I was introduced to HCG by two friends who lost weight successfully while doing the injections and 500 calorie diet.

I decided to give it a try. What did I have to lose after all of these years trying to fight the weight factor? I had great results on the HCG. I lost a lot in a short amount of time. I decided to take a scheduled break over my spring break for a family vacation. Well, 4 days turned into 20 days. I stayed eating Phase 3 foods during this time and I ended up gaining 7.4 above my lowest weight  by eating some rice, chips, and other carbs.

I started taking the HCG injections again six days ago with a weight of 168.2 pounds. Now I am 159.6 pounds for a loss of 7.6 pounds. For the last couple of days, I have messed with the protocol and instead of eating any fruit I have eaten 2 ounces of cheese and 2 hard-boiled eggs. I have eaten chicken, cucumbers, lettuce with homemade ranch, and asparagus.

I am excited to try the experiment because if I can learn about my body and how to keep my weight under control without HCG then I will be happy and knowledgeable. It is time for me to get control of my body and be healthy and happy 4-ever.

I hope you all take this adventure with me and learn some things about yourself along the way. Get ready for an educational ride into your bodies.

Angie~

Experiment, Stage One, Day 1:

Weight: 163.8

Measurements:
Bust: 36.5
Waist: 36
Hips: 39

Breakfast:
— 16 oz. coffee
— 1T. milk
–1tsp. Truvia

Lunch:
–1 egg + 3 egg whites
–celery 5 small stalks
–1/2 apple

Snack:
–1/2 apple

Dinner:
— 3.5 ounces (by weight) steamed boneless, skinless chicken breast
— 1 cup (cooked) steamed asparagus

Snack:
–8 strawberries

FitDay stats:
— Calories: 475
— Fat: 15.9 grams (30%)
— Protein: 50.3 grams (44%)
— Carbs: 33.6 grams (26%)

Ketostix: Trace (Trace, Small, Moderate, High]

Blood Glucose:
— Fasting: 96
— 1-hour PP (after lunch): 105
— 2-hour PP (after lunch): 107

Today I felt great. Right when I got up I was not hungry at all. By the time I get out of the shower my stomach was hurting. I started drinking water (32 ounces before I leave for work). After I get to work and start drinking water I feel much better.  I was not hungry at all even at lunch. I do however always feel hungry after I eat my fruit, especially apples. Today was no different. I felt very hungry afterward today. Day 1 is in the bag and I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Stage One, Day 2

Weight: 162.8 = Down 1 Pound

Breakfast:
— coffee
— ½ oz. half/half
— 1 tablespoon SF Caramel Syrup
— 1 boiled egg

Lunch:
— 75 g. grilled (foreman grill) boneless, skinless chicken breast
— celery, 4 small stalks
— 7.5 strawberries

Dinner:
— 75 g. grilled (foreman grill) boneless, skinless chicken breast
— 1 cups romaine lettuce
— 2 tablespoons Pace Picante Sauce

Snack:
— apple

FitDay stats:
— Calories: 530
— Fat: 19.5 grams (33%)
— Protein: 53.6 grams (40%)
— Carbs: 35.3  grams (27%)

Ketostix: Negative (Negative, Trace, Small, Moderate, High]

Blood Glucose:
— Fasting: 100
— 1-hour PP (after lunch): 111
— 2-hour PP (after lunch): 101

This morning after my shower I was extremely hungry, and I had a horrible headache. I added an egg this morning because of this and it put me over the 500 calories. It is the week before my TOM and I have PMDD, so PMS for me is not good. This could account for the hunger and the headache.

I am also wondering after tweaking my food last week by excluding the fruit and replacing with cheese and eggs if this doesn’t have anything to do with it. My losses were so great when I did this and I felt fabulous as well. I was never hungry or fatigued like I feel today. Again, this could also be due to the PMS.

I am really disappointed in myself, as was down to 159.6 on Saturday and after over indulging (a little chocolate, cookie,  and too much wine) throughout the Easter weekend I have had to back track from my 4.2 gain. I think I would get it back down a lot faster if I were able to add the cheese and eggs instead of the fruit.
I am hoping that we will be seeing an increase in our protein and maybe some fat (chocolate would be good too ; ) during the experiment, but we will see. Until tomorrow…

Stage One, Day 3

Weight: 162.8 = down 0 pounds

Breakfast:
— coffee
— ½ oz. half/half
–3tsp. SF Caramel Syrup

Lunch:
–3.5 oz. (by weight) boneless, skinless chicken breast
–2 cups lettuce
–2 tablespoons Pace Picante Sauce
–apple

Dinner:
— 3.5 oz. (by weight) sirloin steak
— asparagus
–8 strawberries

FitDay stats:
— Calories: 514
— Fat:  17 grams (30%)
— Protein: 64.1 grams (52%)
— Carbs: 26.7 grams (19%)

Ketostix: Negative-Trace  (Negative, Trace, Small, Moderate, High]

Blood Glucose:
— Fasting: 110
— 1-hour PP 105 (after lunch):
— 2-hour PP 101 (after lunch):

TMO reared its ugly head this morning an entire week early. This never happens to me, so a little perplexed as to why. I believe this has a lot to do with how awful and hungry I felt yesterday. I am really hungry again this morning, but do not feel tired and miserable like yesterday.  (I feel much better since I have drunk my coffee with some half and half).

I had no change in weight which is getting really frustrating. I am sick of never getting out of the 160’s. I still have 30 to 40 pounds to lose and at the rate I am going (up and down) I will never achieve this. I thought I would have been close to the 140’s by now. I never planned on doing HCG over and over to get to my goal. The way my stats are going I could be doing 3-5 rounds taking way longer than anticipated. This is not what I had in my plan.

As you can see my fasting BG is elevated, don’t really understand any of it, but know this has not been my norm in the AM. I once again failed to get enough protein in. I cannot figure out how to do this without going over the 500 calories unless I take out the fruit and add protein with fat (would still go over 500 calories). I need help with this part. I look forward to moving on to Stage Two of the experiment.

Stage One, Day 4

Weight: 162.8 = 0 pounds loss

Measurements:
Bust, Day 1: 36.5 — Bust, Day 4: 36 = .5″ lost
Waist, Day 1: 36 — Waist, Day 4: 36 = 0″ lost
Hips, Day 1: 40 — Hips, Day 4: 40 = 0″ lost

Breakfast:
– coffee
– ½ oz. half/half
– 3 tsp. SF Caramel Syrup

Lunch:
– 3.5 oz. (by weight) tilapia
– 4 oz. cucumbers
– orange

Snack:
2 Melba toast

Dinner:
– 3.5 oz. (by weight) chicken breast
– 6 stalks asparagus
– 8 strawberries

FitDay stats:
– Calories: 520
– Fat: 15.9 grams (28%)
– Protein: 56.1 grams (43%)
– Carbs: 38 grams (29%)

Ketostix: Trace (Negative, Trace, Small, Moderate, High]

Blood Glucose:
– Fasting: 109
– 1-hour PP (after lunch): 111
– 2-hour PP (after lunch): 98

Are you kidding me with another day of no losses? I am seriously getting ticked off at this point. This is the point where I just basically want to be done and give up. I am really on edge today and very easily agitated.

I am going to leave today at that. Ready to move on to Stage 2, and get to the good time feeling and losing (hoping this is how this all turns out).

——————————

HCG EXPERIMENT #1, STAGE TWO

Although Part IV of this series has made clear, through biology and Simeons’ own words, that HCG is to fat liberation what Dumbo’s feather is to flying, here are two paragraphs taken directly from P&I in context. That is, the second paragraph directly follows the first — and contradicts it.

“In many countries specially prepared unsweetened and low Calorie foods are freely available, and some of these can be tentatively used. When local conditions or the feeding habits of the population make changes necessary, it must be borne in mind that the total daily intake must not exceed 500 Calories if the best possible results are to be obtained, that the daily ration should contain 200 grams of fat-free protein and a very small amount of starch.”

In this paragraph Simeons clearly states what matters to successful weight loss: very low calories that contain no sugar and perhaps a tiny amount of starch. Why? Because sugar and starch spike insulin, insulin prevents lipolysis, and without lipolysis there will be no fat  loss, which means hunger with little pounds lost. Eat sugar and starch for your 500 calories, and HCG will be useless: In fact, to the extent that you are insulin resistant is the extent to which eating these 500 calories will stop weight loss dead and make you ravenous. Eat 500 calories of no sugar or starch however, and HCG is immaterial: without any of it at all lipolysis will commence, fat cells will open, hunger will diminish and a lot of pounds/fat/inches will be gone.

“Just as the daily dose of HCG is the same in all cases, so the same diet proves to be satisfactory for a small elderly lady of leisure or a hard-working muscular giant. Under the effect of HCG the obese body is always able to obtain all the Calories it needs from the abnormal fat deposits, regardless of whether it uses up 1500 or 4000 per day. It must be made very clear to the patient that he is living to a far greater extent on the fat which he is losing than on what he eats.”

Always? Well, no. Not always, but never if your 500 calories contain a lot of carbohydrates, especially sugar. That’s what Stage Two is designed to demonstrate. As readers have seen in Stage One, to the extent that our participants are insulin resistant, is the extent to which they have failed to lose either weight or hunger even while taking HCG, and even while eating starvation level calories … for days at a time.

Think about that, and about how even our first few days of this experiment have kicked CICO and its proponents in their collective butts. No participant went over 700 calories even once, yet little to no weight was lost by some of them. This is exactly the ‘mystery’ of locked metabolic ward studies, where the staff feeds massively overweight participants every morsel of food they eat, which is always starvation level calories consisting of extremely low-fat, high ‘complex’ carbohydrates and protein — yet who, when weighed at the end of a week have gained weight in the form of fat.

“But they’re not taking HCG!” some of you might say. And that’s true. So in Stage Two, all participants will continue with their HCG injections. And they will continue to eat 500 calories — starvation level. Protein will remain the same as Simeons prescribed: 200 fat-free grams by weight, up to 250 calories a day.

However — for the remaining 250 calories, participants will eat fat-free or low-fat sugar foods. They may have low-fat: cookies, candy, ice-cream, doughnuts or soft-drinks as they desire. No fruit or vegetables.

Will “under the effect of HCG the obese body is always able to obtain all the Calories it needs from the abnormal fat deposits” hold true? I doubt it. Will they lose weight? Not likely. Will their blood sugars spike? Probably. Will they be, despite the HCG, as ravenously hungry as those who have “tried but failed to do 500 calories without HCG?” Oh, yes, indeed they will. Maybe not the first day, but as the days of Stage Two go on.

And if this turns out to be the case — if HCG fails to perform as Simeons states it always will, as he states it did for the Fat Boys who ate many more calories than 500, and where those calories contained lots of sugar — then we must conclude, as Simeons himself admitted when discussing Vegetarians, that it is the composition of the calories that really matters, and not injecting HCG. Either the composition of the calories promotes lipolysis, or the composition of the calories prevents lipolysis — and the difference between those two poles depends on the extent to which one is insulin resistant.

Let Stage Two Commence!

Stage Two, Day 1

Weight: 162 = down .8 pounds

Measurements:
Bust, Day 4: 36
Waist, Day 4: 36
Hips, Day 4: 40

Breakfast:
Coffee
2 tsp. (Real) sugar

Lunch:
–3.5 oz. (by weight) chicken breast
–1/2 3 Musketeer Bar
–1 Cinnamon Bear

Dinner:
– 3.5 oz. (by weight) chicken breast
–1/2 Musketeer Bar
–1 Cinnamon Bear

FitDay stats:
– Calories: 508
– Fat: 15.6 grams (27%)
– Protein: 38.4 grams (32%)
– Carbs: 52.5 grams (41%)

Ketostix: Trace (Negative, Trace, Small, Moderate, High]

Blood Glucose:
– Fasting: 110
– 1-hour PP (after lunch): 119
– 2-hour PP (after lunch): 125

So first off, yeah for the .8 loss finally! This morning I woke up all excited because I get to eat candy, cookies, and ice cream for a couple of days. I went to the store to get myself some things, and as I started looking around for “bad stuff” (there are no fat-free doughnuts) I see there isn’t really anything I can eat. Four cinnamon bears are 130 calories; a doughnut was almost 300 calories. I finally settled for the 3 Musketeer Bar for 200 calories (split between lunch and dinner) and a couple of cinnamon bears for the day. It is going to be a long Stage 2.

I ate my 1 cinnamon bear at about 10:30 and my chicken at 11:30. I am going to take my 1-hour and 2-hour PP after this. I feel rather well today, which is strange because today I feel better than any of the days of Stage 1. This is confusing since I am not really eating any food and a ton of sugar. I am sure Lisa will explain this to me. ; ) Overall good day today!

Just got done taking my 2-hr PP — WOW is all I got. I have not even eaten my ½ of candy bar yet, was saving it for 3:00 snack. I have had my coffee w/sugar, 1 cinnamon bear and my chicken today. The weird and confusing thing about all of this is why do I feel okay? I am sure by tonight I will feel a real decline in energy and will feel very tired. Okay – give it to me.

Stage Two, Day 2

Weight: 162 = down 0 pounds

Measurements:
Bust, Day 4: 35
Waist, Day 4: 37
Hips, Day 4: 39

Breakfast:
Coffee
2 tsp. (Real) sugar

Lunch:
–1 3 Musketeer Bar

Dinner:
– 4.0 oz. (by weight) sirloin steak

Snack:

–1 hard boiled egg

FitDay stats:
– Calories: 486
– Fat: 23.9 grams (44%)
– Protein: 31 grams (26%)
– Carbs: 36.8 grams (30%)

Ketostix: Negative (Negative, Trace, Small, Moderate, High]

Blood Glucose:
– Fasting: 106
– 1-hour PP (after lunch): 138
– 2-hour PP (after lunch): 87

I want to clarify something for those who raised the issue about my TOM starting on the first day of the experiment. We all know most women gain a pound or two of water weight during this time. Not once since I began HCG though, has this been true for me. It has never affected my losses during this time. Anyway, it was not supposed to be my TOM, it seemed to arrive a week early but ended up only being some spotting. It stopped the next day and I have been normal ever since.

I made it through last night until about 6:30 and then had some hunger, but I had already had my chicken and last of my candy bar, drank lots of water until bed.

I was hungry this morning when I woke up and was fine after I started drinking my coffee. This lasted me until about 10:30 and I had big hunger pains. I just heated my coffee and started drinking my water. At 11:15 or so I could not stand it anymore so I was going to eat my half of candy bar. I ended up eating the whole thing. It is 12:15 and I have a headache, hunger. I have decided to sip on a Diet Pepsi throughout the afternoon today while drinking my water in order to help curb any hunger.

This stage of the experiment is actually more mentally challenging for me now than the hunger (it goes in and out, and so far isn’t unbearable). I do think about food all day long. The first taste of sugary food just triggers something in me and makes me want more and more candy, cake, etc. I have spent a lot of the day just wanting to eat, eat, and eat and not, not, not.

I have family coming for a BBQ tonight so I am waiting the rest of the day to eat any of my protein. I am going to boil an egg to eat later in the evening for a snack. I do not have any calories left for any sugary treats. This is going to be a tough day and I really hope I can make it through another day tomorrow.

It is 1:30 now and I feel very shaky and tired. I also feel a little light-headed. I just took my PP blood glucose and as you can see it was a big drop. I am wondering if this is attributing to my shaky feeling. I am also very hungry. Going to open and sip on the Diet Pepsi now.

Also, are my measurements really possible? I officially do not like you right now!

Stage Two, Day 3

Weight: 163.2 = up 1.2 pounds

Measurements:
Bust, Day 4: 35
Waist, Day 4: 37
Hips, Day 4: 39

Breakfast:
Coffee w/fat-free half and half
2 tsp. (Real) sugar

Lunch:
–1 hard-boiled egg
–1/2 piece chocolate cake

Dinner:
– 3.5 oz. (by weight) chicken breast
– 1/2 piece chocolate cake

Snack:
– 1 hard-boiled egg

FitDay stats:
– Calories: 514
– Fat: 26 grams (46%)
– Protein: 33.8 grams (26%)
– Carbs: 36.1 grams (28%)

Ketostix: Trace (Negative, Trace, Small, Moderate, High)

Blood Glucose:
– Fasting: 99
– 1-hour PP (after lunch): 118
– 2-hour PP (after lunch): 75

I ate dinner at about 6:30 and ended up eating my egg with my steak instead of later. I felt super hungry before dinner and just kept sipping on that good ole’ Diet Pepsi to get me through. It felt so good to eat the steak and egg. I felt positively satisfied afterwards and through the rest of the evening.

I woke up pretty hungry so I put some FF half and half in my coffee and drank this slowly through the morning as well. I am curious to see what will happen tonight when I eat the cake with dinner. I am over it and that is all I got!

Stage Two, Day 1

Weight: 164.8 = UP 1.6 pounds

Breakfast:
Coffee
1 T. milk
Truvia

Lunch:
– 3.5 oz. (by weight) chicken breast
– 4 celery stalks
– 8 strawberries

Dinner:
– 3.5 oz. (by weight) chicken breast
– 4 oz. cucumber
– apple

FitDay stats:
– Calories: 410
– Fat: 11.9 grams (26%)
– Protein: 44.7 grams (44%)
– Carbs: 30.9 grams (30%)

Ketostix: Trace (Negative, Trace, Small, Moderate, High)

Blood Glucose:
– Fasting: 95
– 1-hour PP (after lunch): 101
– 2-hour PP (after lunch): 88

The scale is going the WRONG way. I was hungry this morning but kept subsided with coffee. I was really happy to not have to eat any sugar today. The strawberries were enough for me and I feel much better today. I do have some hunger in and out through the day. Overall a good day.

Stage Three, Day 2

Weight: 163.2 = down 1.6 pounds

Breakfast:
Coffee w/T. milk
Truvia

Lunch:
– 3.5 oz. (by weight) chicken breast
– 4 oz. cucumber
– Orange

Dinner:
– 3.5 oz. (by weight) chicken breast
– Romaine lettuce

Snack:
2 hard-boiled eggs

FitDay stats:
– Calories: 489
– Fat: 21 grams (39%)
– Protein: 52.9 grams (43%)
– Carbs: 22.1 grams (18%)

Ketostix: Negative (Negative, Trace, Small, Moderate, High)

Blood Glucose:
– Fasting: 110
– 1-hour PP (after lunch): 119
– 2-hour PP (after lunch): 90

Glad to see a loss, but disappointed I am up 1.2 pounds. Hoping for it to come off tomorrow for the start of Stage Four. I felt really good today. I am so ready for Stage Four I just cannot wait for instructions.

Editors Note: Sorry for the delay in posting Day 1 of Stage 4, but I wanted to write the Overview and Analysis of the Experiment first, and that turned out to be a longer piece than expected.

Stage Four, Day 1

Bust: 36″ = .5″ lost
Waist: 36″ = 0″ lost
Hips: 40″ = 0″ lost

Weight: 163.2 = down 0 pounds

Breakfast:
12 oz. latte

Lunch:
–3 oz. (by weight) chicken breast
–1 cup lettuce
— Homemade ranch dressing, made with 1 cup Duke’s mayo and 1 cup sour cream, plus 3 teaspoons of a ranch dressing dry packet.

Dinner:
— 3.2 oz. (by weight) steak
–2 oz. baked potato
— 1.25 T. Butter
–1 cup lettuce
— 1 cucumber, 4 oz.
— Homemade Ranch

FitDay stats:
— Calories: 747
— Fat: 49.2 grams (59%)
— Protein: 52.5 grams (28%)
— Carbs: 23.5 grams (13%)

Ketostix: Negative (Negative, Trace, Small, Moderate, High)

Blood Glucose:
— Fasting: 93
— 1-hour PP (after lunch): 87
— 2-hour PP (after lunch): 76

Feel really good today. Love the fat! I felt really well overall throughout the day. I was hungry some this morning as always, but was fine after my coffee.I need to figure out how to enjoy my coffee without it being in the form of a latte. I was good all morning except right before lunch. Since eating lunch, I have felt good. I have no hunger and did not eat all of my salad. Good day today. Hope I see a loss in the morning.

Stage Four, Day 2

Weight: 162.2 = down 1 pound

Breakfast:
coffee w/2.75 T. dairy creamer

Lunch:
– 2 eggs + 1 egg scrambled
– 3 slices Oscar Mayer Bacon

Dinner:
– 4 oz. sirloin steak
1 oz. baked potato
1 T. butter
2 cups lettuce

FitDay stats:
– Calories: 751
– Fat: 49.5 grams (59%)
– Protein: 50.8 grams (27%)
– Carbs: 25.5 grams (14%)

Ketostix: Negative (Negative, Trace, Small, Moderate, High)

Blood Glucose:
– Fasting: 86
– 1-hour PP (after lunch): 85
– 2-hour PP (after lunch): 91 (not sure why this went up and not down)

Last night and this morning I felt good. I woke up to no hunger and a 1 pound loss (happy dance!) Then at about 8:30 my stomach started rumbling with some hunger pains. I realized I had not had my coffee yet, which I usually start drinking about 8:00 after I get to work. After I drank some coffee it helped the hunger. I really think I can handle the no breakfast thing and just have my coffee get me through in the mornings if the lipolysis theory holds true for getting as much time in between your dinner and your meal the next day.

I had the day off work today, so took the time to run some errands and get a much-needed haircut. I finally got back into my car and it is now 2:00 in the afternoon and I have not eaten anything yet and just realized it, as I have not felt hungry. Now I am feeling the hunger pains and I will be eating my lunch as soon as I get home. I hope by eating so late, I will be able to get down all of my dinner. We usually eat around 6:00, but I might wait until 7 or so. It was a good day.

Stage Four, Day 3

Weight: 162 = down .2 pound

Breakfast:
– coffee w/ 2.5 oz. half and half

Lunch:
– 4 oz. sirloin steak
– 1.75 baked potato
– 2 cups lettuce
– .5 T Chipotle Ranch
– .5 T. Butter

Dinner:
– 3 oz. chicken thigh w/skin baked
– .5 T. butter
– 1 cup lettuce
– .5 T. Chipotle Ranch

FitDay stats:
– Calories: 751
– Fat: 51.2 grams (61%)
– Protein: 45.7 grams (24%)
– Carbs: 26.8 grams (15%)

Ketostix: Negative (Negative, Trace, Small, Moderate, High)

Blood Glucose:
– Fasting: 88
– 1-hour PP (after dinner): 91
– 2-hour PP (after dinner): 87

I thought I would have a much better loss that .2 today. I am going to stay positive and stick with the plan, but I did have a good day. I was not hungry at all this morning. I was going to go ahead and eat something this morning like some cheese or an egg, but didn’t need to. I had my coffee with cream and was very satisfied.

At around 10:30 I did start feeling a little hungry, but I can’t imagine this to not be expected since I eat lunch at 11:00 every day during the week. I ate lunch at around 11:20 and had to watch as my Superintendent pass out ice cream sundaes with the works for Teacher Appreciation Week. I just kept eating my steak and potato and thinking; oh yeah, we will see how your PP BG levels are in an hour.

Announcements:

• Due to Mother’s Day, all participants (and your faithful blogger) have the day off, so there will be no reports tomorrow.
• Stage Four has gone so well for the participants, they have all agreed to continue on Monday and go through the week.
• At the end of that time, some will continue a bit longer at Stage Four, and some will go on to the Maintenance Stage.
• Starting Monday, readers will be able to pose direct questions about the Experiment to participants on their threads, and participants will reply themselves. Please do not post your questions before Monday or they will be deleted. Also, please make sure you post your question to the right thread, or you may never find it again. 🙂
• HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY TO ALL

Stage Four, Day 6

Weight: 161.2 = down .8 pound

Breakfast:
coffee with 2.75 T. real dairy creamer** contains sugar!

Lunch:
– 4 oz. sirloin steak
– 1.75 baked potato
– 2 cups lettuce
– .5 T Chipotle Ranch
– .5 T. Butter

Dinner:
– 3 oz. chicken thigh w/skin baked
– .5 T. butter
– 1 cup lettuce
– .5 T. Chipotle Ranch

FitDay stats:
– Calories: 751
– Fat: 51.2 grams (61%)
– Protein: 45.7 grams (25%)
– Carbs: 26.8 grams (14%)

Ketostix: Negative (Negative, Trace, Small, Moderate, High)

Blood Glucose:
– Fasting: 95
– 1-hour PP (after dinner): 91

– 2-hour PP (after dinner): 88

I ate exactly the same thing as yesterday (boring I know) because we were going to my in-laws at the beach. I already had everything weighed and cooked so it was much easier for me to just take my food with me.

I have felt great again today and was very happy to see a loss even if it wasn’t quite a pound. A loss is a loss in my book. I am going to try and be really good tomorrow for Mother’s Day, but might just indulge just a little. I do know my kids are planning some breakfast thing for me so let’s hope they make some bacon and eggs.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the beautiful mothers, have a wonderful day with your children and cherish your moment.

Stage 4, Week 2, Day 1

Weight: 163.2 = up 2 pounds

Bust: 36′ = 0″ lost
Waist: 35.5″ = .5″ lost
Hips: 40 = 0″ lost

Breakfast:
Coffee
1 oz. heavy cream

Lunch:
4.2 oz. (by weight) chicken breast
1 cup lettuce
4 oz. cucumber

Dinner:
3 thick slices bacon (yield after cooking)
1.5 slices 100 % whole wheat bread
.5 T. Butter
3 lettuce leaves
1.5 oz. avocado

FitDay stats:
– Calories: 758
– Fat: 50.8 grams (60%)
– Protein: 49.7 grams (26%)
– Carbs: 25.4 grams (14%)

Ketostix: Negative (Negative, Trace, Small, Moderate, High)

Blood Glucose:
– Fasting: 110
– 1-hour PP (after lunch): 96
– 2-hour PP (after lunch): 89

Yes, I am up 2 whole pounds due to indulgences on Mother’s Day. I ate pancakes and hash browns and toast for breakfast. Later in the afternoon I ate some candy and chocolate. I feel really bloated today and I have a headache.

I am getting back on track today and see if I can get into the 150’s once and for all by next week. I am not surprised about my Fasting BG with all of the carbs and sugar I ate. I thought it would be worse than this. I was glad to be back to my eating regimen today. Eating like I ate on Mother’s Day really does a toll on how I feel. Hope to be back down tomorrow after this nasty gain.

Note: The water weight is certainly in part from all the sugar on Mother’s Day, but you ate over your carbs and fat today, with not enough protein — and for a few days before that you had the ‘dairy’ creamer w/sugar and the chipotle dressing w/sugar. However, if you’re careful in planing via FitDay this week, that water should be gone by week’s end. The more insulin resistant you are, the more days it takes to shake sugar’s effects.

Try eating a large, multi-veg salad with each meal this week, dropping the chicken breasts (forever!) and adding red meat like steak, burgers and pork, and dark meat poultry. And instead of more bread, try a handful of french fries or even better: a baked potato with butter and sour cream. And eggs. Lots of eggs. Your body will thank you. 🙂

On the plus side — you lost half an inch of fat off your waist in four days — that’s Fabulous!

Stage Four, Week 2, Day 2

Weight: 161.4 = down 1.8 pound (let’s get to the 150’s)

Breakfast:
coffee w/1.5 oz. heavy cream

Lunch:
3 oz. chicken thigh, skin eaten

Dinner:
3 oz. ground beef (yield after cooking)
1 LaTortilla Low Carb Tortilla
1 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
2 oz. tomato

FitDay stats:
Calories: 742
Fat: 49.9 grams (60%)
Protein: 51.9 grams (28%)
Carbs: 21.4 grams (12%)

Ketostix: Negative (Negative, Trace, Small, Moderate, High)

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 104
1-hour PP (after lunch): 99
2-hour PP (after dinner): 92

I am not sure what is going on with me today, but I am feeling pretty defeated. I am not sure why, but I feel kind of overwhelmed and stressed. These two combination’s are not good for me. I guess it is just one of those days. I feel like I could just cheat and not care about how well I do today. I am going to try hard not to do that.

I was low on calories today, and low on my protein and carbs. It was one of those days where I had to just hurry and do what I could do because there was no thinking until I came home late tonight. I hope the numbers being off doesn’t mess me up tomorrow.

I was pretty hungry this morning. I don’t know why, because I have felt really good up until now. I wonder if it is because of my bad eating on Sunday and my higher glucose levels the last couple days.

I felt okay after lunch and dinner. I am really tired, and I have a long couple days ahead of me. I need to get prepared ahead of time so I do not gain because of stress. I was really happy about my losses this morning and hope I can continue on this path.

[Note: You’ve lost so much weight and fat, it’s only natural to feel a bit stressed and wonder if it will keep up. It will! You’re still seeing the effects of eating sugar in the last few days, but that will pass. If you’ve got a few long days ahead of you, make sure you take care of yourself by eating as well as you can. Your nutrition stats today look pretty good. Your fat intake was 60% of all calories (which weren’t as low as you thought), your carbs are fine, and you’re just a bit under in protein. Maybe taking a hard-boiled egg wrapped in plastic for emergency along with you would help. 🙂 Otherwise, keep right on doing what you’re doing — which is terrific!]

Stage Four, Week 2, Day 3

Weight: 161.4 = down 0

Breakfast:
Coffee
1 oz. heavy cream

Lunch:
Egg, large, hard boiled
Large salad: 2 cups lettuce, 6 slices cucumber, broccoli, and cauliflower
.5 oz. sour cream
1 T. Pace
107.5 g. salmon

Dinner:
107.5 g. salmon
1.75 oz. baked potato
1 T. butter
.5 oz. sour cream

FitDay stats:
Calories: 708
Fat: 47.6 grams (61%)
Protein: 55.6 grams (32%)
Carbs: 12.8 grams (7%)

Ketostix: Negative (Negative, Trace, Small, Moderate, High)

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 104
1-hour PP (after lunch): 91
2-hour PP (after lunch): 99

No losses today and I was hungry again this morning, but made it through with my coffee. It is amazing how much less creamer I need with the heavy cream instead of half/half. I am wondering if in the maintenance phase I will be able to have my 16 oz. latte again with half/half.

I am also wondering about the ketostix and if they are ever going to say anything besides negative or trace. I don’t really understand it. If you are negative or trace doesn’t this mean you are not in lipolysis and therefore not losing fat (confusing)?

[Note: Calories and Carbs were actually less than reported, because you selected Baked Potato Skins instead of Baked Potato. Also, protein was too high, and fat was too low. To reduce blood sugar numbers, better to eat more fat, than more protein. Cutting out the egg with lunch and melting butter on the salmon might have been a better choice.

Ketostix have nothing to do with whether or not you are in lipolysis. You are in lipolysis in the absence of insulin, and the proof is not on the stix, but on your measuring tape. If you are losing inches on waist and/or hips, you are burning stored adipose fat. And the only way to do this is through lipolysis. All this can take place without ever showing more than trace or negative on the stix for many reasons. You can be very ketone adapted, in which case there are no extra ketones to spill out with your urine. Or you can drink a lot of liquids during the day, which dilutes the ketones so they don’t show up on the stix.

Getting your blood sugars down is the key to lipolysis, and thus fat and weight loss. What will help to do that? Keep protein to the minimum, and eat all your fat. And, if that still doesn’t do it, it may be time to think about a medication that will help — metformin. It’s not a sign of defeat to admit that your metabolism needs medical help to heal — that’s a sign of strength.]

Stage Four, Week 2, Day 4

Weight: 162.6 = up 1.2 pound

Breakfast:
coffee
1 oz. half/half

Lunch:
2 eggs fried

Dinner:
5 oz. baked salmon
3.5 oz. baked potato
1.25 T. butter
2 oz. sour cream

FitDay stats:
Calories: 754
Fat: 49.5 grams (59%)
Protein: 51.2 grams (27%)
Carbs: 25.9 grams (14%)

Ketostix: Negative (Negative, Trace, Small, Moderate, High)

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 106
– 1-hour PP (after lunch): 95
– 2-hour PP (after dinner): 105

I gained some water weight this morning do to the fact I went out with my teaching partner after receiving some devastating news about our jobs for next year (we will be laid off after 9 years in our district due to enrollment and state budget cuts). I had chips with salsa and 2 margaritas. Did it make me feel better doing this, at the time yes, today NO.

I will be out-of-town on Friday and Saturday, so I will not be posting again until Sunday. I plan on packing a cooler full of food to take with me into the Convention Center where I will be all day and late into the night both days. The only opportunity for eating will be to buy food from the vendors (not an option for me). I will snack on cheese, eggs, and maybe a little bread with lots of butter. Wish me luck on my Sunday weigh-in when I will be back to pick up where I left off.

I am going to keep my chin up about my employment status and I will not let it send me into a health disaster. You are all wonderful and I know I can find support from all of you. Until Sunday, everyone have a fabulous weekend. Angie~

[Note: Angie, I am so sorry to hear about your losing your job! After working so long at something you love, hearing the news must have been devastating. I hope the school board will find the money to call you and your friend back but if not, I just know the two of you will land on your feet. Maybe start your own business. 🙂

You know you have the support of everyone here … so let us know if there’s any way we can help. Enjoy the convention, and good for you for packing your own Good Eats!]

Stage Four, Week 3, Day 1

Weight: 165 = Up 2.4 pounds

Measurements:

Bust: 36″ = 0 change
Waist: 35.5″ = 0 change
Hips: 39″ = down 1″

Breakfast:
Coffee
1 oz. heavy cream
3 pieces bacon

Lunch:
Large salad: 2 cups lettuce, 6 slices cucumber, broccoli, and cauliflower
.5 oz. sour cream
2.5 oz. salmon

Dinner:
2.5 oz. salmon
3.5 oz. baked potato
1 T. butter
.5 oz. sour cream

FitDay stats:
Calories: 747
Fat: 49.8 grams (60%)
Protein: 50.8 grams (27%)
Carbs: 23.8 grams (13%)

Ketostix: Negative (Negative, Trace, Small, Moderate, High)

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 90
1-hour PP (after lunch): 105
2-hour PP (after lunch): 97

It felt really good today to be back eating normal food. I am going to work really hard this week to get myself back where I need to be. I did not ever feel hungry today. I just felt really cruddy. I was tired and had a headache. I am sure my body is doing some major detoxing.

Weight: 163.2 = Down 1.8 pounds

Breakfast:
Coffee
1 oz. heavy cream

Lunch:
Large salad: 2 cups lettuce, 6 slices cucumber, broccoli, and cauliflower
1 egg hard-boiled

Dinner:
3.5 oz. lean ground beef
1 oz. cheddar cheese
1.5 oz. tomato
1 oz. sour cream
1 oz. olives
LaTortilla Factory Low Carb Tortilla

FitDay stats:
Calories: 784
Fat: 54.8 grams (63%)
Protein: 48.5 grams (25%)
Carbs: 24.2 grams (12%)

Ketostix: Negative (Negative, Trace, Small, Moderate, High)

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 96
1-hour PP (after lunch): 102
2-hour PP (after lunch): 86

Down 1.8 thank goodness. Felt good today and hoping to be back to 161 by the end of the week so next week I can be back to losing weight and not trying to catch up from gains. I think I can be there by this weekend. I am hoping I get to do one more week before maintenance, but have not heard what is next for the experiment.

Stage Four, Week 2, Day 2

Weight: 163.2 = down 0 pounds

Breakfast: Coffee with 1 oz. heavy cream

Lunch:
2.4 oz. beef sirloin
3.5 oz. potato
.5 oz. cheese
mixed green salad
1.5 T. oil/vinegar
.5 T. butter
.5 oz. sour cream

Dinner:  3 oz. chicken breast

FitDay stats:
Calories: 747
Fat: 49.2 grams (59%)
Protein: 52.6 grams (28%)
Carbs: 23.5 grams (13%)

Ketostix: Negative (Negative, Trace, Small, Moderate, High)

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 106
1-hour PP (after lunch): 95
2-hour PP (after lunch): 92

Today I was really hungry in the morning. It was hard for me to make it to lunch and the coffee was not doing the trick. I also felt a bit hungry around 2:00. I have not had much hunger throughout the experience so it was rather unpleasant.

I had been feeling annoyed lately with spending the time getting my food counts and stats every day. It is time-consuming. I kept thinking: I hope I don’t have to do this in maintenance because I don’t want to have to do this the rest of my life.

After a great conversation with a friend I came to realize that I am worth the time and energy to weigh and measure and see what I’m really eating. And my family deserves to have me at my optimal health. If I had cancer and had to eat certain food in certain amounts as well as going to chemo I would do it without question, so why can’t I do this without getting annoyed or tired of it? I am worth it!

[Note: First, the hunger issue. If you are hungry in the morning, eat! Have a small  piece of cheese with your coffee.

Second, one of the reasons you’re hungry is that you’re not eating enough food. From here on out, please have at least one large helping of green veggies with each meal. A salad for lunch or dinner is fine, as is broccoli, greens (like beet, chard, kale, collard, etc), asparagus, cabbage (roasted with garlic butter poured over it is fabulous), green beans, etc. One of the greatest ways to eat veggies is in a stir-fry: lots of veggies and a little (but delicious) protein! Look for sauces that add flavor but no sugar, like garlic chilli, sold in most supermarkets. A teaspoon of soy sauce every once in a while is fine because it’s usually made with fermented soy beans, which unlike the stuff normally sold here, is healthy to eat.

Second, if you are getting such a high fasting glucose number again after eating another Low Carb Tortilla (or any other food, like that Chipotle Dressing) — it has hidden sugar. Toss. Always better to eat a real food instead of a fake food where possible anyway. If you want a tortilla, have half a regular one rather than the soy-filled stuff that’s usually in the low carb foods.

Third, the largest size potato you can eat (by weight, before cooking) is 2 ounces. That’s a small potato. A 100 gram potato is large … as big as a 3.5 ounce steak.

Fourth: Ixnay on the Ickenchay Estbray. 🙂 NO MORE CHICKEN BREASTS. Eat real meat that will provide you with real nutrients: Red meat. Pork, including bacon. Eggs, eggs and more eggs. Poached with hollandaise. Hard-boiled mashed with mayo and sour cream, or deviled. Scrambled with cream and cheese. Bacon on the side.

And of course, wonderful organ meat like chicken, duck and calves liver — either by themselves in cream sauce, or in pates. And fatty fish, like salmon in butter. If you must have poultry, duck breasts with the skin is the best, followed by chicken thighs with the skin on. Go forth — eat good. And yes, you’re worth it! :)]

Stage 4, Week 2, Day 3

Weight: 162 = Down 1.2 pounds

Breakfast:
Coffee with 1 oz. heavy cream

Lunch:
Salad greens with broccoli and cucumber slices
1.5 T. vinegar & oil dressing
2 eggs hard-boiled

Snack:
3 oz. chicken thigh (skin eaten)

Dinner:
3.5 oz. sirloin steak
2 oz. baked potato
.5 oz. sour cream
6 stalks asparagus sautéed in butter

FitDay stats:
Calories: 745
Fat: 53.9 grams (65%)
Protein: 51.8 grams (28%)
Carbs: 13.2 grams (7%)

Ketostix: Negative (Negative, Trace, Small, Moderate, High)

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 101
1-hour PP (after lunch): 97
2-hour PP (after lunch): 89

I was so excited to wake up with a 1.2 loss. I have almost made it back to Pre-Mother’s Day. I felt really good today-no hunger at all. Really great day today.

[Note: Woo-hoo! Fantastic, Angie. 🙂 One quick note: please take your PP’s after the meal that contains starch carbs like potatoes; the results will be more accurately reflective of your insulin resistance.]

Stage 4, Week 3, Day 5 – Friday, May 20, 2011 — No Report.

Stage 4, Week 3, Day 6 – May 21

Weight: 162 = No Loss

Breakfast:
coffee with 1 oz. half and half

Lunch:
3 eggs scrambled w/butter
.5 oz. cheese

Dinner:
3 oz. chicken breast
1/2 cup pasta salad w/oil-vinegar
6 stalks asparagus

Ketostix: Negative

Blood Glucose: none taken

Fit Day Stats:
Calories: 762
Fat: 51 grams (60%)
Protein: 52.7 grams (28%)
Carbs: 23.1 grams (12%)

I did not post yesterday because I was on the run all day. I ate exactly what I ate on Thursday except I changed lunch for dinner. I felt good today just tired from such a crazy day yesterday.

I really would like to see the scale move out of the 160′s. I have been on this experiment for 3 weeks now and I have not really lost any weight. I know I had Mother’s Day, a day where I had some chips and 2 margaritas, and two days at a conference, but I really thought I would see a lot better weight losses by now. It is frustrating to say the least.

[Note: Angie, I truly understand the frustration! You have been on Stage Four for three weeks, yet have not completed one full week with no: dairy creamers, tortillas, salad dressing with sugar, chips, holidays, margaritas, eating foods at conferences, or a day of overeating fat, or protein or carbs, and yes, without any chicken breasts. Nor a full week with good blood sugar control. And when you are as insulin resistant as you are, it takes your body days — not a day — to recover from even a single instance of these!

As was noted in the Experiment Overview Thread,  to the extent that you are insulin resistant, is the extent to which any diet will or will not work for you. This is why you struggled with such hunger when you were on HCG. And this is why, as we’ve discussed, it’s looking more and more like food alone will not be able to reverse what is a serious metabolic breakdown and make your cells insulin sensitive again. I’m glad you’re seeing your doctor this week for a check-up, and I hope you walk out of the office with a script for metformin. It may take a month for it to start to work, but when it does the weight and fat will start to seriously drop again.]

Stage Four, Week 3, Day 7 — May 22

Angie is on hiatus until after she sees her doctor in the next week or two. Please stay posted!