HCG Experiment #1: NewMe

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 NewMe’s Thread

Introduction:

I am a 52-year-old female who at 5’6″ has been struggling with weight since I was twelve. The first memory I have of being fat was when I went to visit my mom’s cousin in New York. She took my sister and I out to buy Easter dresses and I couldn’t fit into anything in the Girls department and had to get a dress from the Misses department. I didn’t feel fat then but within a year, it was obvious that I had gained about thirty pounds.

From the age of sixteen I was always trying some new diet. I have tried a number of very low-calorie diets beginning with the “Liquid Protein Diet” which was popular around 1976. I drank two tablespoons of this horrible tasting liquid 3 or 4 times a day and quickly dropped twenty pounds, only to gain it right back. I have done Weight Watchers multiple times, becoming a leader at one point. I tried Jenny Craig numerous times, Nutrisystem a couple of times, and even did Optifast, where I was the most successful, dropping forty-five pounds in twelve weeks. Once again, within six months I was twenty pounds heavier than when I started.

After a failed attempt at lap band surgery I decided to just do the “diet and exercise” routine. I lost twenty pounds but put it back on again within the year. Last Christmas I told a friend that I felt like a puffed up beach ball and could roll around if only my legs were wheels. I felt completely hopeless, then suddenly I heard about HCG. I researched it and realized that the sister of good friend in high school had done this and was still slender today after having four children!

I gave it a try and was sold! I lost forty pounds in 66 days during Round One. I then read this blog and realized I needed to find out more about what actually goes on inside my own body. I have many indicators that point to the potential for diabetes including a parent with Type 2 diabetes, was over thirty-years-old when I had my kids (one weighed more than ten pounds when born), and on top of everything else, I was obese.

So here I sit ready to give this experiment to find out if HCG really works a go. I have already learned so much and hope to be able to maintain a proper weight for the rest of my life. My LIW was 183.8 and for the past six weeks I’ve been maintaining my weight at between 181 and 184 pounds using some of the principles of eating daily fat and reduced starches/carbs.

Cheers!

NewMe

LAB TESTS Taken 4/13
Leptin, Serum — 22.9 ng/mL
Free T4 — 1.0 ng/dL
Reverse T3 — 208 pg/mL
Free T3 — 3.5 pg/mL
Fasting Insulin — 11.8 uIU/mL
Ferritin — 85 ng/mL

Glucose Meter readings for a few days of April
Fasting — 1 hr PP — 2 hr PP
…. 72 ………….. 97 ……………. 84
…. 80 …………. 92 ……………. 88
…. 78 ………….. 118 …………… 92
…. 76 …………. 107 …………… 97

The over-one-hundred readings were when I ate dried fruit and had a McDonald’s yogurt parfait with fruit.

Experiment, Stage One, Day 1

Weight: 180.6 pounds
Measurements:  Bust: 43.5 — Waist: 38.5 — Hips: 39

Breakfast:
–Coffee with ½ and ½ 2 cups (1 oz cream)
– Almonds 10

Lunch:
–Extra Lean Ground Beef — 3 oz
–Zucchini — 1 cup

Dinner:
– Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast 3 oz
–15 Grape Tomatoes

Snack:
–4 prunes, dried no additives

Fitday stats:

– Calories [Corrected]: 640
– Fat: 30.7 grams (43%)
– Protein: 54.3 grams (34%)
– Carbs: 38.3 grams (24%)

Ketostix: Trace

Blood Glucose:

– Fasting: 84
– 1-hour PP (after dinner): 121
– 2-hour PP (after dinner): 88

Day 1 of the HCG experiment went well. I just started back up for round 2 of the hcg protocol using prescription injections but am having a difficult time giving up my fats. I felt a bit of afternoon hunger today and have been taking hcg since last Friday, so I expect it to kick in over the next 24 hours to eliminate hunger as happened on round 1. I am following a modified Simeon’s plan which is consists of anywhere from 500 to 700 calories per day with a small amount of fat and dairy allowed. In addition, I mix vegetable and have a wider variety of fruits and vegetables than the original protocol. I do not eat any starchy vegetables though. I feel alert, healthy and have lots of energy.

Experiment, Stage One, Day 2

Weight: 179 pounds = down 1.6 pounds

Breakfast:
– Coffee with cream, 2 cups

Lunch:
–Chicken breast, 3.5oz
–Salsa, ¼ cup

Dinner:
–chicken sausage 1 2/3 links
–cucumber, 1 large

Snack:
–Fage 0% greek yogurt, 4 oz
–blue cheese dressing, 1 tsp
–almonds, 5

Fitday stats:
– Calories: 583
– Fat: 28.2 grams (43%)
– Protein: 63 grams (44%)
– Carbs: 19.3 grams (13%)

Ketostix: Trace

Blood Glucose:
– Fasting: 87
– 1-hour PP (after lunch): 87
– 2-hour PP (after lunch): 114**

Finally feel like I’m in the swing of it. I am so happy to lose another 1.6 pounds today. Still had a tiny bit of late afternoon hunger but having a snack at that time helps immensely with getting me through the evening. I am finding myself gravitating toward the fats (almonds, dressing) instead of the fruits. It feels like my cravings are changing after using fats so well on the last 6 weeks of my stabilization plan. I hope the weight loss can handle the fats, I’m a bit nervous about this.

[**Question for NewMe: a 2-hr PP that goes up instead of (properly) down, is not good. Was there any sugar in the salsa? If so, toss and don’t eat again.]

Stage one, Day 3

Weight: 178 = down 1 pound

Breakfast:
— Coffee with 1 oz half and half
— Blackberries

Lunch:
–Chicken breast, 3 oz
— Asparagus, 6 stalks

Dinner:
–Extra Lean ground beef 3 oz
–Cucumber, 1 large
–Apple, 1 small

Fitday stats:
— Calories: 560
— Fat: 25.5 grams (41%)
— Protein: 52.3 grams (37%)
— Carbs: 30.3 grams (22%)

Ketostix: Trace

Blood Glucose:
— Fasting: 81
— 1-hour PP (after dinner): 102
— 2-hour PP (after dinner: 91

Felt good today. No hunger. Lots of energy. Enjoying watching the scale go down daily again.

Stage One, Day 4

Weight: 176.8 = down 1.2 pounds

Measurements:
Bust, Day 1: 43.5 — Bust, Day 4: 41.75 = 1.75″ loss
Waist, Day 1: 38.5 — Waist, Day 4: 37.5 = 1″ loss
Hips, Day 1: 39 — Hips, Day 4: 38 = 1″ loss

Breakfast:
– Coffee with 1 oz half and half

Lunch:
–Fage 0% fat yogurt, 8 oz
–Blackberries, 1 cup

Dinner:
–Tri tip lean steak, 3.5 oz
–Cucumber, 1 med

Snack:
–Cucumber 1 med

Fitday stats:
– Calories: 536
– Fat: 18.9 grams (32%)
– Protein: 58.4 grams (43%)
– Carbs: 33 grams (25%)

Ketostix: Small

Blood Glucose:
– Fasting: 72
– 1-hour PP (after lunch): 119
– 2-hour PP (after lunch): 91

Had no hunger at all today. I felt better than ever and had loads of energy. Got a lot done and am sleeping well. Hot flashes are pretty much gone.

——————————

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: 175.8 = down 1 pound

Breakfast:
–Coffee, 2 cups with 1oz fat-free half and half
–Fage 0% fat yogurt, ½ cup

Lunch:
– 2 oz chicken breast
– 1/2 cup mango sorbet
– Gummy Bunnies 2

Dinner:
– 3 oz chicken breast
– coffee with 1 tsp fat-free half and half

Fitday stats:

– Calories: 475
– Fat: 11.1 grams (21%)
– Protein: 55 grams (46%)
– Carbs: 38.7 grams (33%)

Ketostix: Trace

Blood Glucose:
Co– Fasting: 87
– 1-hour PP (after lunch): 127
– 2-hour PP (after lunch): 91

Interesting: A bit hungrier than usual today. Was hungry right away after my morning coffee, which never happens. Had ½ cup Fage 0% fat yogurt, which helped for about 2 hours. Was hungry again at 11am – had lunch – really not liking the small amount of “sugar” food you get for the calories – but admit it tasted great!

Blood sugar check was the highest yet with those 2 gummy bunnies. Chicken helped but I was trying to space my food out today because I quickly realized that I won’t get much for the extra 250 non-protein/sugar calories that we are allowed. I had nothing but 3 oz of chicken breast and a cup of coffee for dinner just to make sure I got in enough protein…not the way I like to eat. Will have to see about the hunger later tonight – will report on that tomorrow. Felt good other than early hunger.

*Note – it was at the same point in round 1 of HCG that I needed to adjust my dose downward due to hunger. This could have some impact on the discussion as to whether it is the make up of diet that causes hunger or the need to adjust the dose as my hunger was stronger in the morning versus later in the day when diet would have played into it more. I found on round 1 that I was rarely hungry and the two times I was, a dose adjustment was all that was needed. Very happy with my losses this week.

Stage Two, Day 2

Weight: 175.6 = Down .2 pound

Breakfast:
– Coffee with 1 Tablespoon fat-free half and half

Lunch:
– chicken 3.5 oz

Dinner:
– chicken 3.5 oz

Snack:
– Junior Mints 23 pieces (243 cal)

Fitday stats:
– Calories: 500
– Fat: 14.7 grams (27%)
– Protein: 41.1 grams (33%)
– Carbs: 50.4 grams (40%)

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

Blood Glucose:
– Fasting: 94
– 1-hour PP (after Jr. Mints): 167 WOW!
– 2-hour PP (after Jr. Mints): 85

Hungry this morning – and was hungry last night. Really missed my evening cucumber snack! Down .2 pounds but this is certainly not a fun way to lose weight. I decided to have all my sugar calories at once to see what happens to my blood sugar. First, I felt really sick within about an hour of eating this – I had a headache; felt my heart was beating a bit faster, and very nauseous. I had to drink water just to try to feel better. I ate this about 4 p.m. and am still paying for now after dinner at 7 p.m.. I feel so tired – just want to go to bed.

I’m drinking a big bottle of water to try to get rid of this and can’t quite figure out why I feel this way if my glucose monitor shows normal blood sugar reading. Once I had my morning coffee, I had no hunger throughout the day. Felt great until the darn Jr. Mints. Would like to move onto Stage 3 ASAP.

Stage Two, Day 3

Weight: 175.2 = Down .4 pound

Breakfast:
– Coffee with fat-free half and half

Lunch:
– Chicken breast 3.5 oz
– Mango Sorbet ½ cup

Dinner:
– Chicken breast 3.5 oz
– 140 Cal snack bar low-fat choc chip

Fitday stats:

– Calories: 497
– Fat: 12.8 grams (23%)
– Carbs: 51.8 grams (42%)
– Protein: 43.4 grams (35%)

Ketostix: Trace

Blood Glucose:

– Fasting: 84
– 1-hour PP (after lunch): 103
– 2-hour PP (after lunch): 91

Woke with no hunger this morning. Was surprised to see the scale go down – not sure about why I am continuing to lose but this is pretty standard for my pattern on HCG. Had no hunger last night, which I didn’t expect. I did drink lots of water trying to get that sugar out of my system. If I learn nothing else from this experiment, I have learned how too much sugar is awful for me! Also, don’t eat sugar alone on an empty stomach. I decided to replace the candy and go back to the sorbet today. I didn’t have much movement on my glucose meter after this and I feel good today – no hunger, no headache or stomach ache. Stage 3 – here I come.

Stage Three, Day 1

Weight: 175.2 = down  0 pounds

Breakfast:
– Coffee with half and half

Lunch:
– Chicken Breast 3.5 oz
– Strawberries 5 large
– Cucumber 1 large, peeled

Dinner:
– Chicken Breast 3.5 oz
– Apple (small)

Snack:
–Cucumber 1 large, peeled

Fitday stats:

– Calories: 491
– Fat: 15.3 grams (28%)
– Protein: 47.9 grams (39%)
– Carbs: 40.4 grams (33%)

Ketostix: Trace

Blood Glucose:

– Fasting: 84
– 1-hour PP (after lunch): 94
– 2-hour PP (after lunch): 90

No hunger today. Surprised that I didn’t lose but I guess in comparison to Round 1, this would be typical for me as my week 1 losses were good without loading this time. First day that glucose meter didn’t show a jump after eating “sweet” carbs – wonder if eating the fruit with protein is the cause?

Stage Three, Day 2

Weight: 176.4 = up 1.2 pounds

Breakfast:
– Coffee with half and half

Lunch:
– Chicken Breast 3.5 oz
– Apple 1 large

Dinner:
– Chicken Breast 3.5 oz
– Cucumber 1 large
– Strawberries 6 med

Snack:
– Asparagus stalks 8 med

Fitday stats:

– Calories: 500
– Fat: 15.1 grams (27%)
– Protein: 46.6 grams (37%)
– Carbs: 44.2 grams (36%)

Ketostix: Trace

Blood Glucose:

– Fasting: 94
– 1-hour PP (after lunch): 117
– 2-hour PP (after lunch): 84

Gain today? Followed Simeon’s exactly yesterday. Am I having a delayed reaction to all the sugar I consumed over the weekend? No hunger until 4 p.m. – had asparagus then. Felt hungry again for dinner but once I ate dinner – fine for the evening. I adjusted my HCG down this afternoon. Looking forward to Stage 4 as I really miss the fat I was able to eat during P3/P4. If Stage 4 works for me as far as losing in a similar way to Simeon’s Protocol, I think I will be very happy.

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

Weight: 176.4 = down 0 pounds

Measurements:
B : 41.75”
W: 37.5”
H : 38”

Breakfast:
– Coffee with half and half

Lunch:
– Chicken Breast, 4 oz
– Avocado, 2 T
– Cucumber, 1 small, peeled
– Blue cheese dressing, 2 T

Dinner:
–Filet Mignon, 3 oz
– Chicken Breast, 1 oz
– Greens with goat cheese 1oz
– 1/2 slice 100% whole wheat bread (160 cal per slice)

Fitday stats:

– Calories: 771
– Fat: 51.3 grams (59%)
– Protein: 56.9 grams (31%)
– Carbs: 19.6 grams (10%)

Ketostix: Trace

Blood Glucose:

– Fasting: 76
– 1-hour PP (after lunch): 101
– 2-hour PP (after lunch): 94

Interesting day. Thought I would have lost but did have a very late night last with work (as in three and a half hours sleep!) I woke with no hunger – had lowered my hcg dose yesterday and seemed to work. No HCG allowed today. Felt a bit like eating around 11 a.m. (lunch) but didn’t eat it all. Finished lunch about two hours later and was not the least hungry at dinner. Actually had to force myself to eat dinner tonight. It just seems like so much more food for some reason and I am completely full. Now lets see if I can lose weight eating like this! Would be nice….

Stage Four, Day 2

Weight: 176 = Down .4 pound

Breakfast:
– Coffee with half and half
– Cheddar cheese. .5 oz

Lunch:
– cheddar cheese, 1 oz
– Blue cheese dressing, 1T
– Cucumber, 1 small, peeled and sliced

Dinner:
– Chicken Breast, 2 oz
– Avocado, 1 small

Snack:
–Fage 2% yogurt – 6oz [NOTE: To be healthy, all dairy should be FULL FAT]

Fitday stats:

– Calories: 727
– Fat: 50.9 grams (63%)
– Protein: 45 grams (25%)
– Carbs: 22.2 grams (12%)

Ketostix: Trace

Blood Glucose:

– Fasting: 82
– 1-hour PP (after lunch): 88
– 2-hour PP (after lunch): 84

A tad hungry about 10 a.m. – had a bit of cheddar cheese. Lunch about noon. Blood sugars much more stable than ever after lunch. Small amount of hunger 4 p..m – had the Fage. Dinner at 6:30 p.m. Feeling full and satisfied – hope I see a loss tomorrow. Blood sugars barely moved. Just doesn’t feel like I will be able to lose weight on this – it is very close to how I managed P3/P4 but I was eating about 1800 cal per day on that. I see I need to get more protein – will add an egg white or two if hungry later.

Stage Four, Day 3

Weight: 175.6 = Down .4 pound

Breakfast:
– Coffee with half and half
–cheddar cheese, .5 oz

Lunch:
– 2 eggs plus 1 egg white
– 1 oz half and half
– 1/4 cup tomatillo salsa (cucumbers/tomatillo)
– cheddar cheese, .5 oz grated over top of scramble

Dinner:
– Rib eye steak, 4 oz
– asparagus, 5 spears
– potato, ½ small red w/ 1 tsp butter

Snack:
– 1/2 large cucumber with ½ tablespoon of blue cheese dressing

Fitday stats:
– Calories: 788
– Fat: 52 grams (59%)
– Protein: 56.6 grams (29%)
– Carbs: 23.3 grams (12%)

Ketostix: Negative

Blood Glucose:
– Fasting: 82
– 1-hour PP (after lunch): 90
– 2-hour PP (after lunch): 78

Well, if I can lose weight eating like this: I’m sold. No hunger and no cravings. I don’t even think about food unless I’m planning on Fitday. Blood sugars are very stable again today.

My only question is: Why is my Ketostix showing negative? First time in 4 months that it hasn’t shown “trace” (except when stabilizing). Does this mean I’m not burning fat? I guess I’m a bit fuzzy on the whole “body using ketones” explanation.

[Answer: First, you only show ketones when you have excess spilling into your urine. Two things can easily affect this: Either you are drinking a lot of fluids and thus diluting the ketones, which often happens — or your body has become more efficient (as it will do over time) in utilizing them all for fuel. The degree to which you show ketones on the stix does NOT correlate to whether or not you are burning fat for fuel and burning excess fat. Your meter and your scale/measuring tape will show that. I’ve been eating the OD for years, and hardly ever show more than trace unless I suddenly really up my fat and really lower my carb percentages as I have this week for Stage Four. Day 2 I showed 40, but I’m now back to 15 and expect I’ll be back to trace shortly. But I’ve lost both weight and inches this week — as have you. 🙂 Look at your gorgeous glucose readings!]

Only hunger is late at night – last night had a very thin smidge of cheddar cheese and then hungry again at lunch today – but this was mealtime hunger not the aggressive “I’m going crazy hunger”. Weight loss is not what I saw on week 1 of Round 2 (last week) with HCG, BUT I am now comparing this week to week 2/round 1 on HCG and the numbers so far are working.

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 4

Weight: 173.8 = Down 1.8 pounds

Breakfast:
– Coffee with half and half

Lunch:
– Almonds, 1 oz
– Blue cheese dressing, 1 T
– Cucumber 1 small, peeled
– Roast beef, 2 oz

Dinner:
– Omelet – 2 whole eggs/3 egg whites
– Butter,  1 tsp
– Whole wheat bread – 1 slice small

Fitday stats:
– Calories: 740
– Fat: 50.8 grams (62%)
– Protein: 48.7 grams (26%)
– Carbs: 21.9 grams (12%)

Ketostix: Negative

Blood Glucose:
– Fasting: 76
– 1-hour PP (after lunch): 111
– 2-hour PP (after lunch): 91

Really happy this morning when I weighed and found a 1.8-pound drop! I felt like I was retaining water yesterday (ring was tight). I just drank Perrier water last night and had no hunger so I didn’t need my nibble of cheese. What I did wrong today was wait way too long to eat. I had my coffee as usual but decided to run errands and didn’t get to the grocery store until 2:30 p.m.

I grabbed a can of almonds and didn’t realize until I tested glucose an hour later – the fourth ingredient in them is SUGAR!!! (hence the 111 reading). This is interesting because after I unloaded the groceries (before the glucose test) I was feeling a bit “funny” – like I hadn’t had enough water to drink or my pulse was slightly elevated. This is exactly how I feel when I have overdone on sugar in the past. Lesson learned big time. The rest of lunch would have been fine but I better figure out a way to have good food available when I’m on the run.

Stage Four, Week 2, Day 1

Weight: 173.2 = down .4 + .2 from yesterday.

Measurements:
Bust: 41.75” = 0 inches change
Waist: 37.25” = down .25”
Hips: 37” = down 1”

Breakfast:
4 cups Coffee with half and half, 2 oz

Lunch:
Tuna with 1 T mayo
1 oz cubed cheddar cheese
½ large cucumber
1.5 T Blue Cheese Dressing

Dinner:
2 oz meatloaf
3 oz potato
1 tsp butter

Fitday stats:

– Calories: 730
– Fat: 50.7 grams (63%)
– Protein: 47.5 grams (26%)
– Carbs: 20.9 grams (11%)

Ketostix: Trace

Blood Glucose:

– Fasting: 87
– 1-hour PP (after lunch): 93
– 2-hour PP (after lunch): 91

No hunger last night and none this morning with having extra coffee. Happy about losing again today (side note: Down .2 yesterday too).

Mother’s Day was more of challenge than I thought as mom had a strawberry Boston Crème cake for dessert – I passed but WOW did it call to me! Tells me that I will most likely never be “over” sugar foods and will have to pay attention for the rest of my life.

Today went well overall – definitely enjoy the no hunger plus being able to eat fats and still lose. Having a difficult time getting enough protein grams. This balance is harder than it looks.

Very surprised at the inches lost. I am an apple shape so the stomach and chest are the last to go! Also was down 1/2 inch in left thigh.

[Note: you may be getting even less protein than you think if the tuna you ate was canned. To get an accurate measure you need to drain it completely, then weigh what’s left. How many ounces of tuna did you actually eat? Also, if you need to add extra protein, an egg or two is perfect. You could have chopped a hard-boiled egg into your tuna, plus an extra white if needed. And you can always add an extra egg to meatloaf!]

Stage Four, Week 2, Day 2

Weight: 173.2 = down 0 pounds

Breakfast:
3 cups Coffee with half and half, 2 oz
1 oz mozzarella cheese

Lunch:
2 Eggs, scrambled
1 oz cubed cheddar cheese
1 large cucumber, sliced peeled

Dinner:
1.5 links chicken sausage
2 oz sweet potato
1 T blue cheese dressing
½ Cup broccoli

Fitday stats:

– Calories: 752
– Fat: 50.0 grams (60%)
– Protein: 56.2 grams (30%)
– Carbs: 19.3 grams (10%)

Ketostix: Trace to Small

Blood Glucose:

– Fasting: 84
– 1 hour PP (after lunch): 97
– 2 hour PP (after lunch): 95

No hunger except AM after a 3 mile walk with a friend. Had an ounce of cheese with coffee. Then no hunger all day. Was surprised that I hadn’t gained this morning as my fingers felt really puffy! Ring was tight and it has been feeling loose lately. Must have been the meatloaf I had yesterday causing water retention. Starting to get the protein part figured out. The eggs are also working well. Just plugging along….

Experiment Stage Four, Week 2, Day 3

Weight: 172.8 = Down  .4 pound

Breakfast:
Coffee with half and half
Mozzarella cheese, .5 oz

Lunch:
1 egg plus 1 egg white scrambled
.5 oz mozzarella cheese grated on top
Cucumber 1 large
Blue Cheese dressing 1 T

Dinner:
Chicken sausage 1.5 links
Blue cheese dressing, 1 T
Cucumber 1 large, peeled

Snack: Almonds, 20

Fitday stats:

– Calories: 771
– Fat: 53.4 grams (62%)
– Protein: 60.4 grams (32%)
– Carbs: 12.2 grams (6%)

Ketostix: Trace

Blood Glucose:

– Fasting: 82
– 1-hour PP (after lunch): 87
– 2-hour PP (after lunch): 84

No hunger this morning and glad to see a drop. I could still feel my ring slightly tight so I know there is still some water there but this is good. I have lost 3.6 pounds in the last week and lost 3.2 pounds in week 2 of round 1 on HCG so this is all good in my book. If I can continue to match my losses with HCG – there is no reason to go back on. My daughter arrived home from college last night and wants to join me to drop some weight she picked up from a foot injury this spring. Had some hunger this afternoon so I had the almonds. This got me to dinner, which I just finished and feel full now.

Stage Four, Week 2, Day 5 5/12/11

Weight: 173 = up .2 pound

Breakfast:
– 2 cups Coffee, with 1 oz half and half

Lunch:
– 2 eggs plus 1 egg white
– Blue cheese dressing, 1 T
– Broccoli 1 cup raw

Dinner:
– Rib eye steak 5 oz
– Garlic mashed potato ¼ cup
– 1 large cucumber sliced

Snack:
– 5 almonds

Fitday stats:

– Calories: 756
– Fat: 52.8 grams (63%)
– Protein: 58.5 grams (31%)
– Carbs: 11.7 grams (6%)

Ketostix: Small

Blood Glucose:

– Fasting: 73
– 1-hour PP (after lunch): 95
– 2-hour PP (after lunch): 90

Not really hungry today at all. Finally Ketostix showed something other than negative or trace, I did eat fewer veggies yesterday (and today). Was up .2 this morning and this is interesting because today is the first day all week that my ring wasn’t tight so I thought for sure I would have a loss. Hopefully tomorrow.

[Note: This is the second day in a row that your carb count is half what it should be — and you are eating too little fat for that. Your brain needs glucose, especially at night. Not much, but some. If you don’t provide it via food, it will make glucose from your protein and when you’re insulin resistant, this is the very thing you want to avoid. I know it sounds counter-intuitive, especially when you are retaining water, but you really do need that balance. Please eat the full amount of carbohydrates every day; 1/2 cup of those potatoes (sounds yummy) would have done it for today.]

Experiment Stage Four, Week 2, Day 4 5/13/2011

Weight: 172.4 = Down .8 pound

Breakfast: Coffee with half and half

Lunch:
Chicken thighs, 2
Blue cheese dressing, 2 T
2 cups romaine lettuce

Dinner:
1 large slice Mexican Pizza thin crust – 2 types of cheese, sausage, tomatoes, olives and jalapenos.

Snack: Almonds 5

Fitday stats:

– Calories: 783
– Fat: 52.6 grams (61%)
– Protein: 45.2 grams (23%)
– Carbs: 32.1 grams (16%)

Ketostix: Trace

Blood Glucose:

– Fasting: 92
– 1-hour PP (after lunch): 87
– 2-hour PP (after lunch): 84

Happy to be down today. No hunger all day. Caved when daughter brought home a Mexican Pizza from one of the best places in town BUT only had 1 piece (unheard of for me!). It was delicious but sent my carbs over the top. Feel full and satiated. May have to pay for it tomorrow.

Is it possible to have all my carbs at one meal? I mean saving them up for dinner? We have some upcoming events and want to plan ahead. If I do this how will it affect the whole blood sugar regulation? Will I still be able to burn fat or is it considered “on hold” that day?

[Note: Whether or not you can eat all your carbs at one meal without affecting either your PP blood glucose numbers or the following morning’s FBG number depends on — you. Can your body eat those many carbs at a single sitting without spiking insulin? I suspect the answer will depend on exactly what those carbs are (eating 25 grams of lettuce — several pounds worth, if you could eat that much — would be different than eating 25 grams of a candy bar), and what you eat the carbs with. Protein? Fat? And how much of each. Either way … do the “experiment” and let your meter give you the answer.]

Stage Four, Week 2 Day 6 — Saturday 5/14/11

Weight: 172.8 = up .4 pound

Breakfast: 1 cup Coffee with .5 oz of half and half

Lunch: Chicken sausage, 1 link

Dinner:
Sole, 3 oz
Lemon Butter sauce, 2 T
Butter, 1 tsp
Broccoli, 1 cup
Dry white wine, two 5 oz glasses
Bread, 1 small slice

Fitday stats:

– Calories: 659 + (185 calories not accounted for on Fitday due to wine?)
– Fat: 40.2 grams (55%)
– Protein: 44.3 grams (27%)
– Carbs: 28.9 grams (18%)

Ketostix: Trace

Blood Glucose:

– Fasting: 72
– 1-hour PP (after dinner): 87
– 2-hour PP (after dinner): 82

No hunger today. Had a busy day – gone for 10 hours. Ate a chicken sausage just to prevent extreme hunger right before I left. It worked well and made it until the formal dinner at 5. So nice to go out to dinner and not order everything dry with no sauce/no butter. No evening hunger.

Stage Four, Week 2 Day 7 Sunday 5/15/2011

Weight: 172.8 = down 0 pounds

Breakfast:
1 cup Coffee with ½ oz of half and half
Chicken sausage 1.5 links

Lunch:
Chicken thighs, 2
Cucumber, 1 large

Dinner:
Shrimp Creole
Sweet potato fries, 5
Lettuce, 1 cup
Blue Cheese Dressing, 1 T

Fitday stats:

– Calories: 820
– Fat: 51.5 grams (57%)
– Protein: 59.1 grams (29%)
– Carbs: 30 grams (15%)

Ketostix: Negative

Blood Glucose:

– Fasting: 82
– 1-hour PP (after lunch): 84
– 2-hour PP (after lunch): 82

No hunger today. Fingers feel puffy – no weight loss today after a gain yesterday.
I think overdoing the carbs is not a great idea. Actually looking forward to starting maintenance tomorrow.

Start of Maintenance —  5/16/2011

Weight: 173 = up .2 pound

Bust: 41.75” = same
Waist: 37.25”=  same
Hips: 37” = same

Meter Averages:

7 day: 91
14 day: 92
30 day: 94

This is the beginning of the maintenance phase where we learn how to eat to our meter AND maintain our weight. I do believe in this theory as I watched my diabetic mother do this and go from taking about 12 different meds per day down to 2 for high blood pressure by using her meter.

A bit disappointed that I didn’t lose any inches this week but I have been struggling with water retention up and down all week so I think my body is trying make adjustments. I have lost almost a total of 50 pounds since January and I know it is a lot to ask a body. I did 6 weeks of stabilizing after losing 38 pounds between January and March and had no problem maintaining that – I am hoping this stabilization goes just as well.

Maintenance, End of Week 1 — 5/23/2011

Weight: 174 = up 1 pound (ate out the night before weigh in)

Bust: 41.75” = same
Waist: 37” = -.25”
Hips: 37” = same
Thigh: 20″ = -.25”

Blood Glucose:

7 day average: 87 = -4 points
14 day average: 88 = -4 points
30 day average: 93 = -1 point

Maintenance has been going well. I have had a bit of a struggle trying to be “creative” with my menu and seem to get stuck in ruts pretty easily. I find that I am concentrating on trying to fit my menus into a certain number of grams and this is causing me to be less flexible. I will be spending this coming week trying to break out of this habit, as this is most likely the quickest way to failure. This is how I have always “dieted” as in All or Nothing Thinking instead of trying to find a balance and eat like a real person.

The good news this week is that I am losing inches, which shows that I am still burning fat. I feel full almost all of the time and will be enjoying my food more once I can get over the fact that I don’t need to eat Kale daily to get enough leafy greens and I can explore other options. My blood glucose readings are greatly improved this week and already showing consistently lower numbers.

Excited to be able to add berries this week – hope my numbers still stay good.

Maintenance for NewMe, Start Week 3, Monday 5/30

Weight: 173 = down 1 pound

Bust: 41.5” = down .25”
Waist: 36.5” = down .5”
Hips: 36.5” = down .5”

Meter Averages:

7 day: 85 = down 2 points
14 day: 87 = down 1 point
30 day: 92 = down 1 point

Was very surprised at my measurements this morning! I have not felt like I have been losing at all, although my daughter remarked that my new jeans are baggy in the rear. I did go shopping for another pair of new jeans but didn’t buy. I’m now a standard size 10, down from an 18 originally.

Maintenance is getting a bit easier and I’m finding foods that I enjoy (no more kale!!)

Fitday is getting easier but still not my favorite. I am finding putting the food into the custom food setting to be much more helpful. I am pretty much never hungry. I was able to add fruit (strawberries) twice this week, that I ate with heavy cream whipped with a bit of vanilla stevia. My blood sugars remained very stable; only rising to 100 after 1-hour, then dropping back down at the 2-hour reading.

My only complaint is that sometimes I feel a bit sluggish and lack the energy I had on a diet with less fat. Any suggestions to help with this would be welcome. I am also struggling a bit with cravings but I’m thinking that is coming more from “old ghosts” rearing their ugly head in regards to simple carbs. I have had a pretty stressful week this week which doesn’t help but I know I can’t go back to eating that way.

[Note: First, congratulations on a great week! You not only lost another pound while on Maintenance, but you lost a huge amount of fat as well. That’s fantastic. And look at your blood sugar readings — they prove you are now healing your metabolism, and becoming more insulin sensitive. When you lose another 1.5 pounds you will have lost a full 5% of your body weight, and you will have done it without hunger, sub-starvation calorie levels, or by pumping a dangerous (to non-pregnant women) hormone into your body. More importantly, you will have proved that you can easily maintain that weight loss while also revving up your metabolism again (as evidenced by your adipose fat loss). Well done, you! 🙂

As for feeling sluggish, there’s no way it can be the fat, unless you’re eating something other than animal fat. In fact, short-chain fats like butter and coconut oil actually speed up your metabolism, but more importantly, are handled differently than other fats in the body: they’re converted into instant energy — and a lot of it.

On the other hand, excess protein can definitely have that effect. And the wrong kind of carbs — for you — is the likely cause of the cravings. It might also contribute to the sluggishness, since your body is no longer making the enzyme you need to process sugar.

But of course, I have no way of knowing, because your data is not in FitDay (you mentioned that it was somehow ‘erased’ after you saved it; hopefully FitDay support will help prevent this in the future) and I don’t know what you actually ate this week.

This coming week you can add the chocolate (the kind and amount in your instructions), and eliminate the fruit. Enjoy and have another great week!]

Maintenance for NewMe, End Week 3, Monday 6/5

Weight: 172.5 = down .5 pound

Measurements:

Bust: 41.25” = same
Waist: 36” = down .5”
Hips: 36.25” = down .25”

Meter Averages:

7 day: 83 = down 2 points
14 day: 86 = down 1 point
30 day: 90 = down 2 points

My body has been changing, that is for sure. My weight hasn’t changed too much but at a social function yesterday, I had three people come up and ask how much more weight I have lost. I can see changes in my face in addition to my body. My jeans are quite loose now and getting ready to buy more new jeans.

I have no hunger at all unless it has been too long between meals. I added a square of Lindt 85% chocolate twice this week and saw a small increase in my glucose meter and then back down after 2 hours, which is good news. The Lindt is very satisfying and doesn’t set off cravings like I was afraid it might. My overall blood sugars keep dropping slowly, which is also good news.

I have also discovered that if I pre-plan my days in fitday, maintenance is so much easier. I just check out what my plan for the day is and I know what to have. This also makes grocery shopping easier as I can compile my grocery list this way as well. The sluggish feeling I had last week has gone and my energy level is great.

[Note: What a great week you had, from losing more fat to lowering your blood sugars!

One purpose of this experiment was to prove you could lose pounds and inches as quickly on my protocol (while eating more food, and healthier food) than on Simeons’ protocol and HCG. All the participants except one have proven this.

But the main purpose of the experiment was to prove that by losing the weight on my protocol, you would simultaneously begin to heal the broken metabolism that made you fat to begin with. The proof of that would lie in maintenance. Could you eat a lot of good, healthy, fat-filled calories for weeks on end and not gain back the lost weight or inches? Could you even lose more inches while eating this way? Again, all the maintenance participants have proven this to be true. Thank you, NewMe, for helping to demonstrate this so clearly. :)]

Maintenance for NewMe, End Week 4 — 6/13

Weight: 172 = down .5 pound

Measurements:
Bust: 41” = down .25″
Waist: 35.75” = down .25”
Hips: 36.25” = same

Meter Averages:

7 day: 81 = down 2 points
14 day: 85 = down 1 point
30 day: 89 = down 1 point

I am comfortable with the maintenance plan now. I found that having a number of days preplanned in fitday works well. I am able to just rotate the menus after printing them and keep them in a folder in the kitchen. Makes meal prep and planning very easy.

I have continued with the Lindt squares twice a week and have even added in a fruit on a different day. I am finding that as long as I keep careful watch, my body responds well to the addition of sugars especially if I add fat to the sugars when I eat them.

According to my meter, my blood sugars have been stable and continue to drop slowly. My energy level is very good and I have added an extra day of hill walking to my current exercise program.

For the first time in my life, I am able to control my weight. I feel like I am in complete control of managing my weight and that feels really good.

Maintenance for NewMe, End Week 5, 6/20

 

Weight: 172 = same  [despite eating tens of thousands of extra calories throughout maintenance I continued to lose weight AND inches]

 

Measurements:

Bust: 41” = same
Waist: 35.50” = down .25”
Hips: 36.25” = same

 

Meter Averages:

 

7 day: 80 = down 1 points
14 day: 84 = down 1 point
30 day: 88 = down 1 point

 

I haven’t really changed much from last week. Maintenance is comfortable now. Keeping the menus handy in the kitchen has been extremely helpful and keeps me on track with eating. I don’t have any hunger and cravings are far and few between which is so nice.

My glucose readings are continuing to improve and I just received my new clothes that I had ordered (size 8 jeans!)

Energy level is very good. I am finding that for the first time in my life – I am comfortable in my body. I would like to lose another twenty pounds but am not in a huge hurry to get it off.

Due to personal issues at home and my inability to keep up with the experiment requirements, this will be my last post. Thank you, Sugarfree, for creating this protocol and for all your help and support throughout the process.