Well, we made it back safe from our week in Vegas. Five days is a pretty long time to stay there, especially with a child, but I have to give a thumbs-up to Vegas being kid-friendly. We were busy every day while John did his real estate and pokering. We travelled home on Friday amidst tsunami warnings due to the tragic earthquake in Japan. Luckily our flights to and out of San Fran were not affected at all, and we were ALL happy to be home :-)
On the night of my birthday (53rd) Caleb's mom Melissa texted me, "So do you feel any older?" I handed my cell to John and had him snap a pic, then texted it back to her and replied, "Do I look any older?"
I wanted to post the picture and share here with you today about my recent weight loss.
One day back in October I walked in to the salon to get my hair done and more than half of the (chubby) hairdressers were ALL abuzz about "I've lost 11 pounds in 7 days!" and "I've lost 15 pounds in 2 weeks!". Hey! What in the world were they all doing to get those results and how could I get in on it? Turns out hcg had found it's way to Eureka. Within two days I was 'on the drops' and shortly thereafter I was being amazed at the weight dropping off. My cupboard was full of every "lose weight quick!" pill that Costco had ever sold. My cookbook shelf was half full of Weight Watchers, South Beach, Atkins, Zone, Perricone, you name it. I had finally gotten to the point where (for me) WW was the only thing that worked, but seriously; I'd count every point and write down every bite only to lose 3 pounds in a month. Then gain it all back during one meal that I 'let loose'. SO disheartening. I had finally resigned myself to being chubby. I told myself, "You had your day. For crying out loud you're a grandma in her 50s!" When my regular hairdresser was gone not long ago and one of Kate's friends did my hair instead the girl said, "So Kate tells me you were quite the looker in your day!" I know she was just trying to be nice but I thought that was probably the closest thing to a compliment I was ever going to get again.
Not anymore! This week I started on a final 6 week round of drops. I believe at the end of this round I will be at my goal weight (a 30 to 35 pound loss) and at that time I'll post before and after pics a la The Biggest Loser (yeah. Not pretty. I had Caleb take the before pics 'cause I looked so awful but I know he loves me no matter what. You'll see soon enough).
I don't watch or read much news but I'm hearing that hcg is getting a bad rap in the media. If I were a conspiracy theorist (which I think I actually may be), I'd have to ask,"What is in it for corporate America if we are to slim down and get healthy?" I think we are much more manageable, easier to control, if we are just fat and unconsciously shoveling junk foods down our traps while parked in front of the tv, don't you? Besides, "New weight loss method deemed unsafe by doctors! News at ten!" is so much more salacious, right? If you've only been hearing negative as well, read on to hear the positive truth, or at least my viewpoint.
- hcg does not have to be taken by injection. Everyone I know and many I read about on blogs and chatboards use homeopathic drops (under the tongue, 3 to 6 times a day).
- hcg does not make you lose weight. Eating only 500 calories a day makes you lose weight.
- "Yeah, who wouldn't lose weight only eating 500 calories a day!?" Um, when's the last time you tried surviving on that, without wanting to eat the arm off the first toddler that crossed your path? hcg inhibits your appetite. Many people claim they actually have a hard time eating all their food every day (never a problem for me).
- The appetite suppressant part of the drops is not speed or any other drug.
- hcg does not eat away at your muscles, as is conventional thinking around rapid weight loss. It targets the extra, non essential flab and fat that hangs around your gut, arms, thighs, butt. Your body just eats that stuff up like Ms Pacman. Traditionally when a person loses a lot of weight fast they look gaunt and often if they had a big ass before, they still do. My experience, and that of everyone else I've seen in person and in pictures, is a complete head to toe slimming. With a happy 'glow' about their face by the way.
- "Well, you're just going to put all the weight back on once you're off the drops." Yep, if you go back to eating a bunch of sugar and flour and processed crap foods, you are definitely going to put weight back on. NO MATTER HOW YOU LOST IT IN THE FIRST PLACE.
- Some say the hcg drops just give a placebo effect. That they can't possibly be doing all that is claimed. COOL! After all my failures and having nearly given up, to look this good and still be losing weight and feeling better than ever; I say "bring on the placebo effect!"
- "There's so many 'scams' out there. How can you possibly know where to buy 'the good stuff'." Well, ask someone you know who is having success (like me) and I'm sure they'd happily point you in a good direction.
I'll hop off the soapbox for now. Just wanted to put this out there for my overweight friends who may also have given up. I. Want. You. To. FEEL. Better. I believe I posted here a couple months ago that the way I'll be eating the rest of my life is Primal or Paleo (meats, veggies, fruits, nuts, full fats, good oils, limited dairy. NO sugar or grains.)The hcg protocol has been the perfect segue into that way of eating. I just couldn't be happier about it all. If you want more info and links to good message boards leave a comment here and I'll email you privately. THERE IS HOPE! For everyone. And it comes in $40 bottle. With absolutely no known side effects. Miracles can happen.
Changing your life, being conscious of what you eat, is hard..I'll admit. But being fat is hard, too. Pick your hard.
