3 Days and 7 lbs

Today is my third day of HCG + VLCD and I am down exactly 7lbs.  Talk about FAST.

I feel like crap... week, shaky, tired, headaches... only one other person I know who has done this protocol has had the same experience.  Everyone else is all "whaaaaaat, I feel fine!".  Not so for me, I barely have the energy to climb the stairs in my house.

That said, my friend who experienced similar yucky feeling said it passed in about a week each time she did the protocol.  I'm praying I don't have to do a second round... I'm not sure I could handle this part again!

By dinner time yesterday I was feeling pretty okay.  Come this morning though, I was back to barely being able to drag myself out of bed.  The weight loss is encouraging me to push through... but man, I really wanted a bowl of Cheerios this morning. 

Today's 500 calorie plan:

Breakfast- 4 strawberries sliced and sprinkled with stevia, Melba Toast
Lunch- 1 egg + 2 egg whites (only a rare protein choice on HCG), cucumber w/ salt
PM Snack- sliced apple (if I'm feeling really crazy, I'll sprinkle it with stevia and cinnamon)
Dinner- 100g shrimp, cabbage, chicken broth, Melba Toast (The cabbage/chicken soup last night filled me up and I felt satisfied, so we will go with the same cooked with shrimp).

I could be shooting myself in the foot with the choice of eggs for protein at lunch. I haven't heard anyone who has had eggs, the protocol says they should be a rare choice if used due to the high fat content of the yolk.

My Nourishing Breakfast

I'm finding that a good protein packed breakfast is better at carrying me through the day sans hunger and cravings.

My breakfasts of choice has been:

1 whole wheat english muffin + 2 tsp REAL pasture butter
1 egg from uncaged hens

or

1/2 cup oats
7 chopped almonds
local, raw, honey
2-3 TBS heavy cream

I'm convinced that the use of real, healthy fats (butter, whole milk, coconut oil, grassfed meat, free range eggs) is going a long way toward staving off my former cravings.

I still have to check in with my hunger frequently... asking myself, am I really hungry or is this emotional hunger?  Usually I can decide pretty quickly by paying attention to my body (belly growling? shaky?) and thinking about what's going on right now that might prompt me to want to eat (bored? sleepy? stressed?). 

Another thing I've found helpful is dish size... I use saucer size plates instead of the big dinner plates and the smaller cereal bowls (kids bowls, actually).  This way, my dishes are helping to control my portions.

I'm changing my whole relationship with food and eating.  I'm learning why I eat the way I do and how to make the change to a healthier eating lifestyle.

I am still enjoying one cup of my sweet flavored coffee each morning... I know those 160 calories/6grams of fat will serve me better in a more nourishing food but I haven't been able to let go, yet.  Starting tomorrow, I'm going down to half the sweet cream and I'll keep reducing it til I'm only enjoying coffee on rare occasions.