I'm back!!! And on day 30!!! 10 more to go :) I got a little discouraged because I wasn't losing as fast as I was hoping but my friend wisely told me "you can't expect to lose a full lb every day!!" which is true. I would like to lose a full lb everyday and when you are eating so little I feel like its not a crazy request! But I have been trying to be thankful for the .3's and .2's.... losing is losing I suppose! The apple day did work, I went down a full lb! But the next day I was back to a loss of .2... Total I am now down 17.1. Yes I'd like for it to be more but 17 lb's in 30 days is still pretty good.

Heres another problem... I used lotion. and conditioner. and cooking spray. and ate dinner out (chicken and lettuce... yum. ha!) Just typing that sentence makes me roll my eyes b/c it seems crazy that those things listed could slow down or halt weight loss when you ARE ONLY EATING 500 CALORIES. But none the less it is against the diet, even if it doesn't make sense in my head (or in any nutrition book for that matter). There is some science with HCG and the oils used in those products that my sister can try to explain to you. So I have now changed to baby oil and oil free moisturizer. I have eaten out one other time but just had to accept the fact that I may not have as good of a loss (it was for mothers day, my mom is worth it :)).

Heres to 10 more days (and the rest of my life)! It will be worth it and if you are on this road with me YOU CAN DO IT!!! Fight past the frustrations and temptations. Look forward to finally feeling confident in your body (though you should be confident in your self either way... it would be nice to physically be confident, knowing I am healthy and making healthy choices for my body!)

Sorry for the silence. I became a single working mother of 3 overnight as I babysat for a family for four days/nights. Needless to say I was tired and didn't have much time for anything other than keeping my life together and 3 kids alive. BUT I have also been a little discouraged with the diet which also made me shy away from blogging about it. Yesterday was my 2 week mark and I was down 13.4.  You might think "13.4 in 2 weeks thats pretty good" and essentially it is BUT I lost 10 of those pounds the first week. This means that I have had 7 days of losing .2, .3, and even today I didn't even lose an ounce!!!!!!!! People ask if I'm cheating- NO, are you using salt? I wish!! are you drinking your water? YES my pee is clear as can be. So I feel like I am just doomed to me overweight. Even if I was eating salt and not drinking a zillion ounces of water, I AM ONLY EATING 500 CALORIES!!! Isn't there some science or something that says you have to lose weight if thats all you eat!?! Calories in calories out?!?! I talked to my sister and she encouraged me to stick with it. She said to do an apple day. This means one day you eat 5-6 apples and drink your water and thats eat. Apples are my favorite thing to eat on this diet so I thought I'd at least give it a shot. I tried upping my water (drank a full gallon!!) and my weight didn't budge. So 5 apples it is. If this doesn't work I think I am going to donate my body to some science lab so they can figure out what the deal is!!!! If you are doing HCG I hope you are being successful b/c diets like this hard are really hard to stick to if its not coming off. But don't give up. Stick with it. It will be worth it!!!!

One Week Down!

HCG Day 8

This weekend was pretty busy so I wasn't able to post but not a whole lot has changed. I have now officially stuck to the diet for a week and have seen my weight go down! I am so thankful this is a quick working diet where you get to see continuous results! This was my first weekend on the diet. Weekends are hard. I went out to eat before prom to a kind of nice restaurant and ordered a plate of lettuce... then I added the home cooked grilled chicken I had smuggled in my purse. It was a little embarrassing but you gotta do what ya gotta do. Even if you order grilled chicken dry at a restaurant it could be so high in sodium and I don't always trust that they don't add butter or something on it.  Plus you can't weight it. Better just to make it yourself so you know! Then I met my family Sunday at Logans to celebrate my wonderful moms bday. Most of my family lives on a diet but my brother in law, niece and nephew were blessed with metabolism soooo we always get appetizers. I didn't touch the rolls, peanuts or appetizers and I didn't order a meal. Not fun, but worth it. Its a little easier with my sister sitting right next to me. I have no doubt she would chop my hand off if I were to even come close to a roll.

MENU:

Breakfast
Unsweet Ice Tea with 2 Stevia packets

Lunch
Lettuce
Grilled chicken
2 Melba rounds
Apple
Mustard

Dinner
Lettuce
Grilled chicken
2 Melba rounds
Apple

Heres a little preview of what my meals look like!

(YES I EAT THE SAME THING FOR LUNCH AND DINNER EVERY DAY... BLAH.)

WEIGHT
Since last post I am down 3.8
Total 10.4

10 lbs in one week! I'll take it!! I don't feel thinner or think I look thinner yet but I know I am headed in the right direction :) After 1 week update pics...

Who Wants to Go Out to Dinner?!

HCG Day 5

So before this diet I ate dinner out A LOT. For me its a social thing. I am single so I can meet friends for dinner and its much more enjoyable (and will most likely taste better) than if I just ate alone at home. Not being able to eat out has already been kind of hard. Maybe more inconvenient than hard. People are used to me always being up for going out and it gets old having to explain why I can't go and having to deal with the "you're on ANOTHER diet" response. Again, its my fault, I dug the hole. Tomorrow night I am chaperoning prom and some of my coworkers and I are going out to eat before at a nice restaurant since we will be dressed up. I will order an unsweet tea and no food. I will need to make sure I eat before. This part is a pain but it wasn't healthy eating dinner out as much as I was plus you pretty much have no shot at losing weight if you eat out so I'd say its a good habit to break if I don't want to gain the weight back! It will be worth it.

MENU:

Breakfast
Unsweet Ice Tea with 2 Stevia packets

Lunch
Lettuce
Grilled chicken
2 Melba rounds
Apple
Mustard

Dinner
Lettuce
Grilled chicken
2 Melba rounds
Apple
Mustard

WEIGHT
- 2.7
- 6.6 total

Excited to see that number keep going down. If you are reading this and doing HCG- you can do it!!! It will all be worth it in the end!!!

The Headaches are Real!

HCG Day 4

Today was a good day other than this ginormous, annoying, painful headache I have had ALLLLL day!! I have taken Advil twice and it just won't go away. I asked my friend who did HGC last month and she said she remembered having a headache the first week or so. Ugh. I hate headaches. Headaches and teaching high school students do not mix well. BUT it is my fault... as my sister put it I was an "aspartameaholic." And that I was.  In addition to the aspartame withdraw, the caffeine in that one cup of tea I drink in the morning just doesn't do justice for the insane amount of caffeine intake I used to have on a daily basis. That life is behind me. Water water water it is. It will be worth it.

MENU:

Breakfast
Unsweet Ice Tea with 2 Stevia packets

Lunch
Lettuce
Grilled chicken
2 Melba rounds
Apple
Mustard

Dinner
Lettuce
Grilled chicken
2 Melba rounds
Apple
Mustard

WEIGHT
Down 3.9

Losing weight that quick makes this easier to stick to!

First Day of 500 Cals in the books!

HCG Day 3

Today was the first day of eating 500 calories and it was hard. I thought since my weight was so high I would just hit the ground running. The eating part wasn't too bad because you are just in that mind set that you can only have the limited items. But its just an adjustment. Also, I watch my friends daughter every Wednesday during my planning period at school. She pays me with McDonalds diet cokes because I won't take money (and that is the true way to my heart). Well I forgot to tell her I wasn't drinking it and in came that beautiful cup of wonders. With a breaking heart I had to march it right upstairs and give it to my coworker. But I survived and drank my water. It will be worth it.

MENU:

Breakfast
Unsweet Ice Tea with 2 Stevia packets

Lunch
Lettuce
Grilled chicken
2 Melba rounds
Apple
Mustard
(I make it in to a salad- lettuce, shredded chicken, and a dab of mustard as the dressing)

Dinner
Lettuce
Grilled chicken
2 Melba rounds
Apple
Mustard

and lots and lots of water!!!!

WEIGHT
up .1

So total during my 2 gorge days I gained 2 lbs. This is on the low end which is probably a result of the past 4 weeks of eating bad. But I am thankful! Less to lose!!!

All Gorging Must Come to an End...

HCG Day 2

Today was the final day of gorging and I took full advantage. Though the food was yummy I am most sad about saying goodbye to diet coke. I don't drink coffee or many other things for matter and there are few things that make me as happy as a large diet coke from McDonalds (in a styrofoam cup). I don't see any negative effects of diet coke so its a hard thing for me to stop because I don't see it as the god awful drink that many make it out to be.  I know its not as beneficial as water BUT water is the first ingredient so I have managed to justify my impressive daily intake. I can see my sister rolling her eyes as my justification. But I just love diet coke. I am a true addict. Time to break that addiction. I can do it... and I need to make myself want to do it. But want to or not the diet coke and all other food has been removed from the fridge, given away or trashed. The space has been replaced with a weeks worth of containers containing 100 grams (precooked weight) of chicken (already cooked and portioned), lettuce and apples- all organic of course. My lunch is packed. The bottles of water are ready. We got this. 38 days to go.

MENU:

Pizza/Breadsticks
Cheeseburger sliders
Fries
Cheesecake
Reeses egg
Lots of diet coke...LOTS

WEIGHT:
Up 2.1

Again, I feel gross after eating all of those things but I think that helps you get motivated to eating healthy. I am craving clean, healthy food. Hoping that craving will last more than a day :) Goodbye gorge days, hope you never come back for the rest of my life!

Every Dieters Dream..

HCG Day 1:

The first 2 days of the HCG diet are referred to as “gorge days.” Yes that is correct, you get to start this diet stuffing your face with whatever you want. WHATEVER you want! Not only do you get to, you have to! Your body needs this extra fat and calorie intake for the days ahead. I can’t tell you the last time I bought a candy bar or ordered dessert after a meal but these two days you bet I will. I will eat fries, candy, all those items that I have banned from my diet.  And that is what I did today. I ate.

MENU:

Fried pickles

Cheeseburger wrap

Fries

Lemon square (thanks mom!)

Pizza

Cheese sticks

Ice cream

LOTS AND LOTS of Diet Coke (I am an extreme addict. It will be what I miss most)

You would think I was lovin’ life today but in reality I feel a little sick. When I weighed this morning I was the highest I had been in years and the last thing I wanted to do was add to that number. Im not saying I didn’t love the taste of everything and yes I enjoyed eating it without the normal guilt that comes when I indulge… but in reality I have been traveling for 3 weeks which for me means eating whatever I’ve wanted for 3 weeks… (oops, wonder why I keep gaining weight ;)) But I know it is important for future success so the bad eating will continue tomorrow before I say goodbye to diet coke all foods I love. Might as well try to enjoy it while I can. 

This is the part that is the hardest for me... Before pics... yuck. I know how to pose to make myself appear thinner. I am rarely on the end of group pictures so I can hide my arms. I know how to angle the camera to hide the double chin. But not for these. Here I am in all my glory. No sucking in, no good angling.  If the scale wasn't motivation this morning, these pics will do the job! Please excuse the messy hair... I was on a train til 3am. I can still make excuses for my hair right? 

So Here's the Plan...

How am I going to begin this vulnerable weight loss journey to feeling good in shorts and a tank top, to not having to beg to be in the middle of group pictures so people can’t see my arms, the journey to no more excuses you ask? Well I am going to start with a diet that if followed correctly promises to get the weight off quicker than most. It is just a jump-start to get you going in hopes of it bringing the motivation you need for the true hard part- maintaining a healthy weight for the rest of your life. Overwhelming? Yes. Worth it? Absolutely. I will be doing the HCG diet for the first 40 days of this journey. If you haven’t heard of it check out http://www.hcgplan.net/  If you are anything like me, you work better under a strict plan, where you don’t have many choices (ie you promise yourself you are going to get a salad and “I'll take chicken fingers and fries, please" magically comes out of your mouth when you order). This is HCG. You eat 500 calories a day and your choices are limited. VERY limited. People that stick to the diet exactly have lost up to 40 pounds in 40 days (my dad is one of those people…  I have seen success with my own eyes… he went on to lose 40 more after phase 2 of the diet).  If at any point you are interested in doing the HCG diet and live in or near Lousiville KY check out my sisters Med Spa http://www.splendidskin.com/  They continue to see results in their clients and will help you see the same. They are great J

So for the next 40 days I am going to tell you what I ate and drank, the weight I lost, and take a daily picture so the results can also been seen. And I will probably throw in a little venting about the fight to finally feel good in my skin! After those 40 days we will continue on to the next phase of the journey! But lets just take this one day at a time…

Let the Journey Begin...

Hello. My name is Donielle and I am an addict. Im not addicted to drugs, never touched them in my life. I am not addicted to alcohol, never even been drunk. My addiction of choice you ask? Diets. Diet pills. Excuses. Junk Food. Eating out. I could go on.  Weight watchers? Tried it. South Beach? Adkins? Full liquid? Counting calories? Done done and done. I’ve tried them all. Seriously try me… name a diet, I can tell you all about it. I have failed. I have succeeded. BUT no matter the result at the time I always end up finding a way to gain the weight back. It has yet to become a transforming lifestyle. If you are reading this you should know up front, I love Jesus. A lot. He is what gives me life, he is what has stopped me from ever having an eating disorder, He is why I know I am enough no matter what weight I am. But he is also why I have this conviction to over come this constant battle. I am over it. I am over making excuses. I am over the yo-yo dieting.  People have said “Jesus made you and He doesn’t make mistakes.” I agree with this statement to an extent. It has brought comfort over the years but it can also cause someone like me to let themselves go. Yes you are God’s creation, you are “fearfully and wonderfully made” the problem is God didn’t make me overweight, he didn’t make me eat things that are not healthy for my body, he didn’t make me eat way more cookies than I should. I did that. Yes, God created this incredible, intricate body but I was the one that made it fat and essentially unhealthy.  It is not glorifying to God to see food and weight and body image in the way I do. This has been my struggle since I was in 3^rd grade. I am sick of it. I am tired, worn out and over it. Its time to stop the pity party, stop the excuses and do something about it. Not something temporary. Not just another diet.  I need to have a brain change. My thoughts must change, my mind must change, my way of life must change. My goals may seem simple: Glorify God with my body, be healthy, be confident, be in it for the long haul.  Simple is the last word I would use to describe those goals. For 32 years I have battled failing at these goals. I have attempted an embarrassing amount of times but I am over it. No more excuses. I have never blogged and honestly don’t really love to read or write blogs. But my hope is that this blog will show real, raw day to day life of my journey to no more excuses, my journey to not letting Satan use this struggle to ruin days, ruin confidence, make me doubt my worth and distract me from who God wants me to be. This is my journey of NO. MORE. EXCUSES.

I hope this blog will help keep me accountable and committed to this journey but also give you hope and encouragement if you can relate to these timely battles. We can do it!