HCG Diet - VLCD #35 - Ready for P3

Today is my VLCD #35 – I can't believe it's been already 35 days of my HCG Diet. Time really flies and so far I'm really happy with the results, with how HCG made me feel through the whole weight loss process.

In the past few days I had very small traces of Ketosis and I thought I would stop with the injections doubting the potency of my HCG solution, but no hunger, no weakness, no cravings, having lots of water convinced me to continue with HCG another couple of days or so, I think till I actually have solution to do the injections, I also noticed that the Ketones are less visible in my urine when I drink lots and lots of water before bed, which can make sense…I think.

So today I was between small and just traces of Ketosis, I'm not that hungry but I cannot be 100% sure that is not due to my long diet journey. I do feel ready for P3 though, I'm good with my weight as per today, sure I need to lose more but I'm ok on stabilizing what I've achieved so far. Most of my dresses now fit comfortably, not all maybe but enough to make me feel good about myself.

P3 will be a challenge I already know, it will be mostly about calories because I won't be any more under the easy directions of Dr. Simeons for 500 Calories and clear and concise meal plans. I'm thinking to continue with P2 food and just increase the protein dosage, maybe a bit more vegetables here and there, but without going crazy of course. I'm finding so easy prepping my meals for the next day, it takes me 2 minutes and I enjoy my spinach chicken salad as never before, I'm even loving my breakfast orange in the morning, which is odd for me that I never been a fan of oranges.  

In the morning – with my HCG injection – I'm also doing a 30IU B12 injection, in a different spot with a smaller insulin syringe. B12 is something I learned with the Dr. Bernstein Diet and, after lots of researches I came to the conclusion that it's good for energy and to keep the fat moving, how much? I don't know, but it's a water-soluble Vitamin so drinking plenty of water will eliminate it anyway with no harm for my body.

When my P2 officially ends I will be for 72 hours still on the VLCD, but no HCG injections. I'm not worried about the 72hrs I have to say, I already experienced no-HCG effects for a couple of days during my period and I was ok, maybe some cravings but those come all the times, I'm taking L-Glutamine to compensate a bit, it doesn't do miracles obviously but somehow placebo-effect or not, it helps. The most important thing for me is that my binge episodes are not going to come not now or never. I want to end up feeling normal of not eating sweets or fatty junk food and not forcing myself not to do it.

This can only be achieved with time, the body needs to adjust on this new food intake lifestyle, if that makes sense, everything would become normal, reality, not privations, no frustrations on desiring what I cannot have.

Dr. Bernstein Strict Diet and weight-loss-stabilization

What I learned from my experience with the Dr. Bernstein Diet is that it's missing an important aspect of losing weight and maintaining it, something that I would call stabilization of body weight.

I now strongly believe that any changes that I ask my body to go through: will need a time to settle.

What I believe is wrong in the Dr. Bernstein Diet is losing lots of weight without breaks along the path and a drastic jump into a maintenance program that allows us to eat way too many vegetables.

I have experienced a perfect weight loss to suddenly see a weight gain, powerless (due also to my Binge Eating Disorder ok).

What I think is a better approach to a strict Diet is that I need to give time to my body to stabilize the new weight, I should stay on a Diet not more than 4 weeks for instance (which for a Dr. Bernstein program 4 weeks is a lot of time and a lot of pounds), after 4 weeks I believe my body needs to settle for good into the new scale number – stabilize that weight, being comfortable. To do so I'd suggest to go over a sort of Maintenance Program, that might require still strict portion controls but just enough to have the body weight remaining on the same weight (with an approximation of more less 2 pounds) for at least 2 weeks. So, for at least 2 weeks, your weight must not change, in this way the body will become attuned to the new number and you could ensure you're not going to gain back everything you've lost so far. To clarify more in details this requirement I'd need to highlight that the weight must have a span of at least 2 weeks, in which does not change; swinging is a change, even if at the end of the 2 weeks the weight is exactly how it started. I must not see any drastic weight changes for the entire settle-period.

I learned this process reading and watching tutorials regarding the hCG Diet. This hormone-based strict Diet teaches patients to go over a very restrictive food protocol for just few weeks and then stop the hCG injections working on stabilizing the new weight, allowing so the body to settle. It's clear to me now that we're habits-animals, even my weight it is, so if I don't let my body adjust to it, forcing to accept my new me, it will go back exactly where it was.

To give a stupid example: when I first learned English, I had to think before creating a sentence, and then speak. Now that I'm fluent I just speak, without thinking. During this process I noticed that my brain was simply creating sentences in my native language, because that was what I always did for all previous years of my life. I did know how to speak; I just needed to let my brain accept a new automatic alternative way to speak. So let your body accept the new changes before moving forward, or you might ended up gaining back all the pounds you've lost with so many sacrifices.

Another reason why I do believe is not advisable engaging in a long term Dr. Bernstein strict Diet is for the side effects. If you put your body into starvation for months, naturally it will activate a surviving system control, resulting in hair loss, dizziness, weakness, eating disorder, and everything related to malnutrition.

After losing 20 pounds with Dr. Bernstein Diet, during maintenance, I found myself gaining weight with just an extra apple. It's very common for strict diets. The rule calories-intake vs calories-burned does not apply whatsoever for unknown (to me at least) reasons. Which I know it sucks!

So, if you're going through the journey of a very strict diet – whatever it is – be aware that maintaining your lost weight is the toughest part, losing weight is easy; not let your body going back to where it was is the real war.