Several months ago I decided that by my 30th birthday I wanted to be 80 lbs lighter. Is it an impossible goal? Well, seeing as I decided upon this goal before my 29th birthday, I didn't think so. 80 lbs in a year? Yeah, I can do that. So, the quest is on!
When I weighed myself on August 8, 2010 the scale shocked and scared me. I thought about bumping my 80 lb goal up to 100 lbs. When I saw "276" I wanted to cry. 276? How can that be possible? I'm healthy. I don't look like the contestants on "The Biggest Loser" and some of them weigh less than me! How can this be possible? It was the shock that I needed to start me on my pursuit of 80 by 30.
I've honestly tried a few different diets up to this point, and I think I'm on my third one. I decided that when I hit a plateau I'm not just going to get frustrated and quit. I'll switch diets so I can keep losing. I had started in the spring to read about eating for my particular blood type and had been incorporating those "rules" into my daily eating habits. I could honestly tell that I felt better when I stayed away from gluten and dairy products. This was making sense. I was working out a few times a week, eating better, and feeling good! In August I decided to add on the FDA approved weight-loss drug Ali. I was already eating a fairly low fat diet, so I didn't think this would be a challenge for me. It wasn't. By September 8, 2010 I was down 15 lbs already!
Toward the end of September my friend Jill told me about something some of the girls she worked with were doing. The hCG diet. She asked me if I would be interested in going to the clinic with her to find out more information. I did a little bit of research on my own prior to the clinic and of course read some good things, some bad things, and some things that made me question whether this was the right decision for me. I decided to go to the clinic.
At the clinic were people just like me - about 12 of us. All of us were overweight and had been struggling to take off the pounds. We listened while Lynn and Amber explained the diet to us. First is the detox week, then 3 days of eating high fat foods all day long. WHAT?!?! Wait. Hold on. I'm supposed to eat high fat foods ALL DAY LONG for 3 DAYS?? I had cut my diet back to being really low fat - it seemed counter-productive to eat high fatty foods for three days straight. Okay... well... I'll listen to the rest of this and see how it works. After the 3 "loading days" you go into your "Very Low Calorie Days" and by "very low calorie" they're not kidding. 500 calories a day. Yeah. What? How is that even healthy? How am I supposed to workout when I'm only eating 500 calories per day? Well, you're not. I asked. After 40 days (or 34 lbs - whichever comes first) you're able to jump up to 1500 calories a day but no sugars or starches. That seems reasonable. I can do that. But still. This 500 calories a day thing? I don't know...
There were all sorts of other rules too: no lotions, hair conditioners or other oils; if you're taking hormones - including birth control - you should stop... I asked about my IUD and was told "Well, you do what you need to do." What does that mean? I'm not going to have it taken out, so whatever. Jill and I kept looking back and forth at each other and saying "Is this really something we should do?" At the end of the clinic when everyone was going into the other room to purchase their detox and hCG drops I pulled Jill aside and said, "I think we need to pray about this." So we did. And we both decided we would give this a try. We know God wants us to be healthy and we want to be able to serve Him as best as we can. We know that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit and we want to make that temple healthier so we can serve God better.
I've made it through almost 3 weeks on the "Very Low Calorie" days. I'll be honest. I've cheated. I've had pizza. I've had a few pieces of candy corn. I've had chinese. But I keep getting back on track. My weight this morning? 248.4. Since I started the hCG diet, I'm down nearly 15 lbs. Since I started 80 by 30 I'm down almost 30 lbs.
I've been posting pictures of foods I'm making and little recipes on Facebook and I've had a few friends say that I should start a blog about this. So here it is. Here's the honest truth and the honest ways I'm going about dealing with the truth. If this inspires anyone to get out there and lose weight and be determined, then fantastic! You can do it! I'm right there with you!
For those of you reading who may have opinions about how I'm doing this and think I'm going about this the wrong way, etc... please keep your opinions and comments to yourself. I'm seeing progress and I need to stay focused and positive on this journey. Negativity is not going to be accepted here. Only encouragement, positive thoughts and prayers!
I'll write again soon! Time to go will some more energy into getting healthy now!
Jessica
