It's called Pounds and Inches

I took my measurements just before starting hHCG about 3 weeks ago (May 1) and I took them again yesterday.  I have lost 11&3/4 inches from my body in 3 weeks!  Yes, almost 12 inches!  That is amazing!!!  And I lost another 1/2 pound since yesterday to put me at a total of 19 pounds lost!

I am so confident that I am going to reach my goal that yesterday I cleaned out my closet & drawers, and I am giving away all my 3x clothes (summer and winter).  I am only keeping what fits me now.  I think I have about 5 garbage bags full of clothes!  And since I shop at Goodwill, I don't have any problem buying clothes that will only fit me for a period of time until I do reach my goal.  My closet & drawers are so spacious and neat looking, but I am looking forward to buying some new-to-me clothes! 

I was talking to my friend, Amy, who is following the Protocol also.  Without telling her I was thinking about staying on Phase 2 for another 2 weeks, she said she would like to be done on June 6th (my thoughts exactly!)  I know we can do this for 2 more weeks and I am hoping to reach (or even exceed) my goal of losing 25 pounds this first round.

Many who are on the Protocol believe the next Phase, Phase 3, is harder than Phase 2 because the only restrictions in Phase 3 are no sugar & no starch and you have to maintain the weight you stopped the hHCG doses within 2 pounds.  If you go 2 pounds over your last dosage weight (LDW), you have to do a correction day (there is one outlined in Pounds and Inches and several more outlined in another manuscript that someone else wrote).  They are designed to bring your weight back down quickly.  If you go 2 pounds under your LDW, you have to eat something (without sugar or starch) that will get you back up to within 2 pound of your LDW (many say cheese or nuts will do this).  And obviously, in Phase 3 you get to eat more calories, but you have to determine what your body needs to maintain.  It sounds like a bit of a balancing act until you figure out how your body reacts to different foods.

One thing I can't wait to try in Phase 3 is a homemade healthy fudge made from coconut oil, cocoa powder, and Stevia (plus you can add other good goodies).  Here is a link to a blog with the recipe by Noell Hammer, whom I discovered just a week or so after hearing about HCG from my cousin, has been on her own HCG journey for the previous year.  Scroll down to find her Healthy Coconut Fudge recipe.  And if you have a chance, read more about her journey with HCG.  She has lost 80 pounds!  She has been an inspiration to me.