First Shot, and Still Eating Lots of Fat

I'm drawing to the close of day #3 of eating lots of fat... and I feel gross! I've gained FIVE POUNDS since Wednesday (it's now Saturday night), and my skin has broken out. Some of the weight is definitely bloat - my husband called me buddha earlier, and not because I'm serene. I'm really thirsty, so some of my fatty-food choices must be high in sodium too.

Overall I'm enjoying eating literally whatever I want for four days. It's like one long, guilt-free last meal on earth. I had almost half a pound of bacon for lunch, with a home-made hash-brown (fried in the bacon fat, of course). Dessert was strawberries with whipped cream, then ice-cream. If I'm ever hungry again, I have ribs in the oven for dinner - they've been slow-cooking since this morning.

My husband gave me my first shot of HCG this morning. I didn't even cry! (It probably helped that it was about 6am and I was still half-asleep). The needle is TINY - it barely even stings going in. About half-way through the shot I started to feel pressure in the muscle, like he was pressing his finger into me, but it didn't hurt. Later I felt like it was a bit bruised at the injection site, and I really felt it when I worked out. Now it's achy when I walk. Perhaps I should have done a light workout, not a Kettlebell marathon!

Aaaarrrghh!!!

I can only approach today with humor.

Dr Purcell did my BIA, and my body fat was 25.4%. I'm happy that all three tests came out to about the same percentage. She also did my RMR, and it was close enough to the same (high!) reading I got with the other test. Frustrating!! I'm delighted to have a great metabolic rate, but that should mean that I lose weight easily - but I don't. I have to struggle for every pound! So now I have no idea why losing weight is SO hard for me.

So today is day #2 of eating heavy-fat meals, and I feel STUFFED. Ice cream all day! And mexican food for lunch... taquitos and a cheese quesadilla. Sounds delicious, but right now my tummy doesn't feel so good. And tonight we're going out for ribs.

Eating Lots of Fat

Today I started the "eating" part of this program. For two days before I start the daily injections, and for the first two days of the injections, I have to eat as much fat as I can. This is to try to get as much fat as possible into my bloodstream.

So today I had chocolate, pepperoni pizza (one slice) and a third of a pint of ice cream for lunch. And more chocolate and pizza for dinner, with strawberries and whipped cream for dessert. I would have thought this would be my happiest day ever, but actually I have a bit of a tummy-ache. Pass the digestives please...

Testing Times

I put myself through it this week! I've had:
Ø a blood test (for thyroid, cholesterol, fasting blood sugar... and a few other things I've forgotten);
Ø an RMR - to test my resting metabolic rate;
Ø the "pinch test" to check my body fat percentage and possible hormone imbalances; and
Ø I got dunked - an underwater test for body fat.

My body fat was 25% by the pinch test (expertly administered by Danielle at Synergy Training). The dunk-test put me at 26%. As far as I'm concerned, of those two, I would go to Danielle every time. Getting dunked is uncomfortably similar to drowning! Tomorrow Dr Purcell will do a third body fat test - the BIA. That test is the easiest of them all – I just have to lie still for a minute.

Dr Purcell's BIA test will also indicate my resting metabolic rate. I'll be comparing that result to the RMR test I did yesterday, which gave me a VERY unlikely result... that one indicated a fast metabolism, but if that were true, I'd be a LOT leaner!

I'm planning to re-do these tests when I complete Dr Purcell's program.

We also took my "before" pictures yesterday. And we’ll continue to take pictures every few days to track my progress. I’ll post them, with my weight, twice a week.

Second Appointment

I had my second appointment with Dr Purcell this week. We went over my initial questions, and she explained the whole program to me. Oh My Goodness. It's pretty intensive, but I'm excited!

I'm going to do some bloodwork and body composition testing before and after this initial three-week phase (which is actually 26 days - sounds closer to four weeks to me...). I have it all scheduled for Wednesday May 28th, and I'll start my first shot on Saturday the 31st. I feel like this process is going to change me - not sure how, but I really feel like I'm at the beginning of a journey.

One of the things I've thought about a lot is that they say it takes 21 days to build a new habit, and the initial phase is 26 days... there's something about that... it resonates with me and it feels like this will have a lot to do with my success with the program. Also, 26 days of no sugar at all will hopefully be enough to break that habit!

First Appointment

So yesterday was my first official appointment as Dr Purcell's patient. I was there for 90 minutes, and I feel like she knows more about me now than I do! She took a FULL history, blood pressure (100 over 50!), weight (144 on her scale, but 142 on mine this morning - I know which I prefer), and she used the stethoscope and looked in my ears and down my throat. I gave her my food log and we talked about food and emotions and I think she took 4 pages of notes.

Dr Purcell wants me to get a blood test for my thyroid. I absolutely freak out at blood tests, but I might just have to be a big girl and follow ALL of her suggestions if I want to get the most out of this journey. No point in taking half-measures when I want maximum results!

Next week we meet again and she'll answer all my questions and give me the information I need to follow her program.

Getting Ready For My Adventure

Here I am, three weeks from the true beginning of my adventure with Dr Purcell. I'm eating right, exercising, sleeping, and losing about a pound a week; but i'm looking forward to it being more!

I'm doing a lot of preparation for Dr Purcell's program because I don't want to feel overwhelmed by changes happening all at once. I think the more I do now, the easier it will be when the more intensive phase starts. This is about changing habits, not just for a few weeks, but for life!

I can't wait to find out more about the program and especially how it will help me re-set my SLUGGISH metabolism.