Prompt – How has a friend changed you or your perspective on the world this year? Was this change gradual, or a sudden burst?

This year, my 11 year old daughter became a woman (she was 10 at the time) – so, probably a few years from now, when this ends up in a book, she will smack me over the head for sharing this with the world, but seriously, it was something that I have not been looking forward to since the day I found out that little blip in my stomach was a girl.

Honestly, I never wanted to birth  kids, I was perfectly happy with all the little youngins  that I surrounded myself with as I was young and into my adult/midlife years (yes, I was 37 when I gave birth).  In fact, when I married (the 2nd time at 32) I was more than content to marry a man that had two kids, but soon fell in love with the idea of pregnancy until I found out she was a girl, OH THE HORROR!  ::giggle::

I knew how hard it was to be a girl, all the pain involved with those dang monthly visits, and I just didn’t want another human being, especially one that I gave birth to, to have to deal with the ickiness … that was until my daughter actually started, and you know what?  It was no big deal.

Sure, as time would have it, it happened when all her girl cousins (on my side) were with her, and what a way to enter the passage into womanhood with women who have gone that way before – not just “Mom” – but girls her own age, in fact, one who was actually jealous that she hadn’t STARTED yet.

What does this have to do with friendship?

Ever since this change, there has been a shift in our relationship – there is a deepness that wasn’t there before, sure, the love is there, but the introspective, the “why am I feeling this way Momma” has entered the picture, and we are now fellow women traveling time together … there is an unspoken understanding of what makes both of us tick, and that is comforting.

She made me understand, through her total acceptance of this world she now found herself in, that really Mom, it was NO big deal, I am ok with it, and let’s move on.

All those years I worried – and for what???  That was profound.  She taught me a valuable lesson.  Don’t make things bigger than they are.

Do you have a friend that changed your perspective this year?

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R5P2C4 Starting Weight 150.6
Yesterday – 144.6
Today – 144.6
0.0 lb LOSS Overnight
3.6 lb UNDER LIW of Round Five Cycle 3 (148.2)
6.0 lb Lost Since Start of R5C4 (VLCD) 09/02/08
106.2 Total Lost Since Start of Protocol (VLCD) 06/26/07

No loss, no gain, no problem.  Totally expected a gain in fact.  We had to unexpectedly take a guest speaker out to early dinner last night and we went to Chili’s.  Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem, as I would have made some choices that would have benefitted me, might have been a deviation, don’t know but I would have been ok.  The unforeseen circumstance was that someone was there that has been on protocol less than 2 weeks and I had to set a good example.  LOL

I asked before we sat down what she would rather have, chicken or steak, and she decided chicken.  I knew better, I should have told her we were going to get the steak.  Who knows what evil lurks in chicken in restaurants, whereas steak I believe is a different matter.  I ordered correctly, showed her how to do it, and we were fine.  The chicken was tasty, but there was something about it that didn’t set right.

Anyhoo, I have gotten into the habit recently of weighing myself at night as well as in the morning as I like to see the differences, and when I came home I was a full 5 lbs heavier than I weighed in the morning, and I was like, OMG – I am gonna gain like 2 lbs.

Something happened over night where I lost all 5 lbs, kind of amazing as the difference between my night time weigh in and my morning weigh in is about 3 lbs.

So then, my menu for yesterday is here:

• Coffee with 2% Milk – Hershey’s Unsweetened Cocoa
• Grilled Chicken from Chili’s – Steamed veggies which included broccoli, slivered carrots and peppers and sliced tomatoes.

Unforeseen Events

So that being said, let me say something about Unforeseen Events – and let’s first remember what Dr. Simeons’ says:

Faulty Dieting

Few patients will take one’s word for it that the slightest deviation from the diet has under HCG disastrous results as far as the weight is concerned.  This extreme sensitivity has the advantage that the smallest error is immediately detectable at the daily weighing but most patients have to make the experience before they will believe it.

Persons in high official positions such as embassy personnel, politicians, senior executives, etc., who are obliged to attend social functions to which they cannot bring their meager meal must be told beforehand that an official dinner will cost them the loss of about three days treatment, however careful they are and in spite of a friendly and would-be cooperative host.  We generally advise them to avoid all-round embarrassment, the almost inevitable turn of conversation to their weight problem and the outpouring of lay counsel from their table partners by not letting it be known that they are under treatment.  They should take dainty servings of everything, hide what they can under the cutlery and book the gain which may take three days to get rid of as one of the sacrifices which their profession entails.  Allowing three days for their correction such incidents do not jeopardize the treatment, provided they do not occur all too frequently, in which case treatment should be postponed to a socially more peaceful season.

Notice what he says – he says that these things happen.  It may take 3 days to recover, but all you have lost is time.  And he also says that if it happens, then do not automatically assume that your course is a wash.  He says that it does NOT jeopardize the treatment, provided that they do not occur all too frequently.

Isn’t that interesting?  Now he does mention “dainty servings” – not all out pigging out – but all those of you out there that have had to make a sacrifice for one reason or another because of situation like I had above, or some other unforeseen circumstance, it is NOT the end of the world.  Pick up and move on.

Interesting.

The 18,000 times I have read the manual, it didn’t hit me until just now that this kind of thing is TRULY not the end of the world.  Don’t make a habit of it, just suffer consequences if it happens.

It also goes hand in hand with the belief system that the hypo is reset in the stabilizing period rather than the P2 as some people believe.  Do you see how that works?  If not, just ask me.  I gotta run right now, but if you folks don’t understand I will explain it another day – maybe tomorrow.

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R5P2C4 Starting Weight 150.6
Yesterday – 146.6
Today – 145.6
1.0 lb LOSS Overnight
2.6 lb UNDER LIW of Round Five Cycle 3 (148.2)
5.0 lb Lost Since Start of R5C4 (VLCD) 09/02/08
105.2 Total Lost Since Start of Protocol (VLCD) 06/26/07

Another good day.  I was looking over my numbers, like I usually do in the morning, and I started to get just a tad down on the percentage, as you know that is something that I look at all the time.  But this is the first break I have taken that I didn’t gain massive amounts of weight to lose quickly so my numbers are not meeting up to the past.  Once I figured that out, I felt better.  Yup!  I am 5 lbs down so far on day 5 – not too shabby, that is 1.25 lost per day – and I am no longer playing catchup, this is all virgin territory!  GOTTA LOVE IT!

My menu for yesterday is here:

• Coffee with 2% Milk
• Cottage Cheese and Blueberries
• Tuna with 1 T Light Mayo, Mustard, SF Relish and Lettuce – Chopped hard boiled egg
• One of the 48 Calorie Shakes – recipe to follow sometime next week!

UPDATE ON HANNA:  It was pretty nerve racking last night, the winds were howling and the rain was pelting – but we made it through unscathed.  Thank you everyone for your concern – things have indeed worked out for the best.

Support

Whenever we deal with anything in our lives, it really helps if we surround ourselves with people that share the same values, goals, passions, ambitions and beliefs.  This is even more important when a very focused part of our lives, changing the way we eat to lose weight, comes into play.  Just like anything else in life, we can do this by ourselves, but when we do it with a group of people that share our ideals and direction, well then, it makes the journey much more enjoyable.

I knew early on with the HCG Journey to Weight Loss that I was about to embark on that I was going to need a strong support group to help me with my journey.  In the beginning, I chose the HCG DIeters group over at Yahoo Groups, because back then, they seemed to have the most knowledge and were very true to the protocol – which as you all well know, was the purist attitude I maintained during most of my journey.

One thing lead to another, and I found myself becoming part of a support team that to me is unbreakable.  I went from the original group, to another YahooGroup (HCG2) to an online support forum (that was actually more my cup of tea format wise) to what you see now available at My HCG Journey Community Forums – and all along the way, I have surrounded myself with little pieces of the puzzle that pretty much created the team of members that I call my ROCK with this protocol.

Creating a Core Support Group

To create a support group, two things have to take place.  First, the important aspects of you, what makes you tick, what your passions are and what your needs are, they need to be rock solid in your own mind – in other words, you need to know what you want in order to know how to ask for it.  Then you have to give them reasons to want to support you – most importantly realizing that this is a two way street.  You must also GIVE support in order to GET support.

Your should surround yourself with a team that handles things you do not excel at, so that they too can fit into the puzzle – one person should never be greater than the next, it should all work like a well oiled machine so that as one, the goals of the GROUP can be realized.  Then you have something you can work with that can accomplish ALL your goals.

The team I have surrounded myself with, they fulfill different needs in my journey, which I am hoping that I do the same in return for them (they tell me I do anyhoo) and in so doing, I have seen 3 of the core group of 6 that I surround myself with already reaching goal, and maintaining nicely I might add.  Their reaching goal while on this HCG Journey while I am a part of their lives has given me more motivation than you can ever imagine.

Extending That Group

In My HCG Journey, I have come across literally THOUSANDS of like minded individuals that have shared the same goals, desires, ambitions, beliefs and so on (in regards to the HCG Protocol).  Some are around for just a moment, others hang for the time frame that it takes them to lose their weight, and still others flutter in and out of my life, but each time I have a moment in life with one of these individuals, I deem it a privilege to have shared in this journey with them.  I cannot tell you how exciting it is to see an email from someone that I have been in contact with along the way that I haven’t heard from in a while drop me a line to tell me how they are doing.

All This to Say…

Thank you for being a part of my support group.  I truly believe that I couldn’t have done it without each piece of the puzzle you all have provided being here to help along the way.  I am here, here for the duration, here to help in any way I can to share this miracle with anyone who will listen.