Day 5 - Hell and Back

Let me just start by saying, I really don't endorse this diet. I most likely wouldn't recommend it to you. It makes you crazy. And if you're a woman who still gets your "cycle", OMG- stay away from this. BAD cravings, headaches, nausea, and exhaustion were some of the big things that I had to deal with. Ultimately, I went home early from work yesterday and slept like I hadn't ever slept before. Luckily, I feel much better today, and haven't struggled much with feeling desperate. If you DO decide to do the HCG diet- I STRONGLY recommend you do it with someone else. I have a good friend who started the diet on the same day (who is also an expert at this diet), and a co-worker who started about a week before me. It's really important that you have someone to ask about all of the crazy side effects and symptoms that your body will go through from sugar withdrawals! It's also nice to talk to someone who feels your pain, and isn't posting the latest picture of their cheesecake dessert on Facebook.

Some of the good things thus far:

I haven't had any acid reflux, nor have I taken my prescription medicine for acid reflux. That's a HUGE accomplishment for my body. For the past 6 months I've struggled with acid reflux SO bad, there were times when I couldn't function. I've been to doctor after doctor, and had a lot of tests done. They found nothing. I knew it had to have a relation to what I was eating and the weight I had gained (I just wasn't ready to change it). With this diet, you don't put much into your body, so there's not much waste or anything to set your system on "fire". Through all of the pain that I've been through on this diet, that's one additional problem I'm glad I don't have to deal with. It also makes me happy to eliminate that medicine from my daily routine. I've learned that our bodies really don't "need" doughnuts and pizza to survive the hard times- sometimes a good cry on your man's shoulder does a world of good.....thanks, Joe. :)

Another thing that seems to be happening with this diet- without me INTENDING it to happen- our relationship is actually growing due to NOT eating- weird, huh? I didn't originally peg Joe to be SO supportive of this crazy idea- I thought he would sit quietly with his opinion to himself (as he usually does when I do something crazy), but he has gotten so on-board with me, it's really making us GROW as a couple. He isn't doing the HCG diet, but he's basically following pretty close to what I'm eating- cutting out the majority of his carbs, sweets, and alcohol- just eating MORE of the good stuff. He's lost 7lbs, I've lost 11lbs....in 5 days! 18lbs combined- that's pretty cool (I think). He's a lot stronger than I am when it comes to this whole delaying gratification thing. As proud as I am of myself, I'm proud of him, and I'm especially proud of us. We're cheering each other on, and helping to support the goal at hand. If 2 of the worlds biggest "foodies" can do this, ANYONE can do this.

I've been on this diet for 1 solid week (Day 5 of Phase II), and I have 2 more weeks to go. I feel much more stable today to say that I am prepared to meet this goal!