As a former competitive athlete, a certified weight management specialist, a certified personal trainer and a mother of three, I do not have an unrealistically positive approach to weight loss. I never promise miracles, and I do not sugar coat anything. The road to health and fitness is a hard one. It takes a lot of work and self discipline. I still have yet to meet a woman who does not like to look slim, yet, I have met only a few women who have the necessary willpower to work for what they want so desperately. Weight loss requires you to change your whole lifestyle; everything from top down has to change before you even hit the treadmill—The way you eat, drink, sleep and how you work out. It is 24/7 pain and agony but it does pay off and makes you feel priceless in the end. I dare you to try my recommendations.

Ay yi yi!!!!  What a week.  Soooooooo everything was going great!  I loved the loading days, doing OK on the low calorie days and then it hit me last Friday like a ton of bricks.  SICKNESS.  Not sure if it was from the low calorie diet or whether it was a little bug, but I had the runs like no ones business and ginger-ale and graham crackers were on the menu.  Not allowed on HCG diet but let’s be serious.  I was not about to try and choke down fish or chicken.  Ummm no.   So then I read this in the Pounds and Inches Manuscript…..

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.

Um yeah, that would be me.  Just from eating MINIMAL things that I could stomach for those two days, set me back 6!!  That’s right.  I went from 139.0 to 143.5 and now I am JUST seeing the scale move.  I was 141.5 this morning.  What a bummer.  Oh well.  Lesson learned.  Moving on…..

I AM Modern Magazine does not endorse the use of the HCG diet. This is not a paid advertisement and the opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author's and not necessarily of I AM Modern Magazine.

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ANN NERI GAUSE has been a middle school counselor for 5 years with Loudoun County Public Schools. She graduated from Ferrum College in 2002 and went on to complete her Master of Arts Degree in Psychological Services K-12 from Marymount University in 2005. Ann currently resides in Leesburg with her husband Joey, their son Ashton and dog Charlie.

When I say this diet is hard, I mean the hardest!!!  Trust me when I say this is NOT EASY!!  But, it’s working like a charm.  I was 139.0 this morning and even though I am a breath away from 140, I am so happy to say I am in the 130’s now.  Surprisingly, I do not notice any hunger pangs, but I do notice the cravings for things.  I did not realize how many times I had bites of my child’s food or just a cracker here and there.  I feel like I want to snack heavily on some REAL food though.  And that part is very, very hard.  But, I am sticking with it.  The thing that I like about this diet is that you really think twice before cheating.  The way that the HCG works in your system, your body is releasing thousands of calories a day for fuel which is why you do not feel hungry.  This only leaves room for 500 calories to be eaten in a single day before your body begins to pack away water as weight.  So, if you go above 500 calories or eat something that is not approved on this diet, you run the risk of moving up in the scale as much as 2 pounds in one day or stalling weight loss for 3-6 days.  I mean who wants to do that?  Not me!  So, it’s really keeping me on point because I am too scared to cheat!

We are going to Mexico in May and I refuse to be the beached whale in the bathing suit.  Will check back after the weekend!

I AM Modern Magazine does not endorse the use of the HCG diet. This is not a paid advertisement and the opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author's and not necessarily of I AM Modern Magazine.

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ANN NERI GAUSE has been a middle school counselor for 5 years with Loudoun County Public Schools. She graduated from Ferrum College in 2002 and went on to complete her Master of Arts Degree in Psychological Services K-12 from Marymount University in 2005. Ann currently resides in Leesburg with her husband Joey, their son Ashton and dog Charlie.

Yesterday was Valentine’s Day.   My husband and I don’t normally celebrate it.   Lucky for him, I have never liked it and would much rather receive something sweet from him when it’s unexpected.  So, we just exchanged cards as usual.  I did make dinner and it was so hard not to eat it!  Spinach and mozzarella ravioli with olive oil and herbs alongside an amazing salad of fresh greens, cranberries, toasted almonds, feta cheese and white balsamic vinaigrette.  He washed it down with almost a bottle of wine too.  I sat and drooled.

Before I go on with my posts, I want to make sure that it is very clear that before starting any weight loss diet, that you first consult your doctor and find out what works for you.  If you decide to do the HCG diet, you really need to research it to it’s entirety because it is no easy feat.  There are a lot of things involved with it and reading Dr. Simeons Diet Protocol is a good place to start.  This diet was discovered in the 1950’s and has been around for a very long time.  However, there are many companies that are creating products that are not truly HCG.  This means that they are adding many other preservatives, which can cause some pretty violent side effects. The FDA is currently going after these businesses to shut them down.  Please be sure that you are obtaining HCG from a doctor or preferred source.

I had a baby in October of 2010.  He is now 15 months old.  I was definitely that pregnant lady that ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted and gained 75 pounds.  Yep, you heard me.  So, the normal 30 pounds fell right after after the baby came out and the rest was mine to own up to.  I worked out like a crazy woman, ate as clean as possible, worked out with an amazing trainer and lost the rest.  It was hard work and it sucked…plain and simple.  I got to the point where working out and eating so clean was becoming a chore and I just stopped doing everything when I got to my “comfy weight” in the 140’s.  With working full time, being a mom, and having a husband with an unpredictable work schedule, the workouts have become non -existent and I have not been eating very healthy.   And it has been that way for a while.  Slowly but surely the weight crept up a little and now I’m feeling gross again.  Still in the 140’s, but gross.  So, when my friend that works for a doctor told me about the HCG diet, I was very intrigued.  At first I thought it sounded like the most unhealthy diet to ever enter the planet but the more I researched it, the more I understood it and the more I thought that this is really something that can work for me.  So, I’m giving it the ol’ college try and documenting it for the I AM MODERN readers to see.  Here goes nothing……

 

"Honey, Can I pleeeaaaasssseeee get a boob job?"

"If you lose all of your weight, Yes, I'll give in and you can get a boob job."

"O.K., for the record- If I lose my weight, then I can get a boob job, and a little work done on my face..."

"What? What do you mean "work on your face?"

"Well, ya know, just a little bit of botox in my 11's and maybe a little juvederm?"

*insert convo where I explained juvederm*

"Shelley, trust me- If you lose your weight, your face will go back to normal."

Wow. That was completely sobering.

When I first began this blog, I was overweight- but not huge or anything. I loved writing and sharing stories- hopefully to bring a smile to someone's face, vent, or just pass my time because it felt like I had formed a newfound hobby. And through this process, I learned more about myself than I ever knew. I've learned my likes, my dislikes, what makes me happy, sad, and everything in between. And I've also learned that while I am happy and satisfied in my life and pretty much live on easy street, I self medicate.

Ya see, at the end of the day when all is quiet, nothing makes me feel as good as settling in with a loaf of bread and Diet Coke. Or when I have to go from swim team to gymnastics to a playdate within three hours something about a McDonald's run seems soothing to me. With my kids growing up right before my very eyes this past year and no longer being solely dependent on me, food has become my b-f-f. When they are off playing pretend at the park with their friends and no longer needing Mommy every second, I miss it. And when I'm sad that I'm not the only one bringing a smile to their faces, a double cheeseburger calls out my name and "needs" me. And when they are perfectly content with the neighborhood kids and don't need Mommy to lead activities, I can turn to Doritos while sitting on my front stoop. And somewhere along the line, I packed on the pounds.

While I'd like to say it happened overnight, I know it didn't. But it sure feels like it. I honestly never saw how "big" I had gotten until this past week- starting with when I caught a glimpse of my back fat in the medicine cabinet mirror and wondered who in the sam hells body was in my bathroom- I mean it couldn't be mine! But after ten minutes of playing with different body positions and being grossed out by my gut, stretch marks, and everything in between, I saw that it was indeed my own reflection.

Or tonight, when I went to a family birthday party and my cousin took a group picture of us... and then showed it to me on the camera resulting in me nearly threatening her life if she posted it on facebook- As in a real death threat if she even thought about tagging that pic... I saw a girl in the picture- while very happy with a smile on her face... A girl that looked fat and happy. Fat... as in the F word fat.

And somewhere along the line of making excuse after excuse as to why I didn't work out, or stick to my Weight Watchers points, inside this happy gal, lives a woman that really struggles with her weight. Struggles to the point where she is lost and doesn't know where to go from here. Struggles because she knows she needs to do something and yet feels like she has no control or motivation. Struggles because she feels like she's lost not what's on the inside, but what is on the outside. And a woman who would give anything and everything to just once again look more normal.

Stagnant. That's pretty much the state of this blog. And while many might view this blog as a complete failure- Hello- Weight loss blogger who manages to blog about gaining her confidence and getting her body back while losing twenty pounds... only to continue documenting her suburban life for the next year... while gaining thirty big, fat l.b.'s back... But I don't. In fact, I like to look on the bright side of life- and I've realized that this very blog has saved me thousands in therapy.

Things happen.  Life happens.  And it's not always easy to be healthy or to not let stress eating get the best of you.  And so, I am guilty.

Wanda Holloway. Yes, I had to google that- it wasn't fresh in my mind with the other useless information my brain likes to waste space with... She even has a wikepedia entry: