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This morning, my weight was 147.0#, down 2.4# from yesterday.

There seems to be some confusion as to whether exercise is allowed on the hCG diet. Some people are under the impression that exercise is not allowed at all. Dr. Simeons did say in his book, Pounds and Inches, that weight lost by “violent exercise” is temporary and rapidly regained. I would liken “violent exercise” to that done by contestants on “The Biggest Loser.” This is quite different from the normal moderate amounts of exercise that should be part of any on-going fitness plan.

It is possible that exercise can cause a gain if one engages in it after a period of inactivity. This is not a phenomenon of the hCG diet. It can happen in any diet and fitness program. This effect is temporary and does not increase body fat. Moderate exercise can help keep the metabolism high and prevent muscle loss. Walking and yoga are good choices for those on the hCG diet.

The topic of exercise on the hCG diet is covered in the section, “Other Reasons for a Gain.” Dr. Simeons said in his text that he encouraged swimming specifically, though I believe this should not be taken to mean that swimming should be the only form of exercise engaged in while on the hCG diet. He also says, “the weight can temporarily increase – paradoxical though this may sound – after an exceptional physical exertion of long duration leading to a feeling of exhaustion.” Again, I don’t believe this means that he discourages exercise. He is only saying that you may see a temporary increase in weight due to water retention if you do engage in vigorous exercise. You will still be losing fat, and the retained water will soon be released.

This morning, I weighed 152.0#, up 0.4# from yesterday. I was experimenting yesterday. I had a veggie burger for lunch, and my dinner included konjac powder and shirataki noodles. It’s possible that there was an inflammation reaction to either the grains in the veggie burger or the glucomannan in the konjac or the noodles. My calories for the day were a bit high at 532. I probably should have eliminated the grissini at lunch.

I took a closer look at the protein recommendations for vegans on the hCG diet. I eliminated two of the options from the one-sheet because they don’t have enough protein: Ezekiel bread and quinoa. I added Boca Meatless Ground Crumbles, and I will be experimenting with those. The veggie burger I had for lunch yesterday probably did not have enough protein. Diet Pro indicated that I was deficient for the day.

One thing to remember is that you will get some of your protein from your vegetables, so don’t short-change your vegetables! One bunch of spinach has 78 calories and 9.75 grams of protein.

I have decided that one of my vegetables servings each day will be chosen from the dark leafy greens options. This is in keeping with a recommendation in Eat to Live: The Revolutionary Formula for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss by Joel Fuhrman.

This morning, I weighed 151.6#, down 1.6# since yesterday for a net loss since the beginning of loading this round of 3.2#.

This morning, my daughter told me that my face looked really good. She said it was glowing. It’s difficult to know if this was due to the hCG or from the switch to veganism. Those on the hCG diet have reported this benefit.

Yesterday, I finally got around to “resetting” my paperclip chain. I removed all of the paperclips for the pounds I regained between rounds. I put the paperclips away and then got them out again to add one back onto the chain. I wanted to separate the resetting from the activity of recognizing my reductions. This morning, I added two more.

I also went through my refrigerator and got rid of all of the perishables that aren’t on the protocol that my husband won’t eat. I ended up getting rid of quite a lot of stuff.

Yesterday morning, I weighed 156.0#, down 1.6# from the day before. This morning, I weighed 153.2#, down 2.8# since yesterday.

Someone wrote to me with some concern about the fact that I started in May at 163.8# and I was currently at 156.0#. She asked if I was happy with my progress and how I had managed to stay so faithful and determined. I answered the following:

The reason the weight popped up again is that I switched to veganism early in the stabilization phase of my last round. I did not yet have the resources to know what to do for a “steak day” or how to arrange my diet. I have learned more about how to balance a vegan diet, and I am looking forward to a more successful stabilization phase this time around.

I suppose one of the reasons I am so determined is that I know what it looks and feels like to be a normal weight. I actually achieved it about a year ago. Unfortunately, a round of the Master Cleanse in January destabilized my weight, and I quickly gained everything back. I was even consulting a doctor at that time for ideas on how to stop the weight gain. He was rather amazed at my rapid weight gain, but he didn’t come up with anything.

I found the hCG protocol and asked the doctor to help me with it. He wanted me to use homeopathic products. Since I don’t have a lot of faith in homeopathic remedies, I chose to do the hCG protocol on my own using pharmaceutical products.

Another reason I am pursuing this is that I simply have been gaining weight too rapidly lately when not carefully watching what I eat.

This morning, my weight was 157.6#, up 1.8# from yesterday. This was expected since I was loading yesterday.

Today, I am beginning the very low calorie phase of the hCG diet. This time, I will be following a vegan protocol.

For lunch, I experimented with the spice, asafetida. I found it at an Indian grocery store where they knew it as “hing.” I was somewhat concerned about how it might work since it is usually prepared for use by sautéing in oil. The concern is well-placed since one of the nicknames of asafetida is “Devil’s Dung.” That nickname is well-earned since a jar of asafetida can stink up one’s entire kitchen and spoil other spices kept nearby if the jar it is kept in is not air-tight. Raw, it smells quite nasty. One commentary says that it smells like rotting feet. The Jains in India like this spice because they don’t eat root vegetables. They are concerned about killing any microorganisms that might be on them. They use asafetida to get an umami flavor to their foods that would otherwise be missing without onions or garlic.

Since there is no added oil in hCG cooking, I sautéed the asafetida in a bit of vegetable broth. It worked! The smell of the cooked asafetida was actually quite lovely and rather unique. A purest probably would have skipped using onions or garlic with the asafetida, but I chose to use them anyway.

I was also pleased to discover that I enjoyed my pea protein shake.

Today, I weighed 155.8#, up 1.0# from yesterday. Since I’m loading, that’s expected.

I really had gotten to like my low-fat way of eating. Loading for this next round of the hCG diet has been more difficult than last time because I have decided to do it as a vegan. That means I can’t fill out my diet with cheese or fatty cuts of meat. Making my diet rich this time has meant extra carbohydrates, added oils, and too many nuts, none of which I am really thrilled about. Most of the food I have eaten these last couple of days has been rich, but it’s of the kind that is messing up my mood, and I’ll probably have a headache tomorrow as all of this clears out.

Today, I begin loading for my second round of the HCG Diet. My starting weight for this round is 154.8#. It’s going to create some false success since my weight today is up 2.6# from yesterday. That means my stats will be a bit skewed this first week as that blip drops off again.

This time, I’m doing the hCG diet as a vegan. I’ve got a set of recipes to use for my loading foods. It’s a little more difficult to eat a high-fat, high-calorie diet when meat and cheese aren’t involved.

I’ve recorded my starting weight and taken a new set of measurements. I really lost some ground since the last round. A lot of that has to do with the way I went about switching to veganism early in the stabilization phase. This time, I have a better plan for how to do the stabilization phase as a vegan, so hopefully that will go better.

I really have no idea how this round is going to go. There isn’t that much information on the Internet about how to do the diet as a vegan. I am basing what I am going to do this time around on WikiAnswers – What is the hCG Diet Protocol and HCG Coach. It is quite far removed from the original protocol. One of my big concerns will be keeping it interesting so that I don’t get bored. During my first round, I used The HCG Dieters Gourmet Cookbook to plan and prepare my meals. Since I won’t be eating meat this time, many of those recipes simply won’t work.

I just ordered my supplies for round 2 of the hCG protocol. I was concerned about how I could follow the hCG protocol as a vegan. I did some searching and discovered that there is a vegan protocol available. The meat portion is substituted with one of the following:

1 serving of Ezekiel bread
½ cup cooked quinoa
28 grams raw brown rice protein powder

The grissini or melba toast is eliminated. I’ll miss the grissini, but I think I can handle the diet constructed this way. The vegetable recipes in The HCG Dieters Gourmet Cookbook will still be useful.

This morning, my weight was 143.4#, down 2.6# from yesterday and 1.0# above my last dose weight. The steak day worked again. This time, I felt a lot better. TOM is well underway now, so that may be a factor as well. I have another restaurant shop scheduled for Sunday, but I don’t have to order anything in particular for that one like I did for the last two, which will be a great help. I’ll probably get a Cobb Salad. Today, I’m going to increase vegetables.

This morning, my weight was 146.0#, up a whopping 5.0# from yesterday and 3.6# over my last dose weight. Today will be another steak day. I think I let PMS do the choosing yesterday. I gave in and had some See’s candy for a snack in the evening. I had already gained a lot of weight by then and knew I was going to be doing a steak day anyway.

It is obvious that I am doing something very wrong here. Part of the problem may be due to TOM approaching, but I don’t think that is all of it. The biggest change in the last several days is that I have reintroduced dairy. I ate a lot of it yesterday. Between that and the other fatty things I had been eating, I felt kind of greasy and rather sluggish. I think the dairy needs to go for sure, especially given what I have learned from The China Study. The next thing I want to do is return meat consumption to the amounts I ate it during the very low calorie phase of the diet for now. From there, I will add vegetables and maybe a LITTLE coconut oil to add calories since I’m not supposed to add starch yet. When I can add starches again, I would like to begin moving toward veganism since it is associated with such excellent health outcomes. Hubby may not be all that thrilled with the change. I suppose I will have to continue to cook meat for him, though he has been known to willingly eat vegetarian-based meals in the past.

I was looking online to get some information about how to go about eating a healthy diet as a vegan and came upon this site: Vegan Nutritionista.

I had a book at one time, Dr. Gundry’s Diet Evolution: Turn Off the Genes That Are Killing You and Your Waistline by Steven R. Gundry, M.D. The beginning phases of his diet look a lot like the beginning phases of Atkins and South Beach. The maintenance phase is more plant based. When I first read it, I thought it was great until I got to that part. Now, after reading The China Study, I think maybe he had it right after all. Unfortunately, I can’t find the book in my library now. I must have decluttered it. I put a hold on it in the Los Angeles Public Library system and had it sent to my local branch so that I could read it again.