Week 2 Update

Sorry for the delay kiddos.... been a little crazy in the Fish pond. I've actually been working, while at work during the day & every night this week has been a ballgame, church or meeting. Actually, last night both boys had their games rained out (YEAH!!!!) & Jen got out of class much earlier than expected. Therefore, the 4 of us enjoyed a nice game of LIFE (Pirates of the Caribbean Edition). First time in a LOOOOOOONG time we've had a family fun night. It was nice!

Anyway.... I went in for my weekly check up on Tuesday & everything was fine. Several of the nurses, receptionists, etc. all commented on how much of a difference they could see. I've been hearing alot of those kind of comments. About how my face is thinner, legs look smaller, neck looks smaller, etc. Gotta admit... it's kinda nice. Not really doing this for anybody else other than me, Jen, Ty & Ian.... but it's a nice moral booster when you receive a positive comment of any kind.

As for the weight lost to date.... 39 pounds as of this morning, which is day 37. Just over a pound a day! I still don't understand how the HCG is working.... but sometimes you just go with the results & try not to get bogged down in the "how". I do know that I'm almost ready to put a new notch in the belt, 'cause it's just about "loose".

Here's the latest pics. Compare these to the 1st post & see if you can see the difference.

Everybody's been asking me how I can function on 500 calories a day. Well... I gotta tell ya.... I don't know how, but I am. I've not been hungry once during this whole process! I eat 100 grams of chicken & 100 grams of cabbage for lunch, an apple or strawberries for an afternoon snack, 100 grams of white fish & 100 grams of broccoli for supper, then an apple or grapefruit for an evening snack. On top of that, I drink 64 ounces of an organic cranberry / water mixture & at least 64 ounces of water. Again.... I don't get bogged down in the "how", I just follow the plan & watch the scales go down. :-)

Also... several friends & family members have asked me to go join them for lunch or dinner since I've been doing this. I have to decline because I have to weight my food before I cook it & it has to be all natural / organic. I know restaurants have fish, chicken & steamed broccoli... but they also have butters, oils, etc. that I'm not supposed to consume. So... if you're one of them who have asked or wanted, please understand that I'm not trying to be rude or unfriendly... I'm just trying to stick to the plan. Hopefully we'll have all the chances in the world to dine together come September or October.

This weekend is gonna be my first REAL test. It's Jen's family reunion down at the family farm & I'm BBQ'ing. Starting tonight around midnight or so, I'll start smoking a couple pork lions, 6-8 pork butts, beef brisket & whatever else shows up for me to cook. I made my rubs, sauce & marinade injections last night & only tasted twice & that was just off the end of a spoon. It's gonna be tough not to sample... but I'll count on some of Jen's cousins or other family to taste for me. There will be a few adult beverages put away this weekend too.... but I'll just have to enjoy my water & cranberry mix. Again.... it'll be TOUGH, but I will conquer. :-)

Lastly.... and this is on a completely different note... I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those great men & women who sacrificed their life so that I may freely write this little blog. Aside from all the idiots, lunatics, radicals, extremist & politicians who try to ruin this country... I think this is the be country on Earth. Freedom is a wonderful gift & this holiday weekend I don't want to take it for freedom. Make sure you do your part, too! Put flowers on a vets grave site, take the kids to a war memorial or just stop & thank God for what those fine young men & women did for us.

Till next time...

Fish

Week 1 Update

Okay... so when I last left you, I was weighing in at 341 lbs. & getting ready for my two "load" days. Let me tell you.... those two load days were quite an adventure!

The first day I started with my injection & then followed that with 3 eggs scrambled (with 1 cup shredded cheese) in 2 tbsp. of butter, 6 slices of thick cut bacon & 12 tbsp. of heavy whipping cream mixed into a glass of milk. CAN YOU SAY 1330 FAT CALORIES?! WOW!!!! The rest of the day involved a one pound block of cheese, a one pound summer sausage, a can of macadamia nuts, a can of heavy whipped cream (that was actually alot of fun to eat!!!), 2 burgers fried in butter & topped with 6 slices of bacon, several slices of cheddar cheese & half a tub of bleu cheese. Followed that up with a large can of king sized black olives covered in 1/2 cup of bleu cheese dressing. Then.... for dessert... I had a peanut butter milkshake with 12 tbsp of whipping cream, 2/3 cup of coconut milk & 1 cup of peanut butter. WHEW!!! If you're tired of reading, just imagined how I felt trying to eat all that! Once I finally laid down, I had consumed over 8300 fat calories for the day. 8300!!! In case your wondering, I was completely miserable! Ended up sleeping in the recliner, because I couldn't lay on my stomach it was so full & couldn't sleep on my back cause I couldn't breathe. Overall... not a fun day!

The second day was not nearly the success of day one. I won't go into all the details (I know... you're all saying "thank goodness"!!!!), but I was only able to consume just over 5100 fat calories. Kind of disappointing, huh?!

Anyway.... day 3 I slept till 11:00 AM & things seemed good. The doctor told me I would probably be grouchy on this day, but according to my wife & neighbors.... I wasn't grouchy, but I was a smart a$$. I gotta admit.... there were a couple things that just shot right out of my mouth without me knowing what I was saying. It was actually kinda funny.

Day 4 & 5 went off without a hitch, considering I could only eat 500 calories for the day. Sounds bad, but it really wasn't. I've not been hungry, yet.

This leads us to day 6. Today.

I had my first "weigh-in" at noon & although I had gained 10 pounds during the load days... I was down to 338 lbs. That makes it a grand total of 27 lbs to date. Considering I started the detox 27 days ago.... that's 1 pound a day. If I keep that pace up... which they tell me is possible... I should be down to 275 when it's all said & done. Stay tuned to see if I can make it.

Lastly... I thought I would let you know that Jen says I have completely stopped snoring during the last 3 weeks. Also, when they checked my blood pressure today it was 125/81. I don't think my top number has been below 130 in the last 15 years. So... no more snoring, already lowered the blood pressure, sleeping much better & almost ready to go down another belt notch. Not bad for less than a month's worth of work, huh?! :-)

Till next time...
Fish

I'm a big fat loser!!!

That's right... I admit it... I am a big fat loser!

Truth be told... I'm proud of it!

Now before any of you think I'm being negative about myself, I'm not. I've lost 24 pounds in the last 3 weeks & I wanted to share that with my friends & family. I'd got "too big for my britches" as the ol' timers would say & I had to do something about it. I'm ashamed to say it, but I started at 365 pounds. Today I weighed 341 pounds. That's 24 pounds in 3 weeks!

So... I spent the last 3 weeks going through a "body detox" to prepare myself for the next phase. The "detox" involved lots of supplements, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, some fish & water. It wasn't fun, but I can't really say it was that bad. Considering it took me down 2 notches in my belt, I gotta say I kinda liked it. But the detox is over tonight when I go to bed. Starting tomorrow I begin the HCG Diet. I'm very excited about this & thought I would share this information with y'all so I wouldn't have to answer the same questions thousands of times over. So sit back & let me tell you about the upcoming journey.

First off, HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) is a glycoprotein produced by women during pregnancy. 70-80 years ago a doctor by the name of A.T.W. Simeons discovered that the use of HCG, along with a Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD) causes weight lose and reprograms the Hypothalamus. You can look on the web for more info... but that's the Reader's Digest version. Before any of you start freaking out, I am doing this under the supervision of a doctor. I've had lab test done before I started & will have them throughout the program. My hopes are that once I have completed the HCG diet I will have lost another 70+ pounds. Now... back to the journey...

Starting tomorrow morning I will be taking a daily injection of the HCG for 10 weeks. The first 2 days will be "load" days. Sounds crazy, but I will be eating between 3500 and 7000 FAT CALORIES on the "load" days. Starting on the 3rd day, I will begin the VLCD which is 500 calories a day. That few calories have me a bit worried, but I've been assured by several people that it'll work & I will be healthy... so I gonna go on faith & do it. From day 3 forward, I should lose 1-2 pounds per day. DDDDDDAAAAAAANNNNGGGG!!!!

I'm asking each of you for support & encouragement during this time. I know several of you will look into this diet & want to tell me all the negatives you've read on-line. I don't need that. I've read just as much negative as I have positive... no different than what I found when I was researching what TV to buy. If I didn't feel confident enough that this would work, I wouldn't do it. Yes I have a hint of skepticism... but who doesn't when they try something new?! So... again... no negative comments or feedback! As Thumper said, "If you can't say something nice... don't say nothing at all".

So there you have it! Please continue to check back in periodically. I'll try to update you all as often as possible. There may be other stuff posted on here too from time to time, but what else would you expect on a blog called "Fish's Random Thoughts"?

Now... here's some beginner pics from 3 weeks ago.

Here's the pics from today... 24 pounds lighter.

I can't tell much looking, but Jen says my face is thinner. And as I mentioned before, I did go down 2 notches in my belt.... so there's some kind of difference.