I feel a stall coming on...

Start Weight: 168 lbs
Goal Weight: 138 lbs
Weight after two loading days:  171.7 lbs (3.7 lbs total gain)
R2P2D10: 161.6  (-10.1 lbs gross, -6.4 lbs net)


I knew it was bound to happen soon -- the dreaded "stall." The scale didn't change for me this morning. But, stalls happen on this protocol. This is the time that you will be thankful that you measured yourself before you started this journey. (You DID measure yourself, didn't you?  If not, then there's no time like the present!) I did have a couple of things working against me this morning. I ate too late yesterday, didn't get all 500 calories in, and weighed a little earlier than usual this morning. Could be any of the three, the combination, or have nothing at all to do with any of them. Here's what Dr. Simeons has to say in his protocol about stalls:

"The weight registered by the scale is determined by two processes not necessarily synchronized. Under the influence of HCG, fat is being extracted from the cells, in which it is stored in the fatty tissue. When these cells are empty and therefore serve no purpose, the body breaks down the cellular structure and absorbs it, but breaking up of useless cells, connective tissue, blood vessels, etc., may lag behind the process of fat-extraction. When this happens the body appears to replace some of the extracted fat with water which is retained for this purpose. As water is heavier than fat the scales may show no loss of weight, although sufficient fat has actually been consumed to make up for the deficit in the 500-Calorie diet. When then such tissue is finally broken down, the water is liberated and there is a sudden flood of urine and a marked loss of weight. This simple interpretation of what is really an extremely complex mechanism is the one we give those patients who want to know why it is that on certain days they do not lose, though they have committed no dietary error."

That explanation is good enough for me!

Today's tip is to get out the tape measure and measure yourself.  At a minimum, you should record the following information at the start of the diet, then every month following:

Date

Weight

Rt Arm

Lt Arm

Neck

Chest

Waist

Midriff (I took this to be the line at my belly-button)
Hips

R Thigh

L Thigh

R Knee

L Knee

This can help you survive the dreaded stall days if you find that the scale is getting you down. Even if you don't lose any pounds, you will often find that you have lost inches.

I'm hoping that I'm not in a true stall (where the scale doesn't budge for days) but that I will break out of it tomorrow. Today I will take action to correct my problems from yesterday, namely not eating enough calories and eating WAY too late, and perhaps try to take a brisk walk. It's good to keep your body guessing and mix things up a bit from day to day. Don't let yourself get into a rut with eating the same foods over and over again and not varying your routine.

Okay, here's the menu for today:
1:30p:  Baby Spring Mix lettuce topped with diced
             Quorn Chik'n Cutlet* and dressed with
             fake Honey Mustard dressing (Spicy brown
             mustard mixed with ACV)
2:30p:  Orange "sherbet" (1/2 frozen orange, 1/2 fresh
             orange, Vanilla Creme Stevia, 1 tsp skim milk,
             a few pieces of ice... And blend!)
7:30p:  Cream of Asparagus soup*
9p:        Apple

* OFF PROTOCOL WARNING!
- Quorn is a UK company that creates meatless and soy-free products.  This is the first time I have ever tried this product, and it contains some small amounts off-protocol ingredients, so I am really taking a gamble here.  I have heard of some vegetarians eating the Quorn Naked Chik'n Cutlets during P2 with success and since I managed to let myself run out of ALL MY PROTEIN SOURCES (yikes!) I decided to go for it.  The nutrition info for one "cutlet" is: 80 cals, 2.5g fat, Total Carb 5g, Dietary Fiber 2g, Sugars 0.5g, Protein 11g.
- Mixing veggies, the soup has asparagus and onion

Been a long day, so I'm going to kick back with a Trader Joe's Bedtime Tea and watch the recorded Falcons game with my hubby. 'Til tomorrow -- later losers!  ;-)