Perhaps the roller coaster is over???

Start Weight: 168 lbs

Goal Weight: 138 lbs
Weight after two loading days:  171.7 lbs (3.7 lbs total gain)
R2P2D39Inj31: 147.9 lbs  (-23.8 lbs gross, -20.1 lbs net)

0.9 lbs released!  Woo hoo!  It is nice to see the scale headed steadily down for three days in a row, and I'm now officially within 10 lbs of my goal weight.  Although now, I think that I could lower my goal even further.  It's been so long since I've been in the 140's that I really couldn't truly remember how my body looked and felt.  I'm considering planning Round 3 for after the Christmas, since it is unlikely that I will be able to reach my goal this time and probably likely that I will put a few pounds back on during the holidays.  Don't get me wrong -- I'm not planning to fail.  Just being realistic. ;-)

My husband gave me a very interesting anniversary present this year -- lab tests!  You are probably thinking {insert sarcastic tone here} "Oh, how romantic!"  But, you must understand...  I have suffered from headaches -- ranging from merely uncomfortable all the way to debilitating migraines -- since my teen years.  It was much more common for me to be having a headache than not -- until I started the VLCD portion of the diet.  All of the sudden -- poof! -- the headaches disappeared!  It could be the HCG in my system, but I think that it is much more likely to be related that the food that I was eating before.  I have tried to tie my headaches to specific foods in the past, but have always failed.  So, I truly think that it may be food additives or preservatives that spur an allergic reaction in me that results in a headache.  If I can identify the food, preservative or chemical that is causing my headaches, that would be life-changing for me.  And, a big bonus here is that I will go into Phase 3 knowing what my food sensitivities are -- which is HUGE!  I think that is the main thing that people struggle with in Phase 3.  They start adding back in foods that fall under the "no sugar, no starch" rule, but then they gain and they have no idea why.  The proper way to do Phase 3 is to add one new food at a time, try it for 3 days or so, and if weight stays steady then you check that particular food off as "ok" and move on to the next new food.  But, let me tell you -- that is HARD to do!  I remember my Phase 3 from Round 1...  I ate eggs, cheese and nuts on the FIRST day!  And, all of those foods have a high potential to be allergens for folks.  I just got lucky.  One food that did seem to cause me problems was peanut butter.  I always gained a significant amount the next day after eating it.  And, side note:  Peanut Butter is made from the peanut which is technically a legume, not a tree nut, so it shouldn't be eaten until Phase 4.  That may have been the reason I gained, because I ate the peanut butter during Phase 3, aka the "no sugar, no starch" stage.

I'll be sure to let you know how the test results turn out.  I'm looking forward to seeing them!

Now, on to the menu!

2p:  Smoothie made with frozen strawberries, water, Vanilla Creme
       Stevia, 1/4 cup Nonfat Plain Greek Yogurt* and one scoop
       Jay Robb Vanilla Whey Protein Powder* (blended and put in the
        freezer for awhile to freeze up some more -- it was very good)
6p:   One hard-boiled egg
9p:   One Apple
11:30p:  Trader Joe's Bedtime Tea

*OFF PROTOCOL WARNING!!!

Reflection on the day:  I am feeling the hungries creep up a little today.  For the first time in a while, I woke up hungry.  That is pretty rare for me.  This trend continued during the day.  I wasn't to the ready-to-eat-my-arm kind of hungry, but I did have some stomach growling.  I'm not sure what is going on, but I hope that it gets better tomorrow.  'Til then -- later losers!