hCG Diet post and update

on the hCG Diet:
A lot of people have referenced the hCG diet as the best thing since (not eating) sliced bread to lose weight but I implore you to read the article I posted previously. Even if it doesn't change your mind about it, I think it's important to know both sides of the hCG story. 500 calories and injections are not sustainable, they're not part of a healthy lifestyle, and it costs more money for injections than my grocery budget every week, so I'm not really sure how this works for anyone, but I guess it does. For awhile. But for how long? I guess no one's really sure on that one yet.

Here are two highlights of the article, if you don't feel like reading the whole thing:

- "A range of body “flush and detox” regimens. Here’s my quote from a prior WebMD interview about this regimen. “All the flushes and cleanses are pure nonsense, unnecessary, and there is no scientific basis for these recommendations,” says nutrition and metabolism expert Pamela Peeke, MD, chief medical correspondent for Discovery Health channel. “Your body is well equipped with organs, such as the liver and kidneys, and the immune system, to rid itself of potential toxins and do an excellent job of cleansing itself without needing flushes or cleanses."

- "If I had you consume only 500 calories per day and then injected you with water, should I now call this the amazing water cure for weight loss? hCG has nothing to do with your weight loss. Starvation does."

Again, I remind anyone who reads this blog that my weight loss is a symptom of a healthier lifestyle -- an enjoyable but not entirely necessary consequence of living better.

So here comes the update:

I am approaching the 20lbs lost mark. I bought a dress in a size 14. These things, while exciting, are not that important.

Here is what is important:
-I can outlast most of the people at my gym on the cardio machines.
-I have built my own program and I love it because it's not a program anymore - it's the way I live.
-I feel better than I ever have and I haven't been seriously sick in a very long time - a very big change that I definitely believe is caused by increased activity and better nutrition.
-I see and feel changes in my body every day and 99% of them are positive.
-Part of me is concerned that I may become less attractive as I lose weight. I've always been more or less comfortable with who I am and what I look like (and by always, I mean since college), and the what I look like is definitely changing. It doesn't matter though, because I need to be healthier. So I will look different, and maybe not better or maybe not worse.


Aaaaaaaand Pictures: