Curves

 Now that I am on P3 (Phase 3, maintenance), I decided to return to Curves Gym after a several month hiatus, and decided to get weighed and measured. I was thrilled with the new measurements. Compared to my original measurements from 7 years ago:

Total weight loss: 42.4 lbs

            Total inches lost: 32.25  (7 inch loss from hips; 5.5 from abdomen, 4 from each thigh, etc.)

Total body fat lost: 7.8% = 28.63 lbs. WAHOO!

I was introduced to Curves (Fitness Center for Women) in 2003.  My sister, who lives in Boston, kept telling me to go visit it and I said, “OK” but never went. When my sister came to visit me here in Tucson, she dragged me to Curves to show me what it was like. She said, “It’s a little dorky, but it’s fun!” I saw that it was set up in a circle with machines alternating with square pads (recovery stations)…. and, the best part -- they were playing groovy music. After trying it out, I became a member and, for the first time in my life, not only loved working out but consistently did it three times a week (and found a Curves gym whenever I went out of town to not miss a workout). 

HCG…is it a healthy approach to weight loss?

I have had several friends and family members question my using HCG with the usual comment, “Of course you are losing weight, you are only eating 500 calories.” Actually, I don’t blame them for the comment – it is the same one I used before I understood the HCG protocol:

When I was 16, I went to a diet doctor and was injected with HCG and ate only 500 calories, a very low calorie diet (VLCD).  At that time, I doubt that I followed the directions for maintenance because I gained the weight back. Consequently, for many years when I told my “story” of my life-long challenge of losing weight, I mentioned that as a teen I even got an injection every day and ate a VLCD. Whenever I related this story, I added the comment, “Well, of course I lost weight, I was limited to 500 calories.”  Even though some of my friends and family are mouthing the same words that I used to use, now I know better.

During my years of seeking a weight loss solution, I have avoided very low calorie food plans because I didn’t want my body to go into starvation mode.