Jean, thanks so much for your helpful reply. :grouphug: Hopefully, won't have to worry too much. I think there have been a very small amount of cases in France. None in the U.K. ... I think.

Lacy, on my first round, when I was either MUCH more disciplined or the drops were just more effective than the pellets I'm using now, I got my drops from this company. Yes, they're more expensive than some others, but dh and I thought it preferable to pay a bit more. Many get other brands are have equally great results. With this round, I'm using pellets from here. And either they're not as effective OR I've have so many difficult things going on lately ... this round is just more difficult. Yes, the former. It's absolutely essential to stick to protocol if you want to get the desired results. With hcg, you’re not meant to exercise intensely. It will cause water gain and possibly an increase in appetite. Light weights, 2-4 mile walks, yoga, etc. are fine for many people - but the intense stuff (elliptical, treadmill, long exercise sessions, running, heavier weights) – these are all most definitely out. I have a friend and know some on the hcg forums who normally do the intense stuff like P90X. That just can't happen on hcg. They can start to do that on P3, building up gradually, of course. I have found that when I focus on only doing stretching and some gentle stability ball stuff (ab work, etc.), my losses have been much better and quicker than when I do other stuff such as light weights. When I started using weights and a few very easy Denise Austin DVDs, my weight stalled for those exact same 10 days that I did them. Even though the workouts were relatively easy and short. I'm pretty sure that it was from the exercise, because that was all that had changed. I would never swim during hcg. Swimming, as much as I love it, increases appetite for lots of people, including me. The rule is to just listen to your body- if you have the energy to do it, it's okay. Sometimes you just need to experiment a bit and see what works. Thank you for your very kind words. :grouphug: Kate, wow! You and your dh have done great! :D :hurray:

if you have no choice but to eat out. We'll be traveling to France, Britain, and Israel. We won't have access to a fridge very often or for the most part. How can we reduce our chances? * not order salads? I usually prefer to avoid salads in restaurants, but now I'll be really conscious, I guess * order mainly cooked foods * avoid things like smoothies, etc.? Does anyone have any tips or know how to lessen the chances? I tried googling, but couldn't come up with anything substantial or particularly helpful. Thank you.

Cassy, I don't know the extent of your health problem, but I feel that with time and back to healthy habits, you will feel better soon. :grouphug: You're so right. 10 pounds is certainly NOT a problem. :) It's really nothing. Just a number. And yes, curvy beats skinny any day. :D I will also always have a squishy tummy. Always have. Always will. ;) According to the BMI charts (those charts I hate so much), I was in the "overweight" category when I started my first round. I got to the "desirable" - but that didn't last long, since I ran out of hhcg drops AND a ton of not so pleasant things occurred - family health problems, stressors, etc. Now, I'm in the "marginally overweight" category. I'm also, according to the charts, several pounds off the "desirable" range. I don't particularly care and am not excessively concerned - a few pounds here and there makes little difference, if at all. My personal goal is to have my waist measurement be under 33 inches for maximum health - heart health, blood pressure, etc. More info on that if anyone is interested. Waist measurement is much more important than the number on the scale, although, they are both related. You could be correct about the psychological aspect. I'm certainly no psychologist. I think this may apply to most diets, particularly more extreme ones - hcg, Dukan, you name it ... I didn't diet for years and was always anti-diet. The poster girl for speaking against diets, yet I was 40 pounds heavier than I am now. Not good at all. For me, it has simply been a plan that finally, FINALLY, worked ... after years of struggling with things that barely worked or produced little/no results. I can't imagine doing hcg forever. I see it as something to go on from time to time, maybe once a year, maybe less ... Hcg is not designed for long-term - 26 or 43 days. Then P3 and P4 ... but you know all that already. Again, take care of your health :grouphug:. That's what's most important. Not a few extra pounds and curves. My dh nor I don't even want me to be skinny and emaciated. I'll never be that way anyway. ;)

Best of luck. :grouphug: Cassy, I'm sorry your experience wasn't a good one. :confused: I'm sorry you don't feel well and haven't fully recovered. Hope you do so soon. This goes to show that there isn't a perfect diet for everyone, sort of like everything in life, I guess - homeschool curriculum - you name it. When I started my first round, I wasn't very overweight or even obese. I lost weight very successfully, felt better than I had in a very long time, looked great, and more than anything, it really boosted future weight loss efforts. Even though I am struggling on this round due to so many external circumstances and distractions, I still feel so much better and look better than I have in a very long time. The compliments I receive are motivating, although that is certainly not the reason I like to lose weight. I do it for health reasons. To me, when it comes to weight loss, it's all so individual and one has to just figure out what works at different times in one's life. Hcg has worked for me since January. I love it. Maybe in a year or 5 years or whatever, I might find that it no longer works for me and something else does. Our bodies are constantly changing. Some swear by the "No S" diet. It didn't do much for me. Not that I stuck with it for very long. But the loss was so slow, if anything ... rather discouraging or maybe I was just impatient. I have a friend who actually gained 10 pounds on the No S diet. When it comes to the dangerous aspect, I respectfully disagree, from personal experience and pretty much from everyone else's experience that I know. If hcg is done right, most (not all), but most, feel great. There are a few days initially, where one feels weak or headach-y, but that could be due to not loading correctly or properly, incorrect dosage, the body detoxing (natural and good process), insufficient water, etc. Again, for the most part ... Finally, when it comes to the binge/starve behaviors ... not necessarily true if one sticks to protocol. Any diet works if one sticks to protocol. If one cheats, it stops working. I think that binge/starve behaviors are more mental and psychological. That could happen with any plan and not just hcg. Again, sorry to hear that your experience was not a good one. I hope you find a plan that's right for you. We're all learning and trying our best to find what works for us. :grouphug:

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

5 weeks old - from LAX to Grenada. Worked like a charm. She slept through most of the flights. I fed her during take off/landing/altitude changes to minimize ear pain/pressure.

:iagree: :iagree: :iagree:

Thank you all so much. :) Have fun! I'll PM you about when we leave. Yes, I realize that the plan is still a bit ambitious and may be very exhausting. We'll play it by ear and spend lots of time in parks and cafeterias, I'm sure. Yes, good shoes are ready! :D Thank you. :) If anyone has more suggestions/feedback, please do share. Thank you.

If anyone has time, would really appreciate you glancing at our new rough and revised itinerary. Thoughts, comments, feedback are more than welcome. DAY ONE Vanves Flea Market Not really sure what to do after Vanves :confused: ... we would like to be at the Eiffel Tower for the evening - this is the day I feel we need most help with Pedestrian Area Around Saint Eustache and/or Rue Cler? Jardins de Luxembourg The Trocadero and Eiffel Tower for sunset and after dark DAY TWO If we can get there early enough, Montmarte BEFORE 9:30 AM – if not any other weekday morning OR for sunset Rick Steves Historic Paris Walk Day - Notre Dame, Sainte-Chappelle Night Seine River Cruise DAY THREE Montmartre - either in the morning OR for sunset? Galeries Lafayette Printemps Champs Elysees and Arc de Triomphe Montmartre - if we haven't yet had a chance to go, to be there for sunset and to stay for dinner DAY FOUR Rick Steves Left Bank Walk Jardins de Luxembourg Rick Steves Marais Walk DAY FIVE Orsay and the Rodin Gardens The Louvre in the evening - only doing certain parts, no museum overkill for us! DAY SIX Versailles Thank you so much. :grouphug:

I just love hearing the word "fortnight" :). I hear it so rarely in this part of the world. I had a friend who didn't know what a fortnight was and thought that it was every 4 nights :lol:. Same here. No, I cannot believe that it's just the U.S. Postal System, since this is my experience here in Grenada also. They ship it from the U.K. I think their service may not be as fast and efficient as it was ... I hope I'm wrong. I really wanted to order a few books before we leave for our trip, but didn't bother, since the last few orders took soooo long to get here. I'm just going to wait till we get back.

:iagree: This too. Dh is big on this one.

Thank you for this much-needed reminder. This has been us. All 3 of the above. :) Yes, we also are big on ending the day in peace. And, like you, I have very seldom failed. We could have had the worst day under the sun, but we'll still pray, hug, and read. :iagree: :iagree: This. :) Yes, this also. I have to admit that before dc, there were very few animals that I liked, just a few pet dogs that we'd had growing up. But in my late teens and early adult years, I really, really disliked animals. I made a concerted effort for our dc to be more compassionate. Ds LOVES animals. Dd also. They have so many pets and have developed responsibility and empathy as a result. This, from me, a former anti-pet person ... :iagree: I go nuts if I don't eat fresh fruit (sorry, Denise, I know you're on the candida diet :grouphug:) and if I don't have a good laugh every single day. "A day without laughter is the most wasted day of all." Dh married me partly because I laugh. I need to remember to laugh more, especially when things go wrong. :) Thanks for the reminder. :grouphug:

:iagree: And, jld, if you see this, which I hope you will, do know that I miss you :grouphug: and I'm sure I'm not the only one. But you know that already, or at least, you should. :)

Just finished this to hopefully help me be more creative and better with taking photos. :confused: It was okay. It's not so much the book. It's just that the book wasn't fully applicable or relevant to me. Just some of it was. I got it used, so I didn't pay too much for it at all. I wish I was the type to take fabulous pictures and that I was less lazy and would actually take pictures more often. I need to find some sites that are user-friendly and not overwhelming.

:iagree:

No.

Karis, you can get them from footsmart.com or from amazon I'm sure there are others also if you google "yoga sandals" or "yoga slippers" etc. I love how your place has specific equipment for each customer. Wow. :D Great tips. Thank you. I often have a problem being assertive when it comes to these things. I tend to be too nice and compliant. I need to be a bit more demanding.

Whose wedding and how obligated are you to go? Me, personally, nope, not that late in the stage. But it may also depend on how obligated you are or feel.

Kimberly, so glad it worked :grouphug:. LOVE your avatar! :D :party:

I got a horrible plantar wart from a pedicure several years ago. It was so deeply embedded that I had to have surgery and spend a month on bed rest. Believe it or not, I have had a few, very few pedicures since then - but only from a very trusted and hygienic place. Also: I go only first thing in the morning, so the tools have had a chance to be thoroughly sterilized. I also have my own flip flops. I only get a pedicure once or twice a year. That's it. Good tip about not shaving the morning of. Makes sense.

I'm reading a history book of the cities of Acre and Haifa (where we'll be in a few weeks) in Israel. This is one of my all-time favorites. :) I was intimidated at first also. Mind you, back then, I think I was intimidated by these forums overall! ;)

I love this thread :D. This looks interesting, but I'll have to first overcome my loathing of the FB guy ... I started watching the movie about him, and couldn't tolerate more than 20 or so minutes. :glare: Added this to my wish list. :) Been meaning to read this for a while. This looks great. Dh thinks I should read it, since I really, really have a problem with her every time we watch these. ;) We do enjoy watching the interview with her at the end of the series. She was nothing like the character. Phenomenal actress. I love The Geography of Bliss. Humorous, insightful, and right-on. Have read this twice. Love it. :D Also love: Food Rules Malcolm Gladwell books The Anti-Cancer Book – great overall health book not just for those concerned about cancer, and full of hope and action Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl – best self-help book ever, fabulous Dave Barry’s books for fun Confessions of an Economic Hit Man – very interesting and a real eye-opener

You never offended me. In fact, I don't think I even got as far as reading your posts. I hope I didn't offend anyone :confused:. If I did, I'm very sorry.

Good for you. Sounds like you have a plan and are being organized. Best of luck! Yes. :) I know of many men who are on it. :lol: True that. :lol: Mine wears the exact same pant size as in high school :glare:. No fair! Not necessarily. Not always. Maybe for Rx, but not necessarily for hhcg. You're doing GREAT! :grouphug: :iagree: