Day 4: Menu Day #1...Injection #4

Today I began the "very low calorie diet" (VLCD) phase of the HCG plan. I got up early- made some herbal tea with Splenda and sat down to make my grocery list...which took about 17 seconds. There isn't much on the diet to choose from to begin with- and when you whittle it down to the items that you actually care to eat...it gets really skinny- pardon the pun ;)

My grocery list looked like this;

• mushrooms
• asparagus
• onion
• kiwi
• strawberries
• oranges
• apples
• egg beaters
• tea
• melba toast
• sugar free jello cups
• chicken
• crab
• shrimp

Reading that makes one think of some elaborate gourmet recipe that will be carefully put together for a snooty dinner party later tonight...but no. These are the foods that will last me for the week- and these are ALL of the foods that I will be eating...nothing more.

On the way home from the grocery store- I stopped by a local health food store to pick up an Amino spray that was recommended by my doctor...it was promised that I could sub it for soy sauce on veggies and meats...I was sceptical but- curious. $4 for a tiny little bottle- and it better be good.

The HCG/VLCD plan says no food before 11AM...and I was approaching 12:30 by the time I got home. I unloaded the baby, diaper bag, groceries and got everyone and everything in the house. Put away the food- and pulled out my HCG planner to remind myself of the quantities of food that I can have. After careful consideration- since this would be my ONLY meal until dinner time several hours later...I decided on scrambled egg beaters, asparagus & mushrooms and a cup of strawberries.

I cut up the mushrooms and asparagus and heated a splash of water in a nonstick skillet to create some steam- threw in my veggies and sprayed them with the Amino spray... and YES it does taste like soy sauce- WHEW!! After the veggies steamed just long enough to soften them slightly- I dumped in the 3/4 cup egg beaters- and 2 egg whites. There is was...my first meal. It looked good- smelled good- and after a sprinkle of salt and pepper- I have to tell you- it really was tasty! I sat there eating it- slowly -so to enjoy it fully- thinking "I can actually do this for 3 weeks...even if THIS was the only thing I made everyday..." And I know there are lots of other things I can eat- so I am going to be fine.

That was around 1PM...and it is now 3:15... I am thinking I want to eat...but wondering " am I hungry- or do I just want to eat because I know I can't?" Either way- I am not eating anything til dinner. I have a big glass of iced pomegranate tea- and that will be it til the next meal time.