Thread: Struggling to find right dose. Bingeing most days.

Have you skipped your dose each time you've made a dose adjustment so you know whether to adjust up or down? Always skip a day and pay attention to your hunger only after 4pm on the skip day. If you feel better 4pm and after, lower your dose by 25 iu. If you feel hungrier, raise the dose by 25 iu. Make sure you stay on the same dose for at least several days before doing a skip day and trying to adjust your dose.

Is there some activity you can plan each afternoon or early evening that will take you away from food and capture your attention so you won't be tempted to eat?

Thank you for your response.

I didn't skip a dose until today, because I didn't think I had enough days under my belt to skip. Today, with the skipped dose, I experienced little to no hunger and feel very cold and a bit dragged out. I remember this feeling from my successful round. What dose do I start on tomorrow? I've had 150, 150, 100, 125, 125, 125, 110, 0...

It's hard to tell with all the adjusting you did. Am I correct you were at 125 for several days, then 110 for 1 day, then skipped and felt better? I might take it to 110-115 for a few days, but ask Leez. She's more of an expert.

She usually sees all the posts so she'll probably be replying to you soon.

Thank you, both, very much. I actually skipped today, too. I woke up so I'm-hungry, I forgot to dose. I realized at 2:30pm that I hadn't eaten anything all day because I had no hunger. I did eat chicken, cucumbers, and an apple at 4:30. I'm stuffed.

Yes, I was at 125 for three days. My loading days were at 150 and I was starving. I'll try the 110.

Grammy, I wish I would have read your message earlier. I dosed at 110 at 7:30am, and by 9:00am I was famished. Ate on plan until 2:30 but really hungry. Finally, while at work, I caved and ate some gluten free pizza being pushed by the cafeteria staff. It went down like lead, and I feel sick after eating so lightly the last few days. Is it possible 110 is too much for me? I wasn't hungry when I woke up today. What dose should I do tomorrow?

I hate to be harsh, but I think if you're bingeing every day you need to spend some time on reflection. Are you really ready to do this? Are you ready to suffer with some hunger for a day or two while your body adjusts to your dose and to the hcg diet? Are you ready to use some good old fashioned willpower (not saying it won't be difficult) and just power through for a couple days? Do you have plenty of water and hot tea to drink when you're getting the urge to binge? Why on earth were you anywhere near the cafeteria or the smell of pizza? What are you eating? Choose something like celery or lettuce or raw spinach for your lunch vegetable. You can eat so much of it and still remain within your 500 calories that you'll be munching on it from lunch until dinner time before you're through. Stick with the same dose for at least 3 days and let your body adjust. Expect to feel empty. Expect to feel tempted on occasion by things like pizza. Expect some stomach growling.

Learn to distract yourself when food calls to you. Take a bubble bath in the evening. Give yourself a manicure. Go for a walk. Phone a friend. Clean out anything the least bit tempting from your cupboards or refrigerator and throw it away.

Edited to say, I'm looking back at my reply and it seems harsh. I don't mean it that way at all. I just think you need to give it a few days and power through. I think your body is a little confused with different doses and different amounts of food. I think there will be some hunger on this plan while you adjust to it. It takes a little time to get to that sweet spot. I think bingeing behavior is often not a result of hunger, but of emotion and compulsion and habit, and those need to be dealt with separately from hunger.

I didn't take it as harsh - I took it as advice and help.

I have celiac disease and lupus and I have been on high doses of prednisone which caused my initial weight gain and struggle to get it off. I am already low carb by way of celiac disease and have to be very disciplined in my eating. I'm not a binge eater in general. I'm only bingeing on the hcg, and when my dose seems to be off. It's an uncontrollable type of hunger I've never felt before - like I just can't eat enough.

I'm really struggling with how to move forward on this. Do I scrap the round? I haven't dosed today at all because I'm not hungry and I'm afraid if I dose, I will get hungry. (I'm not in menopause so that isn't a factor in my dose.)