Weighed in at 198.2 today, down .6 from yesterday. I stayed completely on plan, the slightly lower loss can be attributed to either a previous set point (definitely possible) or just my body taking a breather. It's still well within the range to be expected and I'm happy with it.

Today is going to be a cold one around here - my husband will be replacing our broken hot water heater and to do that, he had to turn off the gas to the house. No fireplace, heater, or over/stovetop. The girls will be going with their grandma for an overnight 'camp-out', as we call it, while Seth and I hang out today and Peter is frantically plumbing and soldering. On the upside, our new hot water is a tankless Rinnai and the savings each month for this much more efficient model will be substantial, and well as lessening the likelihood of running out of hot water at any given time, like we used to. The downside, of course, is this installation.

As I said earlier I am doing fine and on plan, though I have noted two negative side effects to extremely low fat diets that are known to occur, I just hadn't expected to see them in me. First, dry skin. I kind of expected this, but in the dead of an already-dry winter, it's an itchy affair. The second and less expected side effect is zero sex drive! As a married woman, this is a problem, though my husband understand it is brief. Even during the load days, where I was stuffed to the gills, I still wanted sex just fine. In fact, my libido was better during the highest fat days (known to happen). Now, in the trenches of a low fat phase that would make Dean Ornish proud, I am about as interested in sex as another glass of water (I drink a gallon and a half or so a day!). It's not the end of the world, but after a few days of watching this one I can only conclude that this is not normal but a definite consequence of the diet. Interesting stuff to watch, actually. I am in the luteal phase of my period right now, too, which also contributes to a low sex drive. Either way, it's all conspiring against me to make my husband bored and lonely ;)

If this was NOT a brief phase, where I know it will be over in about a month, max, I'd be seriously considering changing my diet. This just proves to me that humans in general and me, on particular, thrive on a diet of whole animal products and plants with cooked, properly fermented grains and dairy (sparingly, still!). The high fat, low sugar, low starch diet is perfect for my needs and my biochemistry responds very favorably to it. Ultra low fat, super lean, calorie restriction? It is useful for a phase but nothing I could or would want to sustain long term.

That being said, I am becoming more positive the mechanism of hCG for burning fat stores is absolutely legit and working beautifully in me. My face and hands are still supple and full of vitality - no gauntness or ill health apparent. But my midsection, breasts, and thighs are all visibly shrinking. My abnormal fat stores are disappearing while the quickly lost and replenished sub-dermal fat remains largely untouched. That is the only way I could be living on so few calories a day with no hunger or visible emaciation, and no negative side effects but a little tiredness, some dry skin and no sex drive. Given the incredible calorie deficits I am pushing (21-2500 a day) that I am not impossibly hungry or miserable speaks to the metabolic mechanisms working.

I don't possess inordinate willpower and even minor calorie restriction tends to be tough for me to stick to, after a few weeks, due to hunger and cravings. Those are all but gone. No cravings for sugar and carbs (just fat and protein), no aching hunger, no overwhelming need to cheat or nibble... None. I'm not particularly great and staying on plan, historically, so my ability to adhere to this is God helping me and a fair bit of sensibility to the (admittedly odd and extreme sounding) plan.

We'll see if my losses are better tomorrow. I should be coming up on TOM, which would slow them for a few days.