On the Right Side of the Hill Again

Good morning. It's day 16 of the HCG Diet, Phase 2 VLCD. I back on the right side of the hill again. After a .4lb gain yesterday, I am down 1.3 today. Total loss so far, 21 pounds.  I'm going to work out again today, so I will pay close attention to the weight loss/gain tomorrow morning. I was feeling a little constipated so I drank the smooth move tea last night before bed. I didn't quite work the way I thought it would.

Yesterday I decided to try on a pair of smaller jeans and they fit! whoohooo. I have clothes in storage that are smaller. I'm heading to the shed today to see what I can find.

I'm also going to try my miracle noodles today at some point. Need to find some recipes. They say there is an art to cooking them.

Not a clue what the menu for the day is. Maybe roast beef and fish. Not sure yet.

Menu for the day:

Snack: apple, protein juice
Lunch: lean turkey burger, mexican style tomatoes with miracle noodles
Snack: Orange
Dinner: Roast beef lettuce wraps (yes I'm addicted to them), sauteed spinach w onions, grissini

The miracle noodles are the bomb. I rinsed them thouroughly, them put them in a dry frypan on high to get the excess water out  and then put them into the tomatoes. Slightly chewy, but not bad. Sure does fool the eye. And I need the fiber. We'll see what the scale says tomorrow.

I also worked out for 20 minutes today. In the past, the next day brings a stall or gain. Keeping track!

Phase 2 Day 15 and Ridin' The Rollercoaster

After a 1.3 lb loss yesterday, I am up .4 this morning. grrrrrrrr.

I did work out yesterday, probably harder than I should have. So I went back to all of my logs, weight, activity, foods. I did find an interesting correlation. On the mornings after the day I worked out, my loss was miniscule or I gained. So I went looking for answers. I found an interesting article on water retention in muscles after working out. Could this be the culprit? I reviewed my foods and everything was the same. I stayed within the calorie range and even left out one of my wasa allowances.

I'm not saying this is the reason, just assumptions is based on my own statistics. We'll see what happens in the morning.

I'm curious to see if I've lost inches, well, I know I've lost some, but how much? I will reserve that for when I go back to the doctors on the 28th of this month, my 3 week check-up.

Back to the store today for some of that yummy roast beef. I need lettuce, spinach, cabbage and lettuce too.

Back later for the menu.

Lunch:Roast beef lettuce wraps w/ horseradish mustard, radish chips, grissini
Snack: Orange, protein juice
Dinner: Curry shrimp and cabbage
Snack: Apple

20lbs gone Phase 2 Day 14

I did it! Crossed over the 20lb mark. 13 full days of the HCG diet.

Down 1.3lbs for a total loss of 20.1lbs. I am kind of surprised because I had a moment of weakness, well not really weakness. I was hungry, gnawing hunger. Water didn't work and I was feeling dizzy and couldn't sleep. So I grabbed a couple of slices of roast beef and ate it. Why the sudden hunger?

I can only suspect a couple of things:

a) yesterday was my injection skip day

b) early in the day I felt like I wanted/needed to do some exercise, so I got on the elliptical machine and before I knew it I had been on 30 minutes and burned 330 calories.

c) I also did some crunches.

To date, 2 weeks, I have been completely consumed with the HCG Diet Protocol, almost to the point of obsession. I have tried to educate myself to the best of my ability, reading forums and facebook page documents. I think it's time to just make it a part of my day without thinking. I am pretty comfortable with allowable foods and portion sizes. I credit this to journaling on FitDay. And get back to doing everyday activities, focus on my jewelry making, which I have put off for the last 2 weeks.
With my son getting ready to leave, I have things to take care of in regards to that too.
Time to just carry on and quit stressing and obsessing about it.
Haven't decided the menu for the day, it's still very early. Probably shrimp and chicken for my proteins. Maybe asparagus and cabbage for veggies. I'll be back to update the menu.
Menu for the day:
Snack: 1/2 apple, protein juice
Lunch: Grilled chicken salad
Dinner: Curried Shrimp and Cabbage Soup, Grissini
Snack: Strawberries

Found out today that we can have brussel sprouts. I'm happy because I don't eat most of the allowable veggies. Fennel (yuk), Beet Greens (can't find them) cucumbers (not that into them) Tomato (never whole, just use them sparingly)

Time for bed. Stay tuned.

Falling Again

It's day 13 on phase 2 of the HCG Diet. I was nervous about getting on the scale this morning after my .4lb gain yesterday. But I did, and lost 1.4lbs. So got rid of the gain and lost another pound for a total of 18.8 pounds. That's great, but sure would like to see bigger losses. Yes, I know it slows down, and I know that even 1 pound a day is alot. I will keep moving forward.

Here's the graph of my weighloss so far. Looks pretty good from this view.

Because I am so big and have so much to lose, it will take a while for me to see changes in my clothes. Just wish it would go ahead and happen.
I said before, that my morning blood sugar levels have plummeted, which is good for me. Well under 100 in the am. I have decided to cut my diabetes medication in half and see if my sugar still stays low.
I took it after my evening meal, 2 hours and it was still 97. So this diet has definitely had a positive side affect on my health.  Wouldn't it be great if I could get off the medication for good?

I am going to do some walking today and I really do need to do some ab exercises and stretching.

I have to admit that I have been a bit obsessed with the diet, making sure that I do it right. At this point, almost 2 weeks into it, I think I have this down. Now I can get back to my everyday activities. My jewelry designing has taken a bit of a back seat to the diet. I need to jump back into that.

I'll be back once I decide the menu for the day.

I just made myself the most scrumptpus apple crisp.
1 apple cored and chopped (leave the skin on, it's good fiber),
2 tbsp water
1 truvia packet
1 coarsely crushed grissini
quick squeeze of lemon juice in a microwavable bowl covered loosely.
Microwave for 5 min on high, drizzle with a few drops of emglish toffee stevia drops.
OMG carmel apple crisp.
*If I had used wasa, I would have gottn more crisp. And if this were done in the oven, the grissini probably would have been crispier. I probably could have done without the Truvia packet. The english toffee stevia was an afterthought*

Menu
Snack: apple crisp w grissini
Lunch: Fajita seasoned sauteed roast beef and a little onion, on bed of lettuce
Snack:???
Dinner: Fishcake, (tilapia, wasa, celery, spices) spinach

Here's Dinner

Phase 2 Day 12 and I Gained

I'm not real happy this morning. I woke up this am hoping to be as close to a 20 pound total loss as possible. But when I stepped on the scale, I was UP .4. WHAT? There's just no way. I was POP (Perfectly on Protocol) and even burned some extra calories. I have a sad face on today. But I will not be discouraged. After reading tons of information, I keep seeing this Whoooosh Effect. What is that you say?
Well, apparently, when your body starts to burn the fat, the fat is released from the cells, leaviong them deflated. Until your body realizes that the fat is not coming back, it temporarily fills them with water. Then, when your body has decided that the fat really isn't coming back, it will all of a sudden release the water in the cells....giving you a big release of water, hence, the Whooosh!
This could be it, could be a stall, who knows. I have stayed on protocol and will just wait it out.

No work for me today. Hitting the grocery store for a few things. I have seen that Wasa crackers are allowed along with the melba toast and grissini breadsticks. I'm going to pick up some of them to have some variety. And I'm also going to pick up some boars head roast beef. Lean steak is tough and I have a hard time digesting it. So I figure roast beef is a good option and Boars Head has not msg, sugar, addtitives. There is another brand Dietz and Watson that is the same as Boars Head.

I went shopping and found this scale from Emerson. I already tried it and it's so much easier than the manual one. On the maual scale, you have to eyeball the line so I believe this will be more accurate.

Got the Wasa crasckers, 2 different types and the roast beef. I am in love with Winn-Dixie Brand horseradish brown mustard, O carbs, no oil and yummmmy. I also found a habanero mustard (also legal) very spicy. I bought a few other spices too. With only using 2 ingredients to cook with, I figue that is the best way to change the flavor.

I saw a recipe for roasted radish chips. Sliced thin, spiced and put in a low oven til crispy. Cant wait.

I am also making the apple cinnamon chips, sliced apple, cinnamon and 1 packet truvia. Slow low oven (kind of like dehydrating them)

Menu for the day:

Lunch: Roast beef lettuce wraps with horseradish mustard and radish chips

Snack: apple chips

Dinner: Shrimp, cabbage, wasa

Snack: strawberries  didn't fel like eating them

Thought I would share my lunch.

 I overcooked the radish chips a little, but they are still tasty!

That meal right there is only 175 calories!

Inspirig Myself -Phase 2 VLCD Day 11

I woke up this morning with swollen fingers. The curry chicken cabbage soup I had yesterday was a little on the salty side. So I figured that the scale would not be good to me. So, with much trpidation, I stepped on the scale and to my delighted surprise, WAIT FOR IT~~~~~~

I lost another 2.4 pounds

TOTAL Loss 17.8

I was literally doing the naked Happy Dance (sorry, don't visualize that this early in the morning).

Now, I'm not sure if I mentioned this on an earlier post, but I had set a conservative goal for this 42 day program of 36 lbs, just under a pound a day. All the research and personal information from other people on the HCG diet averaged between .6 and 1 pound per day.

If you do the math, I have lost half of my goal weight in 11 days, less than 1/3 of the total length of the program. I know that the losses will slow, but wouldn't it be great IF THEY DIDN'T.

I found the most fabulous little guide. You can find it HERE. Lots of Phase 2 recipes, trick, tips, info.

I have battled with one portion of the diet and that is the fact that you don't eat breakfast. I know that the original Dr. Simeons Pounds & Inches program works. But you have to remember that this protocol was created in the 1950's. More current scientific research shows that, in order to jump start your metabolism in the morning, you need to eat something. Yesterday, before I worked in the yard, I had an ounce of protein juice and an apple. I still had a big loss. There were other variables, the extra activity and such. I am going to do the same thing today (I have to finish the front yard) and see what happens in the am.

Another observation, or lack of. I'm a big girl with a lot of weight to lose. I am realistic, in that I know that it will take quite a bit of weight before it really "shows". I did have a mini breakthrough when I realized that I could skip 2 hooks on my bra and it still feels loose. Baby steps!

Off to eat my apple and mow the yard. I'll be back for the daily menu~~~

Snack: apple, protein juice
Lunch: tilapia, asparagus
Snack: Orange
Dinner: Shrimp (garlic, lemon, red chili flakes, cilantro), spinach, grissini

Today was a good day. Hoping for more loss tomorrow. How cool would it be to reach 20lb loss. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Day 9 of Phase 2 Mini-Goal Hit

Yay! I hit a mini-goal. 15 pounds. Woke up this am to a .8 pound loss. My hands feel a little swollen so I don't know if I retained some water or not. But it's still a loss. Yippee. Total loss so far
15.4 lbs. 

I made the decision yesterday, that I was going to reward myself for every 15 pounds loss. But I wanted a reward that would keep growing and be a daily reminder of my successes and my goals.
I am going to buy myself a thin band type ring, for each 15 pounds I lose. My ultimate goal is 150 pounds, so in the end, I should have 7 bands. I will wear them everyday as a reminder. I found these and purchased 4, in different colors, but will only wear one band when I get it and put the others away until I reach each additional 15 pounds.

Today I am going to mow the yard. I had an ounce of protein juice and ate my apple so that I don't pass out..hahaha.

Lobster and chicken are todays protein, but not sure of the veggies, just had to get the meat out of the freezer. Off to mow the grass.

Well I mowed the yard and felt good. I played it safe and only did the back. Tomorrow I will do the front.
Menue for today:
Apple and protein juice prior to mowing the yard.
Lunch: Spicy lime, chile, cilantro with roasted tomatoes in a lettuce wrap.
Snack: orange, grissini
Dinner : Curry chicken cabbage soup

(side note: my fasting blood sugar has consistently gone down and has been under 100 for 5 days straight)

P2-Day 8

After the minimal loss yesterday, I was really hoping for a jump on the scale. With great trepidation, I stepped on the scale this am to a 1.2 pound loss. Bringing my total to 14.6. YAY! Big relief. I would really like to have at leat a .8 loss everyday. But I won't be too disappointed with less. A loss is a loss.
I do have an issue with one thing on this diet. I undestand that you can only have coffee or tea in the am, however, all other modern theories suggest and recommend to eat something in the morning in order to start your metabolism after resting all night. I'm going to experiment with eating something very low cal, no carbs in the mid-morning. I have read on forums and seen different variations of the HCG diet that allow something to be eaten in the am. Maybe I will have a boiled egg white (17 cal, 0 fat, 0 carb, 3.5g protein). I will try that tomorrow to see what happens.

Today I'm off to the grocery store for more veggies and some things for my son. I'm also going to do 20 min on the elliptical. I'm feeling really good on the diet overall. Sometimes I have trouble sleeping (last night) Other times I really really want to work out. I never thought I would have to fight the will to work out. Go figure.

Havent decided the menu today.
Lunch: Tilapia, asparagus, protein juice
Snack: Apple
Dinner: Spicy shrimp and slaw lettuce wraps, grissini breadstick
Snack: 1/2 grapefruit

I found a horseradish mustard that is the bomb for dipping.
Feeling super tired today, not from the diet but from a bad nights sleep. Forget to eat my grissine, didn't feel like eating my post dinner grapefruit. Now it's too late. Hope the scale doesn't scold me tomorrow.
Nite~~Nite

Slowing Down



I woke up this morning really hoping to meet my mini goal. But I only lost .6lbs, so I'm .6 short of 14 pounds. But it's still 13.4 pounds lost in a week. How cool is that? I do feel a little "clogged up" this morning. Normal according to everything I've read. I really don't think that I am eating a large enough portion of vegetables. That could be the cause of my slow "movements".
I think there is a lot of confusion as to the vegetables. Even with my own doctors plan, the veggie serving size is not specified. I've seen many different theories on it.
a claw size handful
a cup
4 oz
enough to fill the gap on calories and bring the total to 500.

I must do more research. -------->The majority of the sites I visited  said to eat enough to fill the calorie gap, so that's what I'm going for. 

Alrighty then..moving on

The menu for the day
Lunch: Shrimp, spinach, melba
Snack: Strawberries
Dinner: Chicken, asparagus, breadstick
Snack: 1/2 Grapefruit

Need to hit the grocery store for some more fruits and veggies.

HCG Diet Menu Plan VLCD (very low calorie diet) 500 calories

This is the actual diet and menu plan from Dr. Simeons

Breakfast:

Tea or coffee in any quantity without sugar. Only one tablespoonful of milk allowed in 24 hours. Stevia may be used.

Lunch:

1. 100 grams of veal, beef, chicken breast, fresh white fish, lobster, crab, or shrimp. All visible fat must be carefully removed before cooking, and the meat must be weighed raw. It must be boiled or grilled without additional fat. Salmon, eel, tuna, herring, dried or pickled fish are not allowed. The chicken breast must be removed from the bird.

2. One type of vegetable only to be chosen from the following: spinach, chard, chicory, beet-greens, green salad, tomatoes, celery, fennel, onions, red radishes, cucumbers, asparagus, cabbage.

3. One breadstick (grissino) or one Melba toast.

4. An apple, orange, or a handful of strawberries or one-half grapefruit.

Dinner :

The same four choices as lunch (above.)