R2P2D1 LOAD DAY

Whew!!! I made it through the 6-week maintenance with little trouble. I only had to have 2 steak days during it, so I consider that a success. I maintained my weight and am off and running today on my next round and sooooo looking forward to RELEASING another 25+ lbs.

This time, I have some supporters to go along this journey with me...my husband and Aunt are joining me. We all started today. I think it will make it easier and more fun to have others right here with me on the same diet. I still get lots and lots of encouragement and guidance from the HCG Diet Info forums and have made some good online friends there :)

One thing I am noticing this time is that it is not as easy and much fun to load as it was the last time...food is making me fuller and I can hardly stomach all that I need to consume. Which I guess is a very good thing. I really don't have the cravings for foods that I used to and I am rarely even tempted. I enjoy the good foods that I do eat and how I feel when I am eating well. A life change...hmmmm, imagine that.

Well, I plan to be intentional and purposeful in everything I eat, do, and say...so be following me over the next few weeks and give me feedback. I love your comments and encouragement!!!

P3D22 11-14-09

So, I was up a little bit today, +1.6 lbs from last hhcg day. Not bad, but I am going to play it very safe today...lots of protein and water. Yesterday I added oatmeal w/ agave juice and smart balance on it. For lunch I had tuna salad with real mayo, diced dill pickles, chopped egg on a bed of lettuce greens and topped with Flat Earth Baked Veggie Crisps..tangy tomato ranch(YUMM!). At dinner we had boneless center cut pork loin chops with onions and and apple cider reduction...pretty good, a little overcooked. On the side we had spinach & shallots and a white skinned sweet potato. Never saw one of those before...white skinned sweet potato??? It was really good...actually sweeter to me than the normal ones. I did not add anything at all to mine, but I am still suspect that that might have been just a bit too much...

I am enjoying the way I am learning how my body reacts to different foods and I am getting much more interested in learning new, creative and healthy ways of cooking for me and my family. It is so much more costly in terms of money and time, but I think it is really going to be worth it. I keep thinking about our food supply, our choices and economy...It is crazy the way all the stuff that is so processed and filled with chemicals and stuff I can't even pronounce are usually the least expensive and often very tasty...but so very bad for us. Now that I have been off that stuff and have had opportunities to take a little bite here or there..it is really not even good..tastes so fake!!!

OK, that is all for now. It is a beautiful fall Saturday out there...I gotta get out and enjoy it!

P3D??? 11-13-09

Well, I'm baaack!!! I have had a long break from blogging and am having a hard time getting back into it! I am a bit confused how to clarify where I am at on the HCG protocol in terms of Phases/Days??? I just started the 2ND 3-weeks of maintenance, per Linda Prinster's Pounds and Inches Away, which is the program I began with. So, we continue to call it P3, but I think some who do similar programs call this stage P4. In either case, this is where we begin to add back in all those glorious sugars and starches to our diets, while at the same time...MAINTAINING our last hhcg drop weight. Well, so far...SO GOOD!!!!

I have really tried to be cautions and judicious in adding back in these things and granted I have only been doing this now for three days, I have been able to stay right on track. This is wonderful!! I have added chili beans to chili...missed that more than I knew. I had a little rice pudding the other night for a dessert. Oatmeal this morning for breakfast with some agave nectar & smart balance. Yum! Did not really think I was missing this stuff, till I start to eat it again. I was kinda thinking I could just go on without adding the sweets, breads, starches, etc...but that probably is NOT the way to go...I do not want to become starch intolerant and never able to enjoy these foods in moderation again. So, I am trying to be smart and INTENTIONAL about it.

I am looking forward to January when I will do my 2ND round and lose more weight..hoping for closer to 30 lbs this time. I really want to get this weight off finally and forever! I think Tim is going to join me in the next round...so that will be fun to have a partner in this.

I will try to come back later and write a bit more about what I have been eating lately and such. Right now, my little man Benjamin is crying for me to get him up!!! Later!

P3D15 11-05-09

OK, this morning's weigh-in, much better...back closer to my desired range! I do not like getting close to that +2 lbs over my last HCG drop day. I did not get a chance to write in everything I ate yesterday...but suffice it to say, I must have done pretty good. I will try to write it later...too busy today to think about it all and type it out. I did mess with my blog template last night...well, Tim helped me change my background and he worked very hard on it and I messed around for a long time after that to try to get it look like I wanted. Anyway, this morning I was messing around with it again and found a much easier way to change the templates and make the backgrounds look different (I know, most of you bloggers are like...DUH!!! But I am slow, OK???) So, I am still not 100% happy with the way it looks, but I have to say it does have a little more personality in it than before...yes????

I know for some, this weighing daily thing seems a bit obsessive, but I am really trying not to get phobic about it, but use it as a tool...while I learn to understand how my body reacts to different types of food that I eat each day.

BTW--I love that people are actually reading stuff I write and leaving comments...is that narcissistic?? I just love the feedback and affirmation...so big THANKS!!!!

P3D15 11-04-09

YIKES!!! I think I got a little too liberal yesterday and the scale shows it all today! I am 1.8 lbs above my last hcg drop day...which is very, very close to 2.1 lbs and meaning steak day! So, this will mean I must be very, extremely careful to eat INTENTIONALLY today. Not that I did anything all that terrible yesterday, but maybe just too much fat and not enough protein in one day. Or the other likely reason, not enough water. I did eat some chicken with broccoli and broccoli cheese soup dumped on it--not really thinking and being intentional about it. I did not read the ingredients of the canned soup until after it was prepared and saw a few very questionable items listed, such as, wheat--uh, can you say STARCH???? But, I ate it anyway, kinda feeling invincible. Well, I am not!

Also, I was up very late last night and ate some cottage cheese. So, all those things combined and not to mention TOM should be here soon--sorry, I said NOT to mention it :)!!! But, anyway, today I will just try to eat very CLEAN and INTENTIONALLY and pray, pray, pray that I hold steady or even go back down some.

Just for my notes...here is what I remember eating yesterday:
3 fried eggs w/ bacon
South Beach Protein Bar
Portobello Mushroom Pizza
Apple w/ Smart Balance Peanut Butter
Peanuts
Chicken Breast w/ Broccoli Cheese Divan
Chocolate Mug Cake
Cottage cheese

I will be sure to log everything I eat today....be back later!!!
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P3D13 11-02-09

Today is Monday..I think I am getting the hang of stabilization...hope so :) I made it through Halloween weekend, no candy craves, no cheats. Unbelievable and AMAZING!!! I adore chocolate and really was not tempted in the slightest at the kids bulging candy-filled pumpkins. So that is a good thing. Also, we ate out a couple of times this weekend and I was really being intentional each time and it seems to have paid off--I am weighing in within the +/- 2 lbs last HCG drop day.

My goals for today are to drink plenty of fluids, eat lots of protein and veggies. I also have to get busy on some housework..so I will check back in this evening to report my progress today :)
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So here is the menu of the day...

Breakfast: Egg Beater omelet with onions, ham and cheddar cheese, 2 cups chai tea, South Beach High Protein Cereal Bar-cinnamon raisin

Mid Morning Snack: Honeycrisp apple

Lunch: Bacon Tomato Cucumber Salad with Ranch Dressing..YUMMY!!! Crystal Light Pomegranate Lemonade...my fav! I wish this was available in a 2 qt..not just singles!

Afternoon Snack: Muscle Milk Light Chocolate Protein Shake

Dinner: Pot Roast in creamy mushroom onion soup, cauliflower, celery and a few carrots, Crystal Light pomegranate lemonade

Dessert: Grammy's Mug Cake...yeah, I'm addicted! Hot tea

So today, I think I did ok...as always, I will check that against what the scale tells me in the morning and make adjusts if necessary.

P3D10 10-30-09

OK, so far, so good. Yesterday seemed to have worked! I will probably stick pretty close to what I ate or the types of foods I ate yesterday and only add in very small amounts of dairy per day. Maybe I was eating too much... And, after reviewing yesterday's menu, I think I should have gotten in more veggies. I will try to accomplish that today, too.

Anyway, I will check back in later to record my progress!
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6:23 pm Hey, there! I am back. I feel like all I do all day is eat, drink and think about this diet! I have to get better at managing my time so I can get more done around the house--between blogging, surfing the net, eating or fixing food for myself, the kids and Tim when he is home, oh and going to the little girls room...LOTS! I have little time left for important stuff, like paying bills, laundry, cleaning :)

I feel like I ate better today...but am so full right now I can't even think about eating anything more tonight. Although, I will probably try to manage a salad around 8:00 pm. I got up late and did not eat until probably 11:00 am, so I am gonna classify that as lunch. Here is the menu of the day:

Breakfast: Sleep

Lunch: 3 scrambled eggs, 2 pieces Canadian bacon, South Beach High Protein Cereal Bar; 2 cups Vanilla Chai tea (really, really yummy...by Bigelow)

Snack: About 8 red grapes and 1/4 honeycrips apple

Afternoon Snack: Muscle Milk Light Protein Shake

Dinner: Pork tenderloin, grilled zucchini & onions, fresh squeezed lemonade

Dessert: Grammy's P3/4 Chocolate Mug Cake...yummy!!!

Grammy's P3/4 Chocolate Mug Cake
4 T Coconut Flour (Almond Flour P3)
4 T Sugar Alternative (Agave Nectar P4)
2T Cocoa
1 Egg
3 T milk
3 T oil
Splash of vanilla extract
1 Large Coffee Mug

Mix all dry ingredients. Add egg, blend thoroughly. Add milk, oil, vanilla and mix well. Microwave 3 min. or less—DO NOT COVER. It will rise to the top, but should not flow over. Let it cool and enjoy…add homemade whipped topping if desired.

I got this and tons of other hcg diet recipes from hcgdietinfo.com...a great resource!!!

OK, for the rest of the evening, I plan to drink, drink, drink..it is Friday after all, might as well get water intoxication after all! LOL!!! I hope and pray that I am getting the hang of this stabilization thing and my weight will stay within the acceptable range.

If you are reading this blog and interested in more information about the hcg protocol or where/how to start this diet, leave a comment and I will get back to you asap. Thanks for reading!!

P3D9 10-29-30

Well, the Steak Day was a success! My weight is back down within the +/-2 lbs range. So, today I am going to be very intentional. I will eat my protein and drink my water and I am going to stay away from the dairy stuff to see if that helps. I will check back later to report my food intake for the day. TTYL!!!

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Well, I feel like I ate a ton today and according to livestrong.com..I still am 'allowed' 1115 calories to keep me within the range to maintain my current weight! So, here's what I had today:

Breakfast: 2 eggs, 3 slices Candian Bacon, 2 cups hot tea w/ stevia NO CREAM..staying away from the dairy; South Beach High Protein Cereal Bar-Cinnamon Raisin

Snack: 100 Calorie Muscle Milk Light Chocolate Protein Shake; 7 salted almonds

Lunch: 1 can Starkist Albacore Tuna in water w/ 2 Tbls REAL mayo, dill spice, celery salt and about 6 petite dill pickles, 16 oz lemonade w/ stevia; Pure Protein Chocolate Protein Bar

Snack: Large Honeycrisp apple, water

Dinner: .65 oz Ribeye grilled with onion salt, garlic salt & powder and parsley, 3/4cup steamed zucchini, 12 oz Mendota Springs carbonated water w/ stevia. I shared several bites of my meal with the family...those beggars!!

Evening Snack: South Beach High Protein Bar Peanut Butter

It is like 10:30, I am going to try to get in a little more water before I go to bed. I am nervous about weighing in the morning..eating all that stuff seems counter-intuitive!!! But when you read the Pounds and Inches Manuscript, it makes all the sense in the world..and when you read about the success of so many others who are doing this protocol.

I also started logging all my food intake each day at livestrong.com, which then computes how many calories and all the fat/protein, etc., I have consumed and let's me know how much I am allowed or have used up...I really have found that sight very helpful.

I can't wait until the morning (after a good nights sleep) to see how I did today and to get a better idea of what works for my body. Stay tuned!!!

P3D8 10-28-09

My first STEAK day :(

Sounds like a good thing, doesn't it? On a diet and get to eat a big delish, yummy steak? Well, it's not! I am disappointed in myself! This means I have gone 2.1 lbs. over my last HCG day weight...which automatically means you have to perform a Steak Day: "Skip breakfast and lunch but take plenty to drink. In the evening, eat a huge steak with only an apple or a raw tomato", per Dr. Simeons.

There are many factors which can lead to a weight gain during the first weeks of maintenance...eating the wrong foods (which I did not); eating too much (which I don't think I could have); eating too much dairy/cheese (which is possible, I guess); and, believe it or not, NOT eating ENOUGH can lead to easy, quick weight gain, as your body believes it is going into 'starvation mode', so everything you eat it quickly grabs onto and holds for survival. Also, not getting enough fluids (which is very likely in my case). And TOM can play a role in weight fluctuation (which may also have something to do with it for me today).

Nonetheless, the Almighty Scale has spoken and I must perform a Steak Day!! I will try not to beat myself up too badly today and drink, drink, drink (water that is)! And I will pray for success in the morning!!

P3D7 10-27-09

Yeah, that's me with the green teeth..
have not brushed for a couple days :)



(Note: I made a math error...I was really only up .8oz) Well...I am up 1.8 lbs this morning. I am going to have to be sure to get down plenty of water today. I know I slacked off yesterday and that might have something to do with being up. It also might be the late night beef jerky I ate while reviewing hcgdietinfo.com until midnight! Man, I am sleepy today...but this rainy, cold, gloomy weather is not helping that either.

I have got to be more intentional today...drink lots of water, eat the right foods, be positive and stay off the computer so much! So, those are my intentional thoughts for right now. I have got to have some breakfast and my morning tea, before my little lamb wakes up and needs me. I will be back later! _________________________________________
OK, I am back...it is like 10:30 pm, so I gotta make this fast and get to bed or I won't want to get up in the morning. So, I was not as intentional as I should have been, but I do think I did better than yesterday. So, progress, not perfection...

I think I had a pretty good food intake day...I really enjoyed everything and just hope it was not too much. But, alas, I yield to the mighty scale...in the morning! Here is what I ate today:

Breakfast: 3 scrambled eggs, 2 pieces of Canadian bacon, about 2 T of the turkey sausage I had left from the omelets yesterday. I had my usual 2 cups of Chai w/ fat free half & half.

Lunch: 2 portobello mushrooms 'pizzas'--with sun dried tomato pesto spread across then the remaining turkey sausage, topped with mozzarella cheese, dash of Parmesan cheese and basil garlic sprinkled on top. I broiled it and it was absolutely delish!!! I will be having that again soon. It was very filling and I felt like I ate too much! I drank homemade lemonade with stevia with lunch--that really helps me get my water intake in...but it sure makes me have to go the bathroom a lot!!!

Snack: Strawberry/banana smoothie, made with 1% milk and ice and Orange Stevia---yummy and my kids got one, too! We are all eating mommy's diet food :)

Dinner: Awesome Pork Tenderloin, rubbed with a mixture of fresh pressed garlic and a 'Tuscany' mixture of seasonings (I bought this at Costco...so good) and steamed zucchini with garlic, onion powder, salt and pepper. I had an Orange Stevia sparkling water with dinner.

Snack: Before bed I ate a small Honeycrisp Apple (my fav's) and 1 oz of mixed nuts...still trying to get all that protein in.

Well, that's it...I am going to bed and I am going to pray that I did not go over the 2 lb limit or it will mean a Steak Day tomorrow and I really don't think I will be very successful with that! I will explain a Steak Day if I have to do one...or when I have more time to go into it.

If you are interested, go to www.poundsandinchesaway.com for more information on the HCG Protocl.
Good-night!

P3D6 10-26-09

Well, today's menu consists of:
Breakfast: Big omelet(with canadian bacon, turkey sausage,onion, tomatoes and cheddar cheese)
Snacks: 1 oz mixed nuts adn Apple w/ Peanut Butter
Lunch: Bowl chicken soup
Dinner: Not really hungry..did not eat anything till later and had a Creamy Chocolate Milkshake...not bad for dinner, huh??? The recipe is below.

Here is the recipe I found for an HCG friendly chocolate milkshake that I think will work for those on P3...but judge for yourself.

1/2 cup nonfat cottage cheese
1/2 cup nonfat milk
1 2 tbsp serving s/f chocolate syrup (I used unsweetened cocoa)
2 servings 1 packet sweetener (stevia/splenda)
1 cup ice cubes
I put all the ingredients into the Vitamixer and blended on variable speed starting at 1 and quickly going up to 10 for about 30 seconds.

I made this tonight and used chocolate stevia, vanilla cream stevia and some plain stevia to desired sweetness. I doubled the recipe and shared with my Tim and Kayla..they loved it and so did I. I think it worked out perfectly, since Tim is following the South Beach Diet and is on Phase 1..this works for that too!:)

Now I know many on the various HCG protocols say to stay away from the nonfat dairy, but I follow Linda Prinsters Pounds and Inches Away (who bases everything following Dr. S's manuscript very strictly) and dairy is the only area she says we do NOT have to steer clear of the nonfat versions, as sugars are not added to make up for the lack of fat. So, again, judge for yourself...but if you feel it is something you can enjoy, I hope you will :)

My HCG Diet Journey

Well, I decided to begin blogging and thought I would start with one about my HCG diet journey and experience so far.

I started the HCG diet on Sept. 11, 2009...with lots of hope and a little skepticism. It really sounded too good to be true and honestly I was a little worried about starting something that involved taking a hormone into my body. I had lots of questions (i.e., "If this diet is safe and really so great, why aren't we hearing more about it...especially from Hollywood?" ; "Why does my doc not recommend it?; "Will this be just another fad diet"; etc...)

I have now completed my 1st Phase 2 (P2) part of the diet and am just beginning my 6-week maintenance phase (P3). I have "released" 25 lbs and 27.75 inches and it was amazingly easy. I am extremely pleased and cannot wait to go onto my next "round" and continue toward my weight loss goal. I am only into Day 3 of my maintenance phase in which I am allowed to begin introducing all foods, except NO SUGAR/NO STARCHES.

The GOAL of P3 is to create a new weight set point, a weight that my body will automatically maintain...close to my last HCG date weight. It was very scary...going from a very specific diet, knowing exactly what I can eat and how much, while taking the HCG and never really experiencing hunger to not having the HCG and being REQUIRED to eat a minimum of 1500 calories per day, mostly protein. This is very important in order to accomplish the GOAL of P3.

The first two days I was supposed to begin adding back in all foods, except sugars/starches, I really had to force myself to eat...not really even being hungry, more than once a day. But, I did it. I think I did pretty well. Here is what I ate:

Sat. 10/24/09
Breakfask: 2-egg Omelet with turkey sausage, onions, tomatoes, 3T cheddar cheese and 2 cups of Chai tea (tea bags, not mix) with skim milk

Lunch: St. Louis Bread Co Greek Salad that I added 3 chicken tenderloins (from home) to it. Fresh squeezed Stevia sweetened lemonade to drink. Apple for dessert.

Snack: About 2 oz or less of mixed nuts

Dinner: Some leftover tuna fish salad with mayo, egg, pickle. I also had about 2 oz of Beef Jerky.

Sun 10/25/09

Brunch: 2-egg Omelet with turkey sausage, onions, tomatoes, 3T cheddar cheese and 2 cups of Chai tea (tea bags, not mix) with fat free half & half. 1 apple with 2 Tbls peanut butter

Snack: 1 apple and 1 oz mixed nuts

Lunch: Large salad w/ mushrooms, cucumbers and REAL blue cheese dressing

Dinner: South Beach High Protein Cereal Bar, 1 0z Beef Jerky, Chai Tea

Dessert: Chocolate/banana Pudding Shake (made with cottage cheese, 2 eggs, 1 cup milk, 3T half & half, unsweetened cocoa, chocolate stevia drops and vanilla creme drops..YUMMY!

So, I feel like I am eating a lot..but I have not counted calories, so I really don't know how I am doing. I also don't really know exactly how much protein I need each day, so I need to research that more. I did find something online that says you need 1 gram of protein for every 2.2 lbs. So, I did a quick calc of my intake on Sunday and it looks like I might have gotten about 70 grams give or take. If my calculations are correct, I probably needed more like 100 g, but at least I am over half way to where I should be.

Since I am currently going through Pounds and Inches Away, I am going to be calling in today to check in and see what they think. When I weighed in today I was 1 lb below my last HCG day...so that is good :)! We are not supposed to go 2 lbs +/- either way during P3.
So, it's early still, but so far, so good :-)
Take care,
JulieB