Final measurements after round 2

Here is another look at my starting and ending measurements of round 1 followed by my finishing measurements for round 2 :)

Starting:

Weight: 283 lbs (I can't believe I am posting this! Big step here!)
Body fat: 46.2%
BMI: 44.3
Blood Pressure: 120/80

Neck: 14
Chest: 45 3/4
Waist: 54.5
Hips: 47
Upper Arm: 16 3/4
Thigh: 24
Calves: 17 3/4

End of round 1:

Final weight: 260 lbs
BMI: 40.8-down almost 4
% of body fat 40.4-down almost 6

Neck: 13 3/4
Chest: 42
Waist: 50
Hips: 46
Upper arm: 15 3/4
Thigh: 0 (doctor said this could be because she wasn't measuring the same spot)
Calves: 17 1/2

Total weight loss: 23 lbs
Total BMI reduction: almost 4
Total % of body fat reduction: almost 6
Total inches lost: 8 3/4"

End of Round 2:

Final weight: 237 (23 lbs lost totall)
BMI: 36
% of body fat: Not sure how to do this one and I didn't go to the doctor

Neck: 14
Chest: 39 (-3")
Waist: 44.5 (-5.5")
Hips: 45 (-1")
Upper arm: 15 (-3/4")
Thigh: 24
Calves: 16.5 (-1")

Total weight loss: 46 lbs
Total BMI reduction: 10.2
Total inches lost: 21.75

As much as I wanted to get under 230, I am so happy with my results! My biggest areas of loss were in my waist (-10") and my chest (-6.75") and I've seen a HUGE difference in my face when looking at recent pictures. I am exercising *almost* daily and hoping this will help with further loss during my off weeks. If nothing else, it will result in toning up which I will be just as happy about!

Having a rough time

I am still stuck at 237 but that's not even the worst part. I really was hoping to get under 230 in my last week but oh well.

The worst part is I have been overly hungry. So so hungry. I increased my injections but that doesn't seem to have done anything. This is beyond the not satisfied though that is rearing its ugly head as well. I've done so good with temptation this time around and it didn't even phase me. Now throw in serious hunger and temptation and it takes everything I have not to eat more. I ate extra fruit yesterday and had a handful of goldfish-really bad but they were sitting there and I was hungry. It helped but not for long.

The other thing is fatigue. Since yesterday, I have been crazy tired with today being the worst. It is taking everything I have to just stay awake and at that, I failed. Thankfully Braedon kept an eye on Cohen for the few minutes I was asleep but still. 500 calories a day is not a lot and it's certainly not enough to sustain energy but I have yet to be THIS tired since I started. The injections are supposed to help with that.

Oh well..another week to go. I'm really trying to hold out on not quitting early but if I don't see a loss tomorrow, I may just stop :(

I will, however, leave you with a couple more favorite recipes:

Spicy Crab Cucumber Salad

• 100g crab - shredded
• cucumber - peeled, seeded, and julienned (allowed amount)
• 1 T liquid aminos
• 1/2 T rice vinegar
• 1/2-1 T spicy mustard
• 1/2-1 t wasabi powder
• 1 Melba Toast - coarsely ground

1. Combine liquid aminos, rice vinegar, spicy mustard, and wasabi powder. Stir.
2. Add remaining ingredients, toss & serve.

*I didn't have wasabi powder so I used a full T of spicy mustard*

French Onion Soup
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 2 c beef broth
• 3-4 cloves minced garlic
• 1/2 t granulated sugar substitute
• 1/4 t black pepper

1. Preheat non-stick saucepan over MED heat.
2. Place onions and garlic in pan and cook uncovered 5-10 mins.
3. Stir in granulated sugar substitute
4. Cook 10-15 mins until onions are carmelized.
5. Add beef broth & bring to boil.
6. Reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook 20 mins.
7. Add black pepper.
8. Serve.

In the final stretch

Including today, I have 7 days left of injections with 3 more days of the diet without them. I am weighing in at 237 and really hoping I can get below 230 by the time this is done!

I tempted fate last night when I enjoyed some popcorn and lemonade (lite) at the movie theater followed by a very delicious dinner at one of those moongolian grill places. I was good with my portions of food and devoured crab and shrimp with cabbage. I added a little sauce to it that didn't seem to have oil in it but it probably had some...and sugar. Much to my surprise, I still dropped .5 yesterday :)

However, slip ups like last night can't happen this week if I want to lose those last 7 pounds before going on 8 weeks with no loss. I am getting down to business! I am in the final stretch!

A lesson in "overdoing" it

My doctor strongly cautioned me about "overdoing" it with exercise while on the diet. Strenuous exercise is strictly forbidden-walking, swimming, biking is ok and encouraged. I have been so frustrated with the lack of loss since I'm certainly not averaging 1 pound per day. I decided it would be good to add a little exercise into my routine. I had finally purchased the child bike seat for my bike so Cohen could ride with me. So I took a bike ride to the mailbox-the long route so it was more like a ride through my neighborhood. After that, I thought I'd give one of my workout videos a go. Jillian Michaels 30 day shred to be exact.

Well...I learned my lesson about WHY strenuous exercise is forbidden. The video is only 20 minutes and I had started it between rounds so I was aware of the intensity. I had been able to make it through the entire video with just 1-2 brief stops for rest. Man oh man...12 minutes in this time around and I was seeing stars...literally! I go so dizzy I seriously thought I was going to pass out. I guess when you only consume 500 calories per day and you are doing a video that will cause you to burn upwards of 200-300 calories, it's probably a bad idea. I took a break, let the stars disappear and tried again. This time, I lasted less than 3 minutes before the stars returned and I physically could not get up. My whole body was exhausted, I tried to force my legs to stand but they just wouldn't.

So yeah..that was my lesson in OVERDOING it! I will hold off on the video until after I'm done and just stick with bike rides and swimming :)

Milestones

I went out with some people last night for the Eclipse release. I say people because they weren't all friends..just 1 and I've known her since we were wee little one's in elementary school. I moved away after 7th grade and hadn't seen her since. Well, we've seen each other a few times over the last several months. The rest of the peeps were her friends from high school. I'll admit, I was a little nervous not knowing these people and knowing I would be the odd one out. You see, my friend and I don't see eye to eye. We were good (not great) friends when we were younger but as we approached middle school, our personalities and outlook on life just didn't add up even at that young age. It's more apparent now that we live completely different lives. Aside from our Twilight obsession and general know how of being a mom, we have nothing else in common.

So I was the last to arrive since hubby was late getting home. I found them in the middle of the restaurant and proceeded to join them. This is when my first milestone occured. I WAS NOT THE "BIGGEST" one there..I wasn't even the second. Out of 4 girls, *I* was the smallest one. This has NEVER happened to me. Ok well maybe when I was thin in high school and didn't really pay attention to that sort of thing. The next milestone came as I went to sit down at the table. It just so happened the 2 "biggest" girls sat on the same side of the table and the table was sort of sitting at an angle to allow more room for the others on the side I would be on. Well, since it was at an angle, the seat left open for me was, well, small. In the brief second I had before sitting down, I stared at the tiny space before with a sense of unease and nervousness. NO WAY was I going to fit there. I had hoped no one had noticed my instant panic but ultimately decided to scoot the table just a tad. I mean, I was in the company of several larger people. Surely they'd understand though there wasn't much more room to move. I got maybe an inch and quickly decided just to squeeze in. BUT much to my surprise, THERE WAS NO SQUEEZING needed! And there was room for me to be comfortable!! YES!

This put an extra skip in my step the rest of the night and I just sort of had this confidence about me walking around knowing that I was not the biggest one in the group and that I had fit into what seemed like and impossibly small space at the table! Our night went on and we watched the movies. I was definitely the odd one out as for whatever reason, our seating arrangements put me on the end of the group with my 1 friend on the opposite end. Thankfully another friend from high school was next to me so we chatted it up.

A 3rd milestone came this morning when I stepped on the scale. I had been a bit discouraged by the slow progress in weight loss on the scale but this morning, I finally saw something that made me give a little YAY! 239.8 I AM UNDER 240! Woot! Another 10 down with hopefully another 10 to go before my 40 days is up on July 10!

YES!!

Guess what!!! The 2 pounds I had gained yesterday.....ARE GONE TODAY! YESSSSS!!! 241.6 this morning :)

The new recipe's I tried yesterday were ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!! I really enjoyed eating which has been the hardest part about this diet. I almost felt like I was pregnant again-eating because I had to not because I enjoyed it. I guess it's a sort of double edge sword. Enjoying food too much is how you become overweight BUT it's good to know you can still enjoy food that is good for you. And of course, it's all about portion control!

So for today's menu:

Breakfast- Strawberry Lemon smoothie (posted earlier)

Lunch- Meatloaf and Onion rings!

• 100g ground steak
• 1/2 t milk or bbq sauce
• 1 melba toast (ground into powder)
• 2-3 cloves minced garlic
• 1/2 t dehydrated minced onion
• 1/2 t spicy mustard
• 1/4 t allspice
• 1/8 t sage
• salt/pepper to taste
• Any additional seasonings you like

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In small bowl, combine all ingredients and form into a small meatloaf.
3. Place in glass dish, cover, and bake 25-30 mins.
4. Uncover dish, add bbq sauce or homemade sugar free ketchup to top, and bake 5-10 additional mins.
5. Serve immediately with a bit more of bbq sauce or homemade sugar free ketchup for dipping.

*I will use BBQ sauce in place of the milk so I can save the milk for the onion rings and dessert*

Onion rings:
• 80g sliced onion rings
• 1 melba toast
• 1 T skim milk (as allowed daily)
*I will adjust this to 2t*
• 1/4 t cayenne pepper
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 t pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. In a small bowl, add milk, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper. Mix to make a batter.
3. Grind melba toast in food processor until it is a powder.
4. Put powder in a separate small bowl.
5. Place rings in batter bowl and toss to coat fully. (It's best to use your hands here to ensure you coat each ring.)
6. Let sit in batter 2-3 mins then toss again.
7. Dip each ring into the powder by hand.
8. Place on cookie sheet lined with non-stick aluminum foil.
9. Cook 6-7 mins. Then flip, cooking an additional 6-7 mins.
10. Serve immediately.


Dinner- Chilli

• 100g ground steak
• 1 tomato
• 1/2 c water or broth
• 3-4 cloves minced garlic

Seasonings (to taste):
• 1/2 t onion powder
• 1/2 t oregano
• 1/4 t cumin
• 1/4 t black pepper
• 1/4 t cayenne
• 1/4 t basil
• 1/4 t thyme

1. Preheat pan over MED heat.
2. Add minced garlic and 1 T of the water/broth to pan.
3. Saute 2-3 mins. Be sure not to burn the garlic. Add more water/broth as necessary.
4. Increase heat to MED-HI.
5. Add ground steak and saute until brown - about 5 mins.
6. Add all seasonings and cook an additional 3 mins. Continue to add more water/broth as necessary.
7. While that is cooking dice 1/2 of tomato and place other 1/2 in food processor or blender to puree.
8. Mix in tomatoes, puree, and rest of broth.
9. Turn heat down to MED-LO and simmer until it reaches desired consistency.

Dessert- Apple crisp

Filling:
• 1 apple
• half small lemon
• 1 T water
• 2 t Stevia
• cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Peel, core, and slice/chop apple.
3. Place apples in small baking dish.
4. Cover with juice of 1/2 small lemon, stevia, water, and few dashes of cinnamon. Toss.

Topping:
• 1 Melba toast
• 1 t milk
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 1/4 t nutmeg
• 1/4 t pumpkin pie spice

1. Grind Melba toast into a powder using food processor or coffee grinder.
2. Add milk in 1/4 t increments. Slowly stir until mixture forms a slightly moist crumbly topping.
3. Sprinkle on top of apple filling.

Bake:

1. Cover dish and bake 20 mins.
2. Remove cover and broil 1-2 mins to crisp topping.
3. Serve immediately.

YUMMY! Can't wait to try everything!!

Delicious recipes!!

So I have found an amazing website full of hCG friendly recipes and I am SO EXCITED to try them all! After finding all of them, I am certain I will be doing a 3rd round! I will have to wait longer between though. The more times you do it, the longer it takes your body to get rid of it afterwards.

So here's the recipe I tried for lunch..and will definitely be doing again!

"Fried" Chicken Tenders

• 100g chicken
• 1 T milk
• 1 Melba Toast
• Seasonings (salt, pepper, paprika, ground red pepper, garlic powder)

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Slice chicken breast into 3 tenders.
3. In small bowl, mix milk and any seasonings you prefer.
4. Grind Melba Toast in food processor until it is a powder.
5. Put Melba Toast powder in a separate small bowl.
6. Add chicken to milk mixture and toss to coat well.
7. Then one at a time, place chicken in Melba Toast powder and coat both sides of chicken.
8. Place chicken in glass baking dish and bake 30-40 mins, turning over halfway through.
9. In last 5 mins, turn on broiler and broil 2-3 mins each side.

Serve immediately


This was SO good and very close to the weight watchers oven "fried" chicken I usually make!

For dinner, I will be having meatballs with marinara sauce!

Meatballs:

• 100g hamburger
• 1 Melba Toast (ground into powder)
• 1 T milk
• parsley
• onion powder
• basil
• oregano
• garlic
• salt
• pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. In bowl, combine all ingredients.
3. Form into 1" meatballs (makes about 6-7).
4. Place in baking dish or non-stick baking sheet and cook 10 minutes turning halfway through cooking time.

Top with marinara sauce.

Marinara Sauce:

• tomato
• water
• basil
• parsley
• onion powder
• garlic (fresh minced)
• salt
• pepper

1. Fill small saucepan with a few cups of water & bring to boil.
2. Score skin of tomato in a few places with serrated knife.
3. Blanch tomato in the boiling water for 1-2 mins.
4. Immediately transfer tomato to ice water to cool and discard boiling water.
5. Remove skin of tomato and discard skin.
6. Preheat small non-stick saucepan over MED-HI heat.
7. If want chunky sauce, crush tomato with your hands in saucepan (discard stem). If you prefer smoother sauce, puree tomato in blender or food processor then add to pan.
8. Add garlic, onion powder, salt, pepper.
9. Bring to low boil, then immediately reduce heat to low, cover & simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often to keep tomato from sticking.
10. Turn heat up to MED.
11. Add parsley, more garlic, and basil.
12. Cook 5-10 more minutes, stirring constantly. While cooking, start adding water 1T at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.

Can't wait to try it! Oh and for dessert...Orange Julius!

Orange Julius:

• 1 orange
• 5-10 drops vanilla creme liquid stevia (to taste)
• ice
• water (as needed)

1. Peel orange and place orange sections in blender.
2. Add about a handful of ice.
3. Blend.
4. Add vanilla creme stevia.
5. Blend to desired consistency. Add water as needed.

TIP: Place this in the freezer for about 1 hr after preparing and have an on protocol version of orange sherbet!

Oh yes!! I am in heaven!! The rest of this round will be a CAKE WALK!

Oh the joys

The joys of being a woman! AF visited me today..fun fun! A few days ago, my weight was down to 241.6 -woot- I hadn't weighed myself in a couple of days because 1 day, I had just taken a shower (the scale is downstairs) and wet hair would certainly not give me an accurate weight, another day, I forgot my injection, and the third day, I just forgot..or maybe I subconsciously knew I would be having a visitor soon which was almost certain to bring a gain. I was right. During round 1, I gained 10 pounds and it felt horrible! After much discussion with my doctor, I felt better that it was strictly water weight due to my cycle. This time, I am pleased to say, it was *only* 2 pounds :) Again, I'm *hoping* this is water weight. I have been getting off course a bit the last couple of days with bites here and there of "forbidden" foods. Literally bites but sometimes that is all it takes. And since AF made her apprearance today, I will be stopping the injections until she leaves or I start to feel hungry again.

Oh and on a side note, if I didn't have children and other responsibilities, I would put my butt back in bed with a heating pad and a good book! Today should be fun!

And now I'll leave you with a new hCG friendly-but good just because-smoothie recipe I found last night :)

Strawberry Lemon Smoothie

*Handful of strawberries-stem cut off* (On protocol, you are allowed 5 strawberries)
*Juice from 1/2 of a lemon*
*1-2 handfuls of ice*
*water (about 3/4c)
*2 packets of Stevia/Truvia* (Off protocol, any zero calorie sweetener would work)

Blend and enjoy! Oh and if you use frozen fruit, you won't need as much ice :)

Under 250!!

I only have time for a quick update. This mornings weight was 249.2!! Woot!

I am however, already getting sick of the veggie options even with my new love affair for Franks Red Hot. I'm getting creative though-onions is on the list though I don't normally eat onions and certainly would never eat them plain. I am sauteeing them in with the meat for added flavor :)

Day 13

Sorry for the lack of updates recently. I have been bogged down with homework, speech therapy for C and life in general. Needless to say, it's been busy busy :) Plus, summer is here so keeping B busy has proved to be exhausting!

Drumroll please.......

This morning's weight was 250.6!!

I was pissed off yesterday because I thought my scale had broke..my brand new scale was being weird. I'm thinking it was user error. I got on it 4 times and got 4 different weights with up to a 4lb difference. Still don't know what happened. This morning, I weighed myself twice and got the same weight so I'm confident it was user error yesterday :)

I still haven't needed to increase my injections and I'm happy about that. For the most part, I'm not hungry. I crave food and want certain things but it's not hunger and the cravings are easy to subside.

Oh and I have a new love affair with Franks Red Hot!! That stuff is so good and I find myself putting it on EVERYTHING! 0 cal. 0 fat...there's virtually nothing to it and it's so good! I can't wait to have it on some wings when I can eat regular food again!!

Not hungry :)

I am happy to report that as of yesterday, I am NOT hungry! Woot! The first 2 days on the 500 cal diet were torture-headaches, hungery pangs, tiredness-but it seems my body adjusted to the change quickly. Yes I could've eaten and I wanted to when I was surrounded with it but I didn't need to eat and I'm so glad I didn't have to go through that for over a week like last time!

The scale didn't show as much of a loss as I had hoped but what can I expect after such a great loss the first 2 days? I lost .4 which puts me at 255.2. I actually weighed myself 3 times to be sure LOL! Hopefully tomorrow reveals at least a pound lost but we'll have to wait and see :)

Last day gourging and first 2 days on diet

So I finished up the last day of gourging which consisted of gyro's, KFC, In-n-out french fries-animal style, and Cheesecake Factory. I enjoyed every last bit of it-well most of it. I have to say, I wasn't impressed with the double down sandwich I had been thinking about for so long. It really wasn't that great. Good thing I followed that up with my favorite dish from the Cheesecake Factory-Thai Chicken pasta with Godiva chocolate cheesecake...what a way to end the day!

So day 4 weigh in was 262. I gained 3 pounds during gourging-a little more than I had expected but I know it's part of the process. I struggled with hunger most of the first day. I ate lunch fairly early when water and tea just weren't cutting it anymore. I still felt hungry as I finished my food and tried to stay distracted until dinner which I ate fairly early as well. Yesterday brought on a wicked headache and I was tired most of the day. I didn't have energy for anything and it sucked royally! I *almost* caved and said screw it. My husband is doing so well on Atkins and can eat all the foods I want to eat. It is still early enough for me to quit without much penalty but I pushed through the feeling. You see, I've tried Atkins before and I WAS SO SICK! I just can't eat all that fat and protein. I like veggies and I certainly enjoy bread. I ended up eating a couple extra peices of fruit to get by and went to bed early..hungry and early.

It wasn't an overwhelming hungry feeling just a not full not satisfied feeling I discussed during round 1. I will probably up the injections next week but I have to give it a few more days before doing so.

Oh and the best news! I weighed myself this morning and I LOST 6 POUNDS! 255.6! So 3 pounds down if you subtract the gain from gourging :0) I didn't weigh myself yesterday simply because I forgot which I won't do again! It really is motivating for the day to know the weight is just coming off. I can't let myself get in a rut again.

Round 2 Day 2-still gourging

I didn't weigh myself this morning because well, I know better. I know I've gained weight. That sort of comes with the territory of gourging for 3 days. I'm enjoying the food but I am sick. I am so full it's not funny. I am eating foods I haven't eaten in a long time and am reminded how much better I feel when I am on this diet.

We went to the movies this morning so I treated myself to some popcorn though that's not too fattening in itself since I don't like butter on it. We followed the movie up with IHOP and I got their blueberry cheesecake pancakes. Let me just say YUM!! I also had scrambled eggs with cheese and country gravy, ham, and french fries (not a fan of their hashbrowns)...oh and a regular Pepsi :) I snacked at home here and there but found it hard. I was so full from breakfast which was really closer to lunch. For dinner we went to Olive Garden and I indulged in their steak gorganzola with regular alfredo sauce and a few breadsticks. I rounded dinner out with cheesecake. As I type this out, I am so beyond full I think I might actually get sick. I know what the next week will bring though so I am gracefully dealing with it knowing I will likely be hungry come Friday and Saturday.

Round 2 Day 1-gourging

So technically my starting weight is 259. I was down to 255 but started my gourging phase a little early :)

I have to admit I am thoroughly enjoying the gourging phase this time around. I think it's because I know what I'm in for in the next 40 days. I started my day with taking Braedon to Peter Piper Pizza for their summer kids program. This included the all you can eat pizza buffet. I was looking forward to pizza and it was good but I was stuffed after 3 peices of pizza. At home I had to cheese hot dogs and then we had mexican for dinner! YUMMY! Although I have to admit it wasn't as good as I remembered and I felt miserable..stuffed and miserable. I followed dinner up with a trip to Cold Stone Creamery..it was oh so good!! That went down easy :)

On my list of foods to eat during the last 2 days are KFC double down sandwich (wanted to try it when it came out but couldn't stomach the number of calories) and mashed potatoes; Cheesecake Factory Chicken Thai pasta with a slice of cheesecake; Jay's Gyro's-possibly the best gyro I've had; IHOP cheesecake pancakes...I'm sure I'm forgetting something LOL!

I had debated on round 2 for a while but I'm excited to start again. Not excited for the hunger or daily injections but excited to get more weight off!

Starting round 2

I had been debating on this for a while..would I do another round after the 6 week weight or see what I could do on my own. Round 1 was hard but manageable. I also do not like that I did not lose any weight..well, like 5 lbs..in the 6 weeks. BUT I've proven to myself that I am not ready to do this on my own. I fell into some old habits and started eating out. I have been making smartER choices but still not the best choices. There are a couple other reasons for this decision. Who couldn't take up an offer to be almost guaranteed a weight loss of 30 pounds in 30 days with little effort exercise wise? I am really hoping to take a trip mid-July and it would be great to be 30 lbs lighter.

Another reason for this decision comes after a conversation with my husband. My husband has always been bigger than me. Not just taller, but larger as well. I've taken comfort in this..maybe too much comfort in this. He is doing the Atkin's diet and is doing great! While I've been waiting out my 6 weeks of next to zero weight loss, he's continued to lose. He is now almost under the big 3 which puts him almost 50 pounds away from me. I knew when we started our weight loss journey's together that he would lose weight faster. It's just the law of physics..men lose faster. BUT I have to admit I was REALLY upset thinking he was going to surpass me. Like crying over it upset. He's always been bigger than me..always. Don't get me wrong..I am THRILLED he has taken to losing weight as well. I can't wait for us to be healthier but he also admitted he is not stopping until he hits 200 lbs. I haven't looked up what a man his height should weigh but I've said all along I would be happy with getting back under 200. Realisticly, I should be around 160 but after having 2 kids and having a mom's body, I would be content with 180-190. But with me being 5'8-9" and my husband being 6'3"..I should be more than 10-20 pounds under him. I guess we'll just have to see where we are when we get to those weights. After round 2, I should be where I was when I got pregnant with Braedon...about 215. I still could've lost 30 or so pounds but I was a lot healthier than I am now.

So tomorrow, I will start the injections with the 3 day gourging phase :) I will post starting weight tomorrow. Chris helped me measure myself tonight and everything is where it was when I ended or close to it. It's hard to know if I'm in the exact spot where the previous measurements were taken.

Woot!

The 30 day shred workout seems to have worked! The scale reveiled a 1 pound weight loss this morning! So that puts me at 258.

That is all :)

30 day shred

I am still holding steady. There have been 2 days I went up a pound but right back down the next day. Saturday morning reveiled a 2 pound gain after a Chipotle dinner. I had a bowl with easy rice, pinto beans, shredded beef, pico and lettuce. I stayed in my guidelines except the rice but I at the whole thing and I was actually stuffed. I wasn't surprised by the gain especially when Chris saw he was thrown out of ketosis from it as well. We are guessing it's the marinade they use-too much sugar which is what makes it oh so good!

With a 2 pound gain in 1 day, I was supposed to skip breakfast and lunch then have a steak and apple for dinner. That didn't happen. We had a sitter arranged for Saturday night so we could have an adult night. So we went out to dinner at Red Robin and met up with some old friends at a sports bar/pool hall. I had my mind set on having a drink or two but when it came time to order it, I just couldn't bring myself to it...too much sugar, too many calories.

So, as I mentioned, I'm holding steady. I knew this was what was supposed to happen but I also know, I am not happy with holding steady. I want, no, need, to lose weight. I need to see the scale moving.

Today I decided to start the 30 day shred by Jillian Michaels. I've had the DVD for a while and just now opened it. I thought I was ready for it when I bought it but found excuses. You need hand weights which was the main thing holding me back from starting it. No more excuses. I bought the weights and it's the beginning of the month. I can start hCG injections again next month so I figured I'd see what I can do on my own.

The video KICKED MY BUTT and that was just level 1!! 20 minutes and I couldn't finish! With 3 minutes left, I couldn't finish. I am proud of the 17 minutes I did accomplish though. If you know Jillian, you know the workout she put me through! It will be hard to push myself to do it again every day this week knowing what I'm in for. I can't continue to give myself excuses.

Food finds and recipe

I have definitely been paying more attention to the labels on food. I can't believe how many calories and fat grams were in things I used to eat!

In light of that, I have 2 "food finds" I wanted to share with you :) Both are DELICIOUS!

#1 Pomegranite Blueberry vinaigrette dressing
2 TBSP= 25 calories, 0g fat!


#2 Quaker True Delights Rice Snacks
Vanilla Creme Brulee flavor: 8crackers=60 calories, 0g fat!


I also wanted to share my grandma's veggie soup recipe. It is SO good and better than anything you can get in a can! I love snacking on it!

Ingredients:

5 cans green beans (use liquid from 4; more or less depending on how brothy you like it)
1 head of cabbage
baby carrots
cauliflower
4 chicken bouillon cubes
6oz tomato paste (Hunt's basil, garlic and oregano gives really good flavor)
15oz tomato sauce
*Crushed red pepper
*Cayenee pepper
adds flavor, amount depends on how much spice you want-I typically just sprinkle some in

Put all ingredients in stock pot on high until boil. Cover, turn heat down low enough to maintain simmer for about 45 minutes.

I also add broccoli, zucchini, and squash. I usually add them about half way through since they break down faster. You can add any other veggies you want and I occassionally add some cooked ground turkey for added protein.

Enjoy!


P.S. No gain, no loss today :)

Subway experience

My weight is still holding steady at 259.4 :) I keep having this fear that I will gain weight since I feel like I am eating so much. Compared to the 500 calorie diet, I am. I have tripled what I was eating to between 1,000 and 1,500 calories per day.

Ok so now for my Subway experience:

I had to run to the grocery store for a few things to get us through payday. Normally I run my errands in the morning right after dropping Braedon off at school but today, I really wanted Subway for lunch. I am getting tired of the same old food. Ok so I go to the grocery store then head next door to Subway.

Let me set this up for you:

There were 3 people working the line: 1-starts your sandwich (bread, meat, cheese), 2-veggies and condiments, 3-register and drinks.

So I wait my turn (there were about 4 people in front of me). The conversation went like this:

#1 What can I get for you?
Me: 6" turkey on wheat double meat
#1 What kind of cheese?
Me: No cheese please
#1 *insert dumbfounded look* No cheese??
Me: No thank you
#1 still dumbfounded slides my sandwich to #2 who is still putting on his gloves

#2 *insert another dumbfounded look* No cheese on the turkey??
Me: No (getting a little irritated but still polite), thank you
#2 Um...Ok what would you like on your sandwich?

Is it really that strange that I didn't want cheese on my sandwich? I was asked 3 times! LOL! I LOVE cheese, don't get me wrong but for the calories and fat, it's just not worth it to me. At Subway, I can load my sandwich with veggies, mustard, vinegar..all sorts of stuff and by the time I'm done, I can't taste the cheese anyway :) So I say, skip the cheese, save the calories for something you can taste!

Devil cupcakes!

So I am happy to report no change on the scale this morning YAY!

I am NOT happy to report that cupcakes are the devil!

I was sick yesterday. I was also hungry or at least I thought and felt hungry. Unfortunately, that did not subside today. I felt so hungry all day and craved sugar. I was sluggish and didn't want to do anything but sit on the couch. I can't believe that 2 measley cupcakes could do this to me but when you have been eating only good foods with NO sugar at all, it makes sense. My body went into crazy mode and now I have to detox.

I certainly hope tomorrow is better. I didn't cave into temptation but it was very hard. I felt like I was back in those first couple of weeks of the 500 calorie diet.

I am secretly scared tomorrow's weigh in will show the 2 cupcakes I ate. I'm not sure how long it would take for that to show up. Guess we'll see!

Birthday party and temptation!

So today was my adopted neices 1st birthday party! I finished the 500 cal diet just in time and slaved all afternoon into the evening hours making cupcakes for the party. Amy's sister was making their smash cakes (large cupcakes) and I offered to make regular cupcakes for everyone else instead of having a cake. So, I made homemade chocolate with chocolate buttercream, pink and purple colored vanilla with vanilla buttercream, and strawberry with strawberry buttercream made with fresh strawberries. I did so well making them...didn't even snitch a taste which is hard when you are baking. You want to make sure it tastes good but I trusted my awesomness LOL!

I had already told myself I would allow myself to have 1 cupcake to celebrate their birthday. After Jesse came up to me saying how good the chocolate cupcakes were, I decided I had to have one. I had already said I would have a strawberry one but blew that out of the water at the thought of having chocolate. Oh man it was sooo good-very sweet but good all the same. I haven't had sugar in months so it was really sweet. So I went about my business but saw the cupcakes everywhere I turned. I caved and had a stawberry cupcake after I saw Cohen devouring his. It was even better than the chocolate! Or maybe that was because I had been dreaming about the strawberry cupcakes..that must be it.

After eating the second cupcake, I got really really thirsty and drank 3 bottles of water in minutes. Hmmm..weird. The party was nearing the end and we started packing up. Then it hit me. I started feeling weird. Not sick but like my body was almost going into shock. Have you ever had a carb overload? Or that feeling you get after eating Thanksgiving dinner. You just feel sluggish and tired? Yeah..that was me after the cupcake.

It got worse.

By the time we were driving home, I was SICK! My tummy was aching, I started to get a slight headache, and I just generally didn't feel good at all! As much as I hated the feeling, I'm sort of glad it happened. I seem to keep thinking about all the food I "can't" have: cookies, cake, fettucini alfredo, taco's, all things Mexican and Italian. It's almost as if I needed to get it out of my system and now that I've seen what it does? No thanks! Am I giving up all "bad" food? NO WAY! But I am well aware of how I feel when I eat well: I don't think about food all the time, I have an overall good feeling, I have more energy and I just feel better. I used to eat so much junk, I was in a constant state of not feeling "well" and I don't like it now that I've seen the other side!

Slow and steady

I failed to mention in my previous post that I had weighed myself at home the morning of my check up. My scale said 261.6 before I ate anything. By the time I had my check up, I had a small snack and tons of water. There's always a differnece in scales and I'm aware of that. Either way, I'm happy with the results.

My point: Things seem to be going slow and steady. I did not weight myself yesterday. Mainly because I had slight insomnia. The AZ Early Intervention Program was sending a representative over to evaluate my youngest for a speech delay. I was nervous, anxious, and excited all at the same time. So, I got up at 4am and couldn't go back to sleep. I got on the scale this morning and my current weight is 259.6 so compared to the previous weight on my I have lost another 2 pounds! Woot!

I know the protocol has been tested and re-tested for effectiveness which is why the food list is so strict. I have "cheated" a couple of times. By that I mean, I had Subway one day-double meat, no cheese, "allowed" veggies and mustard minus the top part of the bread. I've also had a small "bite" of something my kids were eating that I just needed to "taste". Besides that, I was skeptical about the re-introduction and increase in calories. I was worried my body would hold onto everything since I had been "starving" it for a month. Guess that's not the case! Woot!

I am definitely enjoying the increase in foods and do actually feel full! It's great! I got out of bed this morning with a little kick in my step knowing I could eat breakfast with the family. Let me tell you how good that felt and how good it tasted! I lightly sautee'd with a few drops of EVOO: celery, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, onion, and spinach. Then added eggs and scrambled together. Topped it with some salsa and paired it with strawberries...so delicious!

Despite my weight and my size, I have never really been a "junk" food person. I like candy and chocolate, don't get me wrong. But you won't find me eating potato chips or really pigging out on candy. I am a carboholic though. That being said, this was the easiest time I've had getting off the carbs and I can't explain it. I like "healthy" foods. I don't like all of them. You will NOT find me eating mushrooms...ever. You will also not find me eating raw tomatoes. I've learned, on a rare occassion, sautee'd tomatoes are ok but not a lot of them. I also enjoy homemade salsa but never tomatoes alone. So, with my limited food list and need for fresh food, I find myself at the store every few days to buy more fresh food. When I have the food on hand, and when I know what I "can" eat, I do very well. This is definitely a habit I need to keep. I feel better in general and not as tired or worn out.

yummy yummy!

So, I'm not usually a breakfast person. If I eat breakfast, it's mostly lunch time and that's when I'm in the mood for breakfast food. Often times, I would eat lunch foods for my "breakfast".

This was a choice.

When that choice is taken away from you and you can't have breakfast, you want it!

I got breakfast today! And it was oh so yummy! I sauteed some onion and broccoli and added it to scrambled eggs. I seasoned my eggs with some celery salt and garlic then topped it all off with salsa! It was SO GOOD! I paired it with an apple and melba toast and I felt FULL! Not just not hungry..but full! It was an amazing feeling!

I have definitely noticed a change. I am not thinking about food all day. This is a very common thread in most overweight people. We have an addiction and think about food all the time. Today, I most definitely didn't think about food, about what I was going to eat next. I did my thing and waited to feel hungry. When going from the very low calorie diet with limited food, I thought I would want to stuff myself. Turns out, I missed lunch..unintentionally of course. I just wasn't hungry.

I'm hoping this doesn't affect the scale tomorrow. I had breakfast and dinner with my "snack" for dessert: 1 tbsp of peanut butter-it was HEAVEN! I just licked it right off the spoon LOL! I've definitely missed it and I can't have it everyday since it's on the "occassional" list but still on the list and is an option for my snack in the first 3 weeks.

So tomorrow I will have to pay more attention to the clock to make sure I'm getting my calories in. I do not want to go through storing water or whatever again!

Maintenance and reintroduction

So once you complete the 40 days, there is a slow re-introduction of food to make sure you don't put the weight back on. I discussed this "plan" with my doctor since it is geared towards maintaining current weight. I don't want to maintain this weight. I want to keep losing. So in short, she basically said "some lose during the 6 weeks but not much" and I have to maintain my metabolism otherwise, the weightloss will not be significant during round 2. I didn't quite understand exactly what she meant but said OK and left.

I am excited by the amount of food I will be eating LOL! It's a 1500 calorie diet which for most is low but coming from 500 calories, it's a FEAST!

First things first: I get breakfast now! Woot!

I will still follow a strict regimented diet for weeks 1-3; week 4 brings more food and the start of reintroducing foods that are not on the list. I will have to continue to weigh myself daily because if I gain 2+ pounds, I have to follow a different protocol for the day. That being said, BFF's twins turn 1 next week and their party is Sunday. Thankfully BFF is on a diet as well and will be having "good for us" food. Not necessarily on my exact list but close enough..and I will definitely be having 1 cupcake..maybe half LOL!

Ok so menu for Week 1-3:

Breakfast:

2 eggs with 1 cup of veggies-omelet styel or scramble with butter!); 1 Melba toast/rice cracker; fruit- 1/2 cup berries, apple, pear, orange, or 1/2 grapefruit; Tea or coffee in any amount-no sugar but Stevia is allowed.

Lunch/Dinner:

4-6 oz veal, very lean beef, chicken, white fish, or shellfish-all visible fat trimmed, grilled or broiled with no added fat, weighed before cooking; minimum 2 cups of veggies-asparagus, artichoke, beet greens (ugh), bell pepper, bok choy (no thanks), broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chayote (wth?), collard greens (umm..no thanks), cucumbers (technically a fruit so I laugh), dandelion greens (again, wth?), fennel, kale (gross! used for garnish not eating!), kohlrabi (um, huh?) (ugh), leeks (by themselves-no thanks, lettuce (yippy more salad), mustard greens (can only imagine), onions, parsley (again, garnish!), spinach, summer squash (YES! LOVE!!), swiss chard, turnip greens, zucchini (YES! SECOND LOVE!); 1 Melba toast/rice cracker; Fruit- apple, orange, 5 strawberries, 1/2 cup berries, 1 pear, 1/2 grapefruit

*Can use olive oil, coconut oil or butter. 1-2 TBSP to cook with or use in a salad dressing. Other salad oils as an option are udos oil (huh?), flax or safflower oil

Snack-YES! I get a planned snack not seperated from other meals!

One fruit: apple, orange, 5 strawberreis, 1/2cup berries, 1 pear, 1/2 grapefruit

-OR-

5-10 nuts: almonds, pecans, walnuts or 3 TBSP flax seed or 1 TBSP of nut butter (yum!) or 3 TBSP hummus or 1/2 avocado
*Unlimited veggies*

After Week 3, dairy and more complex carbs are added-can't wait!

DONE with Round 1

I haven't blogged in a while and for good reason. I had some minor setbacks I was not happy about.

I attended a birth which lasted longer than I had ever anticipated. I joined my clients at the hospital at 1:30am. I threw a couple apples and oranges into my bag for snacks until I could get home and really eat. Long story short, mom couldn't eat which meant I couldn't eat. I also couldn't leave the room to eat since I am at mom's side the entire labor. Baby was born at almost 3pm so I didn't leave the hospital until 5pm. On the way home, I was barely staying awake and ate an apple and 1 Melba toast. When I got home, I went straight to the fridge...I was STARVING but I was also EXHAUSTED. It was 6 hours passed injection time so I wasn't sure what to do about that. Chris was on his way home so I decided to lay on the couch until he got home to rest and hoped he would be willing to make me something to eat. He got home with the kids and tried to wake me up to no avail. I was OUT! The kids were jumping on me, Chris was trying to wake me up and nothing worked. Somehow I made it upstairs to bed but not sure how.

I woke up the next morning to weigh-not sure what to expect. I had missed an injection which is a big no-no and I didn't eat. What I expected was no where near what I saw. I was up 10 lbs!! Holy crap! How??!! I tried not to freak too much but I was definitely concerned. I went about my day as usual and hoped it was just a freaky thing. Next morning-another almost 3 lbs!! What the heck! I called my doctor. She calmed me down. It isn't humanly possible to gain 10 lbs in 1 day. We shook it off to water weight. I went about my diet as usual but I was certainly stressed and very skeptical. I got ketone strips to make sure I was still burning fat which I was so my doctor didn't seem too concerned. A few days later, my period reared her ugly head. I called the doctor again since the weight still hadn't come off and I was at a standstill. Now she said it's because of that and to wait a few days after to see what happens. I stopped weighing myself. I was so beyond discouraged. I almost quit but something kept me pushing through. Maybe it was the way my clothes were fitting. I pulled out a pair of capri's that I wore in Hawaii for our honeymoon-2 sizes smaller than I had been wearing. THEY FIT!

I decided to weigh myself but the scale didn't budge..or at least I thought it hadn't (more on that later). I stuck with it since my 40 days was so close.

Now to this week. Day 40 is Tuesday the 27th. On Tuesday (20th) I used up the last of my hCG. I have another bottle to mix but once it is mixed, it is only good for 60 days. I didn't see the point in mixing an entire bottle for just 1 week so I entered into the 3 days on the diet without the injections. I called my doctor to get the information on maintenance.

So today was my appointment. I didn't want to go. I wasn't ready to be disappointed by the progress. I went into the appointment today thinking I had only lost 13 lbs. I never lost the 10 lbs..or so I thought. Apparently I was remembering 273 as my starting weight rather than 283. Silly me! The doctor weighed me and re-checked my measurements.

So...drumroll please.....

Final weight: 260 lbs-down 23 lbs
BMI: 40.8-down almost 4
% of body fat (not sure if I posted this before): was 46.2; now 40.4-down almost 6

Measurements-I'll just list amount lost:

Neck: 1/4"
Chest: 1 3/4"
Waist: 4 1/2"
Hips: 1"
Upper arm: 1"
Thigh: 0 (doctor said this could be because she wasn't measuring the same spot)
Calves: 1/4"

Not bad for 40 days, eh? Well more like 35 days.

Finally NOT hungry :)

I'm slacking on the posts..mainly because, well, I'm busy LOL! This is my last week of my Statistics class (YAY!) and I have a client that was supposed to be induced last night...we are still waiting for the hossy to have room for her *sigh*

March 29, 2010; 262 lbs
March 30, 2010; 261 lbs

So part of me thinks my plan to eat lunch for dinner and dinner right before bed back fired. I'm not confident in today's weight because the scale was acting funny. I also think my recent stress over getting through and lack of confidence in myself and the diet have had a lot to do with it as well. Also, the idea of being up all night with a client scared me. I still may face that tonight...scratch that-I will face that tonight. I noticed yesterday that I was not hungry until dinner which was a good feeling. I didn't feel too hungry after eating either. I told myself today that I was going to eat lunch at lunch time. I was worried my body was going into further starvation mode because I wasn't eating all day. So today, I ate Melba toast for a snack around 10:30 when I gave Cohen his snack. Then I had lunch at 12:30 when he was down for a nap. No matter when I last fed him, he wants to eat my lunch and dinner which makes it hard because mine has to be measured/weighed prior to cooking..and I only get so much LOL! It is now almost 4pm and I am starting to feel hungry so I will probably eat another Melba toast and maybe an apple for a snack to get me to dinner. I will also be packing some fruit and veggies in my doula bag for tonight to get me through...and LOTS of tea!

Advice from a friend

It's not secret that I've really been struggling the last couple of days. There's a fine line between hungry and not full. I've experienced this and there have been times in the past where I worked on training myself to stop eating when I'm no longer hungry..before full/stuffed. Fine, I can handle that feeling. However, the last 2-3 days, I am HUNGRY...like stomach growling hungry.

I already increased my injections from 12.5 to 15. The next step is 20 and for whatever reason, I didn't want to have to go up to 20. I guess I thought it was mind over matter and I wouldn't need the max. After starting to feel defeated and feeling like I was barely keeping my head above water, I emailed Rachel. A very good family friend who has been here before.

She obviously sticks to the food list but gears more to the 500 calories rather than the portioning sizes, if that makes sense. Most vegetables (especially the ones that are allowed) have very little calories so there is little difference between say 1-2 cups. She told me she ate a lot of apples. I have never been a big fan of apples but I am developing a better liking to them. I mean, I've always liked them but if I had the choice between an apple and any other fruit, I would chose the other fruit. So she would eat an apple for breakfast and eat the Melba toasts for snacks. She at the 3.5oz of protein with lunch and dinner but ate as many veggies as she needed to be "not hungry". She also ate fruit for lunch and ate an apple before bed. She also gave me a little trick I hadn't though of. Slice and apple, sprinkle with a little cinnamon (no sugar) and bake. Makes a yummy dessert! In order to keep track of calories, she uses a calorie counter to make sure she stays within (or close to) the 500 calories alotted.

I also learned today that she was at 20 for her injections as well..made me feel better, definitely! I am going to try this new mindset tomorrow and see where that gets me. I didn't eat "lunch" until 5:30 and dinner was around 10:30. This may come in handy tomorrow night while I'm at the hospital. I drank A LOT of tea today and kept busy otherwise I would've never made it to 5:30 with no food LOL!

2 for 1

March 27, 2010; 272.4 lbs
March 28, 2010; 272.6 lbs

I didn't get a chance to get on the computer yesterday to type out a post so today is a sort of 2 for 1.

Yesterday was probably the hardest day I have had. I was extremely hungry after dinner last night. I tried to eat slowly to try to trick my body into thinking I was eating more than I actually was but it had little affect. After about an hour, I caved in and ate another Melba toast...20 calories, 0 fat. It couldn't have possibly done anything but based on the scale this morning..it did. 0.2 lbs is not a lot at all but it also didn't alot a loss of weight. Other factors could play into what the scale said this morning-water retention being the main factor. I was warned about this so it could be coincidence that I ate and extra Melba toast but I'm not sure. Today is the 3rd day on the increased injection amount. My goal today is to hold off lunch as long as possible even if that takes me to dinner time. I am ok before I eat but here it is 1:30 and I am drinking water and tea to try and curb the hunger I am starting to feel. I am also going to just eat protein and veggie for lunch, then eat the fruit and Melba toast for a snack to get me to dinner. I may do the same for dinner and save for another snack before bed. It isn't an increase in food but it may trick my body into thinking I am eating 4 meals.

I really don't want to have to increase my injection again so I will try these tricks first. I am also trying to figure out Monday night/Tuesday morning. I have a client being induced at 9pm Monday night which means I will be up all night instead of sleeping...which also means, I will be up all night with nothing to eat. I will be calling my doctor to see what my options are since I will be working/burning when I would normally be sleeping. If I don't have any options, I may have to risk the lack of loss or a potential small gain to get through the night.

1 week down

March 26, 2010; 274.6 lbs

I made it to the 1 week mark. The last 2 days have been really hard but I've pushed through without cheating..barely. I am down another pound and a half which is good..or so I keep telling myself. A poud a day is REALLY GOOD. It's just hard because I had the day of 4 pounds lost and now I feel like it's slowed down but in retrospect, 1 pound/day = 7 pounds/week. It's good.

I increased my hCG dosing today as well. My doctor said if I am still hungry after 1 week, to increase it. After increasing it, if I'm still hungry after 3 days, increase again. I hope I don't need to increase to the max. I was sure after a week, I would be ok but I'm not. The evenings are the hardest. This is when I usually eat the most. Last night I put dinner off until 9pm thinking I could just go to bed. It's really a funny feeling. I'm not "hungry" when I eat but within 20 minutes of finishing my meal, my stomach starts growling. I am ashamed to admit it but I haven't had that feeling in a long time. The feeling of really actually hungry. I would eat before I was hungry and eat beyond full. It's not a wonder I am where I am now. Anyway, I'm hoping the increase in hCG will help my evenings.

Tonight will be yet another challenge. I am attending a "Meet the Doula's" night which so happens to be at Paradise Bakery. A place that is easier to eat healthy, however, they do not have anything I can eat. I love their food and we will have mini sandwiches and cookies set up for everyone. I know I can resist...at least, I hope I can.

Temptations and Tiredness

March 25, 2010; 276 lbs; 8 lbs down :)

Today was a challenge. I expected challenges but it is getting harder and harder. The mornings are fine; I have no problems in the morning. The afternoon, evening? Another story. I was doing fine until I had to go to the store for dog food and I wanted to pick up some flavored teas.

So, I grabbed a snack for the boys, picked up Braedon from school, and we headed to the store. I *tried* to be good and breeze past aisles containing food I couldn't have. Of course, right inside the front door was FRESH baked French bread..ugh! Then there were avocado's on an end cap..come on! I had to pick up more paper plates which just so conveniently happens to be by the potato chips. I am not normally a potato chip person but when you "can't" have it, all of a sudden, that's all you do want! Ok, quick out of the grocery aisles. I did it backwards, of course, so I had to head to the other end of the store for dog food. Great, out of temptation zones, right? WRONG!

I headed to check out and of course every line was jam packed. I scouted out the shortest line and waited my turn. I get into the actual line part, you know the part I'm talking about...the drinks, and candies, and chips, and all the impulse buy stuff. Of couse, my luck means that not only is there lines of candy..this just so happens to be the ICE CREAM aisle! Are you freakin kidding me? So here I am surrounded by yummy delicious ice cream and candy galore. I would have picked up the Reese's peices, the beef jerky, the skittles, and a few ice creams. Ok maybe not all of it normally, but today I certainly wanted to. I wondered what just a little taste would do for my weight loss. Just a little taste??

Then came dinner. I thought I would be ok making the boys dinner since it had been ok. Well, previous nights didn't consist of Fettuccine Alfredo. Yeah, big mistake today! I scooped the boys portions onto their plates and let them start eating. I wanted to take just one bite so bad. Just one bite couldn't hurt. I kept telling myself one bite would be ok.

Thankfully, my better judgement won and I didn't take just a bite. But, I still want to. Such is life I guess.

Today also brought on a sort of tiredness. I don't want to say exhausted because I'm not there. Walking around the store made me realize I was just tired. My body was tired, not my head..if that makes sense. I almost felt like I had been at the gym for 2 hours. I also noticed my tummy muscles had the same feeling..weird! I was told to inject in my abdomen so maybe that explains the feeling there? Not sure but it wasn't bothersome. I don't have an abundance of energy and I do wear out easily but it's not like I can't function daily. This could also be because of the wonderful flu (or whatever it is) that I've been battling the last few days as well.

I have noticed dry skin which I was warned about. Since I am not consuming any fat or oils, the skin tends to dry out. My face is taking the hit of it so far so I definitely need to go out and get one of the approved oil free lotions besides baby lotion. I can't see putting baby lotion on my face but when push comes to shove, I will resort to baby lotion LOL! Another side effect is break outs. Ah yes, I feel like I am a teenager again..FANTASTIC!

Ok, last thing..keeping up with previous posts...my menu today :)

Lunch: Chicken Spinach salad-I put some fresh spinach in a bowl, cut up chicken and smashed the Melba toast as a sort of croutons. Then drizzled some red wine vinegar as dressing. For fruit, I had half a grapefruit lightly sprinkled with Stevia. It was pretty tasty and quite satisfying. Spinach is something I can have unlimited of :)

Dinner: Since I had so many temptations today, I attempted a couple things I wouldn't normally eat. There are only so many foods I can eat and half of them are eliminated due to my preference. Ok so for dinner I had Ahi Tuna. I wrapped it in foil with a little balsamic vinegar and crushed garlic. I also baked (or roasted maybe?) some cauliflower. I saw this on Rachel Ray yesterday but had to make some modifications since she used EVOO. So I broke it into peices and laid it on a cookie sheet then sprinkled with balsamic vinegar (I really like vinegar if you can't tell LOL) and baked for a few minutes. It was pretty tasty! Of couse I had the Melba toast and an apple. The Ahi Tuna was actually pretty good. Next time I'll try Lemon Pepper and maybe fresh lemon. But it is a hearty fish and I felt like I ate something so that's good :)

Day 6-Still sick

March 24, 2010; 277 lbs!! Down 4 more pounds!!!

My doctor "prescribed" me with Bio Vegetarian and since I was already sick, I was to take 2 capsules every hour for 4 hours and to continue on it for 2 days after I feel better..if that makes sense.

Chris was really good with waking me up to take it. I wish I could say I feel better but I just don't. I have class tonight and I have no idea how I will make it. Unfortunately, it's a Statistics class so I HAVE to go..if I don't, I will have NO idea how to do my homework. UGH!

What I do feel better about is I AM DOWN ANOTHER 4 POUNDS! That is AMAZING!

I still feel hungry in the evenings after dinner but I guess that's expected. It's not an overwhelming "I'm starving" feeling and it gets worse if I think about food. I will give it another day or so before considering increasing the amount of hCG in my injections.

That being said, the mornings are getting easier and hopefully it's not because I'm sick. I was keeping myself busy to make it easier to put off lunch. Today, I almost forced myself to eat lunch because I realized it was 12 and I hadn't eaten yet. While I made my lunch, I knew I could eat but I didn't feel like I had to eat..if that makes sense. Tonight is class so I will be facing another challenge. We are given 30 minutes for a dinner break and I usually go to the cafe or to a nearby drive through. I have already planned my dinner out though and I will probably just stay in class so I am not as tempted..not that I would cheat but I want to enjoy my dinner and not think about what I could be having.

So...here's to another day. We'll see what the scale brings tomorrow :)

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

March 23, 2010; 281.4 lbs; almost 3 lbs down from yesterday which means 2 lbs total since I gained 1 lb during gourging.

Today, I am SICK. Not just not feeling well...SICK. I've been feeling not well for a couple of days and been coughing but today, it topped out. My chest feels like it is going to explode every time I cough. The Good thing is, my coughs are productive and always result in something coming out. The Bad..it hurts. The Ugly...I threw up..or attempted it anyway. When you only eat twice a day, there's not much in your tummy and I hadn't eaten yet. Cohen was cranky so I put him down for an early nap. I was definitely running a fever since I was FREEZING so I ran a nice HOT bath with a little lavendar bubble bath (oil free) and had a HOT rice sock for my neck. I stayed in there until the bath was cold..then re-ran more hot water. It was then that I started feeling funny. The sort of dizzy, think I might pass out, might throw up..weird sort of feeling. I had had this feeling before when I was pregnant and I took it is my body's way of saying I was too hot so I sat up so my top half was out of the water..the feeling got worse so I got out. Then the undeniably you are going to throw up feeling came. Brief panic..this is going to hurt...AND IT DID! The whole bottom half of my abdomen felt like it was being ripped out..that's all I remember. The Ugly-I passed out. Not sure how long I was out for since there are no clocks upstairs and I didn't really know the time beforehand. Thankfully Cohen was taking a nap. I called my doctor and told her what happened. She's confident it is NOT the diet, the food, the hCG. She's pretty sure I have the flu or something along the lines of it. Not sure about the throwing up but the passing out was probably from a drop in blood sugar due to not eating breakfast. I may have to split up fruit and Melba toast from lunch to have for breakfast.

Cohen was still sleeping so I attempted to eat lunch. My body needs nourishment in order to heal. The problem was, I want soup..a nice big bowl of brothy soup. I want a giant Vitamin C packed smoothie..but I can't. I settled for chicken, an orange, and melba toast. I could not stomach the veggies nor could I finish the chicken. I gagged down the orange but it burned. I had 2 cups of water and 3 cups of hot tea. My doctor said the weight loss may slow down since I'm not consuming everything but I shouldn't gain anything. She also gave me a supplement that I can take and should work in a matter of days. I have a "Meet The Doula's Night" on Friday and I need to be there.

Chris left work to pick up the supplement (all the way out in Anthem!)and come home so I can sleep. I was worried I would pass out again since I'm still feeling dizzy. Thankfully, Cohen is pretty self entertaining...the Bad is that he isn't feeling well either so he's extra cranky which does wonders for my pounding headache. I'm thankful Chris left work to help me so I can sleep. I just want to sleep and wake up feeling better. I HATE BEING SICK...and it's even worse when you are a Mom.

Dinner time

Our dinner time usually consists of me making dinner, the boys and I eating with Chris joining part way through when he gets home from work.

This changes when 2 of the 4 members of the family are on different diets. Dinner time tonight was certainly interesting. I picked up a few quick things I could make the boys these first few days that didn't seem to appealing to me but still something I thought they would eat. Chris called when he was leaving work so I would have a better idea as to when he would be home. The boys really start to get hungry around 5-5:30 so there is only so much "putting off" I can do before I have to feed them. I already had an idea as to what I was going to eat...since my options are really limited. I made the boys noodles with beef tips, green beans, and strawberries. I had bought some bacon wrapped filets that I was going to eat during my gourging phase..didn't happen. So, for dinner tonight, I took the bacon off and it measured exactly 3.5 ounces :) I paired it with some fresh spinach that I sauteed with a little vinegar and some pepper, Melba toast (2 this time since I bought some roasted garlic flavor that are round and therefore half the size and calories), and half a grapefruit sprinkled with a bit of Stevia.



It was DELICIOUS!

Day 4-First day of 500 calories

March 22, 2010; 284; down 1 lb :)

I have a plan of attack this week in hopes of making this adjustment as easy as possible. I think I was smart with my gourging to help and I also know myself enough to know, if I'm busy, I don't think about food. So the plan is: put off lunch as long as possible since I am most hungry in the afternoon/evening and keep myself busy in the morning. The afternoon's are busy anyway between picking up Braedon from school, helping him with his homework, playing and dinner prep.

So this morning, I caught up on emails and worked on the what to eat post and decided it was time to go to the store. I didn't go shopping this weekend for approved foods knowing it would give me something to do today. It also meant I couldn't eat lunch too early since I would have to buy the food first. Good plan right?

It worked like a charm! I left for the store at 11 am. I was headed to Wal-Mart first for diapers/wipes, food and snacks for the boys, and some of my foods. I am supposed to eat organic when possible (which I try to do anyway) so that doesn't leave many options and I knew I would need to go to Sprouts. Chris started the Atkin's diet (much to my dismay) today so I had to think of things I could make for the boys for dinner that wouldn't be too hard for myself or Chris to pass up.

By the time we got home, it was just before 1pm so I was late giving myself my injection but not too bad. I then put all the groceries away and made my yummy lunch. I was curious how much 100 grams of meat was and I quickly found out LOL! It's a little more than 1 chicken finger :)

My lunch:



100 grams of chicken with a little seasoning, 1 cup steamed broccoli, 5 strawberries, and 1 Melba toast...with a glass of ice cold water :)

It was really good and I felt good after I ate it. Could I have eaten more? Yes but I know I don't need it. I also attempted a mental trick I had learned a while ago. Use a small plate rather than a full size dinner plate. That way, your plate is more full and you feel like you are eating more!

Dinner will be Cod grilled with some seasonings and lemon with a spinach "salad" with vinegar for dressing. I will probably have either an apple or half a grapefruit. And of course, another Melba toast!

I can't wait to see what the scale says tomorrow morning...stay tuned!

What does 500 calories a day consist of?

As I start the low cal diet today, I thought I would post "What the heck do you eat on this diet?" In all of my research, I struggled to find the answer to this so in hopes of helping other's doing their research, I will post it here :)

Breakfast:

Tea or coffee in any quantity without sugar
Only 1 TBSP of milk allowed in 24 hours
Stevia, Saccharin or other sweeteners may be used

Lunch and Dinner:

1) 100 grams (3.5 oz) of veal, very lean beef, chicken breast, fresh white fish (Cod, Trout, or Halibut in water) lobster, crab, or shrimp.

*All visible fat must be removed before cooking and meat is weighed raw.
*Must be boiled or grilled without additional fat.
*Salmon, eel, tuna, herring, dried or pickled fish (um..yuck!) are not allowed.
*Chicken breast must be removed raw from the bird. Free range, organic is preferred.

2) One type of vegetable only to be chosen from the following: One cup of broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, celery, fennel, onions, red radishes, cucumbers, or asparagus. Unlimited amounts of spinach, chard, chicory, beet greens, green salad, or cabbage.

3) One Melba toast
4) One fruit: A small apple, a small orange, 5 strawberries or one-half grapefruit.

Seasonings and other stuff:

It is recommended to change your food up (not the same protein, veggies, and fruit for lunch and dinner on the same day).

The juice of 1 lemon daily is allowed

Salt, pepper, vinegar, mustard powder, garlic, sweet basil, parsley, thyme, majoram, etc. may be used for seasoning but NO OIL, BUTTER OR DRESSING.

Tea, coffee, plain water, or mineral water are the only drinks allowed-no restrictions on amounts but you should drink at least 2 liters per day.

The fruit or the Melba toast may be eaten between meals instead of with lunch or dinner but no more than 4 items may be eaten at one meal.

Lastly, anything not listed is forbidden.

I posted this for those researching the diet. DO NOT ATTEMPT A 500 CALORIE DIET WITHOUT THE hCG INJECTIONS. YOU MUST BE UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF A DOCTOR!

Day 3-last day of gourging

March 21, 2010; 284.5

No weight lost but nothing gained either!

Today was a challenging day because I was able to see what life will be like on this diet while I am out and about. I am supposed to give myself the injection as close to the same time every day as possible. Since I started on the weekend, this meant around Noon. I was thinking first thing in the morning since I am up during the week at 7. However, I occassionaly get a sleep in day on the weekends and I didn't want to have to wake up during these rare times to give myself a shot LOL!

I had a prenatal appointment (with a client..I am not pregnant) this morning on the other side of the world..literally (Queen Creek). The appointment was at 10 which meant I had to leave by 8:30 and meant I would not be home at Noon for my injection. Since it has to stay cold, I had to plan on how to transport it. I need to get some sort of pack that diabetics carry. I'm certainly not the only one in this world that has to carry needles around LOL! For today, since I don't have one of these handy dandy packs, I filled the syringe, put it in a sandwich bag and place that in a container of ice. The next challenge, getting away to do it. I have to laugh at this next part though Chris was a little mad at me. I left my meeting close to 12 but didn't really realize it at the time. I was tired and ready to be home so that was my main concern (aside from the thought of the LONG drive home). So I'm driving down the freeway and realize it is now 12:15. Crap..So, do I pull off the 5 lane freeway and find somewhere to park to give myself the shot? NOPE :) I lifted up my shirt, and in it went LOL! If that's not committment, I don't know what is!

Ok so for what I ate today. It just so happens there was a Dunkin Donuts on my way to my clients house. DONUTS!! Woot! What a great way to celebrate my last day of gourging! So I stopped for a coffee, which is allowed on my 500 cal diet but only 1 TBSP of milk per 24 hours...and NO SUGAR..bleh! No thanks! Anyway, I ordered an egg, ham and cheese sandwich, hashbrowns and a vanilla coffee. I also order 6 donuts. Never in my wildest dreams could I eat that much but the thought was nice. I polished off my breakfast and indulged in a donut. After the appointment, I ate another donut. I now sit here after dinner, with 4 donuts left knowing I have to finish them tonight or they go bad.

For lunch, I stopped at In-n-out burger which I couldn't finish either and dinner was my last hoorah RED LOBSTER! Woot! Complete with a lobster tail, fried shrimp, shrimp scampi and crab legs...so good! And I did finish it off!

Tomorrow starts my low cal diet and I have made plans for every day this week after I drop Braedon off at school to keep my mind off what I can't eat. I discovered today, that I could make it to lunch time without eating as long as I wasn't really thinking about it. My plan is to drink a couple glasses of tea in the morning, then lunch around 11-12 and dinner will be at 5..hopefully. I can split up some of my lunch and dinner to have a snack which I may need between lunch and dinner.

Here's to tomorrow!

Day 2-still gourging

March 20, 2010; 284.5 lbs

I wasn't surprised when I stepped on the scale this morning. I was told not to worry about weight gain during the gourging phase..I mean, I am supposed to be eating to my max capacity as many fats and carbs as I can down...weight gain is expected, right? I'm sure it will come off soon! Scratch that, I KNOW it will come off soon!

For breakfast today, the kids and I are going to IHOP :) Pancakes, pancakes, and more pancakes..I'm hoping those will go down easy LOL!

Breakfast:

2 eggs, basted: finished about 1.5
Breakfast potatoes with ham, onions, cheese, and country gravy: ate most of them
2 peices SD toast: finished 1.5
2 pancakes with butter and syrup: finished 1
OJ: 1 glass

Since I ate breakfast so late, I didn't really eat lunch and went straight for dinner. There is a carnival very near our house so we wanted to take Braedon to it which meant a quick dinner at Sonic. My eyes were bigger than my tummy as always so we ordered to cheeseburger meals, cheese sticks and jalepeno poppers. Chris, of course, was laughing at me as I quickly approached my fullness and started getting the look of struggling. I managed to eat 3/4 of my burger, half my fries, 2 cheese sticks and 2 poppers. I topped it off with a hot fudge sundae. I might as well indulge myself while I can right?

Then we headed to the carnival..and what comes with carnivals? FOOD! We were there for about an hour before the smells started to get to me. I ordered a corndog since they looked so good...wasn't as good as it looked so Braedon and Cohen helped me finish it off. Then Braedon asked for popcorn and I helped him eat it. Lastly, I indulged myself in a candied apple. I haven't had one since I was a kid! It was quite delicious and Cohen was thrilled to help me finish it.

At some point in the afternoon, Chris looked over at me and said "I'm really proud of you". My natural reaction was "Why?" The sum of his response was that I am doing this diet. I researched it for a while and took the steps needed to start it (ie physical, doctor approval) and now I'm doing it. Despite my drastic fear of needles, I am on a plan that means I have to give myself an injection every day. He admitted he doesn't think he could ever do it. I didn't think I would be able to either but I know I need to make changes and as bad as it may sound, these changes have to happen quickly and drastically or I will give up. I can't hang on to .5-1 lb of weight loss per week like WW did. I would be excited the first couple of weeks because the weight fell off faster but when it narrowed out, I would become frustrated and quit or start cheating. With this, there is an end in sight-40 days or 34 lbs. I've seen first hand how it works and how quickly it works. I remind myself of that when 12 noon rolls around and it's time for my injection.

Round 1, Day 1-Gourging phase

March 19, 2010; 284 lbs

I have been looking into the hCG diet for quite some time and after a lot of research, I decided it was going to be good for me once I was done nursing Cohen. I made an appointment with a recommended naturopathic doctor to be examined, discuss the diet and make sure I was a good candidate. After talking with a close family friend, I was aware of what it consisted of but I still had questions and I was happy to have them answered. There is a lot more to this than I had originally thought!

So, today marks day 1. There are 3 days of gourging with injections before the 500 calorie diet w/injections starts. I am to eat high carbs and fats to my maximum capacity. A dieters dream, right? WRONG! I am not used to eating high carbs and fats! I've been on a weight loss journey all my life and I have found this sort of diet makes me SICK!

So this morning I woke up, weighed myself (nekkid, after emptying my bladder as directed) and loaded up the kids for some errands. I do not own a food scale and I have to be very particular about my intake. I also came to realize our bathroom scale is broken. I stepped on it 4 times in a matter of a minute and got 4 different weights! Not good LOL!

After the store, we went to our favorite bagel which so happens to neighbor Starbucks. That I WILL miss! The boys had sausage/egg bagel sandwiches while I attempted to eat 2 scrambled eggs with cheese, breakfast potatoes and an asiago bagel with cream cheese. Whenever I have started a diet in the past, I felt like I was starving that first day with thoughts of everything I could NOT have. Today is different because I HAVE to eat this stuff. From what I've read and heard, the more fat and carbs I consume these first few days, the better I will feel the first few days of the 500 calorie diet. I tried and tried but I couldn't finish it all. I ate the whole bagel, half of the potatoes (which was an insane amount anyway) and 3/4 of the egss (which are NOT my fave since my pregnancy with Braedon). Oh and a LARGE dark cherry mocha from Starbucks (YUMMY!).

At 12 noon, I gave myself my first injection. I, of course, syked myself up for it so I was nervous. To top it off, Braedon wanted to watch. We have had to eliminate sugar from his diet for hyperactivity reasons and he is really struggling with it lately so it's good that I am starting this now. I told him that I couldn't have sugar either and now I have to give myself shots because of it. I wasn't totally lying right?? I re-iterated that we all need to change what we eat and that I don't want him to have to give himself shots because he ate too much sugar nor do I want him fat like me.

Ok so he watched me and cringed. I think he actually made it worse for me. I had to be the strong mommy when I already have a complex for needles and then top that off with having to do it myself?? Granted, it's a very SMALL needle (usually used for insulin injections) but still...

Injection done..not so bad LOL!

At 1pm I realized it had been a few hours since I had last ate. I was not hungry but knew I needed to eat something so I made some mashed potatoes (instant since it's what I had on hand). Normally, I have no problems eating mashed potatoes but I was struggling. I wasn't hungry so it didn't taste very good. Needless to say, I got through about half of them.

An hour or so later, I was having a feeling of not quite hungry but possibly getting there so I decided to have one of my favorite snacks....cereal! Honey Nut Cheerios to be exact. I don't have any problems eating bowls of cereal...except today. It was good, but I just felt like I was eating to eat. My doctor and Rachel both told me, the more I get in these 3 days, the better I will feel the first few days of the LC diet. After eating the cereal, I felt sick and knew I wouldn't be able to eat anything for a while.

4pm rolled around which is when I would normally start thinking about what to make for dinner or where we would go out for dinner since it's Friday. Nothing sounded good. Olive Garden (one of my fave's) would be a great way to get in lots of carbs and fats; Mexican would yeild the same result...if I could get myself to eat.

When Chris got home, we voted on Mexican since it was near BRU and we needed diapers. We ordered a cheese crisp for an appetizer and I ordered my favorite plate which I can NEVER finish. I hat 3 slices of cheese crisp and I was full even before my dinner came...trouble! I managed to eat my cheese enchilada and started on the taco. I got about half way through that and Chris could tell I was struggling. I gave him the rest of my taco and started on the green chile burrito..maybe a change of flavor would help. It was so good but I was so full. Somehow, I at half of it and just couldn't eat anymore. It was weird because I didn't have the feeling of "stuffed" or full like I normally would experience...it was different. Like, the food just didn't taste good anymore and if I even thought about taking another bite, I wanted to throw up.

Starting weight and measurements

March 19, 2010

Starting weight and measurements

Height: 5'8" (5'7" according to the doctor)
Weight: 283 lbs (I can't believe I am posting this! Big step here!)
Body fat: 46.2%
BMI: 44.3
Blood Pressure: 120/80

Neck: 14
Chest: 45 3/4
Waist: 54.5
Hips: 47
Upper Arm: 16 3/4
Thigh: 24
Calves: 17 3/4