A quick Before and After

 This was Before HCG.   This past Fathers Day.

This is 30 Lbs lighter in October. 

With the Holidays coming to a close, I will be starting another round of HCG on January 9th.  I accomplished 2 small rounds of the diet, one of them in between Halloween and Thanksgiving and lets be serious, they were buffers for this wonderful time of the year.  All in all, I've stayed within a 3 lbs window through it all. 

It's time to get serious again.  Back to keeping track of my day to day in this blog.  I have another 30lbs to go, so let's get to loosing.

My News Years resolution will be to commit to this diet again, and all the things that made it successful for me the first time.

R2D5 VLCD

FYI, R=Round D=Day VLCD=Very Low Calorie Diet

Down a little more this morning, -.5 to be exact!

Starting weight R2:  190

Today's Weight: 182.4

Total Loss R2:  7.6 Pounds

It's nice to be back into the week as I find I do better on this diet when I'm at work.  It's easier to manage and keep my mind off things at work.  So I'm hoping this will be a strong week for me.  My losses slowed a little over the weekend.  I think that happens to correspond with TOM, but I'm still losing, which in the land of HCG is a miracle!

Here's to drinking all my water today!  FOCUS!

Round 2, Day 4, Deja Vu!

Today I'm on Round 2, Day 4 of VLCD.  I feel like things went well in the maintenance phase.  I held strong at 184.6 for most of the phase.  There were good days and bad, I just had to remember what I was doing and use the tools to help me along the way.

Last weekend I had a few get togethers, so I figured it would be a good weekend to Load!  I was right, BUT, my drops didn't show up till Monday, so after I consulted my HCG support group on Facebook, I found myself loading for two more days WITH the drops.  I ended the load days seeing a number that I never wanted to see again! 

Day 1 VLCD (after a goof of loading 2 days without drops and 2 days with)
Starting Weight: 190

Day 4 VLCD 
Weight: 182.9

So in 3 days on the diet, I was down 7.2 Pounds!!!  Thank God!

This feels like same old, same old, all over again.  Man, I remember this part like it was yesterday.  I'm trying to remember all my tricks that got me through the tough times.  I'm drinking lots of tea again.  Smooth move, Good Earth, anything with a punch of flavor.

LOTS of mineral water and ice tea too!

This is a great reciepe that I've already made.  If your on the diet, I recommend it!  It reheats well the next day for lunch.

Picante Chicken

1 package of fresh chicken breasts (4-5 total)

3-4 cans of Organic Stewed Tomatoes (no sugar added)

Cumin

Onion Powder

Garlic

Salt

Throw this in a crock pot, use the seasonings as much as your taste buds like!  Let this baby cook all day, and then shred the chicken.  You can eat this like a soup, or count the tomatoes as your fruit and throw this over lettuce!  Yummy!!!

No one said this was easy!

Hey All!  So, life in Maintenance has been tricky.  Just when you think things are going good, you get comfortable and it all changes.  I guess that's why this is a Life Change, right.  I'm trying to get things all figured out.  I can't eat whatever I want, and that has been hard because this part of the diet is not as strict as the Low Calorie round.  In Phase 2, it was very very clear what you could and couldn't eat in order to maximize your weight loss.  In Phase 3 (or maintenance), you have to calculate your BMR, eat from a long list of foods, and just work at stabilizing.  Your one tool is a steak day.  You do that when you have gained more than two pounds.  Sounds easy, right?  It should be.  But that is where I'm stuck.  I'm in a little bit of a twilight zone right now.  

I know that I don't want to mess up the work I've done.  So the best thing is to get a handle and not let it get away from me.

I'm sitting at 2.3 pounds above my lowest weight.

I should have done a steak day today and I didn't.

So that's where it's at, and I'm trying to get a game plan in place to fix it.

HERE is where I"m going for all my support!  If you are doing this diet, at any Phase, this is where to go for help and answers.  It's the best support I've found!

Keepin it real! - M1D4

I haven't posted in awhile.  I realized that I was needing time to just be for a little bit.  Things in life have been busy at work and home, and I was just pulled in too many places at once.  Now don't go thinkin that I checked out of this diet or anything!  That would just be CRAZY!  No no, I've just mustered up the courage to take the plunge and head into new territory with the Maintenance Phase of this diet, or better referred to as M1.  I stopped taking my drops last Thursday, and had to use my weight from that day as my lowest daily weight for entering into Maintenance.  Why, because that was the last day I took the drops....Eeek.

So life since drops has been good.  I'm getting to eat food again, like Avocados, FRUIT, Salmon and so on.  I calculated my BMR, and for my weight and activity level, I'm supposed to consume 1900 calories a day to 'maintain' this new weight.  That is the trick right now, to keep it even.  Don't go 2 pounds below or above that lowest daily weight.  2.1 in any direction will result in action being taken.  I"m doing a steak day today, which technically wan't necessary, but I just felt I needed it!  I was close, a little to close. 

Getting in the 1900 calories of the things I'm supposed to eat is a little hard.  I'd like to think I can just catch it up with a little chocolate here and there.  A few hundred calories of that, and we should be good to go!

Not so.  Protein is KING right now, along with healthy fruits and veggies.  No STARCH, No SUGAR!

So, it's day 4 and I'm holding steady.  I will start posting some recipe's now that I"m feeling like getting a little creative.  I'll keep in better touch now, I promise.

I've also discovered a pretty good deal on drops that I feel I can share now that I've tried them and think they work.  Head on over to Amazon (woot woot), and check these puppies out!  I used THESE drops for the last part of my round and can't complain.

I'm going to go drink another glass of water now and climb into bed.  More later, I promise.

P2D40

Today was a good day.  I didn't have time to post yesterday, the day as a whole just got away from me.  However, I did find a pretty new pillow for my living room and some matching twin bedding to redo my girls room.  I'll have to post all of that over at my other blog, so CHECK IT!

But, back to updating my weight loss.  About 3 pounds in the last two days.

Yesterday was a loss as was today, and I can't remember what the difference between the two days was, so this post will have to be a combined post and were all good with that, right?

Stats:

Starting Weight:  206.5

Today's Weight: 182.6

Total Loss:  23.9 Pounds.  I'm getting a little tired of ending in all these .9's.  It's like a tease for the next number.  C'mon!

So needless to day, I'm very happy with my near 24 pound loss.  I'm feeling really really good about that.  I think I'm going to keep doing the drops all weekend, stop them on Monday and start the 1500 calorie maintenance phase on Wednesday.  It would be nice to get on the other side of 25 pounds so that I end closer to 30 instead of 20 pounds lost.

This has been a really crazy journey.  I'm completely nervous about transitioning into the maintenance phase.  Can I stabilize this new weight, or will it just be all over the place.  While VLCD has been hard, it's also been easy to follow.  It's very specific and clear.  That can feel boring some days, but it's really important to learning about yourself and your body.  I can tell that my taste buds have changed.  They are more sensitive to natural sweetness for example.  Even my Tom's toothpaste tastes sweet now.  I can also feel the fat that is in something, literally coating my tongue.  Weird! 

I think I need to just keep my head wrapped around the fact that things don't stop now.  It's the most important part of this journey coming up!  I HAVE to stabilize this new weight!!!!!!! 

The challenge continues.

P2D38 - A little Closer

So TOM has passed and I finally saw a drop this morning of -.9 Pounds!  Thank God!  I thought I was going to have to end this thing at 20 pounds, and I know I can do more.  So the next four days are going to be a mad dash!  Get ready, get set, GO!  Let's see how far down I can get.......  YE HAW!


Starting Weight:  206.5
Today's Weight:  185.6
Total Weight Loss:  20.9 Pounds (That's .1 from 21 pounds FYI)

I'm hoping to see the 70's before this round is over.  I hope that I will, I'm going to hold out for sure!  If I'm on a roll this weekend, I might push it for a few more days, we will just see what kind of roll I get on!

Hope you are all having a great day, whatever diet or change you are tying to make in your life!   

P2D33 - Down 20

Ugh.  What a week.  After the Brisket/Chicken fiasco on Saturday, and then starting TOM, this week has been a long one.  I stuck to my guns and worked through the Brisket gain .4 pounds at a time.  It pays off to stick with it!

This morning, I was down 1.2 Lbs!  That officially puts me just a titch over losing 20 Pounds! Truly, that is amazing.  When have you EVER lost 20 pounds in 33 days?  I never have.  It's taken me months and months to loose weight like that.  

My stats so far are...
Starting Weight:  206.5
Today's Weight:  186.4
Total Weight Loss:  20.1 Pounds!  

Next Friday, July 30th, was going to be my last day of VCLD on this part of the diet.  I posted last week about staying on the diet for as much as 55 days.  However, I feel like since I'm back on track again, and onto the next ten pounds of losing, I might see how the week goes and just stick to my original stop date.  I won't lie, this diet has been HARD!  It's been a huge test of my WILL POWER!  It's made me feel angry and overjoyed all in the same day!  I feel good about the progress I've made, and it really makes me think first about what I put in my mouth!  

I'm nervous to move onto the next part of this diet.  What if it doesn't work and I gain it all back?  I just have to stick to the protocol and do my best, right?  Yikes!  

I did start taking new drops this week.  I ordered them on Amazon for only $18.00.  I'm not ready to tell everyone to go out and buy them just yet.  I'd like to finish out the diet with them and make sure they work, but if so, what a great bargain it will be!  I'll keep you all posted.

I feel like I can see it in my face!

Before HCG

18 Pounds Lost on HCG

P2D28 - Well Shoot

Well, yesterday was a little disappointment.  I didn't loose anything, and then, I cheated.....  So, here's how that played out.  I did really good all day, and was on the road to perfection, however, my husband was smoking BBQ all day long.  Now, I've been eating chicken for the past 28 days, and liking it just fine.  If I need a little something, I'll even go grab a nibble from my cooked stash in the fridge.  But this chicken was AMAZING!  And then his Brisket came off the grill.  I couldn't handle it.  I cheated on too much meat last night, and I can feel my body retaining the water.  It will probably take me 3 days to rebound from this......

What I learned is that I'm craving real, cooked from scratch food.  Not all the processed crap in the cupboards, but the good, home cooked kind.  This diet hasn't been affording me much time in the kitchen, cooking.  I think when I get to the maintenance phase, I'm going to enjoy that part again.  I'll have many more ingredients to get creative with, and can cook for my family and friends again.

***IMPORTANT Update to protocol.

I've been using the HCG Plus group on Facebook for alot of my support and I confirmed Friday night that I can stay on Phase 2 for 57 days (including 2 load days) OR till I have lost 34 pounds.  This means that I can legally lengthen the time I'm spending on this part of the diet to hopefully reach my goal of 30 pounds.  Since I know that I'm also starting TOM any day, this will be another good reason to stick P2 out for another week!  We'll see how things play out this week and go from there!

P2D26 - Crusin

Losing this weight continues to keep crusin' along!  Woke up to a 1Lbs loss this morning!  Oh Yeah!  This really does feel good!  I was talking to one of my very best friends last night, she sent me a little 'thinkin of ya' package yesterday.  That was totally cool, because it was filled with little things that she knows I would love, and note that said to "keep up the good work, your doing amazing on this diet".  I love words of encouragement that come when you are lest expecting it!  Also, overall, I'm feeling really good.  There were a few things about this diet that I was worried about, but so far...


-No Headaches
-Lot's of Energy
-No stomach discomfort.  (I don't have gas peeps, that's a big deal for me)
-Sleeping well
-Feeling better in my clothes.  DUH!

Stats:
Starting Weight:  206.5
Today's Weight:  187.6
Total Weight Lost:  18.9 POUNDS! 

Since I haven't done this in awhile.....

Woke Up: 6:00am, peed and weighed myself.
Breakfast: Coffee, Coffee and some more coffee
HCG:  13 drops
Snack: Hot Tea and Peligrino with Root Beer Drops
HCG: 13 drops at 12:00
Lunch: Asparagus and Ground Beef
Snack:  3 cups Hot Tea 2 Lite Rye Crackers
HCG: 5:00 13 drops
Dinner:  BBQ Chicken and Strawberries
Water: Lost track, but I did get up to pee during the night.  That is always a good sign that I drank a lot=)
Cheats:  Sugar Free creamer in my morning coffee and one little choc chip.  I think I'm pms-ing.  I was a little crabby yesterday.

P2D25

Yesterday was less than thrilling but this morning made up for that!  I jumped on the scale to a wonderful loss of -1.8 Lbs!  Yup.  I'm definitely feeling in more control than I did this time last week.

I think drinking hot tea right before bed might really be helping.  But I'm no doctor, so who knows!  What is amazing is that I'm now counting down the 80's!  And oh, it feels so good.

Starting Weight:  206.5

Today's Weight:  188.6

Total Weight Loss:  17.9 Pounds! (that's one decimal shy of 18 in case you didn't notice)

So I'm just gonna keep doing what I've been doing.  I'm planning to push this diet as long as I'm allowed, which is 40 days.  That will put me at July 30th.  I have 15 more days of VLCD.  If I can keep up my average of .7 lbs a day, I will be just shy of losing my goal of 30 Pounds for this round.

I haven't done measurements in awhile.  I think I might do those and post my actual numbers sometime soon. 

As for today, I'm looking forward to some beef and asparagus with an apple for a snack and my chicken and strawberry salad with Sweet Mustard Dressing for dinner!

P2D24 - C'mon!

Things are good, but seriously  was looking forward to seeing the scale drop down into new territory!  I've been in the 90's for a bit now, I'd like to get funky with the 80's please!  Maybe tomorrow.  The scale this morning was only a -.2Lbs

Starting Weight:  206.5

Today's Weight:  190.4

Total Weight Loss:  16.1 Pounds!

However, officially being able to say that I've lost 16 glorious pounds is nice!

 

I thought I would continue talking about things that I'm doing and eating that are getting me through Phase 2.  Eggs and Cottage Cheese are an occasional substitution for protein.  One thing I've noticed, small changes from the chicken, beef and fish realm are a nice change of pace!

  
Above, I'm eating fresh garden tomatoes and a yummy no salt spice by McCormick with 1% cottage cheese.  That was a nice treat to my taste buds!

And I'm learning to like Fish!  This is Cod that Travis made on the grill for me.  Salt, Pepper and LOTS of LEMON!

Sweet Mustard Salad Dressing

This would be good as a marinade too!

(enough for your salad)

1 Heaping Tbls Spicy Brown Mustard

1 Tbls Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar

3 squirts Braggs Amino Acids

Onion Powder

Garlic Powder

Salt

Pepper

Pinch of Stevia Powder

Mix together in a tupperware container and chill.  Play around with other spice blends and the amounts of spices you use to suit your taste buds!  Yummy stuff!

And lastly, I've found the best support yet!  HCG Plus on Facebook.  

Great Support there!

P2D23 - Headed in the right direction

It's so nice to be back on track with everything.  I still struggle from moment to moment.  The fresh baked chocolate chip cookies at my Mom's house yesterday were REALLY REALLY hard to resist.  Warm fresh and super chocolaty!  It did remind me that I'm looking forward to cooking food again.  Also, trying out healthier ingredients.  Whole wheat flour, flax meal, maybe even some gluten free too!  

But, it's worth it when you jump on the scale in the morning and are down -1.2Lbs!

Starting Weight:  206.5
Today's Weight:  190.6
Total Weight Loss:  15.9Lbs Gone!


In the mean time, I thought I would talk about the things that are getting me through this part of the diet!

Celestial Seasoning's Tea!  My two favorites at the moment are Green Tea and Cinnamon Apple Spice.  For the last two nights, I've been drinking a cup of green tea before bed.  I think it helps with my metabolism while I'm sleeping.  

Buy at Henry's

 Okay, This stuff is the BEST!  This liquid stevia tastes like Root Beer I swear!  I add this to some Pelagrinno, and WHA-LA, I have an instant soda!

 There are several other flavors, my next favorite is the Valencia Orange which I add to the La Croix brand Grapefruit Sparkling Water, and I'm now drinking a Mandarin Orange Hanson's!

Buy at Target

Gum is a questionable item on this diet, because many sugar free gums still contain an artificial sweetener other than Stevia, however, this Chocolate Mint gum is helping me get through some tough days, and if it keeps me from eating a cookie, and I still am loosing weight, then I'm gonna chew it!

 And for today, last but certainly not least, Braggs Amino Acids!  OMG!  Kind of a soy sauce type flavor, but packed with all kinds of goodness!  I put it on everything, and sometimes, just in some hot water for a little warm brothy soup to drink.  It's the kind of thing that gets you past the hunger!

Buy at Henry's

PS - If your reading my blog, say Hi and let me know if you have questions!  Sometimes I don't know if I'm just talking to myself!=)

P2D22 - I almost didn't make it!

Sorry for the hiatus!  Let's just say that this diet will humble you very quickly!  Do NOT think that you are superwomen once you start losing weight!  If you allow yourself a little tinsie, tiny, fudge, HCG will SLAP you across the face!  Let me explain....

Last Wednesday, I finally saw a drop after a disastrous 4th of July weekend..  A whopping .5 pounds.  So, I was feeling like I had the diet back in the drivers seat and I was good to go.  WRONG!  Wednesday night, I didn't head to the hospital (to see my Mom) prepared with something to eat!  SO, what's wrong with a protein bar and a handful of Nuts?  I'm good, right?  It won't mess with me much, if at all, right?  Nope.  Woke up Thursday to +3Lbs.  Stupid.  Irritated.  Disappointed.  Sad.  Mad.  What did I do...  Relax.  It will all be better.  Just eat clean, follow your protocol and it will be fine tomorrow.  It took 3 LONG Days!!!!!  One little mess up cost me dearly!!!

I was so over joyed to get on the scale this morning to {Drum Roll Please} -3.2Lbs!  I can't believe my eyes.  Thank God!  I needed that!  I checked this like 10 times, I thought my eyes were playing tricks with me!

Starting Weight:  206.5

Today's Weight:  191.8

Total Pounds Lost:  14.7  YAHOO!

So, with that I'm officially wearing a pair of Capris that have been sitting in my closet for 2 years.  I bought them on clearance way back when thinking, surely I will be into these in no time.  Well, 2 years later and 14.7 lbs lighter, I'm wearing them.  And I did a happy dance!

P2D17

Okay, so Holiday weekends are the pits.  This is not a diet of convenience!  But, back to LOSING!  

I got on the scale this morning, and I'm down a 1/2 pound.  That I will take!!!

Starting Weight:  206.5

Today's Weight:  195

Total Weight Loss:  11.5 Pounds!

Yesterday I ate VERY clean.  I had egg whites for a change at lunch and Travis made some YUMMY fish for dinner!  The girls even gobbled that up!

I spent some more time on the Weight Loss Forum last night.  There were a few people that posted to my introduction message.  Some were VERY opinionated with their responses.  I was a little taken aback.  However, I realized that I'm not doing everything to the 'T' and I might have even better results if I did!  Either way, the weight I'm losing is no poke in the eye.  I will continue on my journey and see how far I can get!

• No more mixing veggies, only in dire circumstances.
• Carefully weigh all meat!
• Get my water in.  130 oz is a lot harder than you  think!

P2D16

Happy 4th of July out there!  Yikes!  What a roller coaster of a weekend.  In my neck of the woods we had family family family in town.  It was fun, but juggling all the kids, places to go, food to eat, it was a long, HOT weekend.  I think I'm retaining FLUIDS and possibly a potato chip or two from yesterday.  

I'm here to tell ya, trying to do this diet and eat out and not make everyone else bored with dinner because you are eating like a bird is HARD!  I tried my hardest, but yesterday kinda got the best of me and I had a few things I shouldn't.  Funny thing, they didn't taste AS GOOD as I thought they would.  It just goes to show you, it's all mind over matter.  I thought I wanted it because I COULDN'T have it.  Seriously, get a hold of yourself Marissa!

So I can proudly say that I am entering into this week not a pound heavier, nor a pound lighter.  So I'm just going to pull on my big girl panties, and finish this Phase out strong!

I'm keeping better track of my water.
I'm not going to forget any of my drops.
I will not be tempted by the evil chocolate morsels in cookies.
I will remember to look forward to enjoying the feel of loosing weight!!!!

P2D13

So I will have to be honest, yesterday was a gain from Thursday of 1 lbs.  I was mortified that I had let it happen, and that it happened so easily.  I was so nervous this morning when I got on the scale.  I was worried that I'd see another gain and that this diet was just to good to be true.  Let's face it, I'm feeling so much better about myself.  My clothes fit a little better, people notice a little, I feel better in general, especially my back.  I just want this to continue. 

This morning, with all the nerve I could muster, I hoped on that scale.  Since I had gained yesterday, today was only a true loss of 1 lbs!  But I will take that over a gain any day.

Starting Weight:  206.5
Today's Weight:  195.5
Total Loss:  11 Lbs!

Phew!  Back on track for sure.  Here's to keeping it up this Holiday Weekend.

***Here is an update on my post the day before I started the diet!

Things I'm looking forward too:
-Fitting into some size 14 jeans that I bought at GAP.
-My face not looking so ROUND!  CHECK!
-Feeling comfortable with my arms in something sleeveless.
-Wearing a dress.
-Getting below 200 for the first time in four years.  CHECK!
-Wearing some boot cut jeans and my cowgirl boots and feeling sexy!
-My back not hurting all the time.  CHECK!

Happy Fourth of July!

P2D12

Well, today is a little bit of a pisser, But I think I know what I did wrong.  TO MUCH BEEF!  There was NO LOSS today....  A few things are going on, and I'm going to ride this out for better results tomorrow.

• I need to poop
• I need to drink 2 gallons of water if I can.
• No melba toast, bread stick or WASA.
• Maybe that watermelon caught up with me.
• I shouldn't have licked my damm finger when I got Peanut Butter on it last night.  I didn't mean too, but it's hard to spit Peanut Butter out.  I knew I was screwed.  

I will eat VERY CLEAN today!  No deviations, extra's, not even a rabbit pellet sized bite of anything.  Actually, if I think of things in terms of poop, it helps me not want it!

I guess this was my reminder before going into the weekend.  Gosh, Thursday's are becoming a traditionally stupid day for me!  

On the lite side, I am shaving inches off still!

2 1/2 in. from my waist

1 3/4 in. from my belly (say it with a Shrek voice)

1 3/4 in. from my hips!

Half day Friday is a blast!  YAHOO!

P2D12

Well last night we had some family in town and grilled burgers.  Since I ate one at lunch, I just had myself some chicken and grilled asparagus, with homemade applesauce.  It was very good, but the fresh watermelon was staring me in the face and I caved.  I had read that watermelon is an okay cheat, because it is so water dense, so I went ahead.  I ended the evening chugging 3 glasses of water and crossing my fingers, but boy did that watermelon taste SWEET!

To my enjoyment, I was down 1.5 Lbs today!  YEAY ME!

This is the 10 pound marker!  Time for a pedi!

And my best friends these days, hot and cold liquid!  You help keep me full!

 

Starting weight:  206.5
Today's Weight:  196.5
Total weight loss: 10 Lbs!

Woke Up: 6:00am
Breakfast: Coffee
HCG:  13 drops
Snack: Hot Tea

HCG: 13 drops at 12:00

Lunch: Chicken and Apple

Snack:  Root Beer (Stevia and Peligrinno)
HCG: 5:30 13 drops
Dinner: Carl's Jr. lettuce wrap burger

Water: so-so prob only 80oz!

Cheats: I know, I know, to much beef, the patty was to big and I wanted it!  Also, licked some PB of my finger, {SIGH}, and too much Wasa Toast.  I'm not buying those again!

P2D11

Yesterday was a pretty good day!  I went out to lunch for a friends birthday.  Panera was able to  make me a salad with only chicken and strawberries, no dressing.  There was an apple on the side which I saved for later!  I also packed my own dressing and all in all, FANTASTIC!  It felt good to eat out with my friends and not be left out of eating=)  The rest of the day was pretty easy.  It was after dinner that I was really craving a cookie.  Those are the times when I find I really need to exit the kitchen and just go somewhere else.  It's to much!

I'm finding some good support sites that I would like to share!  

• This site is called Weight loss Forum and they have discussion boards that are really helpful.  I'm still having an issue with signing up, but just reading what people are saying is good!
• HCG Recipe Club has also been good for giving me ideas about what I'm going to eat!

Luckily, all my will power paid off again.  Down another 1 Lbs this morning!  Not to shabby! 

Starting weight:  206.5
Today's Weight:  198.00
Total weight loss: 8.5Lbs!

Woke Up: 6:00am
Breakfast: Coffee
HCG:  13 drops
Snack:  ice tea
HCG:  13 drop around 12:30
Lunch:  bunless burger
Snack:  warm strawberries with stevia
HCG: FORGOT!
Dinner: Chicken, asparagus, apples
Water: Lots!

Cheats: Watermelon


I wanted to post this picture of my and one of my besties!  This was my wedding day and she and I are on a quest to get back to this point in our lives.  She is starting her own blog about losing weight.  I will share it with you when she gets up and going so you can meet her and see what her story is.

P2D10

I was mortified yesterday when I got on the internet and realized that I wasn't supposed to eat Salmon, so I made sure that I was following protocol yesterday!  I wanted to see those pounds drop off today!
It paid off.  I got on the scale this morning and lost 1 lbs!  

I'M UNDER 200 FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 4 YEARS!

Starting weight:  206.5
Today's Weight:  199.0
Total weight loss: 7.5Lbs!

Woke Up: 6:00am
Breakfast: Coffee
HCG:  13 drops
Snack: Hot Tea
HCG: 11:30 - 13 drops
Lunch: YUMMY Chicken Strawberry Salad with homemade Honey Mustard Dressing
Snack: Root Beer
HCG: 5:30- 13 drops
Dinner:  Lean Beef and roasted Broccoli
Water: Oh Yeah!

Cheats:  Stared to long at another cookie...I think it went into my skin I stared so long.

P2D9

Well, I made a HUGE error on my shopping trip yesteday!  I bought some Salmon for dinner, and it's not an apporved fish right now!!!!  Whayyyyyyy.....

My loss this morning was only .5lbs because of my mistake!  

Shoot shoot shoot.  I knew it tasted to good to be true!  At least it was a loss.  I will stick to protocol today and drink extra water, that should give me a better result tomorrow!

I'm also back on the drops today as TOM has decided to Exit the Building!=)

That's all I have to say for now=( 

Oh, and we ordered a little motivation last week!

Going to see Miranda Lambert in August!  I can't wait!  My goal will be some new boot cut jeans and a good dose of FUN!!!  LOVE THIS GIRL!

P2D8

Starting Weight:  206.5
Today's Weight:  200.5
Total Loss: 6 LBS

Lost another 1.5 lbs!!!!!!  Yahoo.

Dear Lord, I'm inching on seeing below 200 for the first time in 4 years!  That feels wonderful!  I'm already feeling a difference in my clothes.  Not that they are hanging loose yet, but they just fit better and I don't feel like a sausage when I"m in them.  I'ts a great feeling and I'm so encouraged.  I also read a great article today that made me think about this grumbling feeling I have in my stomach.  We usually think it means we are hungry, but I'm looking at it in a whole new way now.  Mine grumbles after I eat, you know why?  I'm metabolizng my food faster!  And that means that the rest of the day, till I eat again, my body is buring my STORED FAT!  So grumble away tummy, I have lots of fat for you to chew on!=)

Woke Up: 7am and ran to the scale
Breakfast: Coffee
HCG:  none
Snack: Wasa cracker and lemon water 
HCG:  none
Lunch:  Asparagus and chicken
Snack: Apple
HCG: none
Dinner: salmon, salad with homemade honey mustard dressing and strawberries!!!!
Water: Lots
Cheats: A couple pieces of extra chicken.

P2D7

Feeling pretty good this morning.  The fact I dropped so many inches yesterday really helped my mental state.  Ok, this thing is working.  I'm looking forward in seeing if my weight loss speeds up when TOM is done.

Lost another 3.5 lbs on the scale this morning!!!

Starting weight:  206.5
Today's Weight:  201.5
Total weight loss: 5 lbs!

Woke Up: 6:30am
Breakfast: Coffee
HCG:  none
Snack:  Lots of Tea
HCG:  none
Lunch:  broccoli and chicken
Snack:  apple and tea
HCG: none
Dinner: protein burger with grilled onions
Water:  LOT'S 
Cheats:  I licked a cookie.  So stupid!
I'm feeling pretty good today.  I was dreading the weekend a little, but it's working out.  I just keep making something to drink when  I can't handle it.  I'm staying out of the kitchen too.  That seems to help!  Hopefully tomorrow brings some movement on the scale.

P2D6

So this is really day 4 of VCLD, just a reminder that the first two days were Loading Days!  Yesterday was my best day of eating.  I had lots and lots of tea, leftover chicken and chili for lunch, an apple, more tea tea tea, and a small lean steak, roasted broccoli and strawberries.  I also bought some Wasa bread at Henery's.  I tried comparing it to the Grissini stick or Melba toast and I think it's pretty much a swap.  40 calories and ZERO fat or sugar.  So, I had one of those as well, very satisfying. 

I got on the scale this morning and.............Down 1 lbs!

Starting Weight: 206.5

Today's Weight:  204

Weight Loss: -2.5lbs

However, since I'm in the fun days of TOM, I'm still wishing I saw better numbers, so the thought occurred to me, measure yourself!

I took my measurements on Monday night, the last night of my load.  I won't divulge all the numbers just yet, BUT, I've lost the following inches:

3, 1/4 inches of the smallest part of my waist!

1, 3/4 inches of the biggest part of my stomach

2 inches from under my bra line
1, 1/4 inches from my right calf
2 inches off my bottom
1, 1/4 off my right thigh

That's a total of 12 1/2 inches!  I haven't measured everything, just some convenient ones!  I'd say I'm pretty pleased with that!  That's only 3 days of VCLD folks!

Woke Up: 6am
Breakfast: Apple Cinnamon Tea
HCG:  10 drops at 9:00AM
Snack:  Coffee with Milk and a Wasa Cracker
HCG:  12:00
Lunch:  1:00, took my Mom out to eat=)  We has a protein burger at In-n-Out, it was FANTASTIC!
Snack:  Coffee and Green Tea
HCG: Forgot!
Dinner: Chicken, Strawberry Salad.  YUMMO!
Water: Lost track, but I peed alot!
Cheats:  extra bites of chicken at dinner=(

I felt better today than I have all week.  My HCG buddy, Kelly came by to see me and brought me a green tea.  We talked about diet stuff and it helped keep my mind in it yesterday!  I still find myself needing something around 3:00, I think I'm going to start saving my lunch fruit for that time of the day.  It should help!

P2D5

So yesterday I was feeling very down.  However, today my spirits are lifted and I'm feeling stronger about lasting on this journey, because I SO BADLY want to be at the other end of it!

I got on the scale this morning, and despite my fits with TOM for the past few days, and cheating on (this is so weird), extra veggies and meat yesterday, I didn't have a gain!  Hallelujah!!!!!!! No loss either, but no gain!  Who would have thought that I would be saying cheat and veggie in the same sentence=)  It's a mystery this HCG!

I did get some advice from a fellow dieter that has lost 70lbs on this diet.  She mentioned that when I'm feeling week, just give myself a few more drops!  So I might try that next time.

I'm going to try and experiment with salad dressings this weekend.  I have a few idea's to start with!  Cilantro has a lot of flavor, so we are going to play with that first!

Things I enjoy right now are:

• Good Earth Tea (original)
• Celestial Seasonings Country Peach and Cinnamon Apple Tea
• Coffee with my Tlbs of milk!
• Sparkling water with lemon
• The above mentioned Country Peach Tea is AWESOME iced!
• Smooth Move Tea.  Eventually it should help me have a smooth move, but haven't had one since Monday!

I drink a lot of these as they fill my belly instead of treats!

I thought I would post this picture of me on Father Day.  I HATE how I look.  So it's my reminder to stay FOCUSED!

P2D4

Wow, this is going to be a tough one!  I hope the week gets better!!!!  I'm spotting, so between the cheats yesterday and the obvious TOM, I think it might explain my low loss for yesterday!

Starting Weight: 206
Today's Weight:  205
Total Daily Loss: -.5
Total Overall Loss:  -1 lbs

Woke Up: 6am
Breakfast: Apple Cinnamon Tea
HCG:  10 drops at 7:30
Snack:  Peach Tea
HCG:  12:00
Lunch:   Salad from Potluck
Snack:  Gluten Free Cookie
HCG: 5:00
Dinner: Beef tips
Water: 90 oz and counting
Cheats: OH MY GOODNESS, THE WHOLE DAY WAS DISASTERIOUS! 
How I'm Feeling: Today was really frustrating.  I was so hungry yesteday, and I was totally focused on that agian today, and feeling really bad that I couldn't shake it!  It's a terrible feeling to be so consumed with somthing!  Then, tonight, something changed.  I started TOM!  Could this be why the day was so hard.  Does anyone else have these problems?  This diet can make you feel so alone, but I don't want to fail it.  Tomorrow is a new day and I will have more WILL POWER!  TOM will be gone soon, and I'm going to try and find things to ignore my temptations with.  Any thought on that one?   I"m not looking forward to the scale.  It will very well show a gain, and I must except that and move on.  I havne't even begun yet.  Get it together Missie! 

Here We Are - P2D3, First Day VCLD

Okay, so today is my first day on VCLD.  The past two days I loaded, which means I ate high Fat Foods to bulk up my fat stores and not make my body hungry.  I ate such things as Fries, Burgers, lots of Butter, Ice Cream, Chocolate Cake, Artichoke Dip and a big juicy Rib Eye!

I started the Load at 206 lbs


After Day 1 on the Load I was 206.5 lbs
After Day 2 on the Load (aka this morning) I was 205.5 lbs

That means I was -1lbs from the Load but only -.5 from my starting point!

Last night I cooked up my beef and chicken, and I sectioned it off into baggies.  I'm going to try and meal plan for the week so I can just grab and go!  Braggs Amino Acids are the BOMB!  So Yummy!  It's like soy sauce on steroids, but good for you.  So here is where were at....

6-21-11  
P1D3~First Day VCLD!

Starting Weight: 206
Today's Weight:  205.5
Total Loss: -.5

Woke Up: 6am

Breakfast: Coffee with Vanilla Cream Stevia and 1Tbls milk

HCG:  Took 10 drops while driving the girls to preschool

Snack:  16oz peach ice tea.
HCG:  10 drops at 11:40

Lunch: Beef and Asparagus and an orange

Snack:  Smooth Move Tea
HCG:  5:30PM

Dinner:  Stewed Tomato Chili, Chicken and an Apple

Water Consumed:  I know I had 96 oz plus 5 cups of tea, so I THINK I made my gallon, but I'm going to keep better track today!

Cheats?:  Okay, I was freaking hungry today!  I don't think I ate enough on my load days or what, but I has a piece of a protein bar and a bite of bread.  I couldn't handle it.  I'm not feeling positive about my loss tomorrow. 
How I'm Feeling: At 8:23AM I was feeling a little hungry, but I'm drinking my coffee and tea to keep my belly full of liquid.  My lunch today is ground beef and asparagus with an orange.  I'll take a pic, I brought a pretty plate=)

Getting a littel closer

On day two of the load.  I realized my scale is a little tricky.  I need to make sure it resets to zero before I weigh myself, that COULD be totally misleading!

This morning I was up .5Ilbs after loading.  Today, I'm going to have some McDonald's for lunch and something that my girls and Mom will enjoy for dinner.  I think a common misconception about this part of the diet is that loading = eating every carb under the sun!  What it actually means is to eat a lot of Fat since your body won't have it for a long time.  Things like butter, avocados, bacon, oils, anything with a high fat content, not a high carb content.

The other part of this diet that is confusing seems to be the amount of time spent on Phase 2, doing the 500 calories a day.

Here is what I've learned about that.  HCG was originally done using an actual Hormone Injection.  This injection could only be given a certain number of time before you needed to stop taking it and give your body a break, as to not become immune to the effects.  Sometimes this was even done if you lost a certain amount of weight.  Losing TOO MUCH in one round of Phase 2 could also make you immune.  Now with the Homeopathic drops available,  you can basically go as long as you can handle it.  However, it seems that the longest I've seen written, or posted has been 40 days.  This is where the diet can get subjective to anyone looking at starting it.  There is a lot of trial and error.  I will follow Dr. Seimons protocol to the ninth degree, as best I can.

Here are some of the recipes I look forward to eating from a blog that I'm following, Julie has lost 50 Lbs and has lots of great advice.

1. The Buffalo Onion stuff looked good!
2. Buffalo Asparagus looks yummy and so does the Chicken Chili on the same day!
3. Buffalo Cabbage Saute look very good!
4. Chicken cabbage salad.
5. Chicken and Tomatoes.
6. Chicken Tomato Bake 
7. Strawberry and Spinach Salad with Homemade dressing.
8. Strawberry Slushy!

Tonight is shopping at Henry's before I pick up the girls.  It will be some power shopping, but enough to get me through this first week and weekend!

My sweet husband also told me yesterday to think about a reward I'd want to give myself after all is said and done and I know I'm keeping it off....  What to do?  I know what he's thinking, it's something I've wanted for a long time, but we'll see when the time comes.  For now, short term rewards like LOSING FAT and BUYING SMALLER JEANS will work for me!