P2 D10 VLCD

Well, Spring Break has come and gone, and with it, taken my weight loss.=(  It's my own fault.  One thing I'm learning, is I have to figure out why I do this to myself...

Nana, the Kids and I all went on an adventure to Lake Arrowhead.  It was great, and we had so much fun, but we didn't eat well, nor did we drink much water.  We came back to Easter, filled with goodies and candy.  SO, I'm back in the saddle today.  I'm taking my drops, drinking my water and trying to recover from this catastrophe.  I didn't weigh myself this morning.  I'm waiting for tomorrow.  I'm chicken to see the number on the scale and I'm hoping that tomorrow it won't be as bad.....

Some reflections on this week.

1.  Eating whatever I wanted made me feel yucky most of the time.  Bloated, gassy, icky and chubby.  Nothing very pretty.

2.  Eating bad leads to bad choices.  Once you've made one bad choice, it's easier to make more.

3.  Get up and move, it does make you feel better.

4.  The emotional beating I put myself through is exhausting and time spent the wrong way.

5.  The whole week I lost site of my devotional. 

Hopefully continuing on this course the right way will make me feel better about myself both physically and mentally.

My devotional book says that the month of April should "In all your ways, acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight".  Proverbs 3:6

That is something that I lost last week, and it didn't keep me in a good place.  What a good reminder!

P2 D4 VLCD

I keep moving the in right direction, but I'm nervous that yesterday is going to catch up with me.

yesterday was hard.  My head was not "in it".  We had Easter candy in the office, and I was just plain hungry.  I had a few pieces of chocolate.  So there, I cheated a little.  I've found in the past on HCG, it usually takes about 2 days for your cheat to catch up with you.  But, I need to focus on things one day at a time. 

This morning was a good loss of -2 Lbs

Starting Weight 199.8
Today's Weight 192.4
Total Loss of  -7.4 Lbs

I'm really anxious to see the 180's again.  I'd like to get back to 175 in this round.  That will get me back to my original ending point.  That's 17.4 pounds to go, I need to average .8 Lbs a day.

Here's to staying focused today!  My devotion read:

"Human weakness, consecrated to Me, is like a magnet, drawing My power into your neediness.  However, fear can block the flow of My Strength into you.  Instead of trying to flight your fears, concentrate on trusting Me.  When you relate to Me in confident trust, there is no limit to how much I can strengthen you."

P2 D3 VLCD

Still plugging along.  Felt pretty good yesterday.  I was REALLY hungry when I got home, but hubby had made one of my favorite dishes on the this diet.  So I gobbled that up.

Woke up to a -2.4 Lbs loss!!!  

Starting Weight: 199.8
Today's Weight: 194.4
Total Weight Loss: -5.4 Lbs

That's in just two days of eating on the low calorie diet.  I'm pressing forward.  I sailed on over to the 190's after Christmas, and the 180's happened over Thanksgiving.  I'd really like to loose at least 20 Lbs in this round so that I can be back down in the 170's. 

Let me share my dinner last night, since I brough it for lunch today.

Citrus Basil Chicken

Chicken Breast (2)

Tomatoes (2-3)

Orange (2)

Basil (handful_

Seasoning (Salt, Pepper etc.)

Chicken Stock (cup or so)

Just brown the chicken in a big pot.  Add enough chicken stock to cover half way up the chicken.  Add the tomato, cut up oranges, a handful of chopped basil and just let it simmer.  This is SUPER tasty!  The basil just adds so much.  The stock, tomatoes and oranges just end up making a really yummy sauce.  Enjoy!

My Devotional said this morning:

I shower blessings on you daily, but sometimes you don't perceive them.  When your mind is stuck on a negative focus, you see neither Me nor My gifts.  In faith, thank Me for whatever is preoccupying your mind.  This will clear the blockage so that you can find Me.

Sometimes when I'm on this diet, I lose focus on what is good, and can only focus on what I can't have.  In those times, I will say a prayer to remind myself that God will get me through this if I ask him.  He wants me to be victorious!  

P2 D2 VLCD - That's what I remember

Yesterday was my first VLCD.  It went well.  I was tempted several times, feeling week to hunger, but my addition of reading my devotional really helped me stay in perspective. 

"Trust Me, one day at a time.  I will equip you to get through this day victoriously."

 Those words stuck in my head.   I thought of Him, looking down on my and smiling when I choose to stick to the plan.  I will be rewarded for sure.  Don't loose sight of that.

Starting Weight:  199.8
Today's Weight:  196.8
Today's loss: -3 Lbs

I'm THRILLED!  That's the HCG I remember!  I'm going to do great.

So far today I've had coffee twice, water, apple, egg whites and sugar free salsa.  I have wheat crackers that I'm acting as my bread stick which is a slight deviation.

I also need to fess up.  On my last two rounds that I "attempted" to do HCG, I also sneaked a few sugar free chocolates.  Today, I went to Target without eating lunch, and I ate one of those chocolates.  I in fact, put a whole bag in my cart to buy, you know, just to have on hand....  Well, I meandered through the clothes, bought nothing, was struck by my words of motivation yesterday and put the bag back.  The temptation is not there.

My devotion today was long, but the part that spoke to me the most was,

"Let My Light shine in you; don't dim it with worries or fears."

I'm not going to worry about being a little hungry, or thinking too much about failing again.  I'm going to keep my eye on the reward, and turn to prayer when it get's a little tough. I will get through this day victoriously.

Starting Over - Re-do P1 Day 1 VLCD

Gosh, it's been a long time since I've even signed in an taken a look at my weight loss blog....  Can we say I've been a bit neglectful?  

I noticed that my latest post was back in May of 2012.  That is nearly a year ago.  A year ago that I was getting all introspective about my weight loss thus far and why I was still feeling FAT.  Well, I have clear memories of what started happening in my personal life in May.  We got some bad news from the IRS (when is it ever good), which began our transition. My husband and two kids moved back in with my parents.  Can we just say that the summer was an emotional roller coaster for me!

So we moved in August, my oldest started Kindergarten, and they we were.  The Fall was all about getting settled and not feeling like we were just visiting.  With the holiday's around the corner, my weight started to creep upward, and I was careless about doing anything about it.  Maybe a little bummed you could say. 

Now that warmer weather has been coming around more, and the day light lasts a little longer, I realize that right now, right this moment, I am REALLY REALLY uncomfortable in my skin.  I don't like this. 

HCG.  It's worked before.  This blog proves it.  I HAVE WILL POWER.  I can do this!

I'm going to share some new things I've found, as well as read my devotional every day.  Maybe there is a reason things aren't clicking.  Here I go again!

Today is my new day one. 

I loaded over the weekend.  I had a a burger, fries, Mexican food, chocolate and peanut butter, Sangria.  I felt stuffed and the scale sure showed it.  I haven't weighed myself in about 4 weeks, so this was it.

Re-do Round 1, Day 1 VLCD
Starting Weight - 199.8 (Good Golly)

My devotional today:

Trust me one day at a time.  This keeps you close to ME, responsive to My will.  Trust is not a natural response, especially for those who have been deeply wounded.  My Spirit within you is your resident Tutor, helping you in this supernatural endeavor.  Yield to His gentle touch; be sensitive to His prompting.
Exert your will to trust Me in all circumstances.  Don't let your need to understand distract you from My presence.  I will equip you to get through this day victoriously, as you live in deep dependence on Me.  Trust me one day at a time.

My word, this is exactly what I needed to hear today.  I'm going to take this diet one day at a time.  If I put my faith in the Lord, he will help give me the strength to make it through.  Each day will be it's own battle, if I stay focused on Him, I won't be distracted by food that I don't need.

Let's try this again!

Well, it's almost been a year that I started trying to do HCG.  I supposed I've been successful.  I've lost around 30 Lbs depending on the day.  It feels good some days, and other days, I feel FAT.  Ugh.  I can remember when I was heavier, that I wished I was 175.  I would have been so grateful for that.  Now, I'm 175, and feel FAT.  I feel like I did when I was 240 pounds.  So does that mean it's all in my head?

Truth is, I don't feel strong.  I don't feel healthy.  I don't feel in control.  But I can't decide what I need to do to change that.  I want to feel good, happy with myself, content... 

Truth is, I haven't committed myself to HCG like I did on my first round.  Do you suppose that's why I feel bad?  I haven't given the diet my 1000% commitment.  Is that why I feel so negative?

Truth is, If I just decide that I'm worth working hard, maybe I will feel good about myself no matter what I weigh.  Commit, do my best, be honest, pray and push forward dam it!

SO that's what I'm going to do. 

I've been half-assing a round of HCG right now, and doing miserably at it.  SO, 21 more days starting tomorrow!  An honest, 1000% effort starting tomorrow.  On Mothers Day, my gift to myself.

My wonderful Hubby is on board.  He's going to help me, and away we go. 

Then, I'm going to take some time off of HCG and try to transition into a life routine.  Working out is on the agenda, it's what's bringing me down!  Summer is around the corner, being outside and being active is what will make the difference.

Here is my pinterest board for recipes.  Making good food on this diet is a must!

Back in the Saddle - Phase 2, Round 4, Day 8

Hello, hello world.  Who ever is reading this...

I'm back at it.  I've given myself a few days to get this thing going, now I can start updating, because I know I'm going to keep this train on the track so to speak.

Today P2R4D8

Starting Weight (after holidays):  185.4

Today's Weight:  177.4

Total Loss:  -8.0

Truth be told, I've seen this number before!  I believe Round 3 produced this number towards the end!  For what ever reason, I wasn't as invested in tracking my progress during Rounds 2 & 3.  Possibly for this reason, both of those rounds were short, sweet, and amounted in a smaller weight loss.  I've decided that this time around, I'm going to push it to 48 days.  It's simple.  More days on VLCD=More Lbs. Lost.

I had some slip ups this weekend.  My sister's birthday, a day off work, All day car shopping.  There was just a lot of things going on and I let myself cheat.  So this hasn't been a cheat free Round!  But in all honesty, I don't think any of them have been.  The trick is to stay prepared.  Plan ahead, have things ready to eat, drink and stay FOCUSED.  Be HONEST!  Don't forget, DRINK WATER!!!!!

Today's Timeline:

5:30am - Woke up, weighed myself, cup of coffee and smidge of creamer.

7:30am - Driving to work, took 1.0ml of drops.

9:00am - Cup of coffee (time to get the water started)
10:00am - Apple and water
12:00pm - Cottage Cheese and pretzels!  Yikes, a cheat.
2:00pm - Apple
5:00pm - Nibbled Becca's Hamburger & another apple.  Also snitched a graham cracker on the way home from kids snack. 

This wasn't the greatest day!  I was feeling disappointed and not at all inspired by anything I had around to eat on the diet.  I'm bored with my food choices today, and that leads to cheats for me anyway.  So, I got on-line, and I found some good blogs and recipes to try and spice things up a bit.  Made a soup out of things I had on hand, so we'll see how that goes.  It made three containers, so there are a few good lunches ready to go.

I posted the blog in my blog roll, but it's HERE too.  Check it out.  It's not just for the diet.  She has other great ideas for maintenance and any other days too!  It will be one I check back with often. 

I hope I don't gain tomorrow.  Gotta get back into finding things I like so I can keep this diet going!!!

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!=)