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.