To HCG....and Back!

Checking In...

2011-06-10T17:34:00.000-07:00

Sorry so long since my last post. I was able to have a consultation with Sugar Free and go over my blood work. I have ordered the supplements I need to help get my numbers back in line, and am getting ready to leave for vacation. When I get back I should have everything I need to start getting my body back on track! I hope you all are having a great summer :) No one is posting anything so you must be busy. Talk to you when I get back....

What Do I Do Now??

2011-06-01T08:04:00.000-07:00

I got my response back from SugarFree as follows:

"Well, the good news is that your fasting insulin and leptin are just
fine; no worries there. The bad news is that you have pretty severe
thyroid hormone resistance -- in other words, you are, despite your
low TSH (which is actually a pretty useless test since it doesn't
measure anything directly, but by inference), very hypothyroid. Worse:
until you get your ferritin and D levels *way* up, there's nothing you
can do about it, since any medication will not be properly absorbed or
used.

As for elevated RT3 in HCG patients, I'm not surprised -- but it's not
the HCG causing that problem; rather a different and even worse double
whammy. Here's what's happening:

1: The HCG turns adipose proto-fat cells into full fat cells, just
waiting to be filled. Not good.

2: The Simeons' protocol -- as written -- drives up fasting insulin,
sometimes into hyperinsulinemea, which drives fat storage over the
long haul, once you're no longer starving yourself. Really bad.

3: The sub-starvation level calories, according to every thyroid
medical textbook ever written, WILL, if done over an extended period
of time (more than 2 or 3 weeks), CAUSE thyroid hormone resistance in
the form of high RT3. The worst.

This is what women are doing to themselves (needlessly, as I've proven
in my blog in so many ways), and this is why I started my blog to
begin with. So that they could see, through Simeons' own words, logic,
and science, and a live experiment -- working so well! -- what HCG
doesn't do (open fat cells or help with weight loss in ANY way), and
what it and the protocol as written does do: trash the metabolism,
make insulin resistance worse, make more permanent fat cells, and
promote thyroid hormone resistance.

Then they wonder why they keep gaining back the weight -- and so
easily. It's a horrible downward spiral, and I am so happy that I have
apparently helped some folks to see the light and give this up
forever."

I was really discouraged after reading that, but have since spoken with her directly and we are going to work together to get this fixed. I have to bring up my Ferritin and Vit D levels before I can start the medication to fix my Reverse T3 issue. She said that even though it might take a little longer having to do it this way, it will be easier in some ways because once that is fixed, I don't have the insulin resistance or leptin resistance issues to conquer as well. I am happy that I have a way to fix my issues once and for all. It is going to take a little time, but it will be so worth it!

Back in town.....

2011-05-31T09:11:00.000-07:00

Finally got back from Houston and was able to pick up my blood work. Everything was looking pretty good except my Reverse T3 was way too high (not good if you would like to burn any fat), and my Ferritin levels were extremely low. I also remembered that someone posted a comment back in 2010 that after HCG they had very high Rev T3 and her doctor told her that she was seeing this in over 60% of her HCG patients. I have submitted my results to SugarFree and am interested in hearing her suggestions on how to get my body working properly again. I will post as soon as I hear back :)

Just Checking In...

2011-05-19T08:45:00.000-07:00

I have been in maintenance since Monday. I have not been weighing or measuring anything. I am just choosing meats, veggies, fats, and a little fruit or starch. I have lost .6 since Monday. My glucose numbers have gone up a little now that I am eating around double the food I was before. Fasting glucose is between 80-90 most days, and the highest number I have gotten in the first hour after eating is 103. I think that is pretty good. I am going in this morning and seeing if my doctor will do the blood tests for me. I finally get to see my husband for the first time in a month!! He is flying in today. The next week will be insane, so I am going to do the best I can (4 day road trip) and then get my blood work back when I return. Then at that point, I can get to work :)

This might help....

2011-05-17T15:45:00.001-07:00

Hi guys, I created a sidebar gadget that has the individual links for each part of the HCG Diet Analysis. This makes it simple for you to read and get all the information without getting lost in the process. Also, Sugarfree herself commented on my last post and would like your input about some possible ways of getting the information out to the masses :) Be sure to weigh in, and let her know what you think would be helpful. She also mentions that a new thread will be added in the next day or so with more information. I will post that when it comes up. Hope you are having a great day :)

As for me I am just following the same basic principles of high sat fat, mod protein, and low carb. I am not eating any carbs if I eat before noon. I am just eating when I feel that I am hungry, and that is not often. Here is what I have had so far today:

9:00am

2 eggs

1 strip thick bacon

spinach

sprinkle of cheese

3:45pm

romaine lettuce

ground beef with chili powder

1/2 avocado

sprinkle of cheese

dressing of sf salsa mixed with sour cream

3/4 of a small apple diced and fried in coconut oil. Served with sliced almonds and a drizzle of heavy cream.

My fasting glucose was 75. After my lunch it was 90. Very pleased with that. Not sure what else I will have today. I will wait and see where my hunger leads me :)

1 Week Results of the Un-HCG Experiment....

2011-05-16T06:55:00.000-07:00

I finished one week of the experiment and here are the results:

Weight lost: -2.4lbs

Lost -1.5 inches off waist

Lost -1.5 inches off hips

Lost -.25 inches off each thigh

(Those were the only locations I measured, but I know I lost inches in other places as well.)

Avg fasting glucose: 74

Avg lunch 1 hr pp: 74

Avg lunch 2 hr pp: 74

Avg dinner 1 hr pp: 84

Avg dinner 2hr pp: 85

Overall I would say that is pretty good. The scale was frustrating. Now I remember why I got rid of it :) I lost for 3 days in a row really well. Then it went nothing, up, down, nothing. But no hunger or cravings at all. Energy getting back to normal levels. I also have to consider that before I started this I had been bedridden for 6 weeks, so using the muscles finally could be skewing the weight loss a little as well.

I fought headaches that were pretty intense and realized that this pain was the beginning of the pain that had put me in bed! I remembered how I promised myself I was not going to create that stress again, and that nothing was worth the pain I had been in. I said I would not be a freak and would just be sensible, and no scale. Well here I am weighing, counting and measuring everything. Stressing every time the scale said something I did not like. You give me numbers to hit and I will hit them. I follow everything to perfection. And I wonder why the pain was coming back???

So here is what I took from this experiment. I don't believe that HCG has anything to do with actual weight loss. I believe it is the composition of the foods we eat (at any calorie level) that determines if we lose or not. I believe that how easily we lose, under the right composition if food, is then largely affected by our own person levels of insulin and leptin resistance. I believe that on HCG, even though I lost ok, the hunger I felt tells me that much of the losses I had were at the mercy of my lean muscle. I can read back over the posts when I finished rounds that said I felt "skinny fat". Knowing that the HCG adds fat cells to my body that can now be filled, really bothers me. I also can't think of anyone who has really kept it off completely without eventually having to do more rounds to keep it there. (Myself included) Their hypothalamus did not reset, they just changed their eating habits enough to keep the weight stable. Then, if they start eating badly again, the weight starts creeping back on regardless of the new "setpoint". And for those who are not being really careful, they just gain it all back and then some.

Am I sorry I did HCG? No. Other than the fact that I made new fat cells :(, the rest is just a placebo in my opinion. But, it taught me how to break the sugar habit, to learn immense self control, to realize I really could lose the weight if I wanted to, and most importantly to realize that at the end of the day it was the choices I made of what to put in my mouth that made the difference, not HCG. It gave me confidence in ME.

So now I want to take all of the lessons I have learned so far, and put them all together. I want to make good food choices everyday. I want to keep sugar and processed foods to a bare minimum. I want to keep carbohydrates at a level that is effective for allowing my body to lose fat. I want to enjoy the food I eat and not be hungry. I want to be relaxed in my approach to weight loss and be able to flow with the ups and downs as they come. I want to accept that life isn't perfect and neither am I . Slip-ups happen, but I can be smart about them and get right back on track with little damage. I want to exercise because I enjoy it, and how it makes me feel. NOT to lose weight. I want to become the healthiest, best me, possible.

I am going to enter maintenance for a month and try to practice these principles. I am going to get the blood work done to see exactly how my metabolism is functioning, and where it needs help. Then in about a month I will do this program again for a week or two, and so on :) I am turning 40 this year in December, and my goal is to find that balance and start really living my life. Oh yeah, the scale is going back. My tape measure works just fine :)

Day Five of the Un-HCG Experiment...

2011-05-13T10:11:00.000-07:00

Stayed the same today. I worked in the yard all day yesterday weeding and mowing. Must have gotten up and down a million times :) Very sore, so a little water retention is definitely a possibility! I still have the headaches here and there but less and less. I also am beginning to think they might be more related to my neck issues rather than any diet issues. What I really love so far, is that other than a period of hunger in the morning, I have no hunger what so ever. I mean none. On HCG even though I wasn't starving, I was always a little hungry or thinking about how long it was till the next meal. On this I don't feel anything. Also, I crave nothing. Weird. I know if I put a cookie in my mouth it would taste good, but I don't WANT to put it in my mouth, or spend anytime wishing I could. Now that is a first :) I found that by eating an ounce of protein or a TBSP of heavy cream in the morning helped the am hunger I was having. After that, I am good to go. I am absolutely loving the sunshine, FINALLY!

Day Four of the Un-HCG Experiment....

2011-05-13T10:07:00.000-07:00

Somehow this post disappeared when Blogger went down! So, the basics were that I lost - 1.2lbs! That all of the losses have been during TOM :) Headaches have come and gone. Usually a period of morning hunger. Other than that no hunger.

Day three of my Un-HCG experiment...

2011-05-11T09:37:00.000-07:00

Down .4 this morning. So that is a pound lost over the last 2 days eating fat and using lotions with the HCG still in my system. Interesting. HCG should be out of the system by today. I have been taking my glucose religiously in the morning and then for the 2 hours following my 2 meals. It is super stable and in fact it has never gone above 87 even in the first readings following my meals. I have been testing my urine for keytones. Every time I am at moderate or large. Most of the participants are only at a trace or small. I was hoping that would mean big losses, but who knows :) I had a headache and for the first two days, and finally don't today. I did not get the sugar withdrawl headache when I started HCG, and that surprised me given what I had been eating. I think the fruits gave me just enough to keep the headaches away, so once I took them out completely, I am guessing that is why the headaches. I have had some hunger at different times, but not bad. Mornings usually. No cravings or anything. Fat definitely tastes good :)

The How, What and Why's of HCG......

2011-05-10T08:06:00.000-07:00

Hi guys! Sorry for the long hiatus. This last week has been an adventure.... in research that is :) For those of you who have been following my blog, you know that I am sort of a nutrition junkie. I always want to know the science of it all, and what is going on behind the scenes. Things need to make sense logically for me. Although "HCG" has been successful to me thus far many of the concepts just made no sense scientifically. But I liked the weight loss so I just ignored that :)

I was reading the HCG forums and was watching a "fight" back and forth while someone was trying to point out some issues they had with the science and why they felt it was wrong. Of course this peaked my attention. So I found their website and read it from top to bottom. For me this was the information I had been looking for. This is where all of the missing links finally made sense.

The website is: sugarfreegoodies.wordpress.com.

The website is a little difficult to navigate and find what you are looking for, but if you read HCG Diet Analysis part l,ll,lll, and lV you will have the basics and all of the science that surrounds it. Part lV can be found in the recent posts, but to find the first 3 parts you need to go to the archives for the last couple months. Then you can look around and find the threads of the participants that are testing out the solution theory of the websites author.

So after digesting all of this I have stopped the HCG as of yesterday. I am monitoring my blood glucose very carefully and being specific on which foods I am eating. I am going to get the required blood work done so I can really find out what is going on with me. I decided to get a scale because I wanted to see what if any effects this would have on weight loss or gain. This morning I lost .6 lbs and was able to use face and body lotion and eat 50gms of fat :) All while HCG is still in my system.

I am in no way discrediting any HCG followers. I think Simeon had parts of the picture, just not the whole picture. For me this makes sense. Finally. Take it or leave it. We all have to do what is right for us, and no matter what program we follow, I am glad we are in it together:)

I will post and let you know what I find out along the way :)

Day Six.... Happy to Meet New Friends!

2011-05-05T09:30:00.000-07:00

It has been great to hear from all of my friends, plus so many new ones :) I am also glad that some of you are doing this right along with me. Be sure to keep me up to date on your progress.

No scale is so bizarre! I find I don't spend nearly the amount of time thinking about HCG. It is like I can forget about it during the day and just do what I need to get done. I don't lay in bed in the morning and wonder what the scale is going to say. I don't over analyze the previous days menu to death, wondering if there was a tad too much salt, or if something is affecting me because the loss is not as good as I had hoped for. Overall I am pretty relaxed. My energy so far is great. I am doing some exercise everyday, and that makes me happy because in the past I wanted to avoid it, in case it made me retain water, and I did not have a good loss. In general, it feels much more healthy and balanced :)

I will post what I ate, because I know people like to see what the diet is like when they are new to it.

Yesterday was:

Chicken, Romaine, Apple, Melba

Tilapia, Asparagus, Strawberries, Melba and Strawberry Lemonade

1 liter water, 1 liter yerba mate tea, 1 liter peppermint water

I am really missing my husband who is in Houston right now, but I am glad to be getting this over with while he is gone. So much easier without the temptation to go out with him :)

They Didn't Forget Me...... :)

2011-05-04T06:35:00.000-07:00

I can't tell you how happy I was to see your responses. I thought for sure you had all written me off months ago :) Thank you so much for your kind words and for not kicking my butt for messing up. I think I have done that enough for you all :)

One thing I realized while spending 6 weeks in bed, was how bad I wanted my life back. Right before this started I was stressing so badly about my weight and I think it was one of the major causes of my issues. It was very humbling to come to the realization that nothing was worth what I was going thru. I don't care if I stayed the weight I am now, if it meant I could be me again and not be in pain. Why do women put themselves through absolute hell for a number??

Things are manageable now. I do my therapy everyday. I still feel it a little, and it gets worse if I am not vigilant. I know I need to keep my health and well being in the forefront now. I want to get some of this weight off, but I know I need to remain sane while doing it. I am actually really glad I don't have a scale. It takes away most of the mental aspect of things which is nice.

One interesting thing was that I thought I was so rock solid. I had conquered my emotional eating issues. I was in complete control. I loved the way I looked and loved my clothes.... All it took was the perfect storm of emotional and physical issues, combined with a little bit of cockiness on my part, and BAM! Right back to where I was. Wow. Lesson learned.

Emotional eating is EXACTLY like the alcoholic. Most recovering alcoholics simply can't drink anymore. No matter how long they have been sober, it comes right back if they let it. And sometimes it only takes just one drink, even after years of sobriety. I now know that I can't get lazy and convince myself that a little bit won't affect me, or I will make up for it next week, or I just need a little bit because things are so stressful right now, or use the holiday as an excuse for complete eating abandon :)

Sorry, this post is so long. Lots of emotions over the past 5 months. Feels weird not to be posting a number everyday, but happy not to be doing so :) I also notice that most of the usual suspects are not posting either!! So get to posting!! I miss you guys :)

What a Difference Five Months Makes.......

2011-05-03T15:20:00.000-07:00

Where to begin???

Christmas was a nightmare and started gaining..... Tried to do HCG in Jan and was starving and miserable. Husband threw away my scale and said enough is enough. Quit after 10 days..... Gains continued.... Got sick and was bedridden for 6 weeks in EXTREME pain. Saw numerous doctors with no help. Took every medication possible: nothing. Ate for comfort and to ease the constant nausea. Gains soared.... Finally able to get out of bed, but devastated at how far I had fallen. Found out we might be moving to Houston, husband gone, and teenager pushing me to my limits.... gains out of control!!!

So, here I am today on day four of a new HCG round.

I have been all over the map emotionally. I have wanted to post, but was too embarrassed about the gains. So upset at myself for letting it get this far....

But then I remembered that this is where my friends are :) I have picked them up when they have gotten off track, and I know they will do the same.

I never replaced the scale my husband threw away. I did not like the control it had over me and my emotions. So I am doing this round with NO SCALE! Talk about freedom :) I know what to eat and not eat. I know what clothes I want to get into. So what is the purpose of determining my day based on what the scale says??

This will definitely be an adventure, and I am happy that I am back on track. I could keep beating myself up and self medicating with food, but it just isn't worth it. So here goes nothing.....

2010-12-02T14:16:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I went a little crazy. I am pretty sure I had a mid-life crisis :) Who am I?? What am I supposed to do?? What am I going to do with the rest of my life?? I turn 39 next week....... need I say more? The diet went out the window and I have basically been a basket case :)

I have finally decided to put on the brakes and turn the ship back around! I started last round at 155.6 and I have been hanging around 154. I guess another round after the holiday will be in order. I have been trying to sort things out and decide what I want to do. So here is what I came up with.

#1- I am just going to try to maintain right now thru the end of the month, instead of stress myself out during the holiday and try to lose.

#2- I started back exercising this week. I forgot how much I love dance! I have to keep the body moving!

#3- I am going back to school. I have gone back and forth on this because I could not figure out which direction I wanted to take. I found the degree I want. It is Community Health Education. Once I have my bachelors, then I can get certified as a Community Health Education Specialist. From there, I have lots of options as to where I want to go.

#4- I will start HCG consulting for a chiropractic office that is adding HCG to their office. They have an excellent homeopathic HCG that can only be obtained by a doctor. It has HCG plus a lot of extras in it.

Combine those with all of the regular family duties and I should be very BUSY!! Just how I like it :)

So that is my life in a nutshell. I have missed chatting with you all. Let me know how you are doing! If anyone wants to get HCG, just let me know. The cost is $99 and includes an hour getting started class (or phone) with me! Happy Holidays!

Laughter really is the best medicine..... :)

2010-11-15T06:39:00.000-08:00

I saw this over the weekend and about died laughing! A cop has been stealing confiscated marijuana and baking brownies with it. He and his wife apparently had a bit too much and freaked out and called 911. You would NEVER live that one down! :)

My life lately....

2010-11-07T06:49:00.000-08:00

I don't know what is wrong with me. Actually, this seems to happen pretty regularly. I am the typical perfectionist/overachiever type. I love a challenge and am most happy when I am using my brain. I love to work, and mothering has always been harder for me. I usually always work at least part time. Even though it is nice to have a break, this seems to happen after awhile. I get depressed and feel like I don't know what to do with myself. The house is clean, the projects are done, and now what??? I am the type of person who has the running "to-do" list in her head at all times. I can't sit still, and have never been able to take a nap during the day time. I used to love reading, and now would be the perfect time to just relax and catch up on some good books, but I can't. Same thing with the HCG. Each phase is always a challenge and has it's own things to work on. But when you hit lifetime maintenance after a while, it just becomes life. So combine those two and I am a basket case :) I am turning 39 in a few weeks. Age has never been an issue for me or bothered me. Until now. I am feeling like time is running out and I don't have anything to show for it. I feel anxiety, and an extreme need to travel. To get out there and go, see and do. On the body front, it is the same. Yes I lost the weight, but 40 year old skin is not 20 year old skin! I feel like I got to the game late. I think everyone thinks of losing the weight and getting to be that picture in your head of your perfect body. Only to realize it is a smaller version of my old self. Still all of the stretch marks and imperfections. And now I even have a varicose vein too!! I am my grandmother!! Ok, I know I need to calm down. I am guessing this is what a mid life crisis feels like :) Who am I? What do I bring to the world? What do I have to show for my life? What am I going to do with the rest of my life? For someone who has slight "control" issues, it really sucks not having all the answers and not knowing what to do next.

Proud to be an American....

2010-11-03T08:58:00.001-07:00

I just had to comment about how lucky I feel to live in a country where your voice can be heard. Not only heard, but that we as American citizens really can step in when we feel things are going in the wrong direction. I cannot imagine living in other countries where you do not have that right, and where you just have to accept what is. NO MATTER WHAT SIDE YOU ARE ON, it is inspiring to see America demonstrate the most unique and special thing about our country. Sometimes your "team" wins and sometimes you have to endure. But the very fact that we have a choice, means EVERYTHING. We as Americans have no excuse. If you don't like it....... then do something about it. :)

Back to Lifetime Maintenance....

2010-11-01T06:36:00.000-07:00

Today begins lifetime maintenance.... again :) TOM is here :( Feeling puffy, crampy and just overall icky! This weekend I had some Kneaders french toast. It was good, but I only had half and did not go crazy. Felt good about that. Then TOM hit along with cravings galore. I had 2 pumpkin cookies, 1 brownie, popcorn, licorice and 1/2 a chocolate shake!! Needless to say I am not going near the scale this morning :) I am going to do a high protein day today and keep it clean for the next few days. This week I am going to start exercising. Today I will do some resistance training with some intervals to finish off. Not much else to report! I will let you know what the scale says after a few days of being good :)

R4 P4 D16....

2010-10-26T18:30:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been awhile! Life has been keeping me busy :) The weight has been fluctuating between the 2 lbs and doing well. I weigh some days, and not others. Just trying to practice eating for the rest of my life and not taking it too seriously :) I have been out of the habit of exercising for so long now, I find myself not making time for it. So unlike me. I definitely need to get into a routine again. I have a few food finds to share with you.

The first is heaven in a jar :) This is sunflower seed butter, with added flax and hemp seed. This is sooooo good. It does not list sugar on the label, just organic vanilla powder. After one taste I immediately called the company because I knew there was some sort of sweetness in there!! They said their vanilla powder does have some sucrose, and they are changing the label. Even though there was not much, during P3 I was careful to have just a little at a time. It is amazing and most of the time eaten just off the spoon! I found it at Good Earth. It can also be found at Naturally Nutty. They have all sorts of flavored nut butters. My next one to try is White Chocolate Coconut Peanut Butter...... :)

Next up, makes life easier and delicious at the same time! This is from Costco. Nothing but the pork, salt and water. Heats up in seconds and can be used a million different ways. My favorite lately is pork tacos in romaine lettuce leaves.

For someone who LOVES anything coconut, I can't believe I have lived without this all my life. If the sunflower butter is heaven in a jar, this is heaven in a can. I use it in everything. Soups, sauces, puddings, over fruit, frosting etc. It thickens things up and makes them creamy. I don't really taste the coconut once it is mixed in something else. Only when I put it on fruit can I really taste the coconutty goodness :) For those in P3 looking for a decadent treat without the sugar and starch try this pudding.

1 pkg sugar free pudding of choice

1 cup of cream

1 cup coconut milk

I said decadent. You can also use 1 cup greek yogurt and 1/2 cup cream, and 1/2 cup coconut milk to add in some protein. Basically you are adding 2 cups of liquid to the pudding. If you want less fat then use 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup cream, 1/2 cup coconut milk. Just make sure to blend the pudding and the thinnest liquid first really well then add the others and blend completely so you don't get pudding mix chunks. Here was my latest. I used Banana Cream pudding, with the 2 cups split evenly between cream, coconut milk (can), coconut milk (box). Of course I had to sprinkle with unsweetened coconut and some sliced almonds and cinnamon :)

R4 P4 D10...English Muffins!

2010-10-20T12:10:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of my favorite breakfast these days:

That is cottage cheese with sliced almonds, fine shredded coconut flakes, cinnamon and some market fresh raspberries. Usually I stir in a little greek yogurt, but I am out today! And along side that is my "english muffin" with butter and honey. I love these.

English Muffins

I use a magic bullet to blend. So in a magic bullet cup put:

1 egg

1/4 cup almond flour

1 TBSP flax seeds

2 tsp butter

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 TBSP water

Blend till smooth. It will be really thick. Spoon the mixture into a ramekin about the diameter of an english muffin. You can also use a mug. It will just be taller rather than wider. Microwave for 1 minute and 10 seconds. Invert onto plate and slice in half horizontally. Voila! Perfect english muffin :) Since I am putting butter and honey on mine I don't add any salt or sweetener. Feel free to sweeten or spice it up as you please.

R4 P4 D9...

2010-10-20T08:39:00.000-07:00

Down to 145.8 this morning! That is just +0.6 above LIW! It has been going down a little everyday. I don't know why because I am not doing anything different. I even had frozen yogurt and my mug cake yesterday. I went to the gym for the first time on Monday. I did a yoga/pilates fusion class. It was fun and felt good to be doing something again. Until the next day that is :) So sore! I definitely could feel the fact that I have not done anything in awhile. I am feeling "flabby" so I am going to focus on getting the muscle tone back :) It is another beautiful fall day. 70 and sunny, who could ask for anything more??

R4 P4 D7....

2010-10-18T06:49:00.000-07:00

Today is 146.4, which makes me very happy. I did not weigh yesterday and was interested to see how things were after the weekend. I have been pretty good, but tend to do a little more on the weekends than during the week. Yesterday I had the following:

2 eggs, 2 strips of bacon

1/2 pear

almond flour/flax english muffin in a cup with butter and drizzle of honey

large iced coffee with sf syrup and cream

Red Robin Mount Olympus Burger served with no bun on a bed of lettuce

3 fries :)

2 cantalope wedges

diet coke

2 sf candies

cottage cheese mixed with greek yogurt and 1 tbsp sf rasbperry jam

chocolate coconut mug cake with dollop of whip cream

So nice to have fun weekends and not have to pay like my Kneaders french toast days :) And that is even with having cake for dinner :)

Chocolate Cake.....with a secret!

2010-10-15T11:45:00.000-07:00

Photo courtesy of Healthy Indulgences.

First off this morning was 147.0. That is +1.8 above LIW. I am wondering if being up could just be the natural transition of adding sugar and starch slowly, or still related to ovulation. Either way I am ok with it. My overall goal is to stay between 145.2 and 150.0 from here on out.

Second, I found this wonderful Chocolate Cake recipe over at Healthy Indulgences! It has NO sugar and NO flour! It is essentially made with black beans and eggs! Tasted exactly like cake. My husband hates beans with a passion. After 2 slices I told him the ingredients and he about died :) I would have taken my own picture, but they ate it all before I got any shots! She also has a vanilla version. You can also find a vanilla bean cake recipe at The Spunky Coconut. I will definitely be using these in the future. I am not one that likes frosting very much, but I made a frosting that was excellent. More like a thick chocolate mousse. So simple, but so good.

Sugar Free Chocolate Frosting

1 and 3/4 cup cream

1/4 cup coconut milk (regular milk is fine too)

1 pkg sugar free chocolate pudding mix (you can use any flavor you like)

Just put into a bowl and mix until thick and spreadable. It takes awhile to get it there. Very good!!! I cut the cake in two and filled the middle and frosted the top!

R4 P4 D3...

2010-10-14T12:40:00.000-07:00

Not much new to report. I ate really well after going up, and to my surprise ended up 2 more pounds up the next day! I have done this long enough to know that major moves are always hormonal, especially when the eating is right. I just ate right again, and was back down the 2 pounds, but still at the +2.0 mark from the day before. I am thinking I hit ovulation. I am guessing it will just come back down on it's own with good food. As I was contemplating new workouts and reading over at KarlMacphee I came across this video and could stop laughing! Now that would be an interesting workout :)

R4 P4 D1...

2010-10-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

First day of P4 starts off with a bang :) I am exactly +2.0 above LIW this morning. I ate out a lot over the weekend, and had a slice of real lemon cheesecake last night after dinner. So today, I will eat at home and be good :) Life has been so hectic, I think I will try and maybe read some of my book I have been trying to read forever. I also need to think about starting my workouts, and deciding what type of exercise I want to incorporate. It is sunny today, but it was definitely COLD this morning! Sad to see summer go. I love fall, but winter is way too long in Utah. I need to be one of those people who spends half the year in one location, and the other half in another :) Sounds fabulous to me!

R4 P3 D18....

2010-10-08T08:03:00.000-07:00

I am staying between 145.8-146.0. That's .6 to .8 above LIW. I am not counting any calories or stressing out at all!! After all of the insane years of freak dieting, this right here is the absolute very best thing about HCG.......peace. Freedom from the chaos, period. When I think about all of the years I wasted stressing about my weight/body image, it really does boggle the mind. So much wasted time.

Right now I am 3 days from P4, and find myself in my usual dilemma. I don't want to create carb intolerance, but am loving the food and see no need to add it. But, I said I was going to add as much as I could so that my body would hopefully tolerate them. I guess I will add the Ezekiel products to start and go from there. Funny, but the idea of my precious Kneaders french toast, sounds way too sweet and kind of nauseating right now. I would much rather have my choc coconut mug cake any day.

I have been having the Baked Chicken Meatballs everyday for lunch or dinner. I have had them on zucchini noodles, sauteed cabbage, and chopped romaine. All were great. It is nice when you make them, because then you have meals for the whole week!

After the kitchen makeover I decided it was time to update the decor. It turned out so beautiful. Here is the before and after:

R4 P3 D16...

2010-10-05T17:33:00.000-07:00

First off I have to say the Almond Butter Pumpkin Brownies were awesome! The family ate the whole pan by nightfall! For dinner I decided to try out Baked Chicken Meatballs from Elanas Pantry. They were really good. I served them on a bed of zucchini noodles. Just slice them up thin and boil for 2 minutes. They made perfect noodles. Then I topped with the meatballs and some no sugar added marinara sauce. A little parmesan cheese would have been great, but I was out. Ever since I quit work, I have been busier than ever :) Between the renovating, mucking out, and baking, I don't have enough hours in the day!

R4 P3 D15...P3 Cookies and Brownies!

2010-10-05T12:08:00.001-07:00

Still at 146.0! The past 2 days I have tried out some P3 baking recipes! They both were excellent. My husband and kids even said they were pretty good :)

Photo courtesy of Everyday Paleo.

The first is a cookie recipe found over at EverydayPaleo. I followed the recipe as is except for adding some vanilla stevia and about a table spoon of sugar free maple syrup. The only bananas I could find were not all the way ripe, and it felt like they needed a little more sweetness. I just added a little of both until the batter tasted right.

The second were some Almond Butter Pumpkin Brownies!

This one is a variation of a recipe found over at This Primal Life. The original recipe would be great, but I added a few things, and changed the sweetener to fit P3. Here is what I used:

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

3/4 cup almond butter

1/4 cup cinnamon vanilla sunflower butter ( just use a full cup of almond if you don't have this)

1 egg

1/3 cup xylitol, powdered (or p3 sweetener of your choice)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (to taste)

splash of vanilla

I then chopped a small handful of each of the following: pecans, walnuts, sugar free baking chocolate, and tossed them into the batter. Oh yeah, and about a tablespoon or two of fine shredded unsweetened coconut flakes of course! :) To finish it off I drizzled a little sugar free maple syrup over the top.

Bake in a greased 8 x 8 pan at 350 for 20-25 minutes. (Some people posted they had to bake a little longer.) Bake until a tooth pick comes out clean. I probably could have gone a little longer, but they were still really good and very moist.

R4 P3 D14....

2010-10-04T09:19:00.000-07:00

Well the garage is clean! It only took 3 runs to the dump and 2 runs to the local charity :) But BOTH cars fit into the garage nicely! Since I seem to be in the process of "mucking out", my goal is to get my closet cleaned out and the kitchen cupboards this week. But first I have to wash all of my clothes today. I literally think I have worn every piece of clothing I own. Since the last 2 weeks have been a chaos between the house renovation and work crap, I have not done any laundry!! Weight has been the same for the last 2 days at 146.0. That is +0.8 above LIW. Loving that. I told myself that I refuse to go back to the calorie counting nightmare that was after last round. I am really trying to listen to my body, and if the weight goes up a little, to make adjustments without calorie counting and just make smart decisions. Seems to be working so far. I feel very relaxed and free, like my first two rounds. I really think my weight did not stick last round and the only reason it did was because I had to workout like crazy and count calories to make it happen. I still have another week to go to add exercise. I am going to do the opposite of my usual. I normally am a cardio queen and avoid weights. I can cardio for hours, but weights are hard for me. I am going to try to do all weight related training such as yoga/pilates, along with upper and lower body resistance. My focus is going to be on strength, and I will only do two twenty minute interval sessions per week. Time to go, my closet is calling.... ;)

R4 P3 D12...

2010-10-02T09:22:00.001-07:00

Down another -0.4! That puts me at just +0.2 above LIW. I should have looked at the calendar when my weight went up earlier this week. TOM arrived this morning! I did not even think of that because usually when I come off of HCG I am anywhere from 1-3 weeks late getting started again. So you know what this means don't you.......... LET THE LOVE OF MUG CAKES CONTINUE! Today we are going to start cleaning out the garage. What an exciting way to spend the weekend. Oh well, one step closer to being done. I am off to have cake for breakfast and then get to work :)

UPDATE #2!!

2010-10-01T13:14:00.000-07:00

I have just been notified by Linda Prinster herself that the Corporate Head Offices of Pounds and Inches Away, will be more than happy to continue support to all the customers who paid for full support here at the Draper, Ut location. The Corporate team is excellent to work with, and I know they will do everything in their power to help you succeed in your HCG endeavors. They can be reached at:

Pounds and Inches Away

(636)-922-2282

Contact: Amber: Long Distance Customer Manager

3900 Old Hwy 94 S, Suite 5

St. Charles, MO 63304

Email: Info@paiausa.com

UPDATE!!

2010-10-01T12:18:00.000-07:00

I have just been notified by Mr. Smart, of Pounds and Inches Away (Lethbridge) that "you do not have authorization to post our contact information on your blog, get it off now!!!!" So, I have now removed their contact information from the previous post. I guess the only option for those needing any further assistance would be to contact Pounds and Inches Away directly. I am sure they can help you with whatever you need.

R4 P3 D11....

2010-10-01T06:39:00.000-07:00

Down -2.0 lbs for the high protein day. Back to +0.6 above LIW. I did 2 eggs, can of tuna with mayo on celery sticks, ounce of cheese, steak and salad with ranch, and an ounce of cheese. Those usually work just as good as steak days for me. The only bummer about getting done with the house is that my garage is now filled with everything from the basement! Now I have to sort the trash, charity, and possible garage sale items. If it is not one thing, its another :)

R4 P3 D10... So much to catch up on!!

2010-09-30T08:35:00.000-07:00

Wow, it has been awhile, and so much has happened this week! First off I have been enjoying food and staying within the 2# limit..... until today that is :) I am +2.6 today, so I am going to try a high protein day. Those usually do the trick for me instead of a steak day. It will be 2 eggs, tuna w/mayo and celery, steak and salad. I am not sure why exactly it is creeping up, but it may have something to do with my new found love affair of almond flour goodies made in a mug:) Even though we are not supposed to have to count calories, I did the calorie count on my choc mac mug cake and it was 500 without the big dollop of cream on top! And while I think you don't have to count calories in general, I am sure there is a point where it is going to start to matter:)

The next huge event for the week is that I am now unemployed! Yep, I got a phone message on Sunday morning that the store had been closed and that was that. No warning what so ever. They just said the store was not making enough money to keep it open. I know many of you have gone to the store by my referral and I am sorry for the abrupt closure. I also know that many of our current PIA clients read this blog, so to them I would like to say how fun it was working with you all, and I am so sorry that no warning was given. I know that many of you may have questions, comments, complaints or concerns regarding your programs. The only thing I can give you is the contact information for the owners other location. It is:

** This information has been removed. See Updated post.

If that doesn't get you what you need, you could try calling the Corporate Headquarters of Pounds and Inches Away at: 888-GET-HCG1.

That being said, you know you can always find me here, and I will be happy to try to help or answer any questions you have about HCG in general. If you do contact them, and get any other reason for the closure, or any derogatory comments made regarding the staff, please do be sure to come back here and let me know. There are a few legal issues that may need tending to:)

And lastly we finished the basement and the kitchen counters! Finally it is all done! Here are a few photos:

Kitchen Counters:

Basement:

R4 P3 D5....Chocolate Coconut Macadamia Mug Cake!

2010-09-25T07:40:00.000-07:00

Still exactly at LIW! Loving that! I am also loving having dessert for breakfast :) Those of you who know me, know that I think coconut is one of the four food groups! So, this morning I took the choc mug cake and added coconut flakes and macadamias! Tis was pure heaven...... :) Here is the Choc Mug Cake recipe:

2-3 tbsp almond flour

1.5 tbsp xylitol (or sweetener of choice to taste)

1 egg

1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa

2 tbsp cream

1 tbsp butter

splash vanilla

1 large coffee mug!

** my substitution was 2 tbsp almond flour + 2 tbsp unsweetened fine shredded coconut flakes, and 3 crushed macadamias.

Just puree and pour into a coffee mug or ramekin. I use a ramekin and wipe it with a little coconut oil first. Microwave for 90 sec to 2 min. It will puff up, but don't worry it will come right back down :)

It is extremely moist and delicious! Eat it warm with a little real whip cream!

Today we are getting the tile backsplash done. One more thing off the list!

R4 P3 D4.....Pumpkin Pie Mug Cake!

2010-09-24T07:18:00.001-07:00

Exactly at LIW! Who says you can't have pie for breakfast?? I just had healthy pumpkin pie/cheesecake for breakfast :) I have had the chocolate mug cake before, but have been craving pumpkin. So I decided to try and make one. It turned out great!

Pumpkin Pie Mug Cake

3 tbsp almond flour

1 tbsp plain pumpkin

.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or as much as you like)

1 egg

1.5 tbsp xylitol (or sweetener of your choice)

1 tbsp cream

1 tbsp cream cheese

.5 tbsp butter

3 drops vanilla stevia

*I think next time I will try to add 2-3 chopped pecan halves.

Put all into the blender or magic bullet and puree. Pour into a coffee mug or ramekin. Microwave for 90 seconds to 2 min. It will puff up, but will come back down. Invert onto a plate and top with a little real whip cream if you like! Yum! I will make again tomorrow and get a picture for you. It smelled so good I had to eat it before I could take a pic!

R4 P3 D3...

2010-09-23T11:00:00.000-07:00

Right at LIW! :) I am so loving food right now :) I think I might have a slight obsession with raspberries... last p3 it was In-n-Out burgers, so I am making progress right?? I had tons of great food yesterday. This morning my jeans were even looser than a few days ago. Yesterday I took 1/2 a small apple, 1/2 small peach, and some raspberries and put them in a ramekin with several drops of vanilla stevia. I then mixed 2 tbsp almond flour with 1 1/2 tbsp xylitol and cinnamon. Drizzled coconut oil until it made the mixture crumbly, and put over the top of the fruit. Then baked at 350 till bubbly. That with a dollop of real whip cream was heaven! This round feels so much better than my last one. I am going to try to go pick up the tile for the backsplash today so we can get it done this weekend!

R4 P3 D2...

2010-09-22T06:32:00.000-07:00

Down -0.8 lbs today! That was very nice to see this morning. I had my first glorious day of P3 yesterday! It was so nice to eat some new food! Can I just say how much I love Fage Total..... :) Here is what the food for my first day was:

8 oz roast beef

1 apple

1 7oz container of total fage greek yogurt

2 string cheese

5oz raspberries

2 tbsp coconut oil

sprinke of coconut flakes.sliced almonds

2 tbsp cocoa

2 eggs

1/2 oz cheddar

2 slices bacon

1 sf caramel pecan

2 liters of water, 8oz perrier, 8oz tea

We are just getting all the finishing touches on the basement and kitchen. I will post photos as soon as we are done :)

R4 P3 D1....

2010-09-21T07:29:00.000-07:00

Final day! I will have some dinner tonight! I took pics this morning and there is really no difference from the ending pics of my last round. Like I said the body just wants to stay. Maybe it is time to just really focus on body shaping from here on out. I am ok with that. A little bummed but still pretty happy :) Here are the pics from this morning. The first one on the left is from the end of round 3. The next 2 are from this morning in a couple different suits.

My husband and I took a drive up the canyon this weekend and here are a few pics in clothes :)

R4 P2 D25...

2010-09-20T06:38:00.000-07:00

Today: 145.0! It's official, Saturday was my LDW at 145.2. This is day 7 of the same weight. I have gotten a couple 145.0's but if I get back on the scale it varies between the two. Husband says it's time to be done, he wants his wife back :) I really wanted to get another 5-7 lbs, but the body doesn't want to budge. I am hoping that one positive thing about this would be that the weight really wants to sit here and that stabilization will be good. I have been having definite periods of hunger that get pretty intense and then it will go away. I will be at the 72 hour mark tomorrow morning. I usually wait a full 3 days, but I will see how the hunger goes today. Hunger is usually the indicator that the HCG is gone from the system and it is ok to begin maintenance. Right now I have no counters or kitchen sink! They should be arriving around 3:30 today. Almost done with all of the chaos! Here is what I am having today:

113g cottage cheese 100.0

215g apple 111.8

4oz chicken 146.6

175g cabbage 44

115g straw 36.8

5g cocoa 10.0

*miracle noodles

Total Calories: 449.2

R4 P2 D24....

2010-09-19T07:25:00.000-07:00

145.2 for the sixth time in a row! Absolutely nothing is working. I tried double protein, changing proteins, exact protocol etc. Today is the day I normally skip my HCG, so I am going to see if it changes tomorrow. If it is the same then I will just go with Sat as my LDW and consider today as my first day with no HCG. If it changes then I will take it a day at a time to decide. So frustrating! Today we have to rip out the counters to be ready for the new ones tomorrow. I sure hope I like them. So hard to tell from a sample. Here is what I am having today:

4oz chicken 146.6

150g celery 24.0

215g apple 111.8

40g jay robb 146.6

115g straw 36.8

Total Calories: 465.8

R4 P2 D23...

2010-09-18T10:47:00.000-07:00

Up +0.4 lbs, back to where I have been the past week! I knew yesterday was just restroom and not real weight loss! I tried doing beef to change things up and still nothing. Right now my plan is to go until Weds and then be done. In other news the basement is done and the carpet looks great. The counters arrive on Monday, so the tear out will be tomorrow! Then we have to tile the backsplash and it will all finally be over! Here is what I am having today:

84g chicken 110.0

250g tomato 45.0

115g apple 111.8

100g beef 137.0

125g cabbage 31.5

115g straw 36.8

Total Calories 472.1

R4 P2 D22....

2010-09-17T07:45:00.000-07:00

Down -0.4 lbs! Not much from the double protein. I was also able to go to the restroom finally, so I would tend to think it was that rather than real weight. I don't know what to think. Last round I ended at 144.4 and people said I looked sickly in my face and upper body. I was very hungry and miserable last round. When I started eating the weight did not want to hold well either. Now I am basically at the same weight and I am not losing, and I woke up with a headache and real hunger for the first time. I am beginning to wonder if my "normal" fat stores are just my trouble spots in the hips, butt and thighs. Every time I lose I get very thin everywhere else, and some on the lower half, but definitely not skinny on the bottom. Seems like this is where my body wants to get and then sit there. I am fine with where I am today if it will hold. I would tend to think it will since I felt so much better this round. The photo is from this morning. I just don't have anything else to lose on top. I guess I will see what tomorrow does. If it is still not moving and the hunger starts increasing then I will consider that maybe it is time to end things and be done. Oh yeah! Carpet arrives this morning! :) Here is what I am having today:

100g beef 137.0

250g tomato 45.0

115g apple 60.0

4oz chicken 146.6

150g celery 24.0

*1/2 pkg miracle noodles 0.0

Total Calories: 412.6

R4 P2 D21...

2010-09-16T07:44:00.001-07:00

Well this is my third day of 145.2 and my second day in a row of -0.0! So annoying. It makes it very hard to keep going when I know I could end this in 2 days. The real kicker is that I have no appetite and have to remind myself to eat. Why is it that when I am having such an easy time, there are no losses??? I will try the double protein day again today, since my last two losses were following my last one. I said I was going to go 30 days, which would be a week from Saturday. I have half a mind to not weigh at all next week and just surprise myself at the end, because I am not hungry and doing great, until I get on the scale and see no movement! :) Here is what I will have today:

30g jay robb 110.00

2.5g cocoa 5.0

168g chicken 220.0

100g romaine 17.0

84g chicken 110.0

100g celery 16.0

Total Calories: 478.0

R4 P2 D20....

2010-09-15T08:01:00.001-07:00

Another -0.0 lbs! Seems to be the trend. A day of no loss for every day of loss. Still doing good hunger wise. Bored of the food :) I did have 2 decent losses in a row after the double protein day, so I will see how tomorrow goes and maybe do another one if it is a zero again. I am only .8 away from my LIW last round. The bummer is I am right between sizes. I now can wear my smallest pants comfortably, but I need it to get me to the next size all together. We are almost finished with trim and should be cleaning up and doing final touch up tomorrow. It is looking really good.

One strange thing is that I have dry mouth all the time and it is driving me nuts! On every other round I was freezing to death, but so far nothing. That's about it. Off to work! Here is what I am having today:

4oz chicken 146.6

200g celery 32.0

215g apple 111.8

4oz tilapia 110.0

150g asparagus 30.0

100g orange 47.0

Total Calories: 477.4

R4 P2 D19...

2010-09-14T07:50:00.000-07:00

Down -0.8 lbs! I will take that! Yesterday morning when I got up I kept getting the cold sweats and having to put my head between my legs so I would not pass out. I think I had definitely over done it the previous 2 days by working non stop on the basement. I went to work, then came home an laid low for the rest of the day. I had absolutely no energy. Then I took a muscle relaxer and went to bed and actually slept all the way till morning. I know I posted at the beginning of the round how I was so happy for the improved sleep, but about a week ago I started waking up at 4:30. Wide awake and not able to go back to sleep. It was a nice change and I think the body appreciated it :) Today I have to work and then will take it easy. The basement is all painted, and the trim is going up today. That is all that is left before the carpet comes Friday morning! Here is what I am having today:

4oz chicken 146.6

100g romaine 17.0

150g apple 77

1 breadstick 10.0

40g jay robb 146.6

184g orange 86.0

2.5g cocoa 5.0

Total Calories: 488.20

R4 P2 D18...

2010-09-13T06:51:00.001-07:00

Down -0.6 lbs! I really thought it was going to be a pound or more :( I was even able to finally go to the restroom!! But I am also even more sore today than yesterday, so that could be part of it. I think this week I am going to weigh M, W, Sat. Maybe that will ease the morning frustration :)

Off to work this morning! Here is what I am having today:

4oz chicken 146.6

250g tomato 45

115g straw 36.8

40g jay robb 146.6

115g straw 36.8

5g cocoa 10.0

Total Calories: 421.8

R4 P2 D17....

2010-09-12T07:04:00.000-07:00

Down -0.0lbs! That really ticks me off. I was wondering if I was going to have a problem this morning. We painted all day yesterday. My job is where the ceiling and walls come together so I must have done the equivalent of a million high step ups and I am sore. Also, I did not even think about it until the end of the day, but my hands were covered in paint. I have no idea if there are any oils in there or things that might affect me. Oh well, today I will wear gloves, but I still have to finish the bedroom. We got the main room painted, and just have to finish the hall and bedroom today. Then we will start the trim. The paint color turned out beautiful. Hard to believe this area has been a pile of junk for the past five years :) I was reading over on the forum about double protein days. One of the "experts" over there does these in the middle of her rounds when things get slow. I think I will try that today. It goes like this:

Breakfast: 100g protein

Lunch: 200g protein, veggie

Dinner: 100g protein, veggie

You must stay under the 500 calories, so you will most likely need to stick with chicken and fish. Then fill in with veggies to stay under the 500 cals. Here is my plan..

Breakfast: 6 egg whites 96

Lunch: 226g tilapia 220

150g asparagus 30

Dinner: 84g chicken 110

100g romaine 17

Total Calories: 473.0

R4 P2 D16...

2010-09-11T08:30:00.000-07:00

Down -1.0 lbs! I am now just 2.3 lbs away from truly official virgin territory. My last round ended at 144.4, but I never stayed there, since I went right up to the 149.8 after adding exercise right out of the gate. Exciting stuff! Today we will start painting as soon as the contractor drops off the paint. We have to have all the paint and trim done before the carpet arrives on Friday morning. Then Saturday morning we have to rip off the counters, so the new ones can be installed Saturday afternoon! This is going to be a very busy week! And just think, on next Saturday it will be day 23! Then it is time to make decisions on how long I want to go. Gotta get to work! Here is what I am having today:

4oz chicken 146.6

200g celery 32.0

215g apple 111.8

40g jay robb 146.6

115g straw 36.8

Total Calories: 473.8

R4 P2 D15...

2010-09-10T08:47:00.000-07:00

Down -0.0 lbs :( My first day of no loss..... I knew they would come, but I still hate to see it. I am wondering if cabbage could be a problem for me, or the braggs aminos. I only lost .4 the last time I ate it and that was right at the beginning when I lose big numbers no matter what. I had it again yesterday with only a splash of the aminos and even skipped the evening fruit?? Not sure. I will try a few days of no cabbage, aminos, or miracle noodles and see how that does. I could just be the fact that this is the beginning of all the ups and downs. I will weigh for the next 2 days and then maybe just weigh 3 times next week to avoid the frustration :) Have a list a mile long of stuff to get done today. Then painting for the weekend :) Here is what I am having today:

40g Jay Robb 146.6

115g Strawberries 36.8

4oz chicken 146.6

250g Tomato 45.0

215g Apple 111.8

Total Calories: 486.8

R4 P2 D14...

2010-09-09T06:55:00.000-07:00

Down -0.8 lbs! Happy to see that this morning :) The weather definitely made a turn for the worse today. Clouds and rain. Not much going on today. Just work, and more mudding and sanding in the basement. I guess I should enjoy this now, because there is a whole lot of painting coming up, before the carpet arrives a week from tomorrow! I cannot tell you how relatively easy this round has been. Hunger is pretty much non existent and I have that great sense of well being that HCG tends to give. On all of my rounds in the past, the second I go on HCG the sex drive goes out the window. This one, it has gone up! Go figure. Needless to say, the husband is not complaining :) Here is what I am having today:

4oz chicken 146.6

200g celery 32.0

215g apple 111.8

4oz chicken 146.6

125g cabbage 31.5

*miracle noodles

Total Calories: 468.5

R4 P2 D13...

2010-09-08T06:12:00.000-07:00

Down -.2 lbs! Well I knew the huge losses couldn't last forever.... :)

I actually got further this round before they started dropping so I guess I

can't complain. I am working this morning and they are continuing the

sanding and mudding today.

Here is what I am having today:

4oz Tuna 100

100g Romaine 17

215g Apple 111.8

4oz Chicken 146.6

250g Tomato 45

115g Straw 36.8

5g Cocoa 10

*Miracle Noodles

Total Calories: 467.20

R4 P2 D12....

2010-09-07T07:36:00.000-07:00

Down -1.4 lbs!! So excited to see that. I am now officially -1.2 into new territory! I am especially happy to see that after having to turn down everything at the family Labor Day barbeque. That was pretty hard. I also had miracle noodles yesterday to make sure I would be full, and there obviously was no issue. I also think there was an added boost with TOM leaving. Now I am off to work! Here is what I am having today:

40g Jay Robb 146.6

115g Straw 36.8

5g cocoa 10.0

4oz Tilapia 110.0

60g asparagus 15.0

215g apple 111.8

Total Calories: 430.2

R4 P2 D11....

2010-09-06T07:23:00.000-07:00

Well, I wanted to hit 149.8 this morning and I hit 150.0! Down -1.0 lbs!! Only .2 off, but that is just fine with me :) It is official all of my load and vacation weight is gone! I lost -10.4 pounds in 7 effective injections. Even though I ended my last round at 145, I added the exercise too soon and jumped to 149.8 instantly and stayed there. So, anything below this that I can stay at, will be virgin territory for me. Yesterday we spent the day in Park City touring the showcase of homes. Beautiful!! It was a nice day and a lot of fun. It was a little harder being out and about. My husband wanted Burger King for lunch, so I sat across from him eating my bowl of chopped chicken, apple, and celery and sipped my "rootbeer":) All the while chanting my mantra in my head....."I can do anything for 30 days, I can do anything for 30 days..." One funny thing I have started doing is closing my eyes during all of the food commercials :) The second they come on I do this and focus on something else. Sounds crazy, but it really works. I just don't let my mind go there. The crew will be here this morning to start mudding the basement. Very happy that I am busy this round. Makes it go by faster :) Here is what I am having today:

30g Jay Robb 110

115g Straw 36.8

5g Cocoa 10.0

4oz Chicken 146.6

250g Tomato 37.5

215g Apple 111.8

Miracle Noodles 0

Total Calories: 452.7

R4 P2 D10.....

2010-09-05T07:13:00.000-07:00

Down -0.4 lbs! Not what I was hoping for but I will take it :) I am going to cross all my fingers and toes and (take some smooth move) and hope for -1.2 tomorrow to reach my first goal! Very happy so far with this round. I feel great, and hunger is in check. I did try miracle noodles yesterday at lunch. They were excellent with chicken and cabbage. I also used some braggs aminos. Those together made it just like chinese. I have used miracle noodles before and did not have an issue. I have not used the braggs before and did not realize how strong they are. It was pretty salty, so that could be why the loss was not quite as good today. I will test again in a few days and not use so much. I hope it works well because that felt like cheating. The miracle noodles were so filling and kept you feeling full for a long time. I could cut both of my fruits and just add miracle noodles to my meals and be just fine :) After reviewing my last 3 rounds I always lose 1+ pounds a day for about 10 days, and then from there I get the sporadic numbers from there on out. I am thinking I will weigh tomorrow and then weigh on Mon, Weds, and Sat. That way there should always be a nice loss, and I don't have to get frustrated on the .2 and .4 days. Unless I really stall. If I do 30 effective injections, and can average -.6, then I can end my round on Sept. 28th and will have reached my goal of 137. I have averaged .52 to .68 on my previous rounds so I really hope I can do it! Here is what I am having today:

4oz Chicken 146.6

250g Tomato 45.0

4oz Chicken 146.6

215g Apple 111.8

200g Celery 32

Total Calories: 482.0

Basement is sheet rocked and ready for mud on Monday! Then paint, trim

and doors, followed by carpet arriving on the 17th and we are finished!!

R4 P2 D9...

2010-09-04T07:09:00.001-07:00

Down -1.0 lbs! I was a little worried that with TOM showing up unexpectedly yesterday I might have my first morning of no loss, but thank goodness that was not the case :) Now I just need -1.6 more to get to virgin territory :) The basement will be fully sheet rocked and ready for mud by the end of the day. He said we should be able to start paint and carpet by Thurs next week. I am happy for the distractions :) Still feel great. No horrible cravings or mental battles so far. No real hunger issues either other than maybe 20-30 minutes in the morning or late eve. Here is what I am having today:

4 oz chicken 146.6

215g apple 111.8

125g cabbage 31.25

4oz tilapia 110.0

150g asparagus 37.5

*115g straw 36.8

*5g cocoa 10.0

Total Calories: 437.15

* Did not eat. Had some miracle noodles with my lunch. Too full to have my other 1/2 of apple at lunch, so I just had it at dinner and skipped the second fruit. The miracles noodles with cabbage, chicken, and a little braggs aminos was just like chinese!

I have not done any exercising since I have been so busy other than 30 minutes of walking on the first VLCD.

R2 P2 D8...

2010-09-03T06:13:00.000-07:00

Down -1.0 lbs! Only -2.6 to go to reach my first goal of 149.8. That would take off all load and the 5 lbs I gained on vacation :) 149.8 is where I have been since last round, so from there it would be new territory :) I hope to reach 149.8 by Monday's weigh in. I have felt really good so far. The hunger has been great. I did not even eat my second fruit last night. I really feel like the little extra bit of protein is making a difference. My waist measurement is already back to where my last round ended at 27.5 as of this morning. Obviously any weight I have gained went right on the hips and thighs as usual :) My friend who has done every round with me so far, including this one, called me yesterday and said she quit!! So, from here on out it's just me and you guys :) The basement was completely demo'd yesterday. They should be starting sheetrock today. The big decision for today is which color to do for the countertops. They will be doing those as well. Here is what I am planning on eating today:

40g Jay Robb 146.6

115g Strawberries 36.8

5g cocoa 10.0

4oz chicken 146.6

250g Tomato 45.0

215g Apple 111.8

Total Calories: 496.8

*Update: totally weird but TOM showed up this afternoon unexpectedly! Should not have been for about 4-5 more days. A pound loss and TOM.... I will take it :)

R4 P2 D7...

2010-09-02T07:35:00.000-07:00

Down -1.4 lbs! Yesterday was really good. I had tons of energy and was never hungry. Not bad at all. I did have the 4oz of protein at each meal, and that was not before cooking. I have been using the Costco pre cooked chicken strips that are just chicken and water. The fish is weighed at 4oz before cooking. I tried the rootbeer stevia in perrier yesterday....SO GOOD :) We got the basement all cleaned out so the contractors can start the demo today. I can't believe we had so much crap down there. I definitely see a garage sale in the future :) I hope today is as good as yesterday. Off to work! Here is what I am having today:

4oz chicken 146.6

200g celery 32.0

215g apple 111.8

4oz tilapia 110.0

150g cabbage 37.5

*115g straw 0.0

*5g cocoa 0.0

Total Calories: 437.9

** I ate dinner late and never ended up having my smoothie :(

R4 P2 D6.....

2010-09-01T07:40:00.000-07:00

Down -2.2lbs! So I lost all the load weight plus -0.6 below start weight! Gotta love that. Yesterday was pretty good. I made an apple pie shake, and a choc straw shake out of my lunch protein and split them up thru out the day. We went to the John Mayer concert last night. He was amazing! So good live. It was really fun, but a little hard when people are eating popcorn, glazed nuts, and nachos all around you! I was hungry during that, but the rest of the day was good. I am going to work and then have to get the basement cleaned out because we are having it finished starting this weekend! At least it will keep me busy :) Here is what I am having today:

4oz Chicken 146.6

200g Tomato 36.0

215g apple 111.8

4oz tilapia 110.0

100g asparagus 25.0

115g strawberry 36.8

5g cocoa 10.0

Total Calories: 476.2

R4 P2 D5...

2010-08-30T17:57:00.000-07:00

Down -3.2lbs! Only 1.6 more to be back to start weight!

The first VLCD really wasn't too bad. I was not hungry except for right before meal times. I was a little tired, but overall better than expected. I keep trying not to dwell on the fact that I still have soooooo long to go :) One nice thing I forgot about was the good sleep! I got tired early and slept really well all night.

Here is what I will be eating today:

40g Jay Robb 146.6

60g spinach 13.8

115g straw 36.8

5g cocoa 10.0

4oz tilapia 110.0

200g asparagus 50.0

215g apple 111.8

Total calories: 479.0

I use Jay Robb shakes as protein sources as well. They were fine in the past. The nice thing is that I can make 2 shakes out of the protein, spinach, strawberry and cocoa. Very filling.

R4 P2 D4....

2010-08-30T06:23:00.000-07:00

Well, I did the VLCD yesterday all day till 7pm and was just getting ready to make my second meal when the family really wanted to go out. I had originally planned to do 3 loading days and start VLCD today. So, in the end they convinced me to have one final meal! It was hard because I really wanted to start and see the numbers drop :) So today is my first real VLCD. I lost .2 yesterday even with the meal so I am 160.2. I am off to work this morning with my food ready to go! My first goal is to get back to where I spent the last 5 months or so at 149.8. That was before vacation and loading. Here was today:

4oz chicken 146.6

215g apple 111.8

200g celery 32

3oz chicken 110

115g straw 36.8

200g tomato 36

5g cocoa 10

Total Calories: 483.20

**I am going to leave out the starches and up the protein just a smidge. A lot of people have been having better results with that. Also, the HCG book I use says that unsweetened cocoa is a spice and I have used it in every round so far. I drink 1 liter of water, 1 liter cold yerba mate iced tea, 2 cups hot tea daily. The cocoa is used for a strawberry smoothie, made with portion frozen strawberries, 1 TBSP cocoa, 3/4 cup water, stevia to taste. Blend till smooth. I will only going walking 20-30 minutes for exercise, when I feel the energy to do so :)

R4 P2 D3...

2010-08-29T07:51:00.000-07:00

Let's see my 2 days of loading went a little like this:

Friday: Venti SB Cinnamon Dolce and pumpkin bread, In-n-Out burger and fries, Sweetooth Fairy cupcakes in carrot and coconut, Cafe Rio salad and key lime pie, licorice and pumpkin choc chip cookies.

Saturday: Kneaders french toast with Nutella I brought in my purse:), Cheesecake factory corn tamale cakes and louisiana chicken pasta, SB cinnamon Dolce, Domino's toasted chicken parmesan sub and a slice of thick crust pizza, 1/2 slice red velvet cheesecake, 1 creme brulee cupcake, licorice.

I wanted to die most of the time. I definitely did not enjoy as normal :) I weighed in this morning and had gained exactly 5# for the 2 load days. I started at 155.4 so this morning was 160.4. It was so hard to see the number 160! That was soooo long ago! At least it will be gone tomorrow :) I really want this to be my last round for a good long while so I am going to try to hit 135-137 if it kills me :) That would be 18-20# from my start weight. Which would definitely be possible in 40 days. As long as I have a better round than the last on that is. So when I start whining and say I am going to give up, you guys have to remind me of that!

I am going to TRY to not be a freak and make HCG all encompassing. I am hoping to just live life and try to keep the diet on the sidelines and not the primary focus 24/7. I may not weigh every day. Might be better to weigh 2-3 times a week. Should have a nice loss each time rather than fretting the day to day ups and downs. I will just go with how I feel. Even though I said this in the past I always ended up weighing :) Oh well.....

Let the games begin!

2010-08-28T07:30:00.000-07:00

So, I decided that I would start HCG yesterday and maybe load for 3 days and then start the VLCD on Monday. That was before I remembered how hard it is to load once the HCG is in your system. All of the yummy things I was dreaming about, went out the window. I was having to force it most of the time! Such a cruel trick :) So this morning I am off for my final french toast! I hope I can get it down. I guess I will see how I feel tomorrow morning. I may just go ahead with the VLCD then. I hope I survive today...... :)

Diet VS Exercise!

2010-08-26T16:42:00.000-07:00

For all those out gym rats out there who think you can exercise off a bad diet, you may need to rethink that strategy :) The average 30-45 minute exercise session burns roughly 300 calories. You can't even burn off a child size happy meal with that. A child's happy meal is 640 calories. For the average overweight person, they are eating a lot more than a happy meal to cause their current condition. Even if they exercise every day for 45 min, they won't even come close to burning off the calories to make up for the bad eating habits. Let's say that is the only bad thing they ate that day (above their maintenance calorie level), and they burned their 300 calories thru exercise. There are still 340 calories left that did not get burned off. If you did that every day that would be 10,200 extra calories or 2.9 lbs gained in a month. And that is for nothing more than a happy meal. Something to think about! Here is a funny but very perfect video to demonstrate this :) Enjoy!

Back to the basics....

2010-08-26T10:17:00.000-07:00

I love that I can come here and say whatever I need to say, and you all just love me thru it. Even though I can be a total nut job at times :) You are probably wondering why I have a picture of training wheels........ cuz that's what this feels like DAMMIT! I feel like I just went thru losing all the weight. Breaking old habits and addictions. Being stable as ever etc. Like being on a bike with training wheels and graduating to the "Big Girl Bike". Then bam! I realize that I still have issues, I will have to re-lose some of the weight I lost, and old habits are still sitting right on the sidelines ready to take over! Having to do another round feels like going back to "training wheels" again :)

I remember my very first round a year ago, and how emotional it was. I remember feeling angry. I remember feeling like I was losing my best friend (food). I remember feeling like I was losing my favorite form of entertainment (food). I really got to see how warped my relationship with food had become. Then as I went thru my first and second round, I broke thru all that and realized I did not need food for emotional reasons or entertainment. I was so proud of myself and the progress I had made mentally, even more than physically. Well, ever since I made the decision to start another round, I have been a total weirdo. Angry, upset, feeling like I was losing my favorite "blanket" etc. Holy Crap! I realized that slowly over time I have let some of my emotional attachments to food sneak back in without even realizing it. I thought about how much I am looking forward to "free days" and that my fun with my husband is on those days. I am doing EXACTLY what I did in the past. Attaching all of my emotions around food events. It just isn't as bad because I am good about correcting over the week and I am 70 lbs lighter too. Totally shocking to see how hard it is to overcome all this garbage.

Anyways, those of you who know me, know that I am a perfectionist so I just have to say that it really TICKS ME OFF that I will be starting this round basically where I started my last round. This morning I was still 155.2. Granted, I have been 150 for the past 5 months, and 5# really isn't that big of a deal after a 16 day vacation and "free weekends" instead of "free days" :) I still just want to go on record that it makes me mad. Ok? There, I feel much better now :)

Here we go again...

2010-08-25T06:46:00.000-07:00

Ok, my friend and I decided to start our next round on Monday. So anyone who is thinking of starting soon, jump on in! LD, that means you :) I have gone back and forth on this, but I really want to give it another shot. I love maintenance, but I also know I have gotten a little off track and would like to "restart" and get myself back in line. Get the sugars back out of my system..... mostly the french toast :) I am so going to miss my "free weekends", but I know I need to get re-focused. Lifetime maintenance will come again and hopefully by then I can stick to just one day a week :) I also think that this round I will add back the carbs during p4. I did not do that last round, and I think it made me more carb intolerant. I have been doing research on resistant starches. Very interesting. Turns out that some specific starches actually promote weight loss. So maybe those will be a perfect thing to add back when the time comes. I will do a post soon about what I have found out. As of this morning I was 155.2. I will most likely be 153-154 on Saturday morning when I start again. Not too bad. That is 3-4 pounds above where I have been for the last 4-5 months. Here goes nothin... :)

Life insurance and life in general....

2010-08-22T07:40:00.001-07:00

My husband and I decided we should probably act like grown ups and get some life insurance in place. You see all the commercials, and it seems easy enough. So, we talked with an agent and had to go thru all of this paperwork. Next was a very long phone interview, and then said they would be sending someone to our house to do a medical "exam". Yesterday morning I was weighed, measured, blood pressure taken 3 x's, pee'd in a cup, and had massive amounts of blood taken!! For pete's sake! Who knew it would be that intensive??

In other news, I have been horrible with getting back to my pre vacation weight :) I have been about 150 for the last 4-5 months. When I finally decided to weigh after vacation, I was 154.4. Not too bad. I started doing what I should and got back to 151.8, but then had a free weekend. It went right up to around 157. Then I corrected again over the week and it went back to the 154.4, and then of course did the weekend again. So it is back to 157 :( I know the fact that I am doing another round is making me have that feeling of "who cares, your doing another round anyways..." But I really wanted to hit new territory, not just re-lose my last round. My last round started at 156.4 and I only lost 12#'s to get to 144.4. Then I started exercising right out of the gate and the weigh quickly went to 149.8 and that is pretty much where I stayed. (I still have time to try to get it back down to the 150 before I start around Sept. 7th.) I have noticed that the body seems to be trying to stick closer to the 156 now, and I wonder if that is because it was my last LIW and I stayed there for quite awhile between my second and third rounds. It is like once I went up over a certain point, the body recognized my old LIW and is trying to go there. Also, on my first 2 rounds I just followed the rules and my weight never moved and I stayed UNDER LIW for most of the time. No counting calories, ate tons of food and never gained an ounce. I did not add back the exercise in p3. It was effortless as long as I followed p3 and p4 guidelines. After this last round I have had to fight a lot harder to keep the weight stable, pay attention to calories and food, etc. I added exercise in p3 and the weight went up accordingly. It makes me wonder if the weight never really "reset" and that I was able to keep it there only because I was working so hard with exercise and counting calories etc. This round I am going to be very careful of they way I come off. I am going to wait to add back the exercise (other that light stuff), until p3 is over. I really want to have that freedom back of not counting and stressing over everything. Just eat the right things and the body stays right on target. I will try to get as close as I can to the 150 before I start, and would love to get to 137 or so, so that I can lock in at 140 or less. That is the goal........ :)

Here comes the rain....

2010-08-19T10:35:00.000-07:00

Holy cow, it sounds like someone is pouring huge buckets of water over my house right now! Not to mention the lightning and thunder :) I actually love storms so I am sort of enjoying it. I just got back from dance class. My clothes are pretty much soaked like I just went swimming in them! Dance has got to be one of the hardest workouts, BUT also one of the most fun! When I am on the go one of my favorite meals that I can throw in my purse is: a Larabar and Ostrim Jerky.

Larabars are sooooo good. They have nothing but fruit and nuts in them, and the jerky has a whopping 14 grams of protein per stick! I am off to do some chores!!

Healthy Snack Option!

2010-08-17T13:46:00.000-07:00

I recently got some yummy snacks to review from: Paleo Women: Snacks and Granola's. They have 4 flavors of their granola. Banana Nut, Apple Crisp, Cacao Nut, and Cappuccino Crunch! They all were awesome. They are all natural with no additives or preservatives. Wheat and gluten free. Made from nuts, seeds, berries, fruit, spices and natural sweeteners. An excellent snack when you are on the go, or to toss with fruit or yogurt. I love snacks that you can feel good about eating, knowing you are eating real whole foods without any of the junk! Laura is the founder and was super sweet and helpful! So next time you are looking for a snack, don't forget to give them a try!

Don't Ask.....Don't Tell....

2010-08-16T19:49:00.000-07:00

As in......... "Don't Ask me if I stayed away from the french toast, so that I Don't Tell you that I didn't! " :) How's that for will power :) Sorry guys, the weekends are just too much fun. Thank goodness I am very good during the week or else I would be in serious trouble. I think the fact that I know I am going to do another round soon, is sort of making me live on the edge:) Work was really slow last week. I think everyone is finishing up vacations, and getting ready for school. Or maybe they are all at Kneader's eating french toast! Whatever the cause, I hope it picks up this week. My neck and back have been acting up again, giving me non-stop headaches, and making exercise feel like torture. Hopefully it will ease up and give me some relief. Since I gave you a shot of my favorite breakfast, here is one of my favorite dinners....A hamburger patty with onions and mushrooms in a little Honeyaki sauce. Mashed acorn squash with butter, salt and pepper. Green beans. Simple but delicious!

My favorite breakfast these days!

2010-08-13T07:07:00.000-07:00

Down another -0.8lbs this morning! Very pleased to know that just getting back to my normal eating and exercise takes the body back to where it should be. And the food is great too. This has been my breakfast all week. Yum! 2 scrambled eggs with 1/2 oz colby jack cheese, a sprinke of bacon and jalapeno. 1 slice ezekiel bread with butter and honey drizzled on it. Some strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries. Diet? What diet? I will take this anyday!

Almost there...

2010-08-12T08:02:00.000-07:00

Down another -2.0 lbs this morning!! So now I am just -2.8 away from being back where I left before vacation. Today is another beautiful sunny day. I am going to go to dance class this morning and then lay by the pool for about an hour before heading into work.

Getting closer....

2010-08-11T07:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was just a typical lower carb day. I forgot my aunt was going to be in town just for the night. I was supposed to go to dance class after work, and then was just going to have a protein shake for dinner when I got home. Instead, I did not get to work out and ended up eating out. I went to Cafe Rio and had a salad with extra meat and no rice. We even shared a little key lime pie. I was bummed thinking that all of my hard work all day probably just got messed up. But this morning I was down -1.8!! So now I am 4.8 away from being back where I normally am. I will get there!

Little at a time...

2010-08-10T08:10:00.000-07:00

Okay so this might take a little more work than usual :) I did my steak day yesterday, but only lost -1.2 lbs. Usually I get 2-3! So now I am 6.6 away from getting back to where I was when I left for vacation. I will do my usual for the rest of the week and hopefully get another 3-4 off this week. I hate the end of summer and getting back to school and homework :( Lots to do and so little time!

Will I ever learn??

2010-08-09T07:08:00.000-07:00

So, I get back from vacation and turns out the gain isn't that bad, and what do I do?

(I told myself I would just eat clean until the weight was off, before there were any more free days.) Well, Saturday morning TOM hit. Then it became a free day. Probably would not have been too bad, had Sunday not become a free day too! For pete's sake! As of this morning, instead of the 4.6 above I am 7.8 above! TOM is some of that. I have lost 7# in one week before, so let's see what I can do :) Steak day today and then low carb the rest of the week. I have decided to do my next round starting the first weekend in September. I just want to be 149.8 at least by the time I start again so I am not re-losing. I have plenty of time for that. It would be really nice if a few of you could stand post outside of Kneaders this Saturday with a scale. Don't let me in the door unless I am back at 149.8 :) I promise I will learn.....someday.... ;)

Happy Saturday!

2010-08-07T06:41:00.000-07:00

Nothing like waking up on a glorious saturday morning with TOM to greet you! Knew that one was coming. Work has been pretty busy the past couple days. Last night my husband and I went to see Step Up 3. You know me, I love dance. It was SO bad when it comes to acting, but the dancing was pretty cool. This morning we are going to go work out and then have some Kneaders french toast! YUM! I have been reading a fitness girls blog for about the past 7 years. She is awesome and I love her insight. Her latest post: Discipline, Diets and Whining is perfect. Click the link to read. So good :)

Not too bad!

2010-08-05T08:06:00.000-07:00

Okay, so maybe it wasn't as bad as I thought:) I keep trying on my pants that I want to fit right and yesterday morning they really weren't that bad. So I thought, do I dare check the scale?? I did and I was 154.4! Only 4.6 above where I left on vacation! That was after a steak day and a high protein day. I can live with that :) TOM is due any day now, so I will just keep doing what I am doing and weigh at the end of next week when TOM is gone and see where I end up.

Work is busy. We got a completely new software program and are having to transfer all of the old data into the new program. But it will be really nice when it is done. It is almost time for kids to be going back to school (ugh!) and of course there is plenty to do for that. I am headed off to dance class before work. Have a great day!

Back to work!

2010-08-03T09:37:00.000-07:00

Wow, it feels like it has been a year since I last posted. We were completely off the grid for 2 weeks :) I have been trying to catch up on you guys since we got back Sunday night. I would have posted yesterday but my internet was having issues!

First off, it was fabulous. The weather was perfect and the water was beautiful. My husband and I had the first week to ourselves and then the second week with the kid. Very relaxing and a great time. Most days were boating, swimming, and tanning. I could definitely get used to that on a permanent basis :)

Now for the "weight" issues...... let's just say I have some work to do :) I did not get on the scale while I was gone and I still have not gotten on since I got home. I did a steak day yesterday and am going to do P3 style and high protein till my clothes fit the way they should. I wore the smallest pair of pants I own the day before I left, and I can still put them on and button them, but they are TIGHT! All of my clothes are snug:)

I had a very good time on vacation, but the mental battles were tough. When you eat low carb, and then eat carbs a lot, you get the water re-flooding your system. For most people that is 4-8lbs. So within about 3 days I could feel that, but did not feel like doing steak days constantly to bring that back off. I could have been good and ate they way I do at home, but I bring my cooler everywhere and we were always on the run and I just did not want to do all of that. So I had a few really hard days where I was emotionally beating myself up, but I finally decided it was not worth it. I had to either suck it up and eat right or take a vacation and just enjoy. Enjoy is what I did. Or over did :) It is amazing that even after all this time old habits just come right back. But I have learned so much this year and I know what needs to be done.

I am guessing that I probably gained 12 pounds or so. It seems like a lot, but the big bulk would be water and then some gain. I know seeing the numbers would send me over the edge and make me crazy, so I am just going to do what I have been doing. Eating clean and exercising. One thing I decided on vacation was to do another round. I am fine with where I am, but it is right at the top end of where I want to be. After the vacation, I realize I would like a much bigger cushion and get to the lowest end of where I want to be. My LDW was 144.5 for my last round but went to 149.8 immediately after adding exercise. That is pretty much where I have stayed for the last 4 months. I would like to get around 130-135 and see if I can stay there. I am planning to start in September, so anyone who might be starting then, let me know and lets do it together!! Here are some pics from vacation:

We are outta here!!!

2010-07-16T06:37:00.000-07:00

Today is FINALLY the day!! We are packing up and getting on the road this morning! We will be gone for 2 glorious weeks and tonight I will rest my head on a pillow in Lake Chelan. I did one final check on the scale and was right where I have been for the last 4 months 149.8. So that is good. I will not be a freak, and have a great vacation! I am not sure how much chance I will have to get on here while I am gone, but I will be sure to post pics if I can. I hope you all have a good 2 weeks and I will miss catching up with you daily! Talk to you soon...... jen

2010-07-13T07:59:00.000-07:00

That my friends, is the water of Lake Chelan!! And the reason that it is my favorite place on earth! The water is crystal clear and beautiful. And I will be there by Friday night...... ahhhh! My family waits for this vacation all year. And about right now, we are ready to BURST! :)

Work is definitely busier which is good. The new girls are great. I have been avoiding the scale and just going by the mirror. I feel good so I am not going to let anything ruin that before vacation. Now, I cannot guarantee what things will be like when I return :) Lake Chelan is also the home of some of my favorite food like coconut cream waffles and peppermint ice cream. There is just something about driving the boat into town, getting a cone and eating it while sitting on the back of the boat with your feet dangling in the water... :)

My husband has agreed to workout with me everyday, as long as I agree not to be a freak and enjoy myself even if I gain a little. He said I can freak out when I get back and work it off. Gotta love that man :) I have a million little errands to run and then off to work. Have a great day everyone!

Chaos before the calm....

2010-07-09T08:17:00.000-07:00

Not much longer till vacation, but things are crazy busy. The owners at work have officially left and now it's up to me :) I want everything to run smoothly, but there are always bumps along the road. I really like the 2 new girls we hired and I think we will have fun working together.

I have still been really mentally struggling with my body image as vacation approaches. This is the first time I will see family and friends back home since I lost the weight. For some reason it feels like so much pressure. Which doesn't make sense, because I know they love me and will think I did a great job. I think because I have gotten used to the change, now I see all the flaws and need for improvement. To them it will just be wow. As soon as I got done being sick, TOM hit with a vengeance and so I am sure that is not helping right now. TOM has always been easy breezy for me. No cramps, 3 days max, done. I have had miserable cramps, bloating, headaches and back pain that won't stop. I have been on 400-800 ibuprofen round the clock for the past 3 days. And am up 3.8 lbs despite not being able to eat much. Not what I was hoping for right before I left. But I guess it's better to get it over with now!

I am thinking alot about another round at end of summer. The only thing holding me back right now is the hair and eyelash thing. They are finally getting back to normal! I lost tons of hair, which is fine because I have a ton. But it changed my hair and all the regrowth is frizzy. My eyelashes really thin out when on the HCG, and they are looking good again. But I would like to try and reach 135 and be done. Something to think about......

Re-Entering the land of the living....

2010-07-07T07:37:00.000-07:00

I spent the last 2 days being violently ill!! Finally this morning, I think I just might make it :) I have no idea what I had or where it came from, but wow it knocked me over. I was fine Monday morning, but by noon had nausea, and chills and was back in bed. Then came hours on end of nausea and vomiting! Sorry, TMI! This morning, I feel much better and am going in to work. On the plus side, I did not have to do my usual steak day monday and high protein Tuesday to make up for the weekend :) Only nine more days until vacation....... YIPPEE!!

Loving the freedom!

2010-07-02T15:50:00.001-07:00

Speaking of freedom...... I am most thankful this holiday weekend. Thanks to all who have gone before me and given me the freedoms I enjoy everyday. We are so lucky to live in this country. Even with it's flaws, it is head and shoulders above the rest!

I am also thankful that I am back to the freedom from constant calorie counting!! I have only gotten on the scale a few times and have been right on track. No counting. No pre planning of meals. Just good clean eating. I am also much more in tune with eating when hungry instead of eating because it was planned. I am naturally zig zagging do to busy work schedules, forgetting to eat, or getting hungry. Makes a lot more sense to eat when the body says it needs to, than to eat 6 times a day just because, even when you are not hungry.

Have a great 4th of July everyone! Let freedom ring :)

Finding the balance slowly but surely....

2010-06-29T06:44:00.000-07:00

2 things to start: 1- yes, I change my template all the time :) What can I say, I get bored easily. and 2- I am no longer posting days in maintenance. So for anyone new, I am 70+ days into lifetime maintenance.

So, this week I have been trying to achieve some balance when it came to calorie counting and getting too obsessive. I did a sort of test and just went by the mirror and how I felt. I did what I usually do, but did not count calories or pre plan every days meals. I had a free weekend, and then did a steak day yesterday. I got on the scale today and guessed what my weight would be based on past experience. I was .4 under that :) In a nutshell, I am the same weight I always am at this point wether I am a calorie counting freak or not! Freedom :) I found that by not counting calories, I was a little more careful naturally.

I am still trying to get my weekends under control :) But, they have been so much fun! The last 2 saturdays went a little like this:

Get up and put in 3 miles around the lake with hubby.

French toast at Kneaders :)

Lay by the pool for 2 hours...... ahhhh....

Split a JCW hawaiian burger, cheese fries, and banana split with the hubby.

1 on 1 volleyball for about an hour.

Go to the movies, and have glazed nuts, popcorn and red vines.

Hottub!

TV and creme brulee cupcakes from the sweet tooth fairy :)

I mean really, does it get better than that?? I would like to say I never have sweets or indulge too much, but then again, I am not sure I really want too... ;)

Splenda..... the bitter truth!

2010-06-27T18:03:00.000-07:00

Photo courtesy of: Dialed-In Nutrition.

I read an excellent excerpt on Splenda today over at Dialed-In Nutrition. It was a very good insight into splenda and artificial sweeteners in general. I am always questioning my better judgment when it comes to my stevia consumption. I am not sure if it is better or not. If the truth is that when we ingest anything "sweet" our pancreas have learned to produce an insulin response, then is any sweetner really "safe"?? Definitely something that needs more research. What do you guys think?? Read the article and let me know your thoughts. Of course, I write this at the end of a "sweet" filled weekend...... will I ever learn? :)

R3 LM D69..... Karma, it will get you every time!

2010-06-24T06:36:00.000-07:00

We got a call from the Orem Police Dept yesterday. Wanting to know if we had a recent break in. Turns out they busted an apartment and they found our camera that was stolen, and it had a picture of the store front in it. We went down to claim it and see if they had anything else from the store. We were shocked to find a massive conference room FILLED with stolen goods from this one thief!! I mean tables and tables and tables of stuff. We got all of our HCG and stevia back. They did not have our laptops unfortunately, but we got everything else! So if you know anyone who has been robbed recently, chances are the Orem Police Dept can help them out :)

I have not been weighing and just been doing my normal routine. I had gotten pretty obsessive about the calorie tracking and realized that it was making me miserable. I remember after my first and second round I never counted one calorie. I just followed the "rules" and my weight stayed the same. I had never felt that free, and for once in my life did not have a running calorie count in my head. That is what I am missing. So, I am going to try and stay off the scale and go by the mirror, how I am feeling, and how clothes fit. With vacation coming up, I refuse to let a number affect how my vacation turns out. When I get back I will see how I have done, and might consider doing one more round at the end of summer. For now, I feel thin and clothes fit fine :) As for today, I am going to dance class and then lay by the pool before work...... ahhhh :)

R3 LM D66..... Crispy Nut Herb Fried Chicken & Self Sabotage!

2010-06-21T15:56:00.000-07:00

Photo courtesy of Marksdailyapple.com.

Does that look good or what! I love the recipe ideas over at Marksdailyapple.com! You can click on this link for the recipe:

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/crispy-nut-and-herb-fried-chicken-with-creamy-avocado/#more-13093.

I have been noticing lately that I have been more "crazy" about calories and coming up with plans to try and lose weight. I have done very well for a pretty long time and could not figure out why I am being such a nut ball. It finally dawned on me....... VACATION. In the past I would have a vacation coming up. I would be doing just great, but then would decide I needed to lose more weight and try to look better for vacation. I would start messing with my eating and exercise and start creating stress in those areas. It never failed that by the time vacation got there, I had ended up gaining weight and had become an emotional wreck. If I would have just continued with my regular plan I would have been fine. I realize that I have been doing that a little lately. I am putting a stop to that right now! I lost 75lbs! Do I have some room for improvement.... Yes! Is that a reason to become a freak and risk gaining..... NO! So- I will not try to LOSE for vacation. I will try to continue doing what I have been doing for the past year. Eating right, exercising, and loving life. Anything else just isn't worth it! It's pretty bad when we can drop 75lbs and still just be focusing on our flaws :) I am going to RELAX and look forward to enjoying my favorite place on earth ;)

R3 LM D65.... Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T06:58:00.000-07:00

I am a very lucky girl to have two wonderful men in my life:

First of all I just want to say how grateful I am for a wonderful father! I had the dad everyone wishes they had. He always made time for us and was such a great example. He works so hard for his family and never stops giving. I love you Dad!

Second, I have to say how grateful I am to my husband for being such a great father. He is so good to us, and works his butt off for us too :) My oldest has given us such a hard time, and even though it is his step son, he has never stopped trying. I don't know what I would do without him. He is truly my best friend in the world. Love you babe!

Pumpkin Almond Butter Brownies.....

2010-06-19T07:02:00.000-07:00

Photo and recipe courtesy of thisprimallife.com

Here is the recipe to the Pumpkin Almond Butter Brownies: You can also use peanut butter if you prefer. I personally will add dark choc chips ;)

Ingredients:

1 cup almond butter
¾ cup mashed pumpkin or other squash, canned or steamed
1 egg
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp baking soda

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix well. Pour into a greased 8 x 8 in pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Serves 8.

R3 LM D62.... Have you seen my pumpkin??

2010-06-17T08:02:00.001-07:00

Okay, I would like to know where you guys have put all of the canned pumpkin?? I have been to several stores and there is none! I am trying to make these delicious pumpkin almond butter brownies and I am out of luck! If you see some, let me know.

As of this morning I lost another pound so the 5.5 is officially gone :) Three days to gain it and 3 days to lose it. I can live with that. The sun is out today which makes me happy. I think I will go to dance class and then lay by the pool for an hour before work. Then tonight the chaos of furniture moving will begin..... I need to rest up for that right?? :)

R3 LM D61.....

2010-06-16T07:18:00.000-07:00

Down another 2 lbs this morning! Gotta love that. Just one more and the 5.5 lbs is gone. Nice to know that I can correct it back as easy as I put it on :) Spent most day of the cleaning and painting yesterday. I have to work this morning and then paint all night. The carpet arrives Friday morning and everything has to be ready. I am happy for the new flooring, but I will be even happier when its all done :0) Hope you all have a great day!

R3 LM D60...

2010-06-15T07:21:00.000-07:00

Wow, it has been awhile since my last post. First of all I had been zig zagging calories. I had huge drops and then as soon as I got back to my usual weight of 149.4 it just stayed there. Then the weekend came and everything went to hell :) We are having all of our floors redone. This weekend was the hardwood and next weekend is all the carpet. So I had no stove, dishwasher etc. We ended up eating out all weekend and I paid for it! 3 days of fast foods and treats equals 5.5lbs! So yesterday was a steak day. I lost 2.5lbs this morning and will just follow program to get the rest off :) But now I have one month till vacation so I gotta get my butt in gear! On a better note here are some photos of the transformation!

The only problem now is that the rest of the house looks like a war zone covered in sawdust! AND the counters now stick out like a sore thumb! Those will be next!

R3 LM D55.....

2010-06-09T07:11:00.001-07:00

Down another -1.2 this morning! Yesterday was so beautiful. I went running around the lake and then went and laid by the pool before work. It was a busy day there, and then I came home and played volleyball till I couldn't move anymore :) I ended the day in the hot tub and then crashed! My abs are so sore from Monday! I guess I need to work them out more often :) Here was yesterday:

R3 LM D54....

2010-06-08T07:38:00.000-07:00

Okay, I am off to a great start! I lost 2 lbs yesterday!! I did the lowest of my zigzag calories yesterday since I had such a "FREE" weekend :) I did dance class for an hour and then 90 abs with 2 one minute planks. I felt really good and am happy I got some good results! The sun is out this morning so I am going running and to lay by the pool before work! Here was yesterday:

R3 LM D53....Chicken Curry Clafoutis!

2010-06-07T06:31:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it is June and I just barely turned on the AC, and spent our first weekend at the pool! It's about time :) I am loving the sunny weather and loving that school is out. I was checking out Marks Daily Apple and found this yummy looking recipe! This is curry chicken, but you can make it sweet rather than savory too! Click here to get the recipe. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/chicken-curry-clafouti/

I am noticing that it is harder to keep free days to once a week. Lately they seem to crossover from Sat into Sun.... :) I still correct it back over the week but I don't like the habits I am forming. I am a perfectionist/overachiever type. The HCG diet is perfect for that. You always have a goal and rules to follow for each phase. I am great at achieving goals! BUT- in lifetime maintenance there is no more goal I am trying to achieve in the next month. This is very hard for me. I am leaving for my vacation in the middle of July. So I have about 5 weeks. I think I am going to give myself a new challenge. I would like to lose 5lbs and see if I can get back to my original LIW of 144.4 before I added in exercise. I will zig zag my calories and try to average 1650 to lose. I will also just do one free hour a week like I had planned originally. I will keep up with my same workouts, but I am going to try to do core everyday for swimsuit season :) Here is a sample of the fat loss zig zag I will follow in the middle column.

R3 LM D51.....

2010-06-04T09:40:00.000-07:00

I must have blinked and a month went by! TOM showed up today and I had no idea. Because I am not weighing all the time I did not get to see the scale go up and then wonder if TOM was coming :) That does however, explain the recent constipation, and puffy feeling :)

Work is back to normal and we have gotten the store put in. We now carry all of the products most used and needed for protocol and maintenance. All in one place!! So if you know any one who needs supplies for any phase send them on in! We have stevia, yerba mate, breadsticks, salad dressing, spices, smooth move, books, scales, freeze dried fruits, almond flour, cookbooks, sugar free chocolates, protein bars/shakes and more!!

Life is good. Maintenance is great. I will be taking our annual vacation for 2 weeks soon and can hardly wait. We go to Lake Chelan, Wa. to the family lake cabin every year. It is heaven on earth!

R3 LM D50......Caveman Cookies!

2010-06-03T07:43:00.000-07:00

In all of my "paleolithic" endeavors, I came across these Caveman Cookies. They are made with almond flour and honey is the sweetener. There have only 5-7 ingredients and are all natural. They were kind enough to send some to review. They come in 2 flavors: traditional and tropical. They were both excellent! Very sweet and chewy. They come in bags of 6 or 12. The traditional reminded me of an oatmeal raisin, and the the tropical has macadamias and coconut which are my favorite! It is so hard to find a treat that is not filled with sugar, chemicals and preservatives. For those in maintenance, this is a very nice option :)

Original Cavemen Cookies are made with honey, almond flour, walnuts, raisins, ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon.

Tropical Cavemen Cookies are made with almond flour, honey, unsulfured coconut, macadamia nuts, and ginger.

To order go to: www.cavemancookies.com!!

R3 LM D46...

2010-05-30T09:39:00.001-07:00

Photo courtesy of World of Mysteries.

I was just reading an article over at World of Mysteries. They show all of the popular drinks from Vitamin Water to Rockstar to Starbucks. Along with many of the favorite drinks at fast food restaurants. The kicker is they have pictures of the drinks with an example of their sugar equivalent along side them!!! HOLY CRAP!! That really puts things into perspective :) Click here to see the article: http://worldmysteries9.blogspot.com/2010/05/harmful-drinks-in-america.html.

Had a great free day yesterday, and am back on track to day! The sun is out, and supposed to get even warmer from here on out. Just got back from a walk around the lake, and will probably go play volleyball at the park a little later.... have a great holiday weekend!

R3 LM D45.... Maintenance Photos!

2010-05-28T08:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I said I would be accountable and keep up with photos. So here is today. The first photo is at the end of my 3rd round on 3/4/10 (with a lot of self tanner :). The second is 4/9/10. And the last is today at 5/29/10. It has been almost 3 months since my last round. My weight in the first photo is 144.4 my original LIW. The second is 149.8 after adding excercise and locking in. The last is today at 149.4 where I seem to want to stay.

After scrutinizing as much as I can, I think they pretty much look the same. I do think things are slowly tightening up with the exercise. I still wish my butt and thighs looked better, but overall I am pleased with the maintenance. Let me know what you think. As usual, I could be off my rocker and you guys will tell me to consider another round:) Then again when I put in in perspective, I really can't complain..... :)

R3 LM D44......

2010-05-28T06:56:00.000-07:00

As of this morning I am same weight as last week: 149.4! So here is what I have found. If I have one free day on Saturday, then I just have to follow my normal eating pattern and I will be back to 149.4 by Thursday. If I have 2 free days on the weekend, then I do a steak day on Monday, then follow the my regular program and am back to 149.4 by Friday. It works like clockwork so far :) So easy and I love my food. I think I will take another round of photos tomorrow morning to compare to the end of my last round. It has been over a month since the last ones and my weight is exactly the same this morning. I know I could lose another 12lbs or so and have toyed around with another round, but the hubby doesn't want me to. He likes curvy girls :) And probably to make my butt get smaller, I would have to look emaciated everywhere else. I am okay for now, and he would always support me no matter what. So I am just going to enjoy life until I really feel the need to do it again :) Here was yesterday: