R4 P3 D18....

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...

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!

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....

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...

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!!

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!!

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....

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!!

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!

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!

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...

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...

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....

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 :)