R2 D22-27 - My time flies!

I forgot to blog the last few days. I've been fighting a cold and experiencing TOM. Between those things and doing the discipline of the HCG diet I've been pushing myself to accomplish everything. Here are my weight loss results to date.

D23 -.2
D24 -1.6
D25 -.4
D26 -.4
D27 -1.6

Total of -4.2 This brings me to a total of 22.0 lost. I have 13 more injections to go and 16 more days of 500 calories. I can't wait to get to eat cheese again!! Because I was having such a slow few days I researched online and did start eating 3 macadamia nuts each day from day 22-26. Yesterday, I skipped the them and then had a big drop this morning. I've eaten only authorized foods every day with no cheating on anything. I am doing the ACV tonic before each meal now too. I also went back to cycle and sitting 15 min in the sauna yesterday and am off TOM as of this morning. YAY! I had really hoped to lose a pound a day through this round but it hasn't happened. I'm grateful for what I have lost though. Dreaming big if I could just have 10 more pounds off though I would be so happy. Can't wait to get on Phase 3 and start weight lifting and turning myself into a lean mean fighting machine!

R2 P2 Day 22 - Feeling Great!!

I'm feeling great! I only lost.2 on the scale though so that was a bummer. At this rate I will end up needing a round 3. I went to the gym this morning and worked off my frustration. After Spin class, sauna, yoga class, and some light arm weights I was feeling positive about my body. Even if I don't lose the amount I want to lose I know my body is looking better than it has in a long time and I'm certain in the end I will reach my goal. I've been researching ways to lose more weight on HCG. I am going to try drinking Apple Cider Vinegar - 3 tbsp before each meal. Today, I did something new for me while on this diet. I had a vanilla protein shake and added a couple of drops of chocolate stevia. It was good! Tonight, my hubby and I are going to a ballroom dance social. There is going to be an instructor giving lessons. It is so much fun to plan dates and things to do separate from food and restaurants. Makes life more exciting! I'm also considering trying to incorporate some macadamia nuts (3-5) on days when I work out a lot of am stalling. I found several people who tried it and it worked for them. Better run get ready to go. We are leaving in an hour to go to the social. I didn't plan what to wear yet. Everything is big in my closet. I hope I can find something that will work...yikes!

R2 Day 20-21 - Shrinking Daily

YAY! I'm down 1.6 more pounds over the last two days. Total lost is 17.8 pounds and 9 1/2 inches during Round 2. I checked and was at 19.5 at this point in Round 1 so I'm close to the same. Total with HCG is 34.2 pounds and 27 inches. It is amazing! I'm smaller than I have been in over 20 years. It feels amazing!! I put on single digit slacks yesterday for work. Size 8!! I'm so excited about it! Everything is running smooth. My energy is high and I'm eating right on protocol. I really want to lose 20 more pounds over the last part of this round but am not sure if it is possible. I would have to average a pound a day and have absolutely NO STALLS! I have 19 more days to go. Tonight, I'm going to try out a new Hip Hop aerobics class. Sounds like a fun change. I love the Latin Heat and want to go back to class next week.

For lunch today I had grilled chicken and made a cucumber salad. I am keeping up my water intake of 96 oz every day but it makes me so cold inside...today it is cold here and I'm struggling through my second half of my water intake. Once I get down with the 96 oz of pure water I allow myself to have mineral water with stevia or a fresh squeezed lemonade. It is a game I play with myself to allow myself a treat. HAHA - I'm amazed at my willpower and so thankful for the results!

R2D17-19 - I Feel Fabulous!

The last three days have been extremely busy. I stalled for the 3rd day in a row on D17. I lost 1.7 pounds on day 18 but didn't weigh in today. I know I'm losing again though. My clothes are all loose. This morning I went to spin at 5:45am and that is why I didn't weight. On Day 18 I tried out a Latin Heat dance aerobic class at the gym and LOVED it!! I am def going to go back. My meals the last couple of days have been really light and I haven't been hitting 500 calories. Today, I ate the last of my frozen meatballs with marinara, 2 apples, scrambled eggs with dill and a piece of melba toast. I can't wait to see what the scale shows in the morning!!

R2 Day 16 - Overcoming Mexican Food

Well, I have a huge accomplishment to share with you. My hubby is astounded at my willpower. Last night we had a dinner party with some friends. Well, the host scheduled it to be at a Mexican restaurant. I thought ahead and was not sure I would be able to resist the temptations. I was certain my willpower would waiver and I would give in to the cheese dip and salsa with chips. Amazingly, I withheld. I took my boiled eggs and the seasonings for the lemon chili dressing with me in my purse and simply ordered a side salad of lettuce only. The smells were hard to resist but overall I felt in control and very proud of myself for staying on plan.

The scale wasn't so nice to me again today. I'm assuming the teeth whitening did me in for a stall. I even drank smooth move tea last night hoping the scale would show loss. I stepped on it about 15 time because it kept changing. I was down .8 from yesterday which is the same as the WI on day 14. Frustrated beyond words about it but there is nothing I can do now except keep on keeping on.

I'm really fatigued today. Was so blah yesterday afternoon I napped for a couple of hours. I need to look back at Round 1 and see if I felt this way at this stage then too. I felt light-headed this morning at church too. My muscles are really sore but in a good way because of my 1st Yoga session yesterday morning. I forgot to mention that yesterday. I want to be able to contort my body like that so I'm going to keep going.

Here's my menu today:
Lunch: Meatballs & Kohlrabi chips
Snack: 1/2 Apple of Applesauce (pureed an apple with stevia drops, nutmeg, and cinnamon)
Dinner: Lemon Pepper Tilapia & Asparagus
Dessert: 1/2 Apple of Applesauce
Calories - 484

R2 Day 15 - Ugh! The scale makes me MAD!

So, here I am rocking and rolling and really enjoying Phase 2 and then the scale goes and pulls THAT on me! I ate perfectly yesterday but I gained .6 today. This goes to show that everything spoken of when it comes to getting enough sleep and chemicals by Dr. Simeon is correct. You see, I couldn't sleep because of a headache so I took two excedrin migraine pills and tried to go back to sleep. It wired me up so much that it was 2am and I was still not asleep. The difference in the way my body reacts to things when I'm doing this HCG diet is foreign to me. Anyway, I got up and decided to whiten my teeth and put some mineral oil lotion on my feet because they looked gross on the bottom. Well, obviously getting up at 2 in the morning and using that lotion and whitening my teeth was not to my advantage. I did go to sleep after and got 7 hours of sleep but the scale was not friendly to me. Actually, it makes me so mad because every time I stepped on it I weight something different. I got on it about 8 times and finally took the lowest weight since it was varying 3 pounds each time. I agree with one of the girls I follow who said the scale is a mind game. I hate weighing everyday!

Today, I ate:
Lunch: 5 shrimp with spinach stir fry - (I took 4 cups of fresh spinach and sautueed it with 1 teaspoon of onion, 1 tsp of fresh jalapeno, 1 tsp minced garlic, two drops of liquid stevia)My new fav!
Snack: Pink Lady Apple
Dinner: 1 whole boiled egg & 2 boiled whites, 2 cups of green salad with a lemon chili dressing & 1 melba toast. (lemon chili dressing, fresh lemon with chili powder, garlic, salt and pepper)Lemon soda (lemon juice, tonic water & vanilla cream stevia)
Calories: 348

R2 Day 14 - 2 more pds - love it!

Day 14 - Another 2 pounds! WOWSERS! I'm happy with 1 pound loss but two makes me super happy. I've decided to hold off on anything but really light workouts until I'm finished with Round 2 because it may have been causing my body to lose slower. Today, I'm going to eat:

Lunch: spinach salad and 2 egg whites with 1 whole egg boiled & chopped on top of the salad with apple cider vinegar dressing and a bread stick.
Snack: Orange Julius - blend the whole orange with a little ice and vanilla cream stevia.
Dinner: Lemon Pepper Tilapia and dill & jalapeno cucumber salad. 1 melba toast & lemonade.
Snack: Pink Lady Apple (they are one of the sweetest I can find right now)
Total Calories: 472

I'm continually drinking 96 oz of water each day - no matter what!

R2D 13 - 2 pounds! YOWSERS!

Day 13 - I'm so excited to say I am figuring some important things out about this HCG diet, my body and the best results. Last night I drank some Smooth Move Chocolate Flavored Herbal Tea to see if it would help. My diet consisted of no red meat.

Lunch: 1 boiled egg with 1/2 of a cucumber sliced with a little salt.
Dinner:1 whole kohlrabi made into chips, 6 cooked shrimp and a piece of melba toast with lemonade.
Snack: Pink Lady Apple
Calories: 338 - I was too full to eat anymore

I loved the new recipe I found using a root vegetable called kohlrabi. Another successful HCGer said it was one of his favorite staples when made into chips. My recipe is below. Am thrilled to lose 2 more pounds this morning! Can't beat that! I decided to hold off on the workout and see if that was influencing the loss too. I'm feeling so great about myself and the progress. The other important things is that I'm not hungry this time. I haven't needed the supplement or anything extra to get by because I'm completely satisfied.

Kohlrabi chips - Slice the pieces as thin as possible. Sprinkle with a little soy sauce, amino or salt to taste. Put the slices in a paper towel and zap it for 2 minutes in the microwave to get it a little softer. Bake on 400 for 10 min each side. Take them out and turn the oven on broil and put them on the top rack for about 5 min until a little crispy. My first time with Kohlrabi. I'm in love! ; ) - I found the amino spray at my local health food store called Central Market. It is by Bragg and is an all natural vegetable protein. Considered an all purpose seasoning and is a soy protein. Can be used as a soy sauce or just spray for flavor on everything. Cool stuff. I'm excited about finding it. Has no calories or fat grams.

R2P2D 11-12

Day 11 - 2 pound loss on the scale. I was hoping the stall yesterday was just the scale not truth. Today was a day I had to plan ahead because I was working from 2-9. The site was close to 2 hours from home so I had to leave at noon when I would normally have my first meal. Thankfully, my meatballs and pre-cooked george foreman grilled chicken was already portioned into ziplock bags for me to put into a cooler. My favorite way to eat the apples is sliced so I bought a slicer that you push down over the apple and it cuts it into sections. I prepared two and put them in my cooler as well. In order to make sure I drink my water I pre-filled up two water jugs that together equal 96 oz and took those with me as well. One of the girls who I work with immediately commented that she saw a huge change in my neck and face since she saw me last. YAY! That is exactly what I wanted to hear. I'm thankful for the willpower to continue on this journey!

Day 12 - 1 pound gain.....?? Really? I don't understand? I ate exactly on plan and didn't do a single thing off protocol. I sleep in this morning because I didn't get home and in bed until around midnight which gave me 9 hours off sleep so it isn't that. Last time in Round 1 my body responded better to eggs than it did meat. I wish there was a way to do this diet without meat or with only poultry so I'm going to try that today. Meals today include: 2 egg whites and one whole egg scrambled, 1 breadstick, serving of meatballs, marinara, and two apples. Hopefully, the scale will go down in the morning. My plan is to stop focusing on the gain today, I'm focusing on the other 11 pounds I have lost already. Am typing this wearing my skinny jeans and a fitted shirt. That feels GREAT! The scale is only an outwards sign of what is happening inside. My self-confidence has increased and people can see an outward difference. Maybe I will stop the daily weighing and do it every two or three days. No need to mentally torture myself. I still have 28 days to go and my mind can't even imagine the results that can happen in that amount of time with this plan. It has been three days since my last workout and I can feel it. I need to get to the gym. Since I haven't been taking the supplement I don't have as much energy and my muscles feel kinda weak. Not sure I can make it today to exercise so tomorrow morning I will get back at it.

R2P2D10 - 10 pounds in 10 days ROCKS!

Day 8 - I went a little crazy on Saturday. I love the rush of working out. So, I did an hour spin class, 30 min of weight training and sat 15 min the sauna. Let's just say that doing that much on 500 calories IS NOT RECOMMENDED! You would think I would know better but nope. I had to rest most of the day. I haven't increased my calories inspite of working out but haven't been hungry either. I know it is because of the supplement I'm taking.

Day 9 - Sunday brought a big challenge to me. We went on a day trip and on the way my family stopped to eat Taco Bell. I had planned ahead and brought a cooler with a garlic seasoned grilled chicken tenderloin and ziplock of celery. Sitting in the car eating my little meal and watching them eat made me feel mad inside...lol - I realized I can't be mad at myself for needing to lose weight. I have to continue taking control and making the difference in my life one step at a time.

Day 10 - My stomach looks so flat, I can't believe it! This morning my hubby said if I keep losing weight I will look like I'm going to blow away. haha - I wish I looked that way. At my dental office the girls said I looked great. Comments like these are HUGE motivators. Each day is a challenge but is worth every minute of the journey! Today, I didn't even need the supplement to help with hunger. Am doing just fine without it. I didn't go to cycle class this morning because my back is hurting a lot right now. I'm not sure what I did but I figured I better take it easy to avoid further pain. I didn't have a loss on the scale this morning....It feels so weird to be upset that in one day there was no change or loss on the scale. The thing is, I know what happened to cause a stall today. I used a gel pack on my back for pain yesterday. I was concerned but did it anyway because I wanted relief before acting class. Oh well, there is always tomorrow for more of a loss.

Never give up on your dreams you might just be one day away from success!! I'm asking to God to help me have the strength and rejoicing daily when I see results.

On the Road Again! ~ R2P2D7

I'm feeling fabulous on this round. I completed my two loading days on the 30-31st and started the 500 calories on Jan 1. There are a few things I'm doing different this round. Major difference is that I am taking a supplement that is helping cut down on my hunger and has majorly increased my energy level. I've lost 8 pounds in 7 days. Another big change is that I'm working out this round. I have been doing an intense cycle class at 5:45am on M,W,F and 9:15 on Saturday the last few weeks and have kept it up on the HCG diet. Amazingly, I am sustaining the workout just fine. Doing this second round is much easier than the first round. I know the foods I like the best and am sticking to them. I made several serving of my favorite meal and am eating it often. It seems to help if I cook ahead and freeze ziplock bags of my meals. My favorite meal is meatballs with a tomato marinara. Yummy! I will post the recipe below so you can try it if interested. A pound of ground beef makes around 6 meals.

On the last round I cheated on Phase 3 and didn't stick to it for 21 days. Because of it I didn't stabilize and gained back 7 pounds. Thankfully, that is all off now! My plan this round is to go 40 days and then stick to the 21 days of Phase 3 faithfully! I love this diet!! Can't wait for the results and the bikini I will be able to wear this summer!!

Meatballs -
100 grams ground beef (I use lean grass fed)
grind 1 piece of melba toast or breadstick in food processor
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
1 tablespoon of italian seasoning
...Mix it all together and make 4-5 small meatballs - bake on 400 for about 15 min.

Marinara - Cut a tomato in half and remove the seeds. Place the two halves down and put it in the oven on broil until the skin peels up and gets black. Remove from oven and remove peeling. Smash the tomato up in a bowl and add 1 teaspoon of italian seasoning, garlic and 5 drops of plain stevia. Microwave it for 1 min.

It really is so yummy! It is my favorite to fix next to a shake and bake style chicken where I grind the melba toast, season it and coat my chicken before baking it for 20 min. YUM!