R2P2D18

Lost 1.2 lbs!

Was a pretty tame day yesterday.  Ate what I was supposed to.  Didn't eat what I wasn't.  Blah, blah, blah.  I even tortured myself by looking at some new cookbooks.  I love reading cookbooks, but dang, that is hard on a Phase 2 HCG girl.

I know that I am growing weary of the limited choices on this diet.  I did last time too.  You see, I am a novelty seeker.  I get tired of repetition very quickly.  I am like this in all aspects of my life, not just food.  I usually don't re-read books, I don't re-see movies, I don't watch reruns on TV.  I'm just funny that way.  Sigh. 

I am glad I am just doing 4 weeks this time cause I have less than 2 weeks left.  My last shot will be Sunday, the 10th.   Then the 72 hours of no shots but staying on the VLCD and then I am in P3 on Oct 13th!  I am SOOOO excited!  I have tons of new recipes to try and share with you for P3. 

Anyhoo, back to work, work, work!

Enjoy the day,
Amy

R2P2D17

Another 0.9 lost.  Inching down the scale.  I am basically back to my first round LIW.

My presentation that had me SO stressed out the last few days went really well.  I am so glad to have that done and out of the way.

Last night I went out with a friend and made good choices.  I am so proud.  We ate at my favorite burger place and I had the patty wrapped in lots of lettuce with some mustard.  The burger is so good there that I am totally satisfied with it eating it that way.  Actually, I am used to eating their burgers wrapped in lettuce cause I can't eat their wheaty buns due to my Celiac disease.

Anyway, kept it to the burger (no fries, not even 1, no shake, etc).  We had time to kill before our movie so we played around and tried on clothes.  I was so excited to be trying on clothes outside the Plus-section and have them fit.  I cannot wait to go clothes shopping in a few weeks.  I have zero fall and winter clothing that fits.  And now my choices will be even greater.

The movie was awesome.  We saw "Easy A" and it was so good.  I had my doubts walking into it, but I came out saying I loved it and want to own it.  It was very much like all the John Hughes movies I loved when I was in High School and College.

And I didn't have ANY popcorn.  It was $1 popcorn night too.  Thanks to my buddy Kim for not getting any popcorn either.  She waited until the end of the movie and got some to take home to her hubby.

I am amazed at my will power when I am doing this program.  I think part of it is being totally off carbs.  I guess they really affect me more than I know.  Once I start eating them I go nuts and eat them all the time.  And not just carbs, I seem to lose all perspective on other foods too.  I really need to watch myself once I get back to P4.

Okay, tooted my horn enough. 

Enjoy the day!
Amy

R2P2D16

Okay, quick post.  I have a HUGE presentation at work today and I have to get back to prepping for that.

Lost 0.9 lbs yesterday.  Not bad, but miss those over 1 lb losses.  Funny how this program changes your perspective.  I remember when I was doing Weight Watchers, I would be thrilled with a 1-2 lb loss in a week.  A week!  Now I am bummed if I have less than 1 lb in a day. 

Last thing.  I have to toot my own horn.  Toooooot!  Despite being major stressed out about this presentation, I have not strayed from the program.  Oh, I have wanted to.  I was thinking about all kinds of carbs and fats yesterday (my comfort foods).  But I didn't do it.  That took some mental energy, let me tell you!

Okay, back to work.

Enjoy the day,
Amy

R2P2D15

Ugh.  I have been away from home.  I only lost 1.0 lbs since I last posted 3 days ago.  What the heck??

While I didn't have a scale (body or food scale) I did follow program pretty closely.  I say pretty closely because I had 1 (one!) latte made with coconut milk and sweetened with Stevia.  I indulged in this during a similar weekend away during the last round and it had no effect.  Apparently it did this time.  I also had to guesstimate my food portions.  Could have been a bit off here.  Whatever.  At least I didn't gain any weight.

And today, well, I feel like crap.  I am exhausted and I can't be.  I have a big presentation, representing my whole work group, in front of my boss (the big boss, not just a supervisor) tomorrow.  I am still working on the damned presentation and all I really want to do is lay down and sleep.

Okay, will make copious amounts of tea and just get this done.

I have to.

Enjoy the day,
Amy

R2P2D11

I could not believe it when I hopped on the scale today and saw a 2.0 pound loss!  This diet continues to amaze and motivate me.

Yesterday could have been challenging, but I made it work.  I had some yummy fresh crab and cucumbers for lunch.  That was no problem.  It was the afternoon that was tricky.  My daughter was having a short play date and they asked me to make them popcorn.  Popcorn!  It is one of my weaknesses.  I knew if I popped some I would have a very hard time resisting it.  I also knew that I wouldn't be able to give her a good reason why I couldn't pop it if I refused.  (She is 8, she asks why for every answer I give her).  So, I lied (okay lying isn't great, but it was really a white lie to save myself for a good reason).   I said we didn't have any and then I proceeded to run into the kitchen and hide it.  Problem solved.  They had other things that don't set me off down the crazy path.

We took her friend home and she went to her dance class.  I had an hour to kill and thought I would get some tea and have my apple snack.  Then it occurred to me that by the time DD was out of dance class and I got her home, I would have to leave again right away in order to make it on time to her school for curriculum night.  No time to eat!  I knew I couldn't wait until I got home so I made a quick adjustment to my schedule.  I saved my apple and instead had dinner a little early.  At a great local burger place I got a patty wrapped in a huge lettuce leaf and some extra lettuce.  Served with some mustard, it was perfect!

I was able to get through curriculum night easily and had my apple after the kids went to bed. 

Yay me!

Hope you find similar ways to stick with your HCG protocol despite your busy schedules.

Enjoy the day,
Amy

R2P2D10

Another 0.8 lbs down. I'll take it!

Had a pretty good day yesterday. My pilates class was pretty intense. I sweat a lot more when I am on HCG. I try to bring extra water to compensate, but forgot yesterday. Felt like I was trying to catch up on my hydration for most of the day.

I followed the protocol. We had a nice grilled white fish seasoned with some onion salt and pepper. The fam gobbled it up. I enjoyed a nice side dish of cherry toms, basil, a little crushed, fresh garlic, a splash of vinegar and salt and pepper. This is a great time of year to do HCG because of the bounty of fresh fruits and veggies I can get from my local farmer's market.

I was really tired in the evening, but that is probably from the pilates. I have decided that I am not going to walk the 5k in the Race for the Cure on 10/10/10. I will still be in P2. 3.2 miles seems really ambitious when 1.5 on my treadmill wears me out. I will still do my walking a few times a week, just not train.

Okay, gotta work!

Enjoy the day,
Amy

R2P2D9

Lost another 1.2 lbs! Love it!

Had a rough night last night. My daughter had her ballet class scheduled from 5:15-6:30. My husband was at a board meeting so I was on my own. I had planned to take the kids to the fisherman's market and I would have some crab. The problems started when her class ran over until 7:00! That is way late for us to eat dinner; both me and my 3 year old were wrecked. My daughter was ravenous.

We stuck with the plan and went to the Fisherman's Market. I ordered the crab dinner which came with salad and chowder. Got the kids some stuff too. Fear not, I was not even tempted by the chowder (it has gluten and I cannot do that). But my salad sucked. The tomatoes, if you can call them that, were white so they were out. The cucumbers were bitter, so no go. And the lettuce was totally unappealing. I shelled my crab and ate what I thought was a portion. I brought all the rest home to save in HCG okay portions.

But, I was still very hungry and I just couldn't bring myself to do the right thing and eat some veggies. I ate, not 1, but 2, low-fat cheese sticks. Yikes! Sort of helped, but I was off for the rest of the night. Didn't eat anymore, but felt cranky and just off. Sigh.

I was very glad to see a loss this morning. Shouldn't run into anymore nights like that for this round. Phew!

Enjoy the day,
Amy

R2P2D8

Quite a weekend, let me tell you! Net loss of 2.8 lbs. Woot! Tweet! Wahoo!

Woke up Sat morning to a very nice loss (2.4lbs!). Faced a home football game with a tailgater and I stayed on program! Woot! Yay me! It was tricky. Had to walk a couple of miles both to and from the stadium. Was pretty shaky on the way there but did great on the way back. Ate my apple at the game. When I got home from the game I ate dinner. I wasn't hungry the rest of the night and I had a ton of energy. I couldn't believe it.

Then I woke up Sunday morning to a small gain (+.4). I was very sad, but assumed it was all the walking. Inflammation?? No, TOM. It arrived about an hour after I weighed/injected. Now the gain makes sense. Had a ton of energy and very little hunger all day. Loving it! I think overall I am doing better this round.

And you know what? I only had those hypothyroid symptoms that one day. Have been fine every other day so I haven't started my supplemental T3.

Wow, I am doing great!

Hope you are too!
Enjoy the day,
Amy

R2P2D5

Down another 1.2lbs. Yay!

Even though this is my second round I am still delighted and amazed at how well this works. I mean, yes, you could lose this kind of weight by eating only 500 calories a day, but it would be HELL. I can't even imagine doing it without the hormone helping my body digest the fat for the energy it needs on such a low call program. You would also lose A TON of lean muscle mass on 500 cals without HCG. It would be crazy!

Had a pretty good day yesterday. Hunger wasn't too bad in the evening. It was there, just not as overwhelming as it has been. Good.

Bad news is that I think my thyroid is already having issues. Yesterday my hands were so icy cold. Nothing I did warmed them up. Nothing, that is, until I took my thyroid in the afternoon and about 40 mins later they miraculously warmed up. I had thyroid resistance issues last time so I am prepared for it this round. Basically what happens in my body is that my thyroid system is not fooled by the HCG. For some reason it doesn't see the extra fat release as operation calories. All it sees it that I am ingesting around 500 calories. So it goes it to survival hyper-drive and starts cranking out thyroid hormone blockers called reverse T3. The solution for me is to take my normal thyroid meds and supplement them with synthetic T3 meds.

In my last round I didn't start the extra thyroid until about week 3. I do not know if this is because I ignored the symptoms longer last time (chalking it up to the diet's side effects) or if it is just hitting me earlier this round. Doesn't really matter cause I have the meds I need and I will start taking them.

Anyone else out there with a thyroid change while on HCG protocol? My doc said about 25% of his patients have issues, but I want to know if you independent HCGers have had these symptoms: cold hands and feet, general coldness that is hard to shake, increased hair loss, dry skin and fatigue...Just curious.

Enjoy today,
Amy

R2P2D4

Down .8lbs! I'll take that.

Yesterday was a bit rough. I was stuck in a stressful meeting from 11-1 yesterday. By the time I got out I was starving, but was unable to eat because I had to leave to pick up my daughter from school. I didn't get a chance to eat until 2:00. By then I was feeling terrible and was a total witch. I told my girl to give me 10 min to eat and 10 min to get normal before she tried to have a discussion with me. I felt much better after my shrimp on green salad.

Dinner last night was tasty. I made scrambled eggs, toast and fruit for the family and a yummy tomato frittata for me. My kids LOVE breakfast for dinner. I split my tomato allowance in half. I used one half in the frittata and one half to make a yummy topping for the frittata. Here is how I made it:

Tomato Frittata
3 egg whites
1 whole egg
cherry tomatoes (allowed amount)
1 Tbs onion powder or dried, minced onion
1 Tbs water
salt and pepper, to taste
1 Tbs vinegar
basil (I used 1 Tbs fresh, but you could use 1 tsp dried)
1 clove garlic crushed or minced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut cherry tomatoes in half. Use half of the amount of the tomatoes to line a small, oven proof skillet or a parchment paper lined baking pan (so it won't stick). Whip together egg and egg whites and water. Add onion powder, salt and pepper; mix well. Pour egg white mixture over tomatoes.

If you are using the parchment and baking pan, you can put this in the oven right away and back for 15-20 min, but keep checking for doneness (eggs will be set).

If you are using a saute pan, you can pre-cook the bottom of the frittata over medium heat. Careful not to over cook. I did it just until the edges of my eggs started to look dry. Move the pan into the oven and bake for about 10 more minutes or until the eggs are set.

Topping: While the frittata is baking, take remaining cherry tomatoes and toss them with the vinegar, basil, garlic and more salt and pepper, to taste. Stir occasionally until the frittata is done.

Move the frittata from the pan to a plate (I usually invert the pan and dump the frittata onto my plate) and top with the tomato vinegar mixture. Server and enjoy!

Makes one serving (1 protein and 1 veg)



Enjoy today,
Amy

R2P2D3

Another 1.8 lbs lost. Woot!

Yesterday was pretty good until I decided to push and do some time on my treadmill. Wow, it really wiped me out. I was tired before I got on there, but after I was queasy and exhausted. I am hesitant to try that again, but want to keep exercising so I minimize my lean muscle mass loss.

Today went really well. I struggle most in the evenings. I am hungriest between my afternoon snack of fruit and dinner. It is all I can do to avoid eating my arm. Then dinner comes along and I sometimes fill up before I am done with my servings. Weird, huh?

Okay, so I promised you the recipe for my Spicy Chicken Stir-fry and here it is. As usual, sub liquid aminos if your program involves pH levels.



Spicy Chicken Stir-fry (per serving)
100g chicken, cut into 1" cubes
equal parts soy sauce and rice vinegar (I use about 2-3 Tbs per serving of chicken)
Celery, sliced, allowed amount
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tsp fresh ginger root, minced
1/4 C chicken broth + more for stir-frying
1-2 tsp additional soy sauce
1 tsp additional rice vinegar
1 tsp dried, minced onions
1-2 tsp Sambal Oelek

Marinate chicken in equal parts soy sauce and rice vinegar for at least 30 min. Meanwhile mix sauce by combing in a small bowl the 1/4 C chicken broth, additional soy sauce, rice vinegar and dried mince onions, set aside. Drain chicken and stir-fry over med-hi heat using broth to avoid sticking/burning. Cook until chicken is browned on all sides (5-7 min). Remove chicken from pan and set aside. In more chicken broth saute the celery until it is just barely softening. Add the garlic and ginger and saute until strongly fragrant. Add sauce and cook for 1-3 min allowing to reduce just slightly. Return chicken to pan and cook another 1-3 min so chicken is heated through. (I always make this for my entire family and at this point I remove my kids portions). Stir in Sambal Oelek, cooking for about 1 more min.

Yummy!

Enjoy today,
Amy

R2P2D2

Wahoo! It's working! I lost 4.4 lbs! Much of that was loading weight, no surprise.

The first day (and what I have experienced of the second day) of VLCD is going more easily this round. I do have occasional empty stomach pangs, but no overwhelming hunger. Wahoo!

I made a yummy dinner last night, a spicy chicken stir-fry that I am excited to share with all of you. I will have to do that tomorrow or Thurs though. I am crazy busy at work and need to get back to it.

I am so happy to be back on track. Can't wait to buy myself a whole new collection of fall clothes when I am finished.

And I am already looking at another round starting in January. Think I will start the ordering process now to avoid the holiday shipping back-ups.

Enjoy today!
Amy

R2P2Day1

And here we go again.

Loading was fun. Loading was hard. Loading was uncomfortable. Loading is done; VLCD is here and so is the tea.

Started my day with a cup of my favorite tea and a splash of milk. I also had my MR shake. Remember my doc decided to swap out the calories of the melba/grissini for the higher nutritional value of the MR. Otherwise I follow the Simeon's protocol to the letter.

Not terribly hungry at 10, but will make myself another cup of tea; green this time.

So here is how things are at the start of this second round. I gained 17 lbs since my last injection weight (LIW). Not good. Remember though, I biffed P3. I ended it a week early. I don't think my system was able to totally reset. But I am still down 18 lbs from when I started the first round. I'll take it. Loading only added 3 lbs this time. I like to ignore the loading weight, but it will show on the ticker until it is off.

I am not sure how I am going to track this round. I like the ticker, but it will only show my total weight loss for both rounds. I am thinking I will find a way to post my stats on the side so people can see back to the beginning. I'll play around and see what I come up with.

Okay, busy at work so I better get back to it.

Enjoy today,
Amy

Loading...

Oh yes, I mixed up my HCG this morning. I decided to do 30 days at 150UI. I only bought one vial of HCG. Oops. I know for next time to get 2 if I want to do a full round.

And now I am loading. I am full.

And what I thought was going to be an easy weekend to load, is not. You just can't eat the kinds of foods and the quantities required for loading in front of loving family and friends. They look at you like you are trying to commit suicide by food. I guess it would help if they all knew that I was doing HCG. Problem is, I am related to a whole pile of skeptics. They would probably have me committed to a mental institution if I told them what I was doing. Better they worry about all the food I eat when I load and how little I eat when I am in Phase 2.

Okay, tons of work to do for the birthday party tomorrow.

Amy

It's Almost Time...

I cannot believe it is almost time for me to start another round. When I planned all this out, oh so long ago, Sept 11 seemed such a long way off. Now it is just days away. I chose this date for so many reasons, but one of them was because I am throwing a huge birthday party for my son. He will be 3 and I figure this is one of the last times when I can have complete control of the party. And I am doing it big time. So big time that I am exhausted. It will be a great party though. Every detail has been attended to.

Perhaps, in hindsight, this was not the best time to be gearing up for another round of HCG. I have had hardly any time to prepare for it. I did choose it so that I could load over the party weekend and start on Monday.

And I am doing this round on my own. I got great suggestions for where to buy my supplies and basic support for doing it on my own from Your HCG Coach. She is a wealth of knowledge about this diet and I encourage you to follow her personal HCG blog too.

She lists some online pharmacies on her site and I used Pharmacy Escrow. My supplies arrived in plenty of time. I got the syringes, bacteriostatic water, etc really quickly as they were shipped from the US. The actual HCG took longer as it came from overseas and had to go through customs. I was able to get a prescription from the doctor at the pharmacy for a small online exam fee. It was a great experience other than the overseas purchase cause my credit card company to freak and contact me. After I assured them that I had, indeed, made the purchase everything was fine. Good to know the credit card company has my back (well theirs really).

Now all I have to do is find time to mix my HCG and test it. No problem I will do that in between all of the party prep. AHHHHH!