Maintaining and Thriving
Slowly getting back my taste for a variety of food. I have no craving for sugar or carbs so the detoxing worked. I been eating a variety of raw and sauteed veggies with proteins like steak and chicken. It’s a delight to eat lite and right. I’m hoping to get more strength by easing back into weight training and more cardio. I have tons of gardening and yard work to get through but was wise enough to approach the tasks with baby steps. I still have to build up my stamina from living on 500 calories a day.
I indulged in some wonderful Riesling wine over the weekend (it was MOTHER’S DAY and it was a nice compliment to cooking dinner with my 17-year old daughter). I should have drank more water but didn’t so I’m feeling a little bloat today. I’m also finishing up my menstrual cycle. I’ll be back to normal by tomorrow.
Lunch today is tuna salad with curry and cucs with seasoned salt (P2 food, but I love it)
Lots of iced tea followed by water, water and more water for the rest of the day!
I’m not hungry. I can’t stand it.
So here I am standing at the gates of the Paradise. I am entering HCG Phase 3. I can eat! I can eat bacon! I can enjoy cheese! Grilling onions? Add some red peppers and mushroom and layer that goodness on a nice juicy steak! … but instead of being deliriously hungry and craving all the yum I’ve been deprived of, I have no interest in food.
I guess I have seriously detoxed and food was my poison. I started my first P3 day with a breakfast of one green apple and some organic peanut butter. For lunch, where I thought a giant Cobb Salad would be on order, I opted for a small container of chicken salad. Some coffee with cream and Stevia throughout the day (it’s been “one of those days” and I I’ll be damned, I’m not even excited about dinner.
CURSE YOU HCG and your AMAZING FAT REDUCING MAGIC! You’ve destroyed my NOM NOM MOJO. I lost my lust for tasty grub.
On the bright side, I am looookin’ goooood and feeling oh so fine. I feel great in my clothes, I don’t have to adjust my pant waist over my pooch… because I don’t have one anymore. I am a lean, mean, non-eating machine. This is really a good thing. I can maintain this good feeling if I don’t fall back into bad eating habits and this is where the resetting of my metabolism, the magic part of HCG is working. I don’t need to eat to feel motivated to get moving. I have energy from my fat stores. My body has become accustomed to functioning in this manner and it is absolutely perfect.
I’m not complaining. I am no longer addicted to the foods I was craving 23 days ago. If I had more HCG (this was the second half of the bottle I used during my last protocol) I could have stayed on the diet for another week or so.. but I would have disappeared.
So I venture on into P3 not with trepidation but with confidence that the protocol works. Biologically and physiologically, I am a re-programmed machine. Now I just eat with care, watch the scale and enjoy my new self.
I have improved drastically in a mere 23 days. It’s AMAZING.
Now if only i could figure out what to enjoy for dinner. One thing I won’t be eating is shrimp. :P. I’ve had my share and then some.
toodles for now. I’ll check in sporadically to update my P3 progress.
Ending my HCG P2 Journey
It’s been 24 hours since my last shot of HCG and I have 48 to go before it has been eliminated from my system. After that, I am free-styling and left to my own defenses. I’ve found that P3 is more difficult than P2 only in that you truly must maintain the discipline from P2 as the food choices and quantities are much more varied. I have had 3 weeks of clean, whole food living. It would be a shame to drop good habits now. besides, when you eat well, you feel well.
Some of my favorite foods from P2 that I will carry over into P3 and beyond are:
SPINACH - Gotta love this iron-rich green. (Only buy organic)Looking forward to sauteing spinach in some olive oil with chopped garlic, some fried onions and mushrooms. Maybe toss with a sprinkling of Feta cheese… serve on the side with grilled meat like steak or even some roasted garlic chicken sausage. (I get the Trader Joe’s brand = fab.)
ENGLISH CUCUMBERS - When you need a little salty crunch. These darlins are perfect sliced in crescent moons (skin on) and lightly dipped in a mixture of Lawrey’s Seasoned Salt and a bit of garlic powder. It makes for a crunchy salty alternative to a potato chip when you crave some snack food.
CABBAGE - There’s something about this veggie that had dieters all abuzz. I don’t know what makes it so special, other then it is delicious both cooked and chopped into a slaw. I have a great Asian Slaw recipe that calls for Sesame Oil. Bring it on. And while on P2, I was making a nice full plate of boiled cabbage mixed with Guldens brown mustard, some S&P, and a dash of Paprika. Served with Chicken sausage, it was a very satisfying P2 meal and one I will likely continue to enjoy during P3 and beyond but I think I’m going to add some butter to that mix. If you have ever enjoyed a traditional Irish Corned Beef & Cabbage dinner, you know your plate is hosting not only mustard (and horseradish) but rivers of butter as well.
…… yes…… mmmmm… b u t t e r : )
STEAK - Yup. I LIKE TO EAT RED MEAT. I like it a lot. I make no apologies for that. I was a vegetarian for 2 years but came back to the red meat as it was advised by my Dr./BF that there is something found only in red meat that can not be replicated any other way and a woman’s body needs that substance. NEEDS IT. So what else could I do but to enjoy a burger after leaning that?
I do buy lean cuts and look for grass-fed and sometimes even Kosher beef. I make my own burgers out of choice ground beef as well. With any food, it has to be quality over quantity. There can’t be any short cuts.
Words to live by: PAY NOW, OR PAY LATER. Apply this mantra to every choice you make when it involved the health and well-being of you, your family and even your pets.
cheers!
I’m Baaaaaack! I’m back in the saddle again!
Excuse my Aerosmith shout-out but that was just what was running through my head this morning while getting ready for work. It’s my last injection day and my LIW (last injection weight) is 123. I was carrying 2 lbs of water weight yesterday! So this is now the number I try to stick to. Definitely though the P3 phase and for as long as I can for the next 6 months until I decide to do the protocol again.
I usually maintain for a long stretch (note Winter of 2010/11 being the exception - but what else was there to do when you are snowbound but eat, right?) and only begin to fall off the wagon when I know I am going to do the protocol again so I take advantage and start gorging a bit too soon. It’s the garbage food I eat during that period that triggers my toxicity which becomes compounded by the damn Lyme. It’s a vicious cycle in some ways, but I always look to HCG as a simple, easy solution. I know it is effective and I am convinced wholeheartedly that it is safe. With my boyfriend being not only a medical doctor as well as a Naturpath, his research alone convinced me it was safe to do this.
Again, the HCG diet is not for everyone. Most people can’t get past the injection part of it and when they hear 500 calories a day they roll their eyes and their jaws drop. I’ve never tried the drops so I can’t speak to their effectiveness. You have to be committed and dedicated to working the program. It is a short amount of time to sacrifice. I did a 42 day protocol my first time and I could have stayed on it even longer because I had so much fun dropping weight and seeing amazing results but nowadays I only need to do 21-day maintenance/detox. But trust me, it is the BOMB to see dramatic results in a short period of time.
And the best part? It re-shapes you in all the right places. You lose the “bad fat” and you re-sculpt your body. Today I saw nice definition in my arms and know that just under the thin layer of fat, there are muscles waiting to be defined. Once I am able to up my calories I can start lifting weights again to put definition and tone in those arms. And then there’s Wii Dancing that keeps the cardio as part of my routine along with lots of long walks with Napoleon.
So there you have it. 12 pounds in 21 days. And in those first 2 days of gorging I probably gained 3-4 pounds. I wake up feeling so much better! No headaches, no sluggish, tired, toxic feeling. The Lyme was starved of sugar long enough to send it packing for the time being. I’m going to try to do some sodium chlorate treatments to keep it laying low. More on that in later posts.
Finishing today and the following 2 days on the 500 cal diet while the HCG is still in my system then come Friday morning, as I awake to it being not only a Friday, but a PAY DAY to boot, I can eat…. whatever I want (except no carbs and no sugar) to any quantity I please. So cheese? Yes, please. Roasted lamb chops? Don’t mind if I do! It will be a long time before I want to eat another piece of shrimp cocktail but I’ll stick to the chicken sausages because they are delish and easy to bring to the office for lunch. Napoleon is a big fan of those too. If only I could get him on an HCG diet. My fat boy!
Happy Monday - Home Stretch and SCOTTRADE
Well Monday is winding down and I’ve managed to stay focused on work and not on food. I weighed myself this morning is saw no difference in the numbers but here’s the kicker:
Asking your BF “Do I look like I lost any weight”
BF’s wide-eyed response; YES! A LOT!! …. ~joy!
So with that said, I am perfect at the weight I am at. 125 was always my perfect weight, even in college. It will likely drop a few more pounds by the end of this week but once I start P3 I will likely go up and down for awhile and level off around 125. Perfect. Clothes fir great and I feel a whole lot less sluggish and toxic. I’m continuing to eat well into P3 and beyond so I should be good to go.
They say “Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels.” That’s a tough mantra to stick to but as it is the warm Summer season and there are no baggy sweaters to snuggle up into, it’s time to flaunt waht I got and I’m happy to report, it’s not a lot!
On a TOTALLY UNRELATED NOTE: I got a hot tip on a stock and I am ready to dive back into the fray. I don’t know why I feel so instinctual about this. My psychic self usually begins to wane after the full Moon but this has been in my head all weekend and I can’t shake it. I gotta go for it. What the Hell. Maybe all I’m going to lose these days is some unwanted toxic waste. … can I get a “CHA_CHING!”, please!
Me Want Go Home Now - and eat something
Ok, I don’t even know what HCG Day I am on. All II know is that I am not close enough to the finish line to be happy but I’m still hanging in there. Wait is pouring off despite my many handfuls of salty pretzel sticks. Individually, they are like.. nothing… right?
I sorta want to quit because I don’t ant to lose any more weight. I think I may up my protein servings soon otherwise I start looking scrawny. I CAN’T WAIT TO LIFT WEIGHTS AGAIN! If I tried that now I would die. Seriously. My arms will be looking mighty toned once I am able to “Lift Things Up and Put Them Down”.
Technically, I can’t “EAT” again until NEXT FRIDAY so this will be my last weekend to endure. My only gripe is that I can’t exert too much physical energy due to the diet protocol. There just isn’t enough calories to fuel yard work. This is a busy time of year for me and with all the crappy rainy chilly weather we’ve had, I’ve been doing a whole lotta planning and not much digging. Will carefully chose projects that don’t require too much effort…. shopping for plants is one idea… : )
Might be too soon but I’m starting to plan my first real meal. MEAT and VEGGIES and FRUIT in abundance. I’m thinking a Swiss cheese/fried mushroom & onion omelet with bacon. Frozen organic strawberries with cream and a dash of vanilla Stevia. Oh, and Deviled Eggs. I can live solely on those little bastards. mmmmm.
Crap. One week to go. I think I can. I think I can. I think I can.
P R E T Z E L S !!!
Jeezaloo! I couldn’t stop shoving them into my face. Maybe it’s because I forgot to take my shot or I’m just getting tired of this diet routine but there they were with their little salty protrusions tempting me. How their taste so perfectly complimented the slight bitterness of my green apple. Just a few…. more…. then a handful of Mr. Salty Wonderness while at my mom’s house. I felt like a carb junkie getting my long overdue fix.
But… despite my fall from HCG grace, I manages to see the scale move down another 1/2 pound this morning. I was careful to drink more water then usual so maybe that saved me. Drinking lots of water is crucial to HCG success but with this unreasonably cold weather I’m more interested in hot tea then ice water.
Well I’, in the home stretch. The light at the end of the tunnel promised bacon and eggs and I’m already sitting at my ideal weight so the rest of this HCG trip is not really a make-or-break situation. I feel good. I’ve detoxed and put my Lyme in a choke-hold at least for now. Time to slip into my Spring wardrobe. I need to shop for a new pair of jeans too. Something a little figure flattering. I worked hard for it, I might as well show it off!
To anyone who may stumble across this blog while you journey through the highs and lows of the HCG diet protocol, I salute you and share with you the knowledge that this is indeed the best way to lose weight and feel great. I’m amazed its not more mainstream.
cheers!0
12 days in - there’s light at the end of the HCG tunnel
Howdy! (nobody’s really reading this but me, seriously)
But for the record, I am 12 days on the HCG wagon. I’ve lost 11 pounds and have my routine and menus down pretty well. It takes a lot od planning to get the meals down and keep the fridge stocked. When I need to eat, there had better be a cuke on hand in an emergency.
Weekends are always challenging and so are dinner dates out with the girlz. I survive by ordering a plain grilled or blackened chicken breast with lemon (if it’s not seasoned) along with a side order of coleslaw. The slaw is basically 90% cabbage with just a slight bit of carrot and maybe a pinch of sugar in the base. I let it drain so I only eat the cabbage with minimum dressing. It works. I still see the scale move down the next morning. And I can enjoy eating out at a diner without feeling cheated. NOTE: It’s best to stick to diners where these items are staples on the menu.
I already feel I’ve attained the weight I want to stay at but if more pounds come off, I have that much more room to gain and keep some on once I get back into my normal eating routine.
The BIG PLUS here is that I feel 100% better then I did before I started the diet. I no longer feel sluggish. I don’t wake up with headaches and this being allergy season, I still feel quite healthy save for a bit of a stuffy nose from time to time. So there is no doubt that the HCG diet benefits me in more ways then just weight management. Twice a year I detox, re-gain healthy eating habits and give my Lyme a swift kick in the ass by depleting its hunger for sugar. : PSo I have White Chai/ Yeba Mate tea brewing in my carafe, some shrimp cocktail and tomato salad in the fridge for lunch and I feel fine. Although I did break down to count the days left on the shots and VLCD, I do realize that these last 12 days flew by without being too painful. I have one more weekend to get through then I can enjoy some good grub. Looking forward to Deviled Eggs, Peanut Butter with my apples and some nitrate-free bacon with avocados on a cobb salad!
Cheers!
