BIG MILESTONE! I am in the 220's for the firs time in 10 years! I've been close by being in the low 230's but I've also been up to the 260's...
Ok, Update:
Feelings: I was feeling more hungry the last 3 days on top of my slowed down losses. But today I feel really good and no hunger at all.
Food: I had 2 strawberries at breakfast along with tea and water, but really not much. I still think that my drinking water intake may be causing me to have less success than otherwise but I just don't feel thirsty. When I go out side or play a ballgame and exert myself I can drink a lot of water in a hurry and it fees like my body is thanking me while I do it. But on a normal day, without any extraordinary exertion I feel like I have to force myself to drink.
I have been reading a lot about those that have added an amazing treat to the protocol called chocolate delite. Its really just a chocolaty excuse for putting good coconut oil in your body. The protocol calls for NO oils of any kind but this is one of the old school ideas of Dr. Simeon that has been updated by good loyal HCGers and modern science. It seems that most oil are made up of LCT which is Long Chain Triglycerides. These are troublesome fats... but coconut oil, although it is a saturated fat is made up of largely MCT which is a Medium Chain Triglyceride... anyway, it seem this is a very healthy type of oil and helps to boost the body into Ketosis which is the bodies fat burning mode. So some of these crazy guys and figured out that adding a table spoon of Coconut oil to a smoothie where you blend your strawberries with a little water and ice cubes is fantastic tasting and helps with your losses and keeping you in ketosis. I love the chocolate recipe. Its equal parts cocoa powder and and coconut oil. 1 tbs powder, 1 tbs C.Oil, sweeten to taste with your favorite non sugar sweetener and just stir till it becomes totally smooth. If you used semi firm C oil, it will be like cake frosting, if you used liquid C oil it will look more like a sauce. Either way here a few options on how to use it. 1) pour it onto a nonstick plate like a styrofoam plate and smooth it out thin and place it in the fridge of freezer until you can break it into pieces. 2) use the soft chocolate as a dip for the most amazing dipped strawberries ever. Made especially good by the fact that you are eating chocolate dipped strawberries while you are losing weight like crazy! 3) Thow a handful of macadamia nuts into it then spoon them out onto a plate and refridgerate until you have fantastic dark chocolate macadamia nut turtles. Many HCGers are using these turtles as how they start thier day so they kick into ketosis early and burn more all day. Oh, and I'll tell you one more thing. When I ate my chocolate delite yesterday, about an hour later my body decided that it no longer needed to hold on and I had a really satisfying elimination... I chock it up to my body deciding it was ok to start releasing stuff... it was nice. This diet really has had me constipated... again, maybe its just my lack of water.
Last night I used the Shirataki Noodles again, this time I made Spagetti. I extensively rinsed the noodles to get rid of their typically Japanese fishy odor then I added them to a sauce pan that I had made a sauce of diced tomatoes, 1 tbs of tomatoe paste, garlic, Italian seasoning, pepper and onion powder, about 50 grams of spinich and chicken broth. I dry fried the chicken patties and made a little sauce out of the pan brownings and added that to my sauce. I simmered them all together for a while and served it with a salad made of about 50g of Romain chopped very fine and dressed with my dressing I made from Apple Cider Vinegar, Red Wine Vinegar, Worcestershire Sauce, garlic, a bit of mustard and Italian seasoning. So, a very large bowl of the noodles with my tomatoe sauce, the chicken on the side and salad bowl and it was all could do to eat the whole thing...
This morning, my loss is only .6. That is still huge for 1 day but I was used an average of 2 and I havent seen that in a while. Today I will try a few things a little different...
PS - a note about Coconut Oil. There are 3 grades you can buy... you should be able to get 2 of them locally. 1) Just plan natural coconut oil at Wal Mart or many stores now. 2) EVCO - thats Extra Virgin Coconut Oil and it is better than the first. (my preference) 3) The best for you is called MCT. The Coconut oil has been naturally processed to maximize the medium chain triglycerides... you may have to order this one. Look it up online.
Found a new Recipe site, its from the Green Valley Ranch Spa and they have a very expensive program where you can check in and they run you thru the HCG program all on site... their recipes are great. Find them at mygreenvalleyspa.com/hcg-recipes.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Catch up day! I got behind! So, I'll give an update of the last few days...
Thursday, July 9th Day 9 of my protocol, day 7 of VLCD. -.2 Total in 6 days, -15.2 lbs.
My first low loss day... I wondered if I would slow down because yesterday I felt like I might have overdone it on calories. I think I had more greens, I mixed in Celery too and cucumber. Maybe thats too much. I do follow a guy that generally has 3 cherry tomatoes with every meal even tho he's eating salad greens too. I also have still been making my soups of broth, seasonings, bok choy, Napa or chinese cabbage or spinach. Love it, very filling. Anyway, late in the day,about 6:30 pm, it was hot and I had a drive ahead of me and I hadnt eaten dinner and wouldn't be eating for another hour, so I popped in a convenience store and grabbed a bottle of cold water, a bottle of pepsi max and the other flavor that looked really good to me was diet Sunkissed Orange. Mmmm. Well, I opened the orange and took a big swig, ahhhh! it was great. I took another and then started driving... a few minutes later another big swig. I honestly couldnt believe it was so delicious! It seemed too delicous in fact so I decided to double chech the label... Sure enough, diet but when I say the panel I saw that it is NOT 0 calories, it is 15 calories and its #2 ingredient is High Fructose corn syrup... Well that was the end of that so I capped it and put it aside and drank water... I was worried if it would affect my loss...
We also ran out of our Hcg and had to my more so I didnt get my morning dose till about 11 and then I was wondering if the new stuff would work the same as the old stuff.
Friday July 10th Day 10 or protocol Day 8 of vlcd PLUS .4 lbs YUCK!
Ok, heres what happened. After Wednesdays measly .2 loss I was back on the straight and narrow. I did a better job making sure my weights and calories were right, wasn't really hungry, ate well, pretty much tried to avoid any unknown issues from yesterday... I was perfect AND, I had softball game with the young bucks too! Did I mention that they invited me to be a permenent member of the team for the rest of the season and invited me to join them for the fall season too! So, I was feeling great and feeling good about myself and when I showed up at the ballpark early the coach, Steve, called me over and told me the game would be delayed about an hour, and basically, I was treated like "one of the guys", you know, like being invited to become a member of the "cool group". I was so proud, here I was, a 51 year old ball player playing with all these young guys and now, because I'd done so well, had earned enough respect to be treated like one of them! I was very flattered, I was very proud and my vanity got the best of me... there I was, at the ballpark, feeling good, feeling like one of the young guys, waiting for my chance to play, and suddenly, I hear Steve saying, "hey, dude want a coke?" I was surprised at the offer, I looked over at him and in his hands was the can, wet, dropplest in it, that frosy look of codensation on the lid, ice cold... mmm that looked good, and I was being offered this as a token of my worthyness to be "one of the guys"... I heard myself say "sure, thanks". I popped the top, it fizzed... the combined sounds of ice cold, carbonated goodness... I savored the thing. And when I was done, without even missing a beat I crushed it in my hands in the perfect Alpha Male manor...
It was at that moment that I had a shocking realization! What was a coke can doing in my hand? And why was it empty?!!!! Oh my gosh, did I really just drink that??? What was I thinking? It had never even crossed my mind that it was off limits! I was so drunk on the dual vanities of baseball greatness and being included with th cool guys that I just reacted, it was the 'slippery slope' theory of vanity... eeegads! Now I knew I had blown it! We'll see for sure at tomorrows weigh in...
Saturday July 11th Day 11 of protocol Day 9 of VLCD -1.2 yeah! Total of 16.2 down after 8 full days.
Yoohoo! Thats the ticket, I'm back on track and doing great. One thing we hadnt done was buy Keto Stix... they are great but I hadnt done it. As long as I was losing 2+ lbs a day I sure didn't need them. But after my 2 day scare, I sure wanted them so we got some today and yea! I am in the max ketosis range, my body is burning fat like a machine!
Yesterday I want to an Oriental grocery store and found Shiritake Noodles. They come in the refridgerated section are 100% plant fiber. 0 calories adn 0 carbs. I had them for dinner last night. I made a big bowel of chili with extra lean ground beef, cumin, chilipowder, garlic powder and pepper. It was a huge meal, and it was great!!!
My first low loss day... I wondered if I would slow down because yesterday I felt like I might have overdone it on calories. I think I had more greens, I mixed in Celery too and cucumber. Maybe thats too much. I do follow a guy that generally has 3 cherry tomatoes with every meal even tho he's eating salad greens too. I also have still been making my soups of broth, seasonings, bok choy, Napa or chinese cabbage or spinach. Love it, very filling. Anyway, late in the day,about 6:30 pm, it was hot and I had a drive ahead of me and I hadnt eaten dinner and wouldn't be eating for another hour, so I popped in a convenience store and grabbed a bottle of cold water, a bottle of pepsi max and the other flavor that looked really good to me was diet Sunkissed Orange. Mmmm. Well, I opened the orange and took a big swig, ahhhh! it was great. I took another and then started driving... a few minutes later another big swig. I honestly couldnt believe it was so delicious! It seemed too delicous in fact so I decided to double chech the label... Sure enough, diet but when I say the panel I saw that it is NOT 0 calories, it is 15 calories and its #2 ingredient is High Fructose corn syrup... Well that was the end of that so I capped it and put it aside and drank water... I was worried if it would affect my loss...
We also ran out of our Hcg and had to my more so I didnt get my morning dose till about 11 and then I was wondering if the new stuff would work the same as the old stuff.
Friday July 10th Day 10 or protocol Day 8 of vlcd PLUS .4 lbs YUCK!
Ok, heres what happened. After Wednesdays measly .2 loss I was back on the straight and narrow. I did a better job making sure my weights and calories were right, wasn't really hungry, ate well, pretty much tried to avoid any unknown issues from yesterday... I was perfect AND, I had softball game with the young bucks too! Did I mention that they invited me to be a permenent member of the team for the rest of the season and invited me to join them for the fall season too! So, I was feeling great and feeling good about myself and when I showed up at the ballpark early the coach, Steve, called me over and told me the game would be delayed about an hour, and basically, I was treated like "one of the guys", you know, like being invited to become a member of the "cool group". I was so proud, here I was, a 51 year old ball player playing with all these young guys and now, because I'd done so well, had earned enough respect to be treated like one of them! I was very flattered, I was very proud and my vanity got the best of me... there I was, at the ballpark, feeling good, feeling like one of the young guys, waiting for my chance to play, and suddenly, I hear Steve saying, "hey, dude want a coke?" I was surprised at the offer, I looked over at him and in his hands was the can, wet, dropplest in it, that frosy look of codensation on the lid, ice cold... mmm that looked good, and I was being offered this as a token of my worthyness to be "one of the guys"... I heard myself say "sure, thanks". I popped the top, it fizzed... the combined sounds of ice cold, carbonated goodness... I savored the thing. And when I was done, without even missing a beat I crushed it in my hands in the perfect Alpha Male manor...
It was at that moment that I had a shocking realization! What was a coke can doing in my hand? And why was it empty?!!!! Oh my gosh, did I really just drink that??? What was I thinking? It had never even crossed my mind that it was off limits! I was so drunk on the dual vanities of baseball greatness and being included with th cool guys that I just reacted, it was the 'slippery slope' theory of vanity... eeegads! Now I knew I had blown it! We'll see for sure at tomorrows weigh in...
Saturday July 11th Day 11 of protocol Day 9 of VLCD -1.2 yeah! Total of 16.2 down after 8 full days.
Yoohoo! Thats the ticket, I'm back on track and doing great. One thing we hadnt done was buy Keto Stix... they are great but I hadnt done it. As long as I was losing 2+ lbs a day I sure didn't need them. But after my 2 day scare, I sure wanted them so we got some today and yea! I am in the max ketosis range, my body is burning fat like a machine!
Yesterday I want to an Oriental grocery store and found Shiritake Noodles. They come in the refridgerated section are 100% plant fiber. 0 calories adn 0 carbs. I had them for dinner last night. I made a big bowel of chili with extra lean ground beef, cumin, chilipowder, garlic powder and pepper. It was a huge meal, and it was great!!!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
D-9 Vlcd 7 -1.6 Total -15 in 6 days of VLCD
Morning all, time for todays check in...
Felt amazingly good yesterday, great energy, not hungry at all.
Food wise, I think I actually may have eaten under the 500 cals yesterday. Hard to know for sure. This whole idea of making these soups is very intriguing to me. I have been having an apple most days but even a medium apple is 80 calories. So, if I were to switch to a half apple or just 2 or 3 strawberries I can add an amazingly filling soup to my routine that is so satisfying!
Emerils Beef broth in the aseptic pack is only 5 calories per cup. Wyler's powdered chicken broth is only 5 calories per cup so I am using them. When I pan fry my meats I use a 1/2 teaspoon of wylers chicken broth an a little water in the pan then I just keep adding a little water to turn the pan 'brownings' into a respectable sauce (along with the worcestershire, hot sauce, garlic and what ever seasonings you are using) and to keep the meat from burning, watch it closely though, when the pan gets dry, let the drippings brown and just get to point of smoking then add a little water... But mainly, I add 2 cups of water to 1 cup of broth an bring to a boil. (5 calories) I then add about onion powder, black pepper and minced garlic to taste. Then I add about 1 cup of chopped Napa Cabbage and 1 cup of Bok Choy and lower the heat and simmer at least 20 minutes covered. This yields about 3 large cups of a great tasting, very filling and very nutritious soup to fill you up and make you feel very satiated. The best thing is it only adds about 35 calories! Less than half an apple.
The first day I did this I devoured every drop and was afraid it would blow my weight loss... but no, I still had a big loss and since then, I can't eat it all, even at 2 sittings. Which of course means I'm only getting about 10 or 15 calories per meal from this. I started adding about 1/2 cup of chopped celery too for flavor and its even better...
Speaking of celery, I love nuts and snack foods so give this a try. Celery has its own unique flavor but its mild and conducive to accepting other flavors. I found that it especially like savory flavors what I've done is to chop up about a cup of celery, put it in a zip lock baggie and sprinkle in some onion powder. Be creative with other spices you like... then you just reach in and eat them like you were eating nuts. They are crunchy, tasty and satisfying...
Energy... had another softball game last night. I felt really good this time. I ran the bases hard, played hard and didn't feel the weakness of the night before. I'm not sure why but it was very different. In fact I went 2 for 2, a single, a home run and 2 walks thank you very much!
The inulin Ive been adding to my morning beverages has done the trick. My otherwise very slow moving bowls have kicked into normal gear again. This diet seem to constipate a lot of people (most?). Maybe its because at 500 cals you body does a much more efficient job of using it all... don't know for sure but I'm a happier camper now.
Indulgence... I sat down to watch some late night tv and grabbed the bottle of A&W root beer and probably drank 8 ozs or so. It was very satisfying, I love the feel of the carbonation and the root beer flavor is good despite the artificial sweetener. I've carried a bottle of Pepsi 0 Max in my cooler with me that last few days but have barely touched it... just doesnt seem as good as it once did...
Bye for now...
I'm sure I am still not drinking enough water... I'll do better.
Felt amazingly good yesterday, great energy, not hungry at all.
Food wise, I think I actually may have eaten under the 500 cals yesterday. Hard to know for sure. This whole idea of making these soups is very intriguing to me. I have been having an apple most days but even a medium apple is 80 calories. So, if I were to switch to a half apple or just 2 or 3 strawberries I can add an amazingly filling soup to my routine that is so satisfying!
Emerils Beef broth in the aseptic pack is only 5 calories per cup. Wyler's powdered chicken broth is only 5 calories per cup so I am using them. When I pan fry my meats I use a 1/2 teaspoon of wylers chicken broth an a little water in the pan then I just keep adding a little water to turn the pan 'brownings' into a respectable sauce (along with the worcestershire, hot sauce, garlic and what ever seasonings you are using) and to keep the meat from burning, watch it closely though, when the pan gets dry, let the drippings brown and just get to point of smoking then add a little water... But mainly, I add 2 cups of water to 1 cup of broth an bring to a boil. (5 calories) I then add about onion powder, black pepper and minced garlic to taste. Then I add about 1 cup of chopped Napa Cabbage and 1 cup of Bok Choy and lower the heat and simmer at least 20 minutes covered. This yields about 3 large cups of a great tasting, very filling and very nutritious soup to fill you up and make you feel very satiated. The best thing is it only adds about 35 calories! Less than half an apple.
The first day I did this I devoured every drop and was afraid it would blow my weight loss... but no, I still had a big loss and since then, I can't eat it all, even at 2 sittings. Which of course means I'm only getting about 10 or 15 calories per meal from this. I started adding about 1/2 cup of chopped celery too for flavor and its even better...
Speaking of celery, I love nuts and snack foods so give this a try. Celery has its own unique flavor but its mild and conducive to accepting other flavors. I found that it especially like savory flavors what I've done is to chop up about a cup of celery, put it in a zip lock baggie and sprinkle in some onion powder. Be creative with other spices you like... then you just reach in and eat them like you were eating nuts. They are crunchy, tasty and satisfying...
Energy... had another softball game last night. I felt really good this time. I ran the bases hard, played hard and didn't feel the weakness of the night before. I'm not sure why but it was very different. In fact I went 2 for 2, a single, a home run and 2 walks thank you very much!
The inulin Ive been adding to my morning beverages has done the trick. My otherwise very slow moving bowls have kicked into normal gear again. This diet seem to constipate a lot of people (most?). Maybe its because at 500 cals you body does a much more efficient job of using it all... don't know for sure but I'm a happier camper now.
Indulgence... I sat down to watch some late night tv and grabbed the bottle of A&W root beer and probably drank 8 ozs or so. It was very satisfying, I love the feel of the carbonation and the root beer flavor is good despite the artificial sweetener. I've carried a bottle of Pepsi 0 Max in my cooler with me that last few days but have barely touched it... just doesnt seem as good as it once did...
Bye for now...
I'm sure I am still not drinking enough water... I'll do better.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
D-8 Vlcd 6 -2.8 Total -13.4 in 5 days of VLCD
Wow, I am truly amazed. Down another 2.8 lbs. I'm down to 232.8 Yippeee!
Yesterday for the first time I felt great physically. I mean I really had an energy and lightness about me that was really noticeable. It was great. However, I had a softball tournament start last night and at the beginning I was really fired up and ready to go but after my first exertion I could feel that I felt weak, almost drained. I have read that this is common on the protocol so I was wondering how it might show up for me. I think I will have to just adjust how and what I do to deal with it.
Meals yesterday were a half grapefruit with my Sol Sweet sweetener all over it for breakfast, lunch was Bison meat strip lettuce wraps where I take my prepared meats and cut them into 3 slices lengthwise. I then layer 3 Romain lettuce leaves and lay the meat in the center. I sprinkled Worcestershire sauce, some Cholula hot sauce and then drizzled mustard all over the meat and lettuce too. Then I roll it up like a burrito and enjoy. Its by far my favorite way to eat my chicken and my buffalo so far. Claudia had shrimp and it was a lot of shrimp for the weight. I had another cup of cucumbers sliced into vinegar water but I couldn't eat them all. I ate a Grissini bread stick too. I had a glass of my favorite blend of Rooibos tea in Crystal Lite, then cut that by half with sparking water. Yummy. I had Chicken lettuce wraps for dinner, same way as lunch plus some of my broth soup with Bok Choy but I couldn't finish it either. I didn't finish the cucumbers or the soup... interesting. I just felt full. I contemplated eating an apple last night but although it would have been tasty I wasn't sure where I was on calories so passed. I had a swig of Pepsi Max 0 and went to bed. I will say this, I cheated in that all afternoon I couldn't wait to get to the scales... I was so uncertain whether this weight loss could continue so I stepped on the scale at bed time and although I had been drinking water and had eaten dinner earlier I was still at my starting weight this morning. It was disappointing though, so I was really curious to see what would happen overnight... boom, 2.8 lbs loss... they say lots of good sleep is critical in this protocol and I believe it. Its seems your body does a lot of work overnight...
Body functions: I have been urinating about 50% more than normal, I have been constipated though and only had 1 bm through 5 days of VLCD. I imagine I would be down even more if I eliminating better. I am going to start adding lots more fiber to my daily diet in the form of more Inulin that I will blend into my drinks...
I am tired this morning from my softball last night but no headache.
I found that Wylers chicken broth has half the calories of canned so I bought some of that along with some Tabasco Green sauce some Tabasco Smokey Chipotle. I also got some Napa cabbage for a tasty vegy stew for today.
I've heard people talk about how this diet teaches them how much fo0d has been such a big part of their day and life and how they learned that now, its just a quick minute meal and done, no biggie. However, I'm finding that the planning of meals and their preparation take a lot of my time. Its a good thing because I am eating small amounts but I am eating so well.
Yesterday for the first time I felt great physically. I mean I really had an energy and lightness about me that was really noticeable. It was great. However, I had a softball tournament start last night and at the beginning I was really fired up and ready to go but after my first exertion I could feel that I felt weak, almost drained. I have read that this is common on the protocol so I was wondering how it might show up for me. I think I will have to just adjust how and what I do to deal with it.
Meals yesterday were a half grapefruit with my Sol Sweet sweetener all over it for breakfast, lunch was Bison meat strip lettuce wraps where I take my prepared meats and cut them into 3 slices lengthwise. I then layer 3 Romain lettuce leaves and lay the meat in the center. I sprinkled Worcestershire sauce, some Cholula hot sauce and then drizzled mustard all over the meat and lettuce too. Then I roll it up like a burrito and enjoy. Its by far my favorite way to eat my chicken and my buffalo so far. Claudia had shrimp and it was a lot of shrimp for the weight. I had another cup of cucumbers sliced into vinegar water but I couldn't eat them all. I ate a Grissini bread stick too. I had a glass of my favorite blend of Rooibos tea in Crystal Lite, then cut that by half with sparking water. Yummy. I had Chicken lettuce wraps for dinner, same way as lunch plus some of my broth soup with Bok Choy but I couldn't finish it either. I didn't finish the cucumbers or the soup... interesting. I just felt full. I contemplated eating an apple last night but although it would have been tasty I wasn't sure where I was on calories so passed. I had a swig of Pepsi Max 0 and went to bed. I will say this, I cheated in that all afternoon I couldn't wait to get to the scales... I was so uncertain whether this weight loss could continue so I stepped on the scale at bed time and although I had been drinking water and had eaten dinner earlier I was still at my starting weight this morning. It was disappointing though, so I was really curious to see what would happen overnight... boom, 2.8 lbs loss... they say lots of good sleep is critical in this protocol and I believe it. Its seems your body does a lot of work overnight...
Body functions: I have been urinating about 50% more than normal, I have been constipated though and only had 1 bm through 5 days of VLCD. I imagine I would be down even more if I eliminating better. I am going to start adding lots more fiber to my daily diet in the form of more Inulin that I will blend into my drinks...
I am tired this morning from my softball last night but no headache.
I found that Wylers chicken broth has half the calories of canned so I bought some of that along with some Tabasco Green sauce some Tabasco Smokey Chipotle. I also got some Napa cabbage for a tasty vegy stew for today.
I've heard people talk about how this diet teaches them how much fo0d has been such a big part of their day and life and how they learned that now, its just a quick minute meal and done, no biggie. However, I'm finding that the planning of meals and their preparation take a lot of my time. Its a good thing because I am eating small amounts but I am eating so well.
Monday, July 6, 2009
D-7 Vlcd 5 -1.8 total -10.6
Monday morning. No headache this morning! We'll see if that lasts!
Good morning, I think I'll change up my procedure a bit by blogging in the mornings after weigh in to comment on my status and on yesterdays events. So, down 1.8. That is huge but after the even bigger days previous I can't help but be a little disappointed at my firs loss of less than 2 pounds. I know its unrealistic to expect that big a number consistently but still... it sure was fun to get on the scale and see 2 and 3 lb losses.
Yesterday I believe I over did it a bit. I used more Erythritol sweetener today, I also ate more fruit today than in the past few days. A large cup of strawberries as I walked the Sunday Market in Park City, it was really helpful to have that because there is so much good stuff there it was good to have something in my hand, it made me feel a part of it all. So what I did was walk up to a frozen yogurt booth that had fresh fruit add ins and asked her to sell me a cup of her strawberries! It was great.
I also bought and prepared buffalo meat steaks for us both, they are very lean, a little tough for my taste even tho I prepared them medium to medium rare. They are about twice the calories of Chicken though. We bought a locally made seasoning blend at the market and although it says there is no sugar, it tastes to good it makes me wonder. I think I'll not use it today and see. Also, we bought my favorite apples at the store, Pink Ladies... very yummy. Not quite as tart as Granny Smiths and more sweet. That may have been an issue too. I used Cucumbers as my vegetable for dinner for the first time instead of salad. I soaked them in a light Rice Vinegar brine, they were great and really amazingly low in calories. We split one cucumber that was about 9 inches long, I peeled it which reduced calories even more and after slicing it up we both had about a cup of cucumber that seemed like allot. I also made my vegetable broth soup again. I love that stuff! This time I sliced 1 celery stick into it along with the bok choy, about a teaspoon of crushed garlic and some onion powder. It tastes soooo good and really adds to the feeling of being really full. I know that type of vegetable mixing is off protocol but seems to be ok for now. I will keep watching it closely. Oh yea, I had 1 grassini bread stick right at bed time, that probably wasnt smart, I was just hungry for the toasted crunchiness of it... And, 2 big swigs of diet A&W root beer!
Today will be interesting, on the road all day and I have a softball tournament starting tonight. I'll get to see how my energy feels... Oh, I got a lot of good sleep this weekend, it feels really good.
Good morning, I think I'll change up my procedure a bit by blogging in the mornings after weigh in to comment on my status and on yesterdays events. So, down 1.8. That is huge but after the even bigger days previous I can't help but be a little disappointed at my firs loss of less than 2 pounds. I know its unrealistic to expect that big a number consistently but still... it sure was fun to get on the scale and see 2 and 3 lb losses.
Yesterday I believe I over did it a bit. I used more Erythritol sweetener today, I also ate more fruit today than in the past few days. A large cup of strawberries as I walked the Sunday Market in Park City, it was really helpful to have that because there is so much good stuff there it was good to have something in my hand, it made me feel a part of it all. So what I did was walk up to a frozen yogurt booth that had fresh fruit add ins and asked her to sell me a cup of her strawberries! It was great.
I also bought and prepared buffalo meat steaks for us both, they are very lean, a little tough for my taste even tho I prepared them medium to medium rare. They are about twice the calories of Chicken though. We bought a locally made seasoning blend at the market and although it says there is no sugar, it tastes to good it makes me wonder. I think I'll not use it today and see. Also, we bought my favorite apples at the store, Pink Ladies... very yummy. Not quite as tart as Granny Smiths and more sweet. That may have been an issue too. I used Cucumbers as my vegetable for dinner for the first time instead of salad. I soaked them in a light Rice Vinegar brine, they were great and really amazingly low in calories. We split one cucumber that was about 9 inches long, I peeled it which reduced calories even more and after slicing it up we both had about a cup of cucumber that seemed like allot. I also made my vegetable broth soup again. I love that stuff! This time I sliced 1 celery stick into it along with the bok choy, about a teaspoon of crushed garlic and some onion powder. It tastes soooo good and really adds to the feeling of being really full. I know that type of vegetable mixing is off protocol but seems to be ok for now. I will keep watching it closely. Oh yea, I had 1 grassini bread stick right at bed time, that probably wasnt smart, I was just hungry for the toasted crunchiness of it... And, 2 big swigs of diet A&W root beer!
Today will be interesting, on the road all day and I have a softball tournament starting tonight. I'll get to see how my energy feels... Oh, I got a lot of good sleep this weekend, it feels really good.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
D-6 vlcd 4 -3.4 total -8.8
Ok, I'll start my post early cause I was so anxious to get on the scale and see if I screwed up yesterday.
Nope! Down a whopping -3.4!!! More to come...
NOTE: I've been more detailed that last few days than I'm going to be in the future because I wanted to give everybody a good baseline understanding. From now on I'll be more about the Feelings I'm having, my stats and any menu or food or drink things that I think will be interesting.
Still the headache... its the worst part about the experience so far.
Nope! Down a whopping -3.4!!! More to come...
NOTE: I've been more detailed that last few days than I'm going to be in the future because I wanted to give everybody a good baseline understanding. From now on I'll be more about the Feelings I'm having, my stats and any menu or food or drink things that I think will be interesting.
Still the headache... its the worst part about the experience so far.
D-5 vlcd 3 -3.0 total -5.4
Got up, did my routine, weighed in and really couldn't believe it. Down another 3 lbs. Is this really possible?
My headache is making me a bit miserable but I'm not really that hungry. Coffee, Herbal tea etc is plenty for breakfast.
I decided to do some menu development today. I found 3 mustard's that are listed as 0 calories, plain French's yellow, Tabasco flavored yellow and chili dog flavored yellow. They are great and I'm using them to add flavor and bulk to my salad dressings. Also, I drizzles some over my meats today and also on my lettuce.
I grilled a thin to sirloin (100g) today medium rare and it was a great treat. I ate it with the usual salad but today I figured out that if I just had more bulk or quantity that I feel more satiated so I looked at a can of Swanson organic Chicken broth and saw that it had only 10 Cal's per cup. I put the broth (1 cup) in a pan and added a about a cup and 1/4 of water. Then I chopped up about 2 handfuls of Bok Choy from my garden, a tsp of crushed garlic, a shot of Worcestershire sauce, a pinch of Cumin, a pinch of Turmeric and a few crushed peppers... I wanted it spicy because to me, spicy is filling and satisfying.
So, my meal was Steak, big salad (greens only) with my homemade dressing, a big bowl of my Bok Choy and broth soup... IT WAS GREAT! I was really full too!
For dinner I made chicken again, with a different seasoning and I cut it lengthwise into 3 long strips. Each strip I rolled in a very thick bunch (about 3 full leaves) of lettuce, drizzled salad dressing and mustard on it, wrapped it up and had really good lettuce wraps! Really good! I'll do them again, allot!!!
I ate an apple afterword for desert, cutting it thin and dipping it in my vinegar-y dressing and at bed time, another big swig of A&W!!! Yummm... but, I'm a little worried because I feel so full and satisfied, since my big lunch with the soup... maybe I blew it today? We'll see in the morning!
My headache is making me a bit miserable but I'm not really that hungry. Coffee, Herbal tea etc is plenty for breakfast.
I decided to do some menu development today. I found 3 mustard's that are listed as 0 calories, plain French's yellow, Tabasco flavored yellow and chili dog flavored yellow. They are great and I'm using them to add flavor and bulk to my salad dressings. Also, I drizzles some over my meats today and also on my lettuce.
I grilled a thin to sirloin (100g) today medium rare and it was a great treat. I ate it with the usual salad but today I figured out that if I just had more bulk or quantity that I feel more satiated so I looked at a can of Swanson organic Chicken broth and saw that it had only 10 Cal's per cup. I put the broth (1 cup) in a pan and added a about a cup and 1/4 of water. Then I chopped up about 2 handfuls of Bok Choy from my garden, a tsp of crushed garlic, a shot of Worcestershire sauce, a pinch of Cumin, a pinch of Turmeric and a few crushed peppers... I wanted it spicy because to me, spicy is filling and satisfying.
So, my meal was Steak, big salad (greens only) with my homemade dressing, a big bowl of my Bok Choy and broth soup... IT WAS GREAT! I was really full too!
For dinner I made chicken again, with a different seasoning and I cut it lengthwise into 3 long strips. Each strip I rolled in a very thick bunch (about 3 full leaves) of lettuce, drizzled salad dressing and mustard on it, wrapped it up and had really good lettuce wraps! Really good! I'll do them again, allot!!!
I ate an apple afterword for desert, cutting it thin and dipping it in my vinegar-y dressing and at bed time, another big swig of A&W!!! Yummm... but, I'm a little worried because I feel so full and satisfied, since my big lunch with the soup... maybe I blew it today? We'll see in the morning!
D-4 VLCD 1 -2.4
ok, so my title means, Day Four, Very Low Calorie Diet day 1.
Got up, went to the bathroom (make sure you move around or what ever you need to do to go to the bathroom) then weighed on the digital scale (naked of course).
Day 1- down 2.4 pounds. I can hardly believe it. Doesnt seem possible.
Meals were esentially the same as yesterday, I found Worchestershire Sauce is 0 calorie so added that to my dressing. Same meat and lots of Salad greens. I'm growing Lettuce and Bok Choy in my garden so Im eatin that and mixing them together in my salads.
Head ache really setting in today. It makes me feel miserable. My stomach is growling, which makes me think I must be famished but I'm really not that hungry. Interesting.
The headache could be from not loading properly or lack of water or both... or, some say its because the Homeopathic drops don't have enough Hcg coursing through my body. Its the HCG thats supposed to make you not feel hunger although different people report that differently.
I ended the day with a big swig from a 2 litre bottle of A&W Diet Root Beer. It tasted good, the carbonation had a satisfying bite, its all I needed for a big smile and satisfaction.
A note about diet soda or other diet sweetened bevs... Simeon recommended Saccarin as a sweetener back in the late 50's. He didnt see any problem with, nor did his diet plan suffer from, the artificial sweeteners. I will not debate whether or not aritificial sweeteners are good or bad, for now and for the purpose of this program, it doesnt matter to me. If you hate artificial sweeteners then don't use them! If you don't, then logic reasons that a diet coke or diet root beer is no different than Simeon suggesting you sweeten lemon water or tea or coffee with saccarin. But, there are lots of different oppinions about this, but the only one that matters is whether or not you can have them and still lose weight. And I say "Pooh!" (I know, harsh stuff) on anyone who's fall back argument is that "well, you could have lost more if you avoided it!"
The main idea is losing weight, it is HEALHY to lose weight, you should be applauded for losing weight! So if you want to be negative about how much somebody lost or if the do it differently than you, just keep it to yourself, your negative comments are not welcome anywhere that poeple are trying an succeeding at any level to get healthier by losing the excess weight.
Sweetener: I am using Stevia and Erythritol, splenda when I am out at and not at home.
Got up, went to the bathroom (make sure you move around or what ever you need to do to go to the bathroom) then weighed on the digital scale (naked of course).
Day 1- down 2.4 pounds. I can hardly believe it. Doesnt seem possible.
Meals were esentially the same as yesterday, I found Worchestershire Sauce is 0 calorie so added that to my dressing. Same meat and lots of Salad greens. I'm growing Lettuce and Bok Choy in my garden so Im eatin that and mixing them together in my salads.
Head ache really setting in today. It makes me feel miserable. My stomach is growling, which makes me think I must be famished but I'm really not that hungry. Interesting.
The headache could be from not loading properly or lack of water or both... or, some say its because the Homeopathic drops don't have enough Hcg coursing through my body. Its the HCG thats supposed to make you not feel hunger although different people report that differently.
I ended the day with a big swig from a 2 litre bottle of A&W Diet Root Beer. It tasted good, the carbonation had a satisfying bite, its all I needed for a big smile and satisfaction.
A note about diet soda or other diet sweetened bevs... Simeon recommended Saccarin as a sweetener back in the late 50's. He didnt see any problem with, nor did his diet plan suffer from, the artificial sweeteners. I will not debate whether or not aritificial sweeteners are good or bad, for now and for the purpose of this program, it doesnt matter to me. If you hate artificial sweeteners then don't use them! If you don't, then logic reasons that a diet coke or diet root beer is no different than Simeon suggesting you sweeten lemon water or tea or coffee with saccarin. But, there are lots of different oppinions about this, but the only one that matters is whether or not you can have them and still lose weight. And I say "Pooh!" (I know, harsh stuff) on anyone who's fall back argument is that "well, you could have lost more if you avoided it!"
The main idea is losing weight, it is HEALHY to lose weight, you should be applauded for losing weight! So if you want to be negative about how much somebody lost or if the do it differently than you, just keep it to yourself, your negative comments are not welcome anywhere that poeple are trying an succeeding at any level to get healthier by losing the excess weight.
Sweetener: I am using Stevia and Erythritol, splenda when I am out at and not at home.
Day Three
Starting weight: 246.2
First day of VLCD (very low calorie diet). 500 calories is a daunting reality... remember, a single McDonalds Big Mac has 540 calories!... and the Simeon protocol is very specific about what types of foods you can mix and match.
Coffee, Tea and water with Stevia or artificial sweetener: as much as you want, a min of 2 litres per day!
Other than that, no breakfast.
I prepared 2 meals in advance because I was going to be in Salt Lake all day and put them in a cooler with ice and off I went.
They were:
a 100g (its pretty small and you need to measure it on a scale) chicken breast that I seasoned and grilled on the grill. About 2 or 3 hand fulls of chopped lettuce in a tuperware. I made a dressing out of Apple Cider Vinegar, some seasonings, a shot of soy sauce...
The chicken breast piece is small so here is a hint: put it in a zip lock bag, put a thin kitchen towel over that gently pound it with a mallet to get the entire thing into an even 1/2 inch thick. Chicken breasts are difficult because they go from very thin to very thick and its hard to cook them evenly. So, pound them out to an even thickness so you can cook them quickly without over cooking them till they are dried out and tough.
I ate the chicken and the salad slowly, it seemed like such a small amount but if you eat slowly it works out ok. You also get a fruit portion but I saved mine for later.
I felt ok, flavors were ok but I could tell I was going to need to start planning some variety and looking for recipes.
Dinner was the same, on the road. I ate an apple that night about 8pm... kept drinking water and teas. (I have excellent healthy caffeine free herbal tisanes if anyone is interested)
First day of VLCD (very low calorie diet). 500 calories is a daunting reality... remember, a single McDonalds Big Mac has 540 calories!... and the Simeon protocol is very specific about what types of foods you can mix and match.
Coffee, Tea and water with Stevia or artificial sweetener: as much as you want, a min of 2 litres per day!
Other than that, no breakfast.
I prepared 2 meals in advance because I was going to be in Salt Lake all day and put them in a cooler with ice and off I went.
They were:
a 100g (its pretty small and you need to measure it on a scale) chicken breast that I seasoned and grilled on the grill. About 2 or 3 hand fulls of chopped lettuce in a tuperware. I made a dressing out of Apple Cider Vinegar, some seasonings, a shot of soy sauce...
The chicken breast piece is small so here is a hint: put it in a zip lock bag, put a thin kitchen towel over that gently pound it with a mallet to get the entire thing into an even 1/2 inch thick. Chicken breasts are difficult because they go from very thin to very thick and its hard to cook them evenly. So, pound them out to an even thickness so you can cook them quickly without over cooking them till they are dried out and tough.
I ate the chicken and the salad slowly, it seemed like such a small amount but if you eat slowly it works out ok. You also get a fruit portion but I saved mine for later.
I felt ok, flavors were ok but I could tell I was going to need to start planning some variety and looking for recipes.
Dinner was the same, on the road. I ate an apple that night about 8pm... kept drinking water and teas. (I have excellent healthy caffeine free herbal tisanes if anyone is interested)
Day Two
Second loading day... I meant to, it just seemed over the top. I had a softball game scheduled for that evening so I didn't want to feel that bloated so I backed off.
I ate Mexican food, cereal, drank whole milk, ate Arbys large roast beef with curly fries and potato wedges and REAL Pepsi...
I ate Mexican food, cereal, drank whole milk, ate Arbys large roast beef with curly fries and potato wedges and REAL Pepsi...
Day One
Day one is the day I start my Hcg drops. It is also the first day of "Loading". Let me say something about loading. I read lots about loading and soon thought I had a good handle on why I needed to load. But, now that Ive done it I realize I didn't do enough.
Read P&I (Pounds and Inches) about this but then listen to me. If you don't Load enough it can make the first week of your program hard. Loading is where you eat and eat and eat all of the fatty high cal foods you can stuff in you! I mean to the point of being really overfull and and sick of it. Pasta, pizza, cakes, ice cream, fatty meat, french fries, triple meat and cheese burgers, Krispy Kreems, you name it! You've got to keep it up for 2 full days! (some say 3). I didn't do enough, I really backed off on the second day because I felt I had done enough but there is a scientific reason for doing it, it kicks your metabolism in gear and it will help you avoid hunger pangs and headaches during your first week or two.
I ate hamburgers, pastry, Mexican food, a buffet meal at Golden Coral, drank whole milk, ate cereal and ended the day trying to eat as many oreos as I could with milk... it was hard! I felt like I was going to burst.
Read P&I (Pounds and Inches) about this but then listen to me. If you don't Load enough it can make the first week of your program hard. Loading is where you eat and eat and eat all of the fatty high cal foods you can stuff in you! I mean to the point of being really overfull and and sick of it. Pasta, pizza, cakes, ice cream, fatty meat, french fries, triple meat and cheese burgers, Krispy Kreems, you name it! You've got to keep it up for 2 full days! (some say 3). I didn't do enough, I really backed off on the second day because I felt I had done enough but there is a scientific reason for doing it, it kicks your metabolism in gear and it will help you avoid hunger pangs and headaches during your first week or two.
I ate hamburgers, pastry, Mexican food, a buffet meal at Golden Coral, drank whole milk, ate cereal and ended the day trying to eat as many oreos as I could with milk... it was hard! I felt like I was going to burst.
Preliminary hcg stuff
I read many many posts, blogs and websites trying to get a handle on all the different Hcg options out there, and there are many. The original Dr. Simeon protocol from the 1950's, the new revised Kevin Trudeau version (much more complex and expensive) and many many clinics that offer their own versions including higher calorie food plans, longer time periods etc. But for me, I like the basic simplicity of the Simeon protocol along with common sense updates since it is 50 years later and there are lots of changes in what kinds of foods are available today that werent then. What I find most helpful is that there are a few websites that have hundreds if not thousands of people that are doing the protocol, testing different things and sharing the results. Let me give an example: in the original protocol Dr Simeon says that you can use Stevia and Saccarin for sweetners in your beverages. Well, today there are other options such as just the Reb A from Stevia (less aftertaste and bitterness), Erythritol, Splenda and others... the only way we can know how they affect the program is form people trying them and posting. Also, there are many more culinary options today that didnt exist, lots of low and 0 calorie foods... again, the trial and error of others will help us all.
So, what is fair to say, is that I will be following the basic Simeon protocol with some more modern updates based on others trial and error and my own experimentations. Also, I will add here, that lots of people are yelling "stick to the protocol! stick to the protocol! don't deviate!" but the wierd part of that to me is the so many of them are doing slightly different protocols anyway. Some are strict Simeons, some are Trudeus and yet they all yell "stick to the protocol". So far in my short experience, it seems that the basics are ciritical but the exact details are somewhat flexible. Such as 500 cals daily, or, only 200g protein... don't do less than 500g even if you feel full, DO drink all the water!!! But, there are some great recipes out there and some have found that a little Virgin Coconut oil and a few Macadamia nuts actually help! I will share my experience with these as I along.
One 'must' that I do advocate for everybody! Do read Dr. Simeons very short and thoruogh manuscript about his work! It is called Pounds and Inches and it is available as a free download from many sites! READ IT so you have a good understanding of the basic science of the protocol. I will refer to language such as Loading days, VLCD, Rounds, Phases, TOM and Apple days. READ "POUNDS AND INCHES".
Method: there are 3 basic ways to take the Hcg... Hcg Injections, Hcg Sublingual (both of these methods are with the use of prescription Hcg) and third is Hcg Homeopathic Drops. It is important to note that the Homeopathic Drops contain NO Hcg, otherwise it would be by prescription only! There is a big debate over whether or not the Homeopathic drops really work the same as Hcg does, some claim they can prove the drops work the same and others claim it is only the 500 cal diet that does it. I don't know, I've read both and there are compelling arguments for both. So, and here is the wierd part, I chose to do injections which are purported to be the MOST effective and Claudia is doing the Homeopathic drops. Well, when I get to the point in my life that I'm ready to make a decision and commit to something it happens quickly so what I have chosen to do is to start on the Homeopathic drops while I wait for my prescription to arrive from either India or New Zealand (from a Canadian Pharmacy online).
So, here we go!
So, what is fair to say, is that I will be following the basic Simeon protocol with some more modern updates based on others trial and error and my own experimentations. Also, I will add here, that lots of people are yelling "stick to the protocol! stick to the protocol! don't deviate!" but the wierd part of that to me is the so many of them are doing slightly different protocols anyway. Some are strict Simeons, some are Trudeus and yet they all yell "stick to the protocol". So far in my short experience, it seems that the basics are ciritical but the exact details are somewhat flexible. Such as 500 cals daily, or, only 200g protein... don't do less than 500g even if you feel full, DO drink all the water!!! But, there are some great recipes out there and some have found that a little Virgin Coconut oil and a few Macadamia nuts actually help! I will share my experience with these as I along.
One 'must' that I do advocate for everybody! Do read Dr. Simeons very short and thoruogh manuscript about his work! It is called Pounds and Inches and it is available as a free download from many sites! READ IT so you have a good understanding of the basic science of the protocol. I will refer to language such as Loading days, VLCD, Rounds, Phases, TOM and Apple days. READ "POUNDS AND INCHES".
Method: there are 3 basic ways to take the Hcg... Hcg Injections, Hcg Sublingual (both of these methods are with the use of prescription Hcg) and third is Hcg Homeopathic Drops. It is important to note that the Homeopathic Drops contain NO Hcg, otherwise it would be by prescription only! There is a big debate over whether or not the Homeopathic drops really work the same as Hcg does, some claim they can prove the drops work the same and others claim it is only the 500 cal diet that does it. I don't know, I've read both and there are compelling arguments for both. So, and here is the wierd part, I chose to do injections which are purported to be the MOST effective and Claudia is doing the Homeopathic drops. Well, when I get to the point in my life that I'm ready to make a decision and commit to something it happens quickly so what I have chosen to do is to start on the Homeopathic drops while I wait for my prescription to arrive from either India or New Zealand (from a Canadian Pharmacy online).
So, here we go!
Hcg Diet Transformation - The decision
Ok, well its been a year since I posted and as for my physical transformation, it has stalled for a year. Well, not really, I actually lost a total of 34 lbs from my peak of 262 (ridiculous!) since then but I slowly put about 10 of it back on. Which brings me to a set point that I have had a hard time breaking away from for the last 8 or 9 years. Within a few lbs of 240 either way is where I keep winding up. So, its time to change that. After studying this the way I study everything I've decided that there is enough evidence to support that if you follow the Hcg protocol you're body will "reset" its metabolic body wieght set point. So, I'm going to do it. I will chronicle it here, success failure and all...
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