R1P2D43- Where's TOM?

Daily Weight Loss .7
Total Weight Loss 26.2
Current Weight: 162.8

Anxiously awaiting TOM, since I'm ready to get started on P3. It is not actually due for a few days but since it was early last time, I just assumed it would be this time too. I have to admit, though, that the continued weight loss for the last two days has been really nice. And I definitely don't mind if it continues and I actually reach my 30lb loss goal for R1. Fingers crossed!

Headed over to a neighbor's last night with my older son while hubby was out with the guys and his parents watched my little guy. I love the company of these woman, and the fact that these evening playdates with all of Connor's favorite friends in the neighborhood wear him out so much he sleeps really well. At the end of the night, Moms and kids alike all had a dance party. What fun!

Had a delicious dinner last night, a little variation on my first bison chili, and it only took about 5 minutes. Lets call it Kelly's Bison Chili 2:

Ingredients
100gm bison (precooked)
1 tbl onion juice (or if you can mix veggies on P2, 1/2 cup onion)
1/2 tbl Bragg's Aminos (i dont use salt since the aminos are salty)
Pepper to taste
Chili Powder
2 Plum tomatoes, or 1 regular tomato
2 tbl minced garlic (I like it garlicy)

Directions
Put onion juice in pan with garlic and tomatoes. Cook on high or medium heat until tomatoes are soft. Add in bison, braggs, and chili powder and cook until bison is heated up. Enjoy! Just a little heat, warm and filling.

Hope you have a relaxing Sunday. Me, I'm up early with the kids since hubby was out late last night. And the kids are a little wild, so I'm going to just go with it.

R1P2D42-Date night

Daily weight loss .7
Total R1P2 loss: 25.5
Current Weight: 163.5

Love my weekly date nights with my husband.  We went to PF Changs last night (hubby loves it) and I enjoyed their chicken chopped salad without dressing or the wonton straws.  I was suprised at how good it was: mixed greens, flavorful chicken (without marinade), cabbage, fennel, and a little salt and pepper.  And funny thing, I only had a little plate but was full before I finished everything on it.

We then went to see Percy Jackson, and were pleasantly suprised how much we enjoyed it.  Both of us were interested in mythology in our youth.   When I took Latin in middle school, we devoted a whole month to reviewing it, and to see it come to life on the big screen was so cool.  Reminded me of Clash of the
Titans, without cheesy Harry Hamlin (though I did love him in LA Law).  I guess I'm really dating myself, aren't I?

Anyway, off to the gym with the youngens for a little swimming.  Happy weekend to you!

It was fun while it lasted

Up .2 today, and I feel my TOM coming on...not because I'm bloated, but because I'm being and feeling really bitchy.  I wouldn't want to admit that if it wasn't TOM :)...I need to remeber to take a deep breath and get through it. 

Did well with my eating yesterday, but did use Bragg's Aminos yesterday, so maybe that is finally catching up to me as well? 

At the office today, so need to get to work...have a great Friday everyone!  And to my not so BMB, I can't wait for our date night tonight, and I promise to be nicer to you than I was this morning...

25 lbs down!

Dropped another 1.1 today, so Im officially 25LBS DOWN!!!! YAY!  Yippee...And today is measurement day (click to see larger):

For the occasion, I decided to take some more pics, and try a new bathing suit this time:

The last one reminds me of the pics my sis n law takes...she is so cool!  Now Im like her :)

Tried Bragg's Aminos for the first time yesterday, and I loved it!  Take just like salty soy sauce and gave my chicken and salad a kick.  I was worried that it might make me stall, based on some comments from the HCG Dieters group, but it hasn't hit me yet.  Of course, I just used a little, but it went a long way.  Looking forward to having it again today.

Also had my monthly book club last night, and it was a blast.  Didn't end up leaving until after 11pm since we lost track of time (on a school night, oops!).  In bed by 11:40, and up today at 6 when my little guy woke up.  Still saw a loss despite the lack of sleep (I normally sleep 8 hrs if I can).

Listened to the Steve G Jones recording of Weight Loss (Hypnosis Sleep Script) last nigt at bedtime, and it was nice, but not sure if  I plan on buying any others.  Ill let you know after 21 days (which is how long they say it takes to work).

Suffering through a finger infection called parynochia (infection under the cuticle with pus) on two of my left hand fingers, and a little nervous since I know the medical treatment is antibiotics and I broke out in hives after my last time on antibiotics.  Ive been trying all sorts of home remedies (ASV with warm water soak for 1/2 hr, oregano oil on and under the skin) but nothing working yet.  Im going to try another tonight that consists of sticking your infected fingers inside a lemon for 8 hrs...sounds a little messy and painful, but hopefully it will work!

Had a lovely session of Reiki today...I asked my practitioner to set an intention for me to get rid of my finger infection and candida, and to help me stabilize perfectly during P3.  It was a wonderful session, and completely fits into P2 since its not a massage.  He told me that my adrenals are working really hard right now metabolizing my fat and that I should sending healing energy to them (and once Im on P3 Ill start taking my adrenal support supplements again), in addition to a lot of mental processing (since he said there is an emotional component to my weight loss-and he was exactly right!!!!!), and my uterus and related organs (specific details would be TMI for this pg rated blog) need healing.  It was interesting and so relaxing...Have you ever tried Reiki? 

Just re-read my post and Im all over the place..sorry for that, but I feel flooded with ideas, information, and items to do from my to do list...Ill be a little more sane tomorrow.  Hope you enjoyed the Happy Dance in my last post :)...feel free to post yours!

My 25lb loss Happy Dance

Weightview projections

Got this from weightview app on Facebook, and it is blowing my mind.  Attached is my pic at 169 lbs and my projected 130lb pic...

VLCD Day 39-Decision Time

Loss .2
Total Loss to Date: 23.9
Current Weight: 165.1

So all my bloggy peeps, I need your help. I lost .2 yesterday, which seems to be my average now (except for the epsom salt bath fluke) and have another 4 injections. I am thinking I would like to go into P3, but am expecting TOM any day and know I shouldn't end til 3 days after TOM...

Originally my plan was to switch to SL after I was done with my injections, and go as long as I could on this R1P2...until I reach immunity or my goal of 60 lbs 'released'. If I keep losing as slowly as I am now, it would take me many weeks to get to my goal. I am really nervous about regaining during P3 however.

So do I do P3 after my TOM, or keep going on P2?

For me, the pros of staying on P2 are:
Stable diet-easy to do
Stable small losses
Feel good on HCG
Probability that I would only need to do one P3

Cons of staying on P2
Only losing average of .2 per day
Potential of doing another round and losing significant amts again

Potential cons of going into P3
Could regain
Not being able to stabilize
Going crazy and right back into my food addiction
Having to spend more time planning meals, etc
Longer potential time on diet (ie doing 2 rounds with 2 p3s)

Pros of going into P3
Could start eating more
Could start exercising
Could treat my candida
Could stabilize really well and be refreshed to start another Rd

So help me out, what should I do? What did you do?

Header and Font

Hi guys,

Need some feedback.  What do you think of my new header and fonts?  I would love to hear your comments!

Im going to add a signature next (one I figure that one out!)...

Happy Tuesday!

VLCD Day 38

Down 1.1 today-YAY...thought that brought me to 165.4, but the Wii Fit says 165.3, so I'm going to take that!!!!!!  Maybe Ill do chicken and shrimp (and cut out the veggies once) and take an Epsom Salt bath everyday if these are the results I'm going to get.  Just realized that my last planned injection falls right at the beginning of TOM, so Im probably going to continue injecting til 3 days past TOM and then head to P3.  Not sure if I want to keep going on the sublingual (unless I keep having results like this), as I am really looking forward to eating more.  So I will keep you posted...

Have to take my son to school right now...see you tomorrow!

VLCD Day 37-is that right?

It's rough when you have a busy day at work and then at home, and can't remember what day you're on, poor me!...I think its 37...but I will still be doing 6 more injections sicnce thats how many needles will take me to 40 (due to skip days)...after that Ill be finishing my bottle of HCG sublingually unless I reach imnumity in the next 6 days...and the way my weight has been maintaining that could be happening soon...

Down .2 today, the same .2 I was down on Saturday, so back to 166.5.  Im hoping to get to 163 in the next six days, fingers crossed.  Today I ate chicken and shrimp, both really low cal, and have been drinking a lot of water, so I'm hopeful!!!!!

Got all sorts of spices at Whole Foods today...cream of tartar, mustard, celery seed, spicy shrimp rub, mexican, all purpose, as well as some 0 cal 0carb 0 sugar onion sauce and hot sauce.  Im going to try to get a little more creative in the kitchen at this tail end of the P2 into P3.  Im really having fun with cooking, and know that I will definitely be doing more of it in the future, diet or no diet.  I'm working from home tomorrow, and Im going to practice making oopsie rolls at lunchtime-if they work Ill freeze them til P3.  Really looking forward to making sandwiches and veggie pizzas with those things.  Also want to try the cauliflower pizza crust (look to the blog I link to called the lighter side of low carb for these recipes)-there are so many of them that look great!

Tonight was the first time I had shrimp throughout the protocol, and I have to admit that those nice big frozen shrimp steam up to little tiny things...I was really disappointed.  They were good, though, and really easy.  Just steamed them for 5 minutes and threw the shrimp rub on while they were steaming.  Definitely something to do if you are short on time and haven't precooked for the week yet.  I have a ton of chicken in the frig, but need to cook up some bison so I can alternate for lunch and dinner....and maybe one night Ill do steak and shrimp since I don't seem to have an issue mixing proteins (just veggies, ugh!).

Anyway, looking forward to reading all my blogroll's post today before bed, so Im off....have a GREAT evening!  And wish me luck for the next two nights-ladies night out tomorrow and book club on wednesday...can't wait til P3 when I can have some wine.

ps-I cheated a tiny bit yesterday-had three bites of my son's chicken tender from lunch-it was delicious, but definitely not worth any gain.  Im so glad I lost at least a little!!!!!!!

Happy Valentines Day...

to you!  Up .2 after sampling my husband's dinner last night.  I had a total of three brussel sprouts, a tiny bite of feta, and two tiny pieces of chorizo in addition to my steak and romaine.  Im sure the calories were low enough, but maybe the addition of foods not on the protocol, no matter how small did it.  Im glad I didnt have a glass of wine, I would've probably gained a ton!

My darling hubby (who is not on this protocol) of course only gained .7 after eating all the brussel sprouts, a whole plate of sushi, feta corn fritters, and a little chorizo mac and cheese, in addition to two glasses of wine, and three beers!  Oh, the inequality...

Hubby got me an alarm clock for valentines day...a really cool one that lets me charge my iphone and ipod, has a remote, and is much less bright than my last one.  I really love it, despite the fact that I never would have imagined I needed it,  and its not a typical romantic gift.  But it IS romantic...since he saw it on a commercial and thought it would be great for me...its all in the thought...and he thought too that maybe our iphones could charge together...kinky!

All together we had a great date night last night.  Vday the movie was cheesy, but cute.  And dinner was delicious....then on to drinks (for him) and dancing with some friends.  Today is brunch with the inlaws and kiddies, and then haircuts for all. 

And I walked for another 1/2 hr yesterday...its really nice to feel good when I'm walking.

How did (or will ) you spend your valentine's day!  Remember to honor yourself on this day-you deserve it!

Rd1, VLCD Day 35-that far already?

.2 down today; current weight 166.5.

I cannot believe that so much has changed in the last month with my body.  Im only 22.8 lbs down, but I feel so much lighter than I was, and my body has changed so much.  Scars faded, hair growing, I have NAILS (OMG!!!!!), cellulite slowly going away, body smoother and flatter and so much more proportioned.  It is amazing stuff, and I feel bad for those naysayers that choose to judge this protocol instead of trying it for themselves.  I'm still nervous about my first P3, but every time I look in the mirror I am more determined to make this work, since I NEVER want to go back to 189 again!

I walked on the treadmill yesterday for the first time since starting the HCG, 35 minutes at 3.5 miles an hour, just so I didn't overdo it and see a gain today, and then I bounced on my rebounder for 10 minutes.  No foot pain, no calf pain, its a wonderful thing....I was plagued by pains all through last season, so much that it was depressing, and hard to even walk!  Granted, I did not do too much when I was walking, so that could account for no pain, but I think it also makes a huge difference that Im carrying so much less weight on my body.  I can't wait to start training for my tris!

I also made another chili attempt last night, and this time it was delicious (and its going to be lunch today, too!).  Here is the recipe:

Kelly's Bison Chili

Ingredients:
100gm Bison Ground Meat (mine was precooked and chopped up...I love bison more than beef, its leaner, less calories, and I think its tastier)
1 cup onions (include as much or as little as you like, these pack in some calories for a veggie!)
1/4 tsp minced garlic (or more, mine had more :)
2 cups chicken broth (a kind with no sugar, I used Imagine Free Range Chicken Broth)
Dash of the following spices (more or less per your taste):
cumin
nutmeg
paprika
chili powder-I put in about double this compared to the other spices, maybe 1/4 tsp?
salt to taste (the broth I used was kind of salty so Im going to skip this next time)

Mine was not spicy, just good.  If you want more heat, add some cayenne.

Directions
If meat not already cooked, brown in a pan with the onions and garlic and skip this next step.
Brown the onions and garlic in a pan (i used a little of the broth to add flavor)-cook til onions are soft
Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a pot
Once boiling, add all the spices to the pot
Stir
Add all other ingredients to the pot
Cook for approximately 10-20 minutes on medium heat (more if you like less liquid, less if you like it a little soupier).

YUM!  Share some of your favorite recipes here...I would love to try some!  Also, let me know if you ever stalled on shrimp.  I would love to try some grilled shrimp but been sticking to my bison and chili just cause its easy and predictable...

VLCD Day 34: on my way to V Day!

.7 lost yesterday, after eating chicken for both lunch and dinner, and drinking less water than normal.  For the last few days, I've felt weird trying to force down .75liters x 4, especially as I usally end up waiting til right before bedtime, so yesterday I just drank what felt right, and hoped that it wouldnt make a difference on the scale.  Glad I went with my gut.  Current weight is 166.7. 

Today I decided to try the P2 chili recipe that HCG Diet Supplies included with my supply shipment.  It sounded delicious with lots of spices: chili powder, cumin, and cayenne, as well as cabbage, chicken and chicken broth (no sugar).  Turns out it was 10x too spicy for me.  I tried to dilute it with water, add some cinnamon, some basil and thyme, nothing helped.  I gave up and tried to guess how many gms of chicken I had and then heated up some leftover Ted's Bison Steak, and had some celery sticks.  I hope that the mixing veggies doesn't come to bite me tomorrow.  I really want to see the lower 160's before I start doing SL dosing.  Im also going to try the chili later again tonight, this time with beef, onion, and the spices that my hubby uses for his chili...thats gotta be better.

Only one more day til my Valentine's dinner with my hubby, and I'm so looking forward to it.  We are trying a new restaurant, and seeing what Im going to assume will be the very cheesy "Valentines Day" movie that came out today.  And I might just have a glass of wine with dinner instead of my fruit...I had read on Happily Thinner After that some people do that without issue...so I would just then need to bump up my water intake to make sure I don't get too dehydrated.  That would be awesome...one glass is all I would need.

Been reading a really funny blog titled the Month of Zen...and wishing that I was that witty in my posts.  She hasn't posted in almost a year, though, so Im assuming she's been at goal and that's that.  I emailed her on the Happily Thinner site to see if she might be interested in contributing to the HCG Success Stories book, and hope she replies!  I need a little sarcasm and light hearted banter in my book...

And Comcast finally came back to fix their little screw up that shut all the TVs (7 of them, can you believe it?) down for the last 24 hours.  And of course they did it on a Thursday night, when our DCR has trouble keeping up with all the shows we want to watch.

So all in all, Im in good spirits, its friday, and I'm feeling the love.  Here's a little love to all of you out there too...feel free to post your V Day plans (or lack of ) here and share how you are going to show yourself a little love...

Measurements and Reflections

So I was reading my yahoo group for some inspiration and ideas about my little stall (or whatever you want to call it), and I found that it is very normal for someone to stall (for up to two weeks) at a weight they were at previously for a few years...and that is definitely where I am right now.  I have decided as such, to suck it up, keep on trucking, and stick to my plan of 9 more injections and then SL until I either reach immunity or my goal.  I have also decided that I am going to start working out again, at least three times a week, or as desire strikes, for up to 30 minutes a day starting next week.  Nothing crazy, a little spin workout, or walking three miles, or going for a swim (not sure if the chlorine affects this, but I guess Ill see)...and track how that affects my weight.  If I'm going to be in a stall anyway, might as well do something with my body.

I also read this post, and it is wonderful (was not addressed to me, but to another that was discouraged from the group):
Sweetie, your body is losing weight in the best manner possible for IT. Honor its intelligence and wisdom in allowing you the weight reduction in such a way that your health is maintained and you are able to eat normally afterwards without gaining. Comparing myself to others is always a temptation for me, and it always gets me in trouble, so I recommend letting your body do its thing without any judgement from you, blessing it for releasing the extra fat in its own way and its own time, if at all possible.

I'm still losing inches, so that is really important.  In the past week, I've lost 2.85inches...so that is good.  The fat is definitely still moving around, or being released.  I just need to get over my scale number fixation...and try those size 12s again and see how they fit (after wearing them for an hour last week, everything felt like it was closing in...definitely a little too tight once I sat down).

Here are my measurements (click to see them larger):

RD1, VLCD Day 33

Big ole goose egg this morning!  I am SOSOSOSOSOSOSOS frustrated.  And that was even after I did my every three day bathroom visit...so I would have gained if not for that.  I have NO idea why...I added more water yesterday since I am so sick of seeing .2 or .4,  I ate an apple and strawberries, had bison (always eat this instead of beef) and chicken, had different veggies, romaine and tomatoes, all the things that I normally do to lose a little more, and NOTHING! 

Am I ovulating?  Is it not working for me anymore?  Don't think it would be that one, since they say if you reach immunity you start getting really hungry and start looking gaunt...

And what sucks even more is that the family has cabin fever, and we are stuck inside again, and that just makes me long for stress eating.  I actually dreamed about eating chocolate last night.  And there are goodies in the house leftover from our Superbowl party that are calling my name.  I might try to take Connor to the movies today just to get out of the house, but that will be possible only if my youngest's school is open and my husband takes him before heading off to work at 10am.  I'll also make hubby take all those yummy things to work with him for his branch luncheon today.

I really wanted to be able to do this for the long haul, switching to SL for a month or so before going to P3...but is my body going to let me?  I can't take too much longer of being within the same 2 lbs for the last two weeks.  Today is measurement day, and Im exactly 1.7 lbs down since last Thursday.  I used to lose that in 1 day!  I so hope that my measurements show a loss, because otherwise, I'll be really depressed...

I know, this is a journey, its so awesome I've lost 21 lbs, and still, I'm down.  Tomorrow will be better.  Maybe Ill do an apple day just to trick my mind into thinking Im doing something to get myself out of this rut.