Been away, but we're doing great! P2 and P3 are over!

Ok... wow, I haven't posted in quite some time. So sorry for my absence. I've been keeping a journal over at the myhcgjourney.com site and unfortunately I haven't gotten back to this blog. I had thought that no-one else was reading it, but someone (Edalene) left me a message today and that made me realize that I need to clarify where I've been.

Well this is where I am now. I've completed my 3rd P2 round, losing 18.4 lbs in a 40 day round and today is the first day of P4 for me. Nakia is also done. He lost a total of 16.7 lbs in a 21 day round. He continued to lose weight during his P3 and is now about 5 lbs below his LIW & a week into his P4. I'm hovering just over my LIW which is great. I'm usually WAY over my LIW by now so I think I'm getting the hang of this.

I have maintained my losses better than I ever have and I'm so proud of that, but mostly I'm grateful to my friends over the the myhcgjourney forum bootcamp. I couldn't have done it without bootcamp.

Nakia and I leave on saturday for our cruise with the other HCGer's that could make it. I am so excited! I get to meet people that I admire and taught me so much that I can't even put it into words. They have been some of my most encouraging HCG family members and it'll be so nice to actually hang out with them!

Nakia's not sure whether he'll do another round or not, but I have enough HCG for him to do it if he chooses to. I plan on doing one more round but I haven't decided when that will be yet. It'll either be between thanksgiving and christmas or after we go to vegas for my birthday in February. It might be a short round because I only have about 10 lbs to lose & I am going to maintain it this time! That's a promise!

I will probably be gone for a while, but I will update my blog when I start my next phase 2 round.

Hmmm... I think I'll go make rounds to see who's still blogging in our little community :)

R3D20 - Halfway mark!

Monica - R3D20
Starting Weight 173
09/23 - 162.6 +0.9
09/24 - 162.3 -0.3
09/25 - 161.3 -1.0
09/26 - 161.1 -0.2
Yesterday: 159.5 -1.6
Today: 161.7 +0.5
Total: -13

Nakia - R2D5
Starting Weight 154
09/23 - 254.3 -0.2 LOAD Day 2
09/24 - 254.0 -0.3
09/25 - 252.9 -1.1
09/26 - 251.8 -1.1
Yesterday: 250 -1.8
Today: 247.8 -2.2
Total: -6.2


My body is doing the up/down thing right now. I danced for 3 hours yesterday in a hip hop class at the gym. I knew it might make me gain a bit, but I just had to go because I've missed the last 2 weeks and I absolutely love that class. I also have friends in there that I haven't seen in a while and we have a blast together. So I'm up .5 today... partly because of that and maybe even because I went about 25 calories over 500. I just felt like I needed just a bit more protein with all the calories I burned in class which was close to 1000. I'm sure it will come off tomorrow.

Isn't Nakia doing fabulous?! He has decided that he doesn't want to use the natural soap and TOM's deoderant that I use when on P2. He has also decided to use regular lotion. I think that's a bad idea, but he wants to test it so if anyone is paying attention, I'll keep you posted.

My neighbor has gone from 204 to 191 and she started P2 1 day after I did. She started out taking hcg sublingualy at 100 ius twice a day, but she didn't keep her hcg in the fridge for the first 9 days. When I found out, I was worried that it had lost it's potency so we mixed her a new batch a few days ago & with that new batch she decided to switch to injections because she wanted to take her dosage once a day instead of twice. I think I was right because she has had much better losses this week. Keep in mind that I think it is the fresh batch that she now keeps in the fridge and not that fact that she switched to injections that she is losing at a better rate.

Nakia's first load day

Monica - R3D14

Starting Weight 173
09/16 - 163.2 0
09/17 - 163.2 0
09/18 - 163.4 +.2
09/19 - 163.4 0
09/20 - 162.9 -.5
Yesterday: 162.4 -.5
Today: 161.7 -0.7
Total: -11.3

Nakia - LOAD Day 1

Starting Weight 154.5

Yesterday's menu was:
B: 1/2 grapefruit & red zinger tea with lemon and splenda
S: coffee with 1 T half & half
L: steamed chicken and broccoli w/ original mrs dash, 2 melba rounds
D: chicken with hunt's fire roasted tomatoes (3/4 can) with garlic, red pepper flakes & fresh basil, 2 melba rounds for dipping. 1 strawberry sorbet with lemon & splenda.

Well... today is Nakia's first day of P2! He is disappointed in his weight gain over the summer and wants to give the protocol another shot. We both went overboard and had a little too much fun over the summer. We both realize that our maintenance skills need more work. Everything is a learning experience and we'll get it right next time.

I'm back home to MD from NY/NJ. Yesterday was an exhausting day. I went to see my little cousin in a production off broadway. He's in a young thespians group and their musical was featured at the Alvin Ailey theater in NY for 3 shows over the weekend so I just HAD to get there to support him. The play was fantastic. It was a modern day version of mid summer nights dream called Midnight Madness. That did a wonderful job. I'm so proud of him!

But here's the kicker. When I got to NJ, my mom had been taken to the emergency room because of light headedness & she was admitted overnight for observation because of low blood pressure and a slow heart rate. She told me she felt fine though & insisted that I still go to the show.

The show was at 8 and ended at around 10:45. I didn't get back to my mom's house until around 12. My sister was there and their upstairs neighbors were having a house party that stayed extremely loud until around 4 AM. She wouldn't call the cops and I got so pissed off at all the extremely loud music, running up and down the stairs, jumping around, and yelling going on that I tried to talk to the neighbor and ended up in an argument & that was only around 1 AM! I'm telling you, they should be glad that I don't live there. So I got almost no sleep and had to get up and get my mom from the hospital and make the 3 hour drive back down to MD. My mom told me that they do that frequently and the Newark police and the landlord won't do anything about it. She wants to take the landlord to court over it. I will Certainly testify if she does!

The good thing is that my mom is fine and she didn't have to deal with those crazy neighbors of hers because she wasn't there. Well... that's my rant about the weekend.

R3D8 - Ha! Take that! fat!

Starting Weight 173
Yesterday: 165
Today: 163.2 -1.8
Total: -9.8

Woo Hoo! And she smashes right past 164 with almost 2 lbs overnight! That's what I like to see. You were right Mary! Back on track with a vengeance! Wow... This is my best round ever. I don't have any desire to cheat (well, not as much as before) and my releases are better than ever so far. That's probably because this is new fat.

I was reading a post over at the myhcgjourney forum that talked about new and old fat and how the old fat is hard to get rid of, even for a plastic surgeon. Now that is very interesting to me. I certainly do notice that the fat that I recently put on is easier to get rid of that the fat I've had for years. So first in first out I guess... just like work. lol.

My neighbor is doing great too. She hit 197 yesterday. She's so excited that she got out of the 200s in under a week. I'm excited for her too. Its fun watching someone be amazed by this protocol as much as I was the first time (and still am)... and I'm glad I can be here for her because she can't get to the forums online because of her job. It's nice to have someone to share the protocol with and she's so close we can eat dinner together on some nights. She probably doesn't even know that she's helping me as much as I'm helping her. hmmm... I should probably tell her that.

Oh... one more thing. There might be a familiar character coming back to hcg... some certain person who has gained a lot of his weight back and always gets motivated by my releases.... lol. To be continued...

R3D7 - First gain this round

Starting Weight 173
Yesterday: 164.5
Today: 165 +.5
Total: -8

Hmm... I wonder if it was the white wine & shallots I cooked my catfish in last night? Oh well, I'm still ahead of my last round losses. Hopefully this gain will be followed by a nice release. Yesterday I had
B: apple
L: romaine lettuce, biz's mustard dressing, steamed chicken with spices, grissini
D: catfish fillet cooked in 1/2 shot of chardonnay & water. spinach wilted in water with shallots and garlic. Trader Joe's chunky applesauce.

I found out what nakia weighs now. Unfortunately he's back at 250. It's not quite where he was when he starting P2 but close. He's not willing to go on P2 during football season & I can certainly understand that. I delayed my first P2 until after football season. So he's going to be eating the same dinners as I do & he's going to eat light lunches and dinners. He's back to working out twice a day as well so I think he'll take at least 10 lbs off pretty easily because the hcg set is weight at around 240.

My next neighbor is doing really well. She started at 203 and she hit 199 2 days ago. Yaaaay for her! She wants to lose 30 lbs this round. Unfortunately I found out yesterday that she hasn't been keeping her HCG in the fridge. With so much information flying around, she missed that small detail. She has been keeping it in a cool dark place in her bedroom so I'm hoping that it's still good. I told her she could test it with a pregnancy test & she's keeping it in the fridge now.

R3D3 - Applegate!

Starting Weight 173
Yesterday: 170.2
Today: 168.9 -1.5
Total: -4.1

Yesterday was a great VLCD day, except I was all ready for my mid afternoon snack and WHAT?! NO APPLE! Someone stole my apple out of the company fridge! Who steals someone else's apple?! So you know I was upset. I took an extra break, drove to the whole foods market, and bought another apple so I wouldn't succumb to donuts and chocolate.

Well, have a friend that I helped get started on hcg and she is ending her first round tomorrow. She lost 22 lbs in her 40 day round and that's only because she deviated alot. She still lost quite a bit and she plans on doing a few more rounds.

My neighbor is doing ok, except she's going through that first ever week of VLCD. She's coming over tonight so I can show her some recipes. Should be fun. I'll get her stats so I can post them tomorrow.

R3D2 - ok ok... Now I'm really starting.

Starting Weight 173
Yesterday: 173.0
Today: 170.2 -2.8
Total: -2.8

I had a good loss today, but it probably would have been better if I hadn't eaten those cookies yesterday. I baked them for my load days but there was some cookie dough left over. I baked the rest of them last night so I could give them away, and I just couldn't help eating 2 of them. Ok Ok... so NOW I'm starting my VLCD today! I sent the rest to work with Nakia today.

Today is my friend's first VLCD day. It'll be nice having a P2 partner again even though it's not Nakia. I am sooo ready to start seeing losses again. It's so addictive!

On again - R3 Load day 2

Monica - R3P2
Yesterday: 170.4
Today: 171.2 +.08

I'm finally getting back to it! Today is my 2nd load day & I've been looking forward to starting P2 again for quite some time. I know it looks like I gained all my weight back, but I actually put on 5.5 lbs in the last week. I just knew I was planning to start P2 again so I've been eating alot of things that I know I'll miss during this round. So I'm going to treat that as my load and aside from going out to dinner tonight, I'm not overdoing it on my load days.

I spent the summer about about 6 lbs over LIW and since my last P2 was a short round, I didn't have that much wiggle room between my LIW and my starting weight. I'm pretty sure that most of the 6 lbs I gained was muscle because my measurements didn't change much with the gain.

Nakia won't be doing this round with me. It's football season again :) He's going to eat the same food I'm eating though (for the most part). I'll post his weight tomorrow. I don't think he got on the scale today. This time last year, I was waiting to start my first round because I knew football season was going to be difficult for me. This time I chose opening weekend to start! I know what to expect this time and I know I can handle it.

I will have local company though. My next door neighbor stopped me earlier this summer and insisted that I tell her how I lost weight. I told her and to my surprise, she was very interested. She'll be using hcg sublingually (orally) and I'll still be doing SQ injections. This should be fun. She wants to lose 35 lbs to start and then see where she is at that time. My goal for this round is to get to 145. That's 25 lbs and I think I can do that with a long round and NO CHEATING. I also think the first 5-6 lbs will come off really quickly because I gained it so recently. I lost 23 lbs on my first P2 and I made alot of mistakes then. I think this is THE round for me.

If anybody is still checking on my blog, thanks so much! :) I'll be around alot more now that the summer is over and Mr hcg is getting me up early in the morning again. I already feel the energy burst!

Hi Y'all! We're Livin it up on P4

Monica- R2P4
LIW: 158.2
Today: 167.1
8.9 ABOVE LIW

Nakia - R1P4
LIW: 237.2
Today: 246.5
9.3 ABOVE LIW

HAAAAY PEEPS!!! OK... how rude of me. I really didn't intend on dropping of the edge of cyberspace. My summer has just been a whirlwind of activity so I've been MIA for a while. As you can see, we are thoroughly enjoying our P4 summer! My normal weight range is actually 164-166, but I go up to around 167 during TOM which started yesterday. No worries. I feel fantastic & I'm loving my size 6's and 8's :).

Just to give an update, we've been traveling alot this summer and eating some great food along the way. I am thoroughly surprised that I've been maintaining at about 6-7 lbs over LIW this entire time. I will say that my tastes have changed so much that I don't want the junk I used to eat. Sugar and carbs are low on my list of desires, but I still get my homemade cookies and mac and cheese in from time to time. Mostly I'm sticking to fresh foods and my taste buds can't tolerate most of the processed food I used to like. For example, I tried a few cheetos the other day and actually spit them out! They used to be a weakness for me, but now I can't stand them!

Nakia is doing ok, but he's been having cravings for fried foods lately which has caused some gain. Under normal circumstances, he would have gained alot more than he has with the amount he's been eating. He was maintaining at about 5 lbs over LIW until about 2 weeks ago.

We are still planning on starting P2 again in September, but I may start sooner.... say the end of August. I want to do a 43 day round this time & I'd love to be at my goal well before the cruise in November.

I don't know if you're still stopping in, but Mary, Vic, Biz, Burcu, Becca, Liz, and Jenn & Ed for checkin on me. So sorry for my absence, but I felt like I was starting to obsess over my food and weight. It started out as just not having time to get online, then I realized that I wanted to see if I could "make it" on my own so to speak. I tend to make better choices when I know I'm going to have to confess my sins on my blog, but I wanted to see what would happen if I just let my appetite guide me. I think it has done well... I've been enjoying ANY food I desire. My only rules have been to stay away from high fructose corn syrup and limit refined carbs. Everything else is fair game.

Biz... I really want to thank you for bootcamp. It was essential for that delicate P3 period. I really think I got a handle on it this time. You are truly a godsend sister friend!

Made it to P4! Over LIW limit, but not much.

Monica- R2P4
LIW: 158.2
Yesterday: 163.4
Today: 162.4 -1.0
4.2 ABOVE LIW

Nakia - R1P4
LIW: 237.2
Yesterday: 239.8
Today: 239.8
.9 ABOVE LIW

Lookin good all around. Nakia fired up the grill yesterday and we had a small feast! I saw a fabulous turkey burger recipe on oprah the other day that I've been dying to try. There was a tiny bit of sugar in one ingredient (mango chutney), but it was negligible.

I highly recommend these. Here's the recipe on the oprah site: http://www.oprah.com/foodhome/food/recipes/200805/food_20080516_burger.jhtml Absolutely no bread, cheese or condiments needed.

Our other meat was teriyaki beef skewers with grilled pineapple from the food network
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_36826,00.html I never had grilled pineapple before... Boy was I missin out!

We also had yellow, red, orange and green peppers, red onions, cherry tomatoes & baby bok choy... all grilled nice and tender.... And since I wanted to recreate the broiled bananas I had at Fogo De Chao a few weeks ago, we put a halved banana, still in the peel, on the grill as well. It came out great! I put some homemade whipped cream sweetened with splenda & sprinkled cinnamon on top. I'm glad we only did one banana because I would have gone overboard on those if there were more.

It was nice to make something other than burgers and dogs on the grill. I ate sooo much food yesterday, but still stayed around 2000 calories with my 61% fat, 18% carbs and 21% protein which is about what I should have on workout days. I seem to do better with my food when I keep an eye on it, but don't obsess over it. It's a delicate balance.

Nakia and I are playin hooky today and going out of town for the weekend. We're just taking a drive to stay at a resort that my friend recommended. We've been trying to find close places to travel since the gas station wants my first born these days.

Mary - Wow... how did we all get on the same schedule?! Hmmm... cosmic stuff goin on there. Mine's on it's way out... thank goodness! Hey, you're still on a break right? I haven't had a chance to leave you a comment but I skimmed through your blog yesterday. I'll try to stop by soon.

Becca - I know... I can't beleive it myself, but I'm glad it's here, even though I'm not going to add the carbs in yet. I just hope this means that I'm stabilized now. My clothes are fitting great and Nakia says I'm tightening up in the right places :) So I'm happy.

Jan - Yup... I still feel the water retention and soreness so being 4 lbs over LIW isn't really that bad, as long as I can hang out here. My magic steak or egg day number is over 5 lbs over.

Doing great & starting P4

Monica- R2P3
LIW: 158.2
6/6: 163.9
6/7: 161.6 -2.3 LIW +3.4
6/8: 160.5 -1.1 LIW +2.3 TOM Started
6/9: 162.3 +1.8 LIW +4.1
6/10: 163.4 +1.1 LIW +5.2
6/11: 162 -1.2 LIW +3.8
Today: 163.4 +1.2 LIW +5.2

Nakia - R1P4
LIW: 237.2
6/6: 237.6 Started P4
6/7: no scale
6/8: no scale
6/9: 241.8 +4.2 LIW +4.6
6/10: 241.1 -.7 LIW +3.9
6/11: 241.3 +.2 LIW +4.1
Today: 239.8 -1.5 LIW +2.6

Nakia started P4 on friday, but really he's been eating some P4 foods all along anyway. Mostly hamburger buns :). He's really figued out how to get his weight in control. Look at that! He went up over the weekend while he didn't have the scale and now he's getting right back down towards his LIW. He doesn't use fitday, but he's learned how to listen to his body. He's eating alot of lean meats like his dinner last night of a turkey burger with cheese, guacamole and salsa on a roll. He doesn't care for wheat rolls so it was just a regular hamburger roll. He had eggs for breakfast and broccoli and fruit for lunch.

A for me... TOM showed up earlier this week and my weight is fluctuating a lot from that and I'm having a lot of cravings. I'm also working out and experiencing some water retention to go with my soreness. I'm sitting here right now and my whole body is sore so I know my muscles must be holding on to some water so they can heal up. I think my weight will get lower after TOM leaves and my workout soreness goes away. I'll just keep getting plenty of protein and I'll be fine. I've been meaning to take measurements to see where I am, but I haven't had time. I start my P4 tomorrow, but I'm not adding any carb or sugars yet. I'm going to see how my weight regulates after TOM is outta here.

Nakia and I are going to a resort for 3 days this weekend just to get away. Our 5th wedding anniversary is next weekend so we're just starting to celebrate a little early. Next weekend we're going to hang out in Atlantic city & check out a gourmet restaurant there. We haven't decided which one yet though.

That's all for today.

Mary - Yup... egg days are great! I'm so glad Biz started that. It's so much easier than a steak day. I tend to over eat the day after a steak day.

Vic - Yeah gotta love him... He's a keeper! I've eased up on worrying about my weight right now. My body is going through some changes with the workouts so I'm just eating what I know I should and letting things fall where they need too. No worries.

Burcu - Mine freaked out as first, but then she just got over it. She didn't start out being supportive, but she came around. It was difficult to tell her at first, but I sent her pounds & inches and she felt a little better about it.

Becca - I'm busy building that muscle right now, but that weight will come down soon enough. I will certainly tell my mom she's the BOMB :) She'll love that!

Visiting mom today! She's great!

Monica- R2P3
LIW: 158.2
Yesterday: 163.9
Today: 161.6 -2.3
3.4 ABOVE LIW

Nakia - R1P3
LIW: 237.2
Yesterday: 237.6
Today: ???
.4 ABOVE LIW

That egg day seemed to work great. Now I need to maintain it today even though I'm away from home. I'm visiting my mom this weekend. My mom is really supportive of me. I got here late last night and I had told her I was done eating for the day so she made me a cup of tea with lemon and splenda. That was so sweet of her. She does tell me that she thinks I'm too thin right now, but she never tries to get me to eat something. In fact, last night when I was eyeing her crescents, she promptly said "Don't you eat those!" & put them away, instead of saying "Awww... just one won't hurt". LOL.... I just LOVE her for that!

So today I'm down 2.3 and Nakia doesn't know what he weighs because he let me take the scale with me since I'm working on controlling my weight more than he is. I must admit, he's probably been eating less calories than I have & he's been working out as well. He doesn't eat a lot of dairy & he has nuts every once in a while..., like one should :). He's also been able to eat a few carbs here and there like a hamburger bun or a slice of banana walnut bread. His main focus is protein though, but he's always been like that. I started forcing him to eat a "balanced" meal of a veg, a starch & a meat on one plate like my mother taught me growing up. Wow.... that whole idea has changed now! My plates certainly don't look like that anymore. They consist of mostly protein and a vegetable with no carbs at all. Whooda thunk? I really just need to start eating what Nakia's eating.... WHOA... what a concept :)

Hi Ed & Jenn, It's hard to not worry about my LIW since I just kept gaining on my last P3 after my weight started to go up... no matter what I did. I really do feel a difference now though. My body seems much more responsive so I think taking off the extra few pounds won't be as hard. We'll see what happens tomorrow :) Thanks for checkin on us cruisin buddies!

It's time to step it up Moni!

Monica- R2P3
LIW: 158.2
Yesterday: 162.5
Today: 163.9 +1.4
5.7 ABOVE LIW

Nakia - R1P3
LIW: 237.2
Yesterday: 237.7
Today: 237.6 -.1
.4 ABOVE LIW

I was attempting to have a high protein day yesterday, but it went off kilter a bit. With too many cashews, my calorie count was too high when I put my food into fitday.... so I'm on an egg day today. I had 3 eggs cooked in butter this morning, a 4 egg salad with mayo, mustard & sugar free relish to eat throughout the day, and I'll have 3 eggs for dinner. I'm hoping most of this weight comes off with that. I wore my skinny jeans today to make sure everything was still in place & they still fit... WOOO HOOO.

I'm so happy for Nakia though... he's sailing right through this P3. An interesting thing to note is that he only deviated once while on P2 and he couldn't even keep that down because it made him sick so it really doesn't count, but I deviated more than I did on my first P2.... interesting fact. We're going to start P2 again in September, so we're done before we go on the HCG cruise. I was going to start in July, but our summer is too full of events for me to do that safely, so I really need to lose this extra 5 lbs and get closer to my LIW. I just looked at the stats of my first P2 and it was right around this time(about 2 weeks in) that I started to gain steadily so now is the time to nip this in the bud so
I have banished all nuts from my house!
I do ok when I separate them into servings immediately, but the loose ones get me every time!

Thank you to everyone that stops by. I appreciate all of you so much, whether you post or not!

Word of the day: Protein!

Monica- R2P3
LIW: 158.2
Yesterday: 162.2
Today: 162.5 +.3
4.3 ABOVE LIW

Nakia - R1P3
LIW: 237.2
Yesterday: 240.1
Today: 237.7 -2.4
.5 ABOVE LIW

Yup... protein is the key. Wow... how long did it take me to figure that out? I've been thinking that I needed to eat alot of fruit, but that's when I get into trouble. I went back and read P&I once more and saw something I hadn't noticed before.
Here is an excerpt from Pounds & Inches that explains Dr Simeon's treatment for Protein Deficiency.

During treatment the patient has been only just above the verge of protein deficiency and has had the advantage of protein being fed back into his system from the breakdown of fatty tissue. Once the treatment is over there is no more HCG in the body and this process no longer takes place. Unless an adequate amount of protein is eaten as soon as the treatment is over, protein deficiency is bound to develop, and this inevitably causes the marked retention of water known as hunger- edema.

The treatment is very simple. The patient is told to eat two eggs for breakfast and a huge steak for lunch and dinner followed by a large helping of cheese and to phone through the weight the next morning. When these instructions are followed a stunned voice is heard to report that two lbs. have vanished overnight, that the ankles are normal but that sleep was disturbed, owing to an extraordinary need to pass large quantities of water. The patient having learned this lesson usually has no further trouble.

LOL... I just love the fact that steak is the cure for most of the problems on P3. Hmmm.... this gets me to thinking. If you come off of P2 and try to eat mostly veggies, fruits & cheese, even if you get all your calories in, you may also suffer from protein deficiency. This is an interesting thing to note. I'm sure I suffered this on my first round of P3. Re-reading P&I is always an eye opener for me. I always find something new there. He really was a pioneer.

Ed & Jenn - Thanks for checkin on me sis! Yup... it finally clicked. I don't have my stats in front of me, but I'm pretty sure that by the 2nd week of my last P3, I was on a steady upward climb. This time I really feel stabilized and I'm sure I can get back down to my LIW in just a few days. It's a good feeling. I can't wait to get to where you are though! You are really doin the damn thing!

Burcu - I'm not really worried about it, especially since I'm working out and my rings are so tight. I know that comes with about a 4 lb temporary gain for me. As long as I stick to P3 food, I'll be fine. I'm doing another mostly protein day today... although I did have a 1/2 of a leftover banana that was in my fridge this morning, but it was really early.

Becca - Yeah... my time is short with work, exercising, and everything else, but I'm going to try to keep up with my blog as much as I can. During P2 I use my morning workout time to blog, but now that time is filled with the actual workout, so I try to sneak it in during my lunch break. It really is the best record I have of what I've REALLY been doing. The charts and graphs are ok, but journaling is so much more dynamic.

Where have we been?!

Monica- R2P3
LIW: 158.2
Yesterday: 163.1
Today: 162.2 -.9
4.0 ABOVE LIW

Nakia - R1P3
LIW: 237.2
Yesterday: 237.5
Today: 240.1 +2.6
2.9 ABOVE LIW

Ha... I'm back. We had a great weekend again! Sorry I've been away so long. I had some internet connection problems over the weekend at home, & then I started my workouts on monday so that's been taking up my normal blogging time. I've been trying to keep up the journaling over at www.myhcgjourney.com/forums too so unfortunately time is short for my blog.

Nakia has been holding steady right around his LIW. He said he ate alot of salty food yesterday so he's retaining water. I totally agree... even though he's not updating his fitday menus so I really have no clue! But who am I to talk.... I didn't do mine for 4 days straight! LOL

He was over the 2 pounds once before and he fixed that with a high protein day, so that's what he's doing today. He doesn't want to do a steak day because he knows he would overeat the day after.... Well that's essentially what I did. I gained most of my steak day loss back the next day, so I think either high protein days or egg days will be better for me mentally. I'm trying to keep my protein levels high because that seems to work well for me. I have to cut down on the veggies and fruits until I get back to my LIW. 2-4 cups of veggies a day, depending on the carb count & one fruit serving will be my limit for now. Hopefully I can stick to it. Mind over food!

Thanks Liz, Jan, Burcu & Becca for your kind words. I really need all the encouragement I can get right now. It's so easy to go overboard on P3.

We're BOTH LEGAL again!

Monica- R2P3
LIW: 158.2
Yesterday: 161.9
Today: 159.1 -2.8
.9 ABOVE LIW

Nakia - R1P3
LIW: 237.2
Yesterday: ???
Today: 238.1
.9 ABOVE LIW

WOOO HOOO! I love steak days (the day after)... LOL. I think Nakia had a really good loss this morning too because he ate super light yesterday. He did have a hamburger roll on his hamburger & a few bites of potato salad, but he didn't eat many calories. It was some store bought potato salad that a friend brought to our bbq. He siad it was so salty he couldn't eat it. We both have developed an intolerance to both salt and oil. I tried to eat a few Lay potato chips over the weekend and couldn't get past one because of the salt. That is so NOT me! I used to polish off half a bag with no problem! I also made some coconut bark and I got to try some this morning. I couldn't eat more than 1/8 of it because the oil upset my stomach a bit. That's okay though because there are alot of calories in that.

Now today is the day that I see whether or not I can really maintain this weight. **finger's crossed**

Victoria - I'm handling it well? I thought I've been screwing up from the beginning! LOL. My fear of a repeat of last P3 is keeping me honest this time around, but it really doesn't seem as hard. I don't think my body ever really set to my round 1 LIW, but I definately feel a difference this time.

Mary - Well... look at that. His fear of the scale seemed to pay off.. although he confessed this morning that he did get on the scale 2 days ago and he was well into the 240s. Whatever he did to correct it worked though. He sure did eat alot of fruit yesterday!

Jan - He sends a big thanks to you my friend! I had sooo much fun on HIS birthday too!

Happy times in protocol land folks!

Maintenance is much easier this time

Monica- R2P3
LIW: 158.2
Yesterday: 161.6
Today: 161.9 +.3
3.7 ABOVE LIW

Nakia - R1P3
LIW: 237.2
Yesterday: ???
Today: ???

Fogo De Chao was FANTASTIC! I've never had so many delicious meats. There really weren't many carbs to even try to resist. There were mashed potatoes and polenta on the table, but the meats were center stage for the night. I highly recommend this restaurant for any P3'ers. Fabulous meats & fabulous salad bar. They had these broiled bananas on the table that were really good too so I had a few of those because there was no added sugar. They brought Nakia a complimentary flan for dessert, and I had a bit of that so that was my only deviation for the day & well worth it. Only .3 up from the day before is wonderful! Today will be another steak day for me and then I think I'll have everything back under control.

Nakia really enjoyed his birthday. He sends a big thank you to everyone who wished him a happy birthday. He had a great time last night and I bought him a 1/2 shot of Louis XIII de Rémy Martin cognac. He's been eyeing it since his favorite spot started carrying it a few years ago and it's $100 per shot so it made a really good birthday present for him. Yup... he had a great day. He's still not ready to face the scale, but I actually think it won't be that bad. The only time he had any sugar was his flan last night. He's been eating alot of fruit, veggies, and protein so I think he'll be ok.

Ed & Jenn - Jenn, you were right on time girlie girl! Nakia says thanks. That steak day RAWKED! Doin a repeat today... no problem!

Mary - Yeah girl... this weekend looks like it did a number on all of us, but we can get it back together. YOU had a fantastic steak day too sweetie! Great job!

Becca - You are sooo right. That place was perfect for a steak day or any P3 day... just don't eat lunch... LOL. Nakia really is eating sooo much better. I'm so proud of him.

Burcu - Thanks a bunch! We're feeling great and enjoying our P3 very much. This coming week should be easier to navigate because all the festivities are over.

Shelly - Hi! so nice to see you! I'll get over to your blog in a minute. Can you tell that we LOVED Fogo De Chao?! We will definately be back before we start another P2.

Great Steak day!

Monica- R2P3
LIW: 158.2
Yesterday: 165.7
Today: 161.6 -4.1
3.4 ABOVE LIW

Nakia - R1P3
LIW: 237.2
Yesterday: 239
Today: ???
1.8 ABOVE LIW

I had a really good steak day yesterday. Now, I think I remember Biz writing somewhere that she thinks you should do a steak day and then try to maintain the next day. Well, that sounds good to me because I just don't want to do 2 steak days in a row. So today is maintenance day. I'm going to eat just enough calories to reach my BMR level & see how that goes. Then I'll do another steak day tomorrow.

Today is Nakia's birthday so he has elected not to do the whole "scale thing" today. He's gonna eat what he wants and let the chips fall where they may.... From the looks of his P3 so far, he can get away with that.... not me though. We're going out to dinner tonight (Fogo De Chao) so I had breakfast and I'll be munching on celery with mustard dressing during the day until dinner since it's a natural diuretic & I'm still retaining some water weight. I just read that the potassium in bananas can help the body to release water as well, but I think the calorie & sugar content in bananas is a bit high for me today. I'll definitely try it another day though. I am such a monkey-head! I love bananas!

Jan - Yup... most of that water weight came off today. I'm hoping to see more of it gone tomorrow. As long as I don't overdo it at dinner tonight, I should be fine.

Vic - Nakia says thanks for the birthday wishes. He sure is enjoying himself. Of course he took the day off from work, so he's having a good 'ol time at home today.
I love my little snack bags of lunch. It keeps me honest and keeps the guilt out of eating them.

Great Memorial Day weekend! Time to regroup!

Monica- R2P3
LIW: 158.2
Yesterday: 162.9
Today: 165.7 +2.8
7.5 ABOVE LIW

Nakia - R1P3
LIW: 237.2
Yesterday: 238.5
Today: 239 +.5
1.8 ABOVE LIW

We both had a great Memorial day weekend. We went to a carribean wine festival, and a cookout on saturday. On monday we went and saw the new Indiana Jones movie, then had crabs with friends that evening. We didn't have crabs until yesterday and the old bay and salty crab is making us both retain a lot of water. Today I'm doing a steak day and Nakia is eating light. We both went off protocol yesterday at the crab party, but no sugar, just carbs. I did managed to stay away from nuts until yesterday as well. I think it'll all work itself out this week with some damage control. I'm starting my workouts today and drinking plenty of water. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Tomorrow is Nakia's birthday and we'll be going out to dinner at Fogo De Chao so I'm not going to eat anything until dinner, then I'm only going to have protein. They're known for their roasted meats on skewers that they carve table side. Should be fun!

Burcu - We had loads of fun this weekend. Now it's time to get back into the swing of P3.

Jan - OMG... me too! I've learned about nuts the hard way, but I know I have them under control now. Separating them into serving sizes also keeps me from nibbling on 1 or 2 at a time all day. I don't want to break of the servings so I don't fool with them unless I'm going to have a whole serving. It's working out so far. One bag of nuts every other day seems to keep the nut monster away :)

Day 31 of VLCD DONE! Let's get this P3 party started!

Monica- R2P2 72 hrs after LIW
LIW: 158.2
Yesterday: 157.1
Today: 156.9 -.2
1.3 BELOW LIW

Nakia - R1P3
LIW: 237.2
Yesterday: 233.5
Today: 235.8 +2.3
1.4 BELOW LIW

Yesterday's menu
Monica
B: 8 oz coffee, 1 T half & half
L: apple, chicken cacciatore, 1 melba toast
D: chicken breast, cabbage, natural applesauce, 10 macadamia nuts & 10 raw almonds

Click here for Nakia's food journal

WOOOO HOOOO! I had a great P2! Now I can get on with the business of maintaining until I start round 3. The biggest thing I need to watch is my love for nuts, so this morning I separated my entire collection of nuts into snack bags with 200 & 300 calories worth of nuts in them. They are surprisingly small which lets me know how much I was probably eating on my first P3 when I didn't measure them. I don't want to cut them out completely cus I'll go nuts (pun intended) so "P3 in moderation" is going to be my mantra. I'll be fine if I follow the advice that I've been giving Nakia.... yeah... sure.... I can do that... LOL. I just had my first P3 meal of canned salmon and eggs with havarti cheese and minced onions with a large mug of coffee with half & half.

We have a full day planned. We're going to a wine tasting with friends and then to a cookout this evening. This is the weekend before Nakia's birthday and we've been treating this memorial day cookout as his birthday party for the past 2 years so I don't think he's going to stick to protocol today, but he's got plenty of wiggle room. It will most likely be carbs and not sugar though. I'm going to stick to my buffalo wings, crabs with butter and veggies with blue cheese dressing from Trader Joes (if they have one with no sugar). If I can't find one without sugar, I'll make one. I found a great recipe in one of my Better Homes and Garden's cookbooks. Here it is if anyone's interested.

Blue Cheese Dressing

1. In a blender container or food processor bowl combine 1/2 cup plain yogurt or dairy sour cream, 1/4 cup cream-style cottage cheese, 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese. Cover and blend or process till smooth. Stir in 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese. If necessary, stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons milk to make the dressing of the desired consistency.
2. Serve immediately or cover and store in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks. Makes 1 1/4 cups.

Nutrition facts per tablespoon: 45 cal, 4 g total fat (1 g sat fat), 6 mg cholesterol, 101 mg sodium, 1 g carbs, o g fiber, 2 g protein.

Vic - I'm really glad that I can give up making separate food for a while. It creates so many dishes! I am definately going try the coconut bark sometime this week. I don't think I'll need any help making my calories today though. I'll have wine and buffalo wings to help me with that :) Thanks for all your advice and support. Luv ya lady!

Jan - I wish we could too! Say it with me now.... MEN!

Burcu - Thanks B! we'll see how this weekend goes. I'm going to enjoy it!

Enjoy your memorial day weekend everyone! :)

Day 30 of VLCD DONE! Last VLCD

Monica- R2P2 48 hrs after LIW
LIW: 158.2
Yesterday: 158
Today: 157.1 -.9
1.1 BELOW LIW

Nakia - R1P3
LIW: 237.2
Yesterday: 235.5
Today: 233.5 2
3.7 BELOW LIW

Yesterday's menu
Monica
B: 8 oz coffee, 1 T half & half
L: apple, chicken & broccoli, 1 grissino
D: catish creole, 1 melba toast with strawberry spread, 3 small strawberries, 1 slice of banana walnut friendship bread

Click here for Nakia's food journal

I sure didn't expect a loss today so that's a nice site. I've been making friendship bread for a while now and giving it to my co-workers and friends even while on P2. If you don't know what friendship bread is, here's an article: Amish Friendship Bread. So yesterday it was time to make another loaf. I always make a different variety so I did banana walnut because Nakia hasn't eaten the bananas that I bought a week ago and they were turning brown. I was slicing a piece to give to a friend of mine with her starter & it was warm and gooey and I just had to have some! I know hcg has left the building because I did that same thing twice with no problems on P2 & I was never tempted to have a piece. So I'm surprised and delighted at that loss. It was worth it though. That bread is absolutely delicious!

Ok... Nakia just got up... Um... ok. He lost 2 lbs. All I can say is, he got all his calories in yesterday. I made him an omlet with salmon and havarti cheese yesterday morning and gave him 300 calories worth of peanuts for a snack at work. He was still just a tad low on fats, but over 750 of his calories were from alcohol... There is really something to that. Everytime he drinks he has a huge drop the next day! He always stays away from drinks with any sugar. He either has rum/vodka with diet coke or hennessy with nevan. He's not really a social wine drinker. We normally just have that with dinner. Well... obviously he's happy. He didn't even workout yesterday! Does the protocol work or what?! His birthday is wednesday of next week so it looks like he'll have plenty of wiggle room for his favorite meal of meatloaf & mashed potatoes with gravy.

Hey Biz, I don't even know how concerned I should be right now. I remember how your son was still losing weight after he stopped his injections. How's he doing by the way?
I sent Nakia to work with cheese snacks and I picked up some coconut oil last night. I'm going to make some coconut bark tomorrow so I can try it too. The only nuts he likes are peanuts and cashews so he won't eat the macadamias, but he loves cheese. I think we've figured out the calorie gap...
More Alcohol! LOL

Day 29 of VLCD DONE!

Monica- R2P2 1st 24 hrs after LIW
LIW: 158.2
Yesterday: 158.2
Today: 158 -.2
.2 BELOW LIW

Nakia - R1P3
LIW: 237.2
Yesterday: 236
Today: 235.5 -.5
1.7 BELOW LIW

Yesterday's menu
Monica
B: hot mocha drink (2 T cocoa powder, 2 T splenda, dash of cinnamon, 1/4 t vanilla, 12 oz coffee, 1 T half & half)
L: strawberries, chicken cacciatore, 1 grissino
D: salad with romaine, apple slices, chicken with Biz's ginger dressing & 1 grissino

Click here for Nakia's food journal

Well look at that. Releases all around! Ok... looks like Nakia is stabilizing now. He only had just over 1300 calories yesterday & he worked out. I just can't get him to eat! We both tried Dawn's chicken cacciatore yesterday & he only ate one 3.5 oz piece of chicken for lunch! I made it in my slow cooker overnight and it was wonderful! Then he did something that looked delicious for dinner... he sliced some tomatoes, spread on some guacamole and chopped up chicken cacciatore and ate them like little pizza's. My boo is so creative :) I just love watching him eat all this fresh healthy food! This has always been unheard of in our home! Where's the oreos, chips, pizza & chinese? My fridge is full of veggies and fresh meat! WHAT?!

Cooking fresh everyday sure does make alot of dishes though. My ziploc steamer bags help alot with that. I know some folks have issues with cooking in the microwave, but I've given up so much already. I'm just not ready to give that up. I made Biz's catfish creole in one of them at work for lunch one day and it was so good folks were asking me what it was. It came out like tomato catfish soup... YUMMO! I use them to steam my veggies and my chicken or fish. It cooks easily with no oil or butter & it's quick easy cleanup. Plus I get freshly cooked food at work! Ok... the commercial's over :)
I can't wait until the weekend! I get to start my workouts again and I'm going to get my tattoo sometime during this P3-P4 break. I've wanted a dolphin tattoo for years & Nakia took me to get one on my birthday but I was on P2 at the time and didn't want to risk putting the ointment on my skin... well... at least that was my excuse . I'll keep y'all posted.

Also... tomorrow is picture and measurement day for us..... I'll be posting all that tomorrow morning.

Mary - Awww... you know what to do. I'm on day 2 of no deviations... Let's do this girl.
I think Nakia is doing great, but I also think it's good that we're both on the protocol at the same time so we don't even have "bad" food in the house. That helps alot. I'm feeling better about my P3 now. If he can do it, so can I.

Biz - Thanks Biz... you will certainly see me over there. I've been lurking to get prepared and looking at some fitday menus. I'm ready! bring it on!

Liz - Thanks a bunch! I did get hungry, but it went away after lunch. I drank tons of water and tea & I also allowed myself to have 2 pieces of sugar free gum and that helped alot.
I will definately be staying away from sugar. Fruit is going to be my treat.

Burcu - I was sooo happy with that steak day. I didn't think I would have a loss today after that, so I was glad to see the scale move down this morning. I'll take a pic of my tattoo when I get it.

Have a great day & thank for stopping by!

Day 28 of VLCD DONE! Monica's REAL LIW

Monica - R2P2
Total overall: -23.8 13%
R1 LIW 161.7
R2 Starting weight: 172.4
Yesterday: 159.5
Today: 158.2 -1.3
R2 14.2 Total 8.2%

Nakia - R1P3
LIW: 237.2
Yesterday: 235.7
Today: 236 +.3
1.2 BELOW LIW

Yesterday's menu
Monica
B: Red zinger tea with lemon & splenda
D: 7 oz steak, sliced tomato

Click here for Nakia's food journal

Ok... that's more like it. I've decided to use today as my LIW instead. That means saturday will be my first P3 day. That steak day really did the trick! I do think it was strange that one extra fruit would cause such a gain, but I guess that's just how my body works. I can usually have extra protein without gains, but I guess I'm more sensitive to fruit.

I have to say that I'm terrified of P3 right now. The last one didn't go so well, but I have a few theories about that now. I took a break on Day 24 which was my 22nd VLCD day & my weight was 168.1. When I came off my break I went another 16 days and lost 6.4 lbs. When I ended my P2, I almost immediately shot up to around 168 and stayed +/- 2 lbs from there for most of my P3 and P4. I believe that my body had a set point at 168.1 when I took my break because I didn't do another 21 days of P2 after that. I never made the connection until analyzing my weight spreadsheet. It's so important to keep good records on this protocol.

Since I didn't realize it at the time, I didn't bother doing steak days anymore once I got that far away from my LIW so I gained 3 more pounds right before starting P2 again. Therefore, I am a true believer now that I must do at least 21 days of VLCD before and after a planned interruption before going into P3. I'm hoping that my theory is correct and I'll have a better experience with P3 this time.

Biz - I try not to worry about the gains, but with him complaining about them and my gains on my last P3, it's difficult to just let him gain without doing something different. I do think he's doing ok though & I'm just making sure he keeps his fitday journal updated so we know what to change if we need to. And that fruit? HA... brain fart! LOL

Mary - He has gained 4 days in a row and he's STILL below his LIW by more than a pound. I guess that's ok. I hope he stabilizes soon. He's got a little over 2 weeks left of P3. I'm sure he'll do fine. He's working out everyday again and he's happy with that. Now you! Miss deviator! I eat one extra fruit and I go haywire, but you lose! What's up with that?! ROFL.

Jan - Hey girl... I guess I had tremendous success as well. It was difficult during the first part of that day, but steak never tasted so good! I do NOT want to do that again.

Burcu - I've been too chicken to do it too. If you lived close we could go get one together. I've had mine picked out for about 3 years and Nakia wanted to get me one for my birthday in feb, but I was on P2 and couldn't put the ointment on my skin so we agreed that I'd get one on my next P3 break... wish me no pain.

Becca - Hey! Well... hopefully this new LIW sticks :) And.. yup, that's a flute and I'm a flutist... flautist... whatever :) Actually I haven't played in years because I can't practice at home living in apartments and townhouses for the past 10 years, but it made a cool looking prop for a picture

Day 27 of VLCD DONE! Monica's LIW

Monica - R2P2
Total overall: -22.5 12.4%
R1 LIW 161.7
R2 Starting weight: 172.4
Yesterday: 159
Today: 159.5 +.5
R2 12.9 Total 7.5%

Nakia - R1P3
LIW: 237.2
Yesterday: 235.4
Today: 235.7 +.3
1.5 BELOW LIW

Yesterday's menu
Monica
B: hot mocha drink
(2 T cocoa powder, 1.5 T splenda, dash of salt, 1/4 t vanilla, 8 oz coffee, 1 T half & half)
S: gala apple
L: buffalo chicken strips & cucumbers with italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, & red pepper flakes
S: orange
D: baked catfish filet, sauted spinach with Biz's ginger dressing, strawberry sorbet

Click here for Nakia's food journal

Oops... I had an extra fruit yesterday and totally forgot about it until just now. I had an apple in the morning, an orange in the afternoon & then had a strawberry sorbet after dinner.... I completely forgot about that orange! I was totally baffled by that .5 gain until just now. Bad mistake to make right before LIW day huh? That's what I get fot not planning out my whole day of meals. I'm really not happy with this LIW, but it is what it is. I'm still hoping to maintain in P3 at around 157, so I'm going to do a P2 steak day today.

Nakia had another gain today, but it was much smaller than yesterday and he's still below LIW. I'd like to stop his gains though. I know he had too many carbs yesterday because of too much fruit so today I gave him more veggies & healthy fat and less fruit. He has been eating salmon all week too. He loves the stuff! I actually found some Coho salmon at whole foods and he said it was delicious, but I'm not sure he should be eating half a pound at a time! Oh well.... at least it's not fried chicken... LOL.

Mary - So much for 158... I was so sure I was going to see that. I can't BELIEVE I did thiat. I must have been tired or something.

Jan - Well... this is it. This is my LIW. I'm not happy with it, but it's still below 160 & below my LIW from round 1.

Ed & Jenn - What's up you guys? Thanks for the compliment on the pic. We're doin ok over here. I'm terrified of P3... especially after my screw up yesterday, but I'm going to join Biz's bootcamp first thing friday morning and hope for the best.
Wow 199! Go Ed! Well... he's on his way. He's doing great.

Vic - Hey lady! Funny you should mention evoo. I actually did put vinegar and olive oil in Nakia's cucumbers this morning with some lemon pepper seasoning. I definately need to raise his fats and lower his carbs. Nakia carries alot of muscle too... mostly upper body. I think that once he gets to 220, he'll want to shoot for a lower number, but one step at a time for now.

Burcu - Hey B! Thanks a bunch! Yeah.... I guess we're still doing okay. I'm just all bummed out today over the scale, but I'll get over it.

Day 26 of VLCD DONE!

Monica - R2P2
Total overall: -23 12.6%
R1 LIW 161.7
R2 Starting weight: 172.4
Yesterday: 159.3
Today: 159 -.3
R2 13.4 Total 7.8%

Nakia - R1P3
LIW: 237.2
Yesterday: 234.5
Today: 235.4 +.9
1.8 BELOW LIW

Yesterday's menu
Monica
B: 1 melba toast with Trader Joe's strawberry spread, hot chocolate drink
(2 T cocoa powder, 1 T splenda, dash of salt, 1/4 t vanilla, 8 oz water, 1 T half & half)
S: strawberries
L: hamburger topped with TJ's salsa. Tomato slices with italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt & red pepprer flakes.
S: Gala Apple (mmmm)
D: baked catfish filet, sauted spinach with Biz's ginger dressing, 1 melba toast with TJ's strawberry spread

Click here for Nakia's food journal

Alright already! Lets get to 158! 4 days in the 159s. We sure do get impatient with this fast paced weight loss don't we? Well... it'll keep me from deviating... I hope. Nakia made salmon and eggs for dinner last night and I did taste it, but I don't think that counts. I think I found my first P3 meal... that was really good :)

Ok... Nakia is back within his LIW threshold... reluctantly. I made him eat a chicken sausage with cheese last night because he was only at 1400 calories for the day and he needs at least 2200 on his sedentary days. That only took him to 1663 though. He says he was stuffed. Today I gave him salmon salad with TJ's mayonaisse and more chicken sausage with cheese. Hopefully he'll eat it. He doesn't want to stay within the 2 pounds though. He wants to continue to lose so we compromised that he would stay within the threshold this week and next week he could go ahead and lose more weight. We'll see how that works out.

Biz - Yaaay! goodbye TOM. Now you can get down to bizness :)
I'm going to give Nakia a few more fats today, but I don't want him to eat when he's not hungry. That just seems wrong. Hopefully the extra fat will help. Thanks for the suggestion.

Mary - Nope... he's not hungry. He'll eat a very small plate of food and just get full. I think his body really just wants to stay below his LIW, but I just don't want him to be thrown into that starvation mode that Biz mentioned. He doing great though... his P3 is going way better than mine did, that's for sure!

Jan - Thanks so much Jan. Your encouragement means alot. We both really appreciate it.

Becca - Yeah... the girls at work are great... the guys though? HA! They're all jokers, but they all agree that I don't need to get any smaller cus I "look just fine. Here have a brownie." LOL.

Day 24 & 25 of VLCD DONE!

Monica - R2P2
Total overall: -22.7 12.5%
R1 LIW 161.7
R2 Starting weight: 172.4
9/16: 159.8
Yesterday: 159.7 -.1
Today: 159.3 -.4
R2 13.1 Total 7.6%

Nakia - R1P3
LIW: 237.2
9/16: 235.8
Yesterday: 234.2 -1.6
Today: 234.5 +.3
2.7 BELOW LIW

Yesterday's menu
Monica
B: coffee with 1/2 & 1/2 and splenda
L: chicken tenders baked with hot sauce & melba toast crumbs
cucumbers with oregano, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and salt
apple slices coated with lemon juice
D: steamed chicken, celery dipped in mustard dressing, strawberry slices
S: spoonful of sugar free vanilla ice cream & a baked chicken leg

Click here for Nakia's food journal

I couldn't post yesterday. My friend and I were working at the Preakness as bet tellers & we had to be there at 7:00 A.M. She stayed over and Nakia drove us to the track and picked us up. It was a long. exhausting day sitting on a hard stool, dealing with a bunch of drunken gamblers. Good times :) One of my co-workers sent her with a bet and actually won over $1200 on a $1 bet! So exciting... so I guess lunch will be on her sometime next week. We were exhausted when we got in. My friend wanted some ice cream so I gave her some of nakia's sugar free ice cream and I had a small taste. Good stuff. I was also a little hungry so I grabbed a chicken leg off of a rotisserie chicken so I'm happy that I had a .4 release today in spite of that. I was probably still under 500 calories because the rest of my meals where only 453 total.

While we were at the track, Nakia went to a wine tasting here in baltimore called "Wine in the Woods" with some of his co-workers & he says he probably had about a bottle of wine... maybe more during the whole tasting which probably accounts for his gain, but he didn't succumb to all the other festival food like hot dogs and funnel cakes. Funny how his co-workers have complimented him so much on is weight loss, but then offer him junk when they go out. My co-workers are actually shielding me from office food. Last week they ordered pizza and made sure no-one asked me. I just happened to see the boxes later... they're so sweet :) But I guess that's rare.

He has continued to lose weight after stopping his injections though so he's still under his LIW. I'm amazed! I'm trying to get him to eat more, but he says he's just not hungry. He's pretty much eating the same type of food that he was eating on P2 in larger quantities with just adding cheese and mixing veggies. He's doing just fine.

I've got 2 shots left after today & I'm hoping to get to 157. I'm not sure I'll make it, but I'm certainly going to try. Maybe with no more deviations and plenty of water, I can get there in 2 days.

Shelly - Hey girlie! so nice to see you! I am sooo happy to see these numbers. I haven't seen a 1 5 anything since Nakia and I went to Jamaica in 2000 before we got married!

Mary - I'm still happy dancing... Another half pound gone! Nakia seems to follow directions way better than I do. He's starting his P3 out perfectly!

Biz - I am so proud of my man! He's looking great and eating what he should be eating... albeit a little less, but we're working on that. And YOU!... you're going to get to the 150s as soon as TOM is gone. He's just making his rounds reeking havoc with all of us in turn.

Vic - I got some really great suggestions on the forum... I think I'm going to try all of them! :) I was actually going to do some measurments and pics today when I get some time. I'll be posting them very soon!

CB - Hey girlie! Thanks a bunch! Nakia's birthday is coming up, then our anniversary is at the end of June, then were having a July 4th cookout so I'll be starting my next P3 with Biz on July 7th, so we'll be off sync unless you want to wait until after the 4th. It would be really fun to have another P2 sister!

Jan - I'm going to get him into bootcamp, but right now it doesn't seem like there's any rush. He's maintaining a great weight right now & has plenty of wiggle room. I'm putting his menus into fitday so we can keep track of all his changes. It's actually kind of fun monitoring someone else's menu. I'm also happy that he can make his own meals now.

Day 23 of VLCD DONE!

Monica - R2P2
Total overall: -22.2 12.2%
R1 LIW 161.7
R2 Starting weight: 172.4
Yesterday: 161.3
Today: 159.8 -1.5
R2 12.6 Total 7.3%




Nakia - R1P3
R1 Starting weight: 256.3
R1 LIW 237.2
Total R1 Release: -19.1
Yesterday: 236.6
Today: 235.8 -.8
1.4 BELOW LIW

Yesterday's menu:
Monica
B: Coffee with 1/2 & 1/2 & splenda
S: 1/2 Apple slices with warm cinnamon sauce
L: catfish creole made in a ziploc steamer bag... mmm mmm!
S: 1/2 Apple slices with warm cinnamon sauce
D: 96% lean burger with carmelized onions, strawberry sorbet

Nakia
S: 3.5 oz chicken
L: cucumbers & 3.5 oz chicken, 1 orange, 1 melba toast
S: an Orange
D: 3.5 oz steak & caramelized onions & 1 melba toast with lemon juice, cinnamon & splenda warmed in the microwave


WOOOO! HOOOO! Finally! I got on the scale about 5 times!



I had a feeling I'd have a good release today. My rings almost fell off in the supermarket and I had to take them off to make sure I wouldn't lose them! I am now officially lighter than it says on my drivers licence (160)! LOL.

This is a really good thing too because my girlfriend called last night and reminded me that we have a memorial day cookout to go to next saturday so I need to stop my injections 4 days early. Now I know I'll be under 160 so I'm good to go! I'm just wondering what to do with the extra 4 injections. Should I just take them for the 4 days after the cookout? I'll have to think about that. I don't want to waste them.

I just finished making Nakia his first P3 meal. He can have 2700 calories a day to maintain his weight while working out everyday. I don't know if he'll make it! He had 3 scrambled eggs with cheese & a chicken sausage for breakfast, and he has a romaine salad with tuna fish and tomatoes for lunch with some strawberries and oranges so I think he's all set for the day until dinner. He doesn't think he'll be able to start eating more food today because he's been perfectly fine with the extra serving of protein for the past 2 days, but I explained to him that he does need to eat today because he doesn't have the hcg to help him out anymore. We'll see if he listens because he's also worried that he'll gain it all back as soon as he starts eating more calories.

Ok... 6 days of VLCD to go. I wonder how much I can release? Cheating is not an option!

Biz - I am extremely proud! Thank you so much for your advice and support. I really really appreciate you. BTW... absolutely love the superfoods discussion! I didn't get to post yet, but I'm definitely glued to the screen! Keep 'em comin!

Mary - I really hope he'll do another round. I don't want to see him struggle with the losing and gaining cycle again, but he doesn't REALLY believe yet. He's convinced that he'll gain it back as soon as he eats more calories.

Jan - I nearly fell off the scale this morning! I broke the 160 mark! WOOOO HOOOO! oh...did I say that already?

Burcu - Yeah... I figured I'd add something on each round. I usually go by Biz's research. I might as well put it to good use since she takes all that time to do it! Next time I think I'll try the blueberries & cottage cheese.
Yes... shopping time! Not too much though... I still have 15 lbs to go.

Day 22 of VLCD DONE!

Monica - R2P2
Total overall: -20.7 11.4%
R1 LIW 161.7
R2 Starting weight: 172.4
Yesterday: 161.7
Today: 161.3 -.4
R2 11.1 Total 6.4%

Nakia - R1P2
R1 Starting weight: 256.3
R1 LIW 237.2
Total R1 Release: -19.1
Yesterday: 238.1
Today: 236.6 -1.5
.6 BELOW LIW

Yesterday's menu:
Monica
B: Coffee with 1/2 & 1/2 & splenda
L: chili with TJs salsa & 1 melba toast
S: 1/2 pink grapefruit
D: chicken & celery salad with mustard dressing & spices. Apple slices with warm cinnamon sauce

Nakia
B: apple slices & 1 melba toast
L: 1 8 oz chicken breast
D: catfish creole
S: an orange

Yaaay... We both had decent releases today! I've been up and down over the past few days, but each time I go down, I reach a new low so, I can't call it a stall because it IS going down. Nakia is really happy about his release today. He didn't like how I made his vegetable & he was really hungry so he ate a whole chicken breast from his work cafeteria instead. He said the protein really helped the hunger and he was fine for the rest of the day. It seems to have worked out fine because he had a 1.5 drop today! This is his last VLCD day and of course he has a meal planned already... he's going to bonefish for a cobb salad. It's chock full of P3 friendly stuff... romaine lettuce, avocado, tomatoes, pine nuts, blue cheese, mangoes & either grilled chicken or grilled salmon. That is our favorite salad there. I'm going to stay home because I don't want to be tempted by it.

We did it! His P2 has gone so well! He started out, like many of us, thinking that somehow he would be the one this doesn't work for, but once again, Dr S. proved someone wrong. He followed the protocol almost perfectly and now he's down almost 20 lbs in 22 days! That is simply amazing & he looks fantastic! I didn't really see him as being heavy before, but 20 lbs sure does make a difference. He bought some clothes just before he started the injections and they are all way too big now, so we need to go shopping again... well both of us do because I'm running out of belt holes myself... I'm on the last whole! WOO HOO!

I actually have been telling a few people about the protocol lately because I've been getting questions on how I've lost weight. I'm glad that I can refer them to Biz's website. My sister in NJ is planning on starting her first round with me next time and a co-worker (that forced me to share) is VERY interested in learning more. I'm much more confident about talking about it to people now that I have some real experience with it. I looked back on my old posts, and I predicted that this round would be easier because I'd have more experience with it, and it really has been. I did my first round by the book & I've done some experiments this time. I've found that I have no problem with broccoli or using a few chopped onions as a spice. I may try some brussel sprouts this week too. I do think it's important to do the first round by the book so that there is a round to compare any changes to. My changes seem to work well for Nakia too! LOL. Yup...this is a great round and I'm hoping to end it at 155. So I'm on a mission right now and cheating is not an option.

Mary - oh girl... it doesn't stop there. Someone brought in a sheet cake with chocolate filling yesterday! What is going on?! I'm ok though... I have HCG in my back pocket all day. I'm too close to a new century screw it up now! I haven't even taken some home for my deep freezer this time.

Jan - Thank you sooo much. I need all the encouragement I can get now that Nakia will be eating P3 food. I've got about a week and a half left... wish me luck :)

Biz - It really is nice to be in a zone. I wish my weight loss would catch up with my zone though. My motivation is seeing that 15something on the scale in the morning.

Burcu - Thanks for that b... I know this protocol works so I'm just going to stick too it so I can see that next big drop.

Becca - Hey... you were right. We both had a release today. We seem to be pretty coordinated with that. It's probably because I'm cooking for both of us.

Liz - You know... it's not as hard now that I've decided to not give myself an inch.... I will certainly take a mile if I do. There's so much of it around that I can't afford to cave even a little. It'll be all downhill from there if I do.

CB - Hey you! nice to see ya! We have been doin ok. It's been a trying round for me because of TOM, but I'm coming up on the end of it. Now I gotta get over to your journal missy!

Thanks for all the love guys... I appreciate every one of you. Happy losing today!

Day 21 of VLCD DONE!

Monica - R2P2
Total overall: -20.3 11.2%
R1 LIW 161.7
R2 Starting weight: 172.4
Yesterday: 161.4
Today: 161.7 +.3
R2 10.7 Total 6.2%

Nakia - R1P2
R1 Starting weight: 256.3
R1 LIW 237.2
Total R1 Release: 19.1
Yesterday: 237.2
Today: 238.1 +.9
LIW +.9

Yesterday's menu:
B: (Monica) coffee with 1 T 2% milk & splenda
L: (Monica) chicken & broccoli, an apple, 1 melba toast
(Nakia) taco meat, romaine lettuce with mustard dressing
S: (Nakia) an orange
D: (Monica)baked catfish and sauteed spinach with ginger & bragg's amino acids, strawberry sorbet & 1 melba toast with TJs strawberry spread
(Nakia) steak & sauteed onions with 1 melba toast with strawberry spread

OK... not sure what happened there. Nakia did have 2 beef servings yesterday & the last time he did that he had a gain as well, so today will be a chicken and fish day for him.

Yesterday was a good day for me. I resisted brownies and candy that co-workers brought in and I went to bed feeling really good about my diet and my resolve. I'm guessing that I'm still having a little water retention due to TOM still being here so I'm not worried about it. I did have over 2 liters of water yesterday, but I still feel a little puffy. This was the first time in a while that I didn't have any cravings or hunger. If those brownies had been there a few days ago, it wouldn't have been pretty, but I just kept forgetting they were there until someone mentioned them! That is sooo not me.... that's definately HCG talking!

Biz - It was a great day yesterday! I still feel great about it. I feel good and I'm ready to go the next 10 days!

Jan - Thanks! I don't think it'll be that hard. Nakia is just going onto P3 so he won't be eating the stuff he was eating during my first P2. Now THAT was hard. This time will be much better because we'll still be eating much of the same food, but he'll be eating more of it & mixing his veggies.

Ed & Jenn - Yes! He actually did it. He made it & I'm so proud of him. He only really deviated once with the fried chicken incident and he reached his goal... on your alcohol protocol no less... ROFL!

Burcu - I am sooo ready to lose new fat. I was a little dissappointed with today's weight, but I know I stuck to the protocol so all is good. It'll work itself out.

Day 20 of VLCD DONE! Nakia's LIW

Monica - R2P2
Total overall: -20.6 11.3%
R1 LIW 161.7
R2 Starting weight: 172.4
Yesterday: 162.3
Today: 161.4 -.9
R2 11 Total 6.4%

Nakia - R1P2
R2 Starting weight: 256.3
Yesterday: 239.2
Today: 237.2 -2
R2 19.1 Total 7.5%

Yesterday's menu:
B: (Monica) Coffee with half & half and splenda
L: chili with TJs salsa, 1 melba toast, (Nakia) strawberries, (Monica) 1/2 grapefruit
S: 1/2 c TJs chunky natural applesauce with cinnamon
D: (Monica) baked lemon pepper catfish, romaine salad with mustard dressing, 1 melba toast
(Nakia) chili, 2 alcohol beverages

WOO HOO! Just like that... I'm finally below my LIW! What a week it has been. Nakia lost 2 lbs today and this is his LIW. I'll be going for another 11 days. I have 1 shot left and I'll be mixing another batch for another 10 days. Now it gets really interesting. I get to start losing new weight this week. I am so pumped right now! Now the goal is 159 & I should be there by the end of the week.

Nakia is sooo ready to be done. He's really happy with his losses and even more happy that he will be able to workout by the end of the week. He had to work late last night and went to bonefish to get a couple drinks before coming home. The alcohol really seems to help his losses. The only thing he skipped yesterday was 1 melba toast. He had both his fruits & alcohol and STILL lost 2 lbs... although I think 1.5 of that was water retention from not drinking water over the weekend. Either way... he's right where he wants to be and will probably lose a few more over the next 72 hours. I'm going to put him onto Biz's bootcamp on the MyHCGJourney forum because his birthday is in 2 weeks and I know he's going to go off the protocol for at least that day and I think he should have some cushion to work with.

OMG.... gotta run. work is calling

Thanks for all the wonderful comments! You guys really held me up this past week and I truly appreciate all of you.
Two Doves - He has decided to do another round, but not until during the summer. He's going to shoot for september so he can be closer to his goal when we go on the HCG cruise in november. I decided to do my 3rd & final round in july.

Day 19 of VLCD DONE!

Monica - R2P2
Total overall: -19.7 10.8%
R1 LIW 161.7
R2 Starting weight: 172.4
Yesterday: 162.7
Today: 162.3 -.4
R2 10.1 Total 5.8%

Nakia - R1P2
R2 Starting weight: 256.3
Yesterday: 237.7
Today: 239.2 +1.5
R2 17.1 Total 6.7%

Yesterday's menu:
B: strawberries (Monica) 1 melba toast with strawberry spread
L: chicken & broccoli
S: (Monica) 1/2 tsp Natural peanut butter & hot cocoa in water with splenda, vanilla & 1 T half & half
D: steak & sauteed onions. 1 melba toast with strawberry spread

Well.... TOM finally decided to show up yesterday afternoon. I still feel like crap, but now I know it'll be over in a few days. I am NOT doing this again. I'm going to make sure he comes before I start another P2. Maybe now I can get over my R1 LIW hump. Well, I've got to be losing some inches right now because I was able to get into a pair of size 7/8 jeans without muffin top and actually wear them in public! I actually noticed a reflection of myself in a glass door and I actually looked thin! Nakia has also started calling me "slim". I thought he was joking or just being encouraging until I slipped on those jeans. I couldn't even wear those at the end of my last round? What's up with that? I'm not even back at that weight yet.

Nakia hasn't had any deviations at all so I think he's retaining some water today. He didn't drink a much water as he normally does. He skipped his second melba toast and fruit yesterday so I know he was under 500 calories. Tomorrow is his LIW so we're hoping it drops off tomorrow. He's had a very good round so he's very happy with his weight right now. His goal was to get into the 230s and he's there. I think he's going to do very well on P3.

I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day yesterday!

Biz - I didn't really have the same issue on my last round because TOM came right after the short break I took & I continued to lose at about a 1 lb a day rate. I think that's because I was on my break during my Pre-Mens. This is the first time it's come well into my P2. Well, I too am THRILLED that it came. Now I can get on with the business of losing weight! Oh... and I did think about stopping the injections, but I hesitated because I hadn't reached 21 days yet. Now I don't have too. :)

Hey Ms Mary - I'm almost through this little trial. I'm still all crampy and a bit snappy at folks, but I haven't deviated too badly and I'm hanging in there. Nakia is being really great about his successes and not jumping for joy too much in front of me, so it's all good ROFL.

Burcu - I am so happy today & I'm so glad I have a short TOM (normally). This should be over by the end of the week, and I'll be able to report on a great loss soon.

CB - Yeah, we are at about the same weight. I finally found your journal on the forum & congratulations on getting into the 150s! I'll be joining you soon so keep it warm for me :) I'm not sure when I'm going to start my next round, but I'm stopping right before Nakia's birthday at the end of the month, and I may just take a short break, but I haven't decided yet.

Day 17 & 18 of VLCD DONE!

Monica - R2P2
Total overall: -19.7 10.8%
R1 LIW 161.7
R2 Starting weight: 172.4
5/9: 162.3
Yesterday: 162.3 0
Today: 162.7 +.4
R2 9.7 Total 5.6%

Nakia - R1P2
R2 Starting weight: 256.3
5/9: 239.9
Yesterday: 238 -1.9
Today: 237.7 -.3
R2 18.6 Total 7.3%

Yesterday's menu:
B: sliced apple
L: 4 oz chili lime chicken burger with tomato and 1 melba toast
D: (Nakia) steak with sauteed onions & 1 melba toast with strawberry spread
(Monica) chicken with broccoli, 2 strawberries, 1 6 oz glass of merlot

Nakia is doing so great. He's really into the 230s now! So now he's excited & he was jumping for joy yesterday because he had almost a 2 lb drop overnight. I can't even believe he's still losing like this, but I'm so happy for him. Maybe some of that will rub off on me this week. He's got 3 days until LIW so that's 5 days of VLCD left including today. I will be going on for another 2 weeks so I've got plenty of time to get out of this rut I'm in. Still no TOM. He's now officially late. Just great. I've been at 162 point something for 5 day's now. Oh well... I'll live through nakia's losses for now. We're eating the same food... what gives?! Well... I did have 2 glasses of wine on friday night & one last night. I'm really stressing right now. My rings are still tight, still getting these stupid cramps & no sign of TOM. Can you tell I'm a little irritable today?

Today is another day. I'm putting myself in "one day at a time" mode.

Biz - I guess wine doesn't work so good for me, well at least not for weight loss, but it sure did make me feel better! Nakia's spirits are great really good and I'm so glad he's losing because it reminds me what it feels like and that my weight will start dropping again soon too.

Becca - Still lurkin & I'm still staying the course. I'll report as soon as I have that big drop. I know it's comin!

Burcu - Thanks for all the encouragement girl. Luvya!

Lili - Thanks. Yeah... I know that in my head, but this it torture!