Monica's R4P2 Day 28 - Nakia's R3P3 Day 11

Monica - R4P2 Day 28
R4 Starting weight: 170.6
Yesterday: 155.6
Today: 154.7 -.9
R4 Total -15.9 9.3%

Nakia - R3P3 Day 10
LIW 3/17/2009: 225.9 8.7%
Yesterday: 222
Today: 219.9 -2.1
6 Below LIW

Yesterday's menu (Monica):
S: 1 apple with cinnamon & truvia
L: cod ceviche, 1 tomato
S: dry fruit and nut mix, 3 dates
D: 1 Mango
Lots of tea with truvia & water

Yesterday's menu (Nakia)
Fitday menu
water & 4C Totally Lite 2 Go

I figured I'd try my hand at a raw food day yesterday so there it is... a .9 loss! Wooowzers!!! Biz is having such a phenomenal round on a raw diet that I figured... what the hell. Well... today I have reached my LIW from my last round faster than I had expected too. I have 11 injection days left & a resolve NOT to EVER gain that much weight between rounds again. I won't let Nakia do so either... although his weight stays alot more stable than mine even though we eat the same food. Now I'm thinking that knowing about raw eating will help me maintain my weight better. I can definately see myself eating raw most of the week. Ever since I went to Cancun... ceviche has been one of my all time favorite foods & druing this protocol, I have developed a better taste for vegetables.

Biz - Can't wait to see that pic. I'm hope you don't mind, I'm using your meal images as a blueprint for my own experimenting. :)

Mo - HA... now I'm not just close... I'm there! Feels great too. I'm really looking forward to what tomorrow brings.

Mary - Mary Mary!!! Hi... I've missed you! Oh I have to get over to your blog to see what you're up to! Welcome back my friend!

Monica's R4P2 Day 27 - Nakia's R3P3 Day 10

Monica - R4P2 Day 27
R4 Starting weight: 170.6
Yesterday: 156.0
Today: 155.6 -.4
R4 Total -15 8.8%

Nakia - R3P3 Day 10
LIW 3/17/2009: 225.9 8.7%
Yesterday: 220.7
Today: 222 +1.3
3.9 Below LIW

Yesterday's menu (Monica):
L: grilled chicken with mustard dressing & Mrs Dash & romaine lettuce with mustard balsamic vinaigrette
S: strawberries with truvia
D: cod breaded with melba toast crumbs & P2 coleslaw
S: apple with cinnamon & truvia
Lots of tea with truvia & water

Yesterday's menu (Nakia)
Fitday menu
water & 4C Totally Lite 2 Go

Ok... I'm .9 away from my LIW from last round, so I'm almost guaranteed to get below that. I'm hoping to get to 150 by the end of this round. We'll see. I'm looking forward to getting the last part of this P2 behind me. I mixed a new batch last night. I use 2000 iu ampules so I mix about once ever 2 weeks. I've never used 5000s because I like knowing that my hcg has maximum potency all the time.

Here's an update on my neighbor/friend... she's doing great. She's still losing over a lb a day, which is great because she didn't do very well on her last round because of some health issues and stress. She had an infection in her gums that her body was fighting as well as sever candida overgrowth. She took care of both of those on her break and now she's losing like wildfire! She's already lost over 20 lbs on this round and we started on the same day. I'm really happy for her.

My coworker/friend is doing well too. She will probably reach her goal on this round.

Biz - Thanks for taking the time out to fly by :) I'm in the home stretch!

Michelle - You can go ahead and add mag during your P3 and just continue in P2. That's what I did. It's something that I will continue to take because my body just doesn't get enough of if from my food. I could tell in only one week of not taking it that I really need it.

Monica's R4P2 Day 26 - Nakia's R3P3 Day 9

Monica - R4P2 Day 26
R4 Starting weight: 170.6
Yesterday: 156.1
Today: 156.0 +.3
R4 Total -14.6 8.6%

Nakia - R3P3 Day 9
LIW 3/17/2009: 225.9 8.7%
Yesterday: 223.4
Today: 220.7 +1.2
5.2 Below LIW

Yesterday's menu (Monica):
L: grilled chicken with mustard dressing & Mrs Dash & string beans
S: TJs chunky applesauce, cinnamon apple melba toast
D: baked cod & romaine lettuce with mustard balsamic vinaigrette
S: strawberry sorbet with lemon & truvia
Lots of tea with truvia & water

Yesterday's menu (Nakia)
Fitday menu
water & 4C Totally Lite 2 Go

I guess my body is just doing this up and down thing right now. I also forgot to take my mag all week so I'm having bathroom issues again. I think it's been about 4 days now & that's not good so I took mag last night and this morning and if nothing moves today I'll drink some smooth move tea before bed. That stuff usually makes me crampy though so I don't like to drink it often.

Nakia's weight is rebounding from his trips to the bar (another one last night) so we expect one more gain tomorrow... par for the course, but he's still 5.2 below his LIW & not eating any non-P3 foods so he'll be just fine. He never has a problem maintaining in P3. It's P4 that gets sticky.

Biz - I actually like being on P2 with Nakia. That way we only have P2 food in the house since we don't have any kids, but when he moves on to P3, since he always does a shorter round than me, he's eating all this P3 stuff right when I need to strengthen my resolve to get through the rest of my round. Every once in a while, it gets to me, but I'm doing good today.
I ordered the chinese food steamed with the sauce on the side. They know to not let any oil touch it when I order it that way & the protein portion is usually perfect for P2... so that (and sushi without rice) is my goto fast food choice on P2.

Monica's R4P2 Day 25 - Nakia's R3P3 Day 8

Monica - R4P2 Day 25
R4 Starting weight: 170.6
Yesterday: 156.1
Today: 155.7 -.4
R4 Total -14.9 8.7%

Nakia - R3P3 Day 8
LIW 3/17/2009: 225.9 8.7%
Yesterday: 223.4
Today: 219.5 -3.9
6.4 Below LIW

Yesterday's menu (Monica):
B: 2 chocolate almond meringues
S: 1/2 apple with truvia & cinnamon
L: chinese food: steamed chicken & string beans w/ soy sauce & mrs dash
S: 1/2 apple with truvia & cinnamon
D: chinese food: steamed chicken & string beans w/ soy sauce & mrs dash
S: 2 chocolate almond meringues,
1 melba toast spread with chunky unsweetened applesauce, cinnamon & truvia
Lots of tea with truvia & water

Yesterday's menu (Nakia)
Fitday menu
water & 4C Totally Lite 2 Go

Yeah... you're seeing that right... Nakia lost 3.9 lbs over night on P3... It's kind of a farce though. Every time he goes out drinking, he loses an obscene amount of weight the next day. Then he gains a little of if back the day after... watch. I'm predicting a 1-2.5 lb gain in the morning, so don't be surprised.

Ok.... I need to rant just a little... I went and got him some cajun seasoned swordfish steaks from whole foods & he loved them. He even had one with cheese eggs for breakfast this morning. Of course I was looking at him like "Are you really going to eat that delicious looking meal in front of me?!" But I bought it for him so whatever.... I have decided that I'm going to have swordfish on my first P3 day... so there! I soooo want a P3 meal right now!!! rant over.

Wow... I was sure I was gonna have a gain today. I didn't weigh or measure anything yesterday. I got chinese for lunch and just eyeballed my amounts. I skipped my 2nd fruit just in case I screwed up... except for that melba toast and applesauce... boy that was good. I warmed it in the microwave for 15 seconds and it tasted like a little apple pie. That's a new P2 treat for me :) I just posted it over on HTA as cinnamon apple toast. I had to make myself a comfort snack with comforting flavors because I just had the munchies after dinner last night and had no idea why. Believe me! no smoking or anything... LOL. I just willed myself not to eat a big spoonful of peanut butter. The little apple treat and my meringues helped alot. I just kept thinking... "If I cheat today, I'll never know if the steamed chinese food was safe." So I drank my tea and chewed my sugar free gum & went to bed... still with the munchies, but also with the knowledge that I did not sabotage myself yet again. That feeling is better than the feeling of eating peanut butter right now.

M - Yup... he's great. Of course he's still a guy and we have our differences sometimes, but we hardly every argue & we never go to bed angry. We're a great team.

Mo - Having a good attitude gets me through a lot of things & I'm in the 2nd half of my round & still haven't deviated. It's such a good feeling that I don't want to end it. I've never been able to do it before and I want to say I did it this time.

Biz - I'm grateful for you too! Thanks for being my motivation. You've been my "other" rock for almost a year now. You're always here when I need you & I'm really thankful for that. If there's anything that You need... please let me know, even if I'm MIA. You know how to find me.

Dawn - Thank you so much & thanks for checking in on me. I really appreciate it.

Gina - HA! Isn't it great to be married to your best friend?!
It took a while for me to accept the ups and downs of P2. I just always try to compare my losses on this protocol to all the other weight loss programs I've tried. Nothing compares to this. I say all the time that we (everyone on this protocol) tend to get impatient because our losses are so great. Just think how slowly we would be losing on some other plan. When I think of that, I just take it all in stride, look at the big picture, and wait for that WOOSH... tee hee.

Monica's R4P2 Day 24 - Nakia's R3P3 Day 7

Monica - R4P2 Day 24
R4 Starting weight: 170.6
Yesterday: 155.9
Today: 156.1 +.2
R4 Total -12.7 7.4%

Nakia - R3P3 Day 7
LIW 3/17/2009: 225.9 8.7%
Yesterday: 223.4
Today: 223.4 0
2.5 Below LIW

Yesterday's menu (Monica):
S: TJs chunky applesauce
L: chicken with low sodium McCormick Grillmates Montreal chicken seasoning & mustard dressing, 1/2 serving romaine lettuce with mustard balsamic vinaigrette dressing
S: 1/2 serving romaine lettuce with mustard balsamic vinaigrette dressing
D: "fried" catfish
Lots of tea with truvia & water, TJs unsweetened green tea w/ truvia added

Yesterday's menu (Nakia)
Fitday menu
water & 4C Totally Lite 2 Go

I guess I'm having a little rebound gain today. For me, that usually happens after a few days of good losses. I'm used to that now. When your body losses weight so fast, it will temporarily fill your fat cells with water... then WOOSH! It gets passed out with the rest of the waist.

It's either that or the fact that I didn't get enough calories yesterday. Dr S. mentions not to worry about a .2 gain, so I won't.

Nakia stayed the same & that's good because it means he's stabilizing. He went to see a cardiac specialist yesterday to make sure the pain in his chest has nothing to do with his heart & they haven't found anything. We both think its just a muscle strain, but he just wanted to be safe.

Both of my friends that are on the protocol right now are doing great. 1 has 9 lbs to lose and just started her 2nd 21 day round this past weekend so I'm sure she'll reach her goal this round. That's exciting. My other friend is having 1.5 and 2 lb losses everyday and she's on day 25 too, so she's doing fantastic!

************UPDATE**************

For some reason I am really REALLY happy today. I was just thinking about all the things in my life that I’m grateful for and I really have A LOT to be grateful for! My husband is by far at the top of that list…. I have a man that is so thoughtful and loving. I couldn’t ask for a better partner. I have a stable job that I actually like to do & we are pretty comfortable in an unstable economy. I have also stumbled on the best kept secret on weight loss that I’ve ever known of and my hubby and I are almost to our goals! I am just really happy about all of that... plus we’re about to go on vacation with one of my best friends & we are gonna turn that place out!!! I feel really good today and it’s gonna be a good day.

M - Girl... he'd be lost! but isn't that always the case with husbands? LOL He's my rock too so it all evens itself out cus I'd be sooo lost without him.

Biz - you know it. He's so surprised that I was right about the reasons he gained. I don't think men really think they are affected by water weight gain.

Monica's R4P2 Day 23 - Nakia's R3P3 Day 6

Monica - R4P2 Day 23
R4 Starting weight: 170.6
Yesterday: 156.4
Today: 155.9 -.5
R4 Total -12.9 7.6%

Nakia - R3P3 Day 6
LIW 3/17/2009: 225.9 8.7%
Yesterday: 225.6
Today: 223.4 -2.2
2.5 Below LIW

Yesterday's menu (Monica):
B: coffee with 1 T half & half
S: 1/2 serving strawberries with truvia
L: chicken with garlic & herb Mrs Dash, steamed string beans with minced onions
S: 1/2 serving strawberries with truvia, 1 chocolate almond meringue
D: creole catfish, an apple
Lots of tea with truvia & water, TJs unsweetened green tea w/ truvia added

Yesterday's menu (Nakia)
Fitday menu
water & 4C Totally Lite 2 Go
5 chocolate almond meringues

Whew! I had a feeling Nakia was having some water retention issues. He was complaining of "feeling fat" so I told him to drink tons of water and cut down on the salt yesterday & VOILA! 2.2 lbs gone!

I wasn't sure I'd have a loss today because I ate pretty late at around 8:30 & I went and got maintenance done on my locs. I try to only do that once during phase 2 just in case they put oil in my hair. When I go, I take my brilliantine with me which Dr. S allows during P2. Even though I make them use that, I'm always afraid that I'll gain because they use so much. It's always an ordeal though because I have to explain that I'm on a "detox diet plan" & how I can't put any oil on my skin (Then I get the weird looks). I just don't want to go through all that more than once during my round, so I just let my hair go a little further than I normally would. If my locs weren't so new, I'd just have a friend retouch them for me, but I don't want someone inexperienced messing up the pattern of my locs so I just go to the salon. But I am SURE glad I went last night.... my hair feels MUCH better :)

It looks like giving up beef is really paying off. I've had some really great losses this week. This morning I got on the scale again and it said I had lost even more, but I decided to go with the first number. I'll see the rest of that loss tomorrow.

Tomorrow is going to be a challenge for me. My boss is buying lunch, and I get to choose where we get lunch from. I'm chosing chinese because that way I can get steamed chicken or shrimp and broccoli without sauce and have lunch with everyone else. I might even get steamed string beans.

Amie - DH=Dear Husband or Dumb husband (however you want to take it at the time... LOL)
I think he'll be fine... I'm pretty sure it was just an over taxed muscle in his chest from breathing heavily on the treadmill, but I KNOW he was showing off... HA!

M - Thanks :) I have just found P2 recipes from various sources and tweak them for my tastes. I also watch food network alot and I adapt things from there. P2 is restrictive, but I can work with it.

Biz - Wasn't that great! I smile everytime I watch it & you know smiling is good for you.

Angela - yeah, fitday is great. I used to use it for P2, but since I'm only eating 500 calories I find it easier to just calculate it on my nutrition scale. Now I use fitday to track my inches & weight lost on P2. I'll be using it more in P3... it gets more complicated to plan out meals for me then.

Monica's R4P2 Day 22 - Nakia's R3P3 Day 5

Monica - R4P2 Day 22
R4 Starting weight: 170.6
Yesterday: 158.2
Today: 156.4 -1.8
R4 Total -12.4 7.3%

Nakia - R3P3 Day 5
R3 Starting weight: 247.3
LIW 3/17/2009: 225.9 8.7%
Yesterday: 224.2
Today: 225.6 +1.4
.3 Below LIW

Yesterday's menu (Monica):
B:coffee with 1 T half & half, 1 chocolate almond meringue
S: 1/2 serving strawberries with truvia
L: chicken with garlic & herb Mrs Dash, steamed string beans with minced onions
S: 1/2 serving strawberries with truvia
D: baked catfish breaded with 1/2 T 1% milk, essence, italian seasoned crushed melba toast
sprinkled with hot sauce... mmmm
Lots of tea with truvia & water, TJs unsweetened green tea w/ truvia added

Yesterday's menu (Nakia)
Fitday menu
water & 4C Totally Lite 2 Go
15 chocolate almond meringue

The steamed shrimp he had yesterday were steamed at the supermarket with old bay added. I think that's what caused his gain. I warned him, but he thinks he's superman... so I lost 1.8 today and he almost found all of that! I've got him eating a more simplified diet today. I did give him a few slices of deli meat though. I've heard that can cause a problem, but it's all natural and low sodium so I hope it's ok.

Yes 1.8 this late in my round!!! WOOO HOOO! I was doing a naked happy dance on my scale this morning! I am 1.7 away from my LIW from last round too... that's a great feeling.

This past weekend was difficult for alot of my blogging buddies so I want to send this out to all of you... this made me feel so much better when I did it yesterday :)

Don't sweat the small stuff... be grateful that you have a great way to get yourself back on track!

M - Thanks for stopping by! I'm actually still on P2 myself, but my DH is on P3 now... it makes preparing our meals very interesting because I do both. I left you a link... check it out and let me know what you think or if you have questions.

Dawn - Hey! I saw you all over the forum yesterday :) That was articshark that you're referring too. She is one of the most helpful and knowledgeable people at HTA. You'll get the hang of the forum etiquette soon. Once again... welcome to HTA!

Biz - Yeah bizzy, but I'm a little worried. He's starting to obsess over every morsel and I don't think that's necessarily good. He hurt his chest working out last week so he's not working out this week & he's really upset with himself over it... especially since he had that hernia operation this time last year, which caused him to stop working out and put on a bunch of weight. I think he's afraid it'll happen again so he's going over his meals with a fine tooth comb. That could either be good or bad. From my experience, he does better when he doesn't think about it much... we'll see how this pans out.

Amie - Hi! Yup... they look devine! I'm gonna wait for P3 though cus I just gotta have that guacamole! Love the stuff. oooh, but maybe I can do a chicken wrap with biz's mustard dressing instead.... that sounds good too.

I'm off to do my gratitude dance! Have a great day!

Monica's R4P2 Day 21 - Nakia's R3P3 Day 4

Monica - R4P2 Day 21
R4 Starting weight: 170.6
Yesterday: 158.6
Today: 158.2 -.4
R4 Total -12.4 7.3%

Nakia - R3P3 Day 4
R3 Starting weight: 247.3
LIW 3/17/2009: 225.9 8.7%
Yesterday: 223.6
Today: 224.2 +.6
1.3 Below LIW

Yesterday's menu (Monica):
S: 1/2 apple with cinnamon & truvia
L: steamed tilapia w/ southwest chipotle Mrs Dash
S: 1/2 apple with cinnamon & truvia
D: shrimp and fire roasted diced tomatoes with garlic and fresh basil
Lots of tea with truvia & water

Yesterday's menu (Nakia)
Fitday menu
water & 4C Totally Lite 2 Go
1 chocolate almond meringue

Just another beautiful day in hcg world :) We're both doing great. Nakia started using his fitday account because he wants to keep a close eye on his calories... I think it's really because he doesn't believe me when I tell him how much food he can eat... LOL. Big thanks to Amie. She gave me a great idea when she posted about the un-wich at Jimmy John's. Today I sent Nakia to work with lettuce, grilled chicken, 1 slice each of ham and provolone & guacamole to make a chicken cordon bleu un-wich or lunch. Cool idea!

Oooh... & I made more chocolate almond meringues, but this time I folded in 3 chopped sugar free dark chocolate squares from Trader Joe's & only 1/2 T of cocoa powder.... I shouldn't have done that. Now I want to eat the whole batch! They are sooo good. The SF chocolate only adds 3 calories to each cookie. I know I won't get to eat that many though because Nakia will polish them off before I get to them again.

Dawn - Those treats are perfect for any chocolate craving that TOM might bring on. Go for it!
Do you like shrimp or lobster? You could do a whole lot with that too.

Biz - I saw that & I sent you an email... & I did slap him again :)

Amie - You are so very welcomed. Handle with care though... they could get addicting. I'm going to try them with lemon extract next. As far as the weekend goes... it's in the past. Today we start the clock for the rest of this round. Lets get this done girl!

Monica's R4P2 Day 20 - Nakia's R3P3 Day 3

Monica - R4P2 Day 20
R4 Starting weight: 170.6
Yesterday: 159.5
Today: 158.6 -.9
R4 Total -12 7%

Nakia - R3P2 last VLCD
R3 Starting weight: 247.3
LIW 3/17/2009: 225.9 8.7%
Yesterday: 224.3
Today: 223.6 -.7
2.3 Below LIW

Yesterday's menu (Monica):
S: sugar free canned mandarin oranges with splenda sorbet, 2 chocolate almond meringue's (26 cals)
L: creole catfish
D: catfish breaded with 1/2 T half & half and melba toast crumbs seasoned with dry minced onions & italian seasoning
Lots of tea with truvia & water

Yesterday's menu (Nakia)
B: fried cabbage and bacon
L: romaine salad with crumbled blue cheese, pine nuts & TJs goddess dressing
200 grams of grilled chicken
D: 200 grams of baked salmon, string beans with butter
15 chocolate almond meringue's
water & 4C Totally Lite 2 Go

HA! .9! I knew that was coming. I could feel it! So that's 1 whole pound in 2 days & Nakia had a nice loss today as well. He was really worried that he over did it on his first P3 day and he was going to pay a big price, but he's sitting comfortably below his LIW so now he's happy. I'm happy too cus he's a pain in the butt when he's upset about his weight... worse than me! He kept eating my P2 meringue's cus he was so worried about eating yesterday. Luckily the whole recipe uses only 3 egg whites cus he killed 'em! I'll put the recipe at the bottom of this post.

So this is officially my 21st day... meaning I can now stop whenever I want to, but I really think I can go the entire 40 days. There's nothing pressing going on in the next few weeks and I'm on a really steady pace at .6 lbs per day. I have decided to nix beef for the rest of this round though. I used to do ok with the 4% beef, but I haven't been able to find it & I haven't had a good loss after any of my beef days this round... I think I should take the hint. So it's chicken and seafood from now on.

I was watching food network and one of the chefs was making meringue's and I said... Hey. I can make those P2 friendly. It uses almond extract which is almond oil but a very small amount. YMMV... here's the recipe:

P2 Chocolate Almond Meringue's

• 3 egg whites
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/3 cup sugar substitute equivalent to sugar
  
• 3/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 Tablespoon hershey's cocoa powder
  

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Place egg whites and cream of tartar in a clean, dry bowl of a stand mixer and beat until foamy. Add sugar substitute and almond extract beat until meringues hold soft peaks, about 3 minutes. Fold in cocoa powder gently until just incorporated. Using a pastry bag or a sealable plastic bag with the corner snipped off, pipe meringue by the tablespoon onto cookie sheets. Bake for 40 minutes, then remove from oven and let cool completely before removing from parchment paper. Transfer to an airtight container.

This makes 30 meringues at 13 calories each

Angela - You know what... start keeping track of your measurements if you haven't already. When I'm not seeing a loss on the scale, I take a look at my measurements. I usually see a drop in that when the scale isn't moving. Remember that the manual is called "Pounds & Inches". When fat is on the move this quickly, it can sometimes take the scale a little while to catch up because your body fills the empty fat cells with water at first.
Veal would be perfect because its low in fat. Beef is fine too, but you really need to keep track of your calories on those days because the calories are higher than chicken or fish. Just try it and see how your body reacts. Beef has the highest concentration of protein and your body may need that.
And yes... drinking water is VERY key to more losses. It helps your body get rid of fat and keeps everything moving smoothly so make sure you get at least 96 ounces of water a day. Tea is great too.

Monica's R4P2 Day 19 - Nakia's R3P3 Day 2

Monica - R4P2 Day 19
R4 Starting weight: 170.6
Yesterday: 159.6
Today: 159.5 -.1
R4 Total -11.1 6.5%

Nakia - R3P2 last VLCD
R3 Starting weight: 247.3
LIW 3/17/2009: 225.9
Yesterday: 222.0
Today: 224.3 +2.3
1.6 Below LIW

Yesterday's menu (Monica):
S: sugar free canned mandarin oranges with splenda
L: chicken & fire roasted tomatoes with southwestern spices
S: 1/2 apple
D: catfish breaded with half & half and melba toast crumbs seasoned with essence & italian seasoning
S: sugar free canned mandarin oranges with splenda
Lots of tea & water

Yesterday's menu (Nakia)
B: pot roast with onions
L: pot roast with onions
D: fried cabbage and bacon
water & 4C Totally Lite 2 Go

.1... what is that about?! I'm still doing well on average compared to my previous rounds though, so I'm not sweating it, but I know I must be due for a big loss soon... hopefully. It would just be nice to see.

Nakia had a significant gain today, but he's back within the 2 lb threshold so it's no biggie. 1.6 below LIW is really great, but I know he'll probably eat lightly today because of the gain.

Biz - You've inspired me to go through the rest of this round without beef.... just fish and chicken & more on the fish side. I don't think I could do what you're doing, but beef hasn't been my friend on P2 so I can do without it.
I asked this on your blog, but you say you only had 750 cals. How many daily calories are you going for during this round?

Monica's R4P2 Day 18 - Nakia's R3P3 Day 1

Monica - R4P2 Day 18
R4 Starting weight: 170.6
Yesterday: 159.4
Today: 159.6 +.2
R4 Total -11 6.4%

Nakia - R3P2 last VLCD
R3 Starting weight: 247.3
LIW 3/17/2009: 225.9
Yesterday: 222.0
Today: 222.0 -0
3.9 Below LIW

Yesterday's menu (Monica):
S: 1/2 apple
L: chicken, broccoli, & grissini
S: 1/2 apple
D: roast beef & cabbage
Lots of tea & water

Yesterday's menu (Nakia)
B: 4 boiled eggs
L: chili & cheese, boiled cabbage
D: Bonefish grill Florida Cobb Salad, rum & diet coke
S: chili & cheese
water & 4C Totally Lite 2 Go

Small gain for me today... no biggie. I may have caused it because I mixed all kinds of stuff yesterday. I had roast beef over cabbage that was boiled in chicken broth. The roast beef was made in a slow cooker with beef broth and onions... and I ate a few pieces of onion too. I did skip my 2nd fruit and grissini though & didn't go over 500 calories. Oh well... I'll just drinking tons of water today.

Nakia's first P3 day was uneventful :) No loss & no gain so that's good.

Biz - I'm all slapped out! This is just how his body works :) Man oh man... no meat!? I thought that was just for 1 day a week. You go on with your healthy self!

Monica's R4P2 Day 17 - Nakia's first P3 day

Monica - R4P2 Day 17
R4 Starting weight: 170.6
Yesterday: 159.6
Today: 159.2 -.4
R4 Total -11.4 6.7%

Nakia - R3P2 last VLCD
R3 Starting weight: 247.3
LIW 3/17/2009: 225.9
Yesterday: 224.0
Today: 222.0 -2.0
3.9 Below LIW

Yesterday's menu (Monica):
L: catfish creole & 1 grissini
S: TJs chunky applesauce
D: mustard chicken & cabbage
S: strawberry sorbet
Lots of tea & water

Yesterday's menu (Nakia)
B: TJs chunky applesauce
L: chicken & cabbage
D: 7% fat ground beef chili
water & 4C Totally Lite 2 Go

Nakia is starting his P3 out with a great head start! He's almost 4 lbs below his LIW already! I want what he's having... oh... I'm on what he's having... LOL. He's probably going to lose a little more too because he has decided to continue eating the same food I'm cooking for myself, but in larger quantities and mixing veggies. That worried me on his last round because Dr S warns about going more than 2 lbs under LIW, but what the hell... I feel weird about making him eat when he's not hungry.

I looked over our detailed stats for our previous rounds and this is our best round so far. We've both lost more in the same amount of days than we ever have. I know it's due to going back to basics. I don't need to experiment as much. I know what I like and what works for me & I just stick to that. I have absolutely no cravings & I don't feel deprived this time. On my last round I said it was the most stress free, but I have to say that this round is even easier. I have NEVER gone this long without eating something off plan & I think it's showing in my average losses. I haven't even needed to prepare any P2 desserts to appease some craving for chocolate... I just haven't had any... even during TOM! That's amazing to me. My goal for this round is 151, but I may be able to surpass that in 23 more days (Apr 11th).

I just joined a new gym and they offer a 6 week group training session that starts on April 28th. I'll be 15 days into P3 by then. It involves long distance running, which is something I used to do in highschool many moons ago. I know from experience that running is the best way to burn calories (besides hcg of course), & I want to get into the routine of doing it regularly. I think starting out with a group will give me the catalyst I need to get started.

Amie - oooh a bikini! Do we get to see pictures? I'm gonna post some of myself real soon... maybe over on HTA... not in a bikini though, at least not yet, but I just may be bikini ready by the time we go to Punta Cana.

Biz - I wish I knew how that happened cus I would make it happen every day! RE Truvia... you tried TOFU again! Of course you can give Truvia a try! LOL

Dawn - Thank you so much. It does feel good to see it so close. I've actually been closer than this before, but this time feels much different.

Angel - 1 lb days are hard for me to come by this late into P2 so I get so excited when I see them. Inspiration... that is why we're all here for each other. I get just as much inspiration from you as you probably get from me so just keep going. I can't wait to see you reach your goal.

WOO HOO! Love those 1 lbs days!

Monica - R4P2 Day 16
R4 Starting weight: 170.6
Yesterday: 160.6
Today: 159.6 -1.0
R4 Total -11 6.5%

Nakia - R3P2 last VLCD
R3 Starting weight: 247.3
LIW 3/17/2009: 225.9
Yesterday: 225.0
Today: 224.0 -1.0
1.9 Below LIW

Yesterday's menu (Monica):
B: 1/2 apple
L: catfish creole & 1 grissini
S: 1/2 apple
D: mustard chicken & cabbage
S: small mandarin orange
Lots of tea & water

Yesterday's menu (Nakia)
B: 1 apple
L: chicken
D: grilled steak and cabbage
water & 4C Totally Lite 2 Go

WOO HOO! 1 lb down! I had a feeling I was going to have a good loss today because I had a burst of energy last night. Whenever that happens I have a good loss the next day. After dinner I made a big batch of cabbage & 4 servings of chili with 7% fat ground beef and canned tomatoes with no salt added. I used to be able to find 4% fat ground beef, but the stores stopped carrying it after the price of meat started rising. I was just buzzing around doing stuff all evening & I woke up with more energy than normal this morning about an hour before I normally get up.... that was strange. So... I'm in the 150s again. I should be back down to my last round's LIW pretty soon now. I have 4.9 lbs to go & 22 days left... That'll be no problem. Anything after that is gravy!

Today is Nakia's last VLCD day. He has done really well this round.... losing 21.4 lbs in 21 days! He's lost over 30 lbs in all 3 of his rounds. He looks great & I'm so proud of him. He is really excited to get back into the gym and start lifting weights seriously on monday. His goal is still 215, but he plans to lose the next 10 lbs in the gym.

Biz - Yup... I couldn't do stevia either. I tried sweetleaf before & hated it, but that's why it's good to go through the protocol with someone new sometimes. My co-worker that just finished her first round of P2 gave me a few packets to try in my tea one day and I was VERY surprised. I think you will be too. My taste buds haven't changed either... I still don't like sweetleaf.
Nakia says "What's up F'er!!" LOL

False alarm.. Nakia's LIW was yesterday

Monica - R4P2 Day 16
R4 Starting weight: 170.6
Yesterday: 161.1
Today: 160.6 -.5
R4 Total -10 5.9%

Nakia - R3P2 VLCD 1
R3 Starting weight: 247.3
Yesterday: 225.9 LIW
Today: 225.0 -.9
R3 Total 22.3 9%

Yesterday's menu (Monica):
B: 1/2 apple with cinnamon & splenda
L: chicken, broccoli, grissini & 1/2 apple with cinnamon & splenda
S: 1 homemade strawberry ice pop (10 cals)
D: steamed lobster tail & broccoli, 1 melba toast with TJs strawberry spread
S: small homemade strawberry sorbet
Lots of tea & water

Yesterday's menu (Nakia)
B: TJs chunky applesauce
L: pot roast & string beans
D: steamed lobster tail & broccoli
water & 4C Totally Lite 2 Go

Oh well... false start. When I reminded Nakia that he would have to do 72 hours of VLCD after his last injection he decided to make yesterday his last day because he wants to go to his favorite watering hole on Friday after work... you guessed it... bonefish grille. He has told me that he still wants to eat the same food I've been making on P2, but he'll add more protein. I think he should add some healthy fats too, but he's a little afraid to do that. I'm gonna sneak some olive oil into his food tho... tee hee hee. Oh well, I've still got my friend from work and my neighbor to finish out this round with me.

BTW, My co-worker just joined HTA today. Her screen name is Supasweet. We're going to the Dominican Repulic together in June so we're trying to get our rounds done WAY before then so we can stabilize. I've had trouble with traveling while in the stabilization phase and it never works out for me.

So I finally had a decent loss! I was so happy to see that 1-6-0 something this morning. Now on to the 150s. I think I may have been over thinking my losses so far. After looking over my previous rounds, I am actually doing better than my last P2 by percentages & about on pace with my first P2 which was my best one. I've also gotten this far and haven't eaten anything off protocol once, besides my additions of broccoli, string beans & half & half. I used to get crazy cravings in the evenings that seemed to take over until I just HAD to have whatever it was that I was craving. Peanut butter, chocolate & nuts were my drugs of choice. That just doesn't happen anymore. There is definitely a change in me... now I hope this carries over into my non-hcg life.

Biz - Only the granulated box of splenda measures like sugar. The stuff in the packets concentrated so 1 packet is as sweet as 2 tsp of sugar. I did just find out, through a search that splenda actually has calories. LOOK HERE There are 4 calories in each packet! I had no idea. I've been putting that stuff in my tea like crazy! I'm not going to completely eliminate it, but I'm going start to transition to truvia brand stevia. It tastes much better than other stevias and I think it's better for the body than S&L.

It's nice to have company

Monica - R4P2 Day 15
R4 Starting weight: 170.6
Yesterday: 161.3
Today: 161.1 -.2
R4 Total -9.7 5.7%

Nakia - R3P2 Day 21
R3 Starting weight: 247.3
Yesterday: 226.8
Today: 225.9 -.9
R3 Total 21.4 8.7%

Yesterday's menu (Monica):
B: strawberries
L: pot roast & broccoli
S: 1 homemade strawberry ice pop
D: lemon pepper orange roughy & spinach
Lots of tea, water, & 4C Totally Lite 2 Go

Yesterday's menu (Nakia)
B: TJs chunky applesauce
L: pot roast & string beans
D: chicken & string beans
water & 4C Totally Lite 2 Go

I had to correct yesterday's weight. Nakia only gained .6 not .9... he had an excellent loss today so he's happy about that. This would have been his LIW but he's decided to go until friday. That's unheard of for him. Going past 21 days?! Who IS this guy?!

I will be doing a 40 day round so I've got about 3 weeks to go after he's done. My co-worker is going to start her 2nd round of P2 on friday so I'll still have her and my next door neighbor with me on P2. It's nice to have company. My co-worker wanted to lose 25 lbs total and she lost 14 on her first 21 day round & she's ready to get rid of the last 11 lbs. She had no problem with P3 with absolutely no help from me. I think that's because she just put on her weight over the last year and caught it early. Her body is very comfortable at this weight so it wasn't hard for her to maintain... plus she was already in the habit of healthy eating. Her favorite snack is guacamole and baked tortilla chips... not too shabby.

Biz - I guess... I didn't really look up that particular ingredient, but it's definately off. Some experiments work and some don't & we just move on. I am going to examine my use of splenda though. I personally have been using more of it than I used too & my losses have been very low this week. It's still been going down so I'm not sure if I should change something or not... I guess I could go 2 days without splenda and see what happens, but it looks like Nakia is back to normal today.

Angel - Well, we both had a loss today. That's a very good thing. I just really want to get back into the 150s and it sure is taking it's time.

Two gains? It happens.

Monica - R4P2 Day 14
R4 Starting weight: 170.6
Yesterday: 161.1
Today: 161.3 +.2
R4 Total -9.5 5.6%

Nakia - R3P2 Day 20
R3 Starting weight: 247.3
Yesterday: 226.2
Today: 226.8 +.6
R3 Total 20.5 8.3%

Yesterday's menu (Monica):
B: warm apples with cinnamon, splenda & lemon juice. coffee with half & half
L: 2 egg & 2 egg whites scrambled over spinach
S: 2 homemade strawberry ice pops
D: broiled crab stuffed tomato slices
(crab stuffing: grissini soaked in milk, minced onion, minced garlic, cayenne, paprika, homemade old bay)
Lots of tea, water, & 4C Totally Lite 2 Go

Yesterday's menu (Nakia)
B: warm apples with cinnamon, splenda & lemon juice. coffee with half & half
L: chili
D: broiled crab stuffed tomato slices
(crab stuffing: grissini soaked in half & half, minced onion, minced garlic, cayenne, paprika, homemade old bay)
S: 1 whole fruit brand strawberry ice pop
water & 4C Totally Lite 2 Go

Ok... I don't know where Nakia's gain came from. The only thing he ate that was out of the ordinary was some half & half in the crab cake (He's never had any milk on P2) & the store bought fruit bar. The ingredients looked fine to me though. Here they are:
WATER, STRAWBERRIES, SORBITOL, MALTODEXTRIN, NATURAL FLAVOR, GUAR GUM AND CARRAGEENAN, RED BEET JUICE CONCENTRATE, CITRIC ACID, SUCRALOSE, AND ANNATO (FOR COLOR)
Well, I think his body didn't like something that was in the fruit bars so we're going to nix them until P3 & he'll just eat the one's I make from now on.

I had a gain too, but since it's only .2 I'm not gonna sweat it because Dr. S says not to. I did end up having 1/2 tablespoon of extra half & half because of what I put in the crab stuffing, but I didn't eat my 3rd egg white so I see it as a trade off. I'm pretty sure I'm retaining water right now because a few of my muscles are sore from my light workouts over the past few days. I'm not worried about it one bit.

Angel - I will certainly check out your other blog & hey, you should have your significant other check out Ed & Jenn's blog. They're not blogging right now, but Ed started at around 280 and he lost almost 70 lbs I think. They're link is on the right side of my blog.

Biz - Woo Hoo! So today should be on your first VLCD today. Let's do this thing together lady!

My husband is a loser again!

Monica - R4P2 Day 13
R4 Starting weight: 170.6
Yesterday: 161.3
Today: 161.1-.2
R4 Total -9.7 5.7%

Nakia - R3P2 Day 19
R3 Starting weight: 247.3
Yesterday: 227.5
Today: 226.2 -1.3
R3 Total 21.1 8.5%

Yesterday's menu (Monica):
B: 2 homemade strawberry ice pops
L: teriyaki beef and cabbage w 1 melba toast with TJs strawberry spread
D: crab cakes with string beans
Lots of tea, water, & 4C Totally Lite 2 Go

Yesterday's menu (Nakia)
B: TJs chunky applesauce
L: teriyaki beef and cabbage w 1 melba toast with TJs strawberry spread
D: crab cakes with string beans
S: homemade lemon ice pop
water & 4C Totally Lite 2 Go

Yup... Nakia's back on the losing train. Cool.... he was belly aching about gaining and I gave him a big "WHATEVA!" lol. Just kidding... So, he has sworn off of going to bonefish (his favorite spot for drinks) until P3 cus he lost 2 days over it. Hey, we all have to learn & some of us learn the hard way.

As for me, I'm steadily going down... slowly, but down nontheless.

Amie - Yup... he has bounced right out of it & he's definately losing inches. He already looked pretty young for his age, but now it just looks like I'm TOTALLY robbing the cradle here! He has lost alot in his face & none of his slacks fit.

Biz - LOL... that sugar free dressing is left over from when he freaked out on his last P2 and I was looking for stuff that seemed pretty safe. He actually does ok eating it so I just let him continue.... I'm not touching the stuff though! I meant to mention that in my post yesterday. Thanks for reminding me.

Angel - It's so nice to see my sister in locs drop by! Yup... I have locs too. I got them started in September of last year. I had natural hair in braids until then. Thanks for your words of encouragement. It means alot to us.

Workin out on my Wii Fit

Monica - R4P2 Day 12
R4 Starting weight: 170.6
Yesterday: 161.7
Today: 161.3 -.4
R4 Total -9.5 5.6%

Nakia - R3P2 Day 18
R3 Starting weight: 247.3
Yesterday: 227
Today: 227.5 +.5
R3 Total 19.8 8%

Yesterday's menu (Monica):
B: TJs Chunky applesauce
L: chicken & broccoli, 1 grissini
D: lemon pepper orange roughy & steamed garlic spinach
frozen mocha: 1 C coffee, 1 T half & half, 1 T cocoa powder, splena, & ice
Lots of tea, water, & 4C Totally Lite 2 Go

Yesterday's menu (Nakia)
B: TJs chunky applesauce
S: chicken w/ mustard
L: romaine lettuce salad with sugar free raspberry dressing (use at your own risk)
D: chili
water, & 4C Totally Lite 2 Go

Hmmm.... another .5 gain for nakia. I hope he has a loss tomorrow. I think he will.

I'm just coasting right now. I did 45 minutes on my Wii Fit this morning & broke some of my records in yoga & aerobics. WOO HOO! I just didn't feel like getting stuff together to go to the gym. The Wii gives me a nice light workout... although that hula hoop thing doesn't seem very light.

I took some measurements too:

	Day 1	Day 12	CHANGE
NECK	14.5	14	-0.50
BUST	39.5	37	-2.50
UNDER BUST	35	34	-1.00
WAIST	36	34	-2.00
HIPS	39	38	-1.00
THIGH	23	22.5	-0.50
KNEE	14.5	14.5	0
CALF	15	15	0
BICEP	13	13	0
INCHES LOST			-7.50

I'm really liking the change in my waist.On to another day of VLCD!

Amie - I read the same thing myself! But you know what... it really IS great to have someone with you that's supportive and totally on board. I'm so glad you have that now too Amie. oooh... and it looks like we will all meet in Vegas in July! I can't wait! Nakia took me to vegas for my birthday in february. This'll be the first time we've ever gone twice in one year & it'll be tough for us to go right after our DR trip, but we just have to be there. I can't miss this!

Biz - Hey sunshine! Isn't that amazin! Remember he had such a hard time last round. I nearly jumped out of my chair when he decided to start all of a sudden. I think he had a moment.... you know that moment. LOL. I'm proud of him too. It's so nice to be back in the swing of things though. Thanks for checkin on us :)

Angel - HI! Thanks for stopping by. We really are a great team & I'm so happy for his weight loss. He does work hard for it. I know how hard this is for him so I just try to be as supportive as I can.

What a difference a round makes

Monica - R4P2 Day 11
R4 Starting weight: 170.6
Yesterday: 162.1
Today: 161.7 -.4
R4 Total -9.1 5.3%

Nakia - R3P2 Day 17
R3 Starting weight: 247.3
Yesterday: 226.5
Today: 227 +.5
R3 Total 20.3 8.2%

Yesterday's menu (Monica):
B: Strawberries
L: catfish creole
S: melba toast with TJs strawberry spread
D: chili, melba toast, strawberry sorbet
Lots of tea, water, & 4C Totally Lite 2 Go

Yesterday's menu (Nakia)
B: TJs chunky applesauce
S: chicken & melba toast
L: steamed string beans
D: chili
water, & 4C Totally Lite 2 Go

I decided to start posting a separate menu for Nakia because since he's putting his own meals together now we rarely eat the same food. I love broccoli so I can eat it every day, but he loves string beans so that's his thing. He did have a rebound .5 gain today which was expected, but he still lost 2.3 lbs over 2 days total so he's right on track. He's only on day 17 and has already dropped over 20 lbs. That's amazing! This is the most he's lost on P2 since he started & he's only 12 lbs away from his goal of 215. He was going to do a 21 day round but now he's thinking about going further since he's so close to his goal.

This is also the most comfortable he's been on P2. He's still working out, but he's not complaining of hunger like he was on his last 2 rounds. The last one was the worst. He almost quit, but my friend biz suggested raising his calories to 700 and that worked to stave his hunger and keep him on P2 for his full 21 days. Now he's thinking of doing about 25 days & he's looking fantastic!

I'm on my snails pace as usual. There is a differnce this time for me as well. I'm not tempted to cheat so maybe I'll lose a few more pounds this time. I also started doing light workouts every other day so maybe that will bring on more losses as well. I'm still going over old weight right now so I'm really motivated to get back to my lowest weight, but the good news is I always seem to end my rounds a little lower than the last so I AM getting there. I'm just taking the scenic route.

A bonefish grille night

Monica - R4P2 Day 10
R4 Starting weight: 170.6
Yesterday: 162.3
Today: 162.1 -.2
R4 Total -8.6 5%

Nakia - R3P2 Day 16
R3 Starting weight: 247.3
Yesterday: 229.3
Today: 226.5 -2.8
R3 Total 20.8 8.4%

Yesterday's menu (Monica):
B: Strawberries & coffee w/ half & half
L: chicken & cucumbers, 1 grissini
D: lobster tail & steamed garlic spinach, 1 melba toast with TJs strawberry spread,
2 homemade strawberry ice pops
Lots of tea, water, & 4C Totally Lite 2 Go

All Nakia ate yesterday was some chunky applesauce for breakfast & 2 orders of seared tuna from bonefish grill. He also had 4 rum and diet cokes.... for him, that equals a 2.5 lb loss overnight. LOL... There he goes again. Tuna's not on P2, but he seems to have no problems with it. I used to let his big losses bother me, but now I see that most men lose like that so I just let him do his thing. He also seems to lose weight whenever he has alcohol, but there's always a slight rebound the next day so I wouldn't be surprised if he has a small gain tomorrow. We shall see.

I, on the other hand, had a pidily .2 lb loss... so I went to my trusty tape measure just to see... and voila! 2 inches GONE from my waist! I was just doing a quick compare this morning. I'll take the rest of my measurments tonight though.

I did end up doing 30 minutes on the elliptical machine at the gym yesterday. Sometimes when I workout on P2, my body retains water so that could be the cuprit of my small loss today. I'm not worried about it. At least I lost something.

Amie - I actually decided to do a 40 day round just yesterday because some friends asked us to go to Punta Cana with them in June. I'm just going to go for it so I should get pretty close to my ultimate goal by then.

Mo - I make my own teriyaki marinade & use artificial sweetner. I'll just copy it from my post in HTA. It's listed under P3 recipes there, but I use it on P2 without issues. Your results may vary.

Teriyaki Marinade

• 1/2 cup bragg's aminos or kikkoman soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
• 3/4 teaspoon dry mustard powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of artificial sweetener of choice (I use splenda)
• 1 teaspoon of sugar free maple syrup
  
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
• 1 chopped scallion
• 1 tsp grated lemon zest

So sick of me

Monica - R4P2 Day 9
R4 Starting weight: 170.6
Yesterday: 162.7
Today: 162.3 -.4
R4 Total -8.4 4.9%

Nakia - R3P2 Day 14
R3 Starting weight: 247.3
Yesterday: 230.9
Today: 229.3 -1.6
R3 Total 17.7 7.2%

Yesterday's menu:
B: TJs chunky apple sauce & coffee w/ half & half
L: chicken & broccoli, 1 grissini
D: catfish creole, 1 grissini, 1 strawberry ice pop (12 cal)
Lots of tea, water, & 4C Totally Lite 2 Go

Yesterday was good for both of us. This time change is kickin my tail this morning, but I'm ready to get this day started (an over with). I'm going to try to get in a light workout on the treadmill at the gym today since I was just too tired to do it yesterday.

I guess I weighed myself about an hour earlier than usual because of daylight savings time... I wonder if that hurt my loss today.... oh well, it all evens itself out. I've had several days of over 1 lb losses so I think I was getting pretty spoiled, but I know that doesn't last... I was just hoping since I'm going over repeat weight. This is the time though. I AM NOT going to gain this weight back this time. I've been going over the same damn 10 - 15 lbs for about a year now and I'm pretty sick of it. It's not the protocol that did it... it's all me, but I'm really sick of ME now and I won't let her sabotage herself anymore... did that make sense?

On the road with my 500 cals

Monica - R4P2 Day 8
R3 Starting weight: 170.6
Yesterday: 164.4
Today: 162.7 -1.8
R3 Total -8 4.7%

Nakia - R3P2 Day 14
R2 Starting weight: 247.3
Yesterday: 232.9
Today: 230.9 -2.0
R2 Total 16.1 6.5%

Yesterday's menu:
B: apple slices & coffee w/ half & half
L: chicken & romaine lettuce w/ mustard dressing, 1 grissini
D: chicken & string beans, 1 grissini, TJ's organic applesauce with cinnamon

Yesterday I had to drive to NJ (I live in MD) because my mom had to have a procedure done to check if she had any blockages in her arteries that may need attention. She had some chest pains and they needed to check it out. If the doctor found a significant blockage, he was going to schedule her for surgery immediately. No one else in the family could make it to the hospital with her, so I went. I couldn't imagine her getting that done with no one there with her. So I packed a lunch bag with my 500 calories worth of food (I didn't need a very large bag... LOL) and headed out at 6 am.

When I got there she was already in Same Day Surgery getting prepped for the procedure so I waited in the waiting room. I was so relieved when the doctor came and told me that she has no major blockages and can go home. WHEW!!! She didn't get discharged for another 3 hours because they had to put her under anesthesia. I don't get to see my mom that often because we live 3 hours away so we had a long time to chat & eat lunch together before they let her go home... me with my salad and chicken & her with her hospital food. I think I made out better there :) We were both glad that she didn't have to do that alone.

I drove back last night and I'm pretty wiped out today, but I had a fantastic loss this morning so all is good. It seems that my string bean experiment went very well :) I was going to start walking on the treadmill at the gym today since my cold has finally left the building... except for the cough it left behind... but now I feel pretty drained from my long day yesterday so I think I'll skip that until tomorrow.

Angel - Hi... thanks for checking in on my blog. As far as spices go, the sky's the limit. I use alot of garlic powder, dry oregano, dry basil, onion powder, & minced onion, morton's lite salt, & pepper. I also use fresh herbs. With spice blends, make sure they don't contain any sugar or dextrose. MSG is also a problem for me. Therefore, I make my own versions. You can find a lot of seasoning mixes here: http://hcgrecipes.blogspot.com/search/label/seasoning. The store bought spice blends I use most often are Mrs Dash original & garlic herb and Grill Mates 25% Less Sodium Montreal Chicken Seasoning.

Amie - You are so right. Now my rounds are alot less stressful. I know this protocol works so I just do it and watch the scale move. If it doesn't one day, we know from experience that it will in time so we just keep it movin. So... there's a new Bo! :) So nice to here that. It's great to have someone supportive, especially when doing something like this protocol.

Just coasting

Monica - R4P2 Day 7
R4 Starting weight: 170.6
Yesterday: 165.9
Today: 164.4 -1.5
43 Total -6.2 3.63%

Nakia - R3P2 Day 13
R3 Starting weight: 247.3
Yesterday: 232.8
Today: 232.2 -.6
R3 Total 14.8 5.9%

Yesterday's menu:
B: strawberries, coffee w/ half & half
S: melba toast w/ Trader Joe's strawberry spread
L: chicken & brussel sprouts
D: chicken & broccoli w/ 1 grissini, 1 strawberry ice pop (12.5 cal)

Yesterday I made these strawberry ice pops because I had made my usual strawberry sorbet with my magic bullet in the morning, but then I didn't feel like eating it so I put it in my little tupperware ice pop molds. They turned out fantastic. 50 calories worth of strawberries made 4 pops. I could have eaten all of them if I wanted to but I only ended up wanting one so nakia and I each had one before bed. That's a new one for me.

I've decided to add string beans into the mix as well. Nakia loves them. I added broccoli on my 2nd round and I added brussel sprouts on my 3rd round, so this round we'll try string beans. I haven't had them yet, but Nakia had them yesterday and the day before (he doesn't like brussel sprouts) and has had good losses, so I'm going to throw them into my diet today.

I am a strong believer that everyone should do the protocol by the book the first time so that you have a benchmark before experimenting with other veggies or fruits, so that's what I did. I added things in slowly. I say that because I wouldn't want anyone just starting with hcg to think they should go ahead and add different veggies right off the break because I'm eating them. Everyone's body reacts differently. Ok... disclaimer over :)

This round feels so different than every other round. I'm not battling with temptations like I have in the past. I just make my food and I eat it. I'm not as tempted by work food or even snack food in my house like I was every other time I've done this. I have my favorite P2 meals and I just stick with those. I did alot of flavor experimenting in my first round. I had alot of time because it was a full 40 days. LOL. Now I have a bunch of go to meals that I can prepare quickly and easily. I did try lobster tails for the first time on P2 last week. That felt like a cheat! They were so good steamed in a zip loc steamer bag. mmm mmm. Wow... I'm getting hungry... going to make dinner now. chicken and string beans tonight.

Mo - Hi... thanks for stopping by :) I'm not using a doctor. I've done all my rounds on my own. I found hcg by reading Kevin Trudeau's book and then I did my own research and just got started with it.... well, to make a long story short :)

The cold is almost gone

Monica - R4P2 Day 6
R4 Starting weight: 170.6
Yesterday: 165.5
Today: 165.9 +.4
R4 Total -4.7 2.75%

Nakia - R3P2 Day 12
R3 Starting weight: 247.3
Yesterday: 233.8
Today: 232.8 -1.0
R3 Total 14.5 5.8%

Yesterday's menu:
B: apple w/ splenda & cinnamon
L: steak & sauteed onions & 1 grissini
D: Tilapia & romaine salad with mustard dressing & 1 grissini

Nakia started a week before I did. He was excited to start and jumped right in this time. He's taken to this round a lot easier than his last 2 rounds. I had to do a lot to keep him from quitting last time, but I can clearly see his determination to stick to P2 this time. It's just different & I like not having to pull him along or make him eat his apple without coring and peeling it for him.... He's eating the peel and coring it himself!!! WHAT?! Who is this person?! I was worried about being sick the first week because I didn't pack his lunches for him like I did the last round, but he gets everything together himself now. All I need to do is portion out the meats & he's good to go.

I'm doing a little better with my cold today. The cough is nearly gone and I didn't cough as much during the night. I didn't even need my inhaler today either. TOM did start though so I'm sure that's where the gain came from since I didn't even eat my 2nd fruit yesterday.

Reaquainting myself with my blog

Here I am again. I've been offline for a long time, but I've decided to start another round. I want to document this here because this is where I started & where I feel most comfortable expressing myself. For some reason journaling over at the HTA forum didn't give me the same feeling as blogging here. I like the continuity of thought that I see on my blog & I like being able to go back and read my own thoughts. It's just easier and more comfortable for me... so this is where I'll be. I still love the forum, but for other reasons.

For some reason I keep making poor choices and ending up gaining weight back. I saw myself headed back towards 170 lbs after I had reached 154 and I didn't like what I was seeing on the scale. I certainly didn't feel like I was 168 but that's what the scale said. My clothes still fit though so I'm glad I was getting on the scale to notice at least... so I decided that I'd better do another round of P2 to reach my goal once and for all.

This time there will be no vacationing or big events for a long while after I'm done with this round. I may even do another round when I'm done to finally get to the goal I've been chasing for so long. My husband Nakia & a friend of mine is doing this round with me so I've got good company, plus helping them keeps me on track.

I started this round at an embarrassing 169.7 Today is day 5 of VLCD and I've lost 5.1 lbs from my last load day which is right on track. Unfortunately I picked up a head cold on the first day I started injections and I've been battling that all week. I've had to take NyQuil and use my asthma inhaler just about every night this week because I wake up in the middle of the night coughing. Sometimes my asthma symptoms show up when I have a cold... probably because of all the phlem. Last night was a little better and I was able to forgo the NyQuil so hopefully the cold is on its way out. I'm pretty sure I got it from my friend that's started P2 with me because we went out to dinner and she was blowing her nose for most of the evening. Oh well... at least I know that NyQuil & albuterol don't hurt my loses :)