Traveling is hard!

So I have no idea what 'day' I am in for P3. LOL. Anyway, I am in Chicago and it is hard! I found a protein bar place so that is nice - easy breakfast and pretty close to what I eat at home. Lunch and dinner today haven't been too bad either. For lunch I had a chicken sandwich but didn't eat the bread. Just had the grilled chicken, avocado, lettuce, tomato, onion, and a bit of munster cheese. The side was a grilled veggie medley with carrots, celery, peppers, etc. Not bad right? Then for dinner we went to Hugo's Frog Bar. I ordered the filet medalions and it came with a side of broccoli. I had 3 asparagus spears and 2 bites of the crawfish mac & cheese. I had to at least try it! Anyway, so dinner was pretty successful also. However, we walk outside and there is a gelato stand right there. Calling my name! Ugh. I had a small banana pecan praline gelato and let me tell you, it was awesome! LOL

I hate that I don't have a scale here to keep me in check every day and I am so scared to get on the scale when I get home. I am here two more days though so I need to stay focused. I just hate not having my fridge and my kitchen of safe and fresh foods you know? I don't know for sure anything that I am eating when I eat out like this!

R2P2D3- LET'S DO THIS!!!!!!!

So today starts my very first day of VLC in Round 2.  I am super nervous because i've been away from the blog, away from the drops, and away from the scale for a while.  During R1P3 I did pretty well.  I actually fell about 4 lbs below my LDW (last drops weight) in R1.  I ended up at 201.4.  The problem is that this past weekend my family all came in town for my son's first Birthday!  It was an eating FEST!  I gained 5 lbs in 4 days!  NO!  I started R2P1D1 at 206.4 and after loading the past 2 days I am now at 207.4.  So i gained another dang pound.  It's OK though, because i'm about to lose it!

I forgot to take my measurements on D1 so i will do them tonight along with pictures.  I have not been good at tracking my progress and posting about it.  This round I am hoping to do better! 

I am SOOOOOO proud of Sabrina and her progress.  She looks AMAZING and has done so well at this.  I am really excited to hear how her husband does! 

I'm sitting here drinking my black coffee with Peppermint Stevia and I tell you what, it's not that bad. 

Let's DO THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

xoxo-Nicki

R1P3D22 - stable! Pics and measurements!

So I made it through the first 21 days of P3. Yeah me!! As of this AM, I am at 191.4 so today is another big day b/c that means I have officially lost 30 pounds!! Woot woot!

Anyway, here are my final stats for this round of hCG including before/after photos.

Neck: 15.25 --> 14.25 loss of 1 inch
Upper Arm: 15.25 --> 13.75 loss of 3 inches total
Chest: 35.75 --> 34 loss of 1.75 inches (I didn't do this measurement when I started, just after week 1)
Waist: 37.75 --> 32.75 loss of 5 inches!
Hips: 45.5 --> 40 loss of 5.5 inches!
Thigh: 27.5 --> 24.25 loss of 6.5 inches total
Calf: 16.5 --> 16.25 loss of .5 inches total

So, that means a total loss of 23.25 inches and 30 pounds. Nice huh? :) Here are 3 before and after shots. The tank top I chose was a poor choice b/c it's pretty loose so it's hard to tell a big difference in my waist/hips with it. The left of each pose is 'before', the right is 'after'

R1P3D18 - been a long time!

Sorry for the lack of posts by me. I actually have a lot to catch you up on but I have been seriously busy. Another semester just started for me so that is where my time goes now. I just got back from a 5 day trip to St. Louis to see my little sisters graduate high school and it was a great trip! I brought my scale with me even to make sure I stayed in line. The weight loss competition I was in just closed out and I won 1st place no questions asked. Woot woot!

As of this AM, I am at 193.6. I did have a small frozen custard in St. Louis with butterfinger and cheesecake and saw a 3 pound gain on the scale that next AM. However, the morning after that, I saw a 3.4 pound loss so who knows. It was my first time over my LDW though and it scared me! I am still a bit under the '2 pound' mark I am supposed to stay within but I feel good. I am eating more things and the scale seems to be behaving for me which is nice.

Anyway, I just wanted to jump on with a quick update since it has been so long. David (my hubby) is starting his first round this weekend so he is going to be loading. So much fun for him!

I can't believe I only have 3 more days until I am 21 days stable!! :)

R1P3D6 - still chugging along

So, I am at 193.8 today, gained 0.4. Not horribly concerned yet but will see how the next few days go. I am still not able to get enough calories and I am at a loss. I am between 1100-1200 calories a day with about 100-110 grams of protein. I am trying to force a protein shake down my throat right now b/c I need the calories and protein but I am full!

Anyway, I ordered a cookbook called Low-Carbing Among Friends and it's Gluten-Free. We will see how it goes I guess. We are going to St. Louis in a week and I am really nervous about that. The good thing though is that we are staying with my sister and they are a gluten-free family. Hopefully that will make things easier for me. I need to stay away from my old haunts and I have to bring my scale with me but I think I will do ok. I am convinced this is the right way to eat you know? I do just miss certain foods sometimes...

R1P3D4 - going good!

So yesterday AM I got on the scale and was 193.6 again (gain of 0.4) and then this AM I was back down to 193.2 (loss of 0.4). I would be totally happy to stay right here at 193! :)

Yesterday evening I  got my first 'reward' tattoo for getting under 200 lbs again. It's Philip's footprint on top of my right foot and I LOVE it! I was in a rush to get there after work so I had dinner at McDonald's. I researched ahead of time and just got two plain hamburgers and a side salad with ranch dressing on the side. I ate the burgers with no buns and ate the salad with very little (seriously, like a teaspoon total) dressing since I checked the ingredients and it had sugar in it. I came home from the parlor and I was starving! I didn't know what to do but I knew I needed more protein. I weighed out 8 ozs of 0% Fage greek yogurt and mixed it with 50 grams of blueberries and a few drops of vanilla stevia. Yum! I was worried about what that would do to my weight but apparently it was just fine! :)

So today I had my P3 smoothie for breakfast again (Jay Robb protein powder (vanilla), 1 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 50 grams of blueberries, 100 grams of strawberries, 100 grams of spinach, and the juice of one lemon). For lunch, I had scrambled up 2 eggs with 2 egg whites and ate it with guacomole and tomatoes. My snacks were a cucumber and an apple. Dinner tonight was pork sausage stuffed mushrooms with shredded mozzarella on top and whipped cauliflower. Figured it was about time to try a mashed potato replacement. It was delicious! I made it with half and half and parmasean cheese. David really enjoyed dinner tonight and that made me happy.

I am still not getting enough protein each day but at least my calories are up a bit. I think today I hit like 1100 calories. Protein was about 75 grams which is ok, not great. I am going to do research on how I can step up on the protein side.

Phase 3 is so much more prep work and planning. Having to eat everything fresh takes a lot of planning and preperation. It's the right thing to do though, I know that and I am pleased with it. Just a change for sure. I am used to being lazy for lunch and just grabbing a frozen meal. Breakfast was easy with a greek yogurt and oatmeal and then I made dinner. Now I am having to prep and make every meal! I know once I can find a good set of recipes I can make more of each recipe so I can keep a good supply going for lunches, etc. I think I am going to do shrimp tomorrow night. Quick and easy. :)

R1P3D2 - great weekend!

So I weighed in on Saturday AM, my first day of Phase 3, at 193.6. That gave me like 5 pounds of 'wiggle' room since my LDW was 196.6 I think. I had 2 eggs and 1 piece of bacon for breakfast. Love having breakfast again! My family and I went to the Ga Renaissance Festival and I knew that was going to be a challenge for me. I brought along a serving of Cheddar Nut Thins (wheat and gluten free) and a ziploc bag of grape tomatoes for my sides. I found a stand that sold steak on a stick so I got that. It was the only thing that looked safe enough, no breading, just on a grill, etc. Last night I had like 5 ounces of shrimp and asparagus (made in olive oil) for dinner. Yum! As usual, my strawberry/spinach smoothie was for dessert. I had 160 grams of strawberries this time since I knew I was way under where I should be with my calories.

I woke up this AM and weighed in at 193.2. I knew I didn't eat enough calories yesterday so I am going to try harder today! We always go out to eat for Sun morning breakfast with David's Mom and Stepdad. I had coffee with half and half and 3 eggs scrambled. Unfortunately the place we go for breakfast doesn't really do 'veggies'. LOL. For lunch I had a 3.5 oz hamburger in between two pieces of romaine lettuce, a few slices of tomato, and some spicy brown mustard. I also had about a cup of cooked broccoli with it. For my snack, I had an apple. Then, for dinner, I made chicken fajitas (in the crockpot all day!). I ate mine with iceberg lettuce as my tortilla and I also was very excited about having guacamole as well! I ate three lettuce wraps, probably around 2.5-3 ounces of chicken on each one and probably a bit over a tbsp of guacamole on each as well. I made the guac myself so I know there wasn't any rogue sugar or anything. The stuff at the store had sugar added! Really?!? Let me tell you, that dinner was delicious!! I loved being able to mix onions, peppers, lettuce, avocado, etc. I prepared two lettuce wraps for lunch tomorrow even - can't wait! So, I am guessing my caloric intake so far today is about 900-950. I will plan on doing my smoothie later this evening and maybe adding in a scoop of protein powder to get my calories up. I will see how I feel later.

I still need to take my final Phase 2 measurements and pictures, I know, I am late! When I think of it, I have already eaten, etc. I am FULL right now so I know I am not doing it right now. LOL Maybe I can at least try to do my measurements tomorrow AM before I get ready and head to work.

I am getting a tattoo tomorrow night as one of my goal rewards. I said when I got under 200 I was going to get a tattoo I have been wanting to get for years. I will post a picture after I am done!

R1P2D39 - almost done with vlcd!

So TOM has evened out and I am losing again. This AM I was 194.8. Sweet! :)

This is day 2 without drops and it has been going just fine. I was feeling a bit weak around 11:30 but ate shortly after. Today for lunch I had a pouch of albacore tuna (2.5 oz) over chopped up romaine lettuce, a few grape tomatoes, and some spicy brown mustard. Yum! This is my first time having tuna on the diet so I guess we will see how that goes on the scale.

Tonight is chicken and asparagus and then of course the spinach strawberry smoothie for dessert!

R1P2D37 - last day of drops!

So, wow, I am here! It's my last day of drops. It honestly doesn't seem like it has been that long since I started. I thought for sure that this 40 days would stretch on FOREVER. LOL.

My TOM hasn't been nice to me the last two days. Gained 0.4 yesterday AM and gained 0.2 this AM. I am not doing anything differently so I am sure it's just that. i hope I see a good loss over the next few days.

So, my LDW (last drops weight) is 196.4. That is the weight I have to stay within 2 lbs of for the first 21 days of Phase 3 to stabalize. I hope that goes well!

So, I have my last three days of vlcds to get through W-F and then on Saturday I get breakfast! :) On Saturday I will post my final Phase 2 weight, measurements, and my 'AFTER' pictures. I will still do measurements and such throughout Phase 3 as well but I don't expect huge changes there. Then I need to slowly start adding exercise back in and get going with the physical activity again. So excited!

Long time no see!!

I've been gone for a while now... from the blog at least.  And i'm back.  I have never been a good blogger, but I know I need to pick back up. 

So i've been doing maintenance for almost two weeks now.  I went into maintenance weighing 207.2.  The first few days into maintenance I lost another pound or so and got down to 205.8.  I teetered around that weight for a few days, went up and down, went WAY up to 210 and then the horrible happened.... I got the stomach flu.  I was violently throwing up for about 12-15 hours and ended up getting back down to the 205's! I know it's not the best way to lose weight, but it happened and I can't change it now.  This morning I weighed in at 205 even and have been that way for a couple of days. 

Maintenance has been a lot easier than i thought.  I was worried at first about hitting all of the calories and didn't actually do it correctly at first.  I gained when I didn't eat all of my calories, so I learned quickly that you really do need to eat them!

I've pretty much eaten everything I want to and have even treated myself to ice cream, cheeses, pizza, and a few others.  I've been surprised at the outcome!  I figured out that if you stay primarily gluten free that you can remarkably eat what you want! it's great.  After this maintenance round, i'm going to be starting Round 2 of HCG.  I'm actually starting a 40 day Round this weekend, with loading days on Saturday and Sunday.  I'm pretty excited about it!

I think that I learned enough in round 1 to know what my body does and does not like.  I'm excited also because I purchased a kit that has protein powder, gum, and other fun things in it to help with my second round.  I'm going to get below 200 this round because i won't have several tempations getting in my way. I can't wait

i'm so proud of sabrina for losing 25 lbs in round 1!  I know she's going to do so great in maintenance.

Im going to do better about blogging... especially when I start Round 2!!!

R1P2D35 - Happy Mother's Day (& measurements)

Happy Mother's Day! :)

So, yesterday AM I was at 197.4 which I was pretty pleased with. 0.8 loss this late in the game is great! Yesterday was a crazy busy day with us trying to completely gut Philip's playroom, retire toys, and then make his playroom 'playable' again. Whew! I was worried what that would do to my weight loss....

Well, it was awesome! :) Stepped on the scale this AM and I am down to 195.8. Sweet! I have started eating broccoli/cauliflower...wonder if that is helping?

So, I took my measurements as well since I forgot to yesterday.

Arm: 14' (.25 loss per arm)
Neck: 14.33 (.16 loss)
Chest: 34.5 (.5 loss)
Waist: 33.25 (.5 loss)
Hips: 40.75 (2 inch loss!!)
Thigh: 25.25 (.5 loss per thigh)
Calf: 16 (.25 per leg)

Love those inches coming off now!! A total of 5.16 inches off this week - my biggest inches loss for the whole diet!!!

R1P2D33 - end in sight....

So next Friday is Day 40. Can you believe it? It honestly hasn't been near as bad as I thought it would be. I have learned so much and hope I can keep good momentum into Phase 3.

I struggled a bit this week with a stall then a small gain, etc but I appear to be back on track (knocking on wood!). I lost .8 this AM so I am down to 198.2 and I did have a spinach/strawberry smoothie last night so I don't think that was the reason for my stall before. I really want to get another 4-5 pounds down before the end to 'comfortably' be under 200 going into Phase 3 but I just don't think that is going to happen. I have been doing research on Pinterest trying to find some good Phase 3 recipes. I can't wait to try some of them! I know the first week of Phase 3 I have to stay focused on eating the same foods from Phase 2, just more of them. I am just SO scared that my body isn't going to stabilize and my weight is going to be all over the place. TOM should be coming soon and I need to remember that it makes my weight all funky for a few days.

I am going to do my measurements as usual tomorrow and see how that went for the week. I will continue to do my measurements each week even in P3 as well.

My family and I are going to the Renaissance Festival on Sunday for Mother's Day and I am really nervous about it! What am I going to eat? I am going to have to pack some food for sure. Good thing I will have a diaper bag with me. :) After that we are going to a family Mother's Day thing with David's family. I will bring my own food to that as I did last time. Saturday is a busy day then to get the house cleaning done, the grocery shopping, my food prepared for the week, etc. Fun times!

R1P2D30 - saw a loss....

So I stepped on the scale this AM and lost 0.8. Whew. So, I am at 200.0. I HATE seeing that 2 and I better see a 1 tomorrow or else I don't know what is going on. It may mean that my new smoothie love may have to come to an end. :(

My smoothie (not sure if I posted this before but I have made a few tweaks)
100 grams fresh spinach
150 grams fresh strawberries
1 lemon, juiced (VERY important this is one real lemon that is juiced. The store bought lemon juice is nowhere near as good)
3/4 cup water
dropper full of vanilla stevia
5-6 ice cubes

Blend well and serve. Delicious!!

However, since I started eating them, my weight has been a bit weird. I am in love though now so I hope I don't have to give them up.

I am proud of myself for making it through two days of this conference and not cheating at all. It's been hard seeing all of this food all over but I did not sway. It's so important to me to lose this weight and I just need to keep that in mind. I worry though that I will miss it so much that I will want to go back to my 'old ways' after I get stabilized. Even when I was losing my 60 lbs before, I still had 'cheat' meals every once in awhile. I think you need that. I just know I need to wait for quite some time before I do that. I wish I could just eat 'clean' and love it but well, that just isn't the case. LOL

R1P2D29 - very discouraged right now

So Sun AM I stepped on the scale and NO change. Still 199.8. Bummer! Then this AM I wake up, step on the scale, and it's 200.8. WTF? Why did I gain a pound?!? I do things by the book people, that is just how I am. I have NO idea what the deal is. Am I ovulating? Is that why? Did I do too much physical activity yesterday (I don't think so)? I KNOW I didn't go over my calories. I have been tracking it consistently on sparkpeople.

I am at a conference today - Wed so it's really hard for me to be around these awesome breakfasts/lunches/snacks and not touch any of it. I am even bringing my lunch to ensure I stay on the program. It is not easy. With the scale misbehaving the last two days, it's REALLY not easy. I am scared for tomorrow if I don't have a good loss on the scale tomorrow AM. Wish me luck!!

Also - I found out that the juice of a REAL lemon is FAR superior than that stupid lemon juice you can buy at the store already bottled. I used the juice of a real lemon today in my smoothie and man, it was great! :)

R1P2D27 - onederland baby!! (and weekly measurements)

Yesterday, I weighed in at 201, a measly 0.2 loss. I got a pedicure yesterday evening and was really worried about how that would affect me on the scale this AM as well b/c of the oils/lotions they use.

Yesterday for lunch I had chicken with spinach and ACV dressing, apple for snack, hamburger with spicy brown mustard, peppers, and a breastick for dinner, orange for an evening snack. I also had a cup of green tea with orange, jasmine, and something else in it. It's GOOD.

I stepped on the scale this morning and it said 199.8!!! Woohoo! I stepped on 3 times just to make sure. LOL. I am so stinkin' excited to be under 200. I hope to NEVER see them again.

Today I tried a spinach strawberry smoothie for lunch and it was awesome! 100 grams of spinach, 150 grams of strawberries, 1 cup of water, a few ice cubes, a dropper of stevia, a tbsp of lemon juice. Eating that and chicken with spicy brown mustard and a breadstick for lunch FILLED ME UP! For dinner I had a hamburger with spicy brown mustard and another spinach/strawberry smoothie. Drinking those makes me so full - I love it! They also however present a problem with calories for the day. So, I am going to have an evening snack of green peppers and a breadstick just to ensure I get enough calories and I upped my hamburger at dinner to 4 ozs.

I am making my first ever batch of chocolate delight right now. Wish me luck!!

Oh - I almost forgot to post my weekly measurements - here they are. Not as many inches this week but I am still happy!

Arm: 14.25 (no change)
Chest: 35 (loss of 0.25)
Waist 33.75 (loss of 1.25)
Hips: 42.75 (loss of 0.5)
Thigh: 25.75 (loss of .25 per)
Calf: 16.75 (no change)
Neck: 14.75 (no change)

Total weekly inches lost: 2.5!

R1P2D25 - getting sick of asparagus....

So, saw a loss of 0.4 pounds this AM, so I am at 201.2 right now. I am wondering why it seems to be 0.4 every other day. So, I am sure you are asking....what did you eat yesterday Sabrina?

Well, for lunch I had chicken, 125 grams of spinach, Walden Farms Caesar dressing, and a grissini breadstick. For my afternoon snack, I had 170 grams of apple. For dinner, I had 100 grams of tilapia and 20 spears of asparagus. Then for evening snack, I had an orange (about 160 grams).

So what looks wrong with that? The only thing I can think of is the dressing so I am going to not use that for a bit and see how things go. I made a new dressing tonight that was in my hCG recipe book. I am not a big fan of apple cider vinegar but I am going to give it a try. Mixed it with a bit of lemon juice, bit of water, some liquid stevia, and a few spices. I am going to try it tomorrow so we will see!

I have been doing good with making sure I don't have the same protein 2 days in a row but I will be having beef tomorrow night for dinner even though I had it today for lunch because I have to eat both lunch and dinner at work since I am going out with Kellie after work to get a pedi and catch up.

And well, as the title suggests, I am getting really sick of asparagus! LOL. I think I am going to try to eat more spinach and lettuce/tomato and see how things go on the scale. I have tried broccoli and peppers a few times and they seem to be going well also. I am glad it's taken this long to start getting sick of some foods but asparagus is ick right now. I think I am getting that way about tilapia as well. No big shock there since I have never been a huge seafood fan but I was hoping I could pull it off. We will see how it goes next time I prepare it I guess! :)

R1P2D23 - I saw a loss and my fav meat seasonings

So I stepped on the scale this morning very nervous given the gain I had before. I lost 0.8! So, back down to 202.2 again. Let's see what tmrw AM says. Weighing and recording all of my food every day has really helped me see how close I am getting to 500. I am now very sure there were days before than I was too far over that 500 calorie limit. Doing beef and chicken on the same day seems almost impossible b/c they are both higher calorie protein options. So, I do chicken and fish one day then beef and shrimp the next to help spread it out. I am even cutting  up and weighing my apples upfront so I make sure I don't go over. Apples are high in calories! If you want to follow my meal plan, here is the link on SparkPeople: http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_tracker.asp?id=SABRINAP11&dte=5%2F1%2F2012. I am not tracking the seasonings and yes, I know they can add a few calories. I am just trying to do something quick/easy that I know I will actually keep up with!

While I was thinking about it, I wanted to share some of my favorite seasonings have been for my protein.

So the seasoning I use on my shrimp, chicken, fish, beef LOL is the below. I use it to make beef taco meat, sprinkle it over shrimp or fish before baking in foil, etc.

4 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or less if you don't want it as spicy)
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp paprika
2 Tbsp ground cumin
4 tsp black pepper

I mix that up and store it in a tupperware. For making ground beef taco meat, I use probably 3 Tbsp of the mixture with 1/2-1 cup of water in with the beef. For the shrimp and fish, I just sprinkle it over the top before baking it (to taste). Delicious!

 

The other seasoning is for beef. When I grill hamburgers, I mix some in and I also put it over skillet steak (like 3-4 servings at a time) and put it in the crock pot with a can (like a soup can size) of low sodium beef broth on low for 1.5-2 hours.

 

1/2 cup dehydrated minced onions

1 Tbsp onion powder

1/2 tsp celery seed

1/2 tsp garlic powder

 

Mix that up and store in a tupperware as well.

R1P2D23- ALmost out of drops

So i'm literally almost out of drops.  like might make it through tomorrow.  I called hcgdiet.com and they told me that the best thing to do is start maintenance now, wait 2 weeks, and then start Round 2.  I think i'm going to do that.  They couldn't get the drops to me in time without me having to pay a heck of a lot for overnight shipping.  He advised that it would be good to give my body a rest and when all of my festivities are over, then I can start with a fresh kit!

i'm kind of excited.  My end goal is the beach this summer (july 14th) and I know I can do it by then!  I've had WAY too much going on lately to not be tempted and to get in this little funk

i'm still going to eat the way I am on this diet until my drops are gone.  Once they are gone, I will start maintenance and about 1500 calories a day.  I'm excited to start working out again, actually.  that will be really cool. 

The best news is that they (hcgdiet.com) had a special going called Beach Body Bundle and it comes with the shakes, gum, stevia, a 40 day kit, shaker, and something else I can't remember.  it cost less than a 40 day supply alone!! So i ordered that and i'm really excited to start it again in a couple of weeks. 

Until then I will keep going as best I can and see what happens. 

R1P2D22- Gotta get out of this funk!

Ever since New Orleans I have felt like a huge failure and i've been unable to get out of this rut.  Today I went to the store and totally stocked up once again on the best stuff for the diet.  I feel so out of sorts that I don't even know what to do anymore.  I'm sticking with it but it seems like every weekend since I started I have fallen the wagon in one way or another.

I'm going to extend the diet to make it a 40 day diet instead of the 26 day kit.  I need to and after that i'm going to go for Round 2 when I don't have so many temptations each dang weekend!!!!  I know i can do it, but lately i have had something literally every weekend that has thrown me off my course.

I haven't even done my measurements in a while because I haven't lost much weight at all.  Technically i've only lost 10 lbs this diet, because i've gained, lost, gained, lost, etc.  10 is better than none, but I need the big numbers!!!!

R1P2D22 - too much physical activity?

So I stepped on the scale yesterday AM and I lost another pound. Sweet! Down to 202.2. I went about my day but man, it was a busy one! Went grocery shopping, did laundry, prepared my meals for the week, bathed the boys, did some gardening, cleaned up my bedroom. Well, I don't think my body liked the increased physical activity. I stepped on the scale this AM and GAINED .8. :( That just really upsets me because I follow protocol EVERY DAY.

For lunch I had shrimp and cucumbers, apple & breadstick for a snack, then dinner was steak (same steak I had been eating all last week) and peppers (again, been eating them all week) and an orange as a night snack. How would that make me gain 0.8 pounds? Ugh. So, I can only think that it was the increased physical activity and maybe I didn't drink enough water to go along with it?

I did buy a new multi-vitamin (no, I haven't been taking one every day as I should have) and took that for the first time yesterday. That wouldn't be it though right? I didn't take it today in fear that it is that. If I lose on the scale tomorrow morning, I will take it again tomorrow and see what happens next.

R1P2D20 - measurements update

So I am still not feeling 100% but I am getting there! I stepped on the scale this AM to a great number. 203.2! I somehow lost 1.8 pounds! Woot! The past two days I have been trying to not eat the same protein 2 days in a row, maybe that is the trick! Here are my measurements:

Arm: 14.25 (loss of .25)
Neck: 14.5 (loss of .25)
Chest: 35.25 (loss of .5)
Waist: 35 (loss of .25)
Hips: 43.25 (loss of .25)
Thigh: 26 (loss of .75)
Calf: 16.25 (loss of .25)

Not too shabby right? 3.75 inches again!

R1P2D18 - sick :(

Man, today is the 2nd day I have been home from work sick. Ugh. I am starting to feel a bit more human though so I am going to try to go to work tomorrow. We will see how it goes. I slept straight through lunch today so I wasn't sure what to do at that point. I ate an apple when I got up (around 4) and then I ate dinner as usual but I had David make my hamburger 4 ounces instead of 3.5 and had tomatoes as my veggie side. I am going to eat my other fruit later this evening as usual. We will see what the scale says tomorrow I guess. I stepped on this morning and was down just 0.4 from yesterday. I can't lie, I am disappointed. I am now on day 18 and I have lost 14.4 pounds. Yes, I know that is good but that is not as good as others on this diet. What am I doing wrong? There are SO many different variables you could play with you know? I will just be glad I am still just losing, even just a little, and not stalling like I have read some folks do. I need to order my next supply of hCG also since I am going to make this into a 40 day cycle.

R1P2D17- No Change

My trip to New Orleans really threw me off.  I stayed super strict yesterday and didn't have any change in the scale.  I was soooo close to seeing the 100's that I could "taste" it!  Now i'm back up to 214.  Yep, that dang weekend made me gain 7 lbs!  so crazy!

I've been SO tired and weak feeling today.  i don't know if it's because i'm detoxing again or if i'm still recovering from New Orleans!  It could be a combination of both.

Today I had a pretty good lunch.  Celery sticks and BBQ chicken.  I used Walden Farms BBQ sauce to marinate some chicken breasts and then stuck it on the skillet til it was done.  It was really decent.  I forgot my fruit today, but AM going to have my smoothie tonight.  that's the highlight of my meals!

For dinner we are having beef tacos again.  I think i even convinced my husband to have lettuce wraps!  We will see how many he needs to eat to fill up!

Can't wait for tomorrow.  i'm hoping for a big loss of at least over a pound.  i've been stepping on the scale throughout the day (a little obsessed) and it's been at 214 all day. Usually when that happens it's a couple pounds lighter the next morning!

I SURE HOPE SOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!


xoxo- Nicki

R1P2D16 - bad day then a pretty good day

So I stayed on strict protocol on Sunday. Strict. I stepped on the scale Mon AM and I GAINED 0.2 pounds. How in the heck does that happen?!? Ugh. So, I am hoping it's just because it was my last day of TOM. I did good again yesterday and stepped on this morning to a 0.8 loss. I will take it! :)

So, I am now at 206.6. I am almost there....I can *almost* see the scale say a weight in the one hundreds! I can't even believe it! :)

I made this skillet steak with homemade onion soup mix in the crockpot on Sunday and that has been delicious for lunches. For dinners, I have been doing tilapia, seasoned a bit with pepper, oregano, and garlic powder in a foil pouch, 400 degrees for 10 mins (max). I also season some asparagus with salt, pepper, garlic powder and put it in a foil pouch at 400 degrees for 15 mins. Quick, easy, and no mess clean up! :)

Say HECK no to eggs!

Holy COW.... what is up with eggs and me on this diet?! 

Since I was away this weekend I didn't have a chance to go grocery shopping and cook/prep my meals.  I got home from work today and was soooo hungry so went for some eggs.  you're allowed to substitute a meat on this diet with 1 egg and 3 egg whites.  I scrambled those up, added a little pepper and enjoyed!  they tasted great and satisfied me until..........

HOLY HEARTBURN/INDEGESTION/UPSET TUMMY!!!!! 

I am JUST now starting to feel OK.  Normal would not cut it.  Just OK.

NOT doing that again!

Weekend Update with Nicki

BAD NEWS BEARS.  That's really the only way to sum it up.  i went to New Orleans for a bachelorette party.  Friday I did pretty well, but the rest of the weekend was full of sweets, saltiness, alcohol, and soda.  Let me tell you that I did enjoy it, but man did I pay for it.  Stepped on the scale (new scale, finally) this morning and gained 7 pounds this weekend.  It took me a week to get rid of those lbs and a couple day to put them on again.  I knew it would happen, so i'm not shocked, just ready to get rid of these!!!!  I've been following strict protocol today so I'm hoping for a big loss tomorrow.

Didn't take measurements this weekend because i was away and forgot my tape measure!

R1P2D14 - over the hump hopefully!

So yesterday AM I weighed in and I had lost .2 pounds. Down to 208.2. Love that my scale at least showed a loss! This AM I stepped on and I am at 207.2. Woot woot!

Here are my weekly measurements as well as how much I have lost since last week. Looks like another 3.75 inches gone!

Upper Arm: 14.5 (no change since last week)
Neck: 14.75 (no chance since last week)
Chest: 35.75 (I apparently didn't post this last time - I do this measurement under my bust)
Waist: 35.25 (down 1.5 inches since last week!)
Hips: 43.5 (down 1.25 inches since last week!)
Thighs: 26.75 (down 1 inch since last week!)
Calf: 16.5 (stayed the same)

I think I am over the hump - TOM is on the last day so my body is getting back to normal! :)

R1P2D12 - today was a hard day

I lost another 0.6! Love my new scale and that it does weight in 0.2 increments. :) Anyway, it's that TOM and I think that is why I have been having a hard time lately. Today was especially bad. I was hungry ALL day. I wanted to eat everything. I didn't though! I went to my team's outing and picnic and did not cheat once. Now, for dinner, I did have a bit more chicken than 'protocol' but I knew it was better to do that than to make a really bad decision. I also had to take some excedrin migraine because I had a pretty bad headache as well. My lunch protein was eggs so I am thinking the scale is not going to be too kind to me tomorrow. Last time I ate eggs I only lost .5 pounds so we will see what tomorrow morning brings.

I hope tomorrow is an easier day for me. It's the weekend and there are tons more temptations at home so it scares me. I need to make my grocery list and get to the store first thing tomorrow am!

R1P2D11 Sabrina update - new scale!

So I got a new scale and it arrived last night! I was excited to see how it worked and if it was more accurate, etc. So, stepped on my old scale and my new scale many times and they appear to be 1 pound apart. The good news for me is that the new scale is one pound lower than the old scale! I stepped on both scales this morning again multiple times and they are still one pount apart so I feel good going with that.

So, what does that mean in terms of my weigh-ins every day? It means it looks like I lost 1.5 pounds at this morning's weigh-in but I really only lost .5 pounds. The new scale says 209 so that is what I am going with now. I will subtract a pound off of my final HCG weigh-in to account for the scale difference that I am adjusting for right now. I hope that makes sense. At least it does to me and Nicki. :)

I started TOM last night so I expect my weight loss to be slow over the next few days. My work has a 'spring fling' tomorrow so we are hanging out at a park and doing activities, etc. Of course, there will be a catered lunch as well. LOL. I am bringing my lunch of hard boiled eggs (3 without yolks of course!), cucumbers, and an apple. I am bringing an extra bag of celery in case I feel like I need something more to eat with all of the other temptations around.

Nicki is in New Orleans this weekend for a bachelorette party so it's just me this weekend. I know she is nervous about going and gaining a bunch of weight this weekend but she brought some great healthy snacks and she will get right back on track when she returns!

Nicki's Measurements

R1P1D1

Waist: 41.5"

Bust: 43"

Hips: 46"

Neck: 16"

Left thigh: 24"

Right thigh: 24"

Left arm: 14"

Right arm: 14"

R1P2D7

Waist: 39.5" down 2 inches

Bust: No change

Hips: 45" down 1 inch

Neck: 15.5" down 1 inch

Left thigh: No change

Right thigh: No change

Left arm: 13.25" down 3/4 inch

Right arm: 13.25 " down 3/4 inch



R1P2D10- Down 11 pounds!

So i've been struggling with the fact that my scale is inaccurate!  I've decided to use the scale at my office... reason being--- it's used to measure packages!  I stepped on it this morning and was down to 208.5! let me say that I was so excited to see that! (reminder, I was 209 when I got pregnant!) 

I have been trying to follow strict protocol to lose the pound I gained from my stupid cheat.  I think it's working.  I'm going to have to remember that on Monday because this weekend i'm going to New Orleans to celebrate my very good friends Bachelorette Party.  I went to the store and stocked up on snacks like apples, celery, oranges, and some organic crackers.  I know that it's not going to be possible to eat prepared meals while i'm there and to stay away from alcohol.  For some people not drinking would be easy, but for me it is a temptation that I am going to give in to.  Especially for this occasion.  SO, i'm accepting the fact that i'm going to gain a few pounds this weekend, but i'm also OK knowing that once I come back I will be on the wagon following strict protocol. 

I also tried Sabrina's Orange Smoothie tonight.  It was delish! 

For dinner I had asparagus sauteed with some garlic and water.  I sprinkled a dash of Mrs. Dash's original seasoning on them, too.  it was good!  With that I had a piece of my Mustard Chicken from earlier in the week.  It wasn't bad.  My husband had the same thing but also enjoyed the leftover steak from a couple days ago and had a salad.  I ended up eating two slices of tomato with dinner so i'll be anxious to see if that totally screwed me up like it did for Sabrina.

I bought frozen strawberries this week and at night i've been eating my second fruit as a smoothie.  I've been putting my tablespoon of milk, some stevia lemon, ice, water, and one packet of Stevia sweetener.  It's so good.  The best before bed treat I could ask for!

I'm SO proud of Sabrina and her lack of cheats!  She's doing so great.  I'm so glad that we're on this journey together.  It has helped me more than I could imagine.  We've been sharing recipes, updating each other every morning and discussing concerns together, celebrating losses, and overall motivating each other to the end!

i've also noticed that i feel a lot better these days.  I have more evergy, am happier, and find that I never feel icky like I did before.  Also, i've been able to enjoy my baby so much more.... just the extra energy and overall healthiness has made the biggest difference!!!  Side note:  my 10 month old tried lasagna with meat sauce for the first time tonight (Gerber baby food) and he hated it.  hahahaha

Cheers to tomorrow!

xoxo- Nicki

R1P2D10 - down another pound!

So I stepped on the scale this AM and I am down another pound! I have to keep reminding myself that losing a pound in one day is awesome and I should be very happy. I am currently at 210.5 so I have lost 10.5 pounds since I started. I did an experiment yesterday and did not eat tomatoes. I also ate both fruit servings and 1 melba toast. I read somewhere that certain veggies can make some not lose as much so I thought I would try to cut tomatoes out since I know I had them on the day that I only lost .5.

I am going to not eat tomatoes again today to see if that 1 pound loss continues. If it does, I will assume that confirms my thinking and I will stay away from tomatoes. It makes me pretty sad if that is the case but this is only temporary!

I also tried the Walden Farms BBQ sauce with my grilled chicken yesterday. It wasn't bad....it wasn't great either. It was just something to lightly dip my chicken in as I ate it so I won't complain too much!

I get my new scale today - can't wait to set it up tonight and see what it says tomorrow AM!!

I am SO proud of myself!!

So, today was a true test of my willpower. We have a new person on our team so we went out for a welcome lunch....at J. Alexander. So, I ate my lunch before we left and then just hung out with them and drank water at the restaurant. It actually wasn't as hard as I thought it would be!

Then, later this afternoon we had a co-worker's 10 year anniversary party and there were TWO different kinds of cake there. Not only that but I was even cutting and serving one them!

I didn't cheat at all! I didn't even lick the icing off of my fingers when I was done! LOL.

Go me! :)

Frustrated!!!

So I followed protocol yesterday and I only lost .5 pounds on the scale this AM. :( Very frustrating. I am going to start walking 20 minutes a day and see if that helps.

Here is what I ate below - see anything weird? The recipes for what I ate are a few posts below this one.

For breakfast I just had a cup of coffee with vanilla creme liquid stevia drops (as usual)
For lunch I had the mexican chicken soup
For afternoon snack I had an apple and a handful of grape tomatoes
For dinner I had beef taco salad

I mean, I don't see anything 'bad' about that do you? I only ate one serving of melba toast and one serving of fruit. Maybe not enough calories? Eh. I don't know. Here is hoping that the scale is nicer to me tomorrow AM!

Also, I ordered a new scale and am super excited about it. My current one is great in terms of storing my last few weigh ins, showing how much I have lost or gained since the last weigh in, etc but it only is accurate to .5. I have found with this diet that I need one accurate to 0.2 so I can see those subtle differences. So, it will be here tomorrow and I can't wait! I just hope the two scales aren't too different so I can switch over smoothly!

Sabrina measurements update

So I took my measurements on R1P1D1 and then again a week later at R1P2D6. For those that do measurements, you obviously know it's not an exact science. It's never a guarantee that you choose the exact same spot on your thigh to measure, etc. :)

Here they are!

Waist: 37.75 down to 36.75
Hips: 45.5 down to 44.75
Neck: 15.25 down to 14.75
Thigh: 27.5 - stayed same at 27.5
Calf: 16.5 - stayed same at 16.5
Upper arm: 15.25 down to 14.5

Not bad right? I wish my legs would've changed but overall am happy with losing 4 inches and 7.5 pounds in a week! :)

R1P2D8 - great food and down another pound!

So I stepped on the scale today and I am down another pound. I will take it! :) That means a total of 9 pounds lost since I started this diet.

My lunch today was great, it was a mexican chicken soup from this site:
http://hcgrecipes.blogspot.com/2007/09/mexican-chicken-soup.html
Here is the recipe:
Mexican
Chicken Soup
100g cooked chicken, shredded into bite-sized pieces
3-4 cloves minced garlic
1 t cumin
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t chili powder
1/2 t cayenne (use less if you don't want it as spicy)
diced tomato
2-3 c homemade chicken broth
1/4 c fresh chopped cilantro (optional)

Preheat pot over medium-high heat.
Add garlic, and cook for 3-5 minutes. (Heat until you see little bubbles
around the garlic.)
Use a bit of your broth to keep garlic from sticking to the pot, if
necessary.
Add tomatoes, chicken broth, and onion powder, cumin, chili powder, cayenne.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to a simmer, and add chicken.
Simmer for 20 minutes.
Stir in cilantro, and simmer for 5 minutes more.


Now, I made 3 servings of this at once. I just used a can of diced tomatoes (no salt added) and I skipped the cilantro because I don't like it. I feel like I made my chicken broth a bit strong (I also made 3 servings of that and used the chicken in this recipe!) so I did 4 cups of broth and 2.5 cups of water for my 3 servings. It feels like your eating a lot which is great on this diet! LOL.

For dinner, I made beef tacos. I weighed out as many 100 gram portions I could from a package of lean ground beef (93%) and I got 4 servings. From there, I did this:


Beef Taco Salad:
Ingredients
400 grams lean Ground beef
1 tablespoon finely minced onion
2 cloves crushed and minced garlic
1 t garlic powder
1 t onion powder
Dash of dried oregano
1 t red pepper flakes (if you like a bit more of a kick)
1 t ground cumin
2 T Chili powder to taste
Salt and black pepper to taste
2-3 cups chopped up romaine lettuce

Directions
Brown ground beef.
Add onion, garlic, and spices and a little water and simmer gently for 5-10 minutes. I let the mixture sit a few minutes and added a bit more water until it was a little moist because I made it on Sunday to serve on Monday.
Mix with 2-3 cups chopped lettuce (I used 2 handfuls, about 3 cups) and broken up
melba toast as my 'tortilla chips'.

R1P2D8- Dinner was FAB!

So today has been an awesome day!  I've felt amazing, stuck to protocol for the most part (i did try Walden Farms Honey Mustard dressing on my spinach leaves during lunch) and i'm ready to face the scale tomorrow.

With my stupid cheat on Saturday, i've put on about a pound.  I'm hoping that with the abundance of water that i've been drinking, the strict calorie count, and the pure fact that I just 'feel' lighter will give me a LOSS tomorrow.  i'm sitting pretty at 212 but have been down to 211 in the past couple of days so I know it's possible to lose more!

I'm starting to wonder if I have enough drops to get me through until the end.  We are only on day 8 of 26 and I have half a bottle left... wonder if Sabrina is in the same boat.  The good news is that i've read that you can call HcgDiet.com and tell them you're almost out and they send more.... i may just have to do that!

Dinner tonight was from Sabrina--- Her steak recipe below!  We had to substitute the Balsamic with Red Wine Vinegar, but it was delish!  Jeff (hubby) enjoyed it as well.  He loooooves vinegar (who knew) and thought it was amazing!  I think that 3 minutes was a biiiiit too long, so next time I will stick with 2 minutes on Broil.

Lunch today was awesome, too.  Like I said, today has been a great day!  For lunch I had a Mustard Chicken dish.  I found the recipe on another HCG user's blog, but I kind of remember seeing it in our guide book, or at least something similar!  The recipe is below.

Have a great night and cheers to shedding pounds!

xoxo- Nicki

Lemon Mustard Broiled Chicken

-100g chicken
- juice of 1/2 lemon
-  1 T spicy mustard
- 1/2 t black pepper
- 1/2 t oregano
- 1/4 t cayenne pepper (I substituted cayenne pepper with Frank's Hot Sauce and it was awesome!)


1. Preheat broiler.
2. Broil 1 side of chicken 5-10 mins until slightly browned.
3. In small bowl, add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
4. Spoon mixture onto chicken. Flip over and coat other side.
5. Broil uncooked side 5-10 mins or until no longer pink.


NOTE: This chicken stays really moist and juicy and full of flavor. Enjoy!

Orange Dreamcicle smoothie!

It's really hard for me to go from dinner until bedtime so I save my 2nd fruit for an evening snack. I made an orange dreamcicle smoothie and it was yummy!

Here is the recipe:
1 orange, peeled and sectioned
10 drops of vanilla creme stevia
1 Tbsp skim milk
1 Tbsp lemon juice (optional)
1/2 cup water
1-1.5 cups of ice

Put all in a blender, blend and serve! I start with 1 cup of ice and add more as I need it.

Just a quick update

R1P2D7 and I lost just .5 again. Ugh. So, strict protocol for me today! I hope I see it on the scale tomorrow. Also, I decided to do my total weight loss from when I started HCG, R1P1D1, instead of the first day of vlcd (very low calorie day). Many do it from when they started P2 but I gained 2.5 pounds during the 2 loading days and well, I need to account for that because I would not of gained that weight had I not done HCG. So, I started at 221 and this AM I was at 213. 8 pounds down!

Today was my cooking day for the week. I don't enjoy it very much but it makes the rest of the week SO much easier!

I took my measurements today but like Nicki, never posted my starting measurements so I will do a separate post for that as well!

R1P2D7- Mad at myself

So yesterday I cheated.... BAD. I had pizza.  Deli pizza from Kroger AND a diet Pepsi.  Let me tell you that no matter how delicious it was when I ate it, I immediately regretted it!  Well, due to my horrible cheat, the scale showed it this morning.  I gained 1/2 a pound.  Booo. 

Today I weighed in at 211.5.  I am still proud that I lost 8 lbs since we started (starting weight 219.5) but I would love to be ahead of where I am.  Of course, only I can control that number and last night didn't help.

I will admit that I was really nervous about the weekend and last week I was feeling pretty terrible.  Thursday and Friday I know my body was going through the awful detox and I just NEEDED something and for me, that was pizza.  But dang i'm mad at myself!

Today I have been doing well.  Had a leftover piece of grilled chicken from last week and celery for lunch.  Thanks to Sabrina, i've been enjoying those strawberry smoothie/slushies as well!  I love that recipe.  It is such a nice change than an apple :) 

I did my measurements yesterday and was excited.... I forgot to post my starting measurements so i'll do a new post with updated measurements.

Happy Sunday!

xoxo- Nicki

R1P2D6 update & food talk

So I lost .5 pounds this morning. EH. I lost 2 yesterday though so I am still very pleased. Through 5 full days, I have lost a total of 10 pounds!! I am doing my measurements tomorrow and will post that then as well. I forgot to do it today!

So, some of my recipes were OK last week and some were EH. The chili was pretty good, especially after I added half a bag of miracle noodles to it. :) The chicken with lemon and spinach was OK but I liked the 'breaded' chicken and I used spicy brown mustard as the binding agent. I ate eggs yesterday with spinach and tomatoes and that was good! I tried to make shrimp with liquid aminos and cabbage and that was barely edible. The meatballs were good though - I will probably put those back in the rotation after this next week. I made them with 1/4 cup of sugar free pasta sauce and a half package of miracle noodles:

Meatballs:
100g lean ground hamburger (at least 93%)
1 melba toast(ground into powder)
1 T milk
parsley
onion powder
basil
oregano
garlic powder
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 425.
In bowl, combine all ingredients.
Form into 1" meatballs (makes about 6-7).
Place in glass baking dish or non-stick baking sheet and cook 10 minutes turning halfway through cooking time.

If you want to brown them more after cooking, you can broil them for 1-2 mins each side.These also can be frozen in small freezer bags and then warmed up before serving.

So, I am looking forward to a new week and I just finished my meal plan. I made a steak meal tonight with broccoli as my side. Technically the broccoli is off protocol but many have been able to eat it with success. I hope I am one of them!

Here is the recipe for the steak:
Balsamic Mustard Crusted Steak
3.5 ounces sirloin (trim the fat) - I used skillet steak, just any that is pretty thin
1 t. mustard powder
2 t. balsamic
1/4 t salt
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves (minced)
Mix all seasoning in a mixing bowl.
Line a broiler pan with foil and place steak on top.
Coat evenly with mustard mixture and let stand 10 minutes.
Broil (I used the HI setting) steak to desired doneness.
2-3 minutes per side was all it took for mine.

Delicious and SO quick! It was the first meal I made for the whole family (I served a side of rice for the boys) and they liked it as well.

Strawberry Lemonade Slushie - yum!

So I got my regular Stevia drops today (SweetLeaf) from Amazon so I wanted to try a sweet recipe this evening.

I made a strawberry lemonade smoothie/slushie and man, it was great! Exactly what I needed today for sure.

Here is the recipe - try it out!
6 frozen strawberries
1 cup water
1/2 cup ice
8 drops of liquid stevia
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp lemon juice

Blend a lot and add more ice or water as you see it shaping up! It is more of a slushie texture (you have to use a spoon at the end) but let me tell you, it's good!

R1P2D4- Finally Lunch Time!

OK- So last night I decided that I was going to try the 'sugar free' pasta sauce on my 3 (juuuuust over 100grams) meatballs.  With this I had broccoli.  I don't think that this combination was exactly on protocol, but I still had a loss. Yesterday I also didn't drink my whole gallon of water; only had 2.5 liters.  Uggh, it's so hard!

This morning I popped out of bed hoping to see a 3 or 4 lost on the scale.  Nope.  down 2.  I, like Sabrina, was a little disappointed this morning but my husband made a great point and told me not to get GREEDY!  He is so right.  It's so hard to read other success stories of people who lose 5 or 6 lbs a DAY!  I know that if I wasn't sticking to this HCG diet, using the drops, taking the vitamins, that I would NOT be losing anywhere close to this in a week. 

So on day 4 after the loading days I am down 6.5 lbs.  I cannot describe how good it feels to know that I am actually doing it.  While I understand the importance of being healthy, it's been a LONG time since i've actually had a glimpse in what it feels like.  And I like it!

So now i'm sitting here, googling a park close by that I can take my 10 month old to.  It's a beautiful day but a little chilly (58 degrees here in GA) so we may not be out long.  I am going back to work full time in about a month so i'm trying to spend as much time with this little dude as I can.  I sure am going to miss him!!! 

Lunch today is pretty good.  I made a salad.  I used Popeye's spinach leaves in the fresh produce section (Sabrina recommended this brand and i LOVE it) a small Roma tomato, and for my protein I cut up a chicken sausage patty that I made last weekend.  Yesterday I went to the store and got ingredients to make HCG approved salad dressings.  Today I am trying the Italian Vinaigrette.  It's by far not the same as the real deal, but it is surprisingly good!

Here's the recipe for salad dressing:

Italian Vinaigrette Dressing/Marinade
1 cup chicken broth (organic low sodium)
4 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup water (optional, but I used it)
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder

Simmer together on stove for 5 minutes, remove, chill and enjoy!

**you may want to alter some of the seasons if you aren't a big onion or garlic person**

R1P2D4 - AM weigh in and coffee talk

So I weighed in this morning and I am down another 1.5 pounds, to 216. Sweet! I have to be honest though, I had lost 3 pounds each day the past two days so I was a little disappointed in 'just' 1.5. I know the first few days you lose more per day than you will on the rest of the program but I assume that lasted longer than just the first 2 days. I hope to see a better loss tomorrow AM for sure or at least the same.

After the initial loading gain of 2.5, then the cummulative loss of 7.5, I have a total loss so far of 5 pounds since we started HCG on Saturday. I will take it! :)

I am here at the office drinking my morning coffee, black, with 4 drops of vanilla creme stevia in it. These SweetLeaf stevia drops are amazing! I am a bit hungry as well but that is pretty typical for me at this time. The hunger actually goes away a bit and then comes roaring back at 12 just in time for lunch. Lunch today is chicken and spinach sauteed in a bit of lemon juice with garlic, salt, and pepper served on a bed of spinach. It's OK. Nothing to write home about. :) Tonight I am going to have asparagus and shrimp I think though I am not sure how I am going to prepare the shrimp yet. We will see!

Hungry!

So, R1P2D3 and man, I was hungry today! I will be honest, I thought about cheating a handful of times today. But, I didn't! I know that food won't taste as good as skinny will feel right? I just need to keep remembering that.

One key to success on this diet is to BE PREPARED! You have to have your meals ready (or have the stuff on hand to get them really quickly). This past Sunday, I prepared 12 meals that day so I could just 'grab and go'. I lead a busy life, I don't have time to cook often so this was very important to me. I will continue to do this at least partially every weekend.

This first week, I told my husband to make all of the dinners for him and our son so I could focus on getting in my rhythm on this diet. Starting this next week, I am going to be cooking for all of us. I honestly don't think it will be that hard. Actually, it will probably be a bit easier so I don't have to watch them eating a bunch of stuff that I can't eat! I will make what I have to eat and then give them a starch (rice, sweet potato, etc) to go along with it. We will see how it goes! I will post on Sunday with what I am making/preparing that day for the next week!

Sabrina 'Before' pictures taken 4/11 on R1P2D3, 217.5 pounds

Ugh, here they are. I HATE doing this but it needs to happen. This has to change and it will!

Nicki- R1P2D3

So this morning I stepped on the scale and BAM! Was down to 215! that was 3 lbs overnight

When I got pregnant with my 10 month old, I weighed in at 209 (unfortunately) and was very overweight then. In fact, i wasn't planning on getting pregnant until I was "in shape".... well, God had other plans!  I gained about 35 lbs in my pregnancy and on my due date I was 242.  I can't even BELIEVE that I was that HUGE!  I know, I know, I was pregnant, not fat.... But the fact of the matter is that I was FAT before I got pregnant!

I grew up always eating semi healthy, playing sports, and being fit.  Once I got married in 2009, that ALL went out the window.  Actually it started a lot sooner than that.  I played college soccer in 2001 and then transferred to an SEC school in 2002 (Roll Tide)  When I enrolled at the University of Alabama, I weighed 145.  I was too thin, though.  I had battled with an eating disorder that not many people knew of, took diet pills daily, and ran until I puked.  Once I got comfortable at UA, I realized that it was OK to put on a few pounds and I didn't have to exercise anymore if I didn't want to.  Well, I graduated in 2005 at a whopping 170.  It was pretty perfect for me.  Although I was always bigger than my friends and have always been "big boned" I still had confidence and thought I looked good.

I got married in 2009 and gained another 30 ish pounds.  Love and Marriage.  AKA Food and Beer.  AKA Comfort.  Yep, I completely embodied the stereotype of "getting comfortable in marriage"  My poor husband.  I have completely let myself go and I don't want to do that anymore!  I think it's important to try and maintain some level of "put together" for your spouse.  I'm sure he's tired of seeing me in baggy t-shirts and sweat pants by now.  Hence, another reason to do the HCG diet! Put some spice back into our life! The last thing on my mind is putting on something "sexy" and strutting around for my husband... He is so wonderful and still thinks I'm sexy (so he says) but I don't feel sexy at ALL. 

So here I go--- about to eat my lunch that will consist of Cucumber, leftover Tilapia from last night, and peach green tea.

xoxo- Nicki

Sabrina - my beginnings....

Hello everyone! Sabrina here. I am so excited to be doing this weight loss journey with Nicki and I think it's a great idea for us to blog about it so others can read what we are going through. I am going to post my 'before' pictures tonight. I am NOT looking forward to taking those pics. However, I have to remember that I am already on my way to my 'after' pictures!

I have 2 boys, one is 4 and the other is 5 months. I had actually lost 60 pounds in 2010 and then got pregnant and gained it all back. I am doing the HCG diet to get a jump start on losing that 60 pounds again! My starting weight on Saturday, April 7th is 221.

So, the first two days are loading days. Those were fun days! LOL. It just happened to also be Easter weekend so that worked out well. I did end up gaining 2.5 pounds that weekend.

I weighed myself the morning of P2D1 and I was at 223.5. Ouch. I was nervous stepping on the scale the morning of P2D2 but I was so very excited to see that I was down to 220.5. I lost 3 pounds the first day! So, net loss of .5 from when I started. I stepped on the scale this morning and lost another 3 pounds!! Woot woot! It is so rewarding to see the scale show these awesome immediate results for sure. So, my net loss going into P2D3 is 3.5 pounds. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Before Pictures- Starting weight- 219.5 lbs (4-7-12)

As much as i do NOT want these pictures anywhere on the internet, here goes..... This is my before pictures.  29 years old, 5'8.5, and OBESE. Yes, obese... Doctor's don't lie ;)  219.5 lbs starting weight.  My goal.... Somewhere around 160 ish!

So... here goes nothing......

April 10, 2012-R1P2D2

OK- Nicki again... Just got done with supper.  Oh man was it interesting to say the least!  My  protein was great, I bought fresh Tilapia from Kroger, but my veggie.... EWWW!

The Tilapia went over well with my husband, he even went back for seconds! Here's the recipe:

Baked Tilapia
3.5 oz of Tilapia
lemon juice
cajun seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
Crushed melba toast
Onion powder
garlic powder

Soak the fish in the fresh lemon juice. Mix all of the dry ingredients together.  cover the fish in all of the spices and crushed Melba toast
Bake for 20 minutes at 350!  Bam!  that's it!!!

So my veggie... this is another story.  I decided to sautee some spinach in garlic cloves and lemon juice.  All I can say is HOLY LEMON JUICE!  waaaaaayyyy too much, couldn't even finish the spinach.  couldn't even finish it holding my nose!  I even gave a small piece to my 10 month old and he hated it! (he eats everrrrrything)  So, lesson learned.  NO LEMON JUICE ON SPINACH!

Still on my 2nd Liter of water for the day.  Chasing around a 10 month old, getting the housework done, and trying not to pass out from my body detoxing is tough.  I can't even remember to drink water! 

here's to finishing another 2 liters before bed!

Cheers!

xoxo Nicki

OUR FIRST POST!

Welcome to our blog!  After lot's of research and looking for places to help us, we decided to create a blog to track our weight loss progress, vent, and help other people get motivated!  Sabrina and I decided to try the an HCG diet from www.hcgdiet.com.  The way this diet works is you take drops of HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin- a hormone produced in pregnancy) 3 times a day and it has been proven to result in crazy weight loss!   The first two days are called Loading Days.  During this time you literally eat anything and everything under the sun.  My loading days consisted of Bojangle's breakfast, Sonic cheeseburgers, Cheeto puffs, Nutty Butter Chex mix, grape soda, gosh... you name it! After the loading days you start a very restricted diet of 500 calories.  You follow a strict protocol of allowed fruits, veggies, and proteins.  You can see the diet here:

Drink lots of water (at least 2 liters)
First 2 days on the drops eat LOTS of high calorie, high fat food!
Take HCG drops for 23 days, then no drops for the last three days, but continue to diet until all HCG is flushed from your system until you reach day 26.

Break:
Tea or coffee in any quantity without sugar. Only one tablespoonful of milk is allowed in 24 hours. Saccharin or Stevia may be used.

Lunch:
1.100-125 grams of meat for example: BEEF, CHICKEN BREAST, TURKEY, FRESH WHITE FISH, LOBSTER, CRAB, OR SHRIMP**.
2. VEGETABLE: choose one of the following- spinach, asparagus, cabbage, green salad, tomatoes, celery, fennel, onions (all kinds), chicory, beet-greens, red radishes, cucumbers or chard.
3. One breadstick (grissino) or one Melba toast.
4. An APPLE or a handful (6-9) of STRAWBERRIES or one-half GRAPEFRUIT, ORANGE * (you may have your fruit with your breakfast or as a snack) you get 2 a day and can eat them when you want to.

Dinner :
The same choices as lunch.
Tea, Coffee, plain water or mineral water are the allowed and they may be taken in any quantity and at all times. The juice of one lemon daily is allowed for all purposes. Salt (minimal), pepper, vinegar, mustard powder, garlic, sweet basil, parsley, thyme, marjoram, etc., may be used for seasoning. But NO OIL, BUTTER or DRESSING.

As you can see it's pretty strict and it's very important to follow the protocol!

The way the diet is discussed is based on Rounds, Phases, and Days.

Round 1 or R1 is the first time you do the diet
Phase 1 or P1 is the Loading Days
Phase 2 or P2 are the 500 calorie days
Phase 3 or P3 are the days following 500 calories or Maintenance phase.

So, right now Sabrina and I are on R1P2D2!  Cheers!!!!

xoxo Nicki