Just a Little Update

So, I finished the first phase, the part during which I took the shots and ate the 500 calorie diet, last Tuesday. 

I was disappointed that I only lost thirteen pounds (I did drop another pound by the end of the week, so I'm at a little over fourteen pounds lost now.) I really had hoped for more. BUT, if you've read any of my posts here for the past several months, you know that losing ANY weight is a tremendous accomplishment. I need to focus on that and let myself feel proud and satisfied.

This next part of the diet doesn't have calorie restrictions, but is still a diet. No sugars and no starches/carbs. It's harder than it sounds my friends!

I'm finding it almost easier to stick with the restrictions of the phase one diet, because once I start letting in new foods, I find I start giving in and eating badly. I have cheated almost every day. Bad! I know! So far, I haven't gained back any weight, but I find I'm scared most every day that I'll gain back the precious pounds I lost.

There is a "trick" noted in my literature, that I'll pass on ... If you find that you've gained back two pounds, fast that day and then eat a large steak with tomatoes for dinner and nothing else. Supposedly you'll be back to your proper weight the next day. Haven't had to try that yet.

It's normal, they say, to fluctuate a little, but you shouldn't more than a pound. I've just been dancing around half a pound up and down. 

Anyway, that's where I'm at. If you're doing the hCG diet, I'd love to hear from you about what's been working and what hasn't. I'll be doing another round in July and I'd love to be more successful than I was this time.

Tips & Tricks for Surviving the hCG Diet

I haven't lost as much weight as I had hoped on the diet, but I still consider it a success. I have about five days left, I think, and so far I've lost thirteen pounds. Thirteen lost after several failed diet attempts is a giant success in my book! So, I thought I'd share some of the things that have helped me on this journey:

Your morning tea: buy a box of Chamomile (I bought Chamomile with honey and vanilla for a little sweeter taste) and a Fruit Tea Sampler. Mix it up every other day. One day, have the Chamomile. The next day, try something new from your sampler. The little bit of variety and the element of surprise changed what could have been a boring morning tea into something enjoyable.

Buy pre-cut and washed veggies and salad. Unfortunately for me, my grocery store only had salad and broccoli pre-washed and cut, but even that has been a huge help. There will be many times when you'll be starving or in a rush and you'll look in your cupboard or your fridge waiting for something to pop out at you screaming eat me! Let that thing be your broccoli. :) In a pinch, I can stick a bunch of pre-prepared broccoli in a bowl, add a bit of water and nuke it for two minutes and I've got a yummy vegetable with no waiting. Helps a ton.

Make extra meat. Whenever you're making shrimp, or fish or chicken--whatever meat it is that you're preparing, make a little extra. Stick it in the fridge so when you are having that moment like I mentioned above, you can grab a little protein to go along with your broccoli. Two minutes and you could be sitting down at the table with a yummy lunch.

Lemon & Pepper seasoning. This stuff is fabulous! A friend of mine who had done this diet before recommended this seasoning and it has become a favorite of mine. I used to think steamed broccoli was boring unless it was doused in butter or cheese sauce. Now I love it freshly warm sprinkled heartily with Lemon & Pepper seasoning. Very yummy. Even my boys loved it. And super-duper healthy and good for you. Hurray!

Try new things. It can be really easy to just stick with broiled fish and salad. Broiled chicken and salad. Grilled steak and salad. Not that there's anything wrong with those things, but after three weeks (or longer) those simple meals can get pretty old. Try branching out a little. Make some soup. Try a new recipe, like the Baked Tilapia or Tangy Chicken. These simple recipes can make a big difference to your satisfaction level.

Buy a George Foreman Grill. Seriously. Buy one. I got mine, a small one, for $19.99 and it has been worth every penny. The other day I was in a bind ... had to eat fast. I got out my grill, grabbed a handful of medium pre-prepared shrimp from the freezer and threw them on the grill. The nice thing about this grill is that you don't need to spray it or use oil of any kind. You close the lid and it cooks your meat on the top and bottom with pretty grill lines so you don't even have to tend it. Three minutes later--the time it took me to grab some salad from the bag, chop up a tomato and throw some cucumber I had cut at a previous meal onto my plate--my shrimp was done. I tossed them onto my salad and enjoyed a yummy shrimp salad. 

Salad Spritzers. These are not strictly legal on the diet, but I love them and they have made a world of difference for me. Just a couple squirts and you have enough to satisfy and add some variety to your salads. I have tried the Balsamic Breeze and Raspberry Bliss. The Balsamic was my favorite. 

Be creative with your fruit. You are allowed fruit twice a day. I don't like grapefruit, but I think you're allowed a half of one twice a day. I do however like apples, oranges and strawberries, all of which are allowed on the diet. I bought two of each type of apple they had at my store. This way, I get a little something different each time. I've discovered some new favorites! Try a Granny Smith apple with that cinnamon sauce one night when you're in the mood for munchies. Or put a handful of strawberries in a bowl and sprinkle with Stevia--makes you feel like you're getting something special ... and you are!

Exercise. Yes, exercise. I know how much we love that word. But really? If you're losing weight, and starting to feel in control again ... you won't mind exercising so much. I swear. And the nice thing about this diet is they don't expect you to go crazy. Just walk. It's all you have to do, but it will help with the weight loss--never mind the emotional ways that exercise helps.

And Water. Drink lots of it. 

That's all I can think of at the moment. I hope this helps! If you come up with any tips & tricks of your own, will you please share? We'd love to hear them. 

Also, Kristi mentioned that she's concerned about the emotional eating. Twice while doing the hCG diet, I have had days where I really wanted to cheat. Really. I can't say how I managed to not give in, but I did. Remember "This too shall pass." Eat an orange. The tactile experience of it, and it's sweet juiciness seems to be particularly satisfying for me when I'm feeling the need to pig out. And, if you cheat a tiny, tiny bit (like I did with my two Rollos last week when I was feeling sad) it's not the end of the world. Just don't do it again :)

Good luck!

Gotta Hate That Emotional Eating Thang

Today was hard.

I have a wonderful family who normally spoil me silly on special occasions. Perhaps I've become a brat or something, but this year they are letting me down.

Also in past years, we've been so broke around Mother's Day and my birthday (which is in a couple months) that there hasn't been much to spend on gifts. I've always been fine with that. But I have to admit that this year, knowing we weren't so tight, I was looking forward to a little spoiling.

I gave plenty of suggestions well in advance of this weekend. Plenty reminders that Mother's Day was coming up, lol. But it wasn't until today that Skinny Man decided to go shopping for me. But that's not the problem.

The problem was he took me and the boys with him (why did I have to go?) and just kept asking me what I wanted. 

Well, if you're a girl, you know that this is not how it's supposed to work. 

Finally I got frustrated--not angry, just sad, really--and told them that I loved them and I didn't like feeling that they were only out to get me a gift to give me something. I'd be happy with some extra lovin'. If they didn't have any idea of what to get me, then they shouldn't get me anything. Ya know?

Of course you know that I was also not telling the truth, right?

Sure, I want the extra lovin' and I want to feel loved. I want to feel special. I want, for a moment, to feel like a Queen in my home. But, I also like gifts. :D

So I dropped everyone off at home and went out to get groceries. And I had an epiphany. 

I was craving sweets, treats ... anything that I could shove in my mouth. I ate two Rollo's which took a great amount of self control not to eat more, but still ... it shouldn't have happened at all.

I found myself hoping they weren't home when I returned so that I could sit down with a bag of Doritos and pig out. That would have been bad on so many levels. It might have single-handedly ruined my efforts on my diet. It would have left me feeling hated (by me) and punished (by me) and icky in general. It would have disappointed Skinny Man who has been so proud of my progress.

I did not come home and pig out. Aside from those two little Rollo's I did not have anything illegal today.

But I found it so interesting that in the face of feeling let down by the ones I love, my reaction was to punish myself. 

Why? What would I accomplish, psychologically speaking, if I were to do that? Prove that I'm unlovable? And that they have good reason not to spoil me because I am so unlovable? To hurt myself so they would feel sorry for letting me down? For driving me to pig out?

I think both, really. I wanted Skinny Man to feel sorry--to realize that he had an opportunity to really make me feel loved, and instead he made me feel like I--and this special day--was just an afterthought. 

And I wanted to punish myself because I hate feeling so needy that I have to drive my family into caring for me, into loving me. Am I that horrible? That rotten that people wont' just love me and show me they love me? Not unless I hold their strings, like puppets, and make them? 

I need to believe in myself more.

I know Skinny Man loves me. I know it. He doesn't always show me in the way I want him to, but he shows me in his own way and it is no less because of that.

I know Thing 1 and Thing 2 love me. They treat me with respect and always give me love and kisses. Why should Mother's Day be special when every day with them is special? Sounds corny, I know, but my boys are very affectionate and are often telling me how much they love me. Why do I need a day to prove it to myself?

I shouldn't.

I am loved. These three people love me. I would do them honor, and my Father in Heaven, if I would only love myself as well. 

hCG Diet Day Eleven

I haven't lost that much this week and I've been a bit discouraged by that. However, I also haven't been regular. You'd think that wouldn't be a problem eating so much roughage and all, but somehow it is. Apparently it's a normal side-effect of the diet. Go figure.

I've started taking supplements call BX-93. You can find them in a health food store or probably in a good pharmacy. They have helped me go a little, but I'm sure still not enough. Hopefully soon, the problem will correct itself. 

Nevertheless, I've still lost a total of 9.2 lbs and that's freakin' awesome.

I haven't lost that much in over three years doing traditional diets and exercise, so I am very happy with these results. I just ordered a second round that I will do after the appropriate rest once this one is done.

So far, I've had two difficult days. I don't remember the first one too well, but the second one was today. I wanted a Big Mac so bad I was practically salivating, lol. I wanted to stick things in my mouth--cookies, treats, chips, you know the stuff. I am so amazingly proud of myself to say I did not give in! I swear, I deserve a medal. 

And I will get a medal--when I am done with the second round and have succeeded in dropping a ton of weight I'm going to seriously reward myself. Oh yeah.

Oh, and on the difficult day line of thought ... I think the culprit is low blood sugar, because once I ate, I felt much better and not at all like I needed to cheat. It was the getting to eat that I was so tempted, not afterwards. So, yeah, I think it was blood sugar. A simple sugary drink, like juice or even sugar in water, or even a teaspoon of sugar would have remedied the problem quickly and I probably would have felt much better.

But I survived, without cheating, and I'm doing much better now. Whew! I am a little worried about date night tomorrow night. Normally we like to go to a movie, eat a personal pan pizza each, and have a huge bag of popcorn (buttered of course!) and a big pop. Tomorrow we'll go out for dinner instead and I'll have a steak and big salad and steamed veggies. I am so looking forward to this, I can't tell you! I'll bring a cut apple to the movie with me so I have something crunchy and satisfying to eat. I'm hoping that will help offset the craving for popcorn.

Alright then, some recipes, shall we?

I've tried two more that I really like:

Baked Tilapia

Ingredients:

• 4 Tilapia Fillets (100 grams each)
• 1 large or 2 med Vidalia onions, sliced 1/4" thick (I skipped this part altogether)
• 4 Tbsp chopped Basil, or Tbsp dry Basil (I actually didn't have any Basil, so I just used dry Taragon--I think I will like it better with Basil, but the Taragon was okay.)
• 8 cloves chopped or pressed garlic (I used minced garlic from the jar and used 4 tsp)
• 2 medium tomatoes, sliced 1/4" thick

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Peel and slice onions. Saute onions in nonstick pan until translucent, add a little water.
3. In a shallow baking dish, place fillets over onion slices (since I did not make onions, I very lightly sprayed the bottom of the dish with olive oil baking spray which is technically illegal on this diet, but ... oh well.) Sprinkle Garlic and basil over fish. Place tomato slices on top. Salt and Pepper to taste.
4. Place pan with fish in center of oven, uncovered, for 35-45 minutes until fish is white.
   

This recipe makes four servings--put three of them into individual containers and you've got an easy and quick fix for days when you're in a rush. Enjoy one fresh from the oven!

Yummy Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 32 oz. container of organic, fat free, Vegetable Broth
• 1/2 quart bottled Tomatoes or buy organic with nothing added
• 8 cloves of Garlic, pressed or chopped (you know me, only bottled will do!)
• 1 large chopped Onion (I don't like onions much, but I just bought one big white onion--which I discovered has a very mild flavor which appealed to me. I used half of it for this recipe.)
• 400 grams of Chicken, Beef or Venison
• chopped Celery
• chopped Cabbage
• chopped Broccoli
• any other legal Vegetables you want to add
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Bring broth and tomatoes to boil, while sauteing meat with onions in nonstick pan.
2. Add meat and onions to broth mixture.
3. Add additional vegetables, except broccoli.
4. Simmer until vegetables are cooked through.
5. Turn off heat, then add chopped broccoli, let sit with lid on for 5 minutes.
6. 4 servings, place in individual containers.
7. Yummy with Melba toast!

I LOVED this soup! It was delicious and made six servings for me, not just four. I've so enjoyed having a fast and easy something to make for lunch or dinner that is so yummy and satisfying. This was easily as good as any 'non diet' soup I've had. Very flavorful and awesome! Enjoy!

hCG Diet Day Seven

Wow, I meant to post before now. Sorry.

They said to expect some mood swings in my first week on the diet, due to the hCG in my system, but I've felt just fine. I have on occasion felt like I was suffering from low blood sugar--but I think that was usually due to me waiting too long between meals or something like that. I've also felt a little hungry from time to time, but that seems to be passing.

I've lost 6.8 pounds! Wowie! If I continue at this rate, I could lose 25 lbs. But I'm only hoping for 20.

The biggest problem I've had on this diet is boredom. I haven't been that creative with my meals--having mostly the same thing for dinner as I had for lunch. However, last night I mixed it up a little and oh wow, what a difference!

So here's what I've been up to:

You begin with the shots, but for the the first two days you PIG OUT. I was lovin' the diet then! And I mean, totally pigging out. A license to eat whatever you want, as much as you want. If I understand the science right, (wait--I think I might have said this already in my last post. Sorry!) when you first take the medicine, your body sets your metabolism. The more you eat during those first two days, the more fuel your body will know it can burn.

Then on the third day you start the real diet. 500 calories a day. But your body is still burning what you told it it could during those first two days. Perhaps as much as 2500 calories--taking 2000 of those from your fat stores.

I did great on the pigging out!  Of course I did ;) I'm an expert.

For the 500 calorie a day part:

I drink a cup of herbal tea in the morning. I bought a package of chamomile with honey and vanilla and a sampler package. I alternate between the chamomile and something different from the sampler. I do find it kind of hard to go from breakfast to lunch--I was a big breakfast eater before.

For lunch you can have some protein--super lean something, like fish, chicken, or beef. I haven't had any beef so it's just been fish and chicken. Grilled. Boring. I need to branch out. I forgot I bought some shrimp that I need to use. And I need some lean beef--I've been totally craving beef lately.

You can also eat as much of a couple vegetables you want, like salad with cucumbers, radishes and broccoli. This is basically what I've been living on for the past week. Like I said ... boring. Oh, and no dressing really, except I've been using a little bit of a balsamic vinegar spritzer. Then one Melba toast or four soda crackers.

Dinner? The same as for lunch. Boring.

Oh, and you can have an apple, an orange or a handful of strawberries with or between lunch and dinner (so two times you can have a fruit.)

Nevertheless. I said I could do anything for three weeks if I was seeing results and I'm still singing that tune. Plus, last night I tried some new things and realized that flavor was what I was missing. 

So here's the two recipes I tried that I loved and added a lot more satisfaction with my diet.

Tangy Vinegar Chicken

Ingredients:

• 100 grams chicken breast
• 1/4 c. chicken broth or water (I just used water)
• 1/4 c. apple cider vinegar (next time I make this I will likely cut back a smidge on the vinegar as it was VERY tangy.)
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 tbsp. chopped onion (I skipped the onion, as I'm not a huge fan)
• 1 clove diced garlic (I used a tsp. of pre-minced)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a small saucepan combine vinegar, stock/water, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Add chicken and cook thoroughly. Deglaze the pan periodically with a little water to create a sauce.

I have no idea what deglazing is. Mine was pretty watery, so I just turned the heat up a bit so it would thicken a bit. It was still pretty watery, but it tasted and smelled so good. I had no idea just smelling and anticipating something would add to it's satisfaction so much.

For dinner last night I had steamed broccoli, a green salad with cucumber and tomatoes (and balsamic vinegar spritzer) and a chicken tender using the tangy chicken recipe. It was very satisfying. 

Then later in the evening I wanted a snack. For several days I had a handful of strawberries with a little stevia sweetener. But then they were gone :( So last night I had an apple, but I thought I'd branch out and try something new again:

Apple Slices with Cinnamon Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 sliced apple
• 3 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1-2 tsp. cinnamon (I used 2 tsp. but next time I'll try 1 1/2--it was a little strong)
• dash of nutmeg
• powdered stevia to taste

Directions:

In the microwave or small saucepan, heat the liquid and spice ingredients together, stirring constantly. Serve in a small dipping bowl and serve with chilled apple slices or other fruit.

Now I know that it will really pay to try some new recipes and not just go with the plain Jane stuff I've been eating. 

Only two more weeks to go and I'm feeling confident that I can do this. 

Oh, and I was asked about where I got my injections. A friend of mine, Gypsy, has done this diet before at a clinic. This time, she ordered the medicine and supplies online from a London pharmacy. I'm sorry I don't know any details. I know she did a lot of research to find one that was reputable and safe.