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.