Wake Up Call

    Once again, it has been a while since my last post. I've continued to be incredibly busy! Since my last post I have finished the HCG phase 2 and also started a new journey. I lost 20 pounds, most of my weight loss occurring in the first 2 weeks. The past 2 weeks were extremely difficult and my weight loss came to a crawl where I lost about a pound every 5 days. It didn't seem worth it to be eating only 500 calories and not be losing the weight. I either wasn't dieting correctly or there was something wrong. I went and got evaluated by a nutritionist/fitness coach. The results were shocking and not what I wanted to hear. My metabolism is that of a 44 year old woman's. I couldn't believe it. I thought the hcg was supposed to boost my metabolism but it decreased, which is why I stopped losing the weight. My body has learned to survive off 500 calories when it burns over 1400 calories a day in its resting state. I guess hcg may work for others because I have seen and heard wonderful results. But the diet is just not working with my body. Losing 20 pounds in a short amount of time felt great but with my metabolism at such a low rate, I know the weight loss will be unsustainable in the long run. During the four days off my diet I gained 6.5 pounds. I know I wasn't following maintenance but 6.5 in just four days seemed like a lot, especially when I wasn't eating anything considered unhealthy. :( This is not the way I wanted to end my hcg diet journey, but I have to put my health before looks. I have just started a new program called herbalife, which was recommended to me by a group of nutritionists. I will definitely not lose the weight as quickly as the hcg diet, but the weight loss will be sustainable and will get my metabolism to where it is meant to be. I will also be able to exercise, which I would prefer to do. I have a coach who will help me with the herbalife diet and a whole group of people in my area who meet up every week for workouts and weigh ins. It will be great to have such an expansive support team. Herbalife has 3 programs: weight loss, weight management, and weight (muscle) gain. To lose weight I replace two meals with protein shakes packed with nutrients while taking multivitamins and a cell activator which helps the body absorb nutrients. I also have to drink a liter of herbalife tea in addition to a liter of water to support my metabolism. Then I can have a sensible meal. Today is my first day, and so far it's great. I was afraid the protein shakes were going to taste terrible but they actually taste quite good and are so incredibly filling. I don't have the urge to snack because I am so full from the shake and remain full for hours. It's like having a 4,000 calorie feast in a cup for less than 300 calories. At first I felt like a failure for quitting the hcg diet but I'm not going to ignore nutritionists who are telling me that my body is not benefiting from it and that I should find a healthier way to lose weight. I'm glad I tried it, and I still admire those who have lost weight and are continuing to lose weight on it and I am always interested in hearing about your success and journey on the diet. It just was not right for me. Thank you for continuing to read my blog and giving me advice and support! I plan on continuing my blog about my journey to a healthier me. That is all I want; to be healthy and happy.

Trying To Get Back On Track

     The past week has been extremely difficult both physically and emotionally. I had one day where I just broke down. I was so distraught at not having lost anything, in fact I had gained back a pound. Saturday was the hardest day of this diet. I cried because I felt like a failure. For some reason I thought the diet would get easier as it went along. I thought I would see the pounds melt off and be even more determined to stick to it. When I hit a plateau and it didn't seem to make a difference whether or not I cheated, I was so upset that I committed my worst cheating offense. I ate a piece of white bread (I know, couldn't even grab the whole grain) with peanut butter AND cocao nutella. The only upside is that the peanut butter was no sugar added, but I'm sure the nutella made up for it. Even though it tasted glorious at the moment, I felt like even more of a failure afterwards. The regret was immediate. I decided to finish the diet early before I disappointed myself even more. Well, obviously I haven't. After feeling the regret and looking at myself in the mirror I realized that I started this diet to feel better about myself, not to see how quickly I can lose weight. Sure I have cheated four or five times, but I am only human and I can't beat myself up over past mistakes. I am moving forward for the full 45 days and I am determined to make the most out of my last 2 weeks. Since going back to this positive mindset and leaving the peanut butter behind, I have lost two pounds. One of them was due to gaining, but I feel as though I am back on the right track. At least I hope so. I want to lose as close to thirty pounds as possible. So far I have eighteen down and this marks my 30th day. I don't expect to lose twelve pounds in fifteen days, but I have to strive for the best results and hopefully I can come close to it.
    My biggest fear coming from this diet is the prospect that I will immediately gain all the weight back and then some. I've been spending a lot of time researching healthy eating habits. I am slowly but surely coming up with a dietary plan to follow for the rest of my life to ensure that I don't get back to where I was. I will write a post dedicated to my nutrition choices in the future after I figure out the details. Another task I have been pursuing is finding a gym or exercise routine to follow. I know that to lose the remainder of my weight I want to eat healthily and exercise since I will have to keep that lifestyle anyways. My goal is to not have to go on the hcg diet again, but I guess I will find out in June whether or not I do a second round. I just want to know that it is possible to lose weight and keep it off through good nutrition habits and an active lifestyle. The hcg has been my starting tool. I'm glad I decided to try the hcg diet and glad to know it is working for me, even if it isn't as effective on me as it is on other people. I've still lost eighteen pounds, and I am proud of that. Two more weeks, I have to stay on track!

At A Loss

     6 days and I've lost half a pound. I'm not sure what is going on. I lost a pound on Sunday but since then I have gained back a half pound and stopped losing. I'm not cheating, and I even stopped running, thinking that might have been the culprit. I also started drinking more water, but nothing seems to get my weight loss moving. The 30 day mark is coming up and I haven't lost 20 pounds yet. It's just disappointing. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I keep telling myself that one day I will step on the scale and the number will be different, but it seems like it has been a long enough of a stall to be worried. I am at a loss right now, and not a good loss.

Consequences and New Goal

   Happy Valentines Day everybody!  Even without all the sweets I can still appreciate the love and support around me. I know that in my last post I mentioned that I had been cheating. I was so disappointed in myself and in the fact that I kept doing it. Shari, one of my readers and fellow hcg dieter, really helped me get past it. Thank you Shari! You being able to lose over 125 pounds on the diet and not cheat at all was an inspiration and a wake up call. I have to say that you feel like my mentor even though you live so far away. You always give me advice when I seem to be struggling or questioning the diet. It's so important to have someone who has been through or is going through the same experience to keep you on track and motivated.
    I've noticed several consequences from being on the diet, some being good and others being not so great. Starting off with the good, I find that when I run/hike I don't get painful cramps in my calves. I've been told that the cramps were from toxins being released from your muscles. Now I just have to work on my breathing. I thought I would be tired on the diet, but I actually feel like I have more energy than I did before. I don't feel like falling asleep around 3/4 o'clock anymore. Of course I'm also losing weight and feeling so much better about myself already! Here are a couple negative aspects I've noticed. I have been getting TERRIBLE breath! I brush and gargle with mouth wash, but the smell always returns. After reading up on it, I found that I have what they call ketosis breath which is caused by your body using ketones (fat). It definitely makes me self-conscious at times. Another issue, is my bathroom frequency. I pee regularly but number 2 is maybe once every 4 days. I keep trying to drink water to help, but as you know I have trouble drinking enough water. Those are the only negative affects that I have come across.
   As I was running yesterday I came up with a new goal. I decided that I would love to be able to run a marathon by the end of this year. I never thought I would be able to do it, but I want to. It will take a lot of training since I can barely run half a mile (if even that!) without stopping to catch my breath and let my muscles relax. Nevertheless, I want to be able to tell people that I ran a marathon, and show my friends and family that I can do it. This diet is the first step. I want to lose the weight and be healthy and fit, not necessarily skinny.
   Below are my before and after photos of my face since before the diet and up until now. It has been three weeks and there is definitely a difference in my face! I have a before body photo but I don't want to show that until I feel that I'm ready to uncover my new body. Maybe in a few more weeks. :)

Before on Right After on Left. 

No chocolate Valentines for me!

     Sorry, this post has taken way to long to be written! My week has been so busy that I didn't get a chance to write. I started new hours at work so I'm working at least 45 hours a week. On top of work I have school, and my classes have not been as easy as I would have hoped.  In short, I will probably not be writing posts as often, but I will try my best to keep you updated.
     The past week has had its ups and downs. There were three days where I didn't lose anything, and then the other days I was losing around a pound a day. My total weight loss is 16 pounds. I'm 1/4 of the way to my preferred weight. I still have 26 days left so hopefully I can lose as much weight as possible by then and be close to my goal. I was hoping to do two rounds but by the time I finish my first round with the maintenance phase it will be April. My birthday is mid April, and my boyfriend's birthday is early May, while our 4 year anniversary is late May. I don't want to be on the diet during those occasions. My plan is to do my best with this round and keep exercising and watching what I eat until I can do my second round in June, unless I've lost all my weight by then. Once this is over I want to drastically limit my sugar and carb intake, as well as stay away from processed and fast foods. By cooking most of my meals at home I will know exactly what goes into my body and I also save a lot of money! It's a win-win situation.
     I have to confess that I have cheated. I know, I am very disappointed in myself. I never indulged on a piece of bread or candy or chips. Whenever I cheat it's little things that would otherwise be seen as healthy, such as a couple slices of banana or cantaloupe. I never thought that I could be so tempted by a piece of fruit. I've passed up brownies, dark chocolate peanut butter cupcakes (that was a hard one), birthday cake, ice cream, chips, pasta, and soda. I still feel bad and very guilty about the fruit. Is it that bad? I have this fear that by eating even the smallest bit of a food not on the list, I will ruin the entire diet. Have any of you had experiences with cheating? Any advice on how to stop? I feel like if I did it once, twice, three times, I will just keep doing it. I want to stop, but I can barely help it.
     I started walking/running, more walking than running though. I follow up the cardio with some crunches and lower tummy work, since that is my problem area. I've noticed that when I follow through with exercising I lose more. The downside is that I become more hungry. Funny story, I was watching the food network show Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives (talk about torture) with my boyfriend and at a restaurant they showed french fries being covered in gravy. My reaction proceeded as follows: "Gravy on french fries?! That is pure madness! Madness I tell you! *starts to laugh maniacally which turns into crying*." I literally went crazy at the thought of french fries and gravy because I was so hungry after working out. My boyfriend thought the hcg had gone to my head. At least I've learned to not watch the food network when I'm hungry.
   Valentines day is coming up. No chocolate boxes for me. :( What I wouldn't give to just have a piece of dark chocolate...ahhh! Instead of going out for a nice dinner, my boyfriend said we could eat a dinner that is on the diet protocol. He'll probably end up eating a pb&j sandwich once I leave, but I'm happy he is being supportive. I think I will make crab cakes again, since they were so good.

Orange Creamsicle Smoothie
1 orange peeled, ice, splash of lowfat milk and vanilla blended.

Shrimp with homemade cocktail sauce.
Horseradish, squeeze of lemon juice, and chili sauce.
All the cocktail sauce at the store had so much added sugar!

My go to beef dish. Easy to make and lasts
for quite a while. This time I added tabasco sauce:yum!

Orange creamsicle once again. You can have it as a smoothie
or freeze it in popsicle containers.

Day 12

   12 days and 12.5 pounds. I didn't lose anything today but I'm completely okay with that. :) If I had cheated, I would be upset, but I have stuck to the diet and know there is a good reason that I didn't lose weight today. The diet has gotten SO much easier. I've really adjusted these past few days. I am never hungry, and sometimes feel full before I can even finish my meal. I've been craving almond milk, which is really weird because we never buy/have almond milk! How crazy! Hopefully in phase 3 I can drink it. I thought almond milk would be a good alternative to dairy but with all the additives the brands put in their milk, it turns out to be just as bad. I found a super easy recipe on how to make your own almond milk without all the unhealthy stuff and I'm excited to try it! I guess I'll have to wait though.
   I haven't noticed a big difference in my appearance except that my face looks a wee bit smaller as do my wrists/forearms. My stomach pretty much looks the same but I've noticed the skin is becoming loose and has a weird feel to it. I'm kind of scared it won't tighten up and I'll be left with excess skin. I've just started doing crunches, hoping it will help.
    I added turkey to my diet and it's such an awesome addition! It's not hindering my weight loss, and I made sure to buy it extra lean. I bought turkey burger patties that were pre-seasoned. I checked to see if the ingredients of the seasoning was a-okay. It's so easy, I just stick them on the grill and they're ready to eat, and very yummy! I love to put mustard on them. :) Recently I made swiss chard, which was surprisingly good, onion soup (yum), and crab cakes (YUM!). All new recipes which were really good. I realized that if I go with my gut on the ingredients and seasoning, the food turns out great. When I follow recipes from my hcg book, they're pretty terrible. I like to look at several different recipes for the same dish and then create my own version. It's worked out quite well. ^_^

Went out to eat at RL and had the waiter add the
side of crab and broccoli to my dad's meal.

Grilling BBQ chicken and turkey burgers.

Swiss chard sauteed with onions, garlic,
 bit of beef broth, and seasoning.

Lunch :)

This is what I'm faced with when I go into the kitchen!
PB and chocolate cookies! Torture!

Onion soup with garlic and beef broth.

Crab cakes! Canned crab with some egg white, seasoning, and hot sauce.
:)

Dinner ^_^

9 days 10 lbs

    My last blog was very negative. I had two bad days and I let it get to me. Thanks to those of you who offered me advice! After reading your posts I was able to put things into perspective and keep going. Yesterday I lost and pound and a half and today I lost a pound. In all, I've lost ten pounds. I still have a ways to go, but losing ten pounds feels good. I'm proud of myself for being able to stick to this diet so far  without cheating. It was hard at first, and I still have my moments, but it's getting easier. Seeing the scale go down makes me want to keep going. I'm still dealing with the problem of running out of recipes. I downloaded a book of recipes but a lot of them have many ingredients I don't even have. Sometimes I wonder if people actually try the recipes or if they're just putting ingredients together that sound good to them. Many of the recipes I've tried have tasted absolutely horrible! I can't believe they would put recipes in a book that taste so bad! So I keep repeating recipes that I know I like because I hate the thought of having to eat a meal that tastes terrible and not be able to throw it away and make something else. I ate eggs the other day, they were SO good! I had two egg whites and a whole egg scrambled with spinach and a bit of sugar-free salsa. It's one of my new favorite meals. :) Before this diet I hated eggs, but after eating the same things for more than a week, the eggs were a glorious new addition.

Yummy Eggs :D

Advice!!

     The past three days have been very disappointing! I lost half a pound then gained it back yesterday and didn't lose anything today. I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong or if it's normal for the weight loss to slow down so drastically and come to a halt. I haven't cheated, and I stick to the servings. I think I may start walking everyday, that might help it move along. I just really hope I start losing again, I tend to get discouraged very easily on diets. I want to stick with it, but the strict rules don't seem worth it if I stop losing the weight or only lose half a pound a day. Also, I'm getting bored with the same foods. I keep trying to add variety to my meals, but many times I end up eating repeat meals because it's easy. I'm trying to stick to the rule of rotating what I eat, but it isn't as easy as it seems. I don't really like the white fish, so that leaves me with shell fish, chicken, and lean beef (which I'm told is only supposed to be eaten once a week). Really it's between chicken and shell fish, but I definitely eat beef more than once a week, I can't help it. Plus, when I buy shell fish early in the week I try to eat it quickly since seafood doesn't last very long, so I get stuck with chicken and beef at the end. I hate how limiting the diet is. I read that egg whites every once in a while was okay...I kind of want to try it, but now I'm scared about eating something that will stop the weight loss. I just wish I could talk to someone who has had the same problems and experience. I'm not really sure what to do. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! Help!

Shedding the Pounds!

    I've lost seven pounds in four days! It seems kind of crazy actually. If I lost ten pounds this week that would be fantastic and such an amazing start to my diet. I've heard the first two weeks is when most people lose the majority of their weight. My hunger between meals has almost completely vanished! Thank goodness! When I finish my meal I wish there was more but after a few minutes I feel satisfied. I'm trying to eat smaller bites so it will take me longer to eat, that way my brain has time to register that I've had enough to eat.
     There are two lifestyle changes I've learnt from this diet so far that I am hoping to keep up when this is over. The first change is portioning my food. Of course, I don't intend to have to weigh my meals so precisely, or even at all, like I have to do for this diet. I want to put a healthy amount on my plate to eat and not take anymore than I need. Secondly, and this corresponds with the first, is putting all the food away after preparing my plate. My family has always put all the food in bowls or on platters, to have on the table. That way, when I finished the first serving, the pasta or whatever we were having that night would just sit in front of me within reach. It made it so easy to just pick up the spoon and ladle more food onto my plate without really thinking about it. Now, I prepare my plate, then put the leftover food in containers which are put in the fridge. By doing this, once I finish my plate I don't go back for seconds, which I don't need. I'm hoping these strategies will keep me from overeating, which is my biggest offense in gaining weight!

Beef/Cauliflower/Sugar-free Salsa taco

The cauliflower tasted like rice! So YUMMY!

BBQ chicken salad with smoky/honey mustard dressing.
Dressing Recipe: Mustard, organic beef broth, dash of splenda, couple drops of liquid smoke. (so good!)
Add beef broth to mustard until desired consistency. Best thing:Calorie and sugar free..still tastes delicious!

Cooking for future meals

It's so easy to cook everything at once rather than cooking every meal!

        I lost three pounds this morning! A total of four pounds in two days! I'm so glad all of these hunger pains and cravings are worth ignoring. Hopefully I keep losing, although I am definitely not expecting to be losing two pounds on a normal day. I don't want to get my hopes up so I won't get disappointed stepping on the scale. Today was pretty good, the fact I lost weight made the hunger pains more manageable. Since I can only have two meals a day, lunch and dinner, I find that I start to feel tired and weak in the mornings. When lunch time is approaching I hover by the kitchen waiting until I can put something in my tummy. This week is a huge adjustment for me and it's taking its toll on my body. I feel weak sometimes, like I want to sit down and go to sleep. My body needs to get used to the 500 calories a day. I've also been kind of irritable today, mostly this evening though. As I sat down at the table to eat my dinner of spinach salad, my family was also eating their meal of delicious looking pasta and bread. I found myself getting resentful that they were taking second and third helpings of their meal when I just wanted a bite. At least I was able to resist the temptation. Sometimes I wonder if I can really make it through the round without cheating. The thought of cheating scares me because I know that if I cheat once I will keep cheating. Food wise today was a hit and miss. For lunch I ate a piece of the bbq chicken and broccoli. It was super yummy! I realized that I love broccoli because the stem almost has a buttery flavor to it without the butter. For dinner I made spinach salad with homemade dressing. To make the dressing I put in white vinegar, braggs liquid aminos, water, stevia, mustard, and ginger. It had a spicy asian flavor. I also topped off the spinach with shrimp I had grilled on the foreman grill. The shrimp were okay, not worth the time I spent de-shelling and de-veining. They really shriveled up too which was a bummer. Oh well, I'll have to look for better shrimp recipes and shrimp that is already ready to be cooked. 

BBQ chicken and broccoli

Spinach/Shrimp Salad

  

Breaking Ground with My First Pound!

      Stepping on the scale to see a pound gone was a great start to my day. Here's to hoping it's not just water weight and that more will be gone tomorrow! After yesterday I was very apprehensive about the diet. I hated the recipes I made, had uncomfortable hunger pains, and annoying cravings. Today has been one hundred times better! Of course there was some hunger here and there and occasional cravings, but not like yesterday. Although, when I do get cravings, they take over my mind. I noticed I've been wanting sweets like cookies, brownies, and peanut butter. Before the diet, I was much more of a salty person, constantly craving potato chips and popcorn. My conclusion is that the sugar withdrawals is causing me to crave sweet foods. One of the hardest parts about being on a diet is watching other people eat foods that you can't have. My boyfriend was eating a pb&j sandwich making me want,  more than anything, to have one. Seriously, a pb&j sandwich, nothing spectacular! Yet it had me drooling at the mouth wanting to pounce like a starving dog. Luckily, I am not a starving dog so I was able to whip out my apple and chomp on it wishing it was a pb&j sandwich.
        Other than my cravings, my day was very successful. I made delicious meals that I was actually able to enjoy and eat! I think being able to eat the full servings helped my hunger subside. For lunch I made mashed cauliflower with salt/pepper, and garlic salt. I also sauteed an onion with my 1lb of lean meat with a bit of tomato paste and spices. I made enough meat and cauliflower to last me about 4 meals. I figured I might as well cook all my portions of a meal at once so I won't have to cook all the time. Of course, I will add ingredients here and there to change up the recipe. I'm hoping to use the meat to eat lettuce tacos with sugar free salsa, and hcg friendly chili, which I've heard is rather yummy. For dinner I grilled scallops and asparagus with spices all wrapped up in tin foil. It was so good! Since the grill was already fired up, I decided to go ahead and cook my remaining pieces of chicken. I love bbq chicken, but I couldn't use any bottled bbq sauce because of all the added sugars and preservatives. Determined to have bbq chicken, I decided to make my own bbq sauce. I put two cups of chopped tomatoes from a can, two tablespoons of yellow mustard, a few dashes of liquid smoke, and salt, letting it all simmer for about ten minutes. I then pureed it with my handy dandy hand-held puree machine and voila, bbq sauce! It definitely didn't taste like your average bbq sauce from the bottle but it was SOOO good on the chicken. Yes, I did try a little bite to see how it turned out. This is a recipe I will definitely be keeping on or off the diet! I bet it would taste wonderful on grilled shrimp too!
       One other problem I've run into is being able to drink enough fluids. I don't like water and don't drink beverages unless I'm thirsty, which is about twice a day. Even then I only take small sips. I've tried drinking more tea, but without sugar and milk it's hard to drink more than two cups a day. I've read that it's very important to drink eight glasses of water a day, which seems impossible to me! Does anyone have any suggestions?

Lean Beef and mashed Cauliflower for lunch

Making bbq sauce!

Scallops and Asparagus for dinner

BBQ'd Chicken!

    

Hunger Pains

     As you can probably tell from this posts' title, I had a rough day. I honestly didn't think it would be this difficult, especially the first day in. My morning was good, no cravings or hunger. I made myself a cup of green tea with some stevia, but had to toss it due to the stevia's aftertaste. Bleh. When I got home from my morning class, I thumbed through my hcg diet guide to find a recipe to try out. The citrus basil chicken sounded rather good, so I went with that. On the plate it looked beautiful and delicious, but it ended up having quite an odd flavor. I put basil/salt/pepper, and lemon-lime juice in the pan and let the chicken cook. Once the chicken was cooked on the outside, I added tomato and orange pieces. All of the ingredients simmered for about 5 minutes. Then I put the food on top of a lettuce leaf and dug in! The chicken had a decent flavor, but the tomatoes and orange just created a funky flavor. So pretty much, I had a piece of chicken for lunch. After about an hour I started to get cravings! Cravings for peanut butter, bread, popcorn, and a cookie. I don't normally crave these foods, but knowing I couldn't have them made me want them even more. I made myself a cup of tea and drank it hoping it would null my hunger. Nope, still hungry. Another hour later and I ate an apple, which was the best thing I've eaten all day. I could have eaten three. To take my mind off of food and the temptations in the kitchen, I got in bed and watched a movie. I think I need distractions, but I was home almost all day, which is extremely rare, so my bored mind kept wandering back to the food sitting on the counter that I couldn't have. Finally, it was time to make dinner! I had bought fish at the store on Saturday and thought it wise to use the fish as soon as possible. I put the sole in a skillet with lemon-lime juice and salt/pepper. It began falling apart and had an overwhelmingly fishy smell. Tasting it, I nearly gagged. The fish turned mushy in my mouth and was really fishy. I had to throw away five pieces of fish. I only had two left, so I decided to keep it simple and just cook it in the skillet with a little bit of pam and salt/pepper. The fish turned out okay. I then made a soup consisting of chicken broth, cabbage, curry, ginger, and miracle noodles. I had bought the miracle noodles today hoping they would take the place of carbs and curb my hunger. I added the fish to the broth and voila, and asian soup. The broth was pretty good, but the fish was still mushy and the miracle noodles had the consistency of rubbery worms. Another huge disappointment. I ended up tossing half my bowl of soup down the drain. So today I ate a small chicken breast, an apple, and half a bowl of soup. I'm really hoping I can find a recipe that I like so that I can actually eat an entire 200 calorie meal! Sheesh. Otherwise I don't know how I can keep dealing with the hunger.

       Since I know some of my readers are also on the hcg diet, do any of you have any yummy recipes and how did/do you deal with the hunger? Any information/advice is greatly appreciated!

                                                   This is the Asian Soup I made for dinner

                                            Orange Basil Chicken. Doesn't it look good? 

                                             Unfortunately it wasn't as good as it looks.

Here I Go

       I have just begun my first day of phase 2. I spent Saturday and Sunday indulging myself with delicious food! On Saturday I went to my favorite Thai restaurant and had a big bowl of Panang Curry for lunch, and it was the yummiest it has ever been! For dinner I had a big mac...not too yummy but it allowed me to reach the high caloric intake. Sunday I went to Disneyland, and I went kind of crazy! I ate fried chicken, a corn dog, potato chips, ice cream, a root bear float, a chimi-cha-cha, and fajitas.  I even snuck some popcorn in before I went to bed. Needless to say my body is filled with delicious food that makes my body feel like crap. I think I did pretty well on the first phase. It called for eating and boy did I eat!
       I've been taking the drops now for three days. I forgot a couple times and had to double up the dose the next time round. I was afraid they would taste terrible, but to my pleasant surprise they taste like minty water. I also began taking acai gels and glandular support pills. In a couple of days I will add in the potassium pills as well.
      My starting weight for phase one is....179 lbs. I weighed myself several days ago and I was 175 so I think a couple pounds is all the food I've eaten and haven't digested yet.  I'm hoping to be closer to 125/130. I know that will take a couple of rounds. My goal is around 150 by the end of my first round. I will also be measuring myself later today, and once again at the end of the phase to see the difference.
      I'm kind of hungry this morning, and walking into the kitchen and seeing the bread was kind of tempting. I figure it's best to stay out of kitchen until it's time for me to cook my meals. I know I should be drinking water but I don't drink much of anything let alone water. I would drink tea but the fact that I can't use sugar is a huge let down. I bought stevia as a sugar replacer but in all honesty it tastes horrible and has a disgusting after taste. I'll have to get used to it somehow. I heard there is flavored stevia but I didn't see it at Ralphs, maybe whole foods carries it. Hopefully the flavored stevia tastes better than the regular kind.
I bought all the ingredients for a weeks worth of meals. Now I have to pick out which recipes to use. I will be posting about recipes I'm using in case anyone is interested in a low fat/low calorie meal.

Explaining the HCG Diet

        Many people might be wondering what HCG actually is. I hadn't a clue what it was when I first heard about it. HCG is a natural hormone that is found in pregnant women. This hormone allows the body to mobilize fat and use it as energy. Although pregnant women have extremely high levels of HCG, only a small amount is needed for weight loss. Using HCG does not mimic pregnancy, so it may be used on men as well as women. HCG can be administered through injections, pills, or drops. I opted for the drops which I will be taking four times a day.

There are four phases to the diet.
Phase 1.  Start taking the drops. The first two days I can eat anything I want, in fact I want to load up on high caloric/high fat foods. This phase is known as the "Loading Phase." I am trying to prepare my body for a period of low calorie intake. This keeps my body from going into starvation mode. I like to think of myself as a bear before winter. I have to say that this step kind of excites and scares me at the same time!
Phase 2. Continue taking drops. I will then start a very strict diet with an intake of 500 calories a day at the most. This sounds crazy, right?! 500 calories?! I know, that's what I thought. After reading and hearing about people who went on the diet, it doesn't seem so crazy. The HCG works as an appetite suppressant so the 500 calories won't make me feel too hungry. All I will be eating are organic fruits, veggies, and lean protein. This will give me enough energy to go about my day. Instead of drawing the rest of my energy from my muscles and bones, my body will take the energy from my fat stores. This phase lasts anywhere from 23 (the minimum amount of time it take to re-program that Hypothalamus) to 45 days. It all depends on how much weight you want to lose.
Phase 3. This phase lasts 3 days. It's when I will be going off the HCG drops but remaining on the 500 calorie diet.
Phase 4. This phase is 3 weeks and is known as the Maintenance Phase. During the process I will be gradually adding in more foods while staying away from sugar and starch.

      One of the reasons I chose this diet, other than having amazing results, is that after getting off the diet, the dieter can maintain the new healthy weight. I wanted something long term. Even though I will definitely be changing my eating habits, I will splurge every once in a while. I don't want to gain my weight back the minute after I start eating more than 500 calories! I want to be able to eat 1200-1500 calories on a normal day and keep the healthy weight.

In case you are wondering, here is my food list during the weight loss phase:
Fruit-2 different/servings a day. Apple, half a grapefruit, handful of strawberries, orange

Veggies- 2 servings/different veggies a day. (each serving=3.5 oz) Spinach, lettuce, cucumber, asparagus, cabbage, bokchoy, swiss chard, beet greens, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans,  tomato, celery, onions. Green and Red salsa with no sugar is okay to eat as well.

Meats- 2 different servings a day weighing 3.5 oz uncooked. Chicken breast, Cod, Flounder, Halibut, sole, tilapia, sea bass, shrimp, crab, lobster, scallops. I can also eat a serving of lean beef once a week.

Drinks- WATER! Tea and Coffee. But only 1 tbsp of milk a day. >_< I can add lemon/lime to my water. Pretty much calorie/carb/sugar/aspartame/nutrasweet free drinks are okay. (Stevia is a good sugar replacement although I hate the taste! Guess I'll have to get used to it.)

Seasonings- Anything without added sugar or starches. No oils!

       An odd rule on the diet is that I am not allowed to wear lotion or use hair products with oil! Apparently they contain calories which your skin absorbs, interfering with the diet. I honestly did not know that the skin could absorb calories.

       I tried to make the explanation rather short...ish. There is just SO much information! It's taken me days to research and I still feel unprepared. As I start to go through the phases I will elaborate on the rules and tidbits I left out. If there are any questions feel free to ask! :)

Getting to This Point...

       Hello to all of you who have decided to take an interest in my blog! I'm using this blog as my diet journal in an effort to keep myself motivated during the process. I will try to write everyday/every other day when I can find time. During the next month or so I will be sharing my hardships in attempting to lose weight and sticking to a strict weight loss plan. Hopefully, I will also be sharing my positive experiences during my journey as well! :)

        I want to begin by sharing some background with you and why I decided to go on a diet and start a blog. I have struggled with my weight since 5th grade. Even though I was continually dancing, I kept increasing in size. It was always difficult to stand in the dance studio in a leotard and be the biggest one in the room. When I was fifteen I went into a deep depression. One of the side effects of being depressed was losing my appetite. My need to be away from everyone caused me to begin running multiple times a day. Between living off of several bites here and there and continually running, I was able to lose 30 lbs in a very short amount of time. While I stayed in my depression I was able to keep off the weight, but once I became myself again and started eating, I gained all my weight back within a few months. I am now 19 and I have gained 60 lbs since I was 16, I am overweight. I lived (continually live in) and grew up in a house where we did not eat out often and we rarely had junk food such as potato chips and soda. I've been very fortunate to grow up with a mom who cooked nutritious home-cooked meals every night. There was always a protein, vegetable/fruit, and salad at the dinner table. I am not a couch potato. I dance when I can fit it into my schedule and I walk and chase kids around at work all day. My main problem over the years has been the fact that I eat too much. When there is food in front of me, I will eat it, even if I don't necessarily like the taste or am not hungry. Also, between juggling my work, school, and social life I end up grabbing whatever I can to eat, which most of the time is not a healthy choice. I definitely don't pig out, but after a while all those extra helpings and grab and go meals add up. I gained the weight slowly and steadily, until one day I realized that I didn't like the way I felt about my body or the way I looked in pictures or clothes. That was quite some time ago. Since then, I have tried eating less, and dancing/exercising 9 hours a week. I lost a little and then hit a plateau. This semester I don't have much time to exercise so I know I've gained back some of the weight. I'm tired of wasting my energy on hating the way I look and comparing myself to skinny girls. If I don't make a drastic change now, the scale will keep rising and it will only become harder to reach a healthy weight. I have tried doing unplanned diets on my own, which have always ended up in miserable failures. This time around, I bought a diet plan called HCG to follow and am writing this blog so that I won't fall by the wayside and give up. 

          My goal during this journey to a healthier me, is to love my body and feel comfortable in clothes that I want to wear. No more hiding in big baggy t-shirts and sweatshirts! I by no means want to be "model" skinny. I love curves, they make women beautiful. Bring on the hips, thighs and butt! I am not going to set a goal weight. Instead, my focus will be on slimming down in general, until I like...no, LOVE how I feel. I also want to create a healthy relationship between myself and food by picking up good eating habits for the long-run.

        As I am waiting for my diet plan to arrive in the mail, (which should be tomorrow!), I have been trying to prepare by getting supplies, doing research, and trying not to psych myself out. I plan on starting my first day on Saturday. Tomorrow, I will try to find time to explain the HCG diet and what it entails.