PHASE 4 – WEEK 8 ½


FINAL FOLLOW-UP


I was looking back through the blog posts and found this statement from the June 28th post. I thought it was worth a re-visit.


‘Phase 4 of the HCG Diet requires you to exercise regularly, eat a healthy diet and avoid overindulging. This doesn't mean that everything eaten must be healthy - it simply means to keep everything in moderation and avoid overindulgence.’

SO – O – O – O with this being the last week of Phase 4, how are we doing? I’ll take it point by point.


1) ‘Phase 4 of the HCG Diet requires you to exercise regularly’ - - Yeah, I’m not being so good on this one. I usually walk with the girls from work for a mile around the gardens during the day, but after I get home there are too many distractions. Lane and I were being fabulous about walking in the evenings around the rec center track, but when it got really hot, we stopped going, and I found other things to fill my time. Actually we had plans to go last night, but daughter #3 came over with her littles, and the evening just went by too fast. It was dark before we could go, and this is a perfect example of what I was saying about distractions. I have also re-discovered my paints, and that is another distraction. A sedentary one. [however, when I paint, I have to remember to eat]



2) ‘Eat a healthy diet’ - - We really have tried to be good on this one. We like eating better. I do a protein shake for breakfast, lunch is usually lean meat and a sliced pepper (or other veggie), and dinner is lean meat or fish with a fresh veggie. Of course we love the summer fruits, and an occasional dessert. One fun find has been two delicious coleslaw recipes. Tropical slaw and Apple/Cinnamon slaw. Both are made with yogurt as the dressing, so they are low fat, low calorie, and very yummy.



3) ‘avoid overindulging’ - - This was really easy the first few weeks of phase 4. We simply didn’t want to overeat or eat ‘naughty’ things. But I am finding myself slipping a bit on this point lately. I’m back in the habit of thinking I ‘need’ something to snack on at night. When I’m offered goodies, I usually take one, even when I don’t really want it. I seriously need to learn to say ‘no’, just like I did in phase 2 and 3. I think Lane is struggling with this more than I am. He has gained a few pounds back and I think it’s due to the night eating again, and larger portions.



4) ‘keep everything in moderation and avoid overindulgence’ - - I think we are doing well, overall. I need to up my exercise quotient, and Lane needs to reign in the night eating.



This was a beneficial check-up. Basically – we need to STAY FOCUSED and STAY COMMITTED to our goals.

[and I need to hurry and eat more salmon before Sept 1st!]

Recipe for Apple/Cinnamon slaw:

¼ lg. cabbage, chopped
1 lg apple, diced
½ C chopped pecans [or walnuts]
1 C vanilla yogurt
2 TLB apple juice [or milk]
¼ tsp. cinnamon
Combine cabbage, apple and nuts. Mix yogurt with juice or milk to thin, then stir in cinnamon. Add yogurt mixture to cabbage mixture and let stand before serving. [can be eaten right away, but it seems to be better after sitting for a while, so you can make it early in the day and serve with dinner.]