DAY 27

I didn’t write a post yesterday, so it’s been two days since I’ve journaled.

I wanted to ‘schmack’ Lanny today, as he was down another 3 pounds. MEN! They seem to be able to drop the weight so easily. While I really am happy for him, I also want to punch him in the arm! I was down ½ pound.

We are heading into the Memorial Day weekend. We are going up to the trailer and all the kids are coming with their families. Dad and Betty are coming, and so is my sister and her girls. All in all there will be 29 of us. It will be an interesting challenge since everyone typically brings all kinds of snacks, treats, and tasty foods.








I told everyone that Lane and I will be doing our own meals. They know we are dieting, so they were okay with that. We usually plan our meals together and have at least a few meals as a group. We can still do that, but Lane and I will be eating ‘our way’. I take my food scales and my weight scales with me when we go for the weekend. They don’t take up much room, and we can continue to stay ‘legal’.


There will be plenty of opportunities for exercise this weekend. Badminton, bolo toss, walking, hiking, etc. but I am also looking forward to sitting, reading, and visiting.


In chatting with a friend yesterday, she was telling me about what she had read about the restrictions concerning HCG. I had never heard of some of those restrictions, so I called SIL and asked him about it. He said that one version of the diet is VERY restrictive, including no make-up [which would be a deal breaker for me], no lotions or creams on the skin, etc. He said the oils from those products can be absorbed into the skin and cause the body not to lose weight. He said that a few people choose to do that protocol because they say they are more focused on it, but that most people just use their normal skin care and lotions. He said it might make a difference in the end, but only by a pound or two at most. I could NOT live without my facial care and lotion, and I definitely would not leave the house without makeup on. I even wear it when we’re camping, although other SIL says that Camelot is NOT camping. [Hot water, flush toilets, TV, all the amenities of home, etc.]


I’ll post when I get back in town next Tuesday. Wish me luck, and I hope everyone has a great weekend!

DAY 25


I find myself watching the calendar and counting the days left on this protocol. I’m a little nervous about going off the diet. I know that when I’m focused, I can resist foods I shouldn’t eat. I want to keep that same discipline when the shots stop.


What have I learned during these past 3 ½ weeks? I’ve learned that temptations are only temptations when I am not steadfast in my goals. I don’t drink coffee, so coffee is not a temptation. I don’t drink, so alcohol is not a temptation. During the past few weeks I haven’t stressed over the ‘can’t haves’ and only focused on the ‘can haves’.


I do have to say that I miss salmon. I never thought I’d say that. I grew up not being a fish person at all. I could do tuna fish if it was mixed with mayo and relish, but beyond that, I didn’t like it. What I’ve discovered is that I don’t like strong, ‘fishy’ tasting fish. Mild fish is great.


Lanny first got me to eat salmon by cooking it in Tahitian Noni Premium Reserve. It was fabulous. The Premium Reserve is no longer available, but I learned to like the taste, and then Arlene Olsen told me about the salmon patties at Costco. I cover them in lime juice and pan fry them. YUM. Okay, I’m obsessing about a food I can’t have right now.


I didn’t have a loss today, and Lanny was up 1 pound. That doesn’t freak me out as much as it did in the beginning. It’s easier if I look at it as an overall average. He loses on average 1 pound per day, and I lose ½ pound per day.


I noticed some things as I was walking around work today; I feel better. I walk better. My clothes fit better. I'm happier. I go to the bathroom a lot. I go to the drinking fountain a lot. I'm happier. [yes, I said that before, but I needed to say it again.] I'M HAPPIER.

DAY 24

I have an apology to make. Last week in one of my posts I made a comment on the fact that a fellow blogger ate steak all the time. I said she couldn’t possibly lose weight eating steak! WRONG! I did it 3 days in a row over the weekend and lost weight every day. I stand corrected.

Friday: Department Lunch. I grilled a steak and totally enjoyed it.
Saturday: It was so good on Friday, we decided to grill some again Saturday night.
Sunday: Due to poor planning and a busy day, I didn’t get anything out to thaw, and since I had another package of the petite steaks, we ended up grilling them, again.

I experienced a loss every day. In fact, I think I lost better on those days than I had been doing. Go figure! We also cut up a couple of peppers and an onion and grilled them in tin foil. They were delicious. I quartered the peppers and the onion. We both had ½ pepper and ¼ of an onion. Next time I will cut the onion smaller. I had to put it in a pan to finish cooking it.

DAY 23


There are two great truths I want to share today:




1. There is great joy in breaking through a really tough barrier
2. There is great satisfaction in doing the journey together


BREAKING THROUGH
Lanny asked me this morning if I was down today. I told him it was strange that he couldn’t see me jumping in the air, turning cartwheels, and yelling insanely. I finally broke through the dreaded ‘zero’. Wow – it is such a good feeling. [that makes 11 pounds total for me. Lane’s is at a much more impressive ‘24’!] We have both been trying to break through a stubborn ‘zero’. There are 100 pounds separating us, but we are still fighting the same battle.

I went shopping yesterday for several reasons; It was the day after payday, I needed to walk around to put some miles on my pedometer, and I was curious if I would be able to tell a difference in trying on clothes. 1) I did spend some money, but only super sale items. 2) I racked up over 11,000 steps yesterday. 3) And YES, I could tell a difference. It was a pleasant experience to fit into things more comfortably. It will be exciting as this journey progresses to see how even this experience will change and get better.



THE JOURNEY TOGETHER
It is no secret that Lanny initially did not want to come on this journey with me. He was really against it in the beginning when I first brought it up. The 500 calories was too daunting for him, and he has never handled calorie restricted diets very well. He plays too many mind games with himself to be successful. I finally gave up trying to get him to do this with me, and asked simply that he go and talk to SIL [son-in-law] about it. My plan worked perfectly, and he signed up that day at SIL’s office.



I'm so glad we are doing this together. The food prep is easier because we are both eating the same foods, we help and encourage each other along the way, and the support system that I feel is so crucial is in place. His weight loss is so super that he is really excited to be doing it now that the hunger pangs have pretty much gone away and he can get through the day much easier than at the beginning.


He is now at the weight he was a year ago. He lost 70 pounds last year and was looking fabulous. Little by little, as we humans do, he allowed old habits to overtake him again. To achieve his initial loss, he had been eating every two hours, eating smaller meals, and not snacking at night. He had gone back to 3 large meals, and was snacking at night again. He was also consuming a lot of pop [at least this time it was diet pop]. He had put 20 pounds back on and it was a shock to him that it came back so easily. This program has been a great way to get that control back. He made a salad this past week that he couldn’t even get through. Afternoon snacks may or may not be eaten. Lanny said he thinks the real value of this program is that it’s long enough to really affect some lifestyle changes.


So - - - here’s two thumbs up for persisting and breaking through those stubborn zeros, and for doing it TOGETHER!


STAY TUNED AS WE CONTINUE THIS ON-GOING JOURNEY.

DAY 21

Yesterday was the 1st official day of the Global Corporate Challenge. Companies from 70 different countries are taking the challenge to walk more steps every day. They encourage 10,000. My total steps yesterday were 9,240. I don’t plan to get crazy about this [like the employee who is putting his pedometer on a machine that shakes, to push up his numbers], but I do think it raises my awareness of being more active. I actually parked further away from the store yesterday so that is a good thing.

There was a kickoff event in the auditorium this morning. They served a light ‘breakfast’ that did not appeal to me at all! I watched everyone filling up on bagels and muffins and was glad I was not munching on any of it. I thought they might have had some fruit, but they didn’t. It is so empowering not to even be tempted by non-protocol foods. I’m surprised, but pleased, that I have been able to resist all the food that’s offered nearly on a daily basis.

I had a wonderful conversation with a co-worker today. She is feeling the same frustration I have felt. She also has had the same feelings about the HCG protocol, but is ready to try it if it will give her the opportunity to make all her hard work count for something. I told her I was doing it and we talked about it for a while. It was nice to be able to share similar feelings with another woman. We shared knowledge of others who have done HCG, and it actually helps me accept why they look so amazing while the rest of us are struggling.

I don’t go around announcing to everyone that I am doing HCG. Some people know, but most don’t. My family knows, and I’m grateful they are so supportive. We did the department lunch today and no one questioned why I didn’t have all the additional ‘stuff’. I brought chips but didn’t eat them, and was able to send them home with another person in the department. The dessert did look good, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle. I had my freshly grilled steak and the tossed green salad, and it was satisfying and enough.

I did not lose much today, but it doesn’t concern me. My ‘system’ just did not kick in today, and that has to be worth at least a pound! [ha, ha]

DAY 20

Lanny was down 2 pounds today – I was up .3 of a pound. [my leg is improving,so I think I can start exercising again soon.]

I discovered some HCG blogs today, and obviously they are not new to the scene. Those blogs were written in 2008. They were using words I was not familiar with like ‘Protocol’ and ‘LIW’. They were talking about phase 1, and phase 2, and phase 3. I have read about the phases, so I think I am in phase 2 [the weight loss phase].

One thing I noticed in the blogs was that they ate nearly the same thing every day, day after day, over and over. One gal ate a steak every day at noon, and chicken every night. She ate two green apples every day. Her daily weight losses were nothing to write home to Mother about, and I wonder if she could have made some different choices. Perhaps she just doesn’t like fish or seafood.

When I have been ‘stuck’ on a number for a few days, I know I need to do something to shake things up a bit. I try to eat the fish choices more often, and avoid the heavier veggies.

One blogger made a tomato soup and added shredded chicken, which sounded good. I was searching online for some new recipes when I found the blogs. I wanted to see if I could find some different ways of fixing ‘chicken’ and ‘fish’.

I have a department BBQ tomorrow, and I think I will bring a small steak to grill. If I do that and eat some green salad, no one has to know that I am ‘doing a Protocol’ right now.

My snack today is a bowl of strawberries. I’m really looking forward to that, and I’m watching the clock. [2 hours and counting!] I do wish there were more fruit choices. Shopping at Costco yesterday, my eyes were glued to the fresh blueberries and raspberries. ‘Drool’.

MY HCG JOURNEY – DAY 19

To take a phrase from 2nd daughter’s vocabulary - - WOOT, WOOT!! I was down another ½ pound today, making it only one pound away from my nemesis ‘ZERO’. Lanny and I are both trying to get UNDER our respective zeros.


He managed to catch my bad cold, and he has felt really lousy for the last few days. He hasn’t been walking in the mornings, and has been feeling really drained. He said the diet is making him really tired, but what he doesn’t realize is that it’s not the diet. His illness is the culprit. Plus, not exercising when your body is used to doing it every day, will also make you tired.


We found some salad dressings at the Health Food Store that have no calories, no carbs, no preservatives, no ‘anything’, but they are very flavorful and tasty. We have tried the Bacon Ranch, the Honey Mustard, and the Balsamic Vinaigrette. We love the Balsamic on asparagus, and as a dip for different meats. The brand name is WALDEN FARMS.


The ingredients in the Balsamic are: Purified Triple Filtered Water, Balsamic Vinegar, White Vinegar, Sea Salt, Cellulose gel, Dijon Mustard, Lemon Juice, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, White Pepper, Natural Flavors, Natural Spices, Caramel Color, Xantham Gum, Propylene Gukol Algnate, Sucralose.


To clarify what some of the ingredients are:

Xantham Gum: 100% natural and safe and is a polysaccharide used as a food additive to help thicken and suspend nutrients and prevent settling. Made from sugar cane or corn.

Propylene Gukol Algnate: is an emulsifier, stabilizer, and thickener used in food products. It is derived from Kelp.

Sucralose: Sucralose has been approved by more than 80 countries. It has the approval of the World Health Organization, the U.N., and the E.U. It is typically linked with Aspartame, but is chemically very different. No peer review studies have given it a disapproval rating.

I'm excited to find a salad dressing that is a 'NO GUILT' dressing. Pour it on, flavor up your salads, veggies and meats with no guilt! How great is that????