Clean Slate

Im am on day 5 of my new 21 day protocol. I haven’t done a weigh in because I did a huge load like you’re supposed to the first three days. I hadn’t done that before. I have to say that it has made a huge difference in my hunger, which has been zero. I am going to do some things the same and some things different on this round.
First, I am going to go by more of a caloric scale than the diet that was recommended 50 years ago. I still will keep my intake to 500 cals a day. But I’m definitely adding some new things like a string cheese, more turkey and lean lunch meats or sugar free something. I am not going to let this consume me as much as the last round.
Second, I think that I have a better grip on what to watch out for on this now. For instance, I am going to work out more this time. I am also going to get more sleep. I think sleep, or the lack of it is so huge on this diet. Also, that this is only 21 days is going to be a much less mental challenge for me.
I can’t wait to lose another 10 pounds. At my current weight 10 pounds is going to be awesome! Weigh in Friday; I let you know how it goes this week!

Back In the Saddle

So It’s been a while since I’ve posted to my blog. I just have been super busy with my kids spring break and then both my brothers visiting on their spring breaks.
Let me catch you up. I ended the 42 day a week early because of spring break. I knew that going to Disney land and being in San Diego for a week was going to be next to impossible to not have beer or 50. Plus we put on our usual Iron Chef challenge which requires me to taste everything in sight.
I asked my doctor if ending the week early was ok. (no problem) I had hit my goal weight which was 35 pounds down.
So its been 6 weeks since then and I only put back on 2 pounds which is the norm for the protocol. And I am now starting a new 21 day round to really get fit!
I threw out most of my old clothes and went and bought all new shorts and stuff for the summer! Nice to be at a size where they have cool clothes. The selection for big man shorts is really limited.

I think I found a solution to night cravings

For me anyways.... I drank two glasses of decaf tea with some stevia. It did the trick. I can’t tell you how much that is going to help! I was feeling so guilty about eating a handful of nuts every night. I’m going to do the same tonight and see how it goes. I also drank a ton of water yesterday and that might have helped too.
My stomach is feeling pretty good this morning even though I did some crunches yesterday. Maybe I just needed that first day of crunches to wake up that muscle area.
Not working out (full workout) is killing me.
More to come!

Shout out

Thanks to David Wallace for the post. His site is full of posts on HCG.
http://www.davidwallace.com/2008/10/hcg-diet-calorie-counter/

Where does the weight go?

I have read a few post about where people are losing the weight. Myself.. I started in my face then worked its way down. I still have the belly, but much better. I think that it was just so big to begin with. I am hoping that it starts to melt away like everything else.

Great Recipe site for HCG

http://hcgrecipes.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2007-10-07T18%3A40%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=7

Foods that I miss and dont miss

A quick list of my favorites that I haven’t touched since the protocol began.

1. Chicken wings. Honey and spicy hot (mostly just the wing sauce)
2. Bread - tortillas
3. Cheese
4. Booze. Even a little glass of wine would be just lovely
5. Any good salad dressing
6. Flavored nuts. I love wasabi and spicy nuts. Never thought they were bad for you, but read the label. Loaded with sugar.

What I don’t miss:
1. Beef (once you have veal or buffalo youll know why)
2. Sweets like candy or sugar gum
3. Creamer - even though a nice cappuccino sounds good
4. Milk
5. Diet soda (just crazy because I used to drink so much of it) Mimosa has really been great about not drinking soda too. (Which is awesome)
6. Butter. A little Olive oil is the solution.

Im going to keep comming back to the list as time goes by. I kind of feel like those guys stuck on a island that talk about what they are going to eat when the get rescued. "Im going to have a beer, cheeseburger and two scoops of ice cream". My prison or rescue meal right now would be a buffalo foccacia from zipps and an 8th street ale. (make that a half yard of that 8th street sir)

Day 24... feeling good - night cravings

Just had a chicken, cabbage and apple lunch.. I threw the rock (football) around with the boy and getting some quiet time in before Reed is up and at em.

The last few nights I have had some cravings after dinner around 8pm.. Usually if I get any cravings during the day I just drink coffee and that works. I think I’m going to try some decaf tea at night to see if that helps. When I have cheated (not really) I have had a handful of nuts. Pretty tasty.. Make sure they don’t have sugar. A ton of almonds and nuts have sugar in em. Eat a few of those and say hello to hunger. I think it’s amazing I haven’t cheated yet. Every diet I have ever been on I always have a cheat night or cheat meal. EVERY DIET. I am not sure if it is this diet or me this time. I think when you step on the scale and see so much coming off, that you really don’t want to lose that day or two for a brownie or pizza. Trust me; I have had it all in front of me in the last 24 days. I should stop right now so I don’t jinx myself and end up with a los betos burrito at 2am. (I have had too many of those tasty, amazing, fatty, cheesy things to count!) The problem with eating at 2am as you know is that you are way to buzzed to taste the food and end up swallowing the whole thing without breathing.

I am feeling real good today. Even though I said never to do it, I did a few sit-ups earlier.. I just feel so useless when I don’t pick up a weight or do something related to exercise. Ill keep you in the loop about how bad it is..

I made tasty pork and taco night for family last night.. And double size brownies. They loved it up.. I had some cabbage and chicken. Sound familiar?

Going to send this out..

Not sure it’s ready for prime time.. But please comment and make suggestions!

Please read why I’m doing this (first post)

Thanks!

Weigh in day .. 21 days in

Thought I would update my weight (step on scale every Friday).
Started at 238 and this week was 217.. So 21 pounds.. Awesome. That was with all my clothes and a ton of coffee before my Dr. appt.
Did you know a gallon of water weighs 8.35 pounds! Keep that in mind when you have just downed 5 glasses and step on a scale!

Things that kill me and a surpirse

1. When my wife mo drinks like a fish and I can’t. I am so damn jealous that I want to die. Yes we have had a few "talks" about it and I don’t want to be a party pooper, but to watch someone enjoying a delicious drink is almost as torturous as water boarding.. (Wine boarding in my case)
2. I know it doesn’t make sense, but I love to make cookies, brownies and cakes (homemade of course) for the kids every day. I know that it’s a double standard when it comes to not wanting booze around me! But I love it. I don’t want to over analyze this but I never really was a big sweets guy (unlike booze).

Sample Meals from the last two weeks

Well they have been super bland because I find it so much easier to keep it simple and not have to put a ton of effort into it. Don’t worry, you won’t be hungry.. Remember ever meal has an apple too.
Here are a couple:
Veal with cucumber, apple
Buffalo with tomato, apple (had this at super bowl!)
Chicken with cabbage ( I love cabbage and it fills you up) , apple
Egg whites soaked in hot sauce with tomato and some low fat cottage cheese (just a couple spoons full) I get the extra calories because the egg whites are so low.
Veal with Salad (olive oil and vinegar) and tomato.. I love tomato because hot sauce and salt make em so darn tasty!

I know these seem so bland, but trust me.. When it means a pound or two each week you will want to just stick to the basics.. Plus I am cooking great meals for the wife and kids so it not that hard to put these together..


And yes I do know how to cook.. Quite well actually... I collect cook books and live for my smoker and baking dishes.. It’s just a real challenge to make something without things that are not allowed on this diet. And it is not worth the risk.

Losing weight -changing tastes and smells

It was bound to happen, although I didn’t believe it. I have been soooo in love with diet sodas for the last 20 years.. Yummy. But, I had a sip of Blake’s today (my son) and it tasted like pure pancake syrup.. Yuck. I have noticed the other things too that are changing..
I love emotional shows on TV.. Cry like a baby at everyone of them (could be the shots from the diet) dont get me started on intervention (best show in TV) and celebrity rehab..
Like the smell of bacon? Not anymore you don’t.. Smells like a burnt piece of rubber now.
I can smell garlic from 4 miles away.. Yes I can.

Week 3 suggestions - the plateau

1. Don’t work out. Your body can’t repair itself when it doesn’t have any food to use. I did some ab crunches and it felt like someone hit me in the stomach with a sledge hammer for 4 days. I mean I have never hurt that bad in my life. And I mean I have pulled hamstrings and other muscles and they were like a bug bite compared to this.
2. You won’t lose weight if you work out! I know this sounds crazy, but I read it and didn’t believe it.. But it’s true.. Your body thinks it needs to hang on to that fat to fuel your body after breaking it down working out.. So don’t! I lost a day or two because of this!
3. Get ready to feel really good about yourself and the diet... because when you have lost 20 pounds in around 20 days it makes everything so worth it! When you’re eating cabbage and your kids are macking on a delicious pizza.. Just remember that your time will come.. Soon enough..
4. There is going to be a plateau for you in here somewhere.. Mine was this week. I have read that having a five apple day (that’s all you eat) will push you through it, but I didn’t do that.. Don’t worry, just stick to the basics and your get by it soon enough. I think its just your body getting used to the diet and then something "flips" in it to go back to work.
5. I thought id add... drink water.. Then more water.. Trust me.. It helps with hunger and keeps things flowing!

Week Two HCG Suggestions

1. I was so wrong about Stevia! It is a life saver when it comes to coffee and water.
2. Smooth Move is another life saver. I drink once each night with a little stevia in it.. And next day everything is great.. Trust me, you will need something by week two like this.. And it is all natural, which is a big plus.
3. B-12 help? I am still on the fence about this.. They are part of my program so I might as well use them if I paid..
4. Working out is just fine.. Although I’m not sure how much it is good for your body (read week 3)..
5. Veal and Buffalo are so damn good! So is mustard and hot sauce!
6. Sugar free gum is wonderful.. Your really not supposed to have this, but it hasn’t bothered my diet so far.. And it really helps when you want to put something in your mouth.
7. Week two is when you really start seeing results. 10-15 pounds.. So keep at it!

First week Side Effects on HCG - Bitchy with Headaches

Day 3 was a lousy. I was on edge all day and it only took a little snipe from my wife to make me go off. I was ready to pounce and she walked right into it... she compared me to her father and lets just say that I have listened to her complain about him for our 13 years of marriage. That night was real fun. At least it wasn't a "sleep on the couch" night!
Day 4 I had some flu like symptoms. Runny nose, light headed and headache. That went away and since then, I feel really good except for a lack of some energy today (Day 6).
I have not been hungry at all on this. That was my biggest fear going into the diet. Strange, so very strange to think a person can eat so little and not be hungry!

Day 6 of HCG Diet / Wednesday

So I'm on day 6 and it is my "off" injection day. The injections don’t bother me.. Needles have never been scary to me. I only have issues with watching surgeries and stuff like that on TV. My wife loves that stuff (she’s a nurse).


Weight loss: weigh in is Friday. Which is my first B-12 shot too.. More to come on that.
Today’s Meals:
Breakfast- Coffee
Lunch- Chicken, Peas and Apple (kids had chicken, chips, peas and oranges)
Dinner - Buffalo, Asparagus and Apple (family had buffalo, chicken, asparagus, chips, bread with butter and some jello for the little man)
Energy Level: Not so great but that might be because I didn't have an injection today.
Workout: 100 push-ups (with the perfect push-up handles I got for Xmas!) and some curls.

Some side notes:
I tried stevia for the first time.. Not so impressed.. I’m sure it will grow on me. I also bought some smooth move tea.. You can guess what that is about. I’ll let you know if it works (I’ll bet your on edge waiting for that!)

Stepping on the scale everyday- Crazy Talk

Ok, so I forgot to mention earlier my weight loss so far.. Well, I can say over 10 pounds because I am only stepping on the scale once a week. I am doing this because I keep reading peoples blogs that are going crazy when they hit a wall or only lose .4 lbs.. That’s crazy. I don't want the scale to run my life, so I am going to feel good all the time and just know each week I will be losing pounds.. Whatever that number is I don't know.. I am just sticking to my diet and believing it will work. "But what if you eat something that makes you gain weight?" you ask.. Well, I’m not eating anything that my doctor said I couldn't or really isn't in the protocol (besides turkey) and I have had no bread.

Helpful Info for the HCG Diet / First Week

HHere is some stuff I thought would be important to anyone on this diet the first couple of days. I am taking the injections and following the diet (500 cals).
1. The original protocol was written so that 100 percent of the group lost pounds. I take this as you can tweak your own diet so that you can add some foods and drinks to work for you. For instance, I have had some turkey and had no issues. While this might not work for everyone (hence not on original protocol) it seems to be fine for me.
2. I did not over load the first three days (my doctor said no problem) and it was fine for me. I just had a hard time trying to shovel food down my mouth!
3. Salt is ok.. I have never been big on salt, but because I am eating the crap out of tomatoes and cucumbers, I find that using some sea salt with it..is so much better.
4. Tabasco is a lifesaver. I am already tired of the basic meals, so tobasco really helps.
5. Get ready not to have movements. No need to explain this, it could be a couple days between them.. So hang on tight!
6. Minimal exercise... tough for me because I always hit the gym when I feel like I’m starting to add weight. I have been doing 100 pushups and some light weights for 20 minutes a night with no issues.
7. Find something you like to drink that will work for you. My doctor said Crystal light and diet soda was ok a couple times a day, but i decided not to risk it.. I consume massive amounts of coffee.. I find this to be my biggest help. I know that sounds weird, but 5 cups of coffee in the morning keeps me from eating anything. At night I drink natural flavored mineral water.. does the trick.. I have been diligent in drinking lots of water each day..
8. Get ready to pee!!!!!! All that water has to go somewhere.
9. Breath that melts paint.. Yes it does.. Don’t kid yourself.. Brush and do whatever you can..say bye bye to all those kisses.
10. I am taking a fish oil pill (10 cal) flax oil (10 cal) and a vitamin (10 cal).. So I factor the 30 cals in my daily total. Super easy. I ran this by the Doc and she said they are perfectly fine!

More to come...

Lets get this started!

I have been thinking about doing this for the last week, but didn't know if I had enough information or interesting stuff to talk about.. from the past week on this diet, I am sure that I do! Also, its a good way to track my intake and progress.. I also want to show how to cook for yourself and a family of 5 without making a ton of separate things.