Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes - 01.31.08 - D10P2R4

R4P2 Starting Weight 184.4
Yesterday - 171.6
Today - 170.6
1.0 lb LOSS Overnight
4.8 lb UNDER LIW of Round Three (175.4)
13.8 Lost Since Start of R4 (VLCD) 01/22/08
80.2 Total Lost Since Start of Protocol (VLCD) 06/26/07

Here is my menu for yesterday. This is what I had:

I am such a creature of habit! Coffee and Half and Half, apple and a half a grapefruit. Lunch was Ground Beef Patty with Lettuce Salad / Mustard Dressing. Dinner was a Creole Catfish. I think I may be done with this menu for awhile, I will probably change things up a bit today! HA!

A total of around 460 calories divided this way: 11 Fat, 48 Carbs, 45 Protein

GO HERE AND SIGN UP FOR UPCOMING HCG NEWSLETTER!!! It's coming honest! Just waiting on my partner to put the finishing touches on it!

Let's not forget the HCG BOOK CLUB - join in on the fun! If you haven't signed up for it yet, please do so now. eMail Address Form

Our FAQ Question this go round is the following, please spend some time if you can answering this survey:

Thanks goes to Andrea for answering the survey! Any others willing to approach this subject?

Foods on Phase 2 - Do Some Work Better Than Others?

Another One Bites The Dust! OMG - 80.2 POUNDS GONE!!!

I am pleased mind you, but seriously, WHAT THE HECK AM I DOING RIGHT??? I mean, come on, what are we supposed to expect come day 10 on the protocol???

What more needs to be said? Here are the numbers for those of you keeping track:

Day 9 (Complete) - Round 4 = 7.48% Body Weight Loss
Day 9 (Complete) - Round 3 = 6.21% Body Weight Loss
Day 9 (Complete) - Round 2 = 5.32% Body Weight Loss
Day 9 (Complete) - Round 1 = 4.55% Body Weight Loss

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

HA! I am sure you are going to go through the day today humming this song, and every time you do, you will think of this post, good thing, cause it's a good one, if I do say so myself. Let me just add, this is a long one. Bear with me.

There are times during the day where something crosses my minds path and I will be like, shoot, that would be something I should talk about in my blog. Sometimes the thoughts disappear shortly without another interest, but then sometimes they grab me and wont let go. Yesterday, I had a thought that wouldn't give me peace it was hanging on so hard.

Let me explain.

Yesterday was a good day. It really was. It was one of those days that seems everything is falling into place for some unknown reason. I was 'flying' and it was working - I was getting my housework done in record time, I was 'chatting' with friends and conversations were motivating and stimulating.

One of my '15 minutes' (you really must check out FlyLady if you don't know how powerful 15 minutes can be) scheduled yesterday was for me to go through a pile of clothes that were sent to me by my SIL - some of them used, but most of them new. There was a Dillard's that went out of business in the area they live and things were marked down dramatically. When they first got here over the weekend, I quickly went through them and saw that there were all 14's and so mentally I said, well, this ain't the round for these clothes, it will be NEXT round, so I wasn't anxious to go through them right away. But yesterday was the day I said I would finally handle them.

Before I go on, yes, I know I am wearing at the moment a pair of Gloria Vanderbilt Jeans that are a size 14 - but GV jeans always run bigger and I will tell you why. For us women that have "back" (big butts) GV jeans are the BEST jeans because she designs her jeans with room for the back trunk. Most other designers feel they must design jeans for people with flat butts, so us big butt girls need to usually get a size larger for it to fit over the butt area. Then we have to wear a belt because there is a gap at the waist. All the other pants I am wearing right now are 16's.

I came across a pair of what I like to call 'Daisy Duke' jean shorts. I call them that because they are SHORT Shorts, and when I first looked at them I was like RIGHT, I haven't worn jean shorts in decades, like I am ever gonna wear shorts this short, for heavens sake, I have to hide these fat legs of mine. You know as well as I do that when we are obese, we try to cover as much skin as we can, we don't want anyone seeing all that skin, I mean come on, they might think we are fat if they see skin! (Go ahead, tell me I am not the only one that reasoned this way)

Some alien force possessed me to try them on. O M G - THEY FIT!!! For your viewing pleasure is me in all my glory with these shorts, and might I add a medium top that was sent along also (remember, clickable for larger view):

My legs? They are doing that wiggly jiggly thing right now, which is ok with me because we all know that means that the HCG is doing it's thing. So keep that in mind, but can you believe I could get those dang things on??? I really thought when I looked at them, NO STINKING WAY, but YES, they are on.

Right after I took the picture, I had a brief 5 minute cry. I was beside myself with joy! But then reality stepped in and my mind took over and that blasted song POPPED into my head at that moment. Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Time May Change Me, But I Can't Trace Time

When the muse hit me like it did yesterday, and then wouldn't let go, I had to ponder what the heck did this mean, why was I supposed to write about this? I couldn't understand this lyric, much less how it applied to what was going on at this particular moment in my life.

Thank goodness for the internet world! As I was sitting here at my computer, staring at the screen yesterday afternoon, a little button popped up from my Yahoo window, and it was announcing to me that EweWho had just logged in. I said to myself, she is never on Yahoo, in fact, I invited her as a buddy like months ago and she never accepted the invitation so I just assumed she never used Yahoo Messenger, so since I was sitting here I opened up a chat window with her to say hi!

One thing lead to another and I told her about the Size 14 Daisy Dukes and I sent her the picture. I asked her about this lyric, and what her thoughts were on why this was hitting me as hard as it did. Chatting with her helped put the perspective on why it was that particular lyric that struck a chord with me.

Over time, roughly 7 months, time has changed me. I have changed in so many ways, it's not even funny. I have changed my eating habits, I have changed my emotional well being, I have changed my self esteem, I have changed my confidence, I have changed my physical body, I have changed my wardrobe, I have changed my medical condition, all profound changes to make me who I am today.

But I can't trace time ... I can't copy the time that has changed me because I am no longer the person I was. If I try to 'trace' the steps (time) that got me to this moment it wouldn't be the same because I am a different person. All we have is this moment. We are not guaranteed a future and we cannot relive the past. We are here in the now. We MUST make every moment count. Thank goodness hindsight is 20/20 - it is because of my living in the NOW that I am where I am today. It is because I have followed this protocol and treated it as a gift that I have gotten from a size 24 to a size 14 in 7 months. It is because I know I can't ever relive this moment that I stay true to the protocol. It is because I know that my time is valuable (after all I will be 46 this year) that each and every day is precious and this miracle that has crossed my path is worth doing right.

You can't trace time. You can't make up for lost time. Lost time is just that, it's lost and gone forever. Stay the course. You do that, time will be your friend. It will pamper you. It will caress you.

Time may change me, but I can't trace time. You can't copy what time changes in you. Deep, I know, but think about it.

On to my commenter's - these are my responses to yesterday's comments:

smacmo - I really need to get to your blog! I have been told that before, but I said I wouldn't do it until I was done and maintained for at least 6 months, then I would really know this works! Aren't I just the silliest thing???

Lili - Aww girl, you rule!

CB - Thanks girl, you will be here shortly!

Mary - Thanks!

Wendy - I am supposed to be doing 26 days, but things may cut it short, I wont know until this weekend is over so I will be sure to let the community know my plans.

Jenn - goodness girl, what can be said that hasn't been said already. You are my heart, did you know that?

Mariel - AH YES! Now I know who you are! Thank you so much for stopping by and reading, hey, this thing keeps me honest ya know???

Monica - you have no idea how fortunate you are! Give that man a hug from all of us! I owe you an email, it will be sometime this morning!

Renee - Thanks!

Becca - I sure can't wait to get to your blog! That is my midmorning fun! Thanks for the kind words, and girl, you are TALL!!! You go girl! Thanks!

Time is on my side, Biz

Diet Sabotage - 01.30.08 - D09P2R4

R4P2 Starting Weight 184.4
Yesterday - 172.6
Today - 171.6
1.0 lb LOSS Overnight
3.8 lb UNDER LIW of Round Three (175.4)
12.8 Lost Since Start of R4 (VLCD) 01/22/08
79.2 Total Lost Since Start of Protocol (VLCD) 06/26/07

Here is my menu for yesterday. This is what I had:

I pretty much followed the same pattern as yesterday, but not quite as much coffee and cream. An apple and a half a grapefruit. Lunch was Ground Beef Patty with Lettuce Salad / Mustard Dressing. Dinner was a Creole Catfish - Oh and I had coffee with half and half (1 tbsp). Before you all think that I am trying to mimic my day yesterday, I only did it because I have a TON of ground beef to use up, and the same with the Cat Fish!

A total of around 476 calories divided this way: 11 Fat, 50 Carbs, 46 Protein

GO HERE AND SIGN UP FOR UPCOMING HCG NEWSLETTER!!! It's coming honest! Just waiting on my partner to put the finishing touches on it!

Let's not forget the HCG BOOK CLUB - join in on the fun! If you haven't signed up for it yet, please do so now. eMail Address Form

Our FAQ Question this go round is the following, please spend some time if you can answering this survey:

Thanks goes to Katrina, Kat Lee, and Mary Lou for answering the survey! Any others willing to approach this subject?

Foods on Phase 2 - Do Some Work Better Than Others?

Where Did THAT Come From???

Seriously. This is day 9 for goodness sake. How can I still be having this kind of success this late in the game? Jenn asked me a question yesterday - She said "So does this round "feel" like R3?" - my answer to her was - "Believe it or not Jenn, this round is screwing with my mind big time. I am like in this perpetual weirdness phase right now, not believing it's real. Kinda like my first few weeks on Round 1 - waiting for the other shoe to drop. It's like, can this really be happening to me AGAIN???? There is no way on God's Green Earth that this can be as successful a FOURTH time??? I am in awe of myself, does that sound weird??? I don't mean it to, it's just surreal."

This morning I got on the scale, saying to myself, 171something, 171something, but in the back of my mind fully prepared to see a smaller loss, after all, this is DAY 9 - so seeing 171.6, a whole pound gone, was just too good to be true. This protocol is truly a blessing. You people out there need to thank whoever it is that you believe your higher power to be for giving this gift to you. It's truly a gift.

Are you treating it that way? Are you appreciating it as a GIFT? If not, then by all means, you need to wrap your head around what it means to get a gift of this magnitude and treat it as such.

For those keeping up with the numbers:

Day 8 (Complete) - Round 4 = 6.94% Body Weight Loss
Day 8 (Complete) - Round 3 = 5.80% Body Weight Loss
Day 8 (Complete) - Round 2 = 4.57% Body Weight Loss
Day 8 (Complete) - Round 1 = 4.55% Body Weight Loss

Diet Sabotage

We all know about "Self Sabotage" right? I have approached this subject in the past, but under the guise of "Fear of Success" - which is pretty much the same thing. I have always been one that tends not put the blame for my mistakes on other people because I am a free moral agent, able to make my own choices, so ultimately I am the one to blame for any issues.

Well by now you folks know how I operate. I see something happening in our little community and automatically it becomes fodder for my brain and I want to research it. So I saw some "Diet Sabotage" taking place, and of course, here goes the ole fingers and mouse looking for information on how to deal with it.

Come on, we all get "Diet Sabotage" from all angels. Whether it's from our family or friends that tell us "You look GOOD! You don't need to lose anymore" - to the more subtle husband bringing home flowers and chocolates, when he just KNOWS you are on a "Diet". Whatever the source is, we have to know how to deal with these SABOTEURS.

Most of the time, they have no idea they are doing the sabotaging, not consciously anyway. With the example of the husband bringing home flowers AND chocolate, I am sure it's more of a "well honey, you have done so well, here is something for you because you have worked so hard on this for so long".

But sometimes, the giving could have links to something deeper.

Please understand that the following can come from either a male or female point of view.

I found a very interesting article from the New York Times from back in 1993 and it's worth a read:

Diet Sabotage: The New Battle of the Sexes

Just for kicks, I sent this article to Lili - we all know that Lili is pretty much wise beyond her years, and I felt I needed her input on this one. She has this really unique way of getting to the meat of in issue and provide you with a straight, no holds barred way of looking at things. Lili does not have a pretentious bone in her body and so I value her opinion, and besides that, she is older than me! (HA! Only by less than a year!)

Anyhoo, very interesting reply she sent back to me. I have asked her permission to repost her reply here and she said GO FOR IT! Thanks Lili!

First she says this:

I think it brings up some valid points. My boyfriend complains that we haven't had dinner together since late last summer -- when I started Hcg at the end of august, did P2, then P3, then P2 again, then began to eat according to my appetite. Which ended up being eating my main meal at around 3:00 pm. He would get home and want to make a huge dinner, and I'd say "sorry. But I'll sit with you". He finally confronted me, saying it was really a big issue for him, that we did not sit down and eat dinner together at night. I explained my side, and said "we'll have to work out a compromise. I am not a huge dinner eater anymore -- and it's working for my weight. But perhaps I can have a salad, or sometimes eat dinner with you". I still have another round of P2 (or 2) left, and we agreed to address the issue again when I'm done, but it's interesting -- the article is right -- if the tables were turned, I'd adapt to his schedule. It'd be a no-brainer.

WOW - can you see how compromising your position can lead to going back into habits that got you fat in the first place? I have had to deal with this same issue in my home. My husband prefers to eat later, like around 7pm or 8pm - well that just doesn't work on the protocol, in fact, for life! I have told him time and time again that I have to eat no later than 6pm. If I eat any later, there isn't enough time between dinner and bed and that is not good for the body.

Then she goes further:

I am NOT willing to go back to nightly huge meals. I am willing to compromise. He's usually reasonable, so it will hopefully work out fine. But -if it's keeping my weight loss or keeping him -- well, girl, there's alot more fish out in that sea. Call me a *beeyatch* (I prefer "determined woman") but I've worked too hard to figure out my body and health to give it up for a man, even one that I love as much as I do him.

Now see there? Ultimately, we do have to make a stand, or we are putting ourselves in the same place we were when we were FAT - and do we want to be FAT again??? We have to let go of our old selves and embrace the new ones. We have found what is a miracle to get us to the weight we never dreamed we could be - don't give it away.

Oh but there is MORE!

Guys don't realize that we women just don't care that much about their bodies -- my guy has a little gut, is balding, and just so cute in his little red arty glasses and geeky bow ties! He should stand up straighter, exercise more, and I adore every inch of his 55-year-old body -- with all its imperfections.

Men are funny creatures sometimes. They are not as forthcoming as us women on their feelings and such and they tend to hide what it is they really want. So we feel compelled to try to mold ourselves to what we FEEL is what they want. Well, in regards to this protocol, and for the life of maintaining? We can't do that anymore. We need to make a stand. It's our bodies, and until we are comfortable in them, NO ONE else is gonna be comfortable either.

When MOMMA isn't happy? AIN'T NO ONE HAPPY!

There, nuff said.

Little update on JPS - she broke into the 140's yesterday!!! She is FLYING HIGH!

On to my commenter's - these are my responses to yesterday's comments:

Lili - Yeah, just going on it for 3 weeks and it answers all their questions! THANKS for yesterday, OMG - I LOVE YOU!!!

Wendy - Infomercial? OMG - NO!!! I don't want to be lumped in with KT!!! HA! Thanks girlie girl! You size 8 thing you! Does that just blow your mind???

Ed & Jenn - I learned a while back, when the student is ready the teacher will appear. Girl, you have got the world at your fingertips! Just keep doing what your doing with your blog. The more information on success we have out there, the more this will become widespread and then they will be BEGGING us for our information!

Monica - HA! I will take and post pics next Tuesday. I didn't feel right taking pics until I had at least 5 lbs under the last pics I took at my LIW! LOL - there will be a time when your people will have to stand up and take notice. Right now, just bask in the sunshine of the protocol!

Renee - HA! Isn't it amazing? All it takes is just a couple of days of eating normally and we are like, OMG, when can I go back to the protocol??? ROFL - we are such creatures aren't we???

Becca - HA! Oh yeah, sleep is the KEY! Girl! Get some rest!!! Lili and I were talking yesterday on the phone, she tells me that your 5'7", I think that is what she said? Is that true? I don't know why I thought you were shorter than that! HA!

Have a wonderful day! Biz

Success in 21 Days - 01.29.08 - D08P2R4

R4P2 Starting Weight 184.4
Yesterday - 174.0
Today - 172.6
1.4 lb LOSS Overnight
2.8 lb UNDER LIW of Round Three (175.4)
11.8 Lost Since Start of R4 (VLCD) 01/22/08
78.2 Total Lost Since Start of Protocol (VLCD) 06/26/07

Here is my menu for yesterday. This is what I had:

An apple and a half a grapefruit. Lunch was Ground Beef Patty with Lettuce Salad / Mustard Dressing. Dinner was a Creole Catfish - Oh and I had coffee with half and half (1 tbsp) and then some Non Dairy Creamer after that.

A total of around 499 calories divided this way: 12 Fat, 54 Carbs, 55 Protein

GO HERE AND SIGN UP FOR UPCOMING HCG NEWSLETTER!!! It's coming honest! Just waiting on my partner to put the finishing touches on it!

Let's not forget the HCG BOOK CLUB - join in on the fun! If you haven't signed up for it yet, please do so now. eMail Address Form

Our FAQ Question this go round is the following, please spend some time if you can answering this survey:

Thanks goes to Lili, Myisha and Becca for answering the survey. Any others willing to approach this subject?

Foods on Phase 2 - Do Some Work Better Than Others?

Now That Is What I Am Talking About!

HA! See what a little sleep will do to a girl??? It will let her lose. Ok folks, today it really hit me, do you see how close I am to the 160's??? That pretty much BLEW my mind! It just became real, seriously real and I am about to freak. What is even MORE freaky than that? I have less than 25 lbs to lose to make it to goal. Do you know how easy it sounds to have to lose just 25 lbs??? (22.6 to be exact)

That's not really fair though. My goal weight is arbitrary, I had to pick something so I said 150 - it sounded like a great number to shoot for, after all that was 100 lbs from where I started. But we all know I am going until the HCG tells me to stop. And if it tells me to keep on going past 150, which I have a suspicion it will, I will keep on keepin' on!

The numbers don't lie:

Day 7 (Complete) - Round 4 = 6.40% Body Weight Loss
Day 7 (Complete) - Round 3 = 5.28% Body Weight Loss
Day 7 (Complete) - Round 2 = 3.54% Body Weight Loss
Day 7 (Complete) - Round 1 = 3.75% Body Weight Loss

Everyone, say it with me: BIZ IS KICKING BUTT AND TAKING NAMES! HA!

Success in 21 Days

You folks have all heard it: "Try it for 30 days, if your not completely satisfied, you get your money back" or better yet this one is from the software industry: "Try this piece of software for 30 days before you have to make a commitment to buy". Ever wonder why companies offer this jewel?

It's because they are so sure of their product that they are convinced if you only TRY it, you will like it and then you will BUY it. That is simple logic and it works really well. Who in their right mind wouldn't try anything for free? Or with the promise that you can have your money back should it not live up to what you want.

I have approached telling people about HCG in real life using this little gem. There are several people right now (4 total) that I had a little talk with them to give HCG a try for 3 weeks. That is all I am asking, just 3 weeks out of your life to see if you can handle the program. (Don't worry, I explain to them the whole 26 day thing)

My reasoning is this. We all know that it takes 21 days for us to develop new habits. If they give this protocol a chance for 21 days, they are going to see miraculous results, and I know they will want to continue.

Those of us that have 100 or more pounds to lose, even with this protocol, the end seems so daunting. But if you split it up into 20 lbs increments (very realistic on 21 days - especially if you are heavier), then to think you could lose 20% of what you need to in just 3 weeks, OMG - that is simply miraculous.

And really, who couldn't follow this plan for just 21 days??? We ALL know it's pretty simple those first 3 weeks. Shoot the weight loss itself is a huge motivator! Getting on the scale every day and seeing losses big and small convinces us to do another day. And if we commit to only 21 days, the end of the phase is in sight and it makes it that much easier to maintain control!

Our minds are funny things. Yes, we have to play around with them to get them to work in the way we ultimately want to go. When you think, geesh, I only have 14 more days to go, smcak, that's EASY! When you think, I can stop injections in 14 days and eat what I want (reasonably), you're like BRING IT ON.

When you let your mind focus on the baby steps of the future, but the big pictures of the past - it's amazing how much stronger our commitment is. And what I know will happen at the end of those 21 days, they will be like, sign me up for another week! I just know it, don't you???

Once people live this life for 21 days, see that it is indeed possible to live (and lose) on 500 cals, see their bodies begin to transform, they are SOLD. Lock, stock and barrel. If they follow the program, I can guarantee them results. Miraculous results. SUCCESS!

Of course, I don't tell them they can get their money back. MUHAHAHAHA!!!

What do you think?

On to my commenter's - these are my responses to yesterday's comments:

Lili - I just love the way you threw that "BTW - I'm starting P2 today" - like I wouldn't notice it or something??? Sorry I missed your phone call yesterday, will get with you today!

Monica - yeah! I remember that dream you had. And when I woke up and thought about mine, my mind immediately went to yours and I was like, is there something to this? I am wondering if your right, if when our sleep is interrupted, does our losing process interrupted too? Interesting.

Marshall - It all ties together doesn't it??? Well, I had a great nights sleep last night and had a pretty powerful weight loss today, so maybe you can play "catch up"?

Ed and Jenn - OH YEAH! That was YOU with the Mt Dew! LOL - I forgot about that! We are cyber connected, how weird is that??? I was shocked to find out JPS weighs herself multiple times during the day. ROFL

Wendy - ME and SLEEP? Let me just tell you this, I have ALWAYS needed my sleep to function. In high school I used to come home and take a nap even before I could do my homework. And still I was in bed by 9pm. I wish I could survive on less sleep. Geesh, life would be grand!

Mary - Like Wendy said, it's all subjective. The trick is to find out what YOUR needs are and then MEET them!

BB - Nice to have you back again! I think you may be right on the REM thing, that is when most of the restful sleep comes from, probably letting the body processes that are important take over.

Becca - Do you find yourself a bit more sleepy on HCG (after the first week that is) then off? I do. During my 2nd round I noticed it more than any other so far. I just had really REALLY good sleep. Like making up for lost time or something???

Make it a good one people!

Biz

Do You Dream About Your Weight? - 01.28.08 - D07P2R4

R4P2 Starting Weight 184.4
Yesterday - 174.2
Today - 174.0
0.2 lb LOSS Overnight
1.4 lb UNDER LIW of Round Three (175.4)
10.4 Lost Since Start of R4 (VLCD) 01/22/08
76.8 Total Lost Since Start of Protocol (VLCD) 06/26/07

Here is my menu for yesterday. This is what I had:

An apple and a half a grapefruit. Lunch was Chicken - Fajita Style. Dinner was a Creole Chicken (Cajun Chicken and Tomatoes)

A total of around 447 calories divided this way: 3 Fat, 46 Carbs, 53 Protein

GO HERE AND SIGN UP FOR UPCOMING HCG NEWSLETTER!!! It's coming honest! Just waiting on my partner to put the finishing touches on it!

Let's not forget the HCG BOOK CLUB - join in on the fun! If you haven't signed up for it yet, please do so now. eMail Address Form

Our FAQ Question this go round is the following, please spend some time if you can answering this survey:

Thanks goes to Mariel for answering the survey. Any others willing to approach this subject?

Foods on Phase 2 - Do Some Work Better Than Others?

It Was a Good Run!

I knew it had to slow down, a body can only do so much in just 6 completed days! Not gonna over analyze it, I am WAY more than half way to my goal and I am just gonna let the HCG perform it's magic.

The numbers don't lie:

Day 6 (Complete) - Round 4 = 5.64% Body Weight Loss
Day 6 (Complete) - Round 3 = 4.97% Body Weight Loss
Day 6 (Complete) - Round 2 = 3.54% Body Weight Loss
Day 6 (Complete) - Round 1 = 3.35% Body Weight Loss

Want to hear something interesting? On Rounds 1 and 2 on Day 7 I stalled. On my 3rd round that didn't happen, but I feel it's interesting to note that it did on my first two rounds! Is my body this consistent???

Do You Dream About Your Weight?

I just so happen to have been woken up this morning in the middle of a dream. My husband was looking for something and had to wake me up to find it. It was some medicine that he needed to be able to sleep the rest of the morning.

Since I am not one to remember my dreams very often, I forced myself to stay awake so that I could remember this one. It was a good one! It involved a scale. And yes, I loved the scale and the scale loved me.

I tell you where this came from. For the first time since starting this protocol, I have gotten into this weird habit of weighing myself at different times during the day, just to see what is going on. And so since it's becoming sort of a habit, I guess it has gotten into my subconscious mind and now I am dreaming about it.

My dream was about me stepping on the scale and it reading back 128 - now where did THAT come from??? I have NO dreams about being that small!!! I have my theories on where that came from, and it was YOU JENN! I remember talking to my sister yesterday on the phone and I was like, there is this girl that has a blog that is your height and she is like at 128 or so - that means you can get there too! I told my sister that this girl started at almost the same weight as she did, and that this was her third round (which my sister was about to embark on too) and that she has already gotten down to this weight after being around 140 to start. My sister was just thrilled!

So anyway, having this dream made me think about dreaming and sleep and such so I did a little research this morning and I found this article:

The Dream Diet - Losing Weight While You Sleep

Most interesting this article is! It has pretty much confirmed a lot of things that JPS have talked about extensively, that you need your sleep in order to lose weight. Some of the article spends time on sleep apnea, which is a different topic all together, but what I focused in on was the fact that these two hormones, "leptin and ghrelin" can be responsible for our ability to lose weight during the day.

Evidently, they are discovering that these two hormones are produced while we sleep, and these have the ability to control our appetite. They feel there is a relation to having a lack of sleep and obesity - if we don't allow these hormones to be produced while we sleep, then while we are awake our appetite soars and we start eating more things to help us 'get energy' and to stay awake.

Wow, what a vicious cycle this is eh?

Another article that was interesting in this regard was this:

If You're Planning to Lose Weight in the New Year, Experts Say "Think Sleep"

In this article, it's basically telling us sure everybody has a New Year's Resolution to lose weight, but they do nothing to help them sleep better which is a big factor in our ability to lose weight. But what I found most interesting is when it tells us that lack of sleep can contribute to lack of the "Growth Hormone" being produced which is needed for adults to regulate the proportion of fat and muscle.

Hmmmm

I didn't get GOOD sleep last night. Baby girl is sick and I spent the night with her and with all her coughing and sneezing keeping me up, and then hubby waking me up to find medicine, my sleep was interrupted all night. Hmmmm, could this be the reason for the small .2 loss?

On to my commenter's - these are my responses to yesterday's comments:

Mariel - What name do you go by on the discussion board??? I have two dressing in my sidebar that I use pretty much extensively. With the mustard dressing I have switched now to using Dijon and have enjoyed it MUCH more! Thanks for the nice words!

Mary - Thanks girl!!!

Ed and Jenn (Gotta add Ed in there now, knowing that he looks over your shoulder) - Added protein? Hmmm, I have had more than the amount allowed on several occasions with no harm done, but would I recommend it??? Not all the time, no. I get all my oriental stuff from the local Asian Market, I am sure there is one in almost every big city!

Monica - I think you have a plan, just make sure they don't throw any sauces on it and you should be just fine! Thanks girl, and LOOK AT YOUR PICS!!!

Becca - Thanks girl! Loving life at the moment!

Take it easy, Biz

Are You Prepared? - 01.27.08 - D06P2R4

R4P2 Starting Weight 184.4
Yesterday - 175.8
Today - 174.2
1.6 lb LOSS Overnight
1.2 lb UNDER LIW of Round Three (175.4)
10.2 Lost Since Start of R4 (VLCD) 01/22/08
76.6 Total Lost Since Start of Protocol (VLCD) 06/26/07

Here is my menu for yesterday. This is what I had:

An apple and a half a grapefruit. Lunch was Ground Beef Cajun Style - with tomatoes. Dinner was a large lettuce salad. As you can see, I didn't have my 2nd serving of protein yesterday, lack of planning caused this and this subject will be approached below.

A total of around 318 calories divided this way: 7 Fat, 39 Carbs, 29 Protein

GO HERE AND SIGN UP FOR UPCOMING HCG NEWSLETTER!!! It's coming honest! Just waiting on my partner to put the finishing touches on it!

Let's not forget the HCG BOOK CLUB - join in on the fun! If you haven't signed up for it yet, please do so now. eMail Address Form

Our FAQ Question this go round is the following, please spend some time if you can answering this survey:

Only two answers so far? Any others willing to approach this subject?

Foods on Phase 2 - Do Some Work Better Than Others?

Seriously

Another 1.6 Overnight! Where did that come from??? Well, I am BELOW my LIW and with a bit to spare! WOO HOO FOR ME! After 5 completed days, I lost all that I gained on my break and I am in the "Gravy Zone" - oh yeah, that's the way I like it!

Let's see the winners from my little contest?

Oh Yeah! Good Guess Gals!

• Cathy - Day 6, which would be Sunday
• Monica - Sunday

Oops, Didn't Happen

• Jennifer - Friday - Sorry :(
• Rosie - Friday - Sorry :(
• Becca - Friday - Sorry :(
• Martha - Saturday - Sorry :(
• Mary - Saturday - Sorry :(
• Wendy - Saturday - Sorry :(
• Page - Monday - Sorry :(
  

Sorry Page.

Most excellent! Monica and Cathy, please contact me, you folks already know how ;) and let me know your snail mail addy. Please don't post it here ok? You should have my email addy or use the contact form on the right side of my side bar. Thanks for playing all of you! That was fun!!!

You know I love my numbers - let's look at them again!

Day 5 (Complete) - Round 4 = 5.53% Body Weight Loss
Day 5 (Complete) - Round 3 = 4.24% Body Weight Loss
Day 5 (Complete) - Round 2 = 3.54% Body Weight Loss
Day 5 (Complete) - Round 1 = 3.35% Body Weight Loss

JPS showed me how to do something with the Excel Chart, what do you think of this? It really shows how well my rounds are doing. And how much better each round has gotten! Totally cool!



Speaking of JPS - here is an update on her. She was at 7.8 lbs above (161.2) her LIW (153.4) when we started this round, and today she is 1.8 below (151.6) - she lost all of her gain (and then some) while on the last break yesterday, so since yesterday everything is gravy for her. She has lost a total of 9.6 in 5 completed days or 5.96% loss from starting weight. She is doing well and loving HCG!!!

Lack of Preparation

Yesterday was a strange day. We had a going away party we needed to attend. We have known about this for a couple of weeks, so this wasn't an issue. But what I didn't know was that our family was asked to bring some food to the party. So I had to scramble to prepare something quickly.

Ok, so that wasn't such an issue. The party was to start at 4pm, but my husband was asked to be there at 3pm since he was DJ and was providing all the sound equipment. He went ahead and left and we were to follow.

Before we left, JPS asked what were we going to do about dinner. This was around 3:15pm and quite frankly I hadn't thought anything about dinner. So I said, look, the party is close enough that we can excuse ourselves around dinner time for a few minutes, come home and cook ourselves some dinner and then go back. We said this because we both thought it was going to be a plain ole party, something we wouldn't mind leaving.

Well, when we got there, we found that this was gonna be a FUN party, and that we weren't going to want to miss a minute of it! So I told JPS, look, I saw some bagged lettuce greens in the kitchen, and I just KNOW someone will bring some fried chicken (after all, this IS the south!) and we can split a breast (after taking off the skin) and we should be fine.

Well, do you know, not ONE person brought fried chicken??? Oh they brought chicken alright, but baked and only thighs and legs!!! ROFL - JPS took a chance on a thigh - I didn't, not wanting to chance it - she still lost a pound!!! So since there was nothing else there for me to nibble on, I just stuck to a dry bagged lettuce salad! That is why I didn't have my 2nd protein.

Preparation is the Key

Yes, this is the key to the success of this protocol. Sure, I still lost 1.6 today, but had this been further into my round, I can almost guarantee you that something different would have happened.

JPS and I got to talking about this this morning. We both agreed that if ever in this situation again, we would spend a few minutes and boil us an egg so that at least we would have our protein. As much as I am toying with a different "diet" for the protocol, what I will not ever recommend is going without our protein. This is dangerous stuff. Dr Simeon's tells us we are on the verge of Protein Deficiency during the protocol, so anything less than our 7 oz of protein a day will lead to horrible consequences. Especially if we are wanting to maintain day to day living activity.

So word to the wise, be prepared, don't throw caution to the wind and just HOPE things work. Plan your work, and work your plan. Being haphazard can cause inconsistent results.

I wont be doing that again!

On to my commenter's - these are my responses to yesterday's comments:

Mary - VERY interesting! I about died when I heard that from Lynne! It was like, oh yeah, that makes sense! You wont be sorry about the Thai Soup, mmmmm.

Jenn - Sambal Oelek - and yes, I usually make my own broth, but recently, I have found this organic broth available at my local grocery store Food Lion called Nature's Place and it's quite good and I have used it extensively. I get the LOW SODIUM variety and it works just fine for me. Oh, sorry I didn't live up to your request, but hey, I just have one thing to say, HA! LOL - tell Ed he could be where I am if he would quit cheating! ROFL

Monica - Gosh, if I couldn't have cabbage on the protocol, I would go NUTS!

Wendy - MMMM, corned beef! I love me some corned beef and cabbage! What a very Atkins Friendly Meal eh???

Have a great one people!

Biz

Let's Learn About Cabbage - 01.26.08 - D05P2R4

R4P2 Starting Weight 184.4
Yesterday - 177.4
Today - 175.8
1.6 lb LOSS Overnight
0.4 lb Over LIW of Round Three (175.4)
8.6 Lost Since Start of R4 (VLCD) 01/22/08
75.0 Total Lost Since Start of Protocol (VLCD) 06/26/07

Here is my menu for yesterday. This is what I had:

An apple and a half a grapefruit. Lunch was Ground Beef Patty with Red Cabbage Cole Slaw. Dinner was Baby Bok Choy Soup again.

A total of around 432 calories divided this way: 7 Fat, 47 Carbs, 56 Protein

GO HERE AND SIGN UP FOR UPCOMING HCG NEWSLETTER!!! It's coming honest! Just waiting on my partner to put the finishing touches on it!

Let's not forget the HCG BOOK CLUB - join in on the fun! If you haven't signed up for it yet, please do so now. eMail Address Form

Ok! I have formatted and put up the FAQ on "TOM - Aunt Flo Issues"!!! Yeah! I actually accomplished something yesterday!

Our FAQ Question this go round is the following, please spend some time if you can answering this survey:

Thank you Jeanne and Ann for helping me with the FAQ yesterday. Any others willing to approach this subject?

Foods on Phase 2 - Do Some Work Better Than Others?

HA! 1.6 Overnight! I am on my way! 8.6 of the 9 lbs above LIW gone in four completed days, gotta love my HCG! Only 0.4 more lbs until I am at LIW - when will that be??? Who is a part of my little contest from Wednesday?

Still In The Running:

• Cathy - Day 6, which would be Sunday
• Monica - Sunday
• Page - Monday (But was late so not part of the prize package)
  

Oops, Didn't Happen

• Jennifer - Friday - Sorry :(
  
• Rosie - Friday - Sorry :(
  
• Becca - Friday - Sorry :(
• Martha - Saturday - Sorry :(
• Mary - Saturday - Sorry :(
• Wendy - Saturday - Sorry :(

Sorry Martha, Mary and Wendy - I feel like I let you gals down. But still it was a good loss yes??? It would have been SWEET to already be done with the above LIW numbers, but still, I don't think I am doing all that bad??? I am doing everything according to plan, not deviating yet (like some people out there 'wink wink').

Day 4 (Complete) - Round 4 = 4.66% Body Weight Loss
Day 4 (Complete) - Round 3 = 3.62% Body Weight Loss
Day 4 (Complete) - Round 2 = 3.17% Body Weight Loss
Day 4 (Complete) - Round 1 = 2.95% Body Weight Loss

Do you folks see a pattern here? OMG! Isn't that funny to look at??? Who would have thought? You all know how important I think these particular numbers are, and it's not letting me down!

I know how important it is to put it out there in the universe the things that we want. But have any of you been afraid of putting out there what we know might be TOO MUCH? Like we are getting greedy or something?

I have never been one to be greedy. Selfish yes, but greedy? I am one always content with what I have at the moment. Maybe I need to rethink this. Maybe this is why I was overweight all those years??? Hmmm...food for thought...



Before I get into this discussion, I want to thank all of you that saw what I saw yesterday. It's good to know that I am not the only one that feels this way. There was a time that I was very strict about the protocol, shoot, I still am - I still believe deep in my heart in order to maximize losses, you follow exactly as written.

But for those of us that are on this thing for multiple rounds ... If taking a day of eating broccoli or brussel sprouts is the difference between losing it all and going off the deep end, or taking a chance of slower losses for that day, then, well, you figure it out.

That being said...

The Cabbage Family

The cabbage or cruciferous family is a group of vegetables named for their cross-shaped flowers. These include the following:

• Arugula
• Beet greens
• Bok choy
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Chinese cabbage (Napa)
• Collard greens
• Daikon
• Garden cress
• Horseradish
• Kale
• Kohlrabi
• Mizuna
• Mustard greens
• Radishes
• Rutabaga
• Swiss chard
• Tatsoi
• Turnips
• Turnip greens
• Watercress
  

So, if we go into what we were talking about yesterday, then look at all the things that would be available to us should we decide to 'read between the lines' and use the entire cabbage family? I have highlighted what she allows per his "diet" menu (for Italian Patients).

Do you see what I see? Look at all the members of the cabbage family that is native to the Orient alone? Watercress, turnips, tatsoi, Napa, Bok Choy, and Daikon! WOW! Do you think he didn't include these because these were not native to his country??? I need to do an Excel sheet comparison to the nutritional make up of each and every one of these things. That is a project for another day.

Ok, so did you know this? That the cabbage family has been known to have properties that fight cancer??? They are nutrient dense and full of vitamins, and we are recommended to eat cabbage at least three times a week.

The cabbage family is an "antioxidant" and we all know how important this is to our health. In particular, the cabbage family have what they call "isothiocyanates" which is a phytochemical that combats carcinogens by neutralizing them and reducing their poisonous effect. In other words, it's even good for us to combat 'second hand smoke'.

The cabbage family vegetables also help reduce "homocysteine" levels (this is an amino acid in the blood stream - too much and your risk for coronary heart disease increases) so they reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

So, who is eating cabbage with me today???

On to my commenter's - these are my responses to yesterday's comments:

Lili - make sure you keep GOOD records, as this is all for experiment sake. I would think carrots would be a big no no, along with potatoes and tubulars in general. I know, when Marshall said green beans I about died! ROFL

Shelly - I miss my turnips as well. And I always thought that turnips and radishes were the same thing ya know? Kinda like Bok Choy and Napa Cabbage are the same to me. Maybe it's me just trying to justify, but it hasn't affected my losses. Or maybe it has, but I am happy with my losses so far! ROFL

Marshall - Thanks for chiming in Dude! HA! I never thought of green beans, and do you know that is one of my FAVORITE veggies??? Gosh, I love green beans. My mom uses to say my snack when I was real little would be green beans right out of the can in a bowl. I would sit and watch TV with them!

Wendy - HA! Isn't that funny??? Same wavelength, we have done that before! Are we cybersisters or something???

Jenn - I went into it a bit with JPS yesterday, and she was agreeing with me. Funny how we are both leaning towards the menu not being that important as we once believed, but ask her or I to do anything about it this round? Um NO - we want to stick to what we know works! ROFL - we are both planning a trip at the end of this round so we are like, why chance it???

Mary - Sorry Charlie...just didn't make it. The Dijon Dressing was the dressing I posted, but I used Dijon Mustard instead, it made it all the more sweeter! OMG! I was loving life that day! I do really love my salads, but it is so soup weather!

I have to dig out my notes. Lynne from the HCG2 board mentioned that the doctor she used on her first round with Releana mentioned that he worked with Dr Atkins at one time. He also mentioned that Dr Atkins and Dr Simeons spent time together in Switzerland many moons ago. She also said that Dr Atkins believed that his diet was a "Golden Shot" opportunity, that the first time you did it and did it right, you would have great success. He mentioned that he would not see a patient that had a relapse. Hmmmm....

Ewewho - I might try green beans this round, but I am not sure yet! Maybe if I get to goal quick, but you know I am planning a trip so I want to maximize losses, so I am a bit apprehensive at the moment! ROFL

Becca - see, this is the thing. We are all doing this "self doctoring" bit, we are doing our own research. That is why I love our little community, I can throw things out there and get 'case studies' as it were to see what works and what doesn't. How much better can that get???

Take it easy!

Biz

How Many Times Have YOU Read Pounds and Inches? - 01.25.08 - D04P2R4

R4P2 Starting Weight 184.4
Yesterday - 178.4
Today - 177.4
1.0 lb LOSS Overnight
2.0 lb Over LIW of Round Three (175.4)
7.0 Lost Since Start of R4 (VLCD) 01/22/08
73.4 Total Lost Since Start of Protocol (VLCD) 06/26/07

Here is my menu for yesterday. This is what I had:

An apple and a half a grapefruit. Lunch was Chicken & Lettuce with Dijon Mustard Dressing. Dinner was Wet Pipikaula (Hawaiian Sweet Meat, OMG! This was good!!!) and Red Cabbage Cole Slaw.

A total of around 432 calories divided this way: 7 Fat, 46 Carbs, 52 Protein

GO HERE AND SIGN UP FOR UPCOMING HCG NEWSLETTER!!! It's coming honest! Just waiting on my partner to put the finishing touches on it!

Let's not forget the HCG BOOK CLUB - join in on the fun! If you haven't signed up for it yet, please do so now. eMail Address Form

Ok! I have formatted and put up the FAQ on "TOM - Aunt Flo Issues"!!! Yeah! I actually accomplished something yesterday!

Our FAQ Question this go round is the following, please spend some time if you can answering this survey:

Foods on Phase 2 - Do Some Work Better Than Others?

HA! 1.0 Overnight! I am on my way! 7 of the 9 lbs above LIW gone in three days, gotta love my HCG! Only 2 more lbs until I am at LIW - when will that be??? Who is a part of my little contest from Wednesday?

Still In The Running:

• Martha - Saturday
• Cathy - Day 6, which would be Sunday
• Mary - Saturday
• Wendy - Saturday
• Monica - Sunday

Oops, Didn't Happen

• Jennifer - Friday - Sorry :(
  
• Rosie - Friday - Sorry :(
  
• Becca - Friday - Sorry :(
  

Becca, Rosie and Jenn, I am so sorry I didn't make it. But girls??? 9 lbs in 3 days??? What do you think I am? Some fat burning machine or something??? HA! Do you realize that for me to lose 9 lbs, that is 4.88% of my starting weight??? That usually doesn't take place until the 5th - 11th completed day - I guess I should have let you know that little tidbit of information eh???

I know, I know, you all were being extremely sweet to me. Just being my little cheering section!!! I feel like I should offer you a 'trying' prize...hmmm...let me think on this a bit...



So Really, How Many Times Have YOU Read Pounds and Inches?

Me? I seriously couldn't tell you. It's been alot! During my first round, that manuscript was by my side each and every day. I printed the original manuscript out, put it in a binder and I looked at it every day. When I first got it, I read it twice the same day - front to back. It was so enlightening, everything this dear man said rang so true in this feeble ole brain of mine.

While on the forums, I would be tested as to my knowledge, so there I was, looking it over time and time again. Someone (bless their soul) had taken the time to convert the manuscript into a digital format, so now I could use the SEARCH feature to find the exact excerpt that I wanted and be able to answer a question from it - in HIS words, not in mine.

So I say this because it literally BLOWS my mind when I see something I missed. I am like, what the heck happened? Did I just skip this the first 18,000 times I read it??? This happened to me the other day, with Monica when she mentioned something about Brilliantine - not that I doubted her or anything but I had to pull it out and see if for myself. And by George, it was there. I did totally skip it.

That is why I am so blessed to be a part of this community. You folks always keep me on my toes. I am always checking and rechecking, and each time I do, I seem to find out something new.

I know that some of you came on the HCG Train using the book from Kevin Trudeau. Not that I have anything against the man, but let me just leave it here - I have lost this weight without ever touching his book. And although I sure appreciate him for bringing this information to the masses, I wouldn't follow his book for all the money in the world.

Now, that being said, if those of you have ONLY read KT's book and not Dr Simeon's manuscript, then I beg of you, stop what you are doing and read it. The original scanned manuscript can be found here:

Pounds and Inches - It's a PDF so it will take a bit of time to load!

How Did I Miss This?

Ok, that whole prelude right there leads me here. I was on the HCG2 Yahoo Group yesterday, looking up some information for an answer to a post, and I came across this little tidbit, that I have completely missed, yes, the first 18,000 times I read it:

The Diet

The 500 Calorie diet is explained on the day of the second injection to those patients who will be preparing their own food, and it is most important that the person who will actually cook is present - the wife, the mother or the cook, as the case may be. Here in Italy patients are given the following diet sheet.

Notice what I have highlighted in bold - now, as most of the blogging community knows, I take everything that DR S says as literal. He meant every single word he said, and he meant it for a reason. If he left something out, then it didn't need to be considered, but if he added something in, then it DID need to be considered.

Now, this might not strike you as odd, but it did me. Why would he say "Here in Italy" - my ultimate question would be, if he were in "Mexico" would his choices of fruits / vegetables / meats be different? Quite frankly, I don't think his meat choices would be any different, as he was very specific to make up and fat content and how much we should eat. But were his fruit and vegetable choices made because that is what was available there in ITALY??? Like I said, would it have changed if he were in Mexico? Or if he was in Hawaii? Or what about Japan? Each culture has it's own native fruits and vegetables, would he have chosen different ones had he been in a different place?

This has had me wondering for some time. For instance, I use alot of Napa Cabbage and Bok Choy during my Phase 2 - did he allow it? No, he said 'cabbage' - but both of them are from the cabbage family, and I have used it with no issues. So I wonder how far I can go with this. Releana, we all know, allows Broccoli and Cauliflower on their menu with no apparent issues.

Dr S allows radishes, which is a root vegetable. Would he have allowed turnips if he were in Japan? Or jicama if he were in Mexico? Do you see where I am going with this?

I would love some discussion on this, help me out people, tell me if I am barking up the wrong tree. Tell me that Dr S saying "Here in Italy" means nothing. Go ahead. I will be watching.



On to my commenter's - these are my responses to yesterday's comments:

Lili - oh yeah, you smarty pants! I corrected it as soon as I saw your comment! I was hoping everyone would be saying, what the heck is Lili talking about. See? It takes it off of me being the dunce! Gotta love me right???

HA! That video is too much, you are TOO funny! I hope you are feeling better my sweet, I hope they found out what was wrong with you.

Mary - HA! Not swiftly enough my friend! I want it GONE and GONE now! But hey, I will take a pound a day loss anyday!

Crystal - Nope, not sold on them yet. I have read so many pros and cons, and I actually have a friend that has one. I haven't chatted with her about it yet (she is in Augusta) but I have chatted with friends of hers that believe its all a bunch of huey. Now granted, they also believe HCG is all a bunch of huey so they can't be trusted! LOL - Enjoyed our chat yesterday!

Jenn - I still should NOT be talking to you, I am still sulking - but hey, I need to get over it. At least SOMEONE is testing my theories!

CB - Thanks girl! I thought you were traveling??? I didn't expect to see you this morning???

Monica - Recipe? HA! I will write it down and post it.

Becca - Sorry Charlie, only good tasting ... forget that. But I still lost, so that still makes me a loser right??? I haven't wanted to put in my vote because, we know we all have self fulfilling prophecies right? I don't want it out there in the universe. I am so silly!

When you see that Becca, that means the person that wrote it removed it. In my experience what happens is one of two things. Something crazy happens in cyberspace and it gets posted twice. Or, what is more apt to happen, is that I hit the publish button too quickly and I didn't proof what I wrote and then I notice there is way too many mistakes and because I can't correct them, I just delete and write over. HA! It's not as sinister as you think!

Biz

What You Should Know About Brain Fog - 01.24.08 - D03P2R4

R4P2 Starting Weight 184.4
Yesterday - 180.6
Today - 178.4
2.2 lb LOSS Overnight
3.0 lb Over LIW of Round Three (175.4)
6.0 Lost Since Start of R4 (VLCD) 01/22/08
72.4 Total Lost Since Start of Protocol (VLCD) 06/26/07

Here is my menu for yesterday. This is what I had:

An apple and a half a grapefruit. Lunch was Beef and Napa Cabbage, Thai Style. Dinner was Chicken and Baby Bok Choy Soup.

A total of around 432 calories divided this way: 7 Fat, 41 Carbs, 55 Protein

GO HERE AND SIGN UP FOR UPCOMING HCG NEWSLETTER!!! It's coming honest! Just waiting on my partner to put the finishing touches on it!

Let's not forget the HCG BOOK CLUB - join in on the fun! If you haven't signed up for it yet, please do so now. eMail Address Form

Ok! I have formatted and put up the FAQ on "TOM - Aunt Flo Issues"!!! Yeah! I actually accomplished something yesterday!

Our FAQ Question this go round is the following, please spend some time if you can answering this survey:

Foods on Phase 2 - Do Some Work Better Than Others?

HA! 2.2 Overnight! I am on my way! 6 of the 9 lbs above LIW gone in two days, gotta love my HCG! Only 3 more lbs until I am at LIW - when will that be??? Who is a part of my little contest from yesterday?

• Martha - Saturday
• Cathy - Day 6, which would be Sunday
• Mary - Saturday
• Wendy - Saturday
• Monica - Sunday
• Jennifer - Friday
• Rosie - Friday
• Becca - Friday
  

WOW! I like the way you all think!!! Let's see what is gonna happen! I am doing everything exactly as programmed in the protocol, no deviations of any kind, so you have my word I am working on it!!!



Brain Fog

What is brain fog? I am sure that each and every one of us has experienced this perplexing problem. You just don't feel quite right, your spacey, your forgetful, you lack focus, everything around you seems overwhelming.

Well, this is how I have felt, I would say, over the last 10 or so days. Actually, I would have to pinpoint it to the day I went completely berserk and ate all that crud. Yup, I would have to say that is when this whole day to day living in a fog just about started.

Causes

In doing some research (isn't that what I am always doing?), I was shocked to find out the many things that can cause "Brain Fog". For example:

Insomnia - Your brain needs sleep for optimal function. Your brain is working all the time and requires a tremendous amount of energy to function properly. And when you are deprived of rest, then your brain is one of the first organs to suffer. So we must give our brains a chance to rest. Are we all getting enough rest? I am working on this one.

Candida - Oh yeah, we have heard of this before haven't we. And what causes Candida? SUGAR. And did I have sugar? Um, YES! What is interesting to learn is that you are hit from both sides of this little puppy. From the GROWING of Candida in your system, and also from the DIE OFF!!! It got you coming and going! I tell you, this might be what I am going through right now, a die off of Candida because of being on the protocol. You think?

Adrenal Fatigue - This is something I am just starting to learn about, so I don't have enough information on this to give you a synopsis, but I did find that this is also a cause of "Brain Fog".

Metal Toxicity - Lots of talk recently about Ion Foot Baths over at the HCG2 Yahoo Group, something I am not completely SOLD on yet, but I am looking into it. But it seems that our bodies are full of metals from all sorts of places, and these metal toxins like to take root in the brain and this could cause "Brain Fog".

Overuse of Artificial Sweeteners - Oh yeah, there is that nasty subject again. Fortunately, since I have been off of Coffee, I haven't had occasion to use much Artificial Sweeteners so this particular one might not be the reason for my latest episode of "Brain Fog". Some Artificial Sweeteners are considered "excitotoxins" and that means they are toxic, and can disrupt brain function.

Constipation - HA! This could be a cause of "Brain Fog"? Well, when you think about it, what are our bowels supposed to do? Get rid of waste. If the waste is there and it's not going anywhere, what does it do? OMG - let's not think about that this early in the morning.

I have only SKIMMED these causes this morning, this is much more to be learned. It's actually good to know that there is a reason that I am feeling this way, and it's not just that I am getting old. ROFL

So what can we do to help "Brain Fog"?

• Get Rest
• Take a Walk in Fresh Air
• Avoid Sugar (and Artificial Sweeteners)
• Clean Out Your System (Bowels)
• Cleanse metal toxins
  

On to my commenter's - these are my responses to yesterday's comments:

Mary - HA! The fog is lifting, slowly but surely! I got your vote recorded!

Wendy - Thanks girl! I got your vote recorded!

Monica - Got your vote recorded. It's sweet when you load your "gain load" the first night.

Jennifer - I sure enjoyed chatting with you yesterday, you are so crazy! ROFL - I think it's too much too hope for me making my LIW by tomorrow, but stranger things have happened that is for sure! Although my average right now is higher on two completed days then any of my other rounds, so who knows!

Renee - Thanks girlfriend!

Crystal - I honestly cannot believe what I did to my body during this last break, I swear, I am loving eating natural foods again. OMG! I know exactly what you are talking about. You are going to SAIL thru this girlfriend! WOO HOO - summer? Get ready for us!!!

Becca - I need to update about JPS! She didn't load on lemon bars, no, she was just the evil temptress who made them! ROFL - no, she loaded on Nutter Butters!!! LOL - She went a little nuts on those puppies! I will post a complete update on her tomorrow. We are in this for the duration. She is a bit shorter than me, so her goals are lower than mine, and we pretty much have hung around the same spread throughout the protocol, so I think we will be doing rounds together until we are done.

Take it easy folks!!!

Biz

Ok, So I Loaded! - 01.23.08 - D02P2R4

R4P2 Starting Weight 184.4
Yesterday - 184.4
Today - 180.6
3.8 lb LOSS Overnight
5.2 lb Over LIW of Round Three (175.4)
3.8 Lost Since Start of R4 (VLCD) 01/22/08
70.2 Total Lost Since Start of Protocol (VLCD) 06/26/07

Here is my menu for yesterday. This is what I had:

An apple and a half a grapefruit. Lunch was Beef and Napa Cabbage, Thai Style. Dinner was Thai Hot and Sour Soup.

A total of around 444 calories divided this way: 7 Fat, 47 Carbs, 55 Protein

GO HERE AND SIGN UP FOR UPCOMING HCG NEWSLETTER!!! It's coming honest! Just waiting on my partner to put the finishing touches on it! Maybe Wednesday?

Let's not forget the HCG BOOK CLUB - join in on the fun! If you haven't signed up for it yet, please do so now. eMail Address Form

It seems like I am always explaining! PROMISE! I will have the new FAQ's ready by tomorrow.

So I Loaded!

I still sit here thinking to myself, I really didn't eat that much. In fact, I know for a fact that I have eaten WAY more on other rounds compared to this one and yet this round was KILLER in the gain department. Let's look at some numbers, shall we?

• 1st Load - June 23 - 26, 2007 ~ I was with NHW and I loaded for THREE days, and do you know that I didn't gain ONE OUNCE? I loaded almost entirely on FAST FOOD. Sonic, Burger King, Captain D's, McDonalds, and then finally I had Mexican on the third day.
• 2nd Load - September 14 - 15, 2007 ~ Self mixing by now, so only a two day load. I went into this load BELOW LIW 2.4 lbs, so when I was done loading I was only over my LIW by .6 lbs, so this was a "gain on load" of 3 lbs. I loaded on Sushi and Italian Food.
• 3rd Load - November 24 - 25, 2007 ~ Remember now, I was in NOLA during this break. I went into this load at 3 lbs above my LIW and with the load I went up to 5.8 lbs above my LIW - so only 2.8 lbs were gained on the load itself. This time I loaded on Chinese Food and Carrot Cake.
• 4th Load - January 20 - 21, 2008 ~ Now, this is the killer load, but when I really look at the "load" itself, it's not all that far out of whack. I have to remember that I went into the load already above my LIW - I was 5.2 lbs above LIW, so my load only consisted of a gain of 3.8 lbs!
  

Now isn't that interesting - the day I started my injections I was 180.6 lbs, and today I am 180.6 lbs. So I have technically lost all my "gain on load" in just one night. When I look back on my 2nd load? The same thing happened, 3 lbs gained on load, 3 lbs lost the first night. On my 3rd load? 2.8 lbs gained on load, but this time I only lost 2.4 the first night.

If you ask me? This is pretty remarkable! Seriously, think about it. I can reasonably assure myself that whatever I 'gain on load' will be gone by the first night. Now I am not talking about what is OVER LIW, because that isn't fair to think that my body can recover that quickly, but to be able to lose the 'load' overnight, for me anyway (YMMV) is pretty sweet.

Still I think about this past load, and seriously, the only thing I indulged in were those lemon bars. And I had JPS (evil) with me keep asking me, you gonna have another? Remember, this is your load, you wanted these. She was like this little chihuahua on my heels begging me to eat those dang lemon bars. HA! I say that, but she didn't tie me down and make me eat them, I am still a free moral agent and it was my own HAND TO MOUTH that did it, but isn't it nice sometimes to place the blame on someone else?

So there, I guess I did load. And loaded on something that I don't think I will do the next time. I would rather spend my time on good things - those dang lemon bars made me go thru sugar withdrawals yesterday, I swear, my head was in a major fog all day. I couldn't think straight, I couldn't concentrate, it was a wash yesterday.

But I am ON MY WAY PEOPLE! Now, I just need to drop this extra 5.2 lbs to be back to my LIW and then it's all gravy after that!

How long do you think it will take me? Let's have a contest - and the winner(s) will receive and personal gift from me, something "crafty" - that's all I can afford! ROFL

Tell me, how long do you think it will take me to get to my LIW? What VLCD day do you think I will be on when I either HIT my LIW or surpass it (but on that day)? Either leave me a comment here on my blog, in my Tag Board on the left side bar, or my comment form on the right side bar, or email me at bizadventure at comcast dot net


On to my commenter's - these are my responses to yesterday's comments:

Lili - Yeah, I know, I couldn't believe I could find it. OMG - that video gives me goose pimples from head to toe, that song does, just thinking about it right now gives me them! Can you even believe I dropped my LOAD in one night? Ugh, that sounds kinda nasty...ROFL...enjoyed our chat yesterday!

Mary - I am so glad it was here when you needed it. It looks like it fit the bill for so many different people, I am so happy. It helped me as well!

CB - I didn't post yesterday's post to anyone in particular, but it seems that there was more than one that needed it. I know you are not giving up, but sometimes we all need reminders that there are others out there that are facing similar things and just knowing that sometimes makes that journey a little more livable. Get your head on straight, and come back. Don't leave us tho, keep posting ok?

Monica - Thanks girl! I hope you see GREAT LOSS results today, after your "peeing" fest.

Jennifer - Seriously, JPS has NEVER seen me eat something like that before. Sure she was egging me on, but in the end she looked at me and said, "you really liked those didn't you"? I was like, um YEAH, what was your first clue??? HA! It was an indulgence, and one I paid for yesterday with massive sugar withdrawal. SUGAR IS NOT MY THING! I should have stuck with the BEER! ROFL - I so crack myself up sometimes! Hey girl, maybe you can help me with the "closet eater" post? Drop me a line when you can ok?

Wendy - I can so relate, thank you my sweet! How cool! Your favorite BRA! Would could be better???

Crystal - Am I to assume you are starting another round soon??? WOO HOO FOR CRYSTAL! You go girl!

Paul - It's because of all of you that I am where I am today. Thank you for being there.

Ann - Girl, just what I mean, you need to go take a look at Becca's Blog, she had an AWESOME post about attitude adjustments and it was so SPOT ON! I am so happy yesterday's post provided some help for you.

Becca - Seriously woman, we were of the same mind. I don't know if I should be worried? ROFL - but your post, dang girl, that was a GOOD one. It ties right in to Cathy's (Veggie #1) motto - Cheating is NOT an option. LOVE IT! Thank you for being there!

Shelly - Another one bites the blogging world! WOO HOO! Thanks for the visit, and I will be visiting your blog sometime today! THIS SO ROCKS! You are so right!

Take it easy!

Biz

Don't Give Up - 01.22.08 - D01P2R4

R4P2 Starting Weight 184.4
Yesterday - 181.6
Today - 184.4
2.8 lb GAIN Overnight
9.0 lb Over LIW of Round Three (175.4)
0.0 Lost Since Start of R4 (VLCD) 01/22/08
66.4 Total Lost Since Start of Protocol (VLCD) 06/26/07

Here is my menu for yesterday. This is what I had:

8 Lemon Bars, countem, 8. A small amount of leftover Somen Salad. A ChickFilA sandwich. And a Regular Size Sub from Quizno's.

A total of around 3034 calories divided this way: 136 Fat, 361 Carbs, 103 Protein

GO HERE AND SIGN UP FOR UPCOMING HCG NEWSLETTER!!! It's coming honest! Just waiting on my partner to put the finishing touches on it! Maybe Wednesday?

Let's not forget the HCG BOOK CLUB - join in on the fun! If you haven't signed up for it yet, please do so now. eMail Address Form

I got busy with the kids yesterday so I didn't have the time to make a new FAQ, that is on my list for today. I will have the two FAQ's ready by tomorrow and a new survey ready for the taking.

The subject of my gain will be handled tomorrow. I had this topic in mind from yesterday and couldn't let it go.

Don't Give Up!

Don't give up ~ cause you have friends
Don't give up ~ you're not the only one
Don't give up ~ no reason to be ashamed
Don't give up ~ you still have us
Don't give up now ~ we're proud of who you are
Don't give up ~ you know it's never been easy
Don't give up ~ cause I believe theres a place
Theres a place where we belong

Not so long ago I was in a very low place. It had gotten so low I honestly didn't know how I was going to crawl out. I remember one day in particular well because it was the day that I saw light at the end of that tunnel. I walked out to my car after work and taped to my window was a note from a very dear friend. A friend that I had avoided because of me being in this low place, but a friend that had never given up on me. The note contained the words to a song by Peter Gabriel "Don't Give Up".

If you have never heard the song, you need to hear it. If you have heard the song, you know the effect that this song can have. This song played a significant role in bringing me back to reality. Since that time, listening to this song has always lifted me from feeling that I am all alone in my struggles.

There are those of you out there that struggle, especially in regards to the protocol. There are enough of us in our community that have been on the protocol long enough to pretty much have experienced everything there is to experience in doing it. I don't think there is anything that someone would post that one of us couldn't step up to the plate and say, oh yeah, that happened to me too. Isn't there comfort in the fact that we are all here to help each other? Isn't there a measure of security in knowing that no matter where we turn in our little "protocol home" we know someone out there will be able to know exactly where we are and what we are going thru?

We are a support group. Our little community of bloggers, some vocal, some not so much, is our very own daily therapy session. I can't speak for everyone, but just knowing that you all are out there is a daily dose of sweet goodness to me.

Please remember that we are here. We are ALL here to help.

Whatever may come
And whatever may go
That rivers flowing

That river is our community. It flows with comfort. No matter what. Don't give up. You have friends.



On to my commenter's - these are my responses to yesterday's comments:

Monica - HA! I guess 8 lemon bars DOES constitute a load! LOL - didn't eat much of anything else, but I had to get rid of those lemon bars. OMG!

Lili - I SEE I SEE - WOO HOO!!!! I jotted you an email this morning...

Jennifer - If 4 was almost 1000, imagine 8. OMG! That is what I call YUMMY! I can officially say now tho, I am completely over Lemon Bars! ROFL - Oh gosh Jenn (I hope you don't mind me calling you that) - I need to do a post on "closet" eaters. I was one! I was one that people said, why is she so big, she hardly eats anything. FOOLED THEM! This will be a good topic I think!

Mary - I will post the recipe for the soup later on today ok? I had a lemon bar for you, did you taste it???

Ewewho - After I read your comment, I looked up those donuts to see how many calories were in each one, just to do a comparison! OMG! They are like 200 each! I was like, so I can have a dozen of these lemon bars and do what "R" did! So, I ate "8" of them just because of that! hehe - am I bad or what? Didn't eat much else all day, just those dang lemon bars. OVER IT!

B - Today is the day, and I couldn't be happier! WOO HOO FOR ME!

Renee - Ok, now you will be able to read my posts! I am officially on Phase 2! Now what I did yesterday is DEFINITELY loading to me. OMG - 9 lbs over LIW? First time since I started this protocol I am this high for a start. Oh well, live and learn. That will be the subject of my post tomorrow.

Later gaters,

Biz

What Constitutes a Load? - 01.21.08 - Round 4 - 2nd "Load" Day

LIW - 175.4 lbs (12/17/07)
Today's Weight - 181.6 lbs
6.2 OVER LIW

Here is my menu for yesterday. This is what I had:

Not much of a load, although I did consume a bunch of calories! Dang those Lemon Bars! So this is what I ate yesterday, no set schedule. A banana, sliver of Red Velvet Cake, some Oreos, some of my Mock Potato Salad, a Lemon Bar, some Fritos, oh yeah, another Lemon Bar! For dinner we had something I have been hankering for for some time, Somen Salad - and then, you got it, another Lemon Bar. A total of around 1643 calories divided this way: 80 Fat, 168 Carbs, 68 Protein

GO HERE AND SIGN UP FOR UPCOMING HCG NEWSLETTER!!! It's coming honest! Just waiting on my partner to put the finishing touches on it!

Let's not forget the HCG BOOK CLUB - join in on the fun! If you haven't signed up for it yet, please do so now. eMail Address Form

I have taken down the latest FAQ - I have now two FAQ's in my possession that I need to work on to get uploaded. By tomorrow I will have those available, as well as putting up a new FAQ question for us to get ready for.


What Constitutes a Load?

I feel I didn't load yesterday, yet I had over 2300 calories. Funny how odd that number looks. There was a time on Atkins when I was eating anywhere from 2000 - 2500 calories a day, and I was pretty much eating a ton of food. Do you know how much you have to eat in order to get 2500 calories in and not touch carbs? It's pretty darn hard.

I didn't eat much yesterday, but I had 912 calories alone in those dang Lemon Bars. I have to tell you, JPS outdid herself with these things. I haven't had a lemon bar for almost 10 years. When I lived near Augusta, GA there was a Fresh Market there, and they had about the best Lemon Bars on the planet, put all others to shame so that when I left that the area, I pretty much gave them up.

Don't ask me why I had a hankering for them before I started my round 4, but I did and JPS delivered! They are awesome. But here is the thing ... each one of those little 2" x 2" squares run about 228 calories a piece, eat four of those puppies and you're up to 912 calories on them alone.

Did they fill me up? NOPE, but almost 1000 calories on that alone? That gave me about 1300 calories to eat on "regular" food. Not much really, when you consider all I ate extra was a little of my Mock Potato Salad and the Somen Salad (oh yeah, forgot about a few fried wontons as well) among other things.

Does that qualify as a load?

To me? Nope. Sure I ate things I wouldn't normally eat, but did I fill myself to capacity? Nope. Did I gorge? Nope. The mock potato salad and the somen salad with wontons I would have normally eaten during the day. Sure I would never have eaten 4 lemon bars in one day, but that doesn't constitute a load, does it?

When I compare what I ate yesterday to some of the menus I have had in the past, there is really no comparison, and then reality hits me. I used to eat a LOT of food. Good gracious. If I was FULL on what I ate yesterday, how did I never get full on twice that amount of food in the past???

Shoot, I used to "load" daily before HCG. No wonder I was 'morbidly obese' - I ate a ton of food.

So did I load or didn't I? I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder. It's nowhere NEAR what I did my first OR my 2nd round. It is sorta what I did for my 3rd round. Just pretty much ate what I wanted with some Carrot Cake thrown in.

Oh well - we shall see yes?

BTW - I feel the HCG already in my system. It's flowing because my interest in food is waining. I felt it start happening yesterday late afternoon. I love my HCG.


On to my commenter's - these are my responses to yesterday's comments:

Wendy - WOO HOO! You are back among the living! So we will be one day apart you and I yes? We have a BUNCH on this round to join us! How cool is that! We shall most assuredly compare notes!

Jennifer - HA! Did you call it today? One pound gain! I am sure it's from all that salt yesterday, oh yeah, Somen Salad is LOADED with it! Cream Cheese on a lemon bar? Interesting, must remember that little trick for my 5th ROUND! LOL - Good to hear no hunger. But I don't know if it's just a 3rd round thing or what, because everyone seems to do really well on the 3rd round! About the no coffee thing? It just happened that way. I am not "desiring" it so why drink it. I am actually really enjoying drinking tea again. Go figure.

Mary - The coffee thing? I really wasn't trying to kick the habit, it just happened that way. I was really starting to get concerned about my doing coffee on my 4th round because I had really gotten into the cream, but so far I am not wanting it, so we shall see. It's ON GIRL! LOL

Ewewho - Yup, back among all you LOSERS! Excellent! I can't wait to see that 100 lb lost moniker! I don't think it will happen this round, but I can almost be sure it will happen NEXT round! Won't that be a hoot???

Renee - Thanks sweetie! Now you will have to watch me post my phase 2 recipes and it wont be so bad...LOL

Monica - see there? Everything works out! I love your blog by the way! Good for YOU!

Almost back to my regular self peeps!

Biz

Another New Beginning - 01.20.08 - Round 4 - 1st "Load" Day

LIW - 175.4 lbs (12/17/07)
Today's Weight - 180.6 lbs
5.2 OVER LIW

Here is my menu for yesterday. This is what I had:

HA! I had you folks going yesterday didn't I?

I can't tell you my "secret" yet, but know that I am feverishly working on it behind the scenes.

So this is what I ate yesterday, no set schedule. A banana, an apple, some Oreos and some Nutter Butters, an Omelet with Spam, tomatoes, cheese, green and red onions, and then some Chili with Frito's for supper with some Red Velvet Cake for dessert. Yeah, I started "loading" a little early. A total of around 1643 calories divided this way: 80 Fat, 168 Carbs, 68 Protein

GO HERE AND SIGN UP FOR UPCOMING HCG NEWSLETTER!!! It's coming honest! Just waiting on my partner to put the finishing touches on it!

Let's not forget the HCG BOOK CLUB - join in on the fun! If you haven't signed up for it yet, please do so now. eMail Address Form

Thanks Becca, for filling out the survey! Please fill out this survey if you haven't already! Stalls, Gains and Cravings - What to do? P2 Experience Only


Another New Beginning

Today marks the beginning of my 4th round. 4th ROUND! WOW! Can you even believe it? I can't, seriously. JPS mixed up our stuff last night (it took her all of 5 minutes) and as we were pulling our injections for this morning (we always pull the night before) we both looked at each other and cracked up. We were like, OMG! Another round!

We are both SO ready. I am ready to see the 160's, and she is ready to see the 140's. We will both be there come the 17th of Feb, which will be our LIW.

I am not setting any goals yet, not until I know what my weight will be post "load". Let's discuss loading for a minute. A few days ago I asked your opinion of loading. I got varied answers and I appreciate all of them. I am going to perform a test for this round. I am seriously not going to "load" to capacity. I am going to eat things I generally don't eat (like the lemon bars JPS is making for me today) but I am not going to STUFF myself. I will keep a detailed account of my feelings, and I promise to be completely candid as to hunger and the like.

Point of interest. I have not had coffee since Thursday the 11th. Not one drop. I have drank tea (dandelion in particular) but I drink NOTHING in my tea. I think I will be able to do this next round without coffee! And I was dreading that, quite frankly. JPS keeps asking me daily, are you still not drinking coffee? And I am like, nope, and she says, that's just wrong. ROFL

So I gave myself my first injection for the start of this round this morning. Not one iota of an issue. I didn't hesitate whatsoever.

There are a few new blogs on the horizon, pay them a visit if you can and welcome them into our community!

We have Ed and Jennifer! Jennifer has been an avid commenter to our little community for quite a while, but has finally decided to join us in BLOGGING! WOO HOO!!! She shares this journey with her husband.

We have Monica - Monica is another avid commenter and has been around for quite awhile, just hadn't started the protocol until just recently. I gotta say, she is having PHENOM results! Welcome her please!

Finally we have someone I wandered on to from Winston's blog - thanks Winston for the link. Fattycakes just started the protocol herself and she could use some of our community blog love!


On to my commenter's - these are my responses to yesterday's comments:

Jennifer - hehe, mastery level, I LOVE IT! You always have the coolest little sayings. You are just gonna have to hang on sweetie, I can't let the cat out of the bag yet! Rewards are given to those with patience.

Becca - Oh yeah, the Margarita was so worth it. It was an indulgence I don't take part in very often. Me and Tequila? Well let's just say me and Jose have a history, and it isn't pretty. ROFL - Keep that head start my friend, because I am ON MY WAY! ROFL - THANKS for filling out the FAQ - it's been WAITING for you! LOL - now I can switch to another question...LOL

Monica - It is! It's something that I have seriously been working on for about 10 days, trying to find JUST the right thing and it all came together yesterday morning and I was just like jumping up and down in my chair. You folks will hear about it soon enough, just have patience.

Mary - HA! You folks are so funny! I am hoping things are the way you say, I am hoping my round will be killer! My third round was too much to ask for, can I be selfish and expect the same thing??? We can dream eh?

B - You should know by now that I always have something up my sleeve ... I gotta do something to keep you folks coming back! LOL

Until tomorrow, Biz

Another Short Update - 01.19.08 - D10P4R3

LIW - 175.4 lbs (12/17/07)
Today's Weight - 183.2 lbs
7.8 OVER LIW

Here is my menu for yesterday. This is what I had:

Before all of you positively go BONKERS, let me tell you what happened this morning. I am working on some things that are secret (shhhhhh) and I got so excited while working on this project this morning that I completely forgot to weigh myself at the right time. So I weighed just a bit ago, and this is AFTER I have already drunk almost 2 liters of water and have eaten a banana. So not so bad, considering I had Mexican last night, which included a MARGARITA (or two!). If a gallon of water weighs 8 lbs, then a half a gallon is 4 lbs, and 2 liters is about a half a gallon, you can see where all that extra weight came from this morning!

So this is what I ate yesterday, no set schedule. A banana, some leftover steak and some of my Mock Potato Salad, some of those Arare (Japanese Crackers), a couple of Oreo Cookies (double stuff no less), and then Mexican. I had some Spanish Rice with some Taco Meat with some chips and salsa. You know that I am just full of salt. If my FitDay is close to the amount of sodium recorded, it says I had over 5000 mg!!!

I am seriously ready for Phase 2!!!!!!!!!!

A total of around 2010 calories divided this way: 79 Fat, 186 Carbs, 83 Protein

GO HERE AND SIGN UP FOR UPCOMING HCG NEWSLETTER!!! It's coming honest! Just waiting on my partner to put the finishing touches on it!

Let's not forget the HCG BOOK CLUB - join in on the fun! If you haven't signed up for it yet, please do so now. eMail Address Form

Please fill out this survey if you haven't already! Stalls, Gains and Cravings - What to do? P2 Experience Only


Tomorrow I start my Round 4 Phase 2 - WOO HOO!!!!

On to my commenter's - these are my responses to yesterday's comments:

Mary - Yup, I got my Mexican in! I was happy, and now I am content to start P2 again!

Ewewho - Oh yes darlin! I am ready to be a loser!

Monica - It was a taste of home, that is for sure. I enjoyed it again yesterday!

Jennifer - I'm ready already! Tomorrow is my first injection for Round 4! I didn't realize you were that short! My sister is 4'11.5" (she always adds that .5"!) and so I know of wanting a little lower weight for that size body. She is 60 this year, and she feels 125 is a good weight for her age. She is hoping it accomplish that in one more round. Mmmmm, WINE! There is another LUSH out there, WENDY!!! Where are you my sweet???

Crystal - No, don't go to an Asian store, it's NOT good for you! ROFL

Later gaters,

Biz

Short Update - 01.18.08 - D09P4R3

LIW - 175.4 lbs (12/17/07)
Today's Weight - 179.0 lbs
3.6 OVER LIW

Here is my menu for yesterday. This is what I had:

It all started with a trip to the Asian Market with my husband who stayed home yesterday because of the rain. That was the beginning of the end for me! LOL - While there, something caught my eye, and I wanted something I haven't had in a very VERY long time. In Hawaii we call it "Kaki Mochi" which is basically a Rice Cracker coated with Soy Sauce (also called "Arare") - I wanted it, I didn't care about the gain it would produce, after all, I am headed to another round starting Sunday!

Oh the things we tell ourselves! Anyway, I am sure the sodium (and MSG!) from that plus the WINE I drank all contributed to the .8 gain (and let's not forget the Cheesy Garlic Bread I indulged in as well!). No worries, I have it under control - it's funny how I can almost predict what will happen these days. A total of around 2184 calories divided this way: 113 Fat, 125 Carbs, 104 Protein

GO HERE AND SIGN UP FOR UPCOMING HCG NEWSLETTER!!! It's coming honest! Just waiting on my partner to put the finishing touches on it!

Let's not forget the HCG BOOK CLUB - join in on the fun! If you haven't signed up for it yet, please do so now. eMail Address Form

Please fill out this survey if you haven't already! Stalls, Gains and Cravings - What to do? P2 Experience Only


On to my commenter's - these are my responses to yesterday's comments:

Mary - Most assuredly I have a sensitivity to sodium, that is very obvious as I go through this break, that is for sure! Yup! Sunday will be my first injection!

Crystal - I will definitely let you know how it goes! I am so glad your enjoying the FlyLady thing! It has done wonders for me!!!

Jennifer - Well I tried your WINE thing yesterday! ROFL - I don't think it was the White Zin that did it to me this time, it was those tiny DELISH Japanese Crackers! ROFL - I got to comment on your blog yesterday! WOO HOO!!!

Ewewho - Superwoman? NOT! ROFL - Yes, she is a dear to help me out. That was I can focus on what I do best and that is to WRITE WRITE WRITE! Oh yeah, and lose weight too! ROFL

Renee - It's ok my sweet, I totally understand. I will be joining you shortly!

Becca - Oh yeah, I am back to the "if it ain't to die for then it ain't worth it"!!! I will be joining you SOON!

Take it easy people!

Biz

Could It Be? - 01.17.08 - D08P4R3

LIW - 175.4 lbs (12/17/07)
Today's Weight - 178.2 lbs
2.8 OVER LIW

Here is my menu for yesterday. This is what I had:

I did not keep to my usual "MO" yesterday. I did eat a banana, an orange, an apple, some leftover Char Siu Pork Rib, broccoli with cheese, sour cream and bacon bits, and then for dinner it was a few home made chicken wings with blue cheese dressing and some awesome Spinach Artichoke Dip WITH chips. Yes, the CHIPS were responsible for the weight gain, and I fully expected it...oh yeah, and beer. So no worries ok? A total of around 1908 calories divided this way: 109 Fat, 107 Carbs, 92 Protein

GO HERE AND SIGN UP FOR UPCOMING HCG NEWSLETTER!!! It's coming honest! Just waiting on my partner to put the finishing touches on it!

Let's not forget the HCG BOOK CLUB - join in on the fun! If you haven't signed up for it yet, please do so now. eMail Address Form

Please fill out this survey if you haven't already! Stalls, Gains and Cravings - What to do? P2 Experience Only



Could it be the beer maybe?

There used to be a time when I would drink beer and LOSE the next day, not so much nowadays! I don't know if the beer was responsible for the gain or was it the small amount of chips I ate? Everything else I had yesterday should NOT have caused a gain. This will be a thing I will concentrate on during my next break. I seriously don't want to give up my beer! ROFL - I should have listened to my better judgment and made my own cheese chips instead of eating those Tostidos - so I really don't know if it was one or the other.

I do know that this morning I have this weird feeling in my mouth, very dried out. I only had TWO beers so it's not a hangover type thing people! ROFL - I do believe I am having a reaction to the processed chips. Hmmmm....I have to learn not to put too many variables into the equation for me to make informed decisions.

Thanks for the all the understanding comments yesterday on my 'writer's block'. But I especially want to thank the kind people who jotted me an email about the statement I made yesterday about my hypo being healed because it's not taking me as long to get back to LIW as it would in the past when I would deviate.

There seems to be more than a few people out there that have experienced the exact same thing. I am so glad that they wrote me to let me know this because that actually gives me MORE faith in the program working the way it's supposed to. Wow, that feels good. I am not the only one!!!

And this goes out to a special person out there that has agreed to help me get my 'act together' - I am a bit overwhelmed at the moment on the direction this blog is taking and I called out for help from a fellow HCG'r and she has agreed to help me get organized. I am sure you all know the insane amount of contact I have with people, coming now from all over the world and I enjoy doing it, but it's just become overwhelming as of late. This kind soul has agreed to help me put it all into perspective.

I just want to write. Write about my experience, write about my research, write about my theories (you KNOW I love coming up with theories), write about the protocol, write about the successes, write about the not so much successes (I hate the word 'failures'), I just want to concentrate on writing - not organizing my blog. And this wonderful woman out there has agreed to help me.

So watch for some upcoming changes - all in the attempt to keep everyone more informed of this miracle we possess.

Which leads me to this - if I were to ask you to give me a list of keywords that a person would search to get particular information on my blog, what would be the words? For example, would you want to search for information on my "Round 2 Phase 2"? Would you want information on "Recipes"? Those would be particular keywords to search for to get particular information. Can you readers help me out? I guess they would also call them "tags" - HELP!


On to my commenter's - these are my responses to yesterday's comments:

Marshall! - How great it was 'chatting' with you yesterday, thanks for that! A male perspective is always very much appreciated! And thank you so much for your kind words!

Lili - OMG - I was getting worried there for a minute - I thought I was going to have to get JPS to interpret what you were writing to me (she is bilingual) - HA! Could the baths have really been it Lili? WOW! Could it have been THAT simple??? I am sure that eating correctly is a good thing as well!!! $25 a piece? That is about what we can get it for here thru our sources, so .... hmmm .... UGH! Scorpions! We had those in Hawaii, they are NOT pretty - the bites are UGH too! Geesh, is it already time for you to come back? It was just YESTERDAY you left! I can't wait to see those pearly whites!

Mary - Thanks girl! Had a little bump today, but not worried about it.

CB - Girl - it's nothing but a thing. We are all learning along the way, what a journey eh???

Crystal - HA! It's so hard to determine about the load. I have always had the impression that Dr S gave us that 'fill to capacity' for more psychological reasons than physical reasons. If you go back to some of my summer posts you will see that I felt that way back then. There was a huge discussion over on the HCG Dieters board about it and the general consensus was that the first load was there to make us so sick of food that we could survive the first few days of the VLCD without issue, I am sure there is a fat store correlation, but I don't think subsequent rounds require a 'fill up'. BUT, this is ME and my theories! I think I am going to test this one out this round and see.

Jennifer - WOO HOO on the new blog! I will be adding it to my daily reads! I went there yesterday but there were no posts for me to leave a comment on, you silly woman you! Your blog looks GREAT! I just love it! I can't wait to follow your progress.

Monica - Another one with a new blog! WOO HOO!!! I just love it! Thanks for understanding!

Becca - HA! So there, I LOVE IT! You are da bomb!!!

Have a great day!

Biz

I'm Legal Again! - 01.16.08 - D07P4R3

LIW - 175.4 lbs (12/17/07)
Today's Weight - 177.4 lbs
2.0 OVER LIW

Here is my menu for yesterday. This is what I had:

I ate apples, bananas, oranges, walnuts, leftover steak for a snack (twice!), a great big green mixed salad with House Italian dressing with a bit of Pork Char Siu on top with Bleu Cheese for lunch - and then dinner consisted of a another great big green salad with leftover Huli Huli Chicken with House Italian dressing sprinkled with Feta Cheese this time. A total of around 1959 calories divided this way: 108 Fat, 128 Carbs, 129 Protein

GO HERE AND SIGN UP FOR UPCOMING HCG NEWSLETTER!!! It's coming honest! Just waiting on my partner to put the finishing touches on it!

Let's not forget the HCG BOOK CLUB - join in on the fun! If you haven't signed up for it yet, please do so now. eMail Address Form

Please fill out this survey if you haven't already! Stalls, Gains and Cravings - What to do? P2 Experience Only


Lookie there, it only took me almost 3 weeks, but I am back down to "legal limits" - wow, that was totally enlightening!!! Let me tell you this people - I was 183.4 on Friday morning - 8 lbs above my LIW and today I am only 2 lbs over. 6 lbs lost in 5 days. Pre-HCG this would NEVER happen. Any little deviation I would have on Atkins would cause a gain of about 4 or 5 pounds and then it would take literally 2 or 3 weeks (or MORE) to come off.

I am wondering if my hypo is really getting healed. I shouldn't expect to eat junk and NOT gain, after all I am a menopausal woman prone to major fluxes in life. But my body seems to be remembering this LOWER set point and when giving it the proper 'fuel' is eager to get back down to that point. This happened in my 2nd break and it has now happened in my third. I have gained an incredible amount of weight eating NOT RIGHT but have been able to lose it quickly and FAST instead of SLOW - there is something to this. The trick is like I have mentioned before, being aware.

What is it that they say? The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Thank you Ben Franklin for stating it so well. Nuff said.

Sorry folks Splenda discussion will have to wait for a bit, not finished with researching yet. It's a big job to research and then put this all into a format that I can understand it all!

Couple that with the fact that I am in a bit of a writing slump right now. I have thousands of things to write about in my head that it's a bit overwhelming. I need to take a few days and get my act together so that I can come back in full force.

Oh the joys of being a writer. The dreaded "writer's block" - this is where I am right now - can't think of a thing to say - so excuse me if I take the next few days to regroup and get back up to that creative edge I had not to long ago.

I will still update - so no worries there. I might even have a surprise or two for you! Who knows, my mojo might come back by tomorrow!


On to my commenter's - these are my responses to yesterday's comments:

Mary - Two of my friends both chimed in with a response, no load is necessary after the initial load. Hmmm, interesting, going to gather more information before I make a final decision on this.

Crystal - I am not quite sure how loading at the beginning can have any effect on what happens on the end. Could you explain your reasoning on this? I always understood the loading to happen because of needing to fill up fat stores so that the initial days of 500 cal would not effect you - subsequent days would be taken care of by the HCG being full in your system by then. Help me understand what your trying to say ok?

Monica - !!! At first I didn't know who you were and then when I went to your profile I discovered it was YOU! I am SO glad you are taking this journey to blog! Good for you! It will help YOU most of all to have a record of your progress, and then it will help US also! And I am selfish like that!

Wendy - My sister has Fuch's Dystrophy, a degenerating disease of the eye. She is having a cornea transplant. Thanks for asking! WOO HOO I can't wait to get back on P2 - this time it's for a specific purpose, I want to look GOOD when I go to CA! WOO HOO FOR ME! hehe

Take care people, and thanks for understanding.

Biz

Back on Track! - 01.15.08 - D06P4R3

LIW - 175.4 lbs (12/17/07)
Today's Weight - 178.0 lbs
2.6 OVER LIW

Here is my menu for yesterday. This is what I had:

Another day that I didn't stick to a Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner thing yesterday. One more day of mostly fresh, raw food. I ate apples, bananas, oranges, walnuts, some steamed broccoli with cheese and sour cream (YUM!) - and then dinner consisted of a great big green salad with some Feta Avocado Tomato Salsa - with a leftover piece of Huli Huli Chicken. A total of around 1762 calories divided this way: 96 Fat, 157 Carbs, 90 Protein

GO HERE AND SIGN UP FOR UPCOMING HCG NEWSLETTER!!! It's coming honest! Just waiting on my partner to put the finishing touches on it!

Let's not forget the HCG BOOK CLUB - join in on the fun! If you haven't signed up for it yet, please do so now. eMail Address Form

Please fill out this survey if you haven't already! Stalls, Gains and Cravings - What to do? P2 Experience Only


Back on track, on the computer end and on the maintaining end! I might just be able to get to around LIW before I start loading on Sunday (the 20th) - if I decide to load! LOL

The age old question, should I or shouldn't I load? I have a friend that decided she didn't want to load and just eat regular before she began her next round and then she was going to let us know whether or not that made a difference. I have to get with her to find out if that had any effect on her first few days. She has been on it for about 10 days now (this is her 3rd round) so by now she would know if not "loading" made a difference. Hmmm - I will try to get with her today.

As I feel right now, I don't want to load, but we all know that can change. And JPS announced that she was making a Red Velvet Cake and some Lemon Bars for this weekend - and these were two of my faves (even tho I wasn't a sweet eater, I did like these two things) so we shall see.

My goal this upcoming round is 1 day less than 4 weeks. That means I will be on the VLCD portion of P2 from 22nd of Jan till the 20th of February with my first day of P3 eating being that day. The 20th of Feb coincides with me heading to California to help my sister with her transplant surgery that is coming up on the 10th of Feb. So that will be nice that I don't have to focus in on 500 cal eating while I am traveling.

Depending on where I start my 4th round weight wise will be my determining factor on my goal of weight loss for the round. I can take the numbers for my first two rounds and come up with an estimate on how much I should be able to lose during the 4 week period. On my 4th week anniversary on my 1st round I was at 9.49% body weight lost, and on my 4th week anniversary on my 2nd round I was at 10.17% body weight lost, if I take the average of the two, I should be able to expect to lose approximately 9.83% of my body weight in 4 weeks, give or take.

So let's just say for the sake of argument that I start my VLCD 6 lbs over my LIW - I think this is a fair estimation of things ... since I was 5.8 over my LIW at the start of my 3rd round! Anyway, let's just pretend ... that would mean that I was starting the round at 181.4 - a 9.83% loss would mean about 17 pounds, if I lost that much during those 4 weeks, then I would be around 165 when I went to California! That would be JUST GRAND!

Thanks for working the numbers with me!

Splenda conversation coming up tomorrow!


On to my commenter's - these are my responses to yesterday's comments:

Monica! - Hey girl! It's so good to have you back! And you just couldn't resist eh??? You're so sweet to say such nice things! You should start a blog anyway, you will be happy if you do, it's a good way to keep accountable and to watch your own progress!

Crystal - OMG! I can't believe I wrote that! I was writing so darn fast and I didn't re-read like I usually do...OMG! I have to fix that! I am glad you got a laugh out of it tho!

Mary - They were delish! OMG! Char Siu is SO GOOD!

BB - OMG! It's so good to have you back, I didn't get to any blogs yesterday so I will be making my rounds this morning! Can't wait to see what you have updated!

B - All fixed now, and back on track!

Becca - Good to have you back, I sure missed you! Have you decided on a start date yet???

Take it easy folks!

Biz

Computer Issues Today - 01.14.08 - D05P4R3

LIW - 175.4 lbs (12/17/07)
Today's Weight - 178.8 lbs
3.4 OVER LIW

Here is my menu for yesterday. This is what I had:

Again, I didn't stick to a Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner thing yesterday. It was another day of mostly fresh, raw food all day long with the exception of brunch and dinner. So I ate apples, bananas, oranges, pecans, cherries, an omelet with steak, cheese, tomatoes and green onions, and then dinner consisted of Grilled Char Siu Pork Chops with a bit of Fried Rice (couldn't resist, and is probably accountable for the small weight gain) along with some Feta Avocado Tomato Salsa. A total of around 1800 calories divided this way: 110 Fat, 134 Carbs, 83 Protein

GO HERE AND SIGN UP FOR UPCOMING HCG NEWSLETTER!!! It's coming honest! Just waiting on my partner to put the finishing touches on it!

Let's not forget the HCG BOOK CLUB - join in on the fun! If you haven't signed up for it yet, please do so now. eMail Address Form

Please fill out this survey if you haven't already! Stalls, Gains and Cravings - What to do? P2 Experience Only



Having computer issues this morning, so not posting much. I can barely get from site to site, and I have done everyone on my end I know to do to fix it, so I have to wait until hubby gets up to do the rest. That wont be until later on this morning.

Thanks for understanding!



On to my commenter's - these are my responses to yesterday's comments:

Renee - P2 begins again on the 20th! I honestly CAN'T wait again!

Mary - Seriously, the no coffee thing is really REALLY strange! I love my coffee!!! Especially when it's cold, and it was COLD again yesterday and yet, NO COFFEE! What is UP with that???

Crystal - THANKS darlin for that bit of information, I truly appreciate it!

Have a good one peeps!

Biz

In The Zone? - 01.13.08 - D04P4R3

LIW - 175.4 lbs (12/17/07)
Today's Weight - 178.6 lbs
3.2 OVER LIW

Here is my menu for yesterday. This is what I had:

I didn't stick to a Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner thing again yesterday. It was another day of fresh, raw food all day long with the exception of dinner. So I ate grapefruit, apples, bananas, oranges, walnuts, some of that Blue Cheese Chopped Salad, and then dinner consisted of Grilled Huli Huli Chicken with more of that Blue Cheese Chopped Salad, along with some Feta Avocado Tomato Salsa. A total of around 1800 calories divided this way: 113 Fat, 164 Carbs, 55 Protein

GO HERE AND SIGN UP FOR UPCOMING HCG NEWSLETTER!!! It's coming honest! Just waiting on my partner to put the finishing touches on it!

Let's not forget the HCG BOOK CLUB - join in on the fun! If you haven't signed up for it yet, please do so now. eMail Address Form

Please fill out this survey if you haven't already! Stalls, Gains and Cravings - What to do? P2 Experience Only



In The Zone?

Could it be? I was pleasantly surprised to see another 2.4 lbs disappear overnight. That's 4.8 lbs since Friday morning - so I lost my gain from Thursday, PLUS .6 more!!! Feels like I am already on HCG again! It shows just how much damage water weight can be to your system. I am feeling better than I have in a while. I don't know if it's sticking mainly to fresh raw foods (I am almost SURE this plays a part) but what I do know is that whatever I am doing it's working.

I have NOT had coffee since Thursday, have not desired it - this is certainly strange. I was beginning to wonder how I was going to struggle with my coffee situation while on P2 again. Not so much the coffee, but the huge amounts of cream I put in it. If I had to start P2 today, it would be NO problem!

If I could have one more day like that, I would be UNDER the 'two pound' limit - well, we can all dream eh? The way I feel at this moment is that it will be another day like that. I don't know if it will be a 2.4 lb drop, but it will be another day of majority fresh, raw foods. I am slowly coming to the conclusion that processed foods are my enemy. That is about it in a nutshell.

I have done this incredibly healthy thing to my body and then I go and feed it processed foods, what was I thinking? Sure hormones seemed to have gotten in the way, but as of today, I am over that and onward to better health. Shoot, I had a couple of wonderful posts about maintaining a few days or so ago (here and here) and I need to start listening to my own advice eh?

Thank you goes to my readers for the encouragement to help me through this. Paul and my good friend Ju (through a personal email) as well as my buddy Crystal gave me some wonderful insights into Candida and yeast. This will have to be a focus of one of my posts here in the near future. I haven't forgotten about my Splenda discussion, that is upcoming as well.

Just a little update on my son - the same. JPS - the same. They are both having NO issues this go round! ROFL

Until tomorrow!


On to my commenter's - these are my responses to yesterday's comments:

Mary - Don't they tho! But I really think I have it all under control now. Let's see, I have learned to not talk in definitives any more because things can change DAILY!

B - Hormones are the pits! Thanks for the visit!

Paul - Thanks for that tidbit of insight my friend. Could you explain a bit more about your cleansing process? Either here or on your blog, no matter. How long, the amounts your supposed to take, you know, DETAILS! ROFL Question, would 'fruit' sugar constitute adding to the yeast?

Crystal - The key is 'limiting' and for that one day, I just didn't have it in me to limit ya know? One bite of anything would not have sufficed, it was like I was taken over by some alien force! ROFL - I would also like for you to explain a bit more of what you feel constitutes a good cleansing for yeast.

Take it easy!

Biz

Time to Pay the Piper - 01.12.08 - D03P4R3

LIW - 175.4 lbs (12/17/07)
Today's Weight - 181.0 lbs
5.6 OVER LIW

Here is my menu for yesterday. This is what I had:

I didn't stick to a Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner thing yesterday. I pretty much desired fresh, raw food so that is what I fed my body. I ate apples, bananas, oranges, grapes, cherries and walnuts all during the day, drinking also 2 cups of dandelion tea. Throw in a couple of scrambled eggs, and then I made a Blue Cheese Chopped Salad for dinner with a small bit of steak. That was all I wanted, so that is all I ate.

A total of around 1700 calories divided this way: 99 Fat, 169 Carbs, 60 Protein

After I posted yesterday, I actually did find myself a battery and weighed myself. It was not pretty. Keep in mind this was about 2 or so hours later than I usually weigh myself, and that I was working on hardly any sleep, so the numbers may be off, but I was up to 183.4 - wow. Amazing what eating junk will do to you.

Eating majority raw and fresh yesterday really helped me. I dropped 2.4 from that number and I am back down to a more reasonable overage (is that even a word?)

GO HERE AND SIGN UP FOR UPCOMING HCG NEWSLETTER!!! It's coming honest! Just waiting on my partner to put the finishing touches on it!

Let's not forget the HCG BOOK CLUB - join in on the fun! If you haven't signed up for it yet, please do so now. eMail Address Form

Thanks Crystal for filling out the FAQ Survey! Anyone else? Please go here when you have a chance and fill it out!

Stalls, Gains and Cravings - What to do? P2 Experience Only



I received an email this morning, and I wrote such a novel back I decided that my answer to this person would qualify as a post for today. I have removed this person's name from my answer to protect privacy.

This person wanted me to know that they were having basically the same struggles as I have been experiencing over the last week or so and was curious on my thoughts as to why this has happening. HA! Don't EVER ask me to theorize why something is happening on this protocol! Anyhoo, here was my answer to this person!

Not quite sure this time ******. I have my theories, but they are just my theories. I have been thinking a lot about this, especially yesterday. Let me explain.

These insatiable cravings started for me just around the turn of the year. Following my blog, you know I didn't spend one day coming off my R3P2 in true "P3" fashion (error in judgment #1). The 28th of Dec (day 9 of R3P3) was the first day I was over my LIW by more than 2 pounds. And I decided (with regret I might add) that I was not going to bother with bringing it down, that it would come down by itself (error in judgment #2).

Starting that day, the closest I have been to my LIW was on the 4th of Jan, and still that was at 2.4 over. I should have listened to what the good doctor said and taken care of the situation AS IT HAPPENED (error in judgment #3) but I didn't, so is that HIS issue or MINE?

The weekend of the 29th and 30th, I started noticing I was having some sweet cravings. Now ******, this is something that is NOT normal for me, even PRE HCG. My thing, my entire life, has NEVER been sweets, I have always been one to crave SALT. So, I rationalized in my mind that this was something new and that I needed just to go with it (error in judgment #4). I started baking cookies, among other things to satisfy the cravings. As it went on, day by day, I felt more of a need for sweets - it was becoming pretty overpowering. Quite a strange feeling, for me anyway.

Throw in there that this past weekend (the 5th and 6th), I was getting some pretty strange "emotional" feelings, now these in particular reminded me of pre-HCG - I would have these incredible HIGHS and LOWS of mood swings during "that time". I was breaking out in tears for absolutely NO reason, confronting my husband about small issues which led to huge fights, and pretty much wanted total seclusion from the world. It reached a peak on Thursday, and I literally went nuts. I ate things so out of character for me. I blame part of that on the migraine I had, but there was just something inside me that totally flipped a switch.

When deviating from plan during my 2nd and 3rd breaks, I have striven to focus on "it has to be really worth it" for me to eat it. Thursday? It went out the window, I threw that puppy off the Empire State Building in fact. When we went out to dinner that night, I ate things that tasted quite frankly JUST AWFUL. I look back on it and say, OMG - what the HECK was I thinking??? It so wasn't worth it.

Yesterday though? It seriously just STOPPED. The cravings disappeared. I'm not kidding, to show you how serious it was, I didn't even want my coffee. Now THAT is strange! ROFL As quick as this sweet craving thing came on, it left. Today? As I start my morning, I feel NOTHING of what I have felt over the last 10 or so days. No desire for sweets, no emotional disturbance.

So to answer your question, quite frankly, I will say what I have said about this whole protocol, it's nothing but a cr*p shoot. I don't know really why this time I had sweet cravings when in the past I haven't. I know I haven't had a normal menses since I started this protocol. I also know that Dr S was very specific about his protocol, and the choices I have made go in direct conflict to his program, so I have paid the price. Like I said before, it's not HIS fault these things happened. He told me what to expect, and I did my own thing, and this is where it got me.

Let me interject something here, you mentioned that you felt you were finally 'cured' of all your ailments, but now you really wonder. This protocol is an ongoing process ******. I have never looked at this protocol as a "cure" for my emotional attachment to food. I have always looked at this protocol as a "cure" for obesity. It is getting me to my GOAL of a certain weight. My relationship to food is still something I am going to have to work on, probably for the rest of my life. It has also been a tool in helping me become more aware of what I am doing to my body.

All I can do is move on. I am thinking this whole episode was something I had to experience. Another lesson I had to learn to help me in my journey. The BIGGEST lesson I am learning ******, is not to freak about it. I am learning to have a different relationship with food. For every two steps I take forward, I have to step back one just to see where I am.

I seriously don't know if this answered your question. But let me tell you this. I don't think this whole episode had anything to do with artificial sweeteners, and everything to do with hormones.

On to my commenter's - these are my responses to yesterday's comments:

CB - I will consider that CB in an upcoming post. Just FYI tho, I think that if Dr S would have seen a relationship with bad breaks and short rounds, he would have said something, but that is just my gut response right now. Thanks for being there my sweet, just knowing that your there is comforting.

Wendy - The first time I had fried pickles, I was in Mobile AL right after Katrina hit and I was doing some relief work there. It was at this country restaurant and I went GAGA over these things. Thursday night? They were NOT worth the 2nd bite, yet I kept eating, what was up with that??? When you going back on to P2 again???

Crystal - Your injecting daily? You doing a short round or what? I finally can't WAIT to get back on P2! That feeling has finally come back! I am so ready!

Jennifer - Like I told CB I will attempt to cover that whole short round thing in a future post. I really don't think the two relates ya know? But that is my GUT feeling. I had issues on my last break and that was after a 6 week P2 - so I don't know. How is the blog coming???

Renee - Let me know your new addy ASAP I have some THINGS to discuss! ROFL! You are kicking butt girl, and taking names!

Lili - Ok girl, $21 for HOW MUCH??? You didn't tell us the iu you can get it in. I need INFO! Oh, and I sent you my snail mail addy, but I got a auto response from your email, so hopefully you got it ok??? WOO HOO on your internet addiction! Now I don't have to miss you ALL THAT MUCH! ROFL

B - Thanks girl, I did a bit of harm, but I am over it now, back to the basics ya know???

Another day! Make it a good one!

Biz

The Day the Scale Died! - 01.11.08 - D02P4R3

LIW - 175.4 lbs (12/17/07)
Today's Weight - ???.? lbs
?.? OVER LIW

Here is my menu for yesterday. This is what I had:

Breakfast: Coffee and Cream - and a Skinny Latte from Starbucks - along with a couple of those Peanut Butter drops, and the rest of the Dulce De Leche, it's gone so no more worries about that.
Lunch: Left over pork ribs.
Mid Afternoon Snack: Nestle Crunch Bar (seriously don't know where that came from, I haven't had a CANDY bar in AGES! - I am chalking that up to having a migraine, and chocolate was always something I wanted after my suffering of a migraine.)
Dinner: We went out, ugh, so it was a little of this, and a little of that, some cheese/bacon covered french fries, some chips and salsa, a chicken wing, some friend dill pickles, some bites of chicken tenders.
Dessert: A vanilla milk shake.

A total of around 3000 calories divided this way: 140 Fat, 267 Carbs, 95 Protein - Let's not discuss yesterday - it was another one of those days. Having some stressful days here of late, and ended up with a migraine. Made terrible choices in foods ALL day - and to top it all off, I got on my scale this morning, completely prepared to live with the consequences of my indulgences, and my dang scale wouldn't turn on. I guess 6 months of two people using it daily will get to the poor thing and it just gave out on me. I don't have another 9v battery here at the house, so weigh in will have to wait until tomorrow. So the scale isn't really dead, but the battery is...

I am seriously OVER sweets now. Seriously. I feel like complete crud this morning. And I am ready to call this break over with. I am so ready to start my P2 again on the 20th. This break, over the last week or so has been the hardest thing I had to deal with. I thought I was in the zone, but I am so far from the zone it's not even funny.

Short and sweet post for you folks today, sorry about that. I am working on 3 hours sleep, and it's almost time to get the house up and ready for school. After I take them, I am coming back home and going back to bed.

GO HERE AND SIGN UP FOR UPCOMING HCG NEWSLETTER!!! It's coming honest! Just waiting on my partner to put the finishing touches on it!

Let's not forget the HCG BOOK CLUB - join in on the fun! If you haven't signed up for it yet, please do so now. eMail Address Form

Thanks to Myisha for filling out the new FAQ Survey! It's a pretty hefty survey, so I might leave it up for awhile. Please go here when you have a chance and fill it out!

Stalls, Gains and Cravings - What to do? P2 Experience Only

Anyone else for the interview questions??? I would still like to get some MORE questions from my Sunday's post about interviews, I know I said only until Wednesday, but it's a woman's prerogative to change her mind right??? If you didn't see it could you go here and take a look, thanks!







On to my commenter's - these are my responses to yesterday's comments:

Lili - Look at you my sweet, contacting me all the way from COSTA RICA! Thanks for the update, and glad to know it all went well! WOO HOO FOR YOU AND YOUR NEW TEETH! And you MUST let us know about the HCG OTC thing! How cool would that be, I know what you can bring me back for a present! I forgot to tell you I collect POSTCARDS (actually POSTMARKS) - and I don't have one from COSTA RICA! If you see this before you go send me a POSTCARD! LOL - Missin' you!

Mary - Splenda was a shocker for me, I was given that to my kids. OMG - I was under the impression that since they said "it's made from real sugar" that it was ok. DUH! Anyhoo, that will be approached NEXT week.

CB - Thanks for refreshing my memory on her comments about Aspartame and Splenda, I will use that for my future discussion on Splenda!

Renee - YES YOU HAVE BEEN ABSENT TOO LONG! More than ONE of us have missed you sweetie! I sent you an email about a week ago about some recipes, did you get it??? Let's catch up ok???

B - Funny about the honey, that is exactly what I intend on using when I can eat "normally" again!

Becca - You have fun, don't worry about us - we will still be here when you get back!

Everyone, have a great day, I will try to also.

Biz

Aspartame - Part 1 - 01.10.08 - D01P4R3

LIW - 175.4 lbs (12/17/07)
Today's Weight - 179.2 lbs
3.8 OVER LIW

Here is my menu for yesterday. This is what I had:

Breakfast: Coffee and Cream - 1 Scrambled Egg in Butter
Mid Morning Snack: Leftover Chicken and Leftover Broccoli with Melted Cheese and a Dollop of Sour Cream
Lunch: Leftover Atkins Friendly Beef Stroganoff with Shiritaki Noodles
Mid Afternoon Snack: More of the Stroganoff and Noodles
Dinner: Nacho's (just chips and cheese, with a bit of sour cream) and some Refried Beans
Dessert: Some Praline Pecans and one Chocolate Chip Cookie

A total of around 1800 calories divided this way: 116 Fat, 118 Carbs, 89 Protein - After all of that I was surprised to only gain a POUND! I think I may be overestimating my calories, I don't know, but it doesn't feel like I am eating as much as it says I am! ROFL Ok, I "officially" start P4 today!!!

GO HERE AND SIGN UP FOR UPCOMING HCG NEWSLETTER!!! It's coming honest! Just waiting on my partner to put the finishing touches on it!

Let's not forget the HCG BOOK CLUB - join in on the fun! If you haven't signed up for it yet, please do so now. eMail Address Form

Thanks to Ann and Jeannette for filling out the new FAQ Survey! It's a pretty hefty survey, so I might leave it up for awhile. Please go here when you have a chance and fill it out!

Stalls, Gains and Cravings - What to do? P2 Experience Only

Thank you to Pat and Jeannette for more interview questions! I would still like to get some MORE questions from my Sunday's post about interviews, I know I said only until Wednesday, but it's a woman's prerogative to change her mind right??? If you didn't see it could you go here and take a look, thanks!


Aspartame

I don't think there is a more controversial subject to fly around any sort of weight loss forum than the subject of Artificial Sweeteners, I certainly found that out in doing some surfing on the web yesterday. Most often the question comes up, "What is 'such and such', will it stall me and is it safe?" When it comes down to the brass tacks, the decision to use any type or artificial sweetener is an individual one, because quite frankly the effects of using it will be as different and individual as we all are.

It's interesting to read reports of scientific studies being done with various sweeteners on lab animals, and one would have to be a little skeptical of definitive conclusions being drawn from massive dosages of products for a particular size animal, especially when they associate the same conclusions, or the same amounts would do the same damages to a human who might use these sweeteners on occasion.

Be that as it may, I continue to read while surfing, and have experienced myself, adverse reactions to different artificial sweeteners. So, as I mentioned in the first paragraph, results from taking in these sweeteners will change from person to person, and each person must make that determination for themselves.

You could be one of the fortunate ones, you could slip right past ANY reaction to ANY sweetener. My hats off to you! But for MOST of us out there, there is some reaction. There is a range from ending up in the emergency room to just headaches. Even the mildest of symptoms could be a big red flag that your body SHOULDN'T be made to TRY to tolerate their use. These things would include things like a fuzzy head, stomach distress, unexplained cravings, stalls, and quite possibly weight gain.

Let's talk about "stalls" for a moment using artificial sweeteners ... in my research, the general conclusion is that stalls occur more from the 'fillers' used in granulated and powdered forms of sweeteners rather than the liquids. This makes perfect sense as most of the fillers that are used are 'maltodextrin' or 'dextrose' which are both simply 'starches'. With the more research I do, I am finding that these 'fillers' might be the culprit to other adverse effects as well, this would be an interesting theory to test. I for one have only tried to use the powered versions of sweeteners and never the liquid, with the exception of the Stevia. Remember people, that some may not have any reaction whatsoever, either visibly or physically.

My eventual goal using this protocol is to eventually be able to eat "real raw sugar" (or my preference I am sure will be "local honey") and not have to use any of this artificial crud anymore. I would think that would be ALL of our goals yes? So what must we do until that happens? Find the one thing that will do the least amount of damage until then. There are far too many things in this world that are not 'pure' anymore from our drinking water to the very air we breathe.

So then, let's talk about Aspartame - in MY OPINION, one of the WORST artificial sweeteners we can use.

Small description:

Aspartame - better known as Equal and NutriSweet - Interesting that Wikipedia says this about Aspartame: "Aspartame is the methyl ester of the dipeptide of the natural amino acids L-aspartic acid and L-phenylalanine."

Let's define "methyl" - according to the medical dictionary methyl is "The alkyl group, often a univalent radical, CH3, derived from methane" - so in other words it's methane, which we know is an explosive gas that is formed from decomposing organic matter.

Define "ester" - a compound formed from alcohol and acid.

Define "dipeptide" - this is a molecule consisting of two amino acids joined by a bond - so the two amino acids that are joined together are the L-aspartic acid and L-phenylalanine.

So in other words, if I am understanding this correctly, Aspartame is made up of two amino acids bonded together by methane and acid. Hmmmm....and I am EATING THIS???

Because I cannot possibly begin to give you the kind of information that has already been written, I am going to lead you to the research I have done on the subject of Aspartame, and you draw your own conclusions.

One of the first things I came across was an article written by the Aspartame Information Center - WOW! They surely do try to sugar coat it eh? 'Scuse the pun!!!

Aspartame Information

Check this out: "Debunking the Aspartame Myth" - what I like about this site is that it gives alot of factual references for it's conclusions - and pretty much refutes what the above article says:

Debunking the Aspartame Myth

If you haven't watched this yet, it's a MUST when it comes to Aspartame. It about an hour and a half so you have to have time to view it, but it's worth the watch. I have ALWAYS had my feelings about Aspartame and it was ONE THING I made sure my kids NEVER touched, but this movie took it DEEPER, to the point that if I see someone giving their kids something with Aspartame, I say something immediately, I don't care what they think of me. I feel that strongly about it.

Sweet Misery - A Poisoned World

Very comprehensive article written with many facts regarding Aspartame:

The Problem With Aspartame

Also, here is a discussion about Aspartame on a Bulletin Board dealing with "Conspiracy Theories" so read with caution, but it's an interesting discussion none the less - there are four pages:

Why Is Aspartame Still On The Market?

So with all that information, what is your opinion?




On to my commenter's - these are my responses to yesterday's comments:

Mary - I would think that everyone around you just needs to CALM their butt down if you decided you needed to do an egg day! Now if you can't stand yourself, that is another story! ROFL - Thanks for the link you sent me! Lots of useful information there!

Crystal - Hey there STRANGER! Thanks for the visit, and any info you can give me on the sugar subs, I will gladly take it, all in the name of research ya know?

CB - I completely forgot about her knowledge, sad thing tho, she hasn't updated in a while??? She is one of those that are MIA!!!

Becca - You start when you need to start, we are all overlapping at points anyway. It's important to use the schedule that is good for your hubby! I wonder why your post never showed up, who knows about cyberspace sometimes. I am going to find out about cylamates also - it's on my list.

B - Is there ANY non sugar sub your family member doctor recommends? YUP! The egg day worked!

Have a wonderful day peeps!

Biz

Artificial Sweeteners - Friend or Foe? - 01.09.08 - D21P3R3

LIW - 175.4 lbs (12/17/07)
Today's Weight - 178.2 lbs
2.8 OVER LIW

Here is my menu for yesterday. This is what I had:

Breakfast: 2 Scrambled Eggs with Coffee and Cream
Mid Morning Snack: Egg Salad (2 eggs with mayo, s&p)
Lunch: 2 Egg Omelet with a slice of Swiss Cheese
The Rest of the Day: 4 Deviled Eggs (made with mayo, mustard and SF Relish, s&p)

A total of around 1135 calories divided this way: 84 Fat, 17 Carbs, 72 Protein - I would call my "Egg Day" a success!!! WOO HOO FOR ME!

GO HERE AND SIGN UP FOR UPCOMING HCG NEWSLETTER!!! It's coming honest! Just waiting on my partner to put the finishing touches on it!

Let's not forget the HCG BOOK CLUB - join in on the fun! If you haven't signed up for it yet, please do so now. eMail Address Form

Here is the NEW FAQ question for this week! It has to do with Stalls, Gains and Cravings. It's a pretty hefty survey, so I might leave it up for awhile. Please go here when you have a chance and fill it out!

Stalls, Gains and Cravings - What to do? P2 Experience Only

Thank you to Marilyn and Anne for more interview questions! I would still like to get some MORE questions from my Sunday's post about interviews. If you didn't see it could you go here and take a look, thanks!


Artificial Sweeteners - Friend or Foe?

So what prompted this discussion? Doing a little bit of research yesterday, I felt it would be in the best interest of my readers to delve into this topic. Who am I kidding? I have been blind way too long on the effects of Artificial Sweeteners and it's time I understood them better. What better way than to spend a few days on this topic. I am learning a lot, and I would feel remiss if I didn't share it with you!

Based on our P2 and P3 experience, and based on the fact that many have 'sweet cravings', I felt this an important topic to consider. I offer NO recommendation on which sweetener you should use, this is a decision you must make for yourself. I am just providing information, and probably some commentary on MY views, but they are to be taken as just that, MY VIEWS! I AM NOT A DOCTOR NOR AM I A SCIENTIST, just a run of the mill Mom trying to learn about stuff that I bring into this house for my family to eat. These views are MY OWN.

The one thing I have noticed is that there sure are a lot of "chemical" names for this stuff, names and words I don't understand, so I chose to find explanations for these terms in a way that I can understand what is going on. And I figure if I break it down so that even "I" can understand it, it might prove helpful to others as well.

For the purpose of this series of articles, I am going to concentrate on true "Artificial Sweeteners" - in other words, those sugar substitutes that are not natural. In the future, I will provide a series on the "natural" sugar substitutes. I want to define different types of "Artificial Sweeteners" that are available now, or have been available in the past. The order I am placing these in are of no significance, it's just how I stumbled on the information.

The first one I will concentrate on, to begin this series will be Aspartame. If any of you out there have any interesting links to information about Aspartame, please feel free to drop me a line and let me know. I must ask one thing tho, please do not send me anything from Dr Mercola's site. I understand that a lot of you out there put extreme trust in this man and his views, but I don't feel the same way. To me, he is too much of a doomsday operator, and I prefer to rest my conclusions on facts, and not just feelings.

There are many ways to contact me, either by using the TagBoard up on my left side bar, or the contact form on my right side bar, or leave a comment here - or use this new fangled thing I came up with! ROFL

Isn't that just positively neato??? WOO HOO FOR ME!


On to my commenter's - these are my responses to yesterday's comments:

Mary - You are too funny! Isn't it interesting tho, even tho you have eaten pretty much as you pleased, you seem to be maintaining around 6 or 7 lbs above LIW - there is something to be said for that. In some of the clinics I have contacted and asked questions to, I have found that most of them say you should figure around a 5 - 7 pound range when you are at goal. That normal people usually experience those kinds of fluxes. Interesting eh? I need to look into that more.

EweWho - I am SO GLAD YOUR BACK! I sure have missed you! I almost wrote you the other day, because I made those AWFUL COOKIES that I gave you the recipe for, OMG - they were so AWFUL - I have to keep telling myself that so I don't make them again! Believe me, I am DRIPPING SARCASM! I had to beg the kids to hurry up and finish them, I didn't want them around anymore!

Misto - Yes, my "egg day" is my alternative to a steak day. I have only done one steak day, and it was a total bust, I didn't lose an ounce. So I opted to try something I did while I was on Atkins to kick start weight loss, and as you can see it works like a charm every time! It's so much easier for me to do this than the steak day. The steak day was about the hardest thing I have ever had to do while on this protocol, yes, even harder than 500 cals a day!

CB - Yup, my eye is always on the prize! I can't wait to join you on P2!!! Yup, I am getting ready!

B - I will be on my way later this morning to visit your post, maybe you have given me some insight on the whole deviation experience. It's funny B, I don't have these kinds of cravings on the P2 portion, and it's really only been this round that my sweet cravings have kicked in. Very weird.

Have a WONDERFUL DAY!

Biz

Just One Of Those Days - 01.08.08 - D20P3R3

LIW - 175.4 lbs (12/17/07)
Today's Weight - 180.6 lbs
5.2 OVER LIW

Here is my menu for yesterday. This is what I had:

Breakfast: 2 Peanut Butter Drops - and a Pecan Chewy Candy
Mid Morning Snack: Half a serving of REGULAR Lasagna, two pieces of butter toast (white bread mind you)
Lunch: A hamburger (with swiss cheese, pickles, mayo and ketchup) complete with BUN, and some kettle chips, and throw in some Praline Pecans with a small amount of leftover potato salad!
Dinner: A small pork rib

A total of around 2000 calories divided this way: 110 Fat, 154 Carbs, 91 Protein

GO HERE AND SIGN UP FOR UPCOMING HCG NEWSLETTER!!! It's coming honest! Just waiting on my partner to put the finishing touches on it!

Here is the eMail form for signing up for the New Book Club! WOO HOO! I did my part, I read what I was supposed to read and I filled out the post, now I am just waiting for comments! If you have a chance today, go to the HCG BOOK CLUB and join in on the fun! If you haven't signed up for it yet, please do so now. eMail Address Form

I have taken down the TOM / Aunt Flo FAQ Question, and I am putting up another but I am going to wait until tomorrow.

I would still like to get some questions from my Sunday's post about interviews. If you didn't see it could you go here and take a look, thanks! Thanks goes to Jennifer and Becca for giving me some quality questions!


Just One of Those Days

Yesterday was not a good day for me. I didn't get good sleep Sunday into Monday, in fact, I had gotten up at 1:30am and by the time I figured out I couldn't get back to sleep (around 3:30am) it was way too late to take anything to help me sleep (my trusty Benadryl!) for fear I would sleep right through taking the kids to school.

Something about me? I don't do well without sleep. Sleep has always been something that I require mass quantities of and it's been this way for as long as I can remember. I seem to want to close my eyes around 2 hours after sunset (which poses a problem as you can understand when it's sunset at 5pm).

Back when I became pregnant with my daughter, insomnia reared it ugly head for the first time in my life, and it's been that way ever since. The HCG believe it or not has been the first thing that has allowed me to sleep like a baby through the night without an issue. So when I am on the P2 portion of the protocol, I am pure heaven and it seems like I am making up for lost time. But when off, the insomnia hits me once again.

Needless to say, yesterday morning was a grouch. Couple this with the fact that I am already experiencing weird and strange cravings for sweets this round, and it was a dangerous combination full of unhealthy food choices. Let me add in here right now that the "girls" have been quite sore the last few days, and you have not only a dangerous situation, but you could even call it volatile.

So from about 8am till 12pm, it was a situation of "let's see how much damage I can do in one morning" - I honestly do not know where all of that came from. I haven't had a hamburger ON A BUN in what seems like FOREVER (not just since I have been on protocol, but I have grown to really enjoy burgers without the bun since my Atkins days) - and let's not even mention the potato salad - I haven't had that in YEARS.

It was like this sensibility switch got turned off and my body was taken over by some alien force - it was not pretty, and seriously, it wasn't that good either. I was on some sort of auto pilot, not really caring what I put in my mouth.

After that last bite of potato salad, I was done. That was noon, and whatever switch that was turned off got turned back on, and I couldn't eat another thing all day. I drank water until it was coming out of my ears, and when my husband grilled pork ribs (my fave) for dinner I told him I really couldn't eat anything and he was like, just taste it, and so I did. I had just a small rib (like maybe 2 inches) and that was it for me for the day.

Two things I have learned from this experience, I seriously need to get my sleep in, and this food that I ate, I need to remember how it made me feel, like pure crud, it was NOT worth it. After all the good I have done for my body, how I fed it yesterday was not helping the cause.

So I had my little fling with stupid food, it sure wasn't worth it, and it has convinced me to not do it again. I must find another way to deal with insatiable cravings such as I had yesterday morning. One thing I could have done was just leave the house. HA!

Anyway, over and done with. Today is my world famous EGG DAY. I will FORCE these pounds to drop. All in all, I was expecting a 5 pound gain, so I didn't come off too badly. And Thursday marks the start of P4 so I wasn't too much longer that I would be able to eat these kinds of foods for real! Oh well, don't cry for me Argentina. I am over it and on to another day!



On to my commenter's - these are my responses to yesterday's comments:

CB - I heard from Renee for a brief second about a week ago, and I sent her another email to ask her some questions, and as of yet, nothing. I am sure it's the holiday's, I am hoping it isn't something more.

Lili - Protocol or not, we have grown attached to each other! Ya know??? I know you wont see this, you are already on the plane, but here are some good safe trip vibes being sent your way!

Wendy - HA! I wasn't singling anyone out, I just want UPDATES! I am an UPDATE um, well, you know the word! ROFL

B - Posting good and bad shows that we are all human, that we make mistakes and that we carry on. Even when it is just a stat report, it shows that you care about your readers ya know? Carry on my friend!

Biz

Where Have All the Bloggers Gone? - 01.07.08 - D19P3R3

LIW - 175.4 lbs (12/17/07)
Today's Weight - 178.6 lbs
3.2 OVER LIW

Here is my menu for yesterday. This is what I had:

Breakfast: Coffee with Cream - a small slice of Dulce de Leche
Lunch: A serving of my Eggplant Lasagna
Mid Afternoon Snack: Praline Pecans (these need to leave!)
Dinner: Hamburger Patty with a slice of Swiss Cheese, a pickle, some mayo mixed with horseradish, and some kettle chips - 3 Miller Lites! ROFL
Dessert: Small serving of Apple Crisp and a small serving of Ice Cream, with a few more of those Praline Pecans thrown in!

A total of around 1800 calories divided this way: 100 Fat, 123 Carbs, 50 Protein (need to focus on MORE PROTEIN!!! - Oh yeah, and cut out the sweets!)

GO HERE AND SIGN UP FOR UPCOMING HCG NEWSLETTER!!! We are really trying to get this out, I am looking at Monday - thank you all for being patient! I think it might just get released today! WOO HOO!!!

Lise is still looking for support for her Teeth Fund, if there is ANY way you can help her, please pay attention to this Preview Commercial - her date of takeoff to Costa Rica is the 8th (I was mistaken) - I will keep it up until she leaves on that day:

Dire Super Emergency Teeth Fundraiser for Lise Who is Scared Witless About Being Toothless in Ohio!

End of Preview Commercial!

Here is the eMail form for signing up for the New Book Club! WOO HOO! I did my part, I read what I was supposed to read and I filled out the post, now I am just waiting for comments! If you have a chance today, go to the HCG BOOK CLUB and join in on the fun! If you haven't signed up for it yet, please do so now. eMail Address Form

Thank you Lili for filling out my FAQ question. Anyone else want to help me with my FAQ on TOM / Aunt Flo issues? I am leaving it up today, and by the time I update tomorrow, I will start a new one! Again, the FAQ form has only one question on it, you can take as much room as you like, it should be able to handle your response.

Please take a few moments to fill this form out:

TOM / Aunt Flo Issues on the Protocol

I would still like to get some questions from my yesterday's post about interviews. If you didn't see it could you go here and take a look, thanks!


Where Have All The Blogger's Gone?

It seems we are missing more than a few from our little community. I have 23 blogs I visit daily - 23 different websites I open, only to find not everyone is updating. We used to be a hefty little community of support and suddenly, poof, the majority have stopped.

What could be the reason?

Not being one that likes to jump to the worst possible conclusion, I try to figure out from their last post if there was any hint as to issues at hand that would cause them not to post anymore. I certainly understand that life can get in the way of our online activities, so if I see something like things have been crazy around here, I usually assume they are gonna start blogging again when the craziness stops.

The challenge though are the blogs that just STOP, no hint whatsoever as to what has happened. It's so hard NOT to assume the worst in situations like that - but I strive not to worry, knowing that things can happen in off line life that would prohibit people from coming on to give an update to their blogs.

But time moves on, and yet they still don't come back. Then what are you supposed to assume? Again, not wanting to be one that assumes the WORSE, I just assume that the HCG Protocol is no longer for them. It's gotten a bit disheartening to open those 23 blogs and find only 5 of those posted updates. One day, I opened all 23 and I only had 3 updated.

Ok, so these bloggers don't blog for me. But one has to wonder why all of a sudden do they stop? Is it just a matter of life getting in the way? Or is it something else? I wonder sometimes about the nature of the beast called online journaling. It's human nature to want to only talk about the good times, and not the bad. So, it's my opinion that some of these bloggers stopped posting because something didn't happen quite right with the protocol, and they consider themselves a failure of some sort and they don't want to talk about it.

In this little community we have here, we were all classified "overweight" if not "obese" or in my case "morbidly obese" - how much more down the ladder could that be for all of us??? Every pound we don't have since we started is a victory for us and something to celebrate. Even if we might fall by the wayside and eat things we shouldn't, we shouldn't feel SHAMED by it, and shy away from the support group we have surrounded ourselves with. That is when we need the support group more than ever.

Post your successes, but post your "not so much" too - that way we all can rally around you and help you get back on that horse and ride again. Each time you get back on that horse, instead of wallowing in the misery that unwise choices can cause, you get that much more stronger. It does not make you a weak person to post your unwise choices. It makes you human.

So, if you are one of those bloggers out there that continue to read my blog, but haven't posted on yours because of feeling inadequate, or not being able to offer anything positive, or whatever you might have in your head that has caused you to NOT post, please post. All you have to do is say, look, I am here, I am alive, I am trying hard to get back on track, I am WHATEVER, but don't give up on us, and don't allow us to give up on you.

You don't have to give us your life story. You don't have to explain they whys of what happened. Just an update.

Could you please???

On to my commenter's - these are my responses to yesterday's comments:

Mary - OH! I can't wait for your questions! THINK!!!!

Lili - Hopefully you will be able to drop me a line before you go!

Becca - Can't wait for your questions! And yeah, we have a fine line of what we can share and what we can't eh???

B - You're welcome my sweet. Can't wait for your questions!

Take care everyone!

Biz

Question Time - HCG Success Story Interviews - 01.06.08 - D18P3R3

LIW - 175.4 lbs (12/17/07)
Today's Weight - 178.6 lbs
3.2 OVER LIW

Here is my menu for yesterday. This is what I had:

Breakfast: Coffee with Cream - a small slice of DR Fudge (Found out this is called Dulce de Leche)
Mid Morning Snack: A serving of my Eggplant Lasagna
Lunch: Ate at Cracker Barrel - ate from their low carb menu - Chicken Tenderloins with Bacon and Colby Cheese, a double salad with Peppercorn Dressing and green beans
Mid Afternoon Snack: Praline Pecans (these are sinful)
Dinner: At at Wild Wing - had 5 wings and a serving of nachos with chili and a salad with blue cheese dressing
Dessert: More Praline Pecans

A total of over 2000 cals (this is an estimation) divided this way: 119 Fat, 106 Carbs, 112 Protein (need to focus on NO MORE SWEETS! ROFL)

GO HERE AND SIGN UP FOR UPCOMING HCG NEWSLETTER!!! We are really trying to get this out, I am looking at Monday - thank you all for being patient!

Lise is still looking for support for her Teeth Fund, if there is ANY way you can help her, please pay attention to this Preview Commercial - her date of takeoff to Costa Rica is the 8th (I was mistaken) - I will keep it up until she leaves on that day:

Dire Super Emergency Teeth Fundraiser for Lise Who is Scared Witless About Being Toothless in Ohio!

End of Preview Commercial!

Here is the eMail form for signing up for the New Book Club! WOO HOO! I did my part, I read what I was supposed to read and I filled out the post, now I am just waiting for comments! If you have a chance today, go to the HCG BOOK CLUB and join in on the fun! If you haven't signed up for it yet, please do so now. eMail Address Form

Thank you Jeanne for filling out my FAQ question. Anyone else want to help me with my FAQ on TOM / Aunt Flo issues? I will leave it up until Monday morning and then we will start a new one. Again, the FAQ form has only one question on it, you can take as much room as you like, it should be able to handle your response.

Please take a few moments to fill this form out:

TOM / Aunt Flo Issues on the Protocol


Let's Play Pretend

Just for a moment or two, let's pretend you are this big wig famous television interviewer (like let's say Barbara Walters, Katie Couric, Walter Cronkite) and you wanted to interview little ole me about my journey using the HCG Protocol for weight loss.

What would be the questions you would most want answers to?

Why am I doing this? I would like to start conducting interviews of various people that have been successful on this protocol, and what got them to that point. If I ask you, my readers what you would want to know about my journey, I would have a good set of thoughts that would lead to a great interview.

As usual, I count on all of you, my readers, to help me put a framework of intelligence into a simple process. What would I do without you all???

Some guidelines to follow:

1) Post as many questions as you think are relevant - you can use any form you like, either by using the comment section here on the blog, or the tag board located on my left side bar, or my web submission contact form on the right side bar, or you can write me directly at bizadventure at comcast dot net

2) Even if you feel that your question might be repetitive (such as someone else has asked it), please ask it anyway.

3) You will have until Wednesday Morning to come up with some questions. At that point I will gather them all and then put them into a coherent order.

4) Anyone who participates in this little assignment will receive a special little thank you gift from me (this will be something tangible and sent to you through snail mail - so I will need your snail mail address - if your comfortable doing that sort of thing - sorry, I have to limit this little thing to USA residents only). Please do not post your address here, I will write you personally for any information I might need from you. If you prefer not to receive anything via snail mail, please post questions anyway. This part is NOT a requirement!!!

5) Have fun with this, please don't think any question is too personal - if it's something that I might not want to answer, I will let you know, but keep in mind that these questions will be used as a guideline for future interviews.

This ties into what I wanted to talk about today anyway - my history of the protocol.


On to my commenter's - these are my responses to yesterday's comments:

Lili - OMG - you are way too funny! I enjoyed chatting with you yesterday on my way out of town, you are seriously a funny, funny lady! I have added that link to my favorite recipes, as this stuff is truly divine, I have to say! I love this line "Envisioning success creates success" - AWESOME!

Mary - You are so welcome! I enjoy it, seriously! But I really enjoy it when YOU folks blog better! ROFL

Winston - It's SO good to have you back my friend! I know I am not the only one that can say, WE MISSED YOU! How utterly COOL that you made it throughout the holiday's UNSCATHED! I hope you updated!!!

Jennifer - it is MOST important that you blog, you are the perfect candidate for this medium. Your energetic, fully of bubbly information, and you are surely inquisitive and desire information. By blogging you will fulfill ALL of those things my sweet! I will DEFINITELY help you start! Can you get on some sort of IM message thingie? I even don't mind calling you to help you get started, just let me know. If you want me to call, don't post your phone number here, write me an email ok? I am so glad yesterday's post was what you needed. I felt compelled to write it, there was a reason for me to do it eh?

Becca - as time goes on, I find more and more similarities between us. I am a step parent as well! I have two step sons and my daughter is OURS. I don't like sharing things about my personal life either, some things need to remain "mine" ya know? But I don't mind sharing things as they pertain to the protocol. But I try to stay "vague" - my family hasn't asked to be a part of this internet community, so I only share tidbits as it relates to MY journey using this protocol...make sense???

Take care people, sorry this was so late today!!!

Biz

Why Do We Blog? - 01.05.08 - D17P3R3

LIW - 175.4 lbs (12/17/07)
Today's Weight - 178.2 lbs
2.8 OVER LIW

Here is my menu for yesterday. This is what I had:

Breakfast: Coffee with Cream - a small slice of DR Fudge (Found out this is called Dulce de Leche)
Mid Morning Snack: An apple with Smuckers Natural Peanut Butter
Lunch: Large Lettuce Salad with Chicken with Feta Cheese and Kraft House Italian Dressing
Mid Afternoon Snack: Cottage Cheese and Strawberries - Two Small Peanut Butter Drops
Dinner: Eggplant Lasagna with two Miller Lites
Dessert: Small piece of Apple Crisp with a small amount of Vanilla Ice Cream

A total of around 1860 cals divided this way: 94 Fat, 163 Carbs, 93 Protein (need to focus on less carbs and more protein!)

GO HERE AND SIGN UP FOR UPCOMING HCG NEWSLETTER!!! We are really trying to get this out, I am looking at Monday - thank you all for being patient!

Lise is still looking for support for her Teeth Fund, if there is ANY way you can help her, please pay attention to this Preview Commercial - her date of takeoff to Costa Rica is the 6th - this will be the LAST day I announce this, then you will find it in my side bar:

Dire Super Emergency Teeth Fundraiser for Lise Who is Scared Witless About Being Toothless in Ohio!

End of Preview Commercial!

Here is the eMail form for signing up for the New Book Club! WOO HOO! I did my part, I read what I was supposed to read and I filled out the post, now I am just waiting for comments! If you have a chance today, go to the HCG BOOK CLUB and join in on the fun! If you haven't signed up for it yet, please do so now. eMail Address Form

Anyone else want to help me with my FAQ on TOM / Aunt Flo issues? I will leave it up until Monday morning and then we will start a new one. Again, the FAQ form has only one question on it, you can take as much room as you like, it should be able to handle your response.

Please take a few moments to fill this form out:

TOM / Aunt Flo Issues on the Protocol



Why Do We Blog?

That is a question I ponder quite often - let me give you a little history of my total blogging experience which will most likely lead to a better understanding of why "I" blog.

Back in the late 90's there was this little upstart company called MP3.com (it's actually still around, but that is a story for another day) - my husband is a musician and forever and a day I just knew that he had the talent enough to get noticed. While surfing the net one day, my husband and I stumbled upon this site (MP3.com) and were amazed that this website was promoting indie artists. WOW - it seemed made just for someone like my husband.

Since I was on bed rest with my pregnancy, I had lots of time to figure out the ins and outs of the site and got myself involved wholeheartedly with promoting my husband and his music. I seriously got involved in the forums, which led me to an off site forum of a group of artists that I pretty much just fit right in.

Enter My First Experience With Blogging

Around the end of 2000 - another little upstart company started - this time it was called 1sound.com - they were going to be the little "David" going up against the "Goliath" (MP3.com) - by this time, MP3.com had gotten a little TOO big and they were starting to treat their indie artists pretty badly, so in droves indie people flocked to 1sound.com - enter the blogosphere.

Blogging was already pretty big, although still new, but it was around this time that I discovered it and went to work on blogging about my husband's music, among other things. What I noticed about blogging is that it was a great way to create a support group of your own, right from your own home. I found that I could basically write about anything, and I would get comments, ideas, and create a little controversy as well, all in the name of fun.

Sadly, that community fell by the wayside almost as soon as it begun.

Making a Turn to Journal About Myself

At the end of 2002 - I had decided to do something about my weight, and I joined up with a friendly and informational Bulletin Board on Atkin's - they had an option on their board to basically "blog" about your experience and so I took up residence there.

Blogging then became a necessity for me. It became my way of staying accountable to the program at hand, and the blogging was very personal. It was only available to a small group of like minded people, and not to the 'masses'.

I was on Atkin's for a little more than a year, but then I temporarily had to help family out (out of state and for a period of 2 months) in the Spring of 2004, and my journaling stopped, along with all of my motivation to 'stick to plan' - I let the stress of handling the family crisis get to me, and without the cozy little support group I have surrounded myself with for all those months, I wavered and I started gaining my weight back.

A Dry Spell

During the months that followed and up until around January of 2006 I didn't do a thing about my weight, nor about my online journaling. I was so mad at myself, so angry that I put a whole year of hard work and determination on the back burner, that I couldn't even go to look at my online journal, or go back to the BB that I had once frequented. So embarrassed that in such a short time I had become a failure with following the Atkin's plan.

It was SO bad that I forced myself to get involved with another online community that had absolutely NO relation to weight loss. It was a craft site of all things! Now people, as your reading this, please don't think any less of me because I am so "DOMESTICATED" - if you folks only knew. Ok, that is a story for another day!

Dry Spell is Over!

So I dove in head first into this community - focusing my efforts on being the best that I could be in this craft. Beginning spring of 2006, I started blogging my experience with this craft. I started right here on Blogger, moved on over to WordPress, and then finally purchasing my own website in October of 2006! I was SMOKING!

My website for this craft was basically just a blog of my experiences in life. I did TRY to focus on my craft, but my life was a definite part of it. I would blog about ANYTHING that hit my fancy. I had LOTS of support, and it kept me very active and focused, on everything but my weight! ROFL

I was doing LOTS of charity work with my craft and the blog did focus on that alot. I say I didn't focus on my weight, but if you went to that blog, you would see a page dedicated to my many stops and starts with going back on Atkin's (the Atkin's community always said you have ONE GOLDEN SHOT with that program, I believe them).

Bring in the Summer of 2007

This is when it all changed for me. In May of 2007 I was told by my sister to do some research on something that she had just found out about. What is with all these people thinking I love to do research? OH YEAH! I DO!!! THAT IS WHY!

She told me that I needed to get with this girl she knew in California and ask her some questions about what she did, and then go to work finding out more about it. I wish I had recorded the conversation between my sister and I that day, because that was the day that my life changed in a way that it had never changed before. Although, that day I didn't know it was going to be so remarkable, but today, I look back, and I see it was.

My experience of finding and doing the protocol will be the focus of tomorrow's post, so stay tuned on that.

The Progress of Biz and the Reason I Blog!

So now that you see a bit of history of my blogging experience, you will see that this is something that I needed to do, it keeps me involved and it keeps me focused. It also keeps me very accountable.

In the beginning, I only "blogged" on the Yahoo Group - each day I would post what happened the previous day. I wouldn't do it for anyone but myself, I was incredibly selfish in that regard. I really didn't care if anyone read it, I just knew, based on previous experience, that if I didn't post daily, something would happen.

It wasn't actually until July 17, 2007 that I decided to get this "blog" started. If you go back through the archives, you will see that this blog started then and my posting was actually just direct copy and pastes from my posts over at the Yahoo Group. I was just using the blog as a "docking station" at that time for a one stop place that I could refer people to if they had any questions.

It wasn't until the beginning of September, when someone was kind enough contact me by eMail and ask me if I was going to focus in on blogging more. I was on my first P3 break and I pretty much had not posted about that experience, and it was disappointing people. Wow, I felt a rush of positive vibes after getting that eMail and so that day I started using the blog for my "journaling" instead of the Yahoo Group, I would just point the Yahoo Group to my blog when I posted my "updates".

That was September 9, 2007 and I have striven to keep my blog updated every day since then. I go through the good times of this protocol, and the not so good times. I have shared with the world everything about my experience from TOM issues to BATHROOM problems, to negativity from people to positive affirmations. I have shared with "my little support group" things I have found interesting, the lessons that I have learned, the research I continue to do, and the growth I have experienced.

You all pay me back by being there for me. You laugh when I laugh, you cry when I cry. You listen to my rants, you let me come up with crazy butt theories. We get into deep dark emotional psyche things and then in the next moment, we laugh about some of the stupid stuff we do.

I love my little support group. I love my readers. I love being a part of YOUR lives. I love you being a part of MINE ... for without all of you, I wouldn't be here today.

So Why Do I Blog?

Because I have to.

So tell me why YOU blog???



On to my commenter's - these are my responses to yesterday's comments:

Mary - thank you my sweet!

Ann-Marie - thanks for sharing that darlin'!

Tracey - I go back to my chiropractor at the end of this month. I am actually doing quite well, I will ask him if that is something I might be able to consider. All the classes are saved on a note here on my computer, so all I have to do is SIGN UP! Thanks for sharing your BMR!

B - We have ALL been there, done that. I am wondering tho if this time will be different because we actually are learning so much about ourselves with this protocol. I am thinking YES! It will be different!

Becca - You are not only cracking YOURSELF up, but you're cracking ME up as well! HA! Thanks for sharing your BMR - lots of interesting numbers floating around eh???

Have a WONDERFUL day peeps! Cya tomorrow!

Biz

See How Easily You Can Maintain Your Weight! - 01.04.08 - D16P3R3

LIW - 175.4 lbs (12/17/07)
Today's Weight - 177.8 lbs
2.4 OVER LIW

Here is my menu for yesterday. This is what I had:

Breakfast: Coffee with Cream - a small slice of DR Fudge (Thanks to JPS's MOM!!!)
Mid Morning Snack: 2 Egg Omelet with Swiss Cheese
Lunch: Large Lettuce Salad with Chicken with Blue Cheese and Blue Cheese Dressing
Mid Afternoon Snack: Coffee with Cream
Dinner: Spaghetti Sauce with Meat with Shirataki Noodles (Do you remember Noodle Gate???)
Dessert: Small piece of Apple Crisp with a small amount of Vanilla Ice Cream

A total of around 1650 cals divided this way: 106 Fat, 84 Carbs, 86 Protein (need to focus on more protein!)

GO HERE AND SIGN UP FOR UPCOMING HCG NEWSLETTER!!! We are really trying to get this out, I am looking at Monday - thank you all for being patient!

Lise is still looking for support for her Teeth Fund, if there is ANY way you can help her, please pay attention to this Preview Commercial - her date of takeoff to Costa Rica is the 6th:

Dire Super Emergency Teeth Fundraiser for Lise Who is Scared Witless About Being Toothless in Ohio!

End of Preview Commercial!

Here is the eMail form for signing up for the New Book Club! I actually posted to the Book Club yesterday, but I have an assignment I gave to myself before we can start. I will be posting an update later on this morning. If you haven't signed up for it yet, please do so now. eMail Address Form

Thank you for the responses I received yesterday for the FAQ question I posed, I got responses from an Anon Poster, and Cindy. I am going to leave up this FAQ question a few more days to try to get more responses. Again, the FAQ form has only one question on it, you can take as much room as you like, it should be able to handle your response.

Please take a few moments to fill this form out:

TOM / Aunt Flo Issues on the Protocol



How much better can that be??? Going in the right direction!!! In just two days of being diligent about my choices, I have lost 3.8 pounds, that is what I call SHWEET! Again, I used the wisdom of my OWN words for a change and ate sensibly, watching everything I put in my mouth and came out a winner! WOO HOO FOR ME!!!

Now what is this about my title for this post today??? I want to talk about "Maintaining Your Weight" - this is an important part of the protocol, actually the MOST important part because this is the part that needs to last for life. Every "break" we take until goal, we are asked by Dr Simeon's to maintain our weight within two pounds of our LIW. This would include both the 3 week "Phase 3" portion (no sugars or starches) and the subsequent "Phase 4" portion, which is eating regular food again. It is at this point that we all need to learn how to "maintain" our weight, to keep it stable so that it creates a 'set point' in essence.

In my experience, I have found there is some confusion about this topic. I have come across people that pretty much do not understand what BMR is, which in my opinion is essential in understanding how to maintain, so this will be the focus of this post today.

BMR is an acronym for "Basal Metabolic Rate" - basically this is the number of calories that is necessary to keep your particular body alive at rest. There are many BMR calculators available on the internet, one that I use quite often is here:

BMI Calculator

Keep in mind that BMR is something that changes as you get older, as your weight changes, and as your activity level changes, so this means your BMR is something you need to check all the time. Having too many calories (going past your BMR plus activity level) will cause you to gain, but get this, so will going under. So really, the key is to discover your BMR and eat that many calories and you should be able to maintain. I say "should" because there would be instances that even by eating your calories, but eating the WRONG type of calories you could gain, but that is a post for another day.

Let me add here that knowing your BMR will also help you lose weight (and actually for some, it will help them gain weight) - but our focus right now is to discover how to "maintain" our weight. Again, that is a post for another day.

Ok, so it's easy enough to figure out using the above calculator what our "at rest" calorie needs might be. How do we figure out what it should be if we are at different levels of activity. Interesting, when I was using NHW this was their calculation for 'breaks' - to maintain your weight during these times you need to add 300 if you are sedentary, 500 if you are active, and 700 if your an athlete. Pretty close to the formula that I use here:

Harris Benedict Equation

I like using this formula because it seems much more accurate, giving you a little more activity levels to closely represent your lifestyle. The only thing that this formula does not keep in mind is "lean body mass" because that too plays a part of estimating our calorie needs, so in other words, in the "very" muscular it will underestimate, and in the "very" fat it will overestimate.

Ok, so let's use me as an example - I am going to plug my stats into the BMR Calculator to see the number I come up with - it's 1521.21 - this is the amount of calories I need to basically just stay alive during the day. This is the amount of calories my body uses as energy to keep me alive. Now let's use the formula found in the 2nd link and see where my daily calorie needs are according to my activity level ... right now, because of my back issues, my chiropractor has asked me to not do any exercise, so my classification would be "sedentary" - so I would take that number and multiply it by 1.2 to get 1825.45 - this means I should strive to meet that amount of calories to make my BMR for the day, or in other words, for me to maintain.

Easy enough eh?

For some? Maybe, for some others? Not so much. Some people find it very laborious to keep track of their calories day after day. Some people feel that this is too much bother. Some people also do not want to be attached to a calorie counter because this is what they have been doing their entire life. You might be surprised if you just keep a journal for one week of what your eating. What is interesting to me is that after dealing with the same foods day after day, I start to realize what calories are in the different foods I eat. In my HUMBLE opinion, I tie this into the illustration I used yesterday about our cars ... you wouldn't just put ANY amount of motor oil, some cheap brand, or some extra oil you had laying around the house into your vehicle. You would make sure the exact amount with the optimum numbers that are needed for your particular vehicle and use that. Why not spend that kind of time making sure we are meeting our calories.

This is what I usually do ... right after dinner, while the day is still fresh in my mind, I head to my FitDay - it takes me no more than 5 minutes to enter the stuff I have eaten for the day into there. At that time I can look over my menu for the day and see where I need to change things, or even if I need to. 5 minutes of my time during the entire day offers me SO much for SO little investment.

What is your BMR? Tell me either by using my TAG Board in the left side bar, or use my comment box on the right side bar, or leave me a comment, either way, I would like to know what your BMR is!



HA! I told you I would get prolific again! It was just a matter of time before I would get all geared up for my long butt posts again! WHAT IS THAT ABOUT? I am finding that the longer I am on this protocol, the more healthy I am thinking. My thoughts have really turned right around to good health, mental as well as physical. You will be finding more and more of these types of posts in the future, as I delve into this new world.

On to my commenter's - these are my responses to yesterday's comments:

Mary - HA! Girlfriend, you are entirely TOO FUNNY!!! I think once you settle down into your routines again, you will do just fine. This next round will be a kick start for you on the straight and narrow once again!

Crystal - Oh, your ham soup recipe looked DIVINE, but it's something I need to stay away from right now, OMG - salt is my enemy! ROFL - Did you do the interview? How did it go???

Lili - Geesh Lili, OMG - I am nowhere even NEAR the whole Potassium/Sodium ration thing. UGH - I am seriously putting that down in my notebook to learn more about this. I would rather stick to more natural ways to get potassium in than taking supps, KWIM??? Thanks for that info tho, you are a WEALTH of information! And your funny too ... BOTOX??? I just have ONE question ... did it hurt? Ok, two questions, did it WORK???

Wendy - Yup, the water worked! WOO HOO FOR ME!

B - Oh yeah, I think I will use the car illustration for many moons to come, it really works ya know??? I just got to thinking how much some of us take care of our cars to the hilt, yet wont do the same for our bodies, what is UP with THAT???

Becca - Shoot me an email if you still have my addy, if not, use that little comment box on the right side bar and shoot me a comment with your email, I don't think your added to the Book Club. HA! You like my purse eh??? How cute is that??? I can't wait to be able to change that outfit, I am getting tired of looking at it! ROFL

Have a great day people!!!

Biz

The Secret of Maintaining Weight - 01.03.08 - D15P3R3

LIW - 175.4 lbs (12/17/07)
Today's Weight - 178.6 lbs
3.2 OVER LIW

Here is my menu for yesterday. This is what I had:

Breakfast: Coffee with Cream
Mid Morning Snack: Half an apple and some Peanut Butter
Lunch: Cheese Steak Omelet from Waffle House with a side of sliced tomatoes
Mid Afternoon Snack: Two buffalo chicken wings
Dinner: Large green lettuce salad with Italian Dressing and Feta Cheese and a hard boiled egg, two leftover bbq pork ribs
Dessert: 2 Miller Lites - HA!!!

GO HERE AND SIGN UP FOR UPCOMING HCG NEWSLETTER!!! Again, we didn't get a chance to release our Newsletter yesterday, my partner had an unexpected death in her circle of friends, and I have assured her that this is the last thing she needs to worry about. So please be patient.

Lise is still looking for support for her Teeth Fund, if there is ANY way you can help her, please pay attention to this Preview Commercial - her date of takeoff to Costa Rica is the 6th:

Dire Super Emergency Teeth Fundraiser for Lise Who is Scared Witless About Being Toothless in Ohio!

End of Preview Commercial!

Here is the eMail form for signing up for the New Book Club! By now, you folks know just about anything can happen in my life at any time. Almost right when I was finished making my rounds yesterday with the blogs, I ended up heading out to work with my husband. Totally wasn't expected, and I plum just forgot to start the book club yesterday after I got back home. I will be focusing in on this today, actually sometime this morning , this time I promise to get going on it? If you haven't signed up for it yet, please do so now. eMail Address Form

Thank you for the responses I received yesterday for the FAQ question I posed, I got responses from Wendy, Cathy, Claudia, Crystal and Ann. I am going to leave up this FAQ question a few more days to try to get more responses. Again, the FAQ form has only one question on it, you can take as much room as you like, it should be able to handle your response.

Please take a few moments to fill this form out:

TOM / Aunt Flo Issues on the Protocol



Well lookie there!

3 pounds, GONE, just like THAT! No muss, no fuss. Did I starve myself yesterday? Nope. Did I indulge yesterday? Nope. Did I watch my salt intake? YUP! Did I drink my water? YUP! Ah, so that is the secret ... being aware of what I am putting in my mouth to feed my body!!! Can you say, DUH?!?!

Well, at least that is MY secret. Being aware. This is, as it should be, a very important concept to understand. No longer is it time to throw caution to the wind. The time has come to truly start treating my body right. I really thought about this very thing this morning. I came to this conclusion and I describe it best with an illustration:

We have two very nice vehicles. It took us a long time to get to this point. At one point in our married life, we had a vehicle we were making payments on, yet sat under the carport for 18 months, not running because we couldn't afford to get it fixed, and the one thing my husband is not, is a mechanic. This vehicle got this way because of poor maintaining. Totally our fault, the old 'junk in junk out' thing really applied to us at that part of our lives.

We didn't find maintaining this vehicle a priority, and so it repaid us by not running.

Kind of like what I have been doing to my body all these years. I have been seriously not maintaining it properly, and it repays me by being fat and lethargic, not wanting to run at optimum level. Yesterday, I really focused on 'maintaining' it properly. I made very wise food choices and it repays me by dropping those unwanted pounds.

Our two nice vehicles? My husband and I are both very focused on the maintaining schedule of both of them, and both of the vehicles repay us by not giving us an ounce of trouble. Why would I ever think that my body would be any different than an inanimate object like a car?

So that is the secret, being aware. Be aware that there are consequences to the food choices we make. In my case, I have to be aware of how much salt I am putting in my system. I have to make responsible food decisions that will help me maintain my body, my health, my weight. That means becoming very aware of food labels. Learning even what natural foods contain sodium. Because I have an affinity to heart related issues by genetics, I have to be even MORE aware of sodium and it's affect on my body, not only for the maintaining of weight, but for heart health as well.

Over the past few weeks, I have spent a lot of time researching 'maintaining' weight. There is a surprising amount of things we can learn from this topic. Tomorrow I will focus in on some of the numbers we need to be aware of to help us in our journey to goal.


Just wanted you all to check out the "10 Minutes Lists" of some other readers that were posted over the last few days: CB, Becca and Mary had TWO, here and here, all had INCREDIBLE lists! WOO HOO! Those were FUN weren't they??? Anybody else wanna join in on the fun???

Also wanted to give a little update on JPS - she is doing WONDERFULLY! She really deserves it, she has had a couple of breaks where steak days were a common occurrence, and this round? Not so much! She is experimenting with all sorts of things, starches and sugars mostly, and is maintaining just fine. She had w/w bread, hash browns and some Spanish Fudge her mother sent to her yesterday, and she LOST weight. Good for her!

My son? We wont even talk about him. ROFL



On to my commenter's:

Amy! - Can I just say how AWESOME it is to have you back among the blogosphere? I have truly missed your insights and comments, and most of all your postings! WOO HOO!!! I will be delving into the whole "Male" perspective soon, I actually have a reader out there (male) that is willing to give me some much needed insight into the male perspective and this protocol.

Wendy - I am SO glad they are back at school! OMG! Sanctuary! My sister laughed at me - she says I sound just like our MOM! ROFL - I love my kids, but I love them away a little every day! Is that wrong?!?! ROFL

Mary - Now that is very interesting. My number one FAVE snack used to be Ruffles and Hot Sauce. They are IN the house, and I have NO desire for them, whatsoever. What is THAT about??? This time, I am craving the sweets. Even my husband says that some aliens have taken over my body. hehe

Ann-Marie - I did drink, drink, drink, and look where it got me! WOO HOO FOR ME! Over indulgence is a thing we all have to be careful of yes?

Lili - a special physique! Ah yes, is THAT what you call it. Interesting about the relationship between potassium and sodium, I am going to have to look at that more closely, according to FitDay, my potassium was 2117 yesterday and my sodium was 2909 - hmmmm, can you say MORE RESEARCH???

B - Thanks for stopping by yourself! Yup, it was cured with a LOT of water! ROFL - Oh yeah, and a little help of some Dandelion Tea last night! ROFL

Becca - Can I just say LUCKY GAL??? Geesh, I wish I didn't have to worry about Aunt Flo anymore, ugh.

Take it easy folks, have a wonderful day!

Biz

Warning: Salt Makes You Retain Water - 01.02.08 - D14P3R3

LIW - 175.4 lbs (12/17/07)
Today's Weight - 181.6 lbs
6.2 OVER LIW

Here is my menu for yesterday.

GO HERE AND SIGN UP FOR UPCOMING HCG NEWSLETTER!!! We didn't get a chance to release our Newsletter yesterday, but I am hoping you will be getting it sometime today! We can always hope! ROFL

Lise is still looking for support for her Teeth Fund, if there is ANY way you can help her, please pay attention to this Preview Commercial - her date of takeoff to Costa Rica is the 6th:

Dire Super Emergency Teeth Fundraiser for Lise Who is Scared Witless About Being Toothless in Ohio!

End of Preview Commercial!

Here is the eMail form for signing up for the New Book Club! I will be focusing in on this today, actually sometime this morning - so you all get ready for it ok? If you haven't signed up for it yet, please do so now. eMail Address Form

I have a new portion of the FAQ I would like to work on today. The last portion dealt with the men -this time, this is only for the women. I would like to get your opinion on issues experienced on the protocol with Aunt Flo / Tom - this time, the FAQ form has only one question on it, you can take as much room as you like, it should be able to handle your response.

Please take a few moments to fill this form out:

TOM / Aunt Flo Issues on the Protocol

As if you didn't know what the title of my post has told you!

Let's discuss my GAINS! HA! What the heck is THIS about??? I will tell you what it's about. I must have been extremely sensitive to salt my entire life and never knew it. Because now that I am weighing myself everyday, I see how salt can affect the scale. Tremendously I might add.

I decided to bake a ham yesterday. And I gotta tell you, it was GOOD. But it was also SALTY. Geesh. I could feel the water being retained last night! I looked at JPS and I said, I am gonna gain two pounds, you just watch, and BAM - ok, so it was 1.6, but still. This salt thing is for the birds.

I sit here this morning and I am like in a river of water. I can feel every pore drenched in liquid. I said I was gonna drink Dandelion Tea yesterday, and I never got to it, but today I will make sure this happens. I was also going to do an egg day today, but decided against that as well. I thought today was the day that everyone went back to school/work and I got my life back (hehe) but it's tomorrow. So tomorrow is the day for me to start working on this gain. I will however stay off the salt today, and drink LOTS more water.

I have noticed that the closer I get to goal, the more this salt thing plays havoc with my weight. I have been doing extensive research on the issue of salt and how it fiddles with our systems (especially women, but I have seen this effect on men as well) and I will be posting my results in the very near future.

What was ALL that I ate yesterday? Coffee with cream, Spam/eggs/cheese/green onion omelet, snacked on some leftover wings, had about 4 cookies all during the day, then the ham green salad and broccoli for dinner. All in all about 1800 cals, 120 fat, 81 carbs and 103 protein. My salt consumption? I estimate around 3000 - 3500 mg. I do think my estimating skills of calorie counting has got me actually reporting MORE than I am eating. But I do feel that my sodium numbers are really nowhere NEAR what I am actually taking in in sodium.

I have got some big plans for my blog in the upcoming weeks people. Don't be surprised if you get here one day and the whole 'house' has been rearranged. It's time for me to really take this blog to the next level. Don't you worry tho, I will always be the SAME Biz that I have been. That wont change. Oh wait, I may get just a bit crazier! ROFL - Is that even possible???

Please everyone who reads today, take a moment if you can and jot down either by using my tag board up on the left side bar, or my comment form on the right side bar, or if you get my blog as an email, just hit reply - I would like to know what topics you might find interesting to chat about. I absolutely LOVE research, and I would love to know what my readers would find interesting to chat about? I would love to hear from you!

Ok ... enough for today. Let's get on to my commenter's:

Lili - you are so welcome my sweet. I owe you an email, will be sending you one sometime this morning...

Mary - Oh yeah, that is a FOR SURE! Routines are the spice of life, ain't that the truth???

Have a good one people.

Biz

January 1, 2008 - Day 13 of Phase 3 (Round 3)

LIW - 175.4 lbs (12/17/07)
Today's Weight - 180.0 lbs
4.6 OVER LIW

Here is my menu for yesterday.

GO HERE AND SIGN UP FOR UPCOMING HCG NEWSLETTER!!! I do believe that we will be releasing our very first issue today! So make sure you sign up for it!!!

Lise is still looking for support for her Teeth Fund, if there is ANY way you can help her, please pay attention to this Preview Commercial:

Dire Super Emergency Teeth Fundraiser for Lise Who is Scared Witless About Being Toothless in Ohio!

End of Preview Commercial!

Here is the eMail form for signing up for the New Book Club! I will be focusing in on this tomorrow - so you all get ready for it ok? If you haven't signed up for it yet, please do so now. eMail Address Form

The MEN AND THE PROTOCOL portion of the FAQ is set up and ready to go! I also added a nice little area so that I can put our completed FAQ links there, hopefully they will be more accessible as time goes on, easier to find.

Edited at 11:15 AM EST - 01/01/08 - I didn't realize it is against Google Ad Sense policy to encourage click thru's on their ads, and I have since re-worded the following paragraph to reflect my understanding - this will be the last mention of this:

One more thing before I start my post for today ... you will notice that I have put up "Google Ads" - I spend a lot of time at my computer answering questions about this protocol, and helping various people out via email, chats and such - if you find value in any of the ads, please support the various links.

Whew, getting back into the swing of things! I was missing all my stuff up there for a while!

Well lookie there! It's down a bit! And after all that I ate yesterday! Let's see here, this is what I had ...

Of course I had my coffee and cream, pretty much had some of that all day long. Had some spam (don't everyone get grossed out, I happen to just LOVE spam) with eggs, cheese, onions, green onions and bell peppers for my version of an omelet, had my chicken salad thingie for lunch, an apple and peanut butter for snack and ate a chicken green salad for dinner, then had snacks of Mozzarella Cheese Snacks (TGI Friday's Version) with a couple of Hot Chicken Wings (again, TGI Friday's version) - ok, and let's not forget about all that WINE I drank!!! I think I polished off a half a liter BY MYSELF of White Zin (Sutter Home, gotta love it!) - all in all I ate about 2000 cals as far as I can figure, separated this way - 100 g fat, 62 carbs, and 115 protein. This is exactly where I should be to maintain my weight. Those are the right numbers if I go by what has worked in the past on my breaks.

I have ONE more day to do as I please and then tomorrow I will start working on bringing this weight back down to manageable proportions. Again, I am not worried, so don't you be. My sister called me from Louisiana yesterday and asked me if I was concerned. I told her NO, then she tells me, but you yell at everyone else that gains! HA! There is a difference my sweet sister ... if someone tells me that they ONLY ate this and that, why did they gain, I tell them why. But when you OWN your gain, it's a totally different story. I know why I gained. I made foolish eating choices. I am owning it and moving on. I asked her, did I sound worried on my blog? She says NO, and so I said, then why are YOU worried.

I have this saying "I am free and over 21" which when I say that means I am able to make my own decisions and live by them. Why whine over spilled milk right? Get a rag up and clean it, or else it will smell. I will be getting that rag and cleaning this up tomorrow. HA! Yes, procrastination is still a problem with me my dear ones! ROFL

Gosh, this winter break has seemed to go on forever! OMG! I am so ready for everyone to go back to work, and the kids to go back to school, so that I can have my sanctuary again. My work DOUBLES around this house when everyone is home all day, UGH! TOMORROW I get my life back! hehe

Let's see, tomorrow we will start with the book at the HCG Book Club - if you haven't gotten your book yet, no worries, still join in on the fun! I can't wait, how 'bout you all? By now, if you signed up for the book club, you should have gotten an email invitation to be a poster. You don't need a blog to be a poster or author, just an email address. If you haven't gotten your invitation yet, please let me know.

Thanks to Wendy and Crystal who did the 10 minute list yesterday on their blogs, pay them a visit to see what they had to say. Also thanks goes to Page for this entry (Page doesn't have a blog, and I have gotten her permission to post her reply here):

Downhill skiing, wearing a bathing suit and not being embarrassed, wearing sexy cami's, T-shirts and shorts and looking GOOD. Jogging again and maybe doing a 10K. Keeping up with my dog in agility competitions.

Going shopping and only choosing things that really look great instead of - it fits so I should get it. Cleaning out my closet and dressers and only having stuff that fits and it all so SMALL!!! Getting rid of the BIG men’s winter coats and wearing only women's clothes. Wearing belts, rings, and bracelets.

Not worrying about sitting next to someone on the bus because I might take up too much of the seats. (Already can fit in airline seats without extenders), fitting in the bathtub and having water over my tummy and legs!!!

Ok, I think that about wraps things up for this "first day of the new year" post!!! Whew! Have I mentioned I am happy to start getting back into my routines??? I have missed my blogging, I really have! But it's ALL coming back to me now!

On to my commenter's:

Crystal - I saw your LIST, but didn't get a chance to look at your break post yet, that is a bit later on this morning. Thanks for posting your list. And girl? Health comes first. Always. Get better, then get started. You have to be physically AND mentally well to do this protocol, this much you have learned already yes? But promise me this, no matter what you do decide, do NOT stop posting. Keep us in the loop. Do not be afraid of telling us how you feel. You cannot possibly disappoint us whatsoever. I know I am not alone in this.

Wendy - I so OWNED the wine last night! And it looks like it was my friend! WOO HOO FOR ME! The salt, that is the killer I have learned. It never used to be, but now it is. I cannot handle the salt. It surprises the HECK out of me that I am purchasing LOW SODIUM this and LOW SODIUM that - I would have CRINGED at those things before. OMG! How did you do this morning??? When are you starting again?

Mary - HA! You did sound silly! I hope you remained silly throughout the day, silly is better than sad! 2008 will be great! WOO HOO FOR ALL OF US!

Good day ya'll, make it memorable! Look for some changes in my blog over the next week or so ...

Biz