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