November 7, 2007 - Day 8 on Phase 3 (R2)

Last Injection Weight - 187.4
Today's Weight 188.8
Yesterday's Weight 188.4
0.4 Gain From Yesterday
1.4 lb Over LIW

Here is my menu for yesterday.

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I knew I would have a bit of a bounce back from the egg day, so I wasn't surprised to see that number on the scale. So no worries here. Yesterday in fact was the first day since being on this R2P3 that I felt like I did the last R1P3 - I wasn't craving anything! Not even protein, so my body must have been in a pretty wacky state over the last 3 or so weeks. Because if you remember, I was dealing with some pretty heavy duty PROTEIN cravings during my last two weeks of P2 and then they went straight into my P3 experience, but all of a sudden yesterday, they were GONE! So who knows!

I feel like I am in the "zone" again.

Let's take a look at what I ate yesterday!

Breakfast: Pumpkin Serniki, and about an ounce of Harvati cheese, mmmmm
Mid Morning Snack: A leftover Pork Rib (and another Pumpkin Serniki!)
Lunch: Cauliflower Casserole and some hot peppers! MMM, haven't had them since the start of this protocol! Oh yeah, and another Pumpkin Serniki!
Mid Afternoon Snack: A bowl of full fat cottage cheese with strawberries and a dash of cinnamon with some Vanilla flavored stevia, OMG! This was delish! Thanks to BB for the recipe! I am SO doing that again!!!
Dinner: Salad of lettuce, tomato, onion and leftover London Broil with a bit of cheese and Greek Dressing
Dessert: You guessed it, a Pumpkin Serniki!

In total that was about 1600 cals, separated this way - 113 fat grams, 54 carbs and 96 protein grams. Not enough protein, but I will bring that up today.

Gotta thank ALL of you that had some really nice words to say about my "tank" pic! You are all so sweet. I really do appreciate it, you are all so good for the ego!

My sister and her husband goes off their round today, and I will give you an update on them when I find that out. I go down to see them in Louisiana on the 11th - 18th - this is gonna be great because I haven't seen them since December, and we have ALL changed since then! WOO HOO!!!

Let's now shift gears a bit and let's talk about something that came up full force on the YahooGroup this past weekend. Some people are not going to like to hear this, but I feel these things need to be said.

It's the subject about Half and Half. WOW! Was there some really heated posts about using or not using half and half on the P2 portion of the protocol! Let me start this conversation by saying this, I used half and half on the P2 portion of my second round, every single day. I started in the beginning knowing that with this second round half and half was something I was going to allow myself because that was going to let the round go well for me. My good friend Ju can attest to the fact that this is what I said in the beginning:

I am going to allow myself to have half and half in my coffee, even if that means I will have a slower weight loss as a result of it. I am prepared for that, but this will enable me to get thru each and every day of the next 6 weeks with a smile on my face.

So I did, every day, start my day with a creamy cup of coffee and it was good for me. Let me add that I did make sure I covered the calories in my daily total. Let me also add this. The half and half question came up during the end of my first round in a conversation with JPS - I didn't use half and half during my first round, but I did use WHOLE MILK. We were having one of our long winded discussions on "what did Dr S mean by this" and I kept asking whether or not half and half would be legal. I wont fill you in on all the gory details of our conversation but suffice it to say that my husband got involved and started doing research on skim milk and such.

The conclusion that "I" came up with at the time was that Dr S in his "DIET" portion of the manuscript says "MILK" not "SKIM MILK" where as elsewhere in the manuscript he mentions "SKIM MILK" as far as it pertains to "COTTAGE CHEESE" - like everything else in his book he is very specific, and if he wanted us to use "SKIM MILK" in the diet portion of the protocol, then I believe he would have said "SKIM MILK" - but he didn't, so I have to assume that he meant WHOLE MILK.

Now when I did research on the differences of WHOLE MILK and HALF AND HALF, this is what I come up with:






Now let's look at them closely (these were all taken from CalorieKing) - keep in mind in the skim milk one you have to divide by 2 in order to get the 1 tablespoon measurement. I forgot to change it. As you can see, by using half and half, I was giving myself approximately 10 more cals to add to my daily total, and 1 gram of fat more. I looked at that and I rectified in my mind that this was ok, so during my 2nd round I decided to use it. (I want to add this, never at any time did I hide the fact that I was using Half and Half, if you go thru any one of my "FitDay Menus" that I posted each and every day, you will see half and half listed as the ingredients.)

Now, let me stop here, because I want you to know that now I am looking back at this decision I made, and I am beginning to wonder if this was indeed something I should have done. Yes, people, I am questioning my decision...

Let me tell you why tomorrow, I am now running late this morning (long post) and I will have to go into this in more detail later! I know, now I seem like one of those soap operas - "tune in tomorrow for another episode of "As the Stomach Turns" - HA! I crack myself up! But hey, it will force you all to come back tomorrow now wont it??? ROFL

I love you ALL out there!

Until then, Biz

November 6, 2007 - Day 7 on Phase 3 (R2)

Last Injection Weight - 187.4
Today's Weight 188.4
2 lb Loss From Yesterday
1 lb Over LIW

Here is my menu for yesterday.

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Whew! It worked! WOO HOO!!!!

Ok, so for everyone that wanted to know what little "trick" I had up my sleeve ... back when I was on Atkins, there was this little thing you did to break a stall. I say "you did", well, there was a group of us that did it on the message board I used to belong to. It was called an "egg" day! I looked back on my records from when I was stalled on Atkins to see what I could do to break this pattern I was having and that is what I came up with!

I ate eggs all day. UGH! ROFL - but seriously, I had 4 scrambled eggs cooked in Pam w/Butter, 4 deviled eggs I made from scratch with mayo, mustard, s/f pickle relish, and s&p, and 2 hardboiled eggs mixed with mayo. That's it, that is all I had ALL DAY! I spaced it out during the day, and was actually very satiated during the day. No hunger, just you can get really sick of eggs quickly.

I knew it would work, so YUPPY FOR ME! I finally get to eat some veggies again today! I am gonna take it easy today, not go hog wild on anything, and I am still staying away from my banana (sulk) but I will have my veggies and that makes me very happy.

Let me also mention, I took a half a bottle of Citrate just to help (move) things along. I felt like there was a huge load of junk down low in my tummy from 3 days of mostly protein ya know?

Before I go any further, I have to share with you what a kind and generous spirit did for me yesterday. I was actually quite speechless when I found out how much people really do care out there. One of my good morning buddies sent me a surprise in the mail! I couldn't have been more blown away!

First take a look at the card she sent me (remember that the pictures are clickable for a larger view!):

OMG! I just about cried when I saw that! I was like, HOW PERFECT!!! That card was written JUST FOR ME!!!

BUT THAT WASN'T ALL!!!!

Look at what else this lovely lady sent me!!!!!!!!!!





A while ago on the YahooGroups message board there was a discussion about Harley's and Pigs, and I mentioned in passing that I collect pigs and that I have this "thing" for Harley's. Well LOW AND BEHOLD!!! Look at what I am the proud owner of??? OMG! I am still in awe of this prize to add to my collection! LOOK AT IT! A Harley Davidson Hog Piggy Bank!!! It's in the shape of a Harley Gas Tank!!! Martha, I cannot express the gratitude I have in my heart for such a thoughtful and caring gift. This is going to be displayed very prominently in my home and I will happily tell everyone the story!!! THANK YOU MARTHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am just beside myself with joy people!

First I get such a magnificent gift, and then I lose two pounds! How much more joy can this girl have???

BUT WAIT! There is MORE! Another one of my good morning buddies, Ju, sent me a care package on Friday with the most awesomest tank and jacket! Well, I wore the tank to the fair on Saturday, and I actually had my husband snap a picture! OMG! I am NOT afraid of the camera now! So here I am modeling this new TANK! (just fyi - I used to HATE showing my arms! NOW??? Not so much! ROFL)



On that note, I am gonna skip some of my 'other' discussion until tomorrow. I cannot bring a downer on such beautiful thoughts today. My day will be full of sunshine and rainbows (and veggies) - I do have lots to say, and finally I will have some time this week to take those subjects up. I promise, don't give up on me people!

Have the most awesome SUNSHINE and RAINBOWS day!!!!

Biz (who is flying high!)

November 5, 2007 - Day 6 on Phase 3 (R2)

Last Injection Weight - 187.4
Today's Weight 190.4
0 lb Gain/Loss From Yesterday
3 lb Over LIW

Here is my menu for yesterday.

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Wow, now that is quite weird. Steak day didn't help me. I do have to say that I didn't get my steak until almost 7pm, things were chaotic around here yesterday and my husband didn't get to grill until late. And the steak was salty. And I was starving around 5pm and I was starting to get dizzy so I had a cup of coffee with cream to satiate myself, so not sure if that would have done it. And one more thing, I didn't "go" this morning, so there is almost a pound of meat sitting in my stomach that hasn't made it's way out yet.

I feel so out of the loop people. I have had a very hectic few days, and I am so behind on all my visits to fellow bloggers and to the board, I am incredibly sorry. Today is going to be another one of those days, so I will not be around.

I have some things I really need to address, so I want you to know I am thinking about these things and will address them when I have more time, tomorrow will be much better for me.

1) The discussion of half and half (from the board)
2) The discussion of "Fear of Success"
3) The discussion of "Straying" from the protocol
4) The discussion of deviations from the protocol per clinics advice.

So, tomorrow morning I will be addressing these things. Believe me, I have lots to say, when have I not?

Until then, everyone have a good one. Don't worry about me, I am not in the least concerned about this 3 pounds over. I have another trick up my sleeve that I will try today and see what happens. I will share my findings tomorrow.

Seriously, no worries ok? I am OK!

Biz

November 4, 2007 - Day 5 on Phase 3 (R2)

Last Injection Weight - 187.4
Today's Weight 190.4
1.4 lb Gain From Yesterday
3 lb Over LIW

Here is my menu for yesterday.

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Can you say:

STEAK DAY

Ok, today is it people, today is my very first steak day since starting this protocol. Today I get to test the waters of this little part of the protocol. The part of the program that I say is the real 'cure' to this maintaining bit. After today, and the resulting weight loss it's supposed to produce, I will at that time become an expert of this fix for keeping your weight stable.

HA! This should be fun!

We had a great time at the fair yesterday! Although, I think we are all getting a bit old (the adults that went, and including my two sons) and we didn't stay as long as we had originally thought we would. HA! Around 5:30pm yesterday we were all like, ok, it's time to go, this place is too crowded, the lines are too long. My little girl and her friend that we took with us didn't want to leave, but majority ruled!

I didn't get my gyro! I got there, and look at it, and I wasn't impressed, so I decided on a Smoked Turkey Leg instead. MMMMM, that was delish, but also almost 900 cals for just that alone! I got up to almost 3000 calories yesterday! OMG!

I gotta admit this to the world. I had my very first "cave in" - yup, I caved for something that I just can't get anywhere but the fair. OK, I can, but nowhere else is it as good. I had some cinnamon sugar roasted pecans. And they were warm. I can say with all sincerity that this was probably the thing that shot the weight up, and it was worth it. I didn't eat the whole bag, I ate like two handfuls during the evening, but I sinned and my punishment is a "Steak Day".

After the fair we went to "Wild Wing" - now this is our whole families fave restaurant to go to, and let me also tell you one of my favorite foods. Chicken wings. I didn't get to have chicken wings on my last P3 break so I was genuinely looking forward to eating my share of wings. Our family usually gets a 50 wing order and we usually fight over the last few wings and end up ordering another 12 piece order to satisfy everyone. (Let me add that JPS was with us yesterday, and she usually is when we go there, oh heck, she is just part of our family!)

Last night? JPS and I both got there and decided that we wanted a 'salad' more than we wanted the wings! LOL - We both only ate 5 pieces, and the 5th one was mostly force fed because we wanted to taste one from each flavor. (We usually order 5 sets of 10 wings of different flavors.) So our of our 50 wings, we brought home like 12 wings. Goes to show you how much we used to eat when we used to go there before.

Ok, so that might have been a contributing factor to my 1.4 gain yesterday, along with the two beers! OK OK OK!!! I have SINNED! I am paying my penance today! I assure you that the amount of sodium I ingested yesterday would definitely make me retain water today, and that if I just watched myself today I would be ok tomorrow. But I want to do this steak day.

Now mind you people, I did NOT like seeing that 190 business on the scale. That was NOT an easy thing to look at. I knew something was coming but I didn't expect the 190 thing.

I have lots to catch up on from yesterday. Several people wrote me some very heartfelt letters on my subject of "Fear of Success" yesterday. I promise you all that I will get to each and every one of them. Weekends are hard for me to be active on the net as this is our "family" time. So if I don't get to you all today, I will for sure get to you all during the first of the week.

Well people, send those good mojo vibes across the internet for me to have a successful steak day today! Let's hope I drop these 3 pounds at least eh???

ROFL

Biz

November 3, 2007 - Day 4 on Phase 3 (R2)

Last Injection Weight - 187.4
Today's Weight 189.0
.4 lb Loss From Yesterday
1.6 lb Over LIW

Here is my menu for yesterday.

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I have to clear up something before I start my post this morning. Some have gotten the idea that I was GOING to do a steak day yesterday, and when I re-read my post I can certainly understand how you might have gotten that impression. What I meant to say was that I was HEADED toward a steak day. I didn't do one yesterday, but I did stick very close to what is known as "Atkins Induction". So mostly proteins yesterday.

Today, thankfully, I am .4 down.

This is what I ate during the day yesterday:

Breakfast: Two scrambled eggs and a piece of cheddar cheese, with Coffee and Half and Half
MidMorning Snack: Deviled Eggs
Lunch: Leftover London Broil and some Cheddar Cheese and a pickle
MidAfternoon Snack: Cheese
Dinner: Mexican Pizza Dip

As you can see, it was totally Akins Induction, maybe even over a bit. I had about 1600 cals, with 105 being fat, 25 carbs and 128 protein. Egads! I am doing another Atkins Induction day today. This is really no problem - this is something I am TOTALLY ok with. I know Atkins blindfolded, so I will survive the day today at the fair with no issues.

I do miss my banana tho, and that leftover avocado salsa is calling my name. It's ok, I can survive weeks at a time on 500 cals, why can't I go a few days without that???

People want my recipes! LOL - that is entirely too funny. I had something worked out with Renee to post my recipes because I am really quite inept at doing such things. I am NOT a measurer and she is good at looking at the ingredients I have and coming up with measurements that fit. But, she hasn't been posting much, off line life has taken over I believe, which I totally can relate to! So I quickly put the following recipes to PDF files using this little recipe program I have. I hope they work for you!

Pumpkin Serniki

Avocado Salsa

Mexican Pizza Dip

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. I am always most pleased to help!

I can see we are going to have some very interesting discussions coming up about this "Fear of Success" thing. Hmmmm, could it be that I am not the only one out there that has been afraid of having a skinny body???

Let me ask my readers to think about this question. Let's keep it in the realm of the protocol (losing Pounds and Inches) since this is what my blog is about. Spend with me 15 - 20 minutes today just thinking about what life will be like if we succeed in our goal of getting to our ideal weight. Let's not just think things like, "I will be thin and healthy". But really, what will life be like? How will people treat you? Will they talk to you more? Will they want to be your friend? How will you handle that, especially since when we were larger it seemed no one paid us any attention. How will that make us feel? When people notice your weight loss now, how does that make you feel. Would you rather them not say anything at all? Or are they not saying enough? And either way, does that hinder your progress, or make you deviate from your plan? If you do deviate from the protocol, what do you think brings on the feelings and rationalizations to stray? What are those voices telling you that makes it ok to stray?

Let's focus on that picture for today. I would be very interested in what some of you think. If you don't feel comfortable having the entire world see your post, feel free to contact me personally at bizadventure at comcast dot net - I will NOT share your information with anyone, unless I have first asked your permission and then if I did I would also ask you if you would prefer to remain anon with your comments.

I think this topic deserves some attention. So really, let's get involved and get this party started. I know I am not the only one with issues!

Ok, going to the fair today, gonna have a long day of fun! Can't wait to see what I come home to!

Have a wonderful day people!

Biz

November 2, 2007 - Day 3 on Phase 3 (R2)

Last Injection Weight - 187.4
Today's Weight 189.4
1 lb Gain From Yesterday
2 lb Over LIW

Here is my menu for yesterday.

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HA! What do they say? Be careful what you wish for? You just might get it! Well, it looks like I am on my way to my first steak day! HA! How incredibly funny is that??? Last P3, I just sailed on thru, this P3, not so much!

Oh well, I need to do one so that I can become an authority! Nothing beats experience eh? I am not mad, I am not sad, I am actually like, hey, this is kinda cool, I might get to do something that will AGAIN put another nail in that coffin about this protocol. Let's see if THIS works like everything else he says.

What did I eat yesterday?

Breakfast: Coffee with Half and Half, Pumpkin Sernicki and a Banana
Lunch: Leftover London Broil with Leftover Avocado Salsa thingie on Lettuce
MidAfternoon Snack: 2 Deviled Eggs (4 halves)
Dinner: Ground Pork Burger Grilled with mayo/horseradish, Avocado Salsa thingie, Roasted Garlic Yellow Squash with Onions - Oh yeah, and two Miller Lites!
Dessert: Pumpkin Serniki

Again I was a little over 2000 cals, breakdown was 120 protein, 120 fat, and about 75 carbs.

I am room mother today - my daughter's teacher is just loving me being around. I don't know if it's because I help her get things done, or the fact that there is another adult in the classroom! ROFL - Geesh, teachers should get paid MORE. What they have to put up with? Don't get me started on that this early.

Had some interesting thoughts yesterday, it seems that a subject kept rearing it's head while I was doing my rounds on blogs yesterday. I am doing some research and will be talking about it over the next few days. My topic will focus on "Fear of Success" - I have long thought this about myself. I feel I am pretty good at a lot of different things, but I always fall short of becoming really successful at any of them. It's self sabotage, I see it in hind site, but when I am in the middle of it, I find all sorts of reasons why things are not working, and most of the time, I don't look at myself until it is too late.

This protocol is putting a lot of things in focus for me. My mind is thinking more clearly than it ever has. I am finding out things about myself, some good, some not so much. Food is a powerful drug. It can really dull the senses. It can really do some freaky things to you.

Anyhoo, geesh, what a downer! LOL - I promise that I will keep things on a more positive note with these discussions. I know I for one will find them very interesting. And of course, as always, I will love to have some input from you, my readers. So feel free to leave me a comment or two to let me know how you feel.

Until then, this is Biz, over and OUT

November 1, 2007 - Day 2 on Phase 3 (R2)

Last Injection Weight - 187.4
Today's Weight 188.4
1 lb Gain

Here is my menu for yesterday.

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Ok, what did I eat yesterday? Can anyone say BANANA????? HA! I didn't feel like eating anything with cheese yesterday so I didn't. I didn't even feel like eating anything with eggs in it either, so I didn't do that. So basically:

Breakfast: Banana and Coffee with Half and Half
Midmorning Snack: Cashews
Lunch: A ground pork burger with mayo mixed with horseradish
Afternoon Snack: Cottage Cheese
Dinner: Grilled London Broil, some sauteed mushrooms, a salsa type thing made with avocados/tomatoes/green onion with oil/vinegar/pepper - oh yeah, and I had three Miller Lites from late afternoon until dinner.
Dessert: A pumpkin serniki (cupcake sized cheesecake thingie)

That totaled a little over 2000 cals. I had about 100 grams of protein, 80 carbs, and about 120 grams of fat. Probably a bit much for my first day, so I will be cutting back today. And can you possibly see the total lack of VEGETABLES???? How bad am I to do that? Seriously, I know better, and I just didn't listen to myself. Oh well, today is another day.

Veggies will be my number one priority today, and my water. And no beer! LOL - Ok, maybe one! ROFL

What is up with me and not wanting CHEESE or EGGS??? WOW! Totally different than last round. That was all I could think about toward the end of last round, was my swiss cheese/mushroom omelet. And this round it's like gag a maggot. HA!

Well, one thing did live up to expectations. Food just wasn't what I remembered. It was nice to eat my banana. It was nice to be able to mix my veggies (legally! LOL) and it was nice to have a beer. But it wasn't the end all of end alls. Ya know? Soon, all of you readers out there will know exactly what I am talking about. Seriously. It's just different.

Ok, so guess who decides to visit again during the night??? Yeah, you got it, Aunt Flo! You know what? She did this to me LAST time at the beginning of my P3 - just all of a sudden showed up when I got off the HCG - but remember a couple of weeks ago I thought she was around, well she was, for like just ONE DAY. What the heck is up with that?

So this morning, I am feeling cranky and irritable. It's funny because yesterday afternoon was a bit stressful for me - who am I kidding, my whole day was pure STRESS! Toward later afternoon I had to deal with a postal employee that really took me over the edge tho. That is when I came home and opened my first beer. HA! That should tell me something about myself. But seriously, it sure does explain some things. So...I am a little bit irritated today. Aunt Flo always picks the worst times to show up. I want to have fun at the fair on Saturday, not walk around with HER all day, ugh.

Anyhoo, another day done, and another day closer to my next P2! ROFL - no, as of right now, I am not anticipating my next round, but ask me next week, I will probably be ready! OH MY! I crack myself up!

A little shout out to my new Aussie friend out there! And all the other Aussie's that might be peeking in! We are all one big happy HCG Family out there in cyber world, all doing this together, all on the same page.

I am wondering how many "other" countries might be reading this? If your from another country, take a minute and "tag" me - you don't have to put any personal information in that box, just put a name and where your from! How cool is that???

Ok, have a wonderful, sunshiny day people, I am gonna have my banana and coffee soon.

Biz