15 and a half pounds!

Painfully slow but moving non the less... I think I'll step up my work out another day and walk twice a day starting today. More water too... I was having a hard time getting 100 oz. in a day.

Slow progress...

But Progress non the less! The scale isn't moving too fast, but I feel better and wear my clothes better and I can get up from the floor easier. I have great energy still and I can't complain about any of that!

I am going to cut out the Melba toast this week and see how I do. I really don't like the Melba Toast anyway, I just grind it up and use it for bread crumbs anyway. I am staying home for the next 7 days anyway, so I can really hide from the world and its tempting food choices.

This is the part of this diet that gets hard, the last 20 days. Because you are SO limited on food choices, after the first 21 days you are ready for a change! But if you keep saying to yourself "FOOD IS FUEL FOR MY BODY" and using this as your mantra you can make it through till the end. It really is your state of mind that is going to see you through the tough days.

So I'm moving with T-Tapp and walking, measuring and counting my calories and taking my supplements and using the Hcg. I have 21 more days on the protocol. Then I take a 12 week break. Those weeks are maintenance weeks. The first three weeks, no starch or sugar. Then ease back into a regular diet. Carefully monitoring my weight and any 2 pound change I will have a Steak day to keep my weight where it was when I finished the Hcg round. Then, if at the end of that 12 weeks I am not at the weight I want to be I will do one more 21 day round of Hcg!

I'm over at my Son's and Daughter in law's house babysitting the grand-kiddos, so I brought eggs and salsa for lunch...

And Apple for snack.

Funny thing is... when I eat the eggs with salsa and I eat the apples cup up like this; its what the kids want too... So they eat it with me!

Weigh in With Doc this morning!

Half way point weigh in and I am a pound more than I should have been... No need getting upset about it... I'm just gonna move on and make progress. I still have another 15 pounds to lose. I think I can do it. I still have 21 Days to go. I know I can lost at least 15 pounds in 21 days.

15 pounds down 15 to go

I have reached the half way point toward my goal for this round. I have another 27 days to go and I am positive I can lose at least another 15... if not 20 by adding the T-Tapp!

This week end will be a real challenge tho. We are leaving on a week end getaway to Tombstone Arizona with Mike's parents and Aunt and Uncle. Its always difficult to do this diet when traveling. But this trip is a special occasion and I'm sure we will manage if we are careful! Its a road trip so I will be bringing the scale to keep us accountable!

*Update* April 26- I gained a pound on my trip!*

I'm gonna get that off today and keep going!

This week is going fast!

I lost perhaps a 1/2 a pound. I usually weigh in at 8:00am every morning but I have to go to my Son's house to babysit the kiddo's today and my daughter in law, who works at a hospital, leaves early, so I have to be there early. So my morning schedule is off a bit.

Doc. put me up to 180 units to inject today... just a little increase from last week. She is trying to get the dosage adjusted to where I am urning fat efficiently and not hungry at all... I have been ok tho. Not too hungry but now with the added exercise (T-Tapp) we bumped it up. We will see how I feel.

Tonight we are hosting my father in law's birthday dessert... Cake and Ice cream over here. Over here because my home can accommodate the entire family and all the kiddos at once.

No cake or ice cream for Mike or Me. Mike wants to at least try a bite... I asked him if he could stop there and he truthfully didn't know. I know I couldn't so I won't try. Besides last week when I was babysitting i had a bits of a a cookie and it was SO SWEET I didn't like it... I have been TOTALLY off sweets for 17 days, so when you do taste them they taste different. Almost too sweet if there is such a thing. I'll be fine... I hope hubs will. I don't miss sweets as much as I miss potatoes. They are my downfall. But you should see how good my blood pressure and my blood sugar is! Its amazing in just 17 days you can make such a difference in your health.

I would like to remind people that you CAN NOT be on a 500 calorie (VLCD) without the aid of Hcg. You own't make it folks... you will get faint, then your body will start using muscle for energy and you will get flabby and you will gain it back as soon as you stop... No if's and or big buts. The Hcg goes in and finds the fat reserves and burns them as energy.

These are what I use everyday:

I eat an apple everyday on this Protocol.

I inject myself with Hcg. every morning, the dosage depends on the Doc. No big deal... small needles and I don't even feel it...

You can also use the sublingual drops.

I use these spices in all my cooking:

And I drink these teas every day... (But now I also use Truvia) These teas are beneficial in weight control, detoxing antioxidants and appetite control. I have a cup hot in the morning... then sip my sweet iced tea all day (along with 100 oz of water). Then usually a cup of hot chamomile at night.

I'll post more later today...

Sayonara to 14 pounds!

14 pounds on day 16!

My scale is still moving nicely I attribute that to the extra work out I am doing called T-Tapp and the fact that my thyroid is functioning better than last round. I still feel great... Except for a splitting headache yesterday afternoon. I went to the Chiropractor and he adjusted me but he said its most likely I'm a little toxic from my body burning off so much fat... MORE WATER!



I weigh in with the Doc. today and I won't be nervous to get on the scale...
I know I have been working hard for these results.

Last night for dinner we had

Sweet Chili Shrimp and cucumber salad.

Tonight we had

Sauteed Mahi Mahi on a bed of steamed Spinach

Successful Apple Day!

I dropped another pound and a half yesterday doing an apple day... I am no longer carrying around 12 1/2 pounds of fat! Tomorrow morning weigh in will let me know if I broke the stall.

I start T-Tapp today after my morning walk. I'm excited to add T-Tapp to my diet routine. Its supposed to really enhance the Hcg Protocol. By toning muscle so when as the fat melts off toned muscles show. Also with Hcg and T-Tapp there will be NO sagging skin at all.

I have a personal 30 minute playlist on my iPod that I made for myself to keep me motivated and to keep my tempo. But a friend of mine suggested an iBook while walking... What a great idea! I think I will try that in the morning... for some reason my morning walk is a little boring... I LOVE my evening walk... there are other people out and about, kids playing at the park I walk past and other dogs to say hello to. It really is more of a social walk although I still keep my tempo when I am walking. Thanks for the suggestion Dave!

I think I will just get them from the library instead of you shipping them from the Virgin Islands Dave, and thank you so much for the suggestions and for being my cheering section!

I will be posting more later today...

Apple Day

I haven't really "Stalled" but TOM was here. Its been four days since I have had any significant change, so I did a apple day today. When I do an apple day, I usually pick a Sunday when we have no family obligations and call it "Spa Day"

I slept in till 9:00am... Had tea on the patio with the Sunday paper, took a long shower, did my toe nails pretty, I even painted little flowers on my mamma toes ... Took a nap listening to the sound of a running stream. Read my book. Took an evening walk with my dog... And ate 3 (I'm supposed to eat 6) apples and sipped minted iced tea all day. That's it... That is all I ate. I am heading out to the hot tub now then going to be in bed at 9:00pm.

Apple days work really well for me when I do it this way.

Dinner last night and tonight...

We love these dinners!

They are tasty and low calorie and easy to make.

Last night we had:

Baked Chicken Tenders...

6 Chicken tenders

4 Grisinni bread sticks finely ground (or 1/8 cup bread crumbs)

1 tea. Season All

In a ZipLoc add bread stick crumbs and Season All

Coat Chicken

bake for 20 minutes.

Serves with a veggie

Tonight we had:

Taco Bison Burger Salad!

My Weight Today...

As of this morning I have lost 11 pounds! I still feel great, have lots of energy and haven't been starving and am losing Fat. I have been losing a little muscle. But that has slowed down now that my body is adjusting and learning to burn the fat stores, not what I am eating as energy!

My Lunch Today:

Shrimp WanTon Soup

My Dinner tonight:

Chicken spinach roulades

Today...

I only lost 1/2 pound. Its ok tho... my scale is moving in the right direction! As long as its moving downward I will be happy. I am babysitting the Grands.... over at their house so I am on my way over there. I have packed my lunch and my dinner ingredients and I will prepare dinner over there and bring it home so Hubby and I don't have to eat at 7:00 tonight. I'll take photos!

Breakfast:

1/2 Ruby Red Grapefruit and a cuppa tea.

Drinking a togo cuppa tea till I get to the kids house...

10 POUNDS bye bye!

For every 10 pounds I reward myself...

I was going to get a pedicure but I think I will get a massage instead...

I am confidant heading to my Doc. appt. this morning!

By doing the body composition test she will be able to tell me how much fat I lost and how much muscle I have built.

9 pounds GONE!

I was amazed this morning when I got on the scale! I have lost 9 pounds from April 3rd to April 12th 2010. Part of it is water but most of it is fat, I know this because I see a Doctor every week and she does a body composition test on me. Also I am not losing muscle. I am starting to build muscle now. During the first week.... of NO carbs, my body realizes that it isn't getting quick carbs to burn as energy and it goes to the FAT stores. If I walk and do bands or yoga... my body knows I need muscle and won't eat muscle for energy! This isn't an easy diet, but it is a diet that works if you put in the effort. And it works and it works efficiently! I am burning close to 1200 calories of fat everyday as long as I keep moving.

Or as my Buddy Dave says "Move yer ass!"

Walking is what I do in the morning and evening... I walk my little doggie... I would like to walk with Hubby but he won't get off his chair... (note his weight change next to mine)

I just started T-Tapp... No its not tap dancing,I'm way too uncoordinated for that! Its a cross between yoga and Pilates but you need NO equipment. Just 3 times a week. You can even to T-Tapp sitting down!

Ahhhhh LUNCH! I was hungry this morning... and I'm not supposed to be hungry using the HCG! (Might need to get my dose adjusted) But I made it to lunch and we had grilled Bison Burgers with grilled onions, Boston Lettuce and Tomato.

The dieters version of a burger and a soda!

I wrapped up the Bison burger and onions and tomato around that beautiful buttery boston lettuce and ate it like a burger!

It was fantastic!

And my drink of choice with a meal is this Canada Dry Sparkling Seltzer Water!

Its NOT sweet. Its refreshing tho with just a hint of orange, then I add my own on the brim so I can smell it when I take a drink. I can't complain.

So... I have been really missing my Sweet Tea...

Although I am a Southern California Girl, Hubby is a southern boy and loves Sweet Tea.

So I got hooked on it.

What does a girl do that loves Sweet Tea but can't have sugar do?

Make NO calorie GREAT tasting Sweet Tea with Truvia!

See my Truvia Taste Test here.

Its hot today so I made Sweet Tea!

Now I feel better!

Wait till you see what's for dinner!

Yes, we can have crab!

4oz of fresh crab and 1/2 cup of cucumber salad

Doc. appt. tomorrow!

Weigh in and body composition!

Lunch and Dinner photos...

I have lost 8 pounds since last Saturday...

I always lose pretty quickly the first week but now the slow and steady begins...

Today for lunch we had 1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese

and yellow and red tomato w/ green onions.

Today for dinner we had Bison Chili

Some delicious meals to share

Dinner last night was 4 oz of "Fried" Chicken and steamed cabbage...

I used grissini ground to a fine powder and some Smoked Paprika to coat these lovely chicken tenderloins... Then baked them at 350 for 20 minutes.

My losses really slowed this week end... Tonight I just made soup...

I call this "Cozy Shrimp with asparagus" because the shrimp are cuddled up into a wanton.

Weekends are always really hard...

But a sensible balance is what I have to find.

Sometimes its Pounds Sometimes its Inches!

No noticable loss this morning on the scale. Sometimes you lost pounds and sometimes you lose inches on the Protocol. I need to take my measurements today because I forgot to when I started the Protocol last Saturday.

I'll update this post with my food photos later today after our yard sale...

I feel great!

I lost another couple pounds (7 and 1/2 pounds total) and I am starting to feel really good! I mean, lots of energy and better stamina... I have upped our walks to 2 miles... One mile in the morning and one mile in the evening... My cardiologist prefers that I break up my walks through out the day anyway. Rather than do all my miles for the day at one time. Yesterday I babysat at my Son's house all day and I was really busy... So I wasn't able to photograph lunch.

For the morning commute I had a travel mug of Yerba Mate Tea with a whole packet of Truvia! YUM! And I had brought some strawberries to snack on but didn't end up eating them cause after the Yerba mate tea I wasn't hungry. Yerba Mate tea is a great appetite suppressant.

I packed my lunch. It was just some deli chicken sliced thick. One piece is 4 0z. and a sliced tomato and lettuce. I made a roll up with it and it was fantastic!

When I got home I had Halibut unthawed in the fridge waiting for me... I fired up my Flip Grill and seasoned the heck outa my fish and plopped them on the grill, while I sliced cucumbers and some red onion and made a homemade dressing of ground ginger, rice vinegar, Bragg's liquid amino and a little Truvia. It took me all of 15 minutes to get dinner ready:

Dinner: Grilled Halibut with Dijon sauce and marinated ginger cucumbers.

I actually had dessert tonight... Just strawberries with Truvia.

And of course the ever present lemon water.

But I am switching to Lime water. For a change.

Doesn't that look refreshing?

And I am making some Iced Sweet Tea with Truvia. I can drink that all day long its so good!

I am also getting ready for a two day yard sale... my Son and daughter and mother in law and us! A huge 4 family yard sale! So I am going to be really busy... Good thing my body is dipping into that stored fat to use as energy! I MUST drink all of my water today!

Also I have a Doc. Appt. Its Weigh in Day! She is going to be pretty happy with my results this week! I know I am! *UPDATE* Doc's scale says I lost 9 pounds, but i'm going with my scale while I do this diet. I only have another 41 days to go!

FRIDAY= Yard sale Day:

Lunch:

I call these "Scorpion shrimp in the grass" cause they look like scorpions when you "butterfly" them and grill them like that and because I put a dash of Cholula Sauce on them just before serving to give them that "sting". Served on a bed of julienne spinach with lemon dressing.

We are having "Fried" chicken and steamed cabbage for dinner:

Will update later... Yard sale went well... doing it again in the morning... Going out to work in the garden for a while...