Mini Steak Day - Phase 2

We are back after our intermission.  I was at 150.6 this morning.  That is 3 pounds up from my lowest weight in from before the break.  Here is how I do a Mini Steak Day in Phase 2.  I did one last round to break a stall and lost 3 pounds.  I am going to be doing this every Sunday this round to speed up my loses.

Have nothing to eat all day.  Drink whatever you like, I sipped on coffee and tea all day.  At dinner we grill up a 6 oz serving of steak, trim all the fat.  I had a tomato with mine and Tom had an apple.  There are several variations online for a steak day, included how many oz to eat and how long to fast before eating.  I don't really think you can mess it up.  One post I saw while researching - ate a very large steak, probably 10oz, without trimming any fat and lost a pound.

I also cooked the steak with coconut oil.  This is something new that we have been using this round.  It has helped us both with our loses.  It helps to move the food through the digestive tract more quickly.  Plus it giving amazing flavor to the food.  We use it about 3 times a week.

Hope this helps and your scale has a big whooosh!

Planned Intermission From Phase 2

With the holidays quickly approaching I am getting antsy for some comfort foods.  I am planning on doing a planned break/intermission from Phase 2.  I had to do a lot of research on this and this is what I have gathered.

-Not to be done until at least 20 days into the Very Low Calorie Days.

-Stop taking HCG 48 hours before when on drops and 72 hours before when on injections.

-Continue eating VLCD for 48 hours or 72 hours after last dose of HCG.

-Eat only Phase 3 foods.  - I will post foods later.

-There are 2 ways to control weight gain.  You can either address the weight right away and have a steak day the day that you are 2 pounds over you lowest weight in.  Or you can wait and have a steak day the first day back on HCG.  Or you can skip this all together. 

-The planned break should be less then 2 weeks.  If it is less then 2 weeks then there is no need to reload.  Some people choose to eat a little more fatty foods before going back on HCG.  This would be a little more cheese, avocado, and carrots for instance.

Here is how mine will work.  I will be stopping my drops on the 20th, I will then eat VLCD on the 21 and the 22nd.  I will only eat Phase 3 foods for the break.  I will have a steak day if I am more then  pounds over my lowest weight in.  I will eat a few on the fatter phase 3 foods on the 1st.  I will resume my HCG and VLCD on the 2nd. 

VLC#6 Homeopathic HCG Drops Information

Today was another loss.  I have had a -0.6 loss for the last to days.  I have been sticking to the diet to a T and had fish last night for dinner.  I did have a diet soda and I think that is where the slow loss comes from.  Tonight I am not going to have one and hope for a HUGE loss tomorrow to make up for the two slow ones.  I am also going to have chicken for dinner instead for steak like we normally do.  I feel great now and have no headaches or aches.

Here is some info on the type of Homeopathic Drops that we used last round and this round.
From HCGinfo.com and http://hcgdietjourney.com/hcg-online-shop

What is Homeopathic hCG?

In 2007 the release of The Weight Loss Cure by Kevin Trudeau started a resurgence of the hCG diet first discovered by Dr. A.T.W Simeons nearly 50 years ago and used to treat obesity in men and women. Dr. Simeons treated obesity with daily injections of the naturally occurring hormone found in pregnant women called Human chorionic gonadotropin which contains over 220 amino acids, in a dosage range of 125-175 iu. Kevin Trudeau also called for daily injections of the naturally occurring hormone in his book but at a wider dosage range, 125-200 iu’s.

As the hCG diet became more popular and used more widely, potential hCG dieters did not want to do daily injections of hCG out of fear of needles, mixing hcg or were unsure about the safety of buying hCG online. All good reason to spark the need and demand for oral hCG.
However, the need for a real oral hCG product for weight loss also sparked the demand in the homeopathic market to try and capitalize on the high demand and needs of the hCG dieter.
But are marketers capitalizing by offering you a equally equivalent product? Are they capitalizing on the lack of understanding of homeopathic medicine? What are you getting when you buy homeopathic hCG? Are you getting hCG? And what exactly do those numbers mean on the label of hCG?

Understanding Homeopathy
Homeopathic medicine is very old practice of medicine that dates back to the early 1700’s. Homeopathy believes that the disease symptoms can be cured by diluting the medicine thus curing the illness or disease.
The original hCG diet calls for 125-175 iu of hCG, Kevin Trudeau increased that to a maximum of 200 iu, yet Homeopathic hCG dilutes the dosage. Okay so then you just take more right? Well let’s look at the label and see how much you would have to take to get the equivalent to what the manuscript Pounds and Inches or The Weight Loss Cure recommends for a therapeutic level for fat loss by using hCG.

The Homeopathic hCG Label
The majority of the Homeopathic hCG sold 6X (1/1,000,000), 12X(1/1,000,000,000,000), 30X (1/1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000). These numbers express how many times the hCG was diluted
Using the highest strength of hCG, 10,000 iu and the smallest expression 6x (6/1,000,000) you will have 0.0000000006 iu of hCG in your entire bottle of Homeopathic hCG.
This bears repeating for clear understanding, NOT 0.0000000006 iu hCG per drop but 0.0000000006 iu per 2 ounce bottle.
The correct minimum therapeutic hCG for weight loss is 125 iu per day.

VLC#3 - TAKE TWO!

Once again I am on VLC#3.  We have been off the diet since April and have both maintained our weight within 3 pounds.  This is barely working on a phase 3 or 4.  We pretty much went back to eating what we were before even the fast food.  I think I could have lost more by watching my eating habits.

Tom and I started the diet on Thanksgiving Day with a 3 day load.  We were on the road and had to add an extra day.  We started the Very Low Calorie Diet on Saturday, November 26th.  My weight before starting the diet was 156.2.  After loading for 3 days my weight was up to 161.2!  ARR!  Today is our 3rd day on the diet and weight was 159.2.  I can't wait to start losing my REAL weight not these extra pounds I put on. We are going to be doing a shot round and will be finishing on December 30th, just in time for the New Year! 

On another note, I am working on getting the blog in order so you can easily navigate to the things that interest you. Ta-Ta for now!

VLCD#3

Down to 153.4 today that is another 1.8 pounds!  I am feeling good, no headaches like the first round.  Last night I had lobster, asparagus and orange juice.  I like orange juice sometimes because it is easy and quick.  One glass is 86 calories.  My sister is doing really well also and has lost almost 5 pounds!  I love this diet and love losing.  Can't wait to be in a bikini this summer.  :]

VLCD#2

Day 2 and happy to report that I had a -2.8 loss this morning.  Started the diet yesterday after loading at 158.  Today's weight in was 155.2.  I had an extra hard boiled egg yesterday and a pickle.  I was pretty hungry in the evening but it wasn't uncontrollable.  I hope for another big loss today and get back to my starting weight tomorrow so I can start losing real weight.

Loading and VLCD#1

Loaded on Friday and Saturday over Easter weekend.  Started my load at 153.4, this morning I was 158.0  Loading was hard.  I had:

Fried chicken

Chocolate

Double Cheeseburger

Mc'Chicken

Fries

Regular Coke

Lots of cheese

Mexican

Taco Bell

Chinese with fried rice

1/2 a package of bacon

Biscuits and gravy

And lots of liquor.

I was so FULL that it hurt!  Today I started the Very Low Calorie Diet. I had Steak, asparagus, Melba, and an apple for lunch.

Round 2

I am so happy to report that I am starting the Round #2 on Friday.  Since Tom lost over 30 pounds in the first round and is continuing to lose, he will not be doing another round.  My sister will be joining me this time!  :)  We are going to load on Friday, April 22nd and Saturday the 23rd.  I am going to try to update this as much as possible with what I am eating through out the day and what my daily weight in and loses are.  

I have still been holding steady at 154.  One pound over my lowest weight in.  I would love some comments if anyone else is loading around the same time.

After Vegas!

Many of you know that the only reason we did the diet was to look better for our trip to Vegas.  Well the trip is over, Vegas was a lot of fun and a lot of good eats.  I am happy to say that I am still within my +-2 of my last weigh in.  I have done nothing special.  I did not do a phase 2 or a phase 3.  Just eating what I want within reason, which is how I ate before.  We plan on starting another full 46 day round here is the next week.  Right now we are still enjoying the yummy foods. 

Here are some pictures of us in Vegas!  Wish is was nice weather cause I got the cutest bikini! :)

Round 2

I just started my second round.  We finished the 1st last Friday on the 25th.  I lost a total of 17 and Tom lost 30 pounds.  Most people are advised to finish phase 2 and 3 completely before starting another round, but I have zero patients for such things.  I want this weight off!!
We were off the diet and just ate well over the weekend, we then had our loading days Tuesday and Wednesday.  I gained 3 pounds loading or course Tom only gained .5 pounds.   I am hoping to lost 6.6 pounds this first week and be in the 140's by next Thursday when we leave for Vegas!  I am very happy with the first round considering the rogue diet that we choose and some of the drinking that we did.  :Cool: 

I changed to ticker at the top to reflect the total loss that I want from completing all the rounds.  I want to be back to 125.  That was my pre-pregnancy weight.  It puts me at a size 4/6.  After completing the first round I went from a size 14 to a size 10.  I will post some more 'after' pictures from of trip to Vegas. 

VLCD#30

We have 12 days left.  Hard to believe that this part of the diet is almost over!  We did our measurements this morning, I have lost 6 inches total this week.  Tom has lost 4 inches. This makes the total inches lost so far......
Skyla = 13 inches     Tom= 16 1/2 inches  WOW!

Half Way Pictures! HCG Phase 2

Everyone loves pictures right?  Here are some of the hubby and I's progress so far.  Enjoy!  :]

  

Before 2/14/11   

 

Half Way Day 23 3/7/11  Total loss 11.2

 

Before 2.14.11

Half Way Day 23 3.07.11  Total loss  19.3

Revamping my Metabolism

 I know this is rogue but I have had a very slow last 10 days, I have gone up and down around the same 2 pounds. I went in to see my doctor today and he suggested that I have a major cheap day and cram calories tomorrow, then go back on the 500 diet following.  He said this would revamp my metabolism back into losing mode. I has TOM (Time of Month, Lol) on the 12 day and I think it just totally mussed up the whole diet. I hope this works! I'll keep you guys posted on the results.  

Steak Day!

As you know I have been stalling all week.  I wanted to give the diet a kick start back into gear.  I decided to do a "Steak Day" right in the middle of phase 2.  Now usually Steak Days are only for phase 3 as a way of maintaining the weight from phase 2.  I thought this would work, I mean what do I have to lose?  Well it worked!  I was down 1.5 pounds this morning!  Tom was also down 1.5.  :]

We drank normal all day then had an 8 oz steak with a large tomato.  You can have an apple instead.  I was very hard to get down the 8 oz when we are used to eating the 4oz.  Glad it worked! 

How to break a STALL! Phase 2

From the last post you can see I have been stalling all week.  Tom lost another 3 pounds today!  Not fair!  Measures must be taken.  Here are all the stall breakers I found online.  I am going to do a steak day, because I love steak....

  

Apple Day

Apple day consists of eating nothing but apples for one day. You eat 6 large apples and drink water all day. That’s it. No other fruit, no vegetables, or protein.

Steak Day 

Drink plenty of water. In the evening, eat a huge steak with only an apple or a raw tomato.

Herbal Teas

Dr. Simeons suggests a diuretic. That may be a bit drastic and if you are not under a doctor’s supervision, may be hard to get. Some herbal teas act as natural diuretics and will produce the same desired effect, the release of water. You can get a list of the hCG diet teas and their benefits that Kevin Trudeau recommends by click here: hCG Diet Tea

• Cornsilk Tea
• Green Tea
• Dandelion Tea
• Fennel Tea
• Parsley Tea

You can add more tea to your hCG diet, or do a fast with tea. Parsley Tea in particular is a very powerful natural diuretic. It contains vitamins A and C, and has more beta-carotene than a large carrot. A cup of minced parsley has more vitamin C than eating 2 oranges. And a cup of minced parsley has more calcium than a cup of milk and 20 times as much iron as liver. Parsley is also a natural breath freshener, thanks to chlorophyll contained in parsley.

Diuretic Foods & Seasonings

These foods listed are not only natural diuretics, but are hCG diet friendly foods. You may want to change your hCG diet menu after a stall, by incorporating these foods.

• Apple Cider Vinegar – great for a salad dressing
• Asparagus – improves waste removal
• Cabbage breaks up fatty deposits, especially around abs
• Lettuce – aids in metabolism and flushes toxins
• Tomatoes – aids in metabolism, release water and flushes waste
• Garlic – aids in breakage of fat
• Horseradish – aids in metabolism, breakage of fat
• Caffeine – aids in waste removal and suppresses appetite

HCG Diet Stall Tips

• Weigh your food raw/uncooked. 100 grams of meat should be weighed raw, not cooked.
• Refocus your diet, re-read the manuscript, and make sure you are having foods in the right amounts.
• Do not eat more than 1 kind of fruit a day.
• Do not eat more than 1 kind of vegetable in a day.
• Discontinue the breadsticks or Melba toast.
• Decrease or discontinue use of artificial sweeteners (AS).
• Increase Water intake. Water is another natural diuretic that is often neglected. Drink 2 liters or more a day.
• Decrease excess salt. Diet soda is a double culprit with AS and sodium. Try making your own hCG diet soda to control sodium and sweetener.
• Exercise — heavy exercise can cause water retention; walking, T-Tapp, Yoga and Pilates are good lighter exercises. Weight Training, Cycling; or Running may be too much while on the 500-calorie hCG diet and cause water retention • Make sure you measure your body, as well as hitting the scales. If you have stopped losing, the inches may be coming off.
• Use Miracle Noodles to break a hCG diet stall.

GRRR! This week!

This week has been very hard!   I am sad to report that my total loss for the whole week is only -1.2.  The week has been up and down and up. GRRR! Here is the results.

VLCD#14 160.8
VLCD#15 161.4 (+.6)
VLCD#16 161.4 (-+.0)
VLCD#17 159.8 (-1.6)
VLCD#18 159.8 (-+.0)
VLCD#19 160.4 (+.6)
VLCD#20 159.6 (-.8)

LAME! I am happy that I am in the 150's but I was hoping to be 155 by now. I don't understand why the scale is teasing me so bad in this border.  Tom is almost 20 pounds down, and we are eating just about the same things everyday.  I know that I am not over doing my calories because yesterday all I had was a chicken spinach salad for lunch and a lobster tail, couple bites of cauliflower and a breadstick for dinner.  No fruit all day and only one bread.  Something has to give. Lol.  I hope this next week is better. 

Weight Gain

I have been so sick...  I have had headaches everyday for 2 months.  Yesterday was the worst one  yet, the meds that the Dr put me on make it so I am not even close to being hungry.  I had nothing to eat yesterday.... And still gained.  I gained .6 how is this possible?  I don't think I even ate this much yesterday?

Check In.

Want to check in with our weights and progress.  Tom is at 241.2, that is a total weight lose of 14 pounds.  I am at 158.2, that is almost 12 pounds. At this weeks weight in at the Dr office, I have lost 4.5 inches off my belly in ONE week!  My beginning jeans size was 14 and I am now wearing an 11.  Tom is down 2 notches in his belt.  His jeans are hanging on him.  :]

I love this diet!

Lunch on Protocol

Lunch was exactly on protocol.  I showed no weight lose this morning, Tom showed a one pound lose.  This is 100g Lean Steak, 100g Spinach, 100g Strawberries, and one Mebla Toast.  Lots of water and a cup of coffee.
I can't wait to cook dinner - I am making stuffed peppers.  Yummy!  I will post the recipe later.

Tom said that his goal is to be 240 at our next weight in on Monday.  That is 5 pounds in 4 days.  I would like to be 157.  Cross your fingers.

Cheating.

Well the inevitable happened last night.  Tom and I both cheated.  I went to play poker, my favorite pass time.  I had a salad and lots of water.  I had two drinks (Vodka and a Bud Select (I think it had 64 calories?)).  When I return home Tom told me he had cheated and he had 2 pieces of peanut butter toast.  Lol  He loves bread.  Anyways I send him to..... White Castle!  I love White Castle.  By far my favorite fast food place.  I had a fish sandwich and a cheeseburger.  Yum!  Cheese!

Anyways, Tom just steps on the scale and was sad to note he had gained one pound.  I'm scared to step on, because I know I will be up.  Here goes nothing --- 162.2  HA! Down another pound.  Funny cause I was telling Tom last night that I was going to be so mad if he still lost weight and I gained.  I guess the opposite is true. Well we'll see what tomorrow brings, because I know that sometimes it can take 2 days to hit.