Day 25- Phase 2 hCG (Round 2)

Weigh-in: 132 - up 0.2 - guess the little bit of cheese I had on my salad last night hurt me.

Munched on some strawberries & nuts during the day.

Had 2 burgers & a salad with romaine, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, another "little bit" of cheese & fat free balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

That was not a good dinner so I expect a gain tomorrow morning. :-(

Day 24 - Phase 2 hCG (Round 2)

Weigh-in: 131.8 Woohoo - down another 1.6 - back to what I was before the baby shower mishap. However, it's really late & I'm up doing homework & sometimes staying up this late causes me to stall.

No breakfast. No lunch. Munched on some mixed nuts and then had a salad for dinner that consisted of lettuce, cucumbers, pico de gallo & a sprinkle of cheddar cheese. Geez, will I ever see 129 on the scale?

Day 23 - Phase 2 hCG (Round 2)

Weigh-in: 133.4 - down 1.2 - starvation really works! LOL

Breakfast: An apple

Dinner: A salad with pico de gallo & a piece of baked chicken breast.

Snack: Mixed nuts: cashews, pistachios & almonds.

Days 19 - 22 - Phase 2 hCG (Round 2)

Day 19 Weigh-in: 132.4 - I was up 0.6 due to the dairy I had the night before. I left to go out of town & did not have a dose of hCG on day 19. I went to a baby shower & had everything bad you can think of. I had about 6 glasses of Moscato D'Asti, mashed potatoes with cheese, chives & bacon topping, Asian fried chicken on a stick with the sweet & sour dipping sauce, crab cakes & shot glasses with shrimp & pineapple salsa. I tasted a small piece of the cake but it was too sweet & I threw the rest away.

After the babyshower, we ordered room service & I had fries & chicken fingers & ginger ale. Yes I was a little piglet.

Day 20: I was still out of town & didn't do a weigh-in and didnn't have a dse of hCG but after eating everything I weighed myself at the hotel that night & the scale said 137.4. That wasn't official but I'm sure it was accurate. I slept until about 1:00 & we went to eat before we got on the road home. I had a salad with vingrette dressing for an appetizer. Then I had a ribeye with egg whites & home fries for lunch.

Day 21: My first official weigh-in after my disastrous weekend: 135.8 - up over 3.5 pounds. What a setback! That was enough to scare me straight. I had an apple for breakfast & prettymuch fasted until dinner time. For dinner I had a salad with homemade pico de gallo & bacon bits.

Day 22: Weigh-in: 134.8 - down 1.0 - today I did the same thing. I fasted during the day, drinking water only & then for dinner I had another salad with homemade pico de gallo, this time sans the bacon bits. Hopefully I can lose another pound. I gotta see my way back to 131.

Day 18 - Phase 2 hCG (Round 2)

Weigh-in: 131.8 - so yesterday's semi-steak day paid off. I'm down 0.6 so I lost almost all of the weight gained from the cheating I did at my mother-in-law's.

Breakfast: a green apple

Dinner: A Core4 Lean shake with heavy whipping cream, fresh squeezed orange juice & some frozen strawberries, blackberries & raspberries.

I know dairy is against the protocol so we'll see what happens tomorrow. I'm sooo close to 130 yet sooo far. I did my workout today as well. Again today, I can barely walk. I'll be glad when this soreness wears off.

Days 16 & 17 - Phase 2 hCG (Round 2)

Day 16: Weigh-in: 131.6 - this is a big surprise for me considering yesterday. I'm down 0.4 & I couldn't be happier.



This morning I decided to try something that one of my client's suggested. He's in the military & is an exercise fanatic. He told me to do what he calls three 21s. I did 3 sets of 21 squats, 21 push-ups & 21 leg raises. You're supposed to time yourself & the goal is to progressively decrease your time. Today it took me 30 minutes but it was a good 30 minute work-out. I was truly sweating.



Breakfast: Water - Oh & for those of you that have been following the blog, if you're wondering, I'm not counting calories. Too tedious & I'm too lazy. I will weigh my food & stay within the 100g (3.5 oz range) but for the most part I'm going to wing it.



Lunch: I weighed out some 4 oz. 93% lean burgers so I could just grab one & pop it in the pan. So I had a burger & a small onion chopped & sauteed.



Dinner: This is where I messed up yet again. I went to my mother-in-law's house for dinner. I had every intention of staying on my diet. I took my leftover salad from yesterday. However, when I got there her food looked so good I could not resist. I ended up having roast beef & green beans along with my salad. I didn't do that bad but I ate like 4 or 5 pieces of the roast. :-(

Of course I paid for it on Day 17!

Day 17: Weigh-in: 132.4 I gained 0.8 pound. TERRIBLE!!!! But I can't be mad. I knew it was going to happen after I ate all of that bad stuff at my mother-in-law's. Plus I forgot to mention the cup and a half of sweet tea I drank.

Yesterday I decided to do my own version of the steak day. During the day I munched on pecans & had a pack of cashews & drank plenty of water. For dinner I had one of those 4 oz. burgers I mentioned with a small onion, sliced & sauteed.

I didn't get to exercise. I was so sore from the first day I could barely walk.

Days 14 & 15 - Phase 2 hCG (Round 2)

Day 14: Weigh-in: 131.2 - so I was down another 0.4 but the raw vegan starvation was really making me weak. I got in the shower yesterday & the hot water nearly caused me to pass out. Needless to say, my husband was very aggravated with me. He made me eat some egg whites & strawberries. That was all I would agree too. Then in the afternoon I was truly feeling fed up with the diet. I went to Chili's & had a salad with lettuce & pico de gallo. I used lemon juice for the salad dressing. But of course that wasn't the bad part. The bad part was the electric lemonade frozen drink I had to go along with it. :(

So Day 15: Weigh-in: 132 - I gained almost a whole pound because of yesterday. But it isn't getting any better. Today I tried to drink a green smoothie & nearly gagged so I decided to come off of the raw vegan protocol entirely. So for lunch I had a 4 oz. 93% lean burger with 3 oz. of sauteed onions. That wasn't bad. Yet again, there is a bad part. For dinner, I had a raw salad with tons of different veggies & balsamic vinaigrette dressing. I was starving. I hate to even see what the scale is going to say in the morning.

I'll be totally honest. I've been keeping it real thus far. No need to stop now. I'M SICK OF THIS DIET!!!! If I wasn't afraid of blowing up & losing all of my progress from the last 2 weeks, I'd quit now. I'm sad, though, because I'm bloated from all of my poor food decisions. I have decided to try my hardest to incorporate some exercise into my routine over the next few weeks. I really don't want to stop until I get to my goal but since I'm gaining again & not losing, I need to do something, quick!

Pray for me...

Day 13 - Phase 2 hCG (Round 2)

Weigh-in: 131.6 - down 1.0 even. So it seems I'm off the monthly cycle roller coaster. Hallelujah! 6.6 more to go. If I'm really lucky, I only have 2 weeks left on Phase 2. I have decided that when this supply of hCG runs out, that's it - whether I meet my goal or not. Hubby is complaining that I'm getting too small & I'm definitely tired of Phase 2/starving myself. So...I have a 16-day supply of hCG left & after it's gone, it's over. Let's just hope that it doesn't even take that long & I'll reach my goal & be done soon.

Today I had pecans & a green smoothie & so far I've had 64 oz. of water. I'll have another 32 with lemon juice before bed, so I'm off on my usual gallon.

Day 12 - Phase 2 hCG (Round 2)

Weigh-in: 132.6 - needless to say today was not a good day. Even though I'm up 0.2, gaining is NOT a good thing. I haven't been doing anything different diet wise so either it's my monthly or it was the fact that I missed a dose.

Today I only had one green smoothie, some pistachios & a champagne mango & lots of water. I'm going to try & get in a cup of herb tea before I go to bed. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Will these last 7+ pounds be the most difficult yet? SIGH

Days 10 & 11 - Phase 2 hCG (Round 2)

Day 10
Weigh-in: 132.6 - down another 0.6 - however on this particular day I forgot to take my hCG. And I was dealing with my monthly visitor.

Day 11
Weigh-in: 132.4 - my best guess is that the fact that I forgot to take my hCG may have stalled me. Still keeping the same diet.

Day 9 - Phase 2 hCG (Round 2)

Weigh-in: 133.2 - down 0.6 - I got some nice cramps today so again it's either that or the weightloss is tapering off. Plus I didn't get in the bed until around 4 a.m. & I was back up at 9:30.

Today was NOT a good day food wise. The hCG has kicked in & my appetite is nonexistent. I have not had any green smoothies today. I munched on pistachios most of the day & had a champagne mango at lunch time & then another at dinner time. I also munched on raw cucumber, tomatoes & onion at dinner time. Oh, I had a few strawberries at lunch time as well. I have no clue how this variation will affect my weight. I plan to get back on task tomorrow.

At least I did okay with my water intake.

Day 8 - Phase 2 hCG (Round 2)

Weigh-in: 133.6 - down 0.6 today. Either the weightloss is tapering off or the peanuts from yesterday did me in. Nonetheless, a loss is a loss & I'll take it. 8 days down, 15 more to go. I think I will remain raw for phase 3, or at least vegetarian, with steamed veggies only once a day. Now that I think about it, I'm going to Miami for Labor Day. I will still be on phase 3. I know I will probably eat seafood while I'm down there. But for the most part, I plan to eat a vegetarian, mostly raw diet on phase 3 sans the green smoothies. I'm tired of them already.

No breakfast today. No snacks today. Just a smoothie for lunch & a smoothie for dinner. Wait, I had a handful of pecans while I was at my mother-in-law's house today. I'm a little off on my water intake. Instead of my usual gallon, I probably had about 3/4 gallon today. Anyhoo...

Day 7 - Phase 2 hCG (Round 2)

Weigh-in: 134.2 - down another 0.8 lb. Simply incredible. Though I'm excited, I won't front. I CAN NOT wait to be done with this. I'm counting down the days until this is over.

I didn't have breakfast today.

For lunch & dinner I had the normal smoothie - see my other posts.

I had a lot of strawberries before dinner. And I also snacked on some peanuts, raw cucumbers & raw tomatoes today because I was feeling hungry because I hadn't taken my hCG yet.

Day 6 - Phase 2 hCG (Round 2)

Weigh-in: 135.0 - Woo hoo!!! Down another 1.2. I was so excited when I got on the scale this morning, I wanted to shout. This is the smallest I've been since I attempted the hCG. I wonder how long it'll take for the weight loss to taper off. I just hope I can break 129 by next week. The last time I saw 120-anything on the scale was when I was pregnant with my 3 year old & couldn't even keep water down. I lost 24-26 pounds in 4 weeks, I was so sick.

Breakfast: Water & strawberries.

Lunch: A green smoothie consisting of: 1 banana, 1 orange, 1 apple, 1/8 cup flax seeds, 3 leaves of romaine lettuce, 2 leaves of kale, 1 leaf of chard, a handful of spinach and a shot of wheatgrass juice.

After lunch snack: strawberries.

Dinner: See lunch.

Day 5 - Phase 2 hCG (Round 2)

Weigh-in: 136.2 - down another pound. This starvation, I meant raw vegan protocol, is no joke. The weight is melting off. Dear Lord, please let this continue. I will actually see 135 again tomorrow. I saw it on the last VLCD of Round 1 & never saw it again.

I hate to keep boring y'all but my meals will pretty much be the same day today.

Breakfast: 62 oz. of water & a handful of strawberries.

Lunch: A green smoothie consisting of: 1 banana, 1 orange, 1 apple, 1/8 cup flax seeds, 3 leaves of romaine lettuce, 2 leaves of kale, 1 leaf of chard, a handful of spinach and a shot of wheatgrass juice.

Dinner: See lunch.

Again, I snacked on those roasted/salted pistachios today. I woke up with a headache this morning & I think my body is going into shock because of my diet change. Also, I've heard that headaches are common when your body is going through a detox. For me this is indeed a detox!

Day 4 - Phase 2 hCG (Round 2)

Weigh-in: 137.2 - down 0.8. I can only hope that I continue to have this type of progress. If so I will definitely only have to do phase 2 for the minimum 20 days (not counting the last 72 hours of the VLCD) & I'll actually go a little beyond my goal.

Breakfast: 62 oz. of water & a handful of strawberries.

After breakfast snack: Unsweetened green tea.

Lunch: A green smoothie consisting of: 1 banana, 1 orange, 1 apple, 1/8 cup flax seeds, 3 leaves of romaine lettuce, 2 leaves of kale, 1 leaf of chard, a handful of spinach and a shot of wheatgrass juice.

Dinner: When I made the above-mentioned smoothie, it was enough for two servings so I had half for lunch & the other half for dinner.

After dinner snack: another handful of strawberries.

I snacked throughout the day on roasted, salted pistachios. Hopefully they won't affect me negatively. I also had a few raw onions & then I sampled some once they were cooked while I was making dinner for my family.

Day 3 - Phase 2 hCG (Round 2)

Weigh-in: 138.0 - down another 0.2 pound - not good in the scheme of things. Last time I loaded I think I gained 3 pounds. This time I lost 0.4 pound.



Breakfast: 62 oz. of water, a cup of unsweetened green tea & a handful of strawberries.

Lunch: A green smoothie consisting of: 1 banana, 1 orange, 1 apple, 1/8 cup flax seeds, 3 leaves of romaine lettuce, 2 leaves of kale, 1 leaf of chard, a handful of spinach and a shot of wheatgrass juice.

I know this may sound nasty & in all honesty it's not at all appealing to the eye. However, it doesn't taste half as bad as it sounds or looks. The fruits actually sweeten it. I think the orange & banana tastes dominate. I don't have a high powered blender like a Vita Mix. So I did have bits of leaves & the blender did nothing to the flax seeds. So the smoothie is minimally chewy.

Dinner: When I made the above-mentioned smoothie, it was enough for two servings so I had half for lunch & the other half for dinner.

After dinner snack: another handful of strawberries.


One has to wonder will I waste away eating like this. However, I look forward to the energy spike that this will provide me with. Lord knows I need it. I have a lot on my plate right now & I really would like to start doing some toning exercises or at least just take the time to walk daily.

I never mentioned it before but I do take supplements. Daily I take two tablespoons of organic MSM powder. I dump a tablespoon in my first 62 oz. of water for the day & then another tablespoon in my last 62 oz. of water for the day. I'm heavy into hair so most of the supplements I take are for my hair. I'm sure they have other health properties but I only know about the benefits for my hair. They are: L-Lysine, N-Cysteine, Fo-ti Root & a Hair, Skin & Nails vitamin that has oregano, sage, rosemary & horsetail herb in it. I also take a Calcium/Vitamin D & a super algae that has spirulina , blue-green algae & chlorella in it. Oh, I'm also taking B-12 for energy here & there & some oregano & olive leaf herb extracts to try & eliminate Candida.


I know I'm way behind on progress pics. I honestly meant to take one this morning. I promise I will get one up soon.

Day 2 - Phase 2 hCG (Round 2)

Weigh-in: 138.2 - Because I didn't load properly I actually lost weight. Only 0.2 though, not much. Don't think I'll see a loss tomorrow. Today I had greens, a fried porkchop, a veggie burger, rice & gravy, cornbread, chips, cookies & crackers. My intentions are still to do the raw protocol but I still haven't convinced myself. Tomorrow is my first day of the VLCD & I'm dreading it.

2 days down... wonder how many I have left until I reach my goal.

BACK ON THE HCG - Day 1-Phase 2 (Round 2)

July 28 Weigh-in: 138.4

Yes I'm back on the hCG but I didn't really load properly. I just don't seem to have the appetite. I had a chicken sandwich, some ice cream & some lasagna. I will try & do better today but I've already weighed in & I've lost weight so I know I'm definitely not loading properly. I'll probably pay for it later. :-/

Days 20-23 - Phase 4 hCG

Day 20: I went out of town early in the morning & I forgot to weigh-in.

Day 21: 139.4

Day 22: 141.4

Day 23: 141.6 - this is the largest I've been since I stopped taking the hCG. I have been somewhat loading in preparation for the new round of hCG & eating at night & going to bed & all kinds of madness.

I'm on my way to the store to get some sublingual B-12 and some raw veggies & fruit & I will be starting round 2 tomorrow. Here we go again...

Days 17 - 19 Phase 4 hCG

Day 17 weigh-in: I jumped up & had to run out this morning & didn't weigh myself. However, I was 140+ later that day.

Day 18 weigh-in: 138.4

Day 19 weigh-in: 138.8 - that's pretty good considering I had a huge meal last night before bed. I had an almost 1/2 pound cheeseburger w/rice & a salad. Well maybe it wasn't as bad as I thought. I thought I was going to be back at 140 this morning.

I will begin my hCG dose on Monday. I can't wait to knock these last pounds out. I'm down to a size 8 in denim but I really would like to be a 4. I'm down to a size 29 in some waist size denim depending on the cut in the thigh area but I really would like to be at least a 27.

My weight goal has been 123-125 & I still would like to see the 120s. However, right now I'm really hoping to lose some inches in my thighs. This is my trouble spot. I still intend to do a raw veggie & fruit protocol this round in hopes that I will see faster results.

I will try & remember to post another before pic on Monday. Toodles...

Days 12 - 16 Phase 4 hCG

Day 12: Weigh-in 140.2
Day 13: Weigh-in 139
Day 14: Weigh-in 140.2
Day 15: Weigh-in 140.8
Day 16: Weigh-in 139

Well as you can see I've been up & down. Mostly ice cream is to blame. I've been eating ice cream like a maniac. Yesterday I took it easy. Only one meal - some guacamole & a chicken salad & a pomegranate margarita. I had it pretty early & had good water intake & finally remembered to take my Flush pills. It had been days since I had taken them. Hence the 140s weigh-ins. I will be starting round 2 of the hCG on Monday & I can't wait.

Days 9 - 11 Phase 4 hCG

Day 9 weigh-in: 139.6
Day 10 weigh-in: 139.8
Day 11 weigh-in: 139.4

Well my weight has shot up some more but I'm not discouraged considering what my diet has been lately. And considering I'm still the same weight I was when I took my last dose of hCG. I've been on an ice cream binge for the last few days. Yesterday I had a pint of ice cream for dinner with tons of sprinkles.

And then I had another pint with tons of sprinkles for lunch today. However, I also had a salad. LOL Reminds me of folks who go to McDonald's & order a Big Mac meal with two apple pies & then ask for a diet soda.

I have 10 more days & I'll be back on the hCG. I've decided that I'm going to do a raw foods diet this round. I'm going to stick to raw veggies, fruit & raw nuts sparingly. My hope is that I can get down to my goal weight in 23 days, which is the minimum number of days you can be on the hCG.

25 days on the diet will allow me to be done for my Labor Day trip to Miami. But I've decided that I will not stop until I'm satisfied with what I see on the scale. Worse case scenario, I'll be on phase 3 in Miami & will have to limit my carb intake. Well that will only apply to solid foods b/c I know alcohol will be on the menu that weekend & there will be no avoiding it.

Days 3 - 8 Phase 4 hCG

Day 3 Weigh-in: 137.0

Day 4 Weigh-in: 137.2

Day 5 Weigh-in: Day before the 4th I was running around in preparation for the 4th so either I didn't weigh in or if I did, I didn't like what I saw so I didn't write it down.

Day 6 Weigh-in: 4th of July - See Day 5

Day 7 Weigh-in: Yesterday - See Days 5 & 6

Day 8 Weigh-in: Today - 138.8

My weight was starting to go up as it was & then there was the holiday weekend. All & all, I guess I didn't do too bad as far as weight gain is concerned. I didn't just go crazy with the eating but I have been eating ice cream lately :(

I will definitely be back on the hCG at the end of this 21 day period. I'm convinced that it does reset your metabolism & help you remain stable but I still want to get to my goal. I'm still fighting the idea of exercise so another round of hCG seems to be my best option.

I'm out of the Lean shake from the CORE4 & I haven't been taking my Flush regularly so I still can't really testify to the claims of the CORE4. Maybe I'll be able to consistently do the full system for 2 weeks & see if I can lose the weight. If not, then hCG it is!

Day 2 - Phase 4 hCG

Weigh-in: 136.6 - Down 0.8 - I never did have a bathroom session so I definitely think that has alot to do with my weight loss. I had a session this morning & now my weight is back to what it was on yesterday.



Breakfast: 3-4 pieces of Applewood Bacon. If you've never tried the Wright brand at Wal-mart, please do. It's expensive but it is soooo good! Don't mean to offend any of my non-pork eaters, but in the words of Chris Rock, "If you are starving, a pig will save your life!"



Lunch: Barbecue flavored pork skins & some Master Cleanse lemonade. :(



Dinner: Lean Shake

Day 1 - Phase 4 hCG

Weigh-in: 137.4 - though I gained 0.8, I was 139.4 at the end of phase 3 so I stayed within the 2 pound range & overall I'm pleased with the pounds & inches I've lost thus far.

Though it's not included in the title, I will continue with the CORE4 system for the next 21 days in hopes of reaching my goal of 125. If I do not reach 125 by day 21, I will go for another round of the hCG diet. This time, however, I will not stop taking the hCG until I reach my goal.

Yesterday I don't think I really did anything that contributed to my weight gain. Also, I'm taking into account the fact that I haven't had a "bathroom session" all day. I only had one food meal & the other two were shakes. I did have 1 or 2 petit fours - I'll be so glad when they're gone but I don't think that was it b/c I've been eating them without incident. I've been trying to will myself to go ahead & throw them out b/c it seems that I'm the only one eating them & there's still about 5 left.

I've already had one today. Plus I went to my mother-in-law's house for lunch today & had some mashed potatoes as well as some sweet peas & a small piece of fried chicken. I didn't have my Cheat with me to sprinkle on my food & all I can do is hold my breath for tomorrow's weigh-in. I had a shake for breakfast & a shake for dinner. So far I've had almost 96 oz of water & intend to drink another 36 so I'll have my gallon in for the day.

I'm supposed to be going to see Beyonce on Wednesday & you know I want to look good. I may have to fast until Wednesday. Maybe I'll just do the Master Cleanse lemonade tomorrow & then half the day on Wednesday & have a salad when we eat dinner before the concert.

SOME MORE BEFORE & AFTER PICS

I've been slacking with the pics. I will try & remember to take a progress pic in the morning to post as well. The before pic is a pic from February of this year & the after is from a week ago when we were on vacation.

BEFORE

AFTER

Day 21 - FINAL DAY ON PHASE 3

Weigh-in: 136.6 - Down another 1.6 - it seems that the CORE4 is really helping me get back down. I will continue to use the system for the next 21 days in hopes that I can reach my goal of 125 & avoid doing another round on the hCG.

Last night I had 2 more petit fours, so the fact that I lost more weight is incredible. Maybe cake doesn't affect me like some other carbs (i.e. the hummus). Though I will be free to eat sugar & carbs as of tomorrow, I'm going to try & avoid them as much as possible as I still have more weight to lose.

After I finish this post, I'm going downstairs to make my breakfast shake. My goal is to have a raw veggie salad for lunch & then have a shake for dinner. I really want to see 135 on the scale tomorrow. 135.8 was where I was on the last day of the VLCD.

So I'm going to try & keep it cool & not mess up. I have 11.6 pounds left to lose. Let's see if the CORE4 system will help me reach my goal in the next 3 weeks.

Before & After

Family & friends keep telling me that even if you don't look at the rest of my body, my weight loss is very visible in my face. So I decided to do some before and after pics of my face. At first I wasn't going to show my face on this blog but hey, what the heck?

What do you think? Is the difference very noticeable?

BEFORE


NOW

Day 20 - CORE4/Phase 3

Weigh-in: 138.2 - down 1.0 & that was without my infamous "bathroom session." LOL However, I didn't have a solid food meal on yesterday. I was running around preparing for my 3 year old's b-day party & didn't take time to eat. So I had a shake for breakfast & a shake for dinner & the only solid food I had during the day was some leftover cashews that were stashed in my van. Oh wait last night, while I was prepping some food for the party, I cheated with a single petit four.

Today was my 3 year old's party & we were doing it at a train museum so the party was at 10:30 a.m. I got up before 6 to cook for the party & run to Wally World for some last minute items. I cooked up until right before we walked out the door to head to the party. So I didn't even have time to make a shake.

At the party, phase 3 went right out of the window! I had 4 or 5 slices of bacon, some hashbrown casserole & a 1/2 of a plain bagel with blueberry cream cheese. If you haven't tried the blueberry cream cheese, you should. It's really tasty. But, wait. I'm not trying to be a bad influence. However, I was able to control myself when it was cake time. I didn't have any of my son's birthday cake & the only ice cream I had was the little bit that I caught with my hand to prevent it from spilling on the floor.

So all & all I guess my cheat could've been worse. But I did realize that my appetite is nothing like it was before. I have no desire to stuff my face like I did in the past. And of course I will have no more solid food today. I will have a shake for dinner & drink as much water as I can & that is it.

I'm hoping that the worse thing will happen is that I will stay at 138.2. Lord knows I don't want to see any crazy numbers on that scale tomorrow morning.

Day 19 - CORE4/Phase 3 hCG

Weigh-in: 139.2 -Up 0.6. I think the saying is if something appears too good to be true then it probably is. Well, I guess that applies to my weight loss on yesterday. However, I still think a 1.6 loss over 2 days is pretty good.

Basically the only thing that I did different yesterday (2 shakes & 1 raw veggie salad) was that at about 9:30 PM I had to go out & I had the munchies & stopped at a gas station & grabbed a bag of spicy pork rinds & a bag of cashews. I ate the entire bag of skins & half of the cashews.

Also, I usually don't weigh in until after I've had my morning bathroom session. For some reason I still haven't gone yet. Not that I'm making excuses. Just trying to determine what caused the gain is all.

Well today will be the same - 2 shakes & a raw veggie salad minus the late night snack attack.

2 days left on phase 3!

Day 18 - CORE4/Phase 3 hCG

Weigh-in: 138.6 - down 2.2 - I can't believe it.

Here's what I think attributed to the weightloss. First & foremost I was backed up b/c I hadn't been taking my Flush pills. I finally remembered to take them last night & all I'll say is boy was I backed up.

Also, I drank a gallon of water on yesterday, plus or minus a few ounces. I also had 2 Lean shakes for meals & only one food meal & it was a raw veggie salad along w/some steamed zucchini.

So...since that seems to have worked, I will be doing 2 Lean shakes today & only one food meal, which will be a raw salad & some sort of steamed veggies. I'm going light on the meat for now. And of course I will be making sure that I drink at least a gallon of water as well.

Days 11-17 CORE4/Phase 3 hCG

Yeah I've been out of the loop for a minute. I thought with the CORE4, phase 3 would be a breeze & I would be the exception & actually lose weight. Boy was I WRONG!!

I did however, find out that the actual weight that I should be using as a measure for this phase was the weight on my last dose of hCG day, not the weight on the last day of phase 2 (end of the final 72 hours of VLCD), if that makes sense. So that was day 34 & I was 139.4 so I'm supposed to maintain between 137.4 & 141.4. So the good news is I haven't gone beyond 141.4, nor do I plan to.

Here are my weigh-ins from the past few days. I went on vacation days 13-15 & wasn't weighing. I cheated with alcohol while on vacation. Day 13 I had 2 margaritas & a frozen rum daiquiri. Day 14 I had about a half bottle of white wine & 1 spoonful of my son's ice cream.

I've also been doing some random cheating like having a few sips of soda, or eating a jalapeno pretzel here & there. I also had a cup of pink lemonade because we were out of bottled water & it was late at night & I despise tap water.

All in all, I only gained 1 pound while on vacation but I'm still gaining, unfortunately. Today I'm up another 0.4. I know it's the small cheats here & there & I haven't been taking my Flush & I haven't been getting in my normal water intake. I only have 4 more days on phase 3 & I'll be honest, I'm just trying to make it through. I don't know what I'm going to do on the next phase. I don't know if I should go full swing on the CORE4 & hit the gym or if I should do the lemonade diet for a week just to at least see 135 again.

I plan to do another round of hCG as soon as my 21 day waiting period is up. I will do an approximate 26 day round this time because I have to be done with phase 3 for my trip to Miami for Labor Day.

I plan to get some pics up & in the very near future. I have some saved in my camera as well as I wanna do a tankini comparison shot from my vacation in February vs. my tankini pics from this past week's vacation.

Well, here are my weigh-ins:

Day 11: 140.4 (at my peak from the hummus)
Day 12: 139.4 (coming down as the hummus was working its way out of my system)
Day 13: vacation
Burger w/o bread for lunch; 2 frozen margaritas. Blackened tuna steak w/a salad for dinner; 1 frozen rum drink.
Day 14: vacation
2 pcs of grilled chicken & egg whites for brunch - spoonful of ice cream after brunch; Scallop & seared tuna salad for appetizer. A ribeye steak & creamed spinach for dinner; glass of white wine + another 1/2 bottle of white wine after dinner.
Day 15: vacation
grilled chicken salad + a burger w/o bread for brunch; part of a berry smoothie for lunch; cheated with a few jalapeno pretzels.
Day 16: 140.4
Lean shake for brunch; salad w/broccoli, carrots, cucumbers & tomatoes & steamed zucchini for dinner. Snacked on macadamia nuts & a few of the leftover jalapeno pretzels from our trip.
Day 17: 140.8 (no more cheats, no matter how small!)
Lean shake for brunch

Days 7 - 10 CORE4/Phase 3 hCG

My apologies. I have a very bad habit of disappearing when I'm not doing so well with this weight loss. As I suspected in my last post, the trip to the Japanese Steakhouse caused me to gain weight. But it didn't stop there. Since then I have gained another almost 3 pounds. I have been almost to the point of tears.

However, God is good (all the time)! I talked to my diet partner today & found out that the reason why I've been gaining is sooo simple - HUMMUS. It never even occurred to me that hummus could be bad in anyway. No sugar. Organic. All veggies. But those darned chick peas! Nothing but starch/carbs. I've had 2 tubs of hummus in the past few days because I simply didn't know.

By the time I found out it was too late to do a steak day today. So I'll be doing a steak day tomorrow & Friday to try & stabilize.

Day7 weigh-in: 138.8
Day 8 weigh-in: 138.4
Day 9 weigh-in: 139.2
Day 10 weigh-in: 139.6

Day 6 - CORE4/Phase 3 hCG

Weigh-in: 136.8 - down another 1.0 pound.

No breakfast.

Lunch: Lean shake with water, ice, bananas, strawberries & mangoes

Dinner: I know I'll probably pay for this at tomorrow's weigh-in. I went to a Japanese steakhouse & had the miso soup (cheated w/the little flour droppings that they have in the soup), 1.5 salads (mine & half of my 2 year old's), hibachi steak (& some of my 2 year old's chicken) & a triple serving of hibachi veggies.

I've also munched on macadamia nuts & raw carrots since I've been home from the restaurant. I got on the scale a few minutes ago & I was up almost 6 pounds. UGH!

I'm almost dreading tomorrow. I'll drink about 1/2 gallon of water before bed with hopes that the combo of water & the Flush capsules will help me at least get back down to today's weigh-in. Even if I don't lose anything, I'm okay; I just don't want to see a gain.

Day 5 - CORE4/Phase 3 hCG

Weigh-in: 137.8 - down 1.2 - HALLELUJAH!

No breakfast

Lunch: Lean shake with water, ice, bananas, blueberries & raspberries
Green tea

Dinner: Lean shake with water, ice, bananas, blueberries & raspberries & part of my hubby's shake - his had milk, ice, bananas & strawberries + later on I had some philly cheesesteak (minus the cheese) with onions over a bed of romaine lettuce sans salad dressing.

After dinner snack: unsalted macadamia nuts & carrot sticks w/hummus

Day 4 - CORE4/Phase 3 hCG

Weigh-in: 139.0 - DISGUSTING!!! I wanted to puke this morning when I got on the scale. A quarter pound of cheese made me gain almost 3 pounds. Well at least I know that cheese overkill means weight gain for me. I was a definite cheeseaholic in the past. Now I think I'll try & avoid it as much as possible. On the bright side, I weighed myself when I got in from picking the kids up & I was down to 138.2. Will I ever see 135 again?

Breakfast: Lean shake with water, ice, bananas, pineapples & peaches
Green tea

Lunch: A Bosch pear

Dinner: Lean shake with water, ice, mangoes, strawberries & bananas

If I have anything else, it will be some raw carrot sticks. I gotta get some of these pounds back off. I was so bloated today my stomach was back protruding & I CAN'T have that!

Day 3 - CORE4/Phase 3 hCG

Weigh-in: 136.4 - no change. SIGH...

Breakfast: Lean shake with water, ice, peaches & bananas.
Green tea

Lunch: Lean shake with water, ice, strawberries, bananas & mangoes.

Dinner: Raw spinach salad w/cucumbers, onions, tomatoes & broccoli & a little bit of Italian dressing.
Sauteed okra in butter.

I went to the grocery store today & went crazy for a minute. I went to the deli section & purchased a quarter pound of pepper jack sliced cheese. Even though I did have a little help from my 2 year old, that cheese was gone by the time I got home. NOT GOOD!

Also I've decided not to purchase any almond milk at this time. It contains organic raw sugar cane juice & that's a no-no for phase 3. Plus, my shakes are still delicious with plain water.

Day 2 - CORE4/Phase 3 hCG

Weigh-in: 136.4 - down 0.6 - I gained 1.2 so I guess I lost half of it today & hopefully I will lose the other half by tomorrow & get back down to 135.8.

Breakfast: Water & green tea

Lunch: Lean shake with strawberries & banana - it was really delicious. I imagined that I was drinking a Chic-fil-a shake - lol. Tomorrow I plan to buy some almond milk & make my version of Chic-fil-a's new peach milkshake. I'm trying to keep my dairy to a bare minimum.

Dinner: Philly cheese steak salad: steak, mild cheddar, sauteed onions, raw tomatoes over lettuce sans salad dressing. I've gotten accustomed to eating dry salads from phase 2 so it really doesn't bother me.

You're supposed to stabilize on phase 3 of the hCG diet & your weight shouldn't fluctuate more than 2 pounds either way. Since I was 135.8 on my last day of the VLCD, technically I won't know if the CORE4 is really working (in my mind) until I'm lower than 133.8 and able to continue losing.

I keep saying I'm going to work out. I even have the energy to do so. I just don't want to - just too darned lazy. I've decided to hold off on joining the gym for now. If I do any exercising, I'll just go to the track & do the run/walk training or simply power walk for a few miles.

My progress photo outfit is in the washer machine right now. I will definitely take some more progress pics by the end of the week & post them.

Day 1 - CORE4/Phase 3 hCG

Weigh-in: 137.0 - up 1.2 - I knew it & it's almost that time of the month so I'm holding my breath for tomorrow's weigh-in. However, believe it or not, I'm still losing inches. My stomach has gotten even smaller. I will take another progress pic tomorrow if the scale isn't too mean to me.

Breakfast: green tea & water

Lunch: WAFFLE HOUSE!!!! I had to have some real food today since this was my first day being off the VLCD. I had not one, but two grilled chicken patties. I also had some egg whites with a slice of pepper jack cheese. I was so excited to be eating, I didn't remember to sprinkle the Cheat on my food until it was almost gone. I swear I ate that food in 2 minutes flat. I immediately went home & weighed myself, thinking the food was going to do instant damage. I was still exactly 137.0.

Dinner: CORE4 Lean Shake (which didn't taste bad at all-I mixed mine with 8 oz of water & some frozen mangoes, pineapples & peaches) & then I had a piece of leftover hamburger (sprinkled with Cheat, of course) from last night - it was less than 1/2 of a burger & I nibbled a few pieces of my 2 year old's turkey burger - 2 or 3 very small pieces.

I'm hoping to get back to 135.8 by tomorrow but I think that may be wishful thinking. :-/

Days 37 - (35th & FINAL) VLCD

Weigh-in: 135.8 whoo hooo - I made it to 135. However, I am scared that the results won't last since the hCG is completely out of my system. I hear people tend to have problems with weight gain in the next phase of the hCG. Though the idea is to typically stabilize your weight as this point & not allow it to fluctuate more than 2 pounds in either direction, my plan is to continue to lose weight with my new diet plan that I've been talking about.

Didn't have any breakfast because I went to church.

For lunch I had 4 huge scallops that I didn't weigh along with some spinach that I also didn't weigh. Hey it was the last day!

For dinner, I totally fouled up & will pay for it tomorrow. My husband decided to grill out & have his uncle over to watch the NBA finals. I had 2 shrimp skewers, 1.5 hamburgers seasoned with Jack Daniels barbecue sauce & wrapped in lettuce with onions & tomatoes. Those burgers were soooo good, I just couldn't help myself.

Just as fast as 135 came I know it will leave. :(

Day 36 (34th day) VLCD

Weigh-in: 137.6 - down 1.0

Breakfast: Water & Green Tea

Lunch:
I went to Cheesecake Factory today & had the Steak Diane sans the mushroom wine sauce & any butter/oils. I also had grilled onions plain & I mixed the steak & onions with plain romaine lettuce & used lemon juice as the salad dressing. I also sprinkled the Cheat on my food.

Since I had 2 veggies at once & the steak was pretty big I didn't eat anything else today, just drank plenty of water & had one Flush capsule since I'm about to go to bed.

If I continue to lose at this rate, I'll see 135 on Monday & I'll be down to the 10 pound mark. I hope the last 10 are easier than these first ones have been.

Days 32 - 35 (30th-33rd days) VLCD

Well this time I haven't really been MIA b/c I was doing bad. Then again, maybe that is the case.

These last days my weight has been going up & down. I got as low as 137.8 on day 30 but I haven't been able to get back to 137 since.

Granted, I can't blame anyone but myself for my poor performance on this diet. I was cheating daily with nuts. Sometimes I'd still lose & then other times I'd gain.

So Day 32 weigh-in was 139.0; Day 33 was 138.0; Day 34 as 139.4 & today's weigh-in was 138.6. I took my last dose of hCG on yesterday. So I'm done with the 1st day of the 3 days of the low calorie diet that you must do after you take your final dose.

Today I had about 5 oz. of 93% lean ground beef with about 5 oz. of onions. I still weigh (sometimes) but I don't really tracking calories anymore. For a snack I had strawberries but I didn't weigh them.

For dinner I went to Chic-Fil-A & purchased a chargrilled patty, plain. I brought it home, seasoned it & cooked it for about 5 minutes & then I cut it up over some raw spinach that I did not weigh, either.

I think I mentioned it but to lose the last pounds I need to reach my goal I will be trying a new diet plan. Well actually I've started taking some of the products already. Yesterday, I sprinkled the Cheat on my food at both meals. Then last night I took some of the Flush.

So I was down 0.8 today but of course I don't know if it's the new diet plan or if it's the hCG. I do know that I didn't have any nuts yesterday for the first time in a few days. I won't know until after the hCG is totally out of my system. Most people don't lose weight in the next phase of the hCG diet. So if I continue to lose weight, then I will know that it is my new diet plan.

I do know that the Flush is working. I've been going to the bathroom all day. I definitely expect to see a loss on tomorrow because I know I've dropped a couple pounds in the toilet alone today - sorry if that's TMI.

So I will continue to blog but now I will be trying something different. I still have 13.6 pounds to lose & my goal is to lose them by the end of this month. Though I've lost inches, I still need to lose more inches in my thighs & hips & I also need to tone my abs & arms.

So I will be working out as well...

Days 30 & 31 (28th & 29th days) VLCD

Day 30 Weigh-in: 137.8
Day 31 Weigh-in: 139.0

I always go MIA when I'm not doing too good. I'm still stalling at 139 even today. I was going to take my last dose of hCG today & move on to something else that I found out about that doesn't call for you to be on such a strict diet. (Of course I'll share once I begin.)

However, I think I may continue the hCG until I get to 135 - which is 4 more pounds. That way when I start the new program, I will only have 10 pounds to go. I have changed my goal from 123 to 125. My hubby is already tripping about me getting smaller so I won't push it.

I did work out today. I did 2 sets of thigh exercises & then I did 15 minutes of interval training - I walked for 60 seconds, then jogged for 40 seconds, repeating the cycle throughout the entire workout.

Though it was only for 15 minutes, I was sweating like I had been working out for hours. I will try & keep this up for the rest of the week.

My scheduled day to stop the hCG was Saturday & I think I will stay on until then. I really thought I would've made my goal by now. Overall I'm satisfied because I've definitely lost more inches than anything. I still have some inches to lose in my all-too-resistant thighs & some toning to do in my arms & abs. But that's where the rest of the weight loss will come from.

Day 29 (27th day) VLCD

Weigh-in: 138.2 Can you believe after eating what I did yesterday, I actually lost 1.6? Hope there isn't a delayed reaction & the scale turns on me tomorrow morning.

Breakfast: Water, green tea, a handful of nuts & 4.1 oz of apple. For some reason I was really hungry this morning.

Lunch: Well I weighed out 5 oz of scallops but my 2 year old ate almost half of them.
I didn't weigh the asparagus but I steamed an entire bunch & split it with my hubby.

After lunch snack: a few handfuls of nuts

Dinner: 3.5 oz shrimp with 3.8 oz romaine

After dinner snack: I will try & leave the nuts alone & eat strawberries, if anything.

I had been having problems going to the bathroom. I know that it is common with the diet but still I was going daily. But then I started consuming way too much beef & I got hooked b/c it seemed that the days that I ate beef, I lost. But then my system became clogged.

Well, hopefully, this isn't TMI, but I went twice today which is somewhat unheard of for me since I've been on this diet. The only thing I did different was take a new chlorella/blue-green algae/spirulina tablet after dinner. Maybe the greens helped me go. I sure hope so. When I have a good bathroom session, the results are usually good as far as the scale is concerned.

Day 28 (26th day) VLCD

Weigh-in: 139.8 - even though I was only down 0.4 I was so happy just to see that 139, I decided to push the envelope & celebrate a little. Next celebration will be when I see 129 on the scale.

Breakfast: Water & green tea

Lunch: A smoothie with fresh strawberries, ice & a tad bit of orange juice from this smoothie spot called Robek's. Grilled chicken & romaine from Chipotle's.

Dinner: A few handfuls of raw, unsalted nuts.

I thought my celebration may have hurt me bad. But as you can see from my ticker, I lost a lot of weight. Hope this continues. I want to be 135 by Tuesday.

Day 27 (25th day) VLCD

Weigh-in: 140.2 Whoo hooooo! At least I'm back to 140.2 again. 3 more oz & I'm in the 139s. I'm feening to see 130 anything on my scale. Haven't seen that number in years!

No breakfast

Lunch: 7 oz sirloin over plain romaine lettuce w/lemon juice for the dressing from Smokey Bones. They cleaned the grill to make sure I didn't get any extra oil (or so they said).

Dinner: A handful of raw, unsalted, mixed nuts & chili w/ground beef & tomatoes.

I ended up falling asleep really early tonight & I just woke up. I've been drinking water like mad. That usually helps with my morning weigh-in. Hopefully the scales will be kind in the morning & grant me this wish...

Days 24-26 (22nd - 24th days) VLCD

Today's weigh-in: 141.6

I've been MIA simply because I've been failing this diet miserably. As you know on Day 23, I got greedy since the almonds from Day 22 didn't cause me to gain & I had cashews. And on Day 24, I was up well over a pound. By Day 25, I had gained over 2 pounds from the nuts. So for Day 25, I decided to do the 6 apples.

After about 3 apples I had to go to Costco to buy candy for my 13 year old's class. And lo & behold there were some raw, unsalted mixed nuts on the same aisle. And of course I bought them. So yesterday I had 3 apples & God only knows how many handfuls of the nuts. However, I did end up losing 0.6 pound.

So far today, I won't lie, I've had a few handfuls of nuts. Since I had been munching on nuts, I skipped the meat at lunch & had about 7 oz of steamed cabbage.

For dinner I had about 5 oz ground beef with about 5.5 oz of tomatoes in chili. This is all I will eat for the day. I GOTTA GET BACK ON TRACK!

The only bright side is, I've been cheating with protein & not sugar or starch.

Day 23 - (21st day) VLCD

Weigh-in: 140 even. 1 more oz & I'll officially be in the 130s. If all goes well, I'll be smiling all day tomorrow. Then again, the cheating continues...

Technically I could quit after today & begin my transition into the next phase but I've already ordered another ampule & have decided that I will not stop until I reach my goal.

Lunch: 3.7 oz of baked tilapia & 9.6 oz of diced cucumber

After lunch snack: I had a notary job at Starbucks today & found myself buying nuts again - but this time it was cashews. And instead of snacking on them over a period of time, I gobbled them up all at once. SIGH...

Dinner: 6 oz. of ground beef w/6 oz of onions

Of course there will be no after dinner snack. I am done for the day. I will be drinking water & tea for the rest of the day.

Day 22 - (20th day) VLCD - MY FIRST MAJOR CHEAT

Weigh-in: 140.8 - I was so excited that I was back losing weight I didn't know what to do. Well actually I did... I put on some leggings & platforms & went to Lenox. LOL

However, I was bad for the rest of the day.

Lunch: Plain grilled chicken w/romaine lettuce only salad from Maggiano's. They grilled the chicken, per my request, without oil & butter. I put a little lemon juice on the salad as a substitute salad dressing. You should've seen the faces of my lunch companions. They couldn't believe I was going to eat a plain salad w/o any dressing. In the end it was worth it. My check ended up being $4.05. That's the smallest tab I've ever had at Maggiano's.

After lunch snack: Well actually I munched on these all day. I went to Starbucks for a bottle of water when I got to the mall. And for some reason I couldn't resist the bag of dry roasted almonds sitting on the counter. So I munched on them all during the day.

Dinner: 5 oz of lean steak w/ 4 oz of onions

So even though I cheated big time yesterday, you can tell by my ticker that I still lost weight. HALLELUJAH! Maybe since my cheat was simply protein, it wasn't too bad. I won't be doing it often, though.

Day 21 (19th day) VLCD

Of course this is a day late & I'm sorry about that. Yesterday morning, when I did my 1st weigh-in of the day, I hadn't lost anything. I was still at 142.2. And since I always use my 1st morning weigh-in to update my weight loss ticker, I was really bummed. Then I took a shower & had my "bathroom session", if you catch my drift & my weight dropped to 141.4.

Since I wasn't losing any weight I tried to do the 6 apple day. However, I had eaten 3 apples by dinner time & I was starving. So for dinner I had a 4.4 oz 93% lean burger w/3 oz of onions.

Also I started taking my hCG in one dose in the morning vs. taking two doses during the day. Really didn't see much difference. For now I will continue to take just one 1ml dose in the morning.

I may post some more progress pics today - not sure.

Day 20 (18th day) VLCD

Weigh-in: 142.2 - lost all of my progress from yesterday. I've been dreading this post all day. How disgusted am I! But who can I be mad with but myself? I got comfy w/going over on the protein & then yesterday I got greedy & ate 20 oz. of a veggie that wasn't even on the list. My justification was that a cucumber and a zucchini were actually the same. Wish you could see me banging my head on my computer desk.

Breakfast: Green tea & water

No lunch or after lunch snack because I was doing a lot of running around. When will I learn?

Dinner: Lean top round steak (3.7 oz)
Spinach - both raw & steamed (4.5 oz)

Only 216 calories for the day. I will try & definitely eat some strawberries before bed.

Day 19 - (17th day) VLCD

Weigh-in: 141.0 - down another 1.2 - for some reason I thought I was 142 even yesterday so my weight loss for today was more than I thought. I can't wait to break the 130s.

Breakfast: Green tea & water

Lunch: Chargrilled chicken patty from Chic-fil-a
Cucumber (9.3 oz)

Dinner: Steamed lobster tail (5 oz)
Zucchini (20 oz) - yeah I know it seems like alot but at 3 calories per ounce, it isn't.

Though I'm over with the protein I'm still under 500. I'm not hungry at all & too lazy to wash & slice strawberries so I probably won't be having anything else to eat tonight.

Day 18 - (16th day) VLCD

Weigh-in: 142.2 - down 1.6 - I was so excited this morning, I almost couldn't believe it. I haven't seen this type of loss since my 1st week. I went to bed much earlier than usual & apparently it has paid off.

Also, I would like to say that I've been testing some things out. I've been eating more than 100g/3/5 oz. of protein per meal. So far I haven't had any adverse reactions.

Breakfast: Green tea & water

Lunch: A plain chargrilled chicken patty from Chic-fil-a (approx. 5 oz) - hey I asked them did they add any additional oils, butters, sugars & the answer was no. I had extra lettuce for my side veggie (approx. 1-2 oz)

After lunch snack: Apple (5 oz)

Dinner: Scallops (4.9 oz)
Spinach, raw & steamed (4.5 oz)

Even though I went over on my meat servings both times, I'm still not at 500 calories. As a matter of fact, I'm not even at 400. I won't lie, I'm full from dinner & will not be eating anything else tonight. Guess I'll know how bad I did today when I get on the scale in the morning. Until then, toodles...

Day 17 - (15th day) VLCD

Weigh-in: 143.8 - down an entire 0.2 pound. But I guess that's better than nothing.

Breakfast: Green tea & water

No lunch.

Snack before dinner: Apple (6.1 oz)

Dinner: 93% lean burger (8 oz) - yeah, I know but I hadn't eaten all day & I was truly hungry.
Asparagus (9.2 oz)

After dinner snack: I still have about 50 calories left so if I have anything else, it'll be strawberries.

I have my nightgown on & am in my bed as I type this. I plan to be asleep no later than 10:30 tonight. I'm actually sleepy now so it shouldn't be a problem.

Day 16 - (14th day) VLCD

Weigh-in: 144 even, again! Didn't budge at all on weight. I have some different theories on why thanks to my support person. Either my hCG is weak or it's due to the fact that I'm not getting enough rest. The rest part is hard. Like, tonight for instance. My intentions were to be in the bed by 10:30. Here it is almost 11:30 & I'm still wide awake. Ugh...

Breakfast: Green tea & water

Lunch: Broiled scallops (99g)
Asparagus (11.4)

After lunch snack: Strawberries (5.7 oz)

Dinner: Plain hamburger (8 oz) - yeah, I cheated. I went out to a family function at a restaurant & ordered a children's hamburger. I didn't, however, have any carbs. My side item was some plain romaine lettuce w/no dressing.

No after dinner snack.

Even though I cheated w/the extra meat, I'm still only at 524 calories. I thought I didn't go over but I just went & recalculated & I did. Hopefully the scale won't play a joke on me tomorrow.

Day 15 - (13th day) VLCD

Weigh-in: 144.0

Breakfast: None - slept late this morning.

Lunch: Baked tilapia (100g)
Diced tomatoes (6.7 oz)

After lunch snack: Apple (I forget how much)

Dinner: Shrimp (99g)
Spinach - raw & cooked (4 oz)

No after dinner snack.

I haven't counted my calories for today but I'm sure I'm under 500. Still struggling to actually get 500 in. Crossing my fingers that my weight loss will pick up. Wishing fo another pound drop by tomorrow.

2 WEEK PROGRESS

So far I'm down to 144 even. I have lost 1/2 inch in my thighs. :-( I'm bummed about that because they are my problem area & I was hoping that they would melt away the way my waist has. I am down to a 32" waist, which means I have lost 1 1/2 inches. Yay me!

However, pound wise, I have a long way to go. Unless my weight loss picks up I don't know if I'll be able to make my goal of 123 in the remaining time frame. Truth be told, I'd be so ecstatic to see 125, I wouldn't even trip about the extra 2 pounds.

Well, without further ado, here are my pics...

Okay I'm looking at my before pics. I don't see much difference in the pics. Guess the pics aren't really an accurate reflection of the progress I've made. :-/

Day 14 - (12th day) VLCD

Weigh-in: 145.0 - even though I'm only down 0.6, I am still pleased with the loss of inches that I've experienced. Stay tuned for tomorrow's progress pics...

Breakfast: Green tea & water

Lunch: Baked tilapia (100g)
Spinach - some raw & some cooked (5 oz)

After lunch snack: none

Dinner: Grilled chicken (100g)
Diced cucumber (8.6 oz)
I was still hungry so I also had 6.6 oz of apple.

After dinner snack: Since it is still early & I've only had about 400 calories for today, I will probably eat some strawberries later on tonight.

Today I put on some skinny jeans that I purchased back when skinny jeans 1st became fashionable. They are a size 10. Usually, because they are so tight, they look highwater. Well today I was able to wear them at the normal ankle length & they weren't skin tight. I had on a tank top that accentuated my waist. My hubby actually commented that I looked cute. Of course that made my day!

Day 13 - (11th day) VLCD

Weigh-in: 145.6 Though I had only lost 0.8 pound, I was soooo excited to see 145. This is the lowest weigh-in I've had since I started. I haven't been this size in over 3 years. My after shower weigh-in was 144.8.

Breakfast: Green tea & water

Lunch: Shrimp (100g)
Cabbage (9.8 oz)

After lunch snack: Apple (5.5 oz)

Dinner: Baked tilapia (100g)
Diced tomatoes (6 oz)

After dinner snack: I'm up to 445 calories right now. If I have an after dinner snack, it'll be strawberries, of course.

Today has been a good day for me. Though I'm not experiencing the same weight loss that I was in the beginning, I'm definitely losing inches. BTW, I've decided to postpone my progress picture until this weekend.

My stomach is flat. I still have small handles on the sides. All of my clothes are fitting much looser. Today I tried on a pair of size 8 slacks that had been in the back of my closet for almost 2 years because I simply couldn't wear them. Tried them on today & slid right in them. They were tight around the thighs & that's only because my thighs haven't gotten with the program yet.

This is probably TMI, but I had on a thong today that used to cut off my circulation. Now it fits perfect. I was thinking about joining a gym to try & amp up my weight loss, especially since my thighs are being stubborn. However, I think I'm just going to stick to walking - well if I can ever overcome my "lazyosis" & get back to the track. Then, maybe after I've completed the VLCD phase, if I'm still not satisfied with my thighs, then I'll either join the gym or enlist a trainer.

Day 12 - (10th day) VLCD

Weigh in: 146.4 - down only 0.2 ;(

I know I'm a day late on this post. My day 12 was actually yesterday. Can't wait to post today's progress. Don't have time to go into details but the news is good news. :-)

Yesterday I went out of town & did not properly prepare. I refused to cheat so for lunch all I had was 9 oz of grapefruit.

For dinner I had 100g of tilapia & 10.5 oz. of asparagus. No after dinner snack. I got good water intake b/c now I travel w/a gallon of water in my car. But my calories were very low yesterday.

Day 11 - (9th day) VLCD

Weigh-in: 146.6 - down another pound (:-)

Breakfast: Green tea & water

Lunch: All I had was 10.6 oz of apple. I have absolutely no appetite.

Dinner: Shrimp (100g)
Cabbage (10.5 oz)

After dinner snack: Right now I have only had 360 calories for the day. Since I try & only eat strawberries in the evening, I know I will not make 500 calories today. Even if I can muster up the appetite, it would take alot of strawberries to make up the difference.

I can't believe that my appetite has disappeared like this. I even had a hunger headache earlier today but absolutely no desire to eat. I hope lowballing with the calories doesn't cause me to stall. I would've never thought that getting enough calories would be a problem. Hmm...

Day 10 - (8th day) VLCD

Weigh in: 147.6

Breakfast: Green tea & water

Lunch: Shrimp (100g)
Spinach (9.6 oz) - part was cooked & the other part I ate raw w/the shrimp as a salad. I made salad dressing w/lemon juice & ACV & herbs & spices.

I didn't have an after lunch snack b/c I had a late lunch.

Dinner: Scallops (100g)
Cucumbers (10.3 oz)

It's late & I haven't had my after dinner snack. Not good because I'm only had like 330 calories for the night. I just don't have an appetite for some reason. I have had 112 oz of water today & that's not including the several cups of herb tea I've had during the course of the day. Hopefully the low calorie count won't affect me too negatively. Signing off, going 2 bed...

BODY INSPIRATION

When I first decided to do this diet, I had just finished watching the movie, Stomp The Yard. I was admiring Meagan Good's shape & I decided I wanted to find some celebrities who were the same height as me. I lucked up that she is actually the same height as me. Here are some of my celebrity body inspirations:

Meagan Good

Amerie - I love the fact that she didn't get a boob job!

Priyanka Chopra - Miss World 2000

Nicole Scherzinger

Stacey Dash - Can you believe she's 43?

Tamera Mowry

Day 9 - (7th day) VLCD

Weigh-in: 148.2 - down a whole 0.6 pound. Whoo hoo! Yeah, okay. I can only hope that once my cycle is gone the progress I was seeing at the beginning of the week will return. So overall I've been on this diet for a week & I've only lost 2.4 pounds. I'm so disgusted I don't know what to do.

Breakfast: NOTHING

Lunch: Baked tilapia (100g)
Asparagus (10.3 oz)

After Lunch Snack: Apple (I forget how much I had & I'm not on the same computer where my calorie counter Excel sheet is located.)

Dinner: Baked tilapia (100g)
Diced tomatoes (2.8 oz)

I don't have many calories left so I don't even know if I'll be having an after dinner snack.

Day 8 - (6th day) VLCD

Weigh-in: 148.8
Usually I do a second weigh-in. Number one, I've been asleep all day. I forgot to add staying up until 5:00 a.m. this morning & only eating 398 calories yesterday to my list of bad behavior. I didn't have my last snack yesterday, either.
Number two, I'm staying off the scale for a minute.

Breakfast: Green tea & water

Lunch: Grilled chicken (99g)
Cucumbers (6 oz.)

After lunch snack: Strawberries (7.9 oz.)

Dinner: Shrimp (100g)
Diced tomatoes (7.4 oz.)

After dinner snack: My after dinner snack will be strawberries. I'm only at a little over 350 calories right now. Can't recall the exact number.

Since I've been asleep for most of the day, I haven't gone to get my distilled water like I was supposed to. However, I've been dropping ACV in my water to make it taste better. So I am getting my proper water intake. I have to run out for a few in a little while. I will stop & get the right water while I'm out. I went out earlier this morning with my hubby & I put on some summer capris that I haven't worn in a long while. They're a size 10. Normally 10s are pretty tight on me. These aren't tight at all. Snug around the thighs but I can definitely tell I've lost some inches if nothing else. I will postpone my progress pics/measurements until next weekend since my cycle (among other things) caused me some issues.

PROGRESS DELAYED

Well it seems that my monthly visitor has come along & brought all of my progress to a screeching halt. Actually it's worse than that. I'm actually going backwards.

Let's play the blame game, shall we. Hubby made the water purchase this week. He bought Wal-mart brand spring water vs. the normal Wal-mart brand distilled water we normally drink. To some this may seem minor but I've been drinking distilled water for years & some spring water brands I just can't stomach. Wal-mart is at the top of the list.

So...yesterday instead of taking my lazy butt back to Wal-mart to get the right water, I decided to just make tea all day to mask the horrible taste. All in all I got 2-4 glasses of actual water yesterday. TERRIBLE!

Then my cycle comes on. I haven't had the proper water intake. All that equals bloating AND weight gain! I gained 2.4 pounds. I was horrified when I got on the scale this morning. I haven't done my after shower weigh-in because I haven't had my shower yet. I'm holding out hope.

2 days of bad behavior + my cycle = UTTER FRUSTRATION

Day 7 - (5th day) VLCD

Weigh-in 146.4
All I can say is ugh! I did feel better after my shower. After I shower in the morning, my weight is always lower than my 1st morning weigh-in. After my shower, I was down to 145.8 - that was my after shower weight yesterday, too. So basically no progress for me in the last 24 hours. SIGH...

Breakfast: Green tea & water

Lunch: Chicken (98g)
Diced cucumbers (6.6 oz.)

After lunch snack: Grapefruit (8 oz.)

Dinner: Shrimp (99g)
Diced tomatoes (9.1 oz.)

After dinner snack: I still have over 100 calories left. I will definitely not be eating any apples tonight. Most likely I will use up most of the calories with strawberries.

My clothes are fitting loose. My stomach has definitely gone down. I will take a progress pic when I get back from my Saturday morning run. Dang I just realized, I'm 15 mins late on my hCG dosage. Gotta run!

GOTTA SHARE THE BAD TOO...

Well my day is not starting off so good. I gained 0.2 pound since yesterday. Even though it's not alot, a gain is a gain.

Here's what I think happened:
1. I went over 3 grams with my meat yesterday. I got away with it the 1st time so I pushed the envelope again. Won't happen anymore!
2. I ate very little calories with my main food & almost half of my calories were in fruit - way too much sugar obviously.
3. My last snack was an apple - high in calories & maybe too high in natural sugar. I ate 9.4 oz. of apple slices late last night. Apparently my body is okay with the late night strawberries but apples are definitely a no-no.
4. I didn't drink as much water as I normally do.
5. I was 3 hours late taking my morning dose of hCG.

So...I've learned my lesson. Got my game face on. About to come off the bench & win this! LOL

Day 6 - (4th day) VLCD

Weigh-in: 146.2
I swear this diet is simply unbelievable. I haven't even done any exercise except for those crunches yesterday & my stomach is melting away. Now my thighs aren't going anywhere but I'm holding out hope. Didn't expect to see much progress in a weeks time or at least not enough to be noticeable. However, I think I will have enough to take a progress pic or two. Stay tuned...

Breakfast: Green tea & water

Lunch: Shrimp sauteed in lemon juice (3.4 oz. - my scale started acting up in the middle of me weighing & I had to use ounces AND go out & buy a new scale.)
Diced tomatoes (4.3 oz.)

After lunch snack: Strawberries (6 oz.)

Dinner: Broiled scallops (103g - I always cheat w/the scallops!)
Spinach from the can (7.4 oz.) - Can you say yuck? I will never do that again.

After dinner snack: Usually I eat strawberries at night but I'm only at 350+ calories right now so I will probably have apple slices tonight. It would take almost an entire container of strawberries to use up my last calories. So tonight's snack will be a little over 9 oz. of apple slices.

I can't even begin to explain how EXCITED I am. Why didn't someone tell me about hCG a long time ago? Why isn't this more mainstream?

Day 5 - (3rd day) VLCD

Weigh in: 149.2

Breakfast: Unsweetened green tea & water

Lunch: Grilled chicken (100g)
Steamed Cabbage (9.6 oz)

After lunch snack: Red Delicious Apple (6.6 oz.)

Dinner: Baked tilapia (100g)
Cucumbers (6.7 oz.)

After dinner snack: Because I've had way too many calories today, I will only be able to enjoy 4.5 oz. of strawberries tonight. :-( However, I'm stuffed from dinner so 4.5 oz. will probably be more than enough.

Today has been a regular day. I'm noticing that I'm definitely not hungry like I thought I'd be. I thought I had ordered some Life Caps but I realized that I never placed the order. Now, I really don't think I'll need them. If I find hunger being a problem, then I'll just order & pay rush shipping. If anyone is actually interested in ordering them, go to Winterfix. They're cheaper on this site & they have a 20% off sale going on right now. Use the code TETON20 when you check out.

I did about 50 crunches today. I'm going to try & do 50 more after my dinner digests. I would love to have a little ab definition when this is all said & done.

COULDN'T WAIT FOR THIS...

I usually do my daily post at the end of the day but I just couldn't wait to share this with those of you that are keeping up with my blog.

This too easy, I tell you. So every morning, the first thing I do is hop on the scale, jammies & all. So I was down to 150.2, which was still a loss of 1.6 from yesterday. But I took my shower, dried off & did my nude weight.

Are you ready for this?!?!?

149.2!!!!!!

This is motivation in itself. I really I haven't found it all that difficult to stay focused but this really puts things into perspective. Now I know that my weight loss will taper off at some point & I won't be losing this much every day. But this sure is a great start.

GO ME! GO ME!

Day 4 - (2nd day) VLCD

Weigh-in: 151.8
Whoo hoo, I'm losing finally. Should be back to my beginning weight by tomorrow - hopefully.

Breakfast: Water

Lunch: Broiled Scallops (102g - yeah I cheated a little. I didn't feel like trying to shave off 2 grams from one of my scallops.)
Steamed Asparagus (8.9 oz.)

After lunch snack: Grapefruit (7.9 oz.)

Dinner: Grilled chicken (99g) - I didn't know how this was going to taste since I wasn't able to spray my countertop grill with any non-stick spray. However, the lemon juice definitely helped with the flavor as well as the sticking.
Steamed Cabbage (8 oz.)

After dinner snack: I have enough calories left for 9 oz. of strawberries so that will be my snack later tonight.

I had a cont. ed. class this morning from 9-12:30. My intentions were to take my grapefruit so that I wouldn't be hungry before I got home for lunch. Well, I walked out & left the grapefruit. Thank God I wasn't starving.

I definitely think this diet is more mental than anything. Though people gasp when they hear 500 calories, it really is enough food.

Of course I'm hoping that the extra 2 grams won't make a big difference with my progress. I've added in the additional calories to make sure I remain under 500 in spite of.

Day 3 - (1st day) VLCD

Though disappointing, after all I ate yesterday, I'm not surprised that I gained another pound. My weigh in this morning was 153 even.

Breakfast: Unsweetened raspberry leaf tea & plenty of water

Lunch: Baked tilapia (100g) with diced tomatoes (6.6 oz.)
After Lunch Snack: Strawberries (6.5 oz.)

Dinner: Baked tilapia (100g) with a diced cucumber (10.5 oz.)
After Dinner Snack: Strawberries - since I have approx. 96 calories left from my 500, I will eat 10 oz. of strawberries for a snack tonight. Haven't had it yet - gonna wait until I get that late night hunger.

All & all today was a good day. It was as if I was embarking on a new journey so the fact that I'm eating almost nothing has not set in yet. I do know that I eat because I'm bored & I found myself wishing for some of the junk that I can't have that's in my kitchen. I've already had more than 1/2 gallon of water today & I will drink more as the night progresses - as well as some green tea. Can't wait to weigh in tomorrow morning.

Day 2 - LOADING

So I gained 1.4 pounds with the loading yesterday. Not really disappointed because my weigh-in was lower than it had been all week & my norm has been 153/154.

Breakfast: 5 slices of turkey bacon w/2 fried egg whites on 2 pieces of wheat bread
After Breakfast Snack: A huge bowl of vanilla ice cream w/a ton of sprinkles

Lunch: I didn't really have lunch once again. I nibbled on some leftover chicken strips & took a nap instead. I also munched on some BBQ chips.

Dinner: 2 fried pork chops; rice & gravy; cabbage
After Dinner Snack: Another huge bowl of vanilla ice cream loaded w/sprinkles.

I drank much more water today. At least around 1/2 of gallon. Tomorrow is the first day of the 500 calorie diet. Hmmm....

Day 1 - LOADING

The 1st two days of the diet are loading days. You're supposed to eat as much fat/calories as possible. I didn't eat as much as I would've liked to. Also, I'm having problems keeping the sublingual mix under my tongue for longer than 5 minutes. I have a support person that's also doing the diet - shout out to A. She told me I need to stop trying to talk while it's in my mouth. So hopefully I'll do better tomorrow.

Breakfast:
Munched on a few chicken nuggets with my kids, then I went to breakfast with my girlfriend. I had a waffle with whipped cream as an appetizer. Then I had an egg white omelette with shrimp, avacado, pico de gallo & spinach with a side of homestyle hashbrowns. I had ice water with lemon to drink.

After all of that food, I went shopping for a few hours & went home & fell asleep so I didn't have any lunch.

Dinner:
Mexican with the family. I had a t-bone steak with grilled peppers and onions, lots of chips & salsa & I ate a whole bowl of guacamole by myself - my family doesn't like it. I ate a little bit of the rice & refried beans on the side & all of my pico de gallo & my stepson's portion, too. I love pico de gallo. I also had a gigantic mango frozen margarita.

When I got home, I had a cup of jasmine green tea without any sweetener.

My water intake definitely could've been better today. Right now I'm so stuffed I can barely sit here & type this. Curious to know what my weigh-in will be tomorrow.