Get my updates via eMail: Subscribe to My HCG Journey - Blog

R5P2 Starting Weight 176.8
Yesterday - 165.2
Today - 165.4
0.2 lb GAIN Overnight
3.4 lb Over LIW of Round Four (162.0)
11.4 Lost Since Start of R5C1 (VLCD) 05/06/08
85.4 Total Lost Since Start of Protocol (VLCD) 06/26/07

Ok, this is getting simply ridiculous! ROFL - In all my rounds I have never done this two steps forward, one step back thing. But I had to experience it sometime, I guess. I wonder if I am more issues this time with TOM because I am at a lower weight? I have to remember what Dr S says:

any gain of more than 100 grams is invariably the result of some transgression or mistake

So since .2 lbs is only around 90 grams, there is nothing for me to worry about. So again, another chalk one up to TOM and be on with my day!

I didn’t eat anything yesterday off protocol. I had a smoothie for lunch of cottage cheese, grapefruit, cocoa, and spinach. And then for dinner I had P2 spaghetti sauce with green beans. Oh well. I am still on target.

Phase Two Deviation Recovery

Ok, it happens - at least at one point in a round, something will happen and we either eat too much food, have a protein craving, we are stuck out unprepared, but we eat something we don’t mean to and the next morning we are faced with a gain. There are tricks that might help when such occurrences happen.

Please keep in mind before I offer these suggestions, that this does NOT give you the license to deviate. I am only trying to provide some guidance if the situation was truly unplanned or unexpected. And yes, these things DO happen. Life happens. And these suggestions will help you get past these places and move on. Please remember that Dr Simeons says the following (under “Duration of Treatment“):

It seems that even in the mildest cases of obesity the diencephalon requires about three weeks rest from the maximal exertion to which it has been previously subjected in order to regain fully its normal fat-banking capacity.

That being said, and I am NO doctor or research scientist, but I do have a feeling that Dr Simeons saying you need at least 21 days of rest for your diencephelon in order for the course to be effective means just that. It needs to rest for 21 days. So keep that in mind if you suffer a deviation. It just MIGHT be harder for you to stabilize in Phase 3 should you deviate in Phase 2, unless, after the deviation, you give your diencephelon an additional 21 days to rest. Make sense? I’m just sayin …

Ok, so you find yourself in this predicament, and you are 1 - 2 lbs heavier the next morning, what to do? The point is to fix this issue as soon as it happens, don’t give up, get right back on that band wagon and start again. Here are TWO suggestions for deviation recovery:

1) Modified P2 Steak Day - Easy enough. You save all of your allowed protein for a supper meal - 7 oz of whatever protein you choose. What works best is the beef, but there are people out there with an aversion to beef, so pick your protein. 7 ounces tops raw, and then with an apple or tomato. Nothing to eat during the day, only waters, teas or coffee (without cream). This will produce a lost sometimes of the whole gain, or very close to it. In my research, will not be followed by a bounce back.

2) Modified P2 Egg Day - Now this can be handled two ways, one you can use real eggs. The other you can use Egg Beaters - your choice. If you use real eggs, your choices are very limited as real eggs add up very fast. The trick is to maintain the 500 cals on an “egg day”. Since one egg as a whole equals around 75 cals, you can have 6 whole eggs in a day. If you choose to use Egg Beaters with yolk, you can get up to 12.5 servings (since one serving is 40 cals).

Keep in mind, with my research, the P2 Steak Day seems to have more success than a P2 Egg Day, so the choice is yours. In any case, here is help for you to recover from a Phase Two deviation!

Get my updates via eMail: Subscribe to My HCG Journey - Blog

R5P2 Starting Weight 176.8
Yesterday - 166.2
Today - 166.2
0.0 lb LOSS Overnight
4.2 lb Over LIW of Round Four (162.0)
10.6 Lost Since Start of R5C1 (VLCD) 05/06/08
84.6 Total Lost Since Start of Protocol (VLCD) 06/26/07

Totally didn’t except to have any big loss today, I have had a pretty good run. And I worked outside most of the day yesterday, it was SO glorious that I spent time in my garden, mowing the grass and pressure washing the house and deck. Absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!! I also didn’t eat enough yesterday. I muched on veggies, and then just had a big salad with a bit of feta and balsamic - no protein to speak of (MY BAD) - today? Because I enjoyed my egg day so much on Monday I am gonna do another.

I got lots of questions on my “Modified P2 Egg Day” - here is a blow by blow account of what I did Monday just for the record. Someone also asked me why I chose Egg Beaters instead of using real eggs. Remember that one of my requirements this round is to stay at the 500 calorie limit. With that limit, I could only have 6 eggs the entire day. I didn’t feel like that was gonna be enough for me, so I opted for something that would give me more food. The Egg Beaters have 40 calories per 1/4 cup serving, and so I figured I would be allowed up to 12.5 servings in order to be at my 500 calorie limit.

• I ate 1/2 cup in the morning with some Butter Flavored Pam
• I ate 1/4 cup mid morning with 1 oz spinach and .5 oz feta - Butter Flavored Pam
• I ate 1/2 cup right after noon with 1 oz spinach and .5 oz feta - Butter Flavored Pam
• I ate 1/2 cup at dinner with 1 oz spinach and .5 oz feta - Butter Flavored Pam

So in total I ate 1.75 cups of the Egg Beaters, 3 oz of Spinach, and 1.5 oz of feta for the day, and my total calories were 411. But the option was open for me to eat more of the Egg Beaters if I wanted, I just was not hungry.

And speaking of hunger, yesterday the blessed HCG started working VERY well. I was NOT hungry all day - and it showed up in me only having about 350 calories - I have to be near 500 calories in order for me to do well on this protocol, and yesterday I was so caught up in being outside, that food was not interesting. It has officially KICKED in - I love this feeling!!!

My stats are the same as yesterday:

• Round 1 (8 completed days) - 3.35% of body weight lost
• Round 2 (8 completed days) - 3.54% of body weight lost
• Round 3 (8 completed days) - 4.24% of body weight lost
• Round 4 (8 completed days) - 5.53% of body weight lost
• Round 5 (8 completed days) - 4.98% of body weight lost

Superfoods - Blueberries

So let’s talk about the benefits of blueberries. We all know about antioxidants right? According to the Medical Dictionary this is the definition:

Antioxidant: Any substance that reduces oxidative damage (damage due to oxygen) such as that caused by free radicals. Free radicals are highly reactive chemicals that attack molecules by capturing electrons and thus modifying chemical structures.

Well-known antioxidants include a number of enzymes and other substances such as vitamin C, vitamin E and beta carotene (which is converted to vitamin A) that are capable of counteracting the damaging effects of oxidation. Antioxidants are also commonly added to food products like vegetable oils and prepared foods to prevent or delay their deterioration from the action of air.

Antioxidants may possibly reduce the risks of cancer and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Antioxidants clearly slow the progression of AMD.

So, let’s put that in simpler terms. Antioxidants can help our bodies with the damaging effects of cell aging. As noted in the definition above, companies can add Antioxidants to different products to help that product stay fresh longer. Well, fresh fruits and veggies contain these antioxidants without any help from us. By taking in these products in their raw form, we are giving a boost to our own cells, and giving them protection against the effects of so many different things.

According to a study done in Boston Ma at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, they felt that Blueberries are among the fruits with the highest levels of antioxidant activity, in fact they rated it number 1 when compared to 40 other fresh fruits and veggie. Getting just one serving of blueberries will provide more antioxidant activity than all other fruits and veggies. No wonder they call it a SUPERFOOD.

What are blueberries good for? According to numerous articles I have found, they seem to help with the following conditions:

• Help prevent cancer
• Brain protection and the prevention of Alzheimer’s
• Enhancing the function of the urinary system
• Studies being done now for setting BACK the aging process
• Helps lower the buildup of “LDL” (bad) Cholesterol - so this is good for your heart.

That all being said, I find that blueberries are an important addition to my overall health, and I will forever try to have at least ONE serving of blueberries every day. A serving is 1 cup. They can be eaten raw, frozen, or added to numerous things such as Oatmeal, Cereals or muffins (all when we are on maintenance). My choice? It’s delish with cottage cheese and sweetener. I have chosen to eat blueberries on my Phase 2 - I have no issues with them at all, and they are similar in make up calorie wise to the strawberries.

Tomorrow? We will talk about Salmon.

Get my updates via eMail: Subscribe to My HCG Journey - Blog

R5P2 Starting Weight 176.8
Yesterday - 168.4
Today - 166.2
2.2 lb LOSS Overnight
4.2 lb Over LIW of Round Four (162.0)
10.6 Lost Since Start of R5C1 (VLCD) 05/06/08
84.6 Total Lost Since Start of Protocol (VLCD) 06/26/07

Well lookie there, the P2 Egg Day Worked! What a GREAT loss to put me on the straight and narrow again! OH YES YES YES! That makes 10.6 pounds gone for the first week, I am loving life! This is even with TOM in the house! WOOT!!! Let’s look at those darn percentages NOW!

• Round 1 (4 completed days) - 3.75% of body weight lost
• Round 2 (4 completed days) - 3.54% of body weight lost
• Round 3 (4 completed days) - 5.28% of body weight lost
• Round 4 (4 completed days) - 6.40% of body weight lost
• Round 5 (4 completed days) - 6.00% of body weight lost

Yes Ma’am, I am catching up to my Round 4!!! The numbers do NOT lie! WOO HOO FOR ME!

So, what did I do? I went and got some “Egg Beaters with Yolk” and according to the calories on the label, I was allowed to have up to 12.5 servings (1/4 cup) that would total up to around 500 calories. Instead, I only had 7 servings, but with the exception of just the first serving (which was 1/2 cup - so that is really two servings) I had the rest with fresh spinach and just a SMALL amount of feta thrown in. I still only manged to get in 411 calories that way, but boy I enjoyed the day, not to mention the results! WOO HOO FOR ME! Did I say that already?

I am only 4.2 lbs away from my LIW, and only 6.2 pounds away from my goal for this cycle (160 lbs) - one week down, think I can do the rest by two weeks from now? That is only 3.1 pounds average a week. I think I might be able to handle this challenge. Let’s look at the numbers shall we! LOL - OMG! I crack myself up!

• During my 2nd week of Round 1 - 6.4 lbs lost
• During my 2nd week of Round 2 - 6.2 lbs lost
• During my 2nd week of Round 3 - 3.8 lbs lost
• During my 2nd week of Round 4 - 5.2 lbs lost

If I just AVERAGE what I did for my previous four rounds, which is 5.2, I will be so thrilled it’s not even funny! THANK YOU DR SIMEONS!!! Onward with today’s topic:

Superfoods

The term “Superfoods” has been used significantly as of late, especially with the rise of the latest movement of “Green” talk … seriously, if we are going to spend so much time getting the earth “green” we might as well make our bodies “green” also. Green is just another word for natural, and how we can keep our earth as healthy as possible. We need to do the same things to our bodies, don’t you think?

I have spent time on the whole subject of raw, so you know that my focus is primarily on a diet full of healthy raw veggies and fruit, healthy fats, lean proteins, proper hydration and enough sleep. I didn’t realize until doing much research that there are a group of foods, called “superfoods” that seem to benefit us more than others. So what is a superfood anyway?

It’s pretty much a buzzword these days, like I mentioned before, but this is one buzzword we should take notice of. Basically, through the research I have done, superfoods are called that because they pack a nutritional punch for the amount of calories they provide. These foods will usually do one or all of the following:

• Help alkaline the body (gosh, I am finding out how incredibly important this REALLY is)
• They help support the immune system
• Improve your health
• Provides you with optimal amounts of critical nutrients
• They can act as a barrier against excess amounts of environmental toxins

So now we know what a “superfood” is, let’s talk about a few of my favorites. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s article on “Blueberries”!!!

Get my updates via eMail: Subscribe to My HCG Journey - Blog

R5P2 Starting Weight 176.8
Yesterday - 168.0
Today - 168.4
0.4 lb GAIN Overnight
6.4 lb Over LIW of Round Four (162.0)
8.4 Lost Since Start of R5C1 (VLCD) 05/06/08
82.4 Total Lost Since Start of Protocol (VLCD) 06/26/07

Oops, it’s in the wrong direction - but as my title shows, Aunt Flo came a calling during the night and I woke up with a small gain. So that must be it, it couldn’t have been what I ate yesterday could it?

Ok, EweWho is gonna crack up at me, cause I told her last night, shhhhh, don’t tell anyone, but I deviated at a get together yesterday. And she says, Biz, I wont have to tell on you, you will tell on yourself. How much she knows me!

We had a function to go to after our services yesterday, it was something we were invited to last minute and my family wanted to go, so we went. When I got there, there was a SPREAD that you wouldn’t believe, and all things SOUTHERN. OMG - what was I gonna do? We were invited on Saturday to this function, so I had enough to plan, so I said to myself, I will take a nice large veggie tray, make a dip that was relatively P2 legal and I would have fun with that.

Yesterday morning, I should have just stayed in bed. In retrospect, it was Aunt Flo taking over the day, but yesterday morning I didn’t know that. I went to the store to buy the various veggies, and the power went out in the store while I was there, sign number ONE I should have stayed in bed. Sign number TWO was when I got home and tried to make TWO different veggie dips to take to this thing, and both of them turned out like super ICK. And I consider myself a pretty darn good cook, yet things were NOT coming together. So after our services, we stopped at a store to go ahead and buy a premade dip and take that.

As you can imagine, I was already with “ATTITUDE” when we got there, so when I saw all that NUMMY food, I was like, OMG - I am SO in trouble. Funny how when Aunt Flo is in the house, all will power is thrown on the window. Again, if I would have KNOWN that Aunt Flo was the culprit, I could have been better prepared MENTALLY. As it stands, I started wrestling with my thoughts. Hmm, look at this great week I just had, I can afford to eat some of this and some of that with no issues. Let me tell you the menu:

• Collards
• Cornbread (one of my weaknesses)
• Beans and Rice (another one of my weaknesses)
• Lasagna
• Waldorf Salad (no nuts, and with sweetener instead of sugar)
• Regular Salad
• Broccoli Chicken Salad (with bacon bits, craisons, sunflower kernels and a dressing)
• Fried Chicken
• Rotisserie Chicken
• Boiled Cabbage
• HOME MADE DESSERTS!

So what did I deviate with? When JPS heard what I ate, she was like, that wasn’t a deviation! LOL - but to me it was. I had like THREE servings of the Waldorf Salad (it had mayo, raisins, cabbage, apples, and sweetener), a few bites of the rotisserie chicken, some boiled cabbage (didn’t eat the ham in it, but could taste the salt) and a BITE of Beans and Rice - literally, just a BITE. But I left EVERYTHING else ALONE. So all in all, I did really well. The Waldorf Salad was SO good I didn’t feel deprived in anyway.

All in all, I probably didn’t have MORE than 500 calories yesterday anyway, because after this function I didn’t eat anything else, just drank my water.

So what does that mean for me today? I am gonna do a modified “egg day” - I bought some Egg Beaters (I know, I know, gross out) and I will have 500 calories worth of this today. I am bound and determined to reach my goal of 16.8 pounds this cycle, so I will do whatever it takes. Now that I know Aunt Flo is in town, I can work my mind correctly.

Just because I gained, does not mean I wont post my percentages. They still make me feel better. So, what are those percentages?

• Round 1 (4 completed days) - 3.35% of body weight lost
• Round 2 (4 completed days) - 3.54% of body weight lost
• Round 3 (4 completed days) - 4.97% of body weight lost
• Round 4 (4 completed days) - 5.64% of body weight lost
• Round 5 (4 completed days) - 4.75% of body weight lost

Ok, so, I am not doing so good this round as my 3rd and 4th round, but I can STILL turn it around!!! At least it’s better than my 1st and 2nd round! ROFL - oh how we justify things when Aunt Flo is in the midst. I will probably feel differently tomorrow. We shall see.

So anyway, that is my day for today. I am on day 7, 6 days complete, 8.4 lbs lost. Still, that ain’t so bad. Have a good one people!

Get my updates via eMail: Subscribe to The Progress of Biz

LIW +8.0
Overnight Loss 0.0

Here is my menu for the day before - this is what I ate:

Breakfast: Coffee with Half and Half, slice of ww bread spread with coconut oil, pb and a banana
Mid Morning Snack: Cheese
Lunch: Hamburger with all the fixings (made with Oopsies - not bread)
Mid Afternoon Snack: Tortilla chips and salsa
Dinner: Grilled Pork Loin with Horseradish Sauce, a Italian Veggie Casserole, Large Salad with Italian Dressing, and a Pasta Dish, Rigatoni with Roasted Red Peppers
Dessert: Wine

A total of 2642 cals divided: 158 fat grams (53%), 117 carb grams (17%), 119 protein grams (18%), 41 alcohol grams (11%)

All that eating, and no gain, how about that. I was testing the limits yesterday. I actually started thinking that I am about to embark on my 5th round and so I wanted to get in some things that I don’t normally eat in before I do. Pasta is one of them. There was a dish I saw on Everyday Italian one day a long while ago that I wanted to try. Well, I am glad it’s out of my system now, I tried it, it was good, but not awesome, but it gave me the taste and now I am over it.

I was actually quite concerned that I would be up this morning based on that fact alone, and plus the pork was kinda salty but oh so yummy, and nope, I did just fine.

Today is an egg day for me. I am actually looking forward to it! I wont be saying that tonight, that is for sure. I start my egg days loving eggs, and then by dinner time, I am OH SO OVER IT!

Thanks for understanding my ‘fogginess’ - this time I don’t think it’s the sugar like it was the last time, since I have pretty much been off the processed stuff for a week now. No, I think it is more the whole getting acclimated to this time zone again and TOM lurking. Seriously, I have been feeling TOM around since I got back, like almost 10 days ago!!! So, give me a few days of just updating, and I will be back in full force.

You hear me say that a lot eh?

On to my commenter’s - these are my responses to yesterday’s comments:

Mary - Thanks girl! HCG Convention? HA! That is TOO funny! No, no convention, I just think spring has sprung and people are starting to get active!

Jan - HA! Well, sure, when you look at it that way, my weekend was killer!

Becca - Get to the forum when you can, it can be overwhelming, but we have a lot of fun there. Our blogs are fun, but the forum is more interactive ya know? Oh, I know how it is, wanting to be with friends but wanting your own space again. Let me know when you plan to start ok?

Crystal - WOW! Two days in a row! I almost put you in my missing category section, now you are not! ROFL - will be checking your blog later on this morning to see what your plans are.

Liz - better to wait then to be on protocol and deviate. Hey, that rhymes! I crack myself up. It will happen my friend, I had to come to grips with it taking a little longer than I had hoped also, but I am ok with it now. I have basically lost almost 90 pounds in less than 9 months, that is OUTSTANDING when I count how long I was actually ON the losing portion ya know?

B - I am waiting for TOM to start before I start my next round, actually both JPS and I are. It’s a good thing to have that out of the way before you begin a round. Surely! Can’t wait to see your progress!