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R5P2C3 Starting Weight 160.4
Yesterday - 153.6
Today - 152.8
0.8 lb LOSS Overnight
0.2 lb UNDER LIW of Round Five Cycle 2 (153.0)
7.6 Lost Since Start of R5C3 (VLCD) 07/14/08
98.0 Total Lost Since Start of Protocol (VLCD) 06/26/07

2.0 NEEDED TO LOSE TO REACH 100 POUNDS

What a good loss for me after a few days of unreal losses! I am really trying not to think about it, because quite frankly, this is getting a bit unbelievable. I haven’t wrapped my head around the fact that I am in the 150’s and now I am right around the corner of the 140’s - how am I supposed to deal with that?

I am at the point again that I don’t see it. I was here around the 190’s - just couldn’t see the loss and then all of a sudden it appeared. I was like who is this woman in the mirror? Do I know her? Right now, all I am doing is just living day to day life on protocol. I know what to do, I know what to eat, I know what to expect.

JPS and I were talking today about how people that haven’t seen us for awhile are just so blown over by the losses that they cannot get over it. We both came to the conclusion that we have gotten to where we don’t understand it because we have now decided to “expect” the losses. We both are in tune with the thought that no matter what, we are at the point where we know it will work, it will continue to work, and so it’s not so ‘miraculous’ any more.

It’s kinda like taking an aspirin for a headache. You expect it to work, cause you know it has worked before, you know that when one comes along you can take something and it will be gone. That is how we both feel about the protocol now. To us, it’s a medically proven procedure that works if you follow directions. And it wont stop working. It continues to work each and every time we use it. So we have to be patient with those that still look at us and say WOW - we have gotten so complacent with the changes but have to understand that they have not experienced this.

I am getting excited again about being near 100 lbs lost. Only 2 lbs away - we are SO THROWING a party! Everyone must join - cause then for sure it will be ALL about me! I am hoping that it happens by Monday - one week into my 3rd cycle of round 5 - wow - I can’t even believe I am saying that!

Ok, I was looking for something on my computer today, and I came across a picture - it’s a HORRIBLE picture, and I am sure it is at my heaviest. But this was back sometime in 2001 - I wish I had a pic of me alone and not with JPS to compare it to, but I don’t so for that I am sorry, but check this out:

With that, I will leave you. And can I just say,

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R5P2C3 Starting Weight 160.4
Yesterday - 155.0
Today - 153.6
1.4 lb LOSS Overnight
0.6 lb OVER LIW of Round Five Cycle 2 (153.0)
6.8 Lost Since Start of R5C3 (VLCD) 07/14/08
97.2 Total Lost Since Start of Protocol (VLCD) 06/26/07

2.8 NEEDED TO LOSE TO REACH 100 POUNDS

6.8 loss so far - .6 more to LIW of Cycle 2 - 2.8 lbs more till I reach 100 lbs lost!

Loving life right about now. These numbers are too unreal - dare I say it? It is topping MY FOURTH ROUND - I am quite frankly AMAZED - no joke. 6.8 lbs in 3 completed days. I am gonna get into the 140’s before the week is up if I keep this up!

But seriously, I haven’t really wrapped my head around being in the 150’s and now already I am gonna have to deal with the 140’s??? What is up with that?

WOW

I had a really rough day yesterday (just really weak), and now today my back is hurting - I have come to the conclusion that something is going on with my body, it’s shifting or something - funky things are happening. I have not been this weight since the early 80’s - and something weird is happening to my muscles in my back.

During the first round, I lost an incredible amount of inches from my thighs and they were in a constant state of aching while on protocol. This time, I think I am dealing with back fat or something cause since Tuesday morning, some strangeness is happening back there - and now I am in bed, this is the 2nd day. UGH

Oh well, interesting to see what the future holds for me. Pictures should be interesting this round that is for sure.

I am short on time, so this is my update for today!!!

Let me go back to answering my commenters from yesterday:

Trudi - thanks for the wonderful words!  We have all been given a great gift, it’s up to us to use it wisely, give of it freely.  Thanks for being a part of my journey!  BTW - YOUR PICS ARE AWESOME!

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R5P2C2 Starting Weight 169.4
Yesterday - 159.2
Today - 158.4
0.8 lb LOSS Overnight
4.6 lb UNDER LIW of Round Five Cycle 1 (163.0)
11.0 Lost Since Start of R5C2 (VLCD) 06/09/08
92.4 Total Lost Since Start of Protocol (VLCD) 06/26/07

7.6 NEEDED TO LOSE TO REACH 100 POUNDS

OH OH OH - Ok, seriously, I cannot believe I have been able to maintain a 1.38 lb average loss this late in the game. I honestly don’t know how it’s happening, but I will take it, no problem! I have 12 more injections left (after today) and in those 12 injections, I need to lose 7.6 lbs to reach my 100 pounds - if it takes me until the 29th (LIW DATE) that is AOK with me, but officially my year anniversary is up on the 26th. But you know what? If I can complete this round at 100 pounds lost, I swear to Pete, I will completely FLIP OUT.

My head is SO in the ZONE - seriously - it feels like the very first round, when everything was new and exciting. I get butterflies to think how close I am to 100 pounds. I am trying hard to live in the moment right now, taking it day by day. But really, if you would have asked me a week ago if this was gonna be possible I would have shrugged my shoulders - and say, I don’t think so.

In 12 injections, that means I have to lose at least an average of .6 a day - very doable even for me. I have never gone under .65 per day average in any of my rounds, so this is VERY VERY doable, but again, I am really working on living in the NOW and taking this one day at a time.

If I keep these kinds of losses up, I am gonna keep doing the numbers cause they are OH SO EXCITING!

• Round 1 (8 completed days) - 4.55% of body weight lost
• Round 2 (8 completed days) - 4.57% of body weight lost
• Round 3 (8 completed days) - 5.80% of body weight lost
• Round 4 (8 completed days) - 6.94% of body weight lost
• Round 5 (Cycle 1) (8 completed days) - 6.00% of body weight lost
• Round 5 (Cycle 2) (8 completed days) - 6.49% of body weight lost

WOW! My round 4 really kicked some major butt, how the heck did that happen??? I am close, but it looks like it’s running away from me again! OMG - I crack myself up!

Updates:

My Son’s Stats:

• Starting Weight - 190.4 (after load)
• Yesterday’s Weight - 179.8
• Today’s Weight - 178.8 - 1.0 Loss - Total of 11.6 pounds lost!
• 8 completed days percentage Body Weight Lost - 6.49%

JPS’ Stats (I should be able to keep up to date with JPS now, so the numbers will be current):

• Starting Weight - 136.0 (after load, which is only like .8 over her LIW of Cycle 1)
• Yesterday’s Weight - 129.0
• Today’s Weight - 129.2 - 0.2 Gain - Total of 6.8 pounds lost!
• 8 completed days percentage Body Weight Lost - 5.00%

My menu yesterday:

• 2 Hard Boiled Eggs
• Strawberries and Grapefruit for Snack
• Pork Chop and Sliced Tomatoes for Dinner
• 2 Liters of water
• 2 Liters of Iced Tea (sweetened with Sweet and Low)

Superfoods - Walnuts

MMMM, Walnuts! During Phase 3 - these are a daily snack food for me. I buy them by the pounds (unsalted) and I will have usually about 2 ounces in a day. Sure they are loaded with calories, but they are loaded with all sorts of other good stuff as well!

Way back when, in May, I had a Superfoods discussion about Salmon - and we chatted about Omega 3’s - well, this is the number one reason Walnuts are on the list of SUPERFOODS - and in actuality, it’s the ONLY NUT that has Omega 3’s in the HUGE quantity that it has. Let’s refresh our memory on how important Omega 3’s are to our health:

Omega 3 Fatty Acids are very important for our “heart” health. It seems to not allow the gathering of cells in arteries that could cause blockage. Omega 3’s are something that our bodies cannot produce on it’s own, so we need to get these things from our food sources.

Walnuts’ concentration of omega-3s (a quarter-cup provides 90.8% of the daily value for these essential fats) has many potential health benefits:

• Cardiovascular protection
• Better cognitive function
• Anti-inflammatory benefits helpful in asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory skin diseases such as eczema and psoriasis
• Improve Cholesterol Profile especially in people with Type 2 Diabetes
• Reported to lower levels of some molecules that promote Atherosclerosis
• Has been known to prevent gallstones
• Protects Bone Health

In addition, walnuts contain an antioxidant compound called ellagic acid that supports the immune system and appears to have several anticancer properties.

The antioxidant properties of walnuts are HUGE:

A 2002 study conducted in Norway showed that walnuts rank second only to rose hips in their antioxidant content. The researchers examined a wide variety of plant-based foods, including fruits, vegetables, cereals, nuts, and seeds. Sunflower seeds were shown to have 25% of the activity of walnuts while other nuts (almonds, cashews, hazelnuts and peanuts) exhibited less than 4% of the activity. (This information was found here)

So be sure to add Walnuts to your daily regime. Very healthy snack. Add it to your salads!

One of my favorite ‘desserts’ for Walnuts - legal for Phase 3:

Here is one of my favorite recipes for use of WALNUTS - completely legal for Phase 3:

Toasted Walnuts

Ingredients:

1 cup raw walnuts
2 tbsp butter
3 packets of sweetener
Pinch of salt

Directions:

Warm butter until bubbly but not browned in a skillet on medium heat.

Add walnuts and distbute evenly in the butter.

Add salt, always keeping the pan moving so that the walnuts do not burn. Let cook for around 3 minutes. Add sweetener and cook for one minute longer.

Great as a snack, or chopped and added to your salad.

Hope you enjoyed our discussion on Walnuts! Tomorrow I will be taking a break from Superfood discussion as I am leaving the house early. Wont have time to give an update until later in the day, and then I will only be able to give you our stats. So stay tuned on Thursday, I will have a discussion about OATS!

A question to all my readers - feel free to either comment here on the blog, use my Tag Board or use my Comment Form. Today’s Question:

What is YOUR favorite way to use WALNUTS?

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R5P2C2 Starting Weight 169.4
Yesterday - 160.0
Today - 159.2
0.8 lb LOSS Overnight
3.8 lb UNDER LIW of Round Five Cycle 1 (163.0)
10.2 Lost Since Start of R5C2 (VLCD) 06/09/08
91.6 Total Lost Since Start of Protocol (VLCD) 06/26/07

8.4 NEEDED TO LOSE TO REACH 100 POUNDS

Sorry I wasn’t around yesterday, wow, we had an incredibly busy weekend. Saturday, I ended up not eating all day and having a double portion of protein (RibEye) at night with sliced tomatoes. A non planned modified P2 “Steak Day” - it is just the way things worked out that day. I didn’t have a HUGE loss, but I did lose .8 from Saturday to Sunday - which kinda goes along with my ‘theory’ that those Egg Days, Apple Days, and Steak Days don’t work unless they are used for what they are designed to be used for.

Yesterday I was still busy, but I ate more protocol style, and quite honestly that felt alot better.

Do you see how utterly CLOSE I am to reaching 100 pounds? And I am 1 week down. WOW - do you all think it’s POSSIBLE??? I am not gonna hold my breath, just take each and every day at a time. Someone just recently reminded me that losing 90 pounds was NOTHING to sneeze at, so I am going to count my blessings and live in the now and move on.

I haven’t done the “numbers” for awhile, so let’s see where I stand one week down.

• Round 1 (7 completed days) - 3.75% of body weight lost
• Round 2 (7 completed days) - 3.54% of body weight lost
• Round 3 (7 completed days) - 5.28% of body weight lost
• Round 4 (7 completed days) - 6.40% of body weight lost
• Round 5 (Cycle 1) (7 completed days) - 6.00% of body weight lost
• Round 5 (Cycle 2) (7 completed days) - 6.02% of body weight lost

The winner was still round four - but it certainly is a CLOSE call! HA! In Round 4 during my first week completed I lost 11.8 pounds - this time I lost 10.2 - this is really nothing to complain about, just working the numbers.

Let’s see, let’s give an update on my son and JPS - incidentally - my son is loving this round - he told me last night, after I made him a dinner of “Swiss Steak over Mashed Cauliflower” that this is the easiest round he has been on so far. He loves the added variety of foods (I have given him blueberries, cottage cheese, cauliflower, broccoli) and the fact that he isn’t doing this while in school is a plus - anyway, here are their stats:

My Son’s Stats:

• Starting Weight - 190.4 (after load)
• Yesterday’s Weight - 180.4
• Today’s Weight - 179.8 - 0.6 - Total of 10.6 pounds lost!
• First week complete percentage Body Weight Lost - 5.90%

JPS’ Stats (I should be able to keep up to date with JPS now, so the numbers will be current):

• Starting Weight - 136.0 (after load, which is only like .8 over her LIW of Cycle 1)
• Yesterday’s Weight - 129.6
• Today’s Weight - 129.0 - 0.6 Loss - Total of 7.0 pounds lost!
• First week complete percentage Body Weight Lost - 5.15%

My menu yesterday:

• 2 Hard Boiled Eggs
• Strawberries and Grapefruit for Snack
• Chicken and Sliced Tomatoes for Dinner
• 2 Liters of water
• 2 Liters of Iced Tea (sweetened with Sweet and Low)

Superfoods - Pumpkin

Well now, here is one of my favorite things. I absolutely ADORE pumpkin, in almost any form. What is very interesting is that both the flesh of the pumpkin AND the seeds are equally nutritious. Oh yes, and who doesn’t like pumpkin seeds? They are a FUN and healthy snack! So let’s discuss what makes the pumpkin such a ’superfood’.

Something we haven’t discussed yet in our articles are carotenoids. This precious orange gourd is pack slap full of them, in fact, look at what has been reported about this particular vegetable (in reality, a pumpkin is a fruit because it has seeds) and it’s abundance of carotenoids:

Pumpkin flesh is high in fibre and vitamins C and E, magnesium and potassium and a staggering quantity and variety of carotenoids, being one of the most abundant natural sources of these amazing phytonutrients. (This was found here)

So what is this Carotneoid? They have been defined as a pigment - it is what gives fruit and veggies their red, yellow or orange color - but in that pigment is where all the benefits of carotenoids lie. Some of the health benefits of carotenoids include the following:

• Lowering risks of certain cancers (lung and colon in particular)
• Lowering risks of heart disease
• Lowering risks of blindness and cataracs
• Powerful ally against aging

What is most fantastical about this superfood is that it is actually one of those things that are better for you canned - again, look at what has been reported about this fact:

In fact, in terms of both dietary fiber and beta-carotene, the nutritional score of canned pumpkin is better than that of fresh. (This was found here)

So that all being said, let’s discuss for a moment the SEEDS! I just LOVE pumpkin seeds, they are a total guilt free snack, even for PHASE 3 - chalk slap full of nutrition! When getting them pre-packaged all I warn you is to watch the sodium count. Did you realize that just eating 1/4 cup of these delicious wonderful delicacies will provide you with approximately half the daily recommended dose for magnesium and iron, in addition to high doses of zinc, phosphorous, potassium, selenium, manganese and copper. WOW! Simply amazing that this tiny bit of goodness can give you all those benefits, all that and only 186 calories per 1/4 cup!

So what are the benefits of pumpkin seeds?

• Prostate Health
• Protection for Men’s Bones
• Anti Inflammatory Benefits in Arthritis
• It has been known to lower cholesterol

What are some uses for pumpkin seeds besides snacking?

• Grind them up and use them instead of bread crumbs in recipes
• Add them coarsely ground into cookies
• Use them instead of pine nuts for your pestos
• Chop them in use on your salads, or your granola

Here is one of my favorite recipes for use of PUMPKIN - completely legal for Phase 3:

Pumpkin Serniki’s

Hope you enjoyed our discussion on Pumpkins and Pumpkin Seeds, stay tuned - tomorrow will be about WALNUTS! OMG! I just LOVE walnuts!

A question to all my readers - feel free to either comment here on the blog, use my Tag Board or use my Comment Form. Today’s Question:

What is YOUR favorite recipe using Pumpkin or Pumpkin Seeds?

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R5P2 Starting Weight 176.8
Yesterday - 169.0
Today - 168.0
1.0 lb LOSS Overnight
6.0 lb Over LIW of Round Four (162.0)
8.8 Lost Since Start of R5C1 (VLCD) 05/06/08
82.8 Total Lost Since Start of Protocol (VLCD) 06/26/07

Lookie there, another one pounder! WOW - what can I say? I must be doing something right eh? This makes 8.8 lbs in 5 completed days, a loss average of 1.76 lbs a day. What are my 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) - 4.24% of body weight lost
• Round 4 (4 completed days) - 5.53% of body weight lost
• Round 5 (4 completed days) - 4.98% of body weight lost

WOW - my 4th round really rawked didn’t it? OMG! Look at those numbers!!! I am still doing well, very close to my previous round numbers, and definitely on track to reach my goal for this cycle. WOO HOO FOR ME.

I touched on this a bit yesterday, but I want to reiterate it for clarification. This is my 5th and final round. I have, in my OH SO HUMBLE opinion, earned the right to fiddle with the protocol per the needs of my body. I have found so far this round that I only eat when hungry (if you can call it hunger) and if I desire something that might not be under protocol standards, I eat it. But, in so doing, I keep the following in mind at all times:

• I must stay under 500 calories
• I must get an average of 50 grams of protein per day
• I must keep things natural, no processed garbage (remember Noodlegate and my Flat Bread Fiasco?)

That being said, my menu yesterday consisted of:

• Small piece of chicken (under the 3.5 oz)
• Small piece of ground beef patty (under the 3.5 oz)
• Cottage Cheese and Blueberries
• A Fruit Cup (no sugar added, my family went to Chick-Fil-A yesterday and I wanted to have something)
• Mixed Spring Greens with Balsamic and an ounce of Feta

I was THRILLED with what I ate, I stayed under my 500 calories, I ate natural, I met my goal of at least 50 grams of protein AND I lost a pound. So I would say my choices are good. Again, after being on the protocol for 21 solid weeks, I have figured out what works and what doesn’t work with my body, and I am choosing to do what works. I really hope that people that are reading this, especially any new ones to the protocol will not look at me and say, OMG, look at what BIZ is doing, I can do the same. I will tell you right here and NOW I would NOT be here today if I didn’t do my first three rounds BY THE BOOK - and when YOU can say that, then you can be in my shoes. Hmph!

Ok…anyhoo…I learned something interesting, and quite frankly, pretty scary yesterday:

What Is The Deal With Plastic?

JPS and I were out yesterday morning and someone we know came up to JPS and told her that she should be careful of the plastic bottle she is drinking out of as there was a report that was released recently about some chemical being leached into our water by our choice of plastic bottles. Ok, you know as soon as I heard that I said I was gonna have to do some research on this.

So that is exactly what I did. Last night I was chatting with Miss Scarlett and EweWho (from the My HCG Journey Community Forums) and I asked them if they knew of this crazy thing I had heard, and both of them quite frankly said yes! So they started dishing me out some information about this, and I felt compelled to let you know what we found.

First of all, I didn’t even KNOW that different plastic had different grades, and that each piece of plastic has a number listed on the bottom of it - this number signifies what kind of plastic it is. What is interesting is that we found that it seems to just be related to plastics that touch foods or drinks. Anyhow, this number is found in a triangle and it will be anything from “1″ to “7″. I found a most interesting article about the different grades of plastic, something you should ALL be aware of:

What Do Recycling Symbols on Plastics Mean?

Ok, so now you know what the different plastics are, now what does it mean for us? From what I can gather, the most dangerous are the plastics that are marked “7″ - but bottles marked with “1″, “3″, and “6″ are not too good either. I read an article that said we should focus in on using products with the numbers, “2″, “4″ and “5″ - evidently the “7″ bottles can leach a chemical known as “Bisphenol A” which can pose some serious health risks, including breast and uterine cancer, decreased testosterone levels in men, and has been linked to Type II Diabetes. Ok, this is not for me. You make your own decision.

Here is a very good article about this subject - again, form your own opinion:

Which plastic water bottles don’t leach chemicals?

Ok peeps, time for me to get my day started. Hmmm, ever notice the relationship to my long winded posts and my Phase 2 journey? My mind seems to work much better on Phase 2 then anytime else. You think there is a relation? HA!