They've Staged a Coup D'etat

"Just because you are on a fat people diet doesn't mean we are!" Those were the words spoken from my four year old son.

Then my daughter defended me, "Mom's not fat!"

"Yes she is!"

"No she's NOT!"

That was the discussion when the kids found out they were having yet another P3 friendly dinner. I figured since they eat crap most of the day in the form of cereal, tortillas, PB and J and the like, it wouldn't kill them to eat P3 for dinner. Apparently they miss my old dinners. (So do I, but I don't miss weighing almost 200 lbs enough to go back to them.)

That being said, I still find the need to shake things up. I can only eat a chicken and spinach BBQ ranch salad so many times...delicious as it is. I'm sure you run into the same issue. So, I'm sharing my menu for the next week. It's all pretty easy stuff to make.

-Taco Salad

-Baked Turkey Breast with mashed cauliflower and Heinz jarred gravy

-Spaghetti squash with meat sauce and Parmesan

-Mini Meat loafs from sugarfreesheila.com

-Pizza with flourless crust: The crust looks like a big ol pain in the butt to make, but eating pizza and not gaining weight from it? Worth the extra work now and then.

-Steak and steamed veggies

-Chicken Cordon Bleu: This was a hit with the fam. Easy too! Pound out some chicken breasts to about 1/4 inch thick. Roll two slices of sugar free ham (I get mine at Trader Joe's) and two slices of swiss cheese up in the chicken and secure with a toothpick or skewer. Season generously with Lawry's seasoning salt and pepper. Bake on 375 for about 30 minutes. Check it at 25 for doneness. So good! If you are feeling fancy, you can dip the whole thing in an egg wash and dredge in a mixture of Parmesan cheese and almond flour for a pretty breading.

Dinners on Deck:

Beanless chili with onions, cheese and sour cream

Fajitas minus the tortillas

Creamy tomato soup with cheese chips

When the time comes, (5 more days) to add in starches slowly, I'm having me some Truscuits and hummus baby! I miss crunch. I also want tortilla chips and salsa.

I had to buy a belt today because I can't keep any of my pants up! That's a great feeling.

I was hovering at 176.00 this morning which means if I gain even a fairy's fart worth of weight I have to do another steak day. Wah! I wish I were more regular and I doubt it would be much of a problem. BM's every five or so days...sheesh! No wonder the pounds creep back...it's not going anywhere. Is that a P3 thing?

Check Mate

Okay, I'm crying uncle here. I went to Cheesecake Factory last night and I was so good. I ate the avocado filling out of an avocado egg roll. Then I had the California Omelet which was totally P3 kosher and a diet coke. I had about 1/2 of a low carb slice of cheesecake made with Splenda - NO CRUST! Then I was blessed with the awesomeness of food poisoning. I will never eat eggs again.

Okay, that's probably dramatic, but ugh...I don't know what in the heck to eat. I guess I gotta just pull my head out of HCG la-la land and eat a darn bowl of chicken noodle soup or a piece of toast. I'm so queasy that I seriously doubt I should try dairy or meat right now. Somehow a pile of veggies or and apple aren't sounding safe either. I hate when circumstances force me me to go off protocol, but such is live eh?

Well, at least after emptying my body of every fluid possible I don't have to worry about a steak day after eating out! (Look at me all positive and junk!)

Moo!

This past weekend has proven to me that there is a lot going on in our bodies that I don't fully understand. After being somewhat flippant with my eating on Saturday night, I woke up to see I had gained three pounds! Now, we all know that wasn't three pounds of fat. However, my body did not appreciate the things I put in it after not eating it for almost three months, i.e. - sugar. I've had natural sugars in the form of apples and oranges and other fruits and vegetables, but I haven't eaten straight up refined sugar since early January.

So, what did it was chowing down on a broccoli salad that had a sugary dressing and then eating a very small portion of this creamy banana pudding dessert with ( I know, what was I doing??!!) an oreo crust and topping. I never eat that kind of stuff at home. I went to a dinner with friends and I thought, oh, it's just a little dab, it won't be a big deal I'm sure. Well, the next morning, it WAS a big deal. A big ol' three pound deal. So, I drank lots of water as prescribed in the correction day, and then ate my weight in beef with an apple. That sure tasted good after fasting all day. I forgot what HUNGER felt like. It made me realize what I was feeling during the low cal portion of Phase 2 was NOT hunger, it was dissatisfaction with food. Hunger feels much worse than craving. It makes me so stoked to do another round in May. It really is doable.

So, my weight after the splurge was 178.4. I performed a steak day and the next morning was 175.00. This morning I was 174.4 which is right around where I should be, near my Last Dosed weight of 174.0. Phew. Thank goodness the protocol works. Lesson learned!

Has anyone contemplated or attempted staying on P3 forever? It's pretty darn easy for the most part. I don't trust myself on P4. YIKES!

Are you seeing what I'm seeing?

It makes no sense. Yesterday I ate in a manner that I wasn't so proud of. I had a really sick demanding kid. It frayed on my nerves and every time I went to the kitchen to get her a drink or another dose of medicine I grabbed a chocolate almond bark thingie I made earlier in the day. I think I ate five of them by the time the day was over. In addition, I just grazed like a lazy cow...all the day long.

Granted, I "limited" myself to allowed foods. I ate a spinach salad with ranch, chicken, and calorie free bbq sauce for breakfast. I ate another handful of chicken later. I lost count of how many handfuls of cashews I ate while making the chocolate thingies. I think there was an apple and peanut butter somewhere in there. Another salad. Then some steamed broccoli with a small bowl of cream (and I mean CREAM) of chicken soup. I was so stuffed by the end of the day. I just kept eating because my hair was greasy and I hadn't changed my clothes in two days nor seen the light of day. I ate because it sounded fun. It was a scary reminder of how I got in this mess in the first place. Soothe, soothe, soothe. Maybe I need a binky. A chocolate dipped binky.

So the part that doesn't make sense is getting on the scale this morning and to my amazement...losing a little weight. I was floored. I still keep thinking it's going to bite me in the patootie really soon. It may. But I continue to be amazed at the way HCG is keeping its promises to me if I keep mine. (For the most part) Definitely in the pounds lost department.

I feel so naughty on this phase. But I still haven't gained! This morning I had a delicious blueberry and strawberry shake made with unsweetened almond milk, truvia, and cream. It was holy cow delish. Oh, and on the side I had a 2 egg omelet with bacon, a fat slice of swiss and chives. Dipped it in sugar free ketchup. The whole thing seems too good to be true. I'm so darn satisfied. I hope it keeps working.

Fine Line

I know it is really dumb to think I will get through this without a steak day. (For the newbie or lay person: Steak day is when you have gained more than two pounds from your lowest dosed weight and now must pay the fiddler by drinking water all day and having a mega steak for dinner with an apple or tomato. Refer to Dr. Simeon's protocol for the scientific explanation for this of which I am too lazy to outline here.)

I do not have to do a steak day, YET. But I am dancing that line and I don't want to! Okay, so perhaps liberally throwing some heavy cream and butter into my mashed cauliflower wasn't totally the best idea. :) I have a hard time eating allowed food in MODERATION! That is a beast I still wrestle with...MODERATION. When things are delicious, it's like that word doesn't even exist. It was easy to have moderation on phase two. For one thing the food was pretty nasty. For another thing the rules were so safe and clear. No room for interpretation.

Good news though, my hiney has a reprieve from turbo poo. I can leave the house once more. Aren't you glad you read my blog today?

Wooo Doggy!

I am enjoying Phase three y'all. I cannot believe what a sunny outlook I have on life now! It is amazing what some calories will do for your psyche and energy.

I'm sorry to report a downside of HCG. The Low calorie part sucked my energy and made me cranky as heck. It did. I felt no clarity of mind, extra energy or added sense of well being. It stunk. The entire 41 days were a test on me big time. But it was worth it. My muscle strength is back now and I realize how weak I was during Phase 2. I can run up the stairs to grab the phone and everything works right! I'm excited to start exercising. So, the jury is still out as to how much I buy in to the efficacy of homeopathic HCG. I think there is something to it. I think Dr. Simeon was genuine. I don't think it is a hoax. But I don't think it does all it claims to do either. Not for me it didn't.

Anyhoo, LOVIN' phase 3 so far. This is the third day and I am so satisfied with my food and I eat so much less than I used to. I just think simple white flours and sugars throw your body out of whack. Why would I pig out on them and two or three hours later be hungry and craving? Now, I eat a very reasonable amount of food and I am mentally and physically content for hours and hours. It is amazing to me. I've never felt this in control. It is so liberating and gives me such hope that I can do this.

Granted, it's only day three, I'm sure the scale will do some roller coasting, but as for now, I am at 173.4. That's LOWER than my Last Dose of HCG weight. So, I'm okay for now.

Plus, oh my goodness I'm poopin' like a goose. Holy Mylanta. That part is proving inconvenient thus far. I hope that goes away as I can't leave the house for more than 45 minutes!

Food, glorious food. I've missed you. Eggs, cream cheese, mayo, avocados, oil, butter, oh my. Clarification: I'm not eating spoonfulls of butter, but it sure tastes good on squash!

On the Edge

Interesting day. Tomorrow I start Phase Three. Translation: I get to eat food again. Kind of freaked out about it.

The last few days have been so...annoying. I've been winding down and ready to just eat already. Plus I made pumpkin spice cake for book club with honey cream cheese frosting. Cheatiness: a little lick of batter, a little lick of frosting. Then I made smores treats for Afton's class. Cheat: Tiny lick of melted marshmallow. Then I made a birthday cake for Afton's birthday. Cheat: A tiny lick of batter. Phew! Barely made it through that weekend. But I did.

So, now I'm not sure what in the heck to eat from here on out. How much? Do I count calories or just eat when I'm hungry? Seems to be lots of opinions on the matter from different HCG'ers. Plus, I start my period ANY day now. That will mess with the scale I'm sure. This should be an interesting three weeks.

Sort of anxious to start another round after my cruise in May. I will be so happy to fit into normal sizes again. Although, I don't have one single pair of jeans that aren't too big now. I have achieved pre-baby weight and all of my summer clothes that I've been saving for "someday" now fit. Yay!

So, the FINAL weigh in until I can do another low calorie round is...drum roll please...

Starting weight: 198.6

Today's weight: 174.4

Total loss: 24.2 pounds in 41 days.

P.S. Nic lost 39 pounds in 41 days. What in the??? No fair but KUDOS to him!!

I'll be checking in with Phase three. For the interested: Phase three is not intended to be a time to lose any weight. Only a time to stabilize my new lower weight. After Phase three I do 6 weeks of normal eating.

Wish me luck! (No really, wish me luck!) I don't hate comments all you blog stalkers out there:)