Running and Meal Planning

I have managed to end the week on a high note, having consistently run every morning (interval sprints, 6 rounds).  If you know me, you know that I am not a runner - it's just not something I care for, probably because I always end up sounding like I'm about to have a heart attack at any moment.

I've also gone back to planning my meals better now that my round is over.  See, with kids at home, I find it challenging to come up with healthy meals that are really conducive to weight loss.  I just think that cooking good, homemade meals (as opposed to processed foods) is just better for you than junk foods.

So last week I sat down and came up with a menu for over a week.  I created "planned over" meals (for example, planning a beef soup using the broth from a pot roast I made the previous day), and ended up with delicious meals for almost two weeks.

I really think that putting thought and planning - including planning dessert - into mealtimes will get you a lot further than doing things at the spur of the moment.  We were having too many evenings where I would just grab a pizza because I could not face planning, shopping, cooking..... and then I'd have "just a slice" and there went my diet for the day.

Plan ahead - you'll eat better, feel better, and save money too!  It makes it so much easier to stick to the protocol!

Breaking Plateaus

Well, 23 days into a 40 day round and I've been on a plateau for a week and a half.  I've lost 7 pounds overall, but the scale is now stubbornly refusing to budge.  What to do, what to do?

1. I am going to add exercise back in, slowly and gently.  I haven't been going to the gym because of mental and emotional overload, I'd prefer to work out outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine.  So, now that the warm weather seems to be coming to stay, I plan to do interval walking/running for 30 minutes every evening before bed.

2. A more fun way to spike the metabolism is the cheat day.  On HCG, we take our "cheats" at the beginning in the three load days.  I have heard doctors and health professionals say that one "cheat" day a week helps boost the metabolism and break a plateau.  I believe I can hold out and have a Saturday cheat day this week and see if that works.  (And by "cheat," it will be a full-on eat-till-I-want-to-puke load day.)  That's if I don't break the plateau before then.  Sometimes, too, we just can't take dieting anymore.  I'm hoping the "re-load" will help. 

3.  Add breakfast.  Something as simple as a protein shake in the morning may help.  A scoop of vanilla protein, a double handful of frozen strawberries, and water, and whirl in the blender.  The nice thing is that it almost feels like a cheat in and of itself.  Another good breakfast if you're in a hurry would be simply to hard-boil some eggs the night before and eat them in the morning. What you want in the morning is protein - it keeps the hungries away.

I can see some differences, however - jeans fitting a bit looser, tummy feeling a bit more toned - but not the differences I had expected this far into the round.  Evidently I'm not doing what I need to do  So....hopefully these tweaks will help me stay on protocol, and break the plateau.  I'll keep ya posted!

Plateaus - and the Walmart HHCG

Well, first off, I need to adjust my review of WalMart's homeopathic HCG.  It does work, but it tastes nasty, until you get used to it.  (It's chocolate mint flavored.  I didn't think anything could make me dislike chocolate mint.  Eww.)  Once you get used to it, it's not bad.

It does work.  Did I mention that?  Works just fine. 

So, I've been plateaued for a week.  It's been driving me crazy.  Apple day helped some, but then I stalled again the next day.  So I went back to that old standby that always helps me.

Exercise.

Now, Dr Simeons does not prescribe exercise in his protocol, but I suggest that you include it in your regimen if you are physically able to do so.  Even if it's just a stroll around the block.  Your body was designed to move, not to veg out in front of a screen.  So start walking.  Just gentle walking, you don't need to run or do power walks! 

I would not suggest starting an Olympic training protocol while on the HCG protocol, but you do need to move. 

My routine will be a run around the block.  I do interval training - a 5 minute warm up, then 1 minute running and 2 minutes walking for six rounds, then a five minute cool down.  However, I am used to training!  I've been working out all my life on some level or another.  I've worked with Olympic trainers and done boot camps, I've done a lot of weight training, and I will say this over and over.....

Listen to your body! 

You may not be able to do what I do.  Find something that is gentle enough for you to stick with, and then stick with it! 

I'm kind of weird about working out these days, I'm so busy that I just can't stand to go to the gym and add another thing to my list.  But I can manage a quick run around the block (and I do this just before bedtime, by the way).  Somehow getting in the car to drive to the gym is just that one more thing I don't want to do. 

So get out and move.  There is so much to do! 

Oh, and I dropped 2 pounds overnight after my first little run.  It will work.

Apple Day

Pounds and Inches says that when you stall for a few days, you're to do an "apple day."  Today, for this round, is that day.

For an apple day, you eat 6 apples.  And that's it.  Simeons says to cut back on fluids, too, but that's folly - I drink more liquids on an apple day to keep me from being hungry all day.

The interesting thing is that by eating just apples (even though it's the same calories!) I will drop about 2 pounds overnight.

The reason for my stall this time, is that lovely Aunt Flo has come to visit, and she has a habit of stalling things for me.  So, ladies, be aware that this is a reason for a stall.  (Sorry, guys, I know it's TMI, but it's also a fact of female life.)

This morning I had my water and Diet Coke.  For the rest of the day, I will have my six apples.  Tomorrow morning, I'll be back on the regular protocol.

Still stuck at 165.2.  I'm looking forward to progress in the morning!

Weekends....

Weekends are hard for me when I'm dieting.  See, I'm single.  So I date a little.  Which means....restaurants. 

I very seldom eat at restaurants in any case... I like my own cooking.  But, it's so hard to resist all those extras when someone else is cooking!  However, I stuck to grilled chicken breast, salads with dressing on the side, vegetables, and steaks. 

This weekend, I am up about a pound and a half.  Not too bad, really, and I'm satisfied that I can get right back on track and start releasing again. 

Stats: 165.8, down 4.2 overall.

So far, so good!

Today was the first day of the very low calorie diet after 2 days of loading.  There is an evil, evil cupcake sitting on my kitchen counter absolutely calling me to eat it.  However, I am holding strong, reminding myself why I'm doing this, and eating an apple dusted with cinnamon.  Yum!  I'm looking forward to weighing myself tomorrow to see what the first day brings!

I did gain 2 pounds during loading.  However, that is perfectly normal on the HCG diet.  I'm a little hungry today, but then again I only ate 1 meal instead of the 2 I am allowed - I wasn't hungry at dinnertime!  Lunch was a chicken breast grilled on my George Foreman grill.  I bought it because it's too cold to use the outdoor grill.  And romaine lettuce, an apple, and the croutons from a Caesar Salad kit.  It's a very filling lunch, and then at dinnertime I just wasn't hungry. 

A cheat that I use to get some dressing taste (no dressings allowed except for balsamic vinegar), is to put the dressing in a cup on the side, dip my fork into it, then spear the lettuce.  I get just a hint of dressing as opposed to a salad swimming in it, still get the taste, and don't stall my diet. 

The absolute wonderful thing about this program is that it works, it works very quickly, and that I am able to easily keep the weight off once it's gone.  Even the "approved" weight loss protocols don't do that.  When I work out and eat well, I can only maintain.  HCG is the only thing that has worked for me for weight loss.

I'm still nursing that sore shoulder - the pain isn't as bad, but my arm still goes to sleep at inopportune times, like when my kids are leaning against me and want affection.  It's irritating as can be. 

Going Low Carb

"All normal people love meat. If I went to a barbeque and there was no meat, I would say 'Yo Goober! Where's the meat?'. I'm trying to impress people here... You don't win friends with salad.” ~ Homer Simpson


OK, maybe Homer was taking it a little too far.  Salad is great - but the fact remains that most Americans don't eat nearly as much protein as they need.  (Or fat, either, but that's another post.)  American women are the worst of the lot!  A few strips of grilled chicken on a salad is not enough protein for a 130 pound woman.  And salad is not very filling.


I have decided to go rogue on the HCG.  For one thing, I've been gaining weight, and that is not acceptable to me.  Remember, for my height and frame, I should weigh about 135.  I'm at 170 - I've gained back 20 pounds.  Yes, it was emotional eating.  Yes, I kept the weight off for over a year.  I'm not knocking HCG.  But I'm also looking at other options.  Low carb seems to be the way to go.

I've noticed that cookies and chips will pack on pounds rapidly, but ice cream (high protein and fat) does not.  When I did low-carb for a few days, I saw a 5 pound weight loss in just a few days.  When on HCG, I would lose weight faster if I skipped the apple and the Melba toast and ate a ribeye steak (more fat) instead of lean meat. 

So I'm going to begin following a very low carb diet for a couple of weeks.  I'm interested to see how I react to it.  I'm loading up on saturated fats - bacon drippings to cook my eggs in, butter (real butter, not margarine!), whole milk, a tablespoon of coconut oil in my protein shakes, and meat with lots of fat on it. 

Yum.

I will keep everyone posted on my progress!

How to Deal With A Cheat Day

OK, so you've stuck to your protocol.  The weight has been shifting, coming off, you're so excited!  And then, something derails your plan.  (Like, oh, your son's birthday and your adult daughter's overenthusiastic purchase of a huge chocolate cake.) 

Dang it, now what do you do?

Well, the first thing you do is forgive yourself.  You're human!  It's ok, life moves on, keep moving forward, tomorrow is another day. 

And then - you have an apple day.  6 apples over the course of the day, with water only to drink.  For some reason, this will help you overcome your cheat.  And if you do what I do, and buy big apples, you'll end up eating plenty! 

You can also have an apple day when you've stuck to protocol and the weight just isn't coming off.  It jump-starts things again.

And then, keep moving forward.  A cheat day is a cheat day.  It's not the end of the world.  It's not an excuse to wolf down the rest of that chocolate cake.  Pick up right where you left off, and you'll be able to keep releasing weight with grace and ease.