Day 166 - I'm done

I can't do this right now.  With the impending move and summer time stress I didn't even want to start this round, but Jon was really excited to get back on the horse so I went along.  However, this week I quickly realized it would be a waste of time, money and energy to continue.  I'm hungry ALL the time.  Yesterday I ate everything allowed by 3 pm.  I then started eating little bits of stuff that I thought would satisfy that hollow rumbling in my tummy.  Nothing helped.  I finally ate another portion of grilled steak.  I just grabbed it out of the fridge and ate it cold.  I was so ravenous I couldn't wait to heat it up.  I think I started back too soon.  It's only been 4 weeks since we stopped last time and I think for my third round it was just too soon and I've built a tolerance to it.  OR I'm just so overwhelmed right now that my stress hormones are interfering with it.  Doesn't matter.  I'm done.  I'm going to take a good long break and probably start back in October sometime.  By then I'll have renewed vigor, determination, and perspective and my body will have had time to recover too.  I'm not sure what's going on with it right now anyway.  My hair is falling out in clumps.  It's done this before when my thyroid condition was bad, but this is scary bad.  I noticed that it fell out a little each time I started maintenance and then stop when I started the HCG again.  Not so this time.  I don't think it's related to the diet.  I think it's related to my thyroid.  I'm also trying to deal with that right now too with some homeopathic treatments.....hmmm...I wonder if this could have something to do with my appetite?  Anyway, I'll be redoubling my efforts to feed myself and my family as natural a diet as possible, with the most wholesome foods I can afford(who knows....I may even have chickens by October!!!! ) and hopefully have a successful maintenance period. 

Jon has done really well this round and has lost 10 lbs.  He will be finishing off our HCG and then stopping in a couple of days.  He's got a lot to do too in the next couple of weeks too.

Day 160 - Snickerdoodle!

Emily's Stats
R3D5
164.2 lbs
R3: +.2 lbs
Total: - 44.8 lbs

Jon's Stats
R2D5
216.5 lbs
R3: -3.5 lbs
Total: -30.7 lbs

Jon lost 3.3 lbs today, and I lost exactly 2 lbs.  And I was really....really....really....bad today.  We're only 3 days into VLCD and I'm already cheating.  The kids wanted to make snickerdoodles and once the whole house was filled with the scrumptious smell of Cinnamon and sugar I caved.  THEN my best friend Susanna came up from Dallas to visit and I made everyone meatloaf and mashed potatoes and peas for dinner.  Caedon left a couple bits of meatloaf and mashed potatoes and I couldn't help it.  I hate food going to waste....at least that's what I told myself.  I'm really not into this round.  I wanted to wait until after we moved, but Jon REALLY wanted to do it again.  I feel too stressed and overwhelmed to say no to anything.  I guess I'll regroup tomorrow and try my best, but I really don't want to do it.

Day 159 - Back to the grind

Emily's Stats
R3D4
166.2 lbs
R3: +2.2 lbs
Total: -42.8 lbs

Jon's Stats
R2D4
219.8 lbs
R2: -.2 lbs
Total: -27.4 lbs

Cool! We both lost exactly 2.9 lbs!  Today was tough.  I craved all day.  I made "fish tacos" for lunch and had an apple and a portion of chicken for dinner.  I got hungry in the evening and had two melbas.  Jon had fish tacos for dinner and that's all he had all day.  I  battled a migraine all day today so I hope the Advil doesn't affect my loss tomorrow.  We shall see!

On a side note, we may have found a rent house.  It's a dump, but it's in the country with land and the rent is really cheap.  This will get us closer to our goal of buying in the next 6 months.

Day 158 - Stressful Day

Emily's Stats
R3D3
169.1 lbs
+.2 lbs
R3: +5.1 lbs
Total: 39.9 lbs

Jon's Stats
R2D3
222.7 lbs
+2.2 lbs
R2: +1.7 lbs
Total: 24.5 lbs

We're trying something a little different this round.  On a quest to loose more, we are going the old fashioned Dr. Simeon's route.....no recipes.  We are only going to eat grilled meat with raw or steamed veggies.  Jon came home at lunch and we grilled all the meat up.  We had steak  and sliced tomato (From the farmer's market...pretty good tomato).  That's all either one of us ate today. 

On another note, if you don't already know, we're moving.  I'm trying to trust God in this process, but I'm the kind of person who needs a plan.  I don't even care how crazy the plan is, I just need to know the end game.  Right now, all I know, is that we are moving sometime before September to an undetermined town in a general area of South Central Oklahoma.  It's getting to me and by the evening I had a headache.  It hadn't turned into a migraine so I went to bed with it, cranky and hungry.

Day 157 - Ready for VLCD!

Emily's Stats
R3 D2
168.9 lbs
Total: 40.1lbs

Jon's Stats
R2 D2 (LOL!!! How come I didn't notice that on my round 2)
220.5 lbs
Total: 26.7 lbs

We had Krispy Kream for breakfast and went to a friends house for lunch.  They had salad, pasta, fresh fruit (including cherries which were AWESOME).  They also had the best Ghiridali cupcakes I've ever had!  They sent us home with left overs so I think we're good for loading today.  I am soooo ready to get this show on the road.  We are going to try not to use any recipes this time around and go for grilled meats and fresh veggies.  Let's go!!!

Day 156 - Here we go again.....yeah...I think....

Emily's Stats
Round 3 Day 1
????

Jon's Stats
Round 2 Day 1
????

Did you miss me?

I took a little break but........here we go again.  I'm not excited.  I am however incredibly nauseated and determined.  Notice I don't have all our stats?  Charis' 9th birthday sleepover was last night and I've had very little sleep.  I also forgot to weigh this morning before I ate chocolate chip pancakes....yum!!!  That was about the extent of my food bliss as the HCG started kicking in.  After a pizza lunch and many cookie, chips, and cheese snacks, dinner was an afterthought.  I HATE loading days now.  They are not fun anymore.  They are torture!  I never thought I would have to force myself to eat ice cream.  I never thought I would turn down dinner at Ted's, our favorite Mexican food restaurant.  I'll have updated stats tomorrow.  We got new scales that weigh us a pound heavier so our goals changed by a pound.  Jon has maintained wonderfully.  Me?  not so well.  I went up and down and had multiple steak days.  It's really hard to maintain when you're not home and at the mercy of others to feed you.  I'm only a pound or so over my goal weight, so it wasn't too bad.

Day 130 - Little chocolate donuts, Steak Days, and the Biblical Flood

Day 11 Maintenance
Emily: 164.0 lbs, 1 lb over goal
Jon: 219.8 lbs, .2 lbs under goal

Both of us have maintained our weights!  Yeah!  although we have both had steak days.  Jon lost almost 4 lbs on his steak day....men....  I lost almost two on mine and I cheated like crazy on that day I was so hungry.  I but I cheated on only good food....except for the mini 3 musketeers....and the baskin robins hard candy.  I obviously don't do well with temptation.  I'm not at home so it messes with me having all the goodies around.

A question has plagued me though.  Is there a time in ones life in which eating a little chocolate donut is acceptable?  I've determined the answer as I see it as, yes.  I think when you get up three hours earlier than usual, pack your van, and leave your house with three kids at 7 am to travel from Oklahoma city to Dallas, get one mile from your house and traffic stops and you sit there for 3 hours because there is no exit and your not moving, and the kids haven't eaten yet and are going stir crazy and the rain is pouring down, that's a start.  When you have finally crept forward enough that you can see the emergency vehicle lights are actually blocking the next exit and behind the emergency vehicle the exit is under water, and then the emergency vehicle is slowly creeping backwards toward you and you realize that it is because the water is also creeping toward you, and when people like refugees began walking down the freeway abandoning their flooded cars covering their head with whatever box or bag they had in their cars to protect them from the rain, and the cop car is now only about 8 feet in front of you with the water cresting it's tires so you decide it's time to go....somehow....and do a three point turn and begin driving the wrong way down the freeway, the stress MIGHT just call for a bite.  When after the three hour drama and you still have a 4 hour drive to go and you never left your neighborhood and you pull into your driveway to see water cascading from your garage and run inside to see that a river is pouring from the back of said garage down through the front of the garage door and the only boxes in the garage left unpacked but in the torrents flow are your books and photo albums and you spend your morning, or rather what's left of it, and part of the afternoon dragging water logged boxes in and covering your living room floor, dining room floor, and any other dry surface with wet books and pictures, to discover that your favorite wedding picture is one of the only things not salvageable, THEN it's ok to eat a little chocolate donut.  But only one. 

We're fine.  We lost very little and my mom has a copy of the wedding picture I love.  AND we finally got to unpacking those boxes.

P.S.  That was not the day that caused the steak day.

Day 120 - PICTURES!!!

Day 1 maintenance

OK, it wasn't too bad.  We both gained a pound, but well within our goal weights.  Nothing can stop us today anyway.  We've posted our before and after pictures.  Just click on the links above.  It's amazing to me the change in my body this round.  Although I only lost 17 lbs, the change is even more pronounced than the change from the first round.  Round 1...I just shrank.  Round 2.....NEW ME!!!  Check 'em out.  They speak for themselves.

Day 119 - One....more.....day......

My Stats
Day 37 R2
162.6 lbs
R2:-17.4 lbs
Total: -46.4 lbs

Yeah!  I was perfect yesterday and I lost .4 lbs.  Jon only lost .2, but he is so happy to be in the teens he didn't really care.  We were both very cranky today.  We were hungry and needed FOOD!!!  If your marriage can survive dual HCG withdrawal, it can survive anything!

Jon had fish and broccoli for lunch.  I had grilled chicken, melba and OJ.  THEN I got hungry and came back and ate a couple of pizza bites the kids had left over. THEN Jon started moaning about being hungry.  THEN I ate more pizza bites because I was still hungry and Jon started feeling weak and light headed.  We made a decision.  We needed more food!  We made our breakfast scramble.  Eggs, sausage, mushrooms, and onions.  The kids had it in tortillas.  We had it in a bowl with cheese and washed it down with milk.  It was exhilarating!!!  Oh food!  Where have you been?!  We were both delightfully happy and content for the rest of the evening.  I tried not to think of how bad it would be in the morning.  Hopefully the HCG is out of our system enough for it not to be too bad.

Jon's Stats
219.0 lbs
-28.2 lbs

Day 118 - Leisurely Day

My Stats
Day 36 R2
163.0 lbs
R2: -17 lbs
Total: -46.0 lbs

Well, I gained .2.  Guess I need to go induce a .4 loss :).  Jon lost .8 and is ecstatic.  He made it to the teens!!!  We went to the zoo today for a couple hours and then came home and played in the back yard all day.  It was a pretty leisurely day.

We had the last of our good melba at the zoo and I had the last of the crab bisque for lunch.  Jon had chicken fajitas.  I had nasty melba and OJ for dinner.  Jon made some broccoli.  We both REALLY wanted to cheat.  We can definitely feel the effects of the HCG leaving us.  Tomorrow is going to suck big time.

Jon's Stats
219.2 lbs
-28 lbs

Day 117 - 3 embarrassing facts about loosing weight

My Stats
Day 35 R2
162.8 lbs
R2:-17.2 lbs
Total: -46.2 lbs

I lost .6 lbs, and Jon lost .8 lbs.  Our bodies are so different!  In fact, my body has changed so much there are some embarrassing little things that I'm having to do.  First, I've had to start cleaning my belly button.  That's right, I hardly ever had to clean it before because it was so ......well....shallow.  How gross is that?  Second, I'm having to learn to sit down on the toilet differently.  I've really been hurting my self!  For the past few weeks...and it's getting worse.....I would sit down and hit my tail bone.  Apparently It's been very cushioned and now there is no cushion.  How embarrassing would it be to have to go to the doctor because you've injured your tail bone sitting on the toilet wrong!  LOL!  Ok, this last embarrassing fact is not so much embarrassing in itself, but embarrassing because I know.  Next time you need to loose a quick .4 lbs, go grab your spouse.  That's right.  You get it.  A little romp between the sheets will knock of exactly .4 lbs on the dot, every time.  EVERY TIME.  ;)

I didn't eat lunch today.  I spent all morning mowing, weed eating, and cleaning my garden.  When I got inside I was about to faint.  I grabbed a glass of OJ and didn't even measure it!  I drank a lot of water too.  Jon snacked on melba I think.  We had beef broccoli for dinner and I cheated a LOT.  I ate a whole taquito, and then several spoonfuls of Mac n cheese.  Jon ate Mac n cheese too.  I don't know, but I think tomorrow is going to be even more difficult.  I'm already feeling hungry!
Jon's Stats
220.0 lbs
-27.2 lbs

Day 116 - YES! I'm finally Overweight!!!

My Stats
Day 34 R2
163.4 lbs
R2: - 16.6 lbs
Total: -45.6 lbs

Today is a momentous day in my weight loss history!  I've crossed the line.  You know, that invisible, yet all so real line between being overweight and obesity.  Today, I am officially overweight.  I still remember the first time I looked at a chart and realized I was categorized as obese.  The word felt disgusting on my tongue.  I had to do something right then and there to purify myself.  I tried.  Nothing worked until now.  For the first time in 10 years, I'm not obese.  I'm just overweight.  Who ever thought someone would be so happy to be overweight?

Today is also our last shot.  I know we have 6 days left, but we decided to stop here because if I mixed another vial we would be wasting half of it.  We can not go any longer than the 40 days due to all the summer stuff coming up so we opted to save the HCG for our next round in July.  Here come the hardest 3 days of the diet as far as I'm concerned.  All the promise of great food (ie cheese) just around the corner and no liquid will power (HCG) to back me up.  We'll do our best though, and we already have our first meal planned.  Bacon, eggs fried in bacon grease, topped with cheese and sauteed veggies.  Mmmmmmm....cheese......

I had the last of the "pulled pork sandwiches" for lunch and Jon snacked on apples and melba.  For dinner, Jon had steak and broccoli.  I ate mela and OJ.  We both skipped the cake at our friends house!  Yeah us!!
Jon's Stats
220.8 lbs
-26.4 lbs

Day 113 - Long day....short post

My Stats
Day 31 R2
164.4 lbs
R2: -15.6 lbs
Total: -44.6 lbs

K...my sister went into labor, I drove to Dallas, missed the birth by 5 minutes and almost got thrown out of the hospital because they tried to tell me I couldn't do what I wanted to.  DON"T mess with a woman who has lost 44.6 lbs.  You can't stop her! 

Stayed up all night with sister and baby.  Ate buffalo steak and tomatoes for lunch with Jon, had melba and OJ in the evening and cheated by taking a bite of a hamburger and some french fries.  I don't know what Jon did.  I haven't pooped in a week and I'm miserable in that aspect.  Otherwise....what an awesome day.  Welcome baby Eli!

Jon's Stats
224.4 lbs
-23.lbs

Day 112 - Happy Anniversary!

My Stats
Day 30 R2
165.2 lbs
R2:-14.8 lbs
Total: -43.8 lbs

What an awesome day!  12 years ago today we vowed to love and cherish each other forever.  Through sickness and health.  Even though we have been obese for a very long time, we still loved and cherished each other.  Now we are back on the road to health, and I think we love each other more.  It's almost like sleeping with a stranger!  Our anniversary gift to each other was doing this diet.  It's quite an expensive gift, but one that will last forever.  I gave Jon another gift today.  I put my wedding ring on.  I've had it for over 12 years and in that time, I've worn it on my ring finger for maybe one year.  I would never let him size it because I always promised I was going to loose weight.  Now, for the first time in at least 10 years, I can wear my wedding ring! 

We went to see "Clash of the Titans" early in the morning and ate our melba toast during the movie.  The we went driving around.  It's one of our favorite things to do.....when we don't have kids.....even though we drag them with us sometimes.  What can I say...I think we have gypsy blood!  I like that....because I like words without real vowels.  Then we went to Texas Road house and shared a steak.  Jon had broccoli, and I had tomato.  After that I went to Cato again to get another bra and a pair of shorts.  It was quite an experience.  There were no size 12's on the clearance rack, so for kicks I got a size 10.  With the slightest of tugs I buttoned them.  I was amazed!  I didn't like the shorts so I told Jon to go get me some more size 10 shorts. He came back with THE cutest pair.  I held my breath, though not to suck in, just out of anticipation.  They slipped on fine, and they were stretchy denim so they buttoned just fine too!  I looked in the mirror and tears  formed in the corners of my eyes.  I gained my composure and stepped out to show Jon.  He immediately noticed my red eyes and I lost it.  Right there in the middle of Cato I started bawling.  The other customers and the cashiers were all staring at me, but I didn't care.  I was proud.  Jon held me and asked me if I was OK.  "Yes", I squeaked. "I'm just so happy."  Once I was breathing normally again, I apologized to everyone near me and explained why I was crying.  There were many smiles and congratulations. Jon felt blessed that he got to experience that moment with me.  What a happy anniversary.  We went to Lowe's to buy stuff to build a platform bed....we're so industrious, then headed home and watched some movies.  I'm so blessed, and so fortunate to have Jon.  He loved me when I was a fat, crabby, miserable woman and he loves me now that I'm a not so fat, not so crabby, and not so miserable woman.  I can't imagine not having him.  He's my best friend, my lover, the father of my children, and the husband God knew I needed.  I love him....what a happy anniversary!

Jon's Stats
225.6 lbs
-21.6 lbs

Day 111 - MMMMMM...Buffalo....

My Stats
Day 29 R2
165.4 lbs
R2: -14.6 lbs
Total: -43.6 lbs

We had the most awesome day today.  Not only did Jon loose 2 lbs, and I lost .8 lbs, but we had no kids and we have all weekend to celebrate a wonderfully fulfilling 12 years of marriage.  We started the day off by going to the farmer's market where we were abruptly called back to the house to meet with the insurance adjuster.  The we headed back and found some great sources for organic produce, honey, and meat along with many other interesting crafts and products that were all naturally made.  While we were there we bought a small head of cauliflower and since I'd never had Buffalo before, Jon talked me into splurging for our anniversary and getting some sirloin fillets.  We dropped them off at home and then headed out for some shopping.  Old Navy had an amazing sale and Jon bought 3 new pairs of pants and a new shirt for work.  It only cost us $30!!!   He was giggling the whole time because he bought a 40 waist and he realized he had lost 4 pant sizes!  Then I talked him into trying an XL shirt instead of an XXL.  WOW!!!!  It fit and he couldn't believe it.  Then we went to Ross.  It was my turn!  I bought two new size L shirts and a pair of size 12 shorts.  I'm DEFINITELY a size 12 now, they weren't even tight!  The fit perfectly and they are sooooo cute!  They look like pinstripe dress pants but they're shorts.  Anyway, Jon also found a shirt and some flip flops.  That cost us $70.  So for $100, which is what we said we would spend, we both are set until our next round.  Except I still need another bra and another pair of shorts, but that won't be too much.  We headed back to the house and Jon cooked our Buffalo Steak on the grill.  I put the cauliflower in the oven with some garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and some freshly clipped chives from my garden!  We had a romantic dinner in front of a movie.  Buffalo is pretty good.  I honestly can't tell the difference between it and beef, but I can tell the difference between the bland stuff I buy at the store and the succulent juiciness of the superior grass fed cuts we purchased from the market.  I'm not sure why we ever bought the other stuff....oh yeah....convenience and money.  I also tried a new recipe for apple cookies.  They weren't that good so I'll skip the details.  Tomorrow should be another awesome day! 

Jon's Stats
225 lbs
-22.2 lbs

Day 110 - I can live again!!!

My Stats
Day 28 R2
166.2 lbs
R2: -13.8 lbs
Total: -42.8 lbs

Well my cheating didn't hurt too much. I still lost .6 lbs. Jon was super upset today. He stayed the same and he was perfect. We only have 10 days left and he is so ready to be done! I have to say, I'm not feeling the pressure that I was last time to be done with this. We will have extra shots so I may go for another week. Jon was very adamant about NOT going any further than 40 days.

I went to the zoo with the kids and some friends today. I packed some "pulled pork sandwiches" for me. By the time we actually got into the zoo and looking at animals it was 11. I thought I could wait until 12:30 or so to eat with everyone else but by 11:30 I was about to pass out! I ate my "sandwiches" on the go at the zoo. It's a great on the go meal! Before lunch, I still felt a little light headed even though I was drinking tons of water. I had about 10 pieces of homemade cereal and that really seemed to help. I guess I'm just not used to that much activity in the heat and needed some extra calories. The rest of the day went with out a hitch. As I was leaving the zoo, after walking around for over 3 hours, I stepped wrong off the curb and wrenched my hip. My first thought was "here it comes", because for the past few years, anytime I walked longer than 30 minutes or so, I got this horrible pain in my hip that shot down my leg and caused my toes to go numb. I've been told it's probably my sciatic nerve. To my utter shock, no pain followed my misstep. I then realized that I had been walking for over three hours....PAIN FREE! Up an down hills, in the heat, hunched over a stroller...PAIN FREE! It's amazing what the loss of 42 lbs will do for a person. What a glorious.....hot....yet glorious day! I can live again!

When Jon got home, we headed out to drop the kids with his mom in Ardmore, where she would take them to Dallas to spend the weekend with the Grandparents. I made Jon some fish, broccoli, a glass of oj and we hit the road. We were out of melba (heaven forbid) so we stopped by the store on the way out and I grabbed TWO boxes. I will not be short on melba again! I had my melba and OJ in the car too. It was hard in Ardmore because we sat and watched the kids eat hamburgers, french fries and a milk shake. Ugh! Soon enough! We did good though. Now for a wonderful, kid free weekend! Jon plans on cheating because it's our anniversary. Not me. But then again, I never PLAN on cheating. We shall see.


Jon's Stats
227.0 lbs
-20.2 lbs

Day 109 - Back on the shot

My Stats
Day 27 R2
166.8 lbs
R2: -13.2
Total: -42.2 lbs

Well Jon's finally happy. He lost 1.4 lbs today. I only lost .2 lbs, but I did eat extra food yesterday, and really late to boot. Plus I was still on my period. I did take the shot today out of sheer anxiety. I woke up starving! I am pretty much done with TOM. My deduction is, that last round, I was already building a tolerance to the HCG by the time I started my period. I didn't skip a dose per week last time and when I got to my TOM I got HUNGRY, and I stayed hungry until I was done. Of course my period came much later in the round than this one did. I am much more optimistic about future rounds and my TOM now.

I had steak and tomato for lunch. Jon had apple and melba. When he got home he had steak and tomato and I had melba and OJ. I also cheated today. I did it on purpose. Because I was off the shot for three days and I woke up starving I wanted to make sure I didn't feel that way for a couple more days. If this is your first round and you have never come off the shot before, you will soon know the feeling!

Jon's Stats
226.0 lbs
-20.2 lbs

Day 108 - Don't eat the FISH!

My Stats
Day 26 R2
167.0 lbs
R2: -13.0 lbs
Total: -42.0 lbs

Jon's disappointed again. He ONLY lost .4 lbs. I also lost .4 lbs and I'm thrilled! Not only am I loosing on my period (which did NOT happen last time), but I didn't even wake up hungry this morning. To my surprise, I wasn't hungry all day AND I'm having my shortest period on record. I believe I'll be able to take the shot tomorrow. On a normal period, it would still be dragging out for a couple more days. It makes me wonder if loosing this weight is going to help with my periods. I've already become more regular since loosing the first 30 lbs. Now that I've added another 12 to that, maybe I won't be loosing massive amounts of blood. This period was more painful than some, but I'll take the pain in place of a long drawn out period any time!

I had "pulled pork sandwiches" again for lunch and Jon had his melba and apple. He got home early enough for us all to go grocery shopping together. We decided to get a zoo pass while we were out and by the time we got to grocery shopping we were all starving. We got the kids something from the dollar menu at McDonalds and we headed for Long John Silvers. For future reference.......DON'T DO IT! It was the only fast food restaurant I could think of that had something we could eat. We ordered the Grilled Tilapia with mixed veggies. Although the fish was legal, it was NASTY. It had no flavor and it turned into paste in my mouth. The veggies were no better and soaked in butter. If you have to eat out fast on this diet, starve before you get LJS. When I got home I had the rest of my "pulled pork sandwich" stuffing and some OJ.

Jon's Stats
228.4 lbs
-18.8 lbs

Day 107 - So far,so good

My Stats
Day 25 R2
167.4 lbs
R2: -12.6 lbs
Total: -41.6 lbs

Ok, Jon lost .4 lbs. He's disappointed. I'm trying to convince him half a pound is nothing to sneeze at but he wants MORE! I on the other hand released all the water my body was holding back for some drought it foresaw. I peed all day yesterday and I lost 1.4 lbs today. That's great, but I woke up hungry. It did not help my anxiety over my period and being off the shot. After a couple of pints of water I was better though.

I snacked on "pulled pork sandwiches" all day and had OJ with my evening snack. Jon had an apple and melba for lunch and "pulled pork sandwiches" for dinner. I SAW him take a bite of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich after that and he ate some strawberries late in the evening. I wasn't hungry the rest of the day thank goodness!

Jon's Stats
228.8 lbs
-18.4 lbs

Day 106 - Don't talk to me

My Stats
Day 24 R2
168.8 lbs
R2: -11.2 lbs
Total: -40.2 lbs

Yeah Jon! He lost 1.8 lbs. He's going to stick with yesterday's routine. I didn't loose anything. I'm not surprised. It's that time and I'm miserable. Don't talk to me. Right now I'm just normal miserable. I'm not hungry. Actually the pain is making me a little nauseated. Today is my first day off the shot and I'm a little anxious about a repeat of last round. I'm trying to be optimistic, but Karen would tell you, it’s just not in me.

I had herb encrusted tilapia and zucchini sautéed in better than bullion. Jon had an apple and melba. I had OJ and melba for dinner and he had lemon pepper tilapia and broccoli. I wasn't hungry at all. Yeah!

Jon's Stats
269.2 lbs
-18 lbs

Day 105 - Unexpected results

My Stats
Day 23 R2
168.8 lbs
R2:- 11.2 lbs
Total: -40.2 lbs

Hmmmm......ok. Well, it's VERY disappointing that Jon didn't loose anything. My best friend brought up a very good point though. He is under severe stress right now. He has been for over a week. He hasn't lost much for over a week. She said, that "Biggest Loser" said, stress can cause your body chemistry to override any diet or exercise you are doing. I'm starting to believe that with him. You couldn't ask anyone to be more perfect on this diet then him and he is still not loosing weight. I, on the other hand, handle stress differently. Without going into ALL the details of yesterday, suffice it to say, I needed comfort food. I wound up eating a quesadilla. I still lost .2 lbs. Don't even try to figure it out. It will drive you crazy. He's perfect and doesn't loose....I cheat and loose. We struggled this morning trying to decide whether to continue. I needed to mix more HCG if we were going to continue. I'm tired of it, he's not loosing and his stress level isn't going to be decreasing if that's the problem. We finally decided to suck it up and go for it. I told him to just stop being stressed.

When Jon was loosing, he was snacking on an apple and melba toast at work and only eating a big dinner. He decided to do that today. He ate chicken fajitas for dinner with OJ and more melba. I did what I always do, because that seems to work for me. I had lemon chicken and broccoli for lunch and OJ with melba for dinner. We also cheated last night. I made the kids a new cereal with fruit. It's supposed to simulate fruit loops. We both tried one of each flavor. We liked it! We can't wait to try a bowl with milk in a month or so!

Jon's Stats
231.0 lbs
-16.2 lbs

Day 104 - Don't ask

My Stats
Day 22
169.0 lbs
R2: -11 lbs
Total: -40 lbs

Woo!  Hoo!  Jon is down 1.6 lbs and I'm down .6 lbs.  Hopefully his apple day worked and he'll start loosing regularly again.  I'm still so supprised that he isn't loosing more.  I'm supprised that I lost anything today with the possibility of water weight.  As for the rest of the day......I don't even want to talk about it.

Jon's Stats
231.0 lbs
-16.2 lbs

Day 103 - Jon's apple day 2

My Stats
Day 21 R2
169.6 lbs
R2: 10.4 lbs
Total: -39.4 lbs

I hate that I was perfect and didn't loose anything. I'm ok though because I know why. The dreaded TOM is upon me. Jon on the other hand gained .2 lbs. He has been perfect so I don't know why he did. He was so mad he was throwing things. You know, not at me or anyone, just putting them down a little harder than usual. He was cursing the diet too. He is under a lot of stress right now. If you haven't been watching the news, you don't know that Oklahoma had the largest hail storm in recorded history and it hit the most populated areas. Jon is an insurance adjuster. He's already worked 20 hours overtime and he is approved for 16 hours this weekend. I keep asking him if he just wants to postpone the diet until things settle down, but he says it's easy because he's so busy he doesn't have time to think about food.

So he had an apple day today because of his gain. I had lemon chicken and broccoli for lunch and OJ with melba for dinner.

Jon's Stats
232.6 lbs
-14.6 lbs

Day 102 - Predictions

My Stats
Day 20 R2
169.6 lbs
R2: 10.4
Total: 39.4lbs

Yeah! I lost .6 lbs, enough to get me under 170! Jon is disappointed with his .4 lb loss though. He wants to make it to 220 this round and he thinks he won't make it at this rate. We've got 20 days left and he has 12 lbs to go. I think he can do it! I wanted to make it to 150. I'm pretty sure I won't make it. 20 days to go and 20 lbs. I guess it's possible, but not probable. I'm guessing maybe half that. 20 lbs in 40 days is still awesome!

So I had my "pulled pork sandwiches" through out the day and that's all I had. I added OJ with the last bit of it around dinner time. Jon had lemon pepper chicken and broccoli for lunch and steak with tomato basil soup for dinner. He snacked on melba and an apple in the evening. We were both perfect today!

Jon's Stats
232.4 lbs
-14.8 lbs

Day 101 - Size L

My Stats
Day 19 R2
170.2 lbs
R2: 9.8 lbs
Total: 38.8 lbs

Hmmm...a little disappointing. Jon only lost .4 lbs and I only lost .2. It makes me suspicious of the tomato basil soup. It WAS too good to be true. It was on Dr. Anna's recipes though. Oh well. I would be depressed except for my adventure last night. I finally went to get a new bra at my favorite store, CATO. I just got fitted at Victoria Secret a couple weeks ago. There's no way I'm spending $40 on a bra I'm going to grow out of in a month or so. CATO had great bras and GREAT clearance. Here's the fun part. I bought a size L top...ME ....a size L! It's still a little tight but for 5 bucks I couldn't turn it down! I’ll be in it in a couple weeks. They had some really cute shorts too on clearance. But they didn't have my size.....They were all too BIG!!! That has NEVER happened to me before. They didn't have a small enough size to fit me. I never imagined I would be in that predicament. I really hope I loose some today though. My TOM (time of month) is due by the end of the week and I know I won't be loosing then.

I did some cooking today and made myself beef broccoli for lunch. I experimented with some spices and it's a winner. I used ginger and paprika along with a bit of soy sauce. I also added onions this time. It was sooooo...goooood! When Jon got home he had the same thing. I had ....can you guess? That's right Oj and melba! I'm never hungry at dinner time. But if I don't eat something I'll go crazy with all the smells. And I like to sit down with my family for dinner. I think I will probably eat Oj and melba for a snack for the rest of my life. It's a new comfort food! Anyway. Jon had an apple after dinner. The only cheating I did today was accidentally licking my fingers when I was making the kids some homemade chocolate cereal. Hope it doesn't set me back to much. I really want to be under 170 tomorrow for our half way mark.

Jon's Stats
232.8 lbs
-14.4 lbs

Day 100 - Finally, a pretty good day

My Stats
Day 18 R2
170.4 lbs
R2: -9.6 lbs
Total: -38.6 lbs

I'm disgusted with myself. I have absolutely no will power and it shows. I haven't lost anything. As a matter of fact, I haven't lost anything since Friday. Jon lost .8 pounds again. Curious...since his apple day, he has lost exactly .8 pounds every single day. That's so funny.

I was pretty good today. I only had a pinch of cheese when I made the kids grilled cheese sandwiches. I had tomato basil soup for lunch and my oj and melba for dinner. Today I felt like I could have eaten nothing though. The only reason I ate was because if I didn't eat something I was allowed to, I would eat something I wasn't. Jon had stead and tomato basil soup for dinner. Neither one of us ate much at all yesterday. Should be a big payoff tomorrow!

Jon's Stats
233.2 lbs
-14 lbs

Day 99 - I just can't get it together

My stats
Day 17 R2
170.4 lbs
R2: -9.6
Total: - 38.6 lbs

Well ain't that great. Jon eats cake and he looses .8 lbs....again! I eat cake and only make it back to where I was before I ate the first cake. I can't blame it all on him. It was my choice to eat it. But it feels good to have a scapegoat. lol!

Jon didn't want to eat anything today to make up for the cake. He skipped lunch. I had a piece of steak and melba rounds. He had chicken fajitas for dinner and I had oj and melba. Then I screwed up again. Sheesh. Then I was putting up left over corndogs and had a bite. THEN the kids were out of cereal so I had to make them more. I'm still working out the recipe so I HAD to try it! The good news is....I think I finally have the base recipe perfected, but there are so many experiments awaiting me!

Jon's Stats
234 lbs
-13.2 lbs

Day 98 - We're not losers.....

My Stats
Day 16 R2
170.8 lbs
R2: -9.2 lbs
Total: -38.2 lbs

Just as I expected. I gained .4 lbs. Jon was ok though. The beef ribs didn't seem to affect him much. He lost another .8 lbs.

We had citrus fish and broccoli for lunch. I swiped a couple bites of cheese when I was making cheese quesadillas for the kids. We did fine for dinner. We went to a friend’s house and Jon took chicken fajitas. I took OJ and melba. There was leftover birthday cake. Jon caved for the first time and got a piece of cake. I couldn't help it watching him eat it so I got a piece too. We not losers today!

Jon's Stats
234.8 lbs
-12.4 lbs

Day 97 - Tough Day

My Stats
Day 15 R2
170.4 lbs
R2:- 9.6 lbs
Total: -38.6 lbs

Even with the bite of corn dog I lost .8 pounds. Jon lost exactly a pound. Yeah!

Today was tough. This diet becomes very hard when you are on the go. We woke up late and then had an early lunch of beef broccoli. We went to a birthday party for triplets and all was well until I spied the cheese. I ate a slice. Then all was fine until they cut the cake. I had a bite. Then all was fine until Caedon wanted one more bit of cake. He left some on the fork so I finished it. The all was fine until we visited Jon's Dad and they were cooking beef ribs when we got their. They invited us to eat. It wasn't tempting for me but Jon caved. We both ate a tomato and about 3 oz of beef ribs. I'm not expecting cheers of joy in the morning.


Jon's Stats
235.6 lbs
-11.6 lbs

Day 96 - Keepin' on

My Stats
Day 14 R2
171.2 lbs
R2: -8.8 lbs
Total: -37.8 lbs

Spaghetti or not I did good.  I lost 1.2 lbs today and Jon lost .8.  Sweet! 

We had lemon pepper fist and broccoli for lunch.  I had a bite of a corndog....I know, I know.  I had "pulled pork sandwiches" and OJ for dinner and Jon had Chicken fajitas.

Jon's Stats
236.6 lbs
-10.6 lbs

Day 95 - They circle of life

My Stats
Day 13 R2
172.4 lbs
R2: -7.6 lbs
Total: -36.6 lbs

Yeah! Hopefully Jon's plateau is broken. He lost 2.4 pounds but we'll see if he's good to go tomorrow! I lost .8 pounds. Not shabby.

Today was one of those days. You know a - nobody likes me, everybody hates me, I guess I'll go and eat worms - day. It's the circle of life. You go and go and do and do and when a hurt or a frustration comes along you either ignore it or stuff it because you don't have time OR energy to deal with it. But then the proverbial last straw floats innocently on to the pile. Then along with the back the dam breaks letting out all those problems, misconceptions, and pain in the form of tears and snot. Once the reservoirs of sorrow are depleted you feel just fine and your ready to take on the world again except for one thing. All the broken places have to be fixed and the only way to do that is….. chocolate and ice-cream.....or chocolate ice-cream. Then the cycle is complete. Plaster those cracks with Blue Bell and slap on a new coat of Hershey’s and all is right again. The problem is....I can't complete the cycle! I bought the kids hot fudge sundaes. I was amazed at how INEFFECTUAL that was. We had beef fajitas for lunch and I had melba. Jon had shrimp and salad for dinner and I had OJ and melba. I made the kids spaghetti and that's when enough was enough. I guess my southern engineered spaghetti patch will have to do for a few more weeks until the cycle can be completed properly. I think it will hold for a while anyway.


Jon's Stats
237.4 lbs
-9.8 lbs

Day 94 - Jon's Apple Day

My Stats
Day 12 R2
173.2 lbs
R2: -6.8 lbs
TL: -35.8 lbs

Well, I'm not surprised with my weight. Between eating late and my other slow issue it's not a worry to me. Jon on the other hand is in a desperate state. Personally I'm not sure why this isn't working for him. My best guess is that he has hit a plateau. I think 240 must have been where he has been most of our marriage. It's only been in the last 6 months or so he has put on the extra 10 pounds. He drank A LOT of water yesterday and cut out a fruit and his carbs. He still didn't loose anything. So he's having an apple day! He's not pleased with the idea but he is also not pleased with loosing less than 1/2 pound in 4 days.

He ate 4 apples all day. I had the rest of my "pulled pork sandwiches" for lunch and melba and OJ for dinner. I didn't eat much either today. I honestly wasn't hungry at all! Jon was miserable.

Jon's Stats
239.8 lbs
-7.4 lbs

Day 93 - "Pulled Pork Sandwiches"

My Stats
Day 11 R2
173.0 lbs
R2: 7 lbs
TL: -36 lbs

Yeah!  I lost 1.4 lbs.  I feel sorry for Jon though.  He only lost .2 lbs.  He's very, VERY frustraited.  He is doing so good and not cheating at all.  I told him to increase his water intake today and try not to have the melba.  If that doesn't work, he may do an apple day.  I'm not sure what's wrong.  He should be loosing a LOT.  He is so active and eating so little and on the HCG.  It just doesn't make sense.  My dad started HCG this weekend.  He only gained 2 pounds on loading.  Today, after his first day of VLCD (very low calorie diet) he lost 5.8 pounds!!!!  Can you believe that?  I told him he won for first day losses.  Has anyone else seen a bigger loss on the first day?  Let me know.

Well today is a big challenge for Jon all around.  He is an insurance adjuster and yesterday there were massive tornados all over Oklahoma.  His territory was devistated.  He left the house at 4am to start assessing damage.  Hopefully he will be fine with his apple, melba and tea he took.   He did make it home around lunch and I heated him up some crab bisque.  I had herb encrusted fish and sauted zuccini.  For dinner I made an experiement that was VERY successful.  I call it "Pulled Pork Sandwiches".  If course, there's no pork in it.....or bread...but the CONSEPT is what counts.  It's all a mental game this HCG diet!  So I made homemade barbeque sauce.  You can see the recipe here.  THEN  I took a serving of it, which counts as a veggie and put it a pan with a chicken portion and about half a chopped onion SINCE I just learned onions DON'T COUNT!  WOO HOO!  I put enough water to cover everything and then let it simmer down until the chicken was done and the sauce was back to a paste.  Then I used two forks to shreded the chicken.  THEN I put it on my melba. OOO BOY!!!  It was soooo gooood.  But it was really spicy and I couldn't finish it.  But sooo goood!  Jon loved it.  He did the whole day with only his two meals and an apple.  He skipped out on melba and another fruit.  I'm so proud of him.

Jon's Stats
239.8 lbs
-7.4 lbs

Day 92 - Back on a Roll.....mmmmm....rolls.....

My Stats
Day 10 R2
174.4 lbs
R2: 5.6 lbs
TL: -34.6

Woo Hoo! Back on a roll! I lost 1 lb and Jon lost .4 lbs. Now if I could only poo. I wouldn't worry about it except that I'm becoming increasingly uncomfortable. I was going to take some "smooth move" tea, but just thinking about it got the old system rolling.
I wasn't hungry AT ALL today and Jon said the same thing. I had beef broccoli and melba arouond 12 when I made the kids lunch though. Jon had an issue at work. He had a manditory lunch at a restraunt. He decided to just take his apple and melba. He said it was the most embarassing thing he had ever done. I was thinking...."Try birthing a child." Being on a diet in front of other people is childs play compared to having the whole world inspect your most private parts. Nothing bothers you after that! I had OJ and melba for dinner and Jon had herb encrusted tilapia with sauteed zucchini. We both did really well today!

Jon's Stats
240.0 lbs
-7.2 lbs

Day 91 - Bye, Bye, Boobies and Eating out

My Stats
Day 9 R2
175.2 lbs
R2:- 4.8 lbs
TL: -33.8 lbs

Well, I gained another .2 lbs. Jon stayed the same. We're both frustrated only because we are not cheating AT ALL. It's discouraging when you say no to so much and don't get any results. I know my issues, which are two fold. First I'm fertile. I retain water when I'm fertile and as last time I was on HCG I gain and loose very little during this time. My second issue is, since the last time I mentioned my bowls there has been no activity. That was 5 days ago, and as previously discussed....poo weighs a LOT. Knowing this helps me keep a brave face for Jon. He is really discouraged. But I keep encouraging him that it's ok, he'll loose again tomorrow. To help ease his frustration I agreed to go out to eat yesterday, a brave venture considering our current situation. I was willing to take the blow if it would take the edge off for Jon.

We had left church when we decided to eat out. Being Mother's day we didn't want to eat right away because of the waits at restaurants so I popped into Wal-Mart and bought a bag of apples, a box of melba, and a 12 oz bottle of OJ. Jon and the kids had apples and I ate my melba and OJ. Then we went to the mall for my mother's day present. I desperately need new bras, not because they are falling apart, but because they don't fit me anymore. My boobs are literally falling out! I got professionally measured and fitted. Sigh, oh sigh. I've gone down a cup size. On the bright side, I can now wear a push up bra....OOOH MAMA!

After our foray at the mall we headed to Texas Roadhouse and waited for 45 minutes even at 3 o'clock. Jon and I shared a 6 oz sirloin with no butter. My side was tomatoes and his was broccoli. I think he had two peanuts while we waited but we both turned down the rolls. I smelled them very deeply though! Jon kind of splurged and ate all his broccoli which was probably about 2 oz too much. I ate all my tomato which was probably just a little more than normal. Later in the evening I just wanted to EAT, so I had a couple more melba. I did start peeing copious amounts during the evening. I think I'm releasing some of that retained water. Yeah!

Jon's Stats
240.4 lbs
-6.8 lbs

Day 90 - First Gains

My Stats
Day 8 R2
175.0 lbs
R2: -5 lbs
TL: -34 lbs

Jon lost .4 lbs today. He's pretty discouraged. Oh....I remember the woes of R1 like they were yesterday....well they were only 2 months ago. I remember how NOT loosing at least a pound was depressing. How I've changed. R2 has caused me much less anxiety because I know what to expect. I gained .2 lbs today. I'm not discouraged and I'm not upset. I know that for the next couple days I'm not going to loose much because I'm fertile right now. When I was fertile last time it really messed with my mind because I was supposed to be loosing A LOT and I wasn't. Now I know it's just how my body reacts and I'm going to roll with it! I am going to try hard today to get all my water in though. That always makes a difference.

Jon had melba and an apple. I wasn't hungry so I didn't eat anything. For lunch we had lemon pepper chicken. Jon had beef broccoli for dinner and I had oj and melba. I managed most of my liquids for the day. We'll see!


Jon's Stats
240.4 lbs
-6.8 lbs

Day 89 - Oj Indiscretion

My Stats
Day 7 R2
174.8 lbs
R2: -5.2 lbs
TL: -34.2 lbs

I lost .8 lbs and Jon lost 1 lb.

Today I was hungry. I ate to maximum. I had OJ and melba for breakfast, crab bisque for lunch, and beef fajitas, OJ, and melba for dinner. I'm glad I did it, even though your not supposed to have the same fruit in a day (we were out of apples), because I wasn't miserable. I also noticed that I'm entering my fertile cycle. Last time I did that I gained some and lost very little for a couple of days. That coupled with my OJ indiscretion means I'm expecting very little loss tomorrow. Jon had shrimp salad for lunch, beef fajitas for dinner and took an apple to the movies with the kids to munch on. I don’t think either one of us drank as much as we were supposed to though.

Jon's Stats
240.8 lbs
-6.4 lbs

Day 88 - Read 'em and weep!

My Stats
Day 6 R2
175.6 lbs
R2: -4.4 lbs
TL: -33.4 lbs

I lost more today than Jon did. Na na na na na na! He lost .6, I lost 1.2! I know, I know. But it's the small things in life that give me joy. He's really upset though. I'm TRYING to be encouraging.

We had lunch again together and we had bruchetta chicken. YUM! My favorite. I had melba and oj for dinner and Jon had Crab Bisque. I should have had it too. By bed time, I was starving. I went to bed anyway though. Hopefully I won't wake up hungry.


Jon's Stats
241.8 lbs
-5.4 lbs

Day 87 - Men suck

My Stats
Day 5 R2
176.8 lbs
R2: -3 lbs
TL: -32.2 lbs

Well, it's obviously true. Jon lost another 3 lbs. I ONLY lost 1.6 lbs. :) That brings his total to almost 5 lbs and my total to his one day loss of 3 lbs. Men suck! Oh well. Right on cue my body is "detoxing". It's the same as last time, lots of diarrhea. No pain, cramping, or sickness, just lots of stuff evacuating. Aren't you glad you read my blog today!!!

Jon came home for lunch because he forgot to take water or anything with him. He had coffee today though and he said it helped with his energy level and focus. We also decided that it is better to eat lunch. Of course we can have lunch and dinner, but last time I didn't need both meals. He was trying to be stoic and keep up with me but now I think he is going to eat both meals. I snacked on melba during the morning and we both had steak and tomato for lunch. I had melba and OJ for dinner and Jon had shrimp with salad. We kept busy in the evening because we're both dying of cravings!!!!

Jon's Stats
242.4 lbs
-4.8 lbs

Day 86 - First Losses

My Stats
Day 4 R2
178.4 lbs
R2: -1.4 lbs
TL: -30.6 lbs

I love the results of the first VLCD. I lost 2.4 lbs and Jon lost 4.2 lbs. We are both under our starting weight today! This time around is definitely much easier. It's hardest at night when Jon and I are both used to snacking. We haven't caved yet!

We ate the same today. Jon had an apple and melba toast during the day. I had melba scattered through the day with some OJ. We both had chicken fajitas for dinner.

Jon's Stats
245.4 lbs
-1.8 lbs

Day 85 - "Hello? Ralph?"

My stats
Day 3 R2
180.8 lbs
R2 : +1 lbs
TL: 28.2 lbs

"Yeah it's me. I'm calling from the porcelain telephone."

I ate too much yesterday. Last round I just FELT like throwing up after loading, this morning I succeeded. It was the oddest thing. I had those nasty burps like last time on loading but then this morning I instantly felt like I had to throw up. There was not sick feeling, no cramping just...I'm going to throw up now. Jon even called out from the bedroom..."Who's throwing up?" I responded between hurls, "Oh, it's just me." Now, you know when you’re sick your answer is a gut wrenching "Meeeeeeeeeeee...." I just had too much to eat. The even weirder thing was that I only threw up the carrots, tomatoes, and hamburger from my spaghetti lunch yesterday! How is that even possible? No potato soup, no bacon, no ice cream, no broccoli, no noodles, no sausage....just carrots, tomatoes, and hamburger with copious amounts of fluid. When I was done I felt completely normal too. No sick feeling although later I was a little sore. You know how that goes.

I think this HCG brand is much better than the last by far. Jon is even commenting on how much food doesn't even LOOK good. When he got to work today there were three cakes, banana nut bread, and sausage and biscuits. He said that they didn't even tempt him, which normally he would have really wanted it but it just didn't seem like he wanted to put anything in his mouth. That's how I feel today too. Last round I definitely wasn't hungry, but I wanted to put EVERYTHING in my mouth. This stuff is good! I only gained .2 lbs and Jon gained .8 lbs. So I only gained 1 pound total on loading and I was TRYING to gain. My metabolism is a different creature!

I had a perfect day. I snacked throughout the day on 4 melba toasts. I drank my water too. I had Citrus fish and broccoli for dinner with some OJ. Jon snacked on melba and an apple during the day and had the same dinner I did. We had a reception for Girl Scouts in the evening with all kinds of cookies and yummy stuff. I didn't eat a thing! Jon had a strawberry and a celery stick. Go Jon!!! I have to admit, last night was a little difficult. Those cookies looked really good. It was easier to say no this time though!

Jon's stats
249.6
+ 2.4 lbs

Day 84 - More loading

My stats
Day 2 Round 2
180.6 lbs
R2: +.8 lbs
Total:-28.4 lbs

I really am trying to gain weight here! My first loading day on R1 I gained 4 lbs, and this time though I really ate a LOT and only gained .8 lbs. This is ramping up to a great round!!

I planned to eat cinnimion rolls for breakfast but I forgot to start them last night so we had oatmeal with lots of butter and sugar and I ate A LOT!!!

We had spaghetti for lunch and I ate A LOT!!!

Jon and I shared the last bit of ice cream for a snack and then I had left over potato soup and I ATE A LOT!!!

Then Jon went out and got more ice cream and between us and the kids we finished it off. You know we can't have ice cream hanging around the house.

I made losts of meals for Jon and I in the evening. All we have to do is pop one in the microwave now. that should be very helpful.

Jon's Stats
Day 2
248.8 lbs
+ 1.6 lbs

Day 83 - It's loading time!

My Stats
Day 1 Round 2
179.8 lbs
This Round: 0
Total: -29.2 lbs

Here we go again! Yeah!! Jon and I took our first shots without incident this morning. We had eggs, bacon, pancakes, and oatmeal for breakfast. I had left over burrito fixings for lunch with out the tortilla. We were out of tortillas. I finished Charis' and Caedons microwave hamburgers...YUCK! Then I had a bite of a butter finger, some recess pieces, and m&ms. Not whole bags, just bites. Then we found some old Girl Scout cookies and I ate a few of those. Guess what I made for diner? The one thing I can never resist, can you guess? Potato Soup!!! It was ok. Really, Jon and I can both tell the HCG is working because food just isn't appetizing. He noticed it at lunch time. It's working already!!! It didn't work on dessert though. Blue Bell ice cream with Hershey’s chocolate syrup. It was sooo...goood! I haven't had it for 82 days. It will probably be another 82 before I have it again too. Can't wait to see how much I GAINED tomorrow. But that's the point for loading days...sort of.

Jon’s Stats
Day 1 Round 1
249.2 lbs

Day 82 - Last Day

Day 36 Maintenance
180.0 lbs
TL: 29 lbs
FMW: -2 lbs

Today is my last day of maintenance! I like even numbers, so even though I gained a little I'm pleased with all the whole numbers. I'm so ready to start tomorrow. I'm ready to loose more. This time around will be so much easier. I know what I'm doing, I won't be as stressed with every little fluxuation in the scale, and Jon is doing it with me so I'm not having to cook stuff I can't eat! Yeah!! I've felt this excited anticipation before. It was like waiting to go to Six Flags when I was a kid. I wanted to go so bad the day of the trip. My stomach hurt and I felt like if I had to wait another second I would explode. I can't wait for tomorrow!!!

Day 81 - Just a normal day.

Day 35 Maintenance 179.4 LBS
TL: 29.6 lbs
FMW: -2.6 lbs

Still on track! I lost 1.2 lbs just for being a little cautious yesterday. Just a little anyway.

I had rice for breakfast and a pbj for lunch. I made burritos for dinner and only had one. When we were cleaning up later though Charis had left almost half a burrito and couldn't stand for it to go to waste so I ATE it. That habit has got to go. I feel so yucky now. I could have just put it into a zip lock. For shame on me.

Day 80 - And the payment for pizza and coke......

Day 34 Maintenance
180.6 lbs
TL 28.4
FMW: -1.4 lbs

1 pound...and not the British kind. But it was soooo worth it. On to the new plan. TODAY I'm going to be good. That's the plan. PLAN!

Oatmeal for breakfast, and a slice of cheese and some melba for lunch. I also had a slice of bread with some jelly. We had nothing in the cupboards so we got a bag of burgers from Bram's on the way to the grocery store. NEVER grocery shop hungry. I got all we needed for the next couple weeks of HCG and for our loading days this weekend. I can't WAIT!

Day 79 - And Payment for the Cake Judging....

Day 33 Maintenance
179.6 lbs
TL: 29.4 lbs
FMW: -2.4 lbs

Well I didn't think there wouldn’t be some consequences for that. It wasn't bad though. I only gained .8 lbs. I’m still under 180. The plan was to be really good today. That was the plan. Yeah...plan.

I had eggs for breakfast and left over chicken, potato salad, and beans for lunch. I snacked on granola too. I'm almost out. Should I make more? Na...it wouldn't be gone before I started the VLCD and it's way too tempting. I caved for dinner. I ordered pizza and had three slices. IT WAS A smaller Pizza! Don't judge me! But of course, you can't have pizza without...COKE! Oh sweet nectar from Heaven! Succulent caffeinated bliss! You would think after 79 days without it, it would taste nasty, or too sweet. I'm here to testify...it didn't! It was scrumptious in all its carbonated, corn syrup glory! I now know why alcoholics can't have just ONE beer after years of sobriety, or ex-smokers can't just BE around smokers, or ex druggies can't have just one drag. I can't have coke with pizza. BAD MOJO!!!

Day 78 - The Payment for eating out and late.....

Day 32 Maintenance
178.8 lbs
TL: 30.2 lbs
FMW: -3.2 lbs

Is AWESOME!!! What do I have to do to gain some weight around here!!! I lost less than this during HCG sometimes. I'm half tempted to put of the HCG this weekend and just see how normal life keeps going......Na!!!! If I'm loosing this much with out HCG, just think how much I'll loose on! Maybe I'll shoot for 40 LBS this time.....Ok…..I'm getting a little greedy.

I had rice for breakfast and a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch. I snacked on granola too. I had rotisserie chicken for dinner with potato salad. THEN....I went to girl scouts and the boy scouts had a son/father cake bake off. They needed judges and there were only two people in the entire building that didn't have connections to the bakers. I selflessly offered my services. It was really fun. I'm glad that I had lost a couple of pounds because I might have been nervous the entire time. The most interesting cake was the kitty litter cake. I was a box with a plastic liner. In the box looked like course sand and turds with a pooper scooper sticking up out of it. It looked like the real thing. We saved it for last to taste! It was actually really good. It was a spice cake completely crumbled up with gram crackers crumbled on top of that. The "turds" were partially melted tootsie rolls!!! HA!

Day 77 - Just another day

Day 31 Maintenance
179.8 lbs
TL: 29.2 lbs
FMW: -2.2 lbs

Nothing but smiles!  Gained .4 lbs. No biggie.

I had eggs for breakfast, a late lunch of granola and snaked on it most of the day.  There was mix up with dinner and crazy stuff (pray for us if you will) and had a Braum's hamburger at 9:30.  Hopefully the working in the garden today will balance out eating so late.  I'll probably pay though.

Day 76 - Joy 1, Joy 2, Joy 3

Day 30 Maintenance
179.4 lbs
TL: 29.6 lbs
FMW: -2.6 lbs

Joy 4, Joy 5, Joy 6, Joy 7! When I asked my HCG friends what I should do if I went below my ending weight, one friend said, "Count it all Joy!" I'm sitting here bawling and counting my joy. I lost another .8 lbs doing NOTHING. Jon wasn't here to talk to and he's out in the middle of nowhere so I can't get in touch. I called my mom. She thought something was wrong, but I was just so happy. The only times I've ever cried for happiness were when I met Jon, when my children were born, and now. Now I officially weigh less than I have in 10 years. TEN YEARS!!! I was perfectly content with staying at 182 for a month, but this is such an incredible gift! It is a milestone I was going to have to delay. But I get to celebrate it exactly 30 days into maintenance, a time I thought would be difficult and wrought with struggle. It has been a breeze and a blessing. Thank you for sharing it with me!

I ate more granola for breakfast and then spent all morning and afternoon in the yard mowing and FINALLY planting my garden. I didn't come in until around 2 and then had more cornbread skillet for a late lunch and yes...there is still more left. For diner I had a hunk of cheese and the kids had PB&J. I also had a little granola. Pretty good day.

Day 75 - Sweet Mother of....!

Day 29 Maintenance
180.2 lbs
TL: 28.8 lbs
FMW: -1.8 lbs

Sweet mother of......! I don't have much more to say than that. Another low. I'm not supposed to loose anymore than that. I wonder what I should do. I will consult the all knowing HCG yahoo group. They always have the HCG answers.

I had eggs for breakfast, left over skillet cornbread for lunch (man this stuff lasts forever!) and left over beans for diner. I made some more granola because SOMEONE poured a cup of tea into the bag with the old granola. I'm not sure, but I think their name starts with Caedon! Anyway, I ate way too much granola and gave myself a tummy ache. I watched a chick flick with Charis and stayed up late since the Jon and Eythan are on a Boy Scout camping trip.

Day 74 - Back to normal

Day 28 Maintenance
181.0 lbs
TL: 28 lbs
FMW: -1 lb

Still there! I only gained .2 lbs. I'm so sore today from working in my garden last night. I'll say its muscle gain! LOL! Not that it's a huge deal. I just can't get over how easy it has been to keep this weight off. If you look at my weight chart (click on it to the left of the blog!) you can see my body adjusting to the weight. The first couple days after HCG the graph makes some very sharp changes, very drastic ups and downs. Now the pattern is back to a normal, steady up and down, more like waves than cliffs. It is not as sharp as right after HCG.

I had oatmeal for breakfast and left over cornbread skillet for lunch. Eythan came home from a Boy Scout thing and had some chips. I ate a few. I made a big ol' pot of beans (or as we refer to it around here...pork stew) and had a bowl with rice for diner. I crashed on the couch after that because I feel like I'm getting sick. Caedon has been running fever for the last few days and I think he may have passed it along. Yeah.

Day 73 - I love HCG!!

Day 27 Maintenance
180.8 lbs
TL: 28.2lbs.
FMW: -1.2 lbs

I love this diet. I love what it has done for my body. I love how it is teaching me to eat. I love how easy it is. I love that I'm 1.2 lbs under my goal weight. I love HCG!!!

So Jon's work was having an omelet bar for breakfast this morning. They called me special to see if I could make biscuits. I had to get up extra early to get them started and finished. I went ahead and made some for us and then made a batch of sausage gravy. MMMMM!!! Sausage gravy and biscuits......I'm sorry for those on the VLCD. You can have some in 40 days plus three weeks! I'll make them for you and mail them! I had Charis' left over half a biscuit and gravy for lunch. For dinner I made something new. It's called a Cornbread skillet meal. It was SOOOO GOOOD! It was an all in one thing. It took no time at all and it was completely homemade! You brown a lb of hamburger, and then mix it in with a can of diced tomatoes, two tablespoons of flour and two cups of your choice of veggies. I chose onions and celery because that's what I had, but you could use anything you like. You also put in some spices, a tablespoon each of garlic powder and chili powder, and then a little salt. You also make your corn bread. There really is no point in buying a mix. It's easy! One cup each of flour, milk and cornmeal, 1/4 cup each of sugar and oil, two eggs, and a tablespoon of baking powder. For the meal you put half the cornbread mix in the cast iron skillet you cooked the meat in. (You could also use any kind of baking dish if you don't have cast iron. But the cast iron skillet makes it look so cool!) Then you spread the meat mixture on and put cheese on top of it, any cheese you want! Then you put the rest of the corn bread mixture on and cook it for 35 minutes in a 350 oven. AWESOME! Add a salad and you’re done with dinner. I had a couple spoonfuls around 10 while I was putting up the leftovers. I'm sure that will affect my weight in the morning some.

Day 72 - I've reached new lows....

Day 26 Maintenaince
180.8 lbs
TL: 28.2 lbs
FMW: -1.2 lbs

In totally a good way! Look what one day of being good got me. The scales finally hit the elusive 180's. I lost 1.6lbs just being a little careful. Of course not being at home put a damper in my goodness. I had egos for breakfast and my Nana made hamburger helper, potatoes, and green beans. We headed home after that and then my car broke down 30 min from home! Ugh. Jon came to my rescue and by the time I got home I just wanted to eat. We had Taco Bell. I ate a taco and a bean burrito. Oh well. I'm tired and grumpy from driving for 3 hours then being stuck on the highway for another hour. Tomorrow will be a better day.

Day 71 - You knew it was coming......

Day 25 Maintenance
182.4 lbs
TL: 26.6 lbs
FMW: +.4 lbs

We knew it was coming...I'm up over a pound today. It was just the motivation I needed to get my act in order...mostly. For breakfast I had eggs with cheese. Then we jumped in the car and drove to Dallas. My mom took us out for lunch at Ton's Mongolian Grill. If you have never been to a Mongolian grill it's a pretty neat place. It's like a salad bar with meat and veggies and seasonings and stuff. You pick what you want and then they stir fry it on a giant grill. I did really good. I picked all meat and veggies and no carbs! Go me! Then they brought us out a bowl of ice cream. I took two bites then pushed it away. If I was going to cheat it was going to be worth it and THAT ice cream was not worth the calories! Then I went to my sisters. I wasn't going to eat but they had hummus and I'd never had good hummus. I wound up having hummus and whole grain chips for dinner. YUM! Today was a good day.

Day 70 - Learning Curve

Day 24 Maintenance
181.2 lbs
TL: 27.8 lbs
FMW: -.8 lbs

Hmmm. I'll take it. I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop. I just haven't been good to my body this last week. I'm actually ashamed of what I've put into it. Of course...it hasn't stopped from eating CHOCOLATE yesterday and cookies the day before! And it didn't stop me from having Cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Store bought cinnamon rolls at that! They really weren’t worth it. I had brisket, mashed potatoes, and carrots with sweet tea for lunch. THAT was worth it. For dinner we got a bag of burgers from Braum's. I ate one and wished I hadn't. It messed me up. Why haven't I learned?! Tomorrow must be a better day. I just don't feel as well when I put this crap in my body.

Day 69 - How much do you weigh....on the moon?

Day 23 Maintenance
???
TL???
FMW???

We spent last night at the science museum. I was bummed that I wasn't going to get to weigh before breakfast, but as I was headed to the bathrooms, low and behold there were scales! Of course I realized quickly that I wasn't going to be able to weigh naked in the middle of the museum so my exhilaration was short lived. I stepped on the scales and waited for them to spin to a stop. It read 29 lbs 3 oz. What? Then I looked at the sign above the scales. "How much do you weigh on the moon?" LOL! Well I know how much I weigh on the moon at least. I ate the only breakfast available at 6 am in the museum. I had chocolate rice crispies with milk. I got home and weighed and it said 182.4. Not bad. I crashed and got up at noon, went to the bathroom and weighed again. It said 181.2. I upped it a little on weight chart and just said I weighed 181.4. We'll find out the real damage tomorrow. I had left over home made pizza for lunch and a chocolate lava cake! Then we went to the dollar movies and saw Avatar. When we got home Jon made chicken fried rice. I had a little and some more lava cake. Then me and Charis went up stairs and ate the rest of the cool whip out of the bowl with giant spoons. I think I will suffer. There can not be a good out come for my bad food behavior......unless I move to the moon.

Day 68 - Long day

Day 22 Maintenance
181.2 lbs
TL: 27.8 lbs
FMW: -.8lbs

It seems staying out late agrees with my weight. McDonald's does not agree with my system though. I've been so sick this morning. But it could have to do with the lack of sleep, the massive head ache, and the major to do list awaiting me.

I had eggs and a little bit of chocolate granola. I washed it down with fresh, raw milk! MMMMMM! I didn't eat lunch until pretty late. I had the left over chicken stir fry. Then I spent the rest of the afternoon making individual pizza crusts for Eythan's sleep over. I HAD to take a nap around 3 though. I was feeling so sick from lack of it. I left the house around 6 to go to an all nighter for girl scouts. I pigged out! I had yummy, yummy for my tummy pimento cheese. I hadn't had that in so long I ate an entire sandwich. Another mom had made oatmeal cranberry cookies that were to die for. I probably had 5 over the course of the night. I also drank lemonade and sweet tea. I didn't get to bed until around 1:30 or 2.

So why was I up so late the night before?  I can't figure out how to add it to my blog, but I was recording!  Yes!  I finally got to record a song.  It isn't completely done but it's enough.  It was an awesome experience.  Hopefully with more to follow.

Day 67 - In the wake of little chocolate donuts

Day 21 Maintenance
182.0 lbs
TL: 27.0 lbs
FMW: 0 lbs

Either I'm really lucky or my metabolism has changed. I lost .4 lbs even after the little chocolate donuts. This is too good to be true! And we all know what that really means. But it seems in this case it might be. Here's the deal though. Remember when I was on the rag last time? Dr. Simmons said that I shouldn't have been hungry but I was. So most people gain weight before and on their period. I lost weight right before to the point I was even lower than my HCG weight and I've maintained beautifully even eating the crap I've been eating. I think I'm just weird.

So I had chocolate granola for breakfast. Much, MUCH better than chocolate donuts! I'm serious! Then we went to Maggie Moo's for free ice cream on tax day. Well, THIS Maggie moos' didn't do it so it was a wasted trip. I had promised the kids if they finished their homework I would take them and now there was no free ice cream. So we wound up eating lunch at McDonald’s. I HATE McDonald’s, but I did it for the kids. I would have been happy to never put another piece of crap hamburger from McDonald’s in my mouth again. I literally thing this stuff is poison. But I took one for the kids and poisoned myself with a burger. Then, at dinner, I had half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich before I jetted out the door to work on a special project. If I can figure out how to show you on here I will. Otherwise I'll just tell you tomorrow. I didn't get back until 2 am so well see if I can figure it out!

Day 66 - I got to get it together

Day 20 Maintenance
182.4 lbs
TL: 26.6 lbs
FMW: +.4lbs

Things are really ok weight wise.  I'm not proud of how I'm eating though.

I had little chocolate donuts for breakfast.  Yeah...you heard right.  Little chocolate donuts.  I ate some leftover chicken for lunch and then some cheese in the afternoo.  I made chicken stirfry for dinner and I did eat it with rice this time.  I also made some granola bars for dessert. 

I really need to get this under control though.  It gets so hard at the end of a pay period.  Oh well.  Tomorrow is another day.

Day 65 - Huh?!

Day 19 Maintenance
181.8 lbs
TL: 27.2 lbs
FMW: -.2 lbs

LOL! I lost!

I had rice with butter, milk and sugar for breakfast. I had to dip into my dooms day stash for lunch because my bread wasn't thawed out from the freezer and SOMEONE dripped the peanut butter so we would only have jelly sandwiches anyway. We had corned beef hash and green beans. I felt pretty sick after that. I started a pear buckle in the crock pot after lunch to have with Anne at dinner. She made us Chicken and rice casserole with rolls and salad. YUM! I had two rolls...I shouldn't have. I had lemonade. I shouldn't have. I had Pear buckle and vanilla ice cream.....I shouldn't have. At some point this badness is going to catch up with me...I just know it.

Day 64 - Another Bad Day

Day 18 Maintenance
182.0 lbs
TL: 27 lbs
FMW: 0 lbs

No change. I'm down with that. I had a horrible eating day yesterday. I did bad. I'm also starting...you know...STARTING. This is good because it will give me a good two weeks on HCG before I have the dreaded TOM.

I really pushed it today. I had chocolate chip cookies for breakfast and left over pizza for lunch. I didn't have much and added a couple pieces of cheese for snack later on. We had a girl scout project in the evening where the girls made dinner and served us. I had barbeque baked beans....from a can, fruit salad, and a sloppy joe on WHITE bread. White bread from the store. Nutrition less, preservative and additive filled, fluffy, succulent, velvet white bread. Ohhhhh....it was so good. Then I had two desserts. TWO! I had a coconutty, chocolaty, caramely, yummy thing and something called a banana split cake. And I washed it down with Caedon's left over Sunkist.......mmmmmm....caffeine.....

I am terrified of the scales tomorrow.

Day 63 - Test Complete

Day 17 Maintenance 182.0
TL: 27 lbs
FMW: 0 lbs

Well, I did it. I tried to think of the one thing I would love to have more than anything else. If I was going to indulge, It was going to be good, really good. I thought of Ben and Jerry Ice cream. Phish food to be exact. It's chocolate ice cream with little chocolate chips in the shape of fish, with marshmallow and caramel swirls. I think I gained the pound just thinking about it. I also thought of Karen's experience with movie popcorn the other day and the pain she was in from have synthetic food. B&J ice cream is full of synthetic ingredients so I thought some more. I thought of cheesecake, cookies, carrot cake, tiramisu, brownies but none of them hit the spot. The one thing I could think of too indulge in were the homemade granola bars I made the other day. So I got all ready to go to the store to get the chocolate chips to make them and I got a phone call. It was our friend’s daughter. "Emily? I'll be at your house in 5 minutes. I have the cookie dough your husband ordered." My evening had just changed! When I got the cookies I read the ingredients and the only unnatural thing in the cookies was some partially hydrogenated oil in one of the kinds of chocolate chips. And what was I just going to buy? So, over the course of the evening I ate 12 cookies in various stages of cookedness and two glasses of milk. Horrible dinner, I know, but they were sooooo gooood! The result was a one pound gain even though I mowed the lawn yesterday and hardly ate anything else. Maybe I went a little overboard. 12 cookies? But the obvious outcome here is that OCCSIONAL means occasional, and MODERATION means moderation. I'm still in the safe zone, but a 1 pound gain is still serious.

So back to the grind. I had two fried eggs for breakfast, left over succotash for lunch and personal homemade pizza for dinner. Of course Jon made cookies. I can't remember how many I ate. I know it was accompanied by a glass of milk and I also had sweet tea for dinner.

I've really fallen off the wagon. I have a serious sugar addiction. Alcoholics can't go to bars. I can't have cookie dough in the freezer. I am resolved to be a better example of HCG dieting......starting tomorrow. There are still cookies on the counter and milk in the fridge.

Day 62 - Testing the waters.

Day 16 Maintenance
181.0 lbs
TL: 28lbs
FMW: -1lbs

I'm so excited! Not that I lost another .2 lbs and I'm lower than even on the HCG now, but that I'm eating normally and my weight is steadily going down! I'm only making very minor changes in my diet. I'm skipping on a lot of carbs but eating enough fiber to keep the plumbing running smoothly. Of course there are the bigger changes, changes I needed and wanted to change anyway. I'm not eating out, eating sweets like crazy, or drinking soda. But we know those things are B-A-D anyway. You know, I'm really considering eating some ice cream tonight. Hold on before you judge me! Dr. Simmons says you can indulge occasionally and it won't affect your weight as much as before HCG. I'm really excited to see the outcome of an indulgence. I let you know if I did the deed tomorrow. It will be my little secret until then.

I had two eggs and apple juice for breakfast. Then I went out and mowed the yard. I had a late lunch of left over spaghetti sauce. There was very little left. I spent the rest of the night doing my taxes and watching episodes of X files and Torchwood.

Day 61 - Metabolism....changing.....habits....changing....

Day 15 Maintenance
181.2 lbs
TL: 27.8lbs
FMW: - .8lbs

Are you kidding? Another loss? I'll take it. I really believe that perhaps my metabolism is changing like Dr. Simmons suggests. It's not that I ate a bunch of bad food yesterday, but I ate more than normal. I ate to the point of stuffing myself. Of course certain behaviors have changed too. I don't drink soda anymore. I haven’t had that for 59 days. I haven't asked Jon to go get me a pint of ice cream for 59 days. I also didn't eat lunch yesterday because I wasn't hungry. Used too, I would eat because it was time to eat. Karen is right. This is the best behavior modification program out there. It's modifying my behavior.....and I grew up Baptist!

I had a pita with honey and butter for breakfast and an early dinner of pasta sauce and mozzarella. When I say pasta sauce, we're not talking marinara. It has hamburger, kielbasa, mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, and of course tomato. It is really, really good.

The kids and Jon left me alone this weekend. I’m really craving sweets tonight. I think it has to do with not having to share. I always want the good stuff when I know I won’t have to share. Hopefully I make it through the weekend without caving. Or maybe I will on purpose!

Day 60 - Carb heavy day

Day 14 Maintenance
181.4 lbs
TL: 27.6lbs.
FMW: -.4 lbs

WOO! HOO! I'm under! And I'm eating carbs! I think this has a lot to do with my little release yesterday though. I'm going to continue eating how I'm eating. Whole grains, fruits, veggies and as close to free range organic meat and eggs as I can afford. I'll just omit as much carbs and sugar as possible without dipping into the rest of the families meat and veggie allotment.

Well today would be like two months since I started this journey. 60 days. I still have 27 lbs under my belt.....or should I say out of my belt. On any other diet you are supposed to loose a pound or two a week. Even at two pounds a week I would only possibly be at a 20 pound loss AND I would still need to be working out....which isn't going to happen. We've decided to start a little early on the next round because of some Boy Scout camping trips and family obligations that would be hard to navigate on this diet. We are starting May 1st. That leaves me 22 days of maintenance. I can do it!

I ate fairly normally today, like I did before the diet. I had rice with milk, butter, and sugar for breakfast. I wasn't hungry for lunch but later on I had some cheese (yes....I know). For dinner we had spaghetti. I just omitted the noodles, but the sauce was so good I had two helpings. I really shouldn't have. We are studying the Phoenicians in history right now so we made Phoenician pita as part of a project. We all had half a pita with butter and honey for dessert. MMMMM....pita.

Day 59 - Carbs are good!

Day 13 Maintenance
186.2 lbs
TL: 26.4 lbs
FMW: +.6 lbs

Looks like carbs aren't the devil! I'm still taking it easy though. I could be eating a lot more than I am. I also haven't added sugar back in. I really don't want to though. I'm not craving that stuff anymore. It's like I kicked the habit.

I had eggs and orange slices for breakfast and the kids’ leftover eggs and oranges for lunch. I also had a slice of cheese later....because I finally pooped! Wow! What a difference a couple days of fiber will do for you! For dinner I finally made the succotash (potatoes, onion, bell pepper, and kielbasa). I ate mostly the meat and veggies with some potato.

I'm still nervous about eating the carbs, but so far it doesn't seem to be too bad.

Day 58 - Sufferin' Succotash!

Day 12 Maintenance
182.6 lbs
TL: 26.4 lbs
FMW: + .6lbs

Still safe. The carbs didn't cause a catastrophic gain. I actually lost almost a pound, .8lbs to be exact. When I weighed I hadn't gone #2 for two days so I guess the tea is going to be a staple in my diet for a while. (Aren't you just getting tired about hearing about my bathroom issues?!) But I did go a little later on.

I had yogurt with strawberry preserves for breakfast and made the kids toast. For lunch I had homemade Ramen and some edemmome. I LOVE edemmome. For dinner the plan was to have succotash. Instead I went to the emergency room to have my finger tip sewn back on. A couple of weeks ago I bought a mandolin, not the musical instrument, a slicer. It's like a cheese grater but on and angle and it has one blade with attachments to make french fries. We'll the kids put the finger guard somewhere and I thought to myself, "I don't need a stinking finger guard. I'm way smart enough to use this thing without it." Apparently I wasn't. I basically sliced my fingerprint off my right ring finger. It was still barely attached. The doc said he couldn't sew it back on though because of the type of slice it was had cut all the blood vessels and that that piece of skin would die and I'd be left with a hole in my finger. He was just going to cut that part off but I was being such a baby he just left it on to fall off on its own. I think he realized just how deep a cut it was when he started messing with it and realized there were at least some nerves working!

So after our er visit all I wanted was an ice cream cone. I settled for a taco salad from Taco Bell, I ordered it without rice and I didn't eat the shell. I’m so good.

It's really hard to type.

Day 57 - Stupid mainenance

Day 12 Maintenance
183.4 lbs
TL: 25.6 lbs
FMW: +1.4 lbs

Gained a little. Still under. I'm totally not on maintenance today. It's too epxensive for me to be on maintenance. I went shopping on Thursday and everything I can eat...except for cheese....is gone or has plans for another dish for the family. Also, I can't stand what it's doing to my bowels. I need fiber. And lets face it...I'm not going to get it from greens...those are even more expensive than meat and cheese AND I either don't like them or they don't digest and cause me pain. What's not expensive? Grains. I could afford the food on VLCD because I ate so little of it. So I had a homemade granola bar for breakfast and a small bowl of left over chicken and dumplings for lunch. For dinner, I had some chicken with miracle whip and cheese. Sort of like a sandwich without the bread. We'll see how much this affects my weight!

Day 56 - Easter

Day 11 Maintenance
182.6 lbs
TL: 26.4 lbs
FMW: + .6 lbs
I lost .8 lbs yesterday, Cadbury egg and all. I feel much calmer now that I'm so close to my maintenance weight. We had to be at the park today at 7am and lead worship for a sunrise service. It was hard getting up. We didn't eat breakfast before we left because it was so early, but I did eat a healthy serving of Matzo bread and sparkling grape juice when we had communion. When we got back home I had two eggs with cheese and made everyone else oatmeal. We went by Spaghetti warehouse and picked up lunch. I had a meatball, a sausage, a ravioli, and a salad. That's all I had though for the rest of the day except a couple pieces of cheese around 8 because I got a little hungry.

Day 55 - It's Easter. Give me a break.

Day 10 Maintenance TL: 25.6 lbs
FMW: +1.4 lbs

I didn't gain or loose. I didn't really have time to care about it today. I mowed and weedeated the lawn which is .25 acre and it was massively overgrown. We also went to lowes to look for parts for the cheese press I'm building. We had to meet the unmarked van that brought my order of free range, organic chicken, and we finished (almost) building the last box for my square foot gardens THEN, we had to get a music set together for tomorrow morning. Jon told me around 7 that we needed to lead 3 or 4 songs for a SUNRISE service at the park tomorrow. Busy day.

I had a fried egg and yogurt for breakfast. I had a late lunch of chicken, cheese, sour cream and salsa. I totally cheated on purpose and ate a Cadbury egg and a glass of milk. I also had a couple glasses of oj. If I suffer the consequences...oh well...I really don't care right now...and that's not a good place to be.

Day 54 - Still confused

Day 9 Maintenance
TL: 25.6 lbs
FMW: +1.4 lbs

Well...I'm down a pound. My mom's scales actually say I weigh more so I'll go with mine. When I weighed, I still hadn't had a good poo, but by the time breakfast rolled around I was visiting the little ladies room quite a bit. I took some herbal tea last night that was actually quite good. I got it because it was cheaper than the one I really wanted to get. I only wanted to get it because of the name: "Smooth Move Herbal Tea" LOl! Great name!

I had an egg and some HOMEMADE yogurt with berries and a touch of honey. Wow! Making yogurt is so easy and nutritious. It was the best yogurt I ever had. Once I'm past this stage of maintenance I'll put some of my homemade preserves in it and it will be even yummier!

I had the guts of a hamburger for lunch. Basically a patty and a few pickles. Then I made some chewy granola bars for the kids when they went with Mimi to the zoo. I was pretty depressed today and I wound up eating a square out of frustration. They're awesome! I'm not. I made meatloaf, mashed potatoes and peas for dinner. I had everything but the potatoes. I did better in the evening. Everyone ate ice cream and popcorn while we watched a movie. I had another cup of cleansing tea....didn't really compare. I really need to go to the bathroom. I woke up in pain several times last night and though I went a couple times today it isn't what I need. Next time I get to maintenance I'm going to take it easy on the cheese....definitely.

I was so ready for this stage, but now all I want to do is start back on the VLCD. In many ways it is much easier.

Day 53 - Steak.....(gulp)....Steak Day?

Day 8 Maintenance
TL: 24.6 lbs
FMW: +2.4lbs

I don't know what the heck happened.? Something just does not seem right though. I'm up 2.4 lbs. I didn't even go up that much in a day when I cheated on the VLCD. Three things are possible. One, when I went to weigh this morning, the battery was out of the scale and the back was missing. I'm thinking Caedon might have had something to do with that. So, depending on what he did to the scales they may or may not be accurate. My mom is bringing hers today, so I will weigh again in the morning. Two, I still haven't gone #2, not in any significant way anyway. Three, I actually gained 2.4 lbs. Today was a busy day and I made it out the door without eating so I decided to go ahead and do a steak day since I wouldn't be home until around dinner time anyway. One thing I noticed is that I'm not peeing like I usually do when I drink as much water as I'm drinking today. Curious.

I had my steak and tomato for dinner and went shopping with my mom. I'm pretty depressed.

Day 52 - Beware! Rant on whole foods.

Day 7 Maintenance
182.0 lbs
27 lbs lost
0 from goal

So I'm one week into maintenance and I'm exactly where I was on my last HCG day! I'm freakin' out a little over how easy this is. I was so skeptical. I thought it would be a fight to keep the weight off and endless steak days. All I've done is just not eat the carbs that go with the meals I prepare and I've really, really cheated. Now, I'm still skeptical that when I add carbs back in if it will be this easy to keep the weight off! But that's me...the eternal skeptic.

I had two eggs (with butter and seasoning) with a tall glass of milk. My family has consumed almost a dozen eggs since yesterday. We like eggs...especially local free range eggs. If you have never tried free range eggs (actual free range eggs, not just the ones that say cage free, there is a HUGE difference...go to a farmer's market to get them), you have never had eggs. I've discovered something these past few months. We have really been working on the quality of food in our house. I'm used to buying and therefore my family is used to eating the cheapest brand. That doesn't mean is necessarily the worst quality, but most everything I was buying was highly, HIGHELY processed. You know what that means? All the nutrients have been almost destroyed. So when I started making my own bread from whole grain flour and buying raw milk and free range eggs I thought it would break the bank. It hasn't! Here is what I now believe. When you buy whole foods, though they may cost more initially, you just can't eat as much. Whole foods have retained their nutrients. Processed foods lack nutrients so your body keeps signaling you to eat more. It's not because your hungry, it's because your body still needs MORE. When you eat a sandwich with white bread, miracle whip, American cheese, and bologna, you finish it off and then a bag of chips. If you made the same size sandwich out of homemade bread (or fresh whole grain bread from a bakery), homemade miracle whip (which is really easy), cheddar cheese and leftover FREE RANGE chicken from the one you roasted in the crock pot last night, you would be hard pressed to finish it. I have seen this over and over with my kids. They can't even finish ONE free range egg, but they could eat two or three cage eggs. They can finish off two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches from store bought ingredients, but they can barely, and usually don't, finish off a sandwich made from homemade bread, homemade peanut butter, and home canned preserves. We used to go through a gallon of milk every other day. We're hard pressed to get through two gallons a week of raw milk. So I say all that to tell you. Two eggs filled me up this morning. Try whole (and happy) food. You will eat less.

For lunch I just had the kids leftover eggs from breakfast. I got busy with a project and forgot to put dinner on! So Jon picked up fajitas from our favorite restraunt on the way home (definitely not whole food!). I just had two pieces of chicken, lots of veggies, beans, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, and cheese dip. I didn't have tortillas, chips or rice. It was sooooo good. But my tummy didn't like it.

Day 51

Day 6 Maintenance
182.2 lbs
TL: 26.8 lbs
FMW: +.2lbs

Are you seeing this? Is this not amazing? I'm only up .4 lbs today. I had a brownie bite, a bite of cupcake, chicken nuggets and french fries and I'm only up .4 lbs, only .2 lbs over my goal weight, and I still need to poo. Karen suggested cleansing tea, so I'll try and get some today. How is this possible though? I'm still right where I need to be. This is the most awesome diet ever invented! Or discovered as it were.

I finally ate at lunch time. My eggs got delivered so I fried a couple up. I had a couple melba toasts while Jon was making dinner. We had tuna salad sandwiches. I just had the tuna salad. Then Caedon brought me the peanut butter and we both had a couple spoonfuls. Then he brought me the strawberry jam, and we had a couple spoonfuls of that. It was a crazy day. I'm about to go back to work and I had to finish all my training. Hopefully I will get more food and the house and more time on my hands and I can get back to eating right. Even if I'm not gaining, I'd like to be eating well. Yesterday was really bad and I can tell it in my energy. Today was bad just because I didn't eat enough so now I feel tired and unsatisfied.

Day 50 - I'm not a gainer!

Day 5 Maintenance 181.8 lbs
TL: 27.2 lbs
FMW: -.2 lbs

I'm not a gainer! Two brownie bites didn't ruin me! I lost .6lbs today. I also haven't pooed in a day or so. It COULD be all the cheese. This is really going to be a tough 6 weeks emotionally. I need to learn how not to hang on every day's gain or loss. It's like a freakin' roller coaster. I really want to just start weighing once a week but that's not the rules. I guess it will get easier. I'm still fresh off of the "lows" from VLCD. I should start mellowing here any day now. Overall I'm impressed with the consistency of my weight. I was expecting it to be much harder. Once again Dr. Simmons knows his stuff. I'm expecting the second half of Maintenance to be more difficult though. Once I add carbs back, I'll really have to watch what I'm eating. Right now it's easy because I can eat what I want.....except carbs....and it's a breeze.

Today was difficult. There is hardly anything left in the house that I can eat. All the cheese is gone. All the eggs are gone. All the leftovers have carbs in them. We're at the end of a pay cycle and the end of the grocery list. I wound up having a brownie bite and big glass of milk. Horrible, I know. But my other choices were cereal, oatmeal, rice, pancakes, french toast, gravy and biscuits....all the stuff I still have to make for breakfast. If you can't tell.....we are kind of carb heavy in our diet. But like most people, financially, carbs make sense!

For lunch I made some chicken salad using canned chicken. CANNED! Ugh. Who actually eats this stuff? It was disgusting and I wound up eating two homemade chicken nuggets made from REAL chicken and with whole grain breading, and a couple of REAL french fries from potatoes I sliced up myself.

For dinner we were supposed to eat at the Blue and Gold banquet. Eythan is "crossing over" today. That means he will no longer be a cub scout but a BOY scout. My little man is growing up. I ate a huge hunk of mozzarella cheese before I left just in case there was nothing there I could eat. There was a bunch of fresh veggies and salads to choose from so I did just fine....until the cupcakes. The glorious blue and gold cupcakes. Cupcakes made with love by someone who really knows how to bake and made them from scratch, icing and all. Lemon cupcakes that were so moist I could feel them through the cupcake wrapper when I got Caedon one. I couldn't hurt Kelly's feelings. She had worked so hard. She had slaved all day to make these moist, delightful treats from scratch. No, I was a good friend. A GOOD friend I tell you! So I chose a scrumptious lemony lemon moist and gooey golden cupcake.  I took one bite and handed it to Jon. I'm also a good HCG dieter!

Day 49 - I Really like brownies.....

Day 4 Maintenance
182.4 lbs
TL: -26.6lbs
FMW: + .4 lbs

I "lost" .6 lbs today. But with the inconsistent weigh yesterday that's probably not accurate either. The good thing is, I'm still under. I'd like to still be under 182, but as long as I'm under 184 I'm clear. It seems as if I'm gaining .2 lbs a day on maintenance. That's not good. I guess it's not bad either though. If it's consistent, I'll have 3 weeks before I have to have a steak day. I'm also in the middle of a fertile cycle. During the VLCD of this diet, I gained a little then too. Overall, I'm not worried. I should probably be a little better though. Jon came home with a Hershey bar last night and said I deserved a piece. I didn't even have a whole square, just a sliver. It was really good, but not worth it.

We ate a really late breakfast this morning. I made pancakes from scratch. Of course I couldn't have that so I made myself a mushroom and mozzarella omelet. Since we ate a late breakfast we just had an early lunch so I made some lemon pepper tilapia with broccoli and homemade bread. I skipped the bread. But then the kids wanted to make brownies. I caved and made them. I ate two brownie bites. THAT was worth it. I'm such a loser. I take that back. I'm a gainer and that's worse. It probably won’t be worth it in the morning.