Day 42... down 6 oz.

Not much to report! I measure again tomorrow, so this should be interesting. I am down to one pair of pants that fit... 10 lbs to go and then I'm on to phase III where I can start adding different foods again. Yesterday was hard for me, I am getting REALLY tired of eating the same food - some days are harder than others especially when I see my whole family eat the things I LONG to eat again. Last night we had real macaroni and cheese, you know - the homemade kind? I LOVE THAT STUFF. But none for me, so depressing. I keep reminding myself that it's all worth it in the end! Soon, very soon, I will be able to eat those foods again and not worry about gaining my weight back... so, I'm buckling down for the home stretch!

Day 40! Back to where I was on Thursday!

Well, Thanksgiving I took the day off- kind of. Woke up at 3:30AM to go shopping, 1.5 lbs heavier! Apple Day on Friday- and 3 lbs lighter, wahoooooo!!!! Still have a little bit to go... but I'm back on track and feeling good today.

Day 37 - down another 12 oz!

128!!!! Wahooooo! I'm getting there! Didn't get to check in yesterday, on my measurement day- however I'll give you a quick run down! Down 3/4" in chest, 1 1/2" in my waist, 3/4" in my thighs and 1/4" in my left arm :) Yesterday was a no drop day for me in weight, I think it was that DARN Safeway Grissini that does me in... so, I'm going to be eliminating that food all together just to be safe. Tomorrow is the BIG DAY! Thanksgiving, and I have a so much to be thankful for!

Day 35... crazy crazy weekend!

Friday was New Moon, only lost 4 ounces! Ate normal until dinner time... then after much planning, decided to eat a phase III meal at Red Robin with all the girls. This consisted of a Spanish Coffee :) a lettuce wrapped chicken breast with guac & Monterrey jack cheese with no condiments, and them some sugar free Swedish fish at the movies. Saturday morning I was 10oz heavier :( Because we were traveling to Eugene on Saturday- I decided to do an apple day. This was my plan to not have to drink a ton of water and end up having to go to the bathroom all day- AND I wouldn't have to worry about trying to pack a bunch of HCG friendly foods. So- apples from noon to noon on Sunday. I didn't have a scale with me on Sunday to weigh, however today I am 2.2lbs lighter than I was on Saturday morning so I'm VERY HAPPY WITH THAT!!!

Traveling is NOT fun with this diet! We ended up going out to dinner last night at OutBack, I had a single chicken breast and a green salad with no add ons. BOR-ING, but at least I didn't gain- I know I didn't get enough water in yesterday either!!!

Day 31... down another 8 ounces!

I AM OFFICIALLY IN THE 120's!!!! I put on a pair of jeans today that I haven't fit into since before my hysterectomy :) a SIZE 6 Old Navy!!! I am so happy!!!! I still have a little ways to go- but this has been the most exciting month to watch fat drip off my body so quickly. I truly is amazing!

Day 30... down 6oz

Why is it that when I'm on a diet, all I want to do is look at recipes and dream of cooking food that I can't eat? My husband is trying to watch his weight as well, and keeps asking me why I'm making all this stuff when he doesn't want to be eating it either. Well who am I gonna cook for????

You know what I'm most excited for in phase 3 and phase 4? Trying out Elena's recipes to see if my husband and children will like them so I can make this a total lifestyle change that incorporates my entire family. I am already making different choices at the grocery store when it comes to what my boys are eating. I always thought they were good eaters - I've never purchased "sugar cereals" unless it was a special occasion like a camping trip, they get oatmeal or raisin bran, stuff like that- and have been fine with it. Now I realize that even though I'm thinking these aren't "sugar cereals" they contain a heck of a lot of sugar!!!!! I just don't want my boys to end up like me, totally addicted to caffeine, sugar and JUNK!!!

Day 29! Down 15 ounces and lots of inches!

YAY! I went over on my calories yesterday by 47, thought for SURE I would gain today and instead I'm down one ounce shy of a full pound! Here are my inches, I cannot believe how much I have lost since last Tuesday!!!

Start Start Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
Chest 39.75" 36.5" 36" Same 35.75" (yay!) down 4"
Waist 32.25" 29.5" same 27" 28" down 4.25"
Hips 38" 37" same 35" 35" down 3"
Thighs 42.75" 41" 40.75" 39.75" 39" down 3.75"
R Arm 12.5" same same same 11.5" down 1"
L Arm 12" same same same 11.25 down .75"
Weight 147 140 136 133 130 down 17 lbs

SO! A total of 16.75" lost and 17 lbs so far!

Day 28... no loss no gain :(

BUMMER. BUMMER. BUmmmmmmmmer. No loss today! I think I drank the appropriate amount of water yesterday, however with all the running around we did I'm just not sure. Yesterday was CRAZY. Kasey's football team won the Rogue Valley Championships and are off to state championship game in Autzen on Sunday. Aside from freezing my butt off yesterday, I did my best to drink water and even brought my lunch to the game with me. The only thing I added yesterday was the grissini... so today, I will try and make it through the day without it. It will be hard though, because I LOVE IT. I could eat the whole box at one sitting I'm sure!
Below are pics from the game yesterday, Kasey is #2! Had a GREAT GAME!

Day 27... down 3oz

Slow and steady wins the race right? Well, yesterday without being able to drink water until noon- and then spending the entire afternoon at a birthday party- there is no way I drank enough water. So, again today- STRICT! I'm gulping the water down! The only problem with that is I have to sit through a 2 hour Championship Football Game my son is playing in and I will NOT have time for potty breaks!!!!! I have to make sure I go right before, during half-time and hopefully it won't go into overtime like it did last Sunday where I ended having to sprint for the bathroom!!! Wish me luck ;) GO RAIDERS!

Checkin' In...

Well, I emerged from the birthday party unscathed! I had 4 raw shrimp with a squeeze of lemon- and that was IT. I am so very proud of myself!!! Went shopping today, and Brady helped me pick out some tops. I'm proud to say I'm back into a size small. Didn't try on pants because I still have 15lbs to lose so I realize that would be a waste of money. I've gone down one jean size in the past week already and luckily I have size 6-12 in my closet to choose from! I can't fit into a size 6 just yet, maybe another week :)

I have to say, shopping with Brady was a kick in the pants. If you need a shopping advocate- he is the guy for you. He informed me when certain tops were "too low down to there" meaning they were too low cut, which ones were "grannyish" and which ones would make me look VERY pretty. He asked that I come out of the room to show him each time I changed, and fortunately for me- he loved them all. He told me promptly that I should buy every one of them! I asked him if he had any money he could loan me because that would be very expensive and he told me I could have his $15. Needless to say, I came home with 4 new tops- and Brady got to keep his $15 - but my oh my what a sweet little boy I have!

Day 26... 1.6 oz down! Stall-Be-Gone! 15lbs mark!

Well! I made it through my first apple day! Yesterday, if you can believe this- I started eating my apples at 12pm. By the end of the day, I had only managed to consume 4 apples! Was I hungry? NO! Isn't that weird! The best part of apple day is not having to drown myself in water. It's 9:30AM now, took my HCG about an hour ago and will go in for my last apple and then resume my normal eating at noon today. I have read mixed reviews on apple days- I guess I will see what happens tomorrow with weight loss to see if this truly broke my stall! I sure hope so! I have to go to a brunch today to celebrate a birthday with tons of wonderful food so wish me luck. I'm praying that I can stick to my resolve of absolutely NO CHEATING!

Day 25... and I'm stalled out!

Well, it happened folks. 3 straight days at the same weight! Today I'm going to do an "apple day". This consists of nothing until noon, then 6 large apples after that until tomorrow noon. Little or not water, unless I'm terribly thirsty. I have to say, I'm relishing the idea that I don't have to load myself down with water today!!! I'm praying that this will alleviate the stall, this stinks!!!!

Day 24...

Well, yesterday - I drank OVER 3 liters of water - and had a hard time shoving down my dinner... I tried something new. We have ground elk meat that I made tacos with for the family, and reserved a little bit for myself to mix with my own seasoning. Tossed that with lettuce, and voila- taco salad. Took smooth move tea before bed, and was up 3-4 times last night!! It was badly needed though. I was shocked to see the scale only go down one ounce today. On a good note though, I fit into a pair of jeans that I've not worn in YEARS so I am SO STINKING HAPPY ABOUT THAT! 2 JEAN SIZES DOWN in 24 days!!!

YUM!

Apple Crisp:

3.5 oz. peeled apples
1 plain melba toast ground
1/2 pkg stevia (mixed in with melba)
put in mug, sprinkle with some lemon juice and pour the melba mixture over the apples. Bake in microwave at med. for 3 minutes. YUM-MYYYY!

Day 23... and you know what they say!

Well, yesterday I was having a GREAT DAY! Drank my 2 liters of water by my deadline... got off work, had NO time to eat my dinner so I figured I'd eat when I got home. Picked up boys to go to a football pizza party after dropping off some things at a friends house. By the time the kids got their pizza I was positively FAMISHED. I drank 1/2 of a diet coke - and munched on the ice while I watched children and adults gorge themselves on ooey gooey pizza. One of my favorite foods...

Kasey finally got served his mini pizza. Sitting next to him while he waited for it to cool off, I watched my hand- moving of its OWN volition mind you, reach over and steal a piece of pepperoni. Before I could stop my rogue hand from completing this dastardly deed- the pepperoni was in my mouth and I was chewing vigorously. My brain then caught up, and before I could swallow this evil piece of meat- I spit it out into a napkin :) That is gross, but that is the truth and I promised when I started this blog that I would be brutally honest with my ups and downs and that was definitely a DOWN moment for me! I got home, scarfed down my shrimp and cucumber mean with some apples sprinkled with cinnamon. This was around 8pm by that time, and eating that late is never a good idea. Also, I conked out on the couch by 9:30 so I was unable to drink additional water like I normally do all evening. So- why did the scale not move today? Was it that rogue piece of pepperoni that never made it to my stomach? I will never know!!!!!

Day 22! OH HAPPY DAY!

I'm down another 1.2 lbs overnight! AND, the smooth move tea I drank yesterday afternoon hasn't even kicked in yet. Wow, when that happens I ought to lose at least a pound :) Today is also my measuring day and I'm so happy with the past weeks results! Here it is:

Start Start Week 1 Week 2 Week 3
Chest 39.75" 36.5" 36" Same (yay!) down 3.75"
Waist 32.25" 29.5" same 27" down 5.25"
Hips 38" 37" same 35" down 3"
Thighs 42.75" 41" 40.75" 39.75" down 3"
R Arm 12.5" same same same
L Arm 12" same same same same
Weight 147 140 136 133 down 14lbs

So this means as of today, I am 14 lbs lighter and a total of 15 inches! Jacki, is down 16lbs in 2 weeks and 2 days! WAY TO GO JACKI!!!

*&^%#@$ I did it again!!

How many blond moments can a person have in one day? I was reading on the forums about a cola called zevia, that is sweetened with stevia. Supposed to stay away from artificial sweeteners like aspartame and saccharine... I made a special trip to the store today at lunch, picked up a sick pack of zevia ginger ale and cola, crack one open only to find that it has 13g of carbs! WHAT? REALLY? I MEAN COME ON! NOT AGAIN!!! When will I learn to read the labels before I get to the check out stand!!!!

Day 21...

Ok! So... didn't log in over the weekend 'cause I was BUSY BUSY BUSY. Saturday morning I was down a couple ounces, and then Sunday I was down NOTHING. Today, I'm down 10 ounces, so I can live with that!!!

Saturday I had a tough time... had a football game in the morning, didn't drink enough water FOR SURE. Didn't get to eat lunch until around 2pm. I scarfed down some chicken and bypassed eating all the lettuce because I was in a hurry and again didn't drink enough water. That night was Twilight night at my house, so I had a nice spread of shrimp kabobs, tomato salsa and melba toast. A little baked apple for dessert, oh- and a couple of sugar free jello shots :) Needless to say, I was worried about Sunday morning weigh ins and was happy to at least not see a GAIN. Yesterday I was strict, and made sure I had enough water intake, hence the drop today. Tomorrow I measure... so be sure to tune in, I'm hoping to see some results with the inches!

As I sit here at my desk, my partner in hcg-crime (Amy) reminds me that I only have 20 more minutes to finish my mandatory 2 liters of water... I have a set time. All mandated water intake must be completed by 3pm, so I know that I've consumed the required amount and the rest of the day I can just SIP. I HATE WATER. So... I'm sitting here, supposed to be working- staring at the last 8oz of my required water intake. Why is this so hard for me? Is it mental? I think it is because for the past few years my fluid intake consisted of Dutch Brothers frozen coffees, regular coffee, Monster Energy Drinks, and if those weren't available... Diet Coke with Lime. I'm surprised my insides work at all!!!

Day 18... no drop, no increase

Is this a stall? Not sure, I went over on my calories by 36 yesterday. I was supposed to have shrimp for dinner, but didn't have it prepared in time to leave - so I had to go with what I had which was STEAK. Not sure if that's the reason, other than that there was no deviation from original protocol. WHO KNOWS. We shall see in the morning! I could sure go for a diet coke today... all this water is going to be the death of me!

Day 17... down another 10 ounces, for a total of 12 lbs :)

Now that I've tweaked things a little bit, it's nice to see the the scale continually DROP each day instead of go up and down like a roller coaster! Tips for those of you to consider:

• Do NOT drink Crystal Light or drinks with the artificial sweeteners (Sobee LifeWater)... they still contain sugar alcohol, which is still SUGAR
• Do NOT chew trident gum, or sugar free gum. Why? Because they ALSO contain sugar alcohol.
• Check your B12 vitamin drops if you are using sublingual... mine had SUGAR!!!
• Do not use balsamic vinegar unless you KNOW that it is absolutely void of all sugar
• Do not mix your veggies. That means, if you are going to eat lettuce- just eat the lettuce, don't add radishes or other veggies. That is considered mixing.
• I have found that sugar free jello does not affect me
• Weldon Farms products caused me to either stall or gain... probably due to sugar derivatives
• Be careful experimenting, read your food labels- sugar is hidden EVERYWHERE
• weigh your fruits. Apples are high in sugar, make sure you are eating 3.5 oz - to much more might hinder results
• Don't go under your 500 calories. I found that really hindered my weight loss, and mine was by accident! Watch your calorie intake food log closely!

Last night while my family was eating, my son Brady said "Hey mom, looks like your booty is getting a lot smaller... that means you'll take up a lot less room on the couch!" I think Dan almost spit out his food. Don't you just love the candor of little people! I thanked him for noticing!

another one bites the dust....

Well, Erythritol - also another form of sugar alcohol - is in the Sobee LifeWaters I've been drinking! AHHHHHHHHHH!

OMG. I COULD KICK MYSELF.

I just read the ingredient label on my sublingual B12 drops, and guess what I find? FRUCTOSE AND SORBITOL aka SUGAR. AHHHHHHHHHHHHH. When am I ever going to get this right??? I cannot believe it, sugar is EVERYWHERE disguised as all sorts of interesting names, that all mean the same thing... SUGAR HINDERS WEIGHT LOSS ON HCG. Be careful folks, read your labels before you put anything in your mouth!

Day 16... YAY! IT WORKED!

Down a pound today! I think that cutting out the Crystal Light and gum did the trick!! Will try the same thing again today, and see if tomorrow I lose another whopping 1lb over night again. And as for Fitday.com- I'm no longer considered "overweight" my BMI is at a normal level! WAHOOOOOO! YAY ME!

Ok, finished with today...

Well, I have to say I stuck to protocol today. PRAYING that the scale will move tomorrow! Here is my fitday log of food:

Breakfast: coffee
Mid Moring: 3.5oz grapefruit
Lunch: 4.0 oz Chicken, Melba & 3 oz tomato with cilantro & garlic
Dinner: 4.0 oz Steak, 3 oz Cucumber, 3 oz Apple
1/2 c. sugar free Jello

3 liters of water, one sobee lifewater

Total of calories: 518

Why did I up my meat portions? Because I cannot ever seem to reach the 500 calorie mark, so I'd rather be a tad bit over, than under and stall because I didn't eat enough. So, what did I cut out today? Crystal Light and gum. We will see what happens with the scale tomorrow. Wondering if stress might be a factor. I tend to stress out about stuff, even when there is nothing to stress out about :) If scale doesn't move tomorrow, I will cut out melba- and see what happens. I have to figure out what my body is not liking!

2 weeks down... and a bummer morning.

Ok. I don't get it. I had a good day yesterday, drank over 3 liters of water... was pretty much in the bathroom ALL DAY thanks to the smooth move tea I drank the day before, and I am up by 8 ounces today. Why me???? Could it be my salsa? My mustard dressing? Could it be the Crystal Light? Am I retaining water? I am boggled by this. I did however decide to take my measurements... take a look. At least I'm down a bit in a week.

Start Week 1 Week 2
Chest 39.75" 36.5" 36" down 3.75"
Waist 32.25" 29.5" same down 2.75"
Hips 38" 37" same down 1"
Thighs 42.75" 41" 40.75" down 2"
R Arm 12.5" same same same
L Arm 12" same same same
Weight 146 140 136 down 10 lbs

just a quick note...

I LOVE MY SALSA CHICKEN!! I didn't want lunch to end today!!!! I felt like I was eating REAL food again - YUMMY!!!

Salsa:
1 Roma Tomoto (3.5 oz)
2 Tsp. fresh cilantro chopped
1 clove garlic minced
a splash of balsalmic (calorie free/sugar free)
salt to taste

Chicken:
Sea Salt Melba Snacks, ground
3.5 oz raw chicken
coat chicken in melba, and bake as usual :)

Day 14... WAHOOO! 10lb goal!

I'm officially 10 pounds lighter today than when I started 2 weeks ago. Not necessarily a pound a day like I wanted- however with my chicken debacle, I can understand why and am back on track. GOTTA MAKE SURE YOU EAT ENOUGH CALORIES FOLKS!

Today I get to eat my melba salsa chicken for lunch :) Sure hope it tastes as good as it looks!! I am also tracking the exact amount of water I drink today. I'm aiming for 3 liters...

Day 13...

Down 14 oz. today! I was really worried because I was so low on my calorie intake yesterday I ended up eating another meat portion at 8pm to make up for some of the calories. I wasn't sure what would happen with that!

Today I got REALLY creative with my food prep for this week. I measured my apple portions to 3.5 oz, sprinkled them with a stevia and cinnamon mixture and then baked them at 375 for 20 minutes. YUM. Another idea given to me by Amy, was to crush up the melba toast and coat your chicken in it- then bake. I cannot wait to eat my chicken for lunch! I chopped up my tomato portions, with a little cilantro, lemon juice and salt and voila - salsa crispy chicken for me!!!

I have come to realize that doing this diet over the weekend is hard. On the go- have to drink SO much water, not a lot of opportunities for the 3 THOUSAND potty breaks I have to take and inconvenient times of eating my funky meals! Today I decided to make banana bread with Brady. OMG it smelled SO GOOD! Everyone else enjoyed it, and I got the enjoyment of watching them eat :)