IFinally, A New Post

Well folks, I've been working out.  Tonight I'm even going to Zumba.  But, I'm not seeing any reduction on the scale. That is pretty disappointing.  I wish I could say I've dropped 5 pounds after going to the gym 3-4 times a week, but it's not like that at all. But I'm getting my endurance up and I'm finally getting some muscle definition in my arms, legs and back.  That's encouraging and enough to keep me going.  Lord willing the weight will follow.

The Battle Continues

Weight: 177

I hate to say it, but maybe having Daniel in Peru for a week wont be all bad.  You see, he's a horrible influence on a dieting woman.  This week I fed him smoked salmon pasta in a vodka sauce and chicken and biscuits casserole. I'm addicted to vodka sauce.  I can't leave a bowl of pasta alone if it's covered in that sauce.  And the biscuits... I have cellulite that is shaped in their image on my hips.  It's a sad sight.  And I wont discuss the eating out we did.  It's just not right.

So even though my on honey is gone, I may be able to lose a few more pounds.  I went for a walk in this morning with the kids.  I had Brenna in the Kelty backpack carrier and Ashton walked.  We stopped at the library to cool down and read a few book.  Then we headed home.  The kids are asleep and I'm a sweaty mess.  Yes, I know you needed to hear that!

Woohoo!

Weight 176.4

Oh yeah baby!  I'm down to 176.4!!!  Well on my way to seeing 175 again.  After I had Ashton, I was 166 lbs.  Then the mean doctors told me that I needed to get more fat in my milk for Ashton to help him gain weight to match their charts.  I tried and gained 10 lbs.  Ashton, well he didn't gain squat!  So I'm hoping to see that 166, but I'll be okay with 175 this week! 

So what am I doing?  Well, first and foremost, I'm moving more.  Daniel and I are hoping to hit the gym and pool more, but even doing stuff around the house is helping.  After that I'm making better choices eating.  It's not easy to replace pasta with other stuff, but it's working.  Thankfully rice does not have the effect that pasta does on me.  It also doesn't taste as good in a summer pasta salad, but who cares.  I'm losing weight.

I do hope that some of this loss starts happening around my waste.  I'm still not seeing any change in how my pants fit.  That's disappointing.  But it's slowly coming off my face and some in my chest.  That's a good start!

We'll see what tomorrow brings!

Still Going

Weight: 179

Well, this weekend was tough. I could not resist the Funyuns and then had country fried steak for lunch the next day.  My goodness.  I think this extra stuff on me is mostly water weight from all the salt.  Well see over the next few days.  Life is holding Daniel and I back from the gym today. We have to get the windshield replaced in the van and he had to take friends to pick up a truck this morning, so no gym.  And we have VBS tonight, so we will not be going.  Ugh!

Today I'm off to a better start.  I had fish and shrimp for lunch and one cake ball.  I didn't do breakfast because I seem to lose more that way.  I'll be having Special K for a snack later.  I'm not sure what dinner is going to look like, but I intend to get back on the not eating after 7-8pm track today, so I hope it's good!  We'll see what the scale says tomorrow!

I Ran 3 Whole Minutes!!!

Weight: 177.4

Wow!  Actually it was three minutes and 10 seconds, but whose counting!  Daniel and I went to the gym.  About 5 minutes in, I decided to do the interval thing and see if I could run for a minute.  It sucked and I was huffing and puffing like a fool, but I did it.  Then about five minutes later I recovered enough to move on to the next minute bout and right at the end, I finished the run with another minute.  So now that I have that baseline, I can't go back.  Daniel and I are planning on going all next week and making this a new lifestyle change.  I'm planning on running a race at some point.  And this new beginning is going to get me there.  My neighbor can already go two miles.  I have a long way to go if I want to match her, but running each day will get me there.  And, Lord willing, it will help me shed a lot of extra weight!

Eating Healthier Day 1

Weight: 177.6

Ha!  Dieting cracks me up!  You just keep doing it over and over again.  You stop, you gain, you start and the cycle continues.  I stopped dieting when Ashton got hit with the mono thing a few weeks ago.  It was hard because I wanted to lose weight fast.  But in the long run, I think it was for the best.  The lack of food was making me insanely cranky.  I hate being like that.  If I start it again, I'm going to strive for 1200 calories.  Having only 500 is nuts.  I'm glad that some folks find great success at it, but it's not for me.

On a good note, I'm started eating better again and it's slowly paying off.  The stomach flu gig knocked me around some, but I'm back and ready to get this thing going. I'm going to be cutting out most white wheat carbs. I'm trying to let go of pasta.  I may still have some small amounts here and there.  I need to add some more yogurt in my diet and I'm upping my meat intake.  That along with eating fresh veggies will help me shred some of these pounds.

Speaking of shredding, Daniel and I are hitting the gym daily next week.  Lord willing no sick children or adults will prevent us from making that dream a reality!  And I'm going to start working towards my goal of running a 5k.  My neighbor is up to running two miles and I'm jealous!  She looks great and all the hard work she's been putting into it is paying off. 

So I want to do that as well.  I want to feel stronger and be able to run again.  So here goes.

Day 12

Weight: 178.2
Amount Lost: .8 lbs.

I'm shocked on this one right now.  I'm hoping to keep it up.  Too tired right now to write more.

Day 11

Weight: 179
Gain: .8 lbs.

Well, things have changed here. I've decided to move the HCG from the logo. I'm not sure how long I'm going to stay on it and dieting is going to be a part of what I regularly do until it becomes an everyday lifestyle. But, right now it's tough as all get out. Ashton was up every hour last night except for six o'clock hour. I'm not eating right and I need to go to the grocery store so I can get back on track. I also need some vitamin supplements to help out. If I'm cutting things out, I need to make sure I get enough calcium. On top of that not getting enough sleep is killing me. But, I'm determined to lose a total of 55 lbs. I'll be happy with 40, but I like being an over-achiever!
Hopefully I'll come back with some weight loss news today.  Not sure.  I really need a grocery run and I don't know if that will happen.

Day 10

Well, I weighed myself this morning and forgot what it was.  Isn't that sad.  This lack of sleep thing was killing me.  I remember my initial thought was that I didn't lose anything, but I honestly can't remember if the scale said 178.2 or 179.2.  I did realize that I can't eat any pasta type thing.  I had homemade chicken noodle soup with the kids and I'm sure that's what stalled things.  I also didn't drink enough water. But sick kids will do that to you. I brought some Melba toast as was recommended on the hcg diet and they do seem to help with the carb cravings. 

Day 9

Weight: 178.2
Amount Lost: 1 lb.
Total Lost: 6.3 lbs.

I didn't have the HCG yesterday and was hungry.  So I ate some leftover pizza from my MIL's get together and some Special K.  Part of me is wondering if I even need the HCG or if I need to just keep doing a low calorie, high protien, low carb diet.  We'll see while I'm on my period. 

My little man is sick as a dog today.  He threw up in my bed around 4 this morning and now has a migraine.  My heart breaks for him.  He's only 2 and has a migraine.  Poor kid.

Well, we'll see how things go today and if I can keep dropping a pound a day without the HCG.  If not, I'll go back on it.

Day 8

Weight: 179.2
Amount Lost: .6 lbs.
Total Lost: 5.3 lbs.

Ughh!  Just started my period this morning.  I would love to say that it's why I haven't lost more, but we ate out yesterday and then had dinner at my in-laws last night.  So with all that and my period, I think .6 is doing pretty darn good.

And as for eating out and eating at other folks houses, you just have to use your best judgement.  We went to Panera and I ordered a Chicken, Strawberrry and Poppyseed Salad.  Most of the things in the salad are on the allowed list for the diet.  I forgot to tell the hubby not to get salad dressing on it.  But even with the dressing and all that, according to the Panera board, it only had 280 calories.  As for dinner, my MIL made some on the grill pizzas.  I had a small portion of the two kinds and a salad.

Per the protocol, I have to stop taking drops during this week. It should be interesting.  The drops are not fully controlling the hunger as it is.  I'm going to do my best.  Losing 5 lbs. in a week is a good motivator! And on a good note, the bloating after this week should go down considerably.

Day 7

Weight: 179.8
Amount Lost: 1 lb.
Total Lost: 4.7 lbs.

I have to get some Melba Toast.  My body is not giving up carbs as easily as I wished it would.  I have to have a boost mid-day.  I took some extra carbs last night but it was more habit than anything.  I also did not track my food as well (a.k.a. at all) yesterday.  Not good.  So today is a new day.  I'm sure it's not helping that I'm going to start soon.  That's keeping me a bit bloated.  With almost 5 pounds gone, I should be seeing a little difference in the top of my stomach (that's normally where I see it first), but all this bloating is keeping me puffy.  It's a bit discouraging.

Today is Father's Day. I'm so blessed to have my wonderful hubby!  But I hope that he'll decide to eat at home today. Eating out kills me.  And snacking.  But I'm determined to get better!  I love knowing these pounds are coming off! I'm hoping that I'll keep averaging a pound a day. That would be awesome!

Day 6 & Still Losing

Weight: 180.8
Amount Lost: 2 lbs.

Color me shocked, but yesterday was one of my worst cheating days. I guess I'm going to lose anyway because I'm so overweight that any reduced amount of calories will work on me!  I'm sure I would lose more without the cheating, but life happens and I'm doing my best. I keep having carb cravings at lunch. I'm going to try more of that chicken soup at lunch today and see if that helps me get past that. 

As far as the cheating, the hubby and I went out for dinner last night.  Ihad a grilled chicken ceasar and one poppy seed roll.  I only ate half the salad withought dressing.  I did down all the fried onions and put a little of the dressing on them.  But then after that, I felt stuffed and a bit ill.  I count that as a good thign because I'll be less likely to gorge.

After that we went to JC Penny's to get me a few pairs of shorts.  They were both size 16 and a bit tight.  Lord willing that will change soon.  I truly want to be at least a size 10 again.  I really want to fit in an 8. That's were I was before Sarah.  An 8 would be awesome!

Anyway, it's back to the weight loss rat race today.  I'm hoping to break into the 170's tomorrow.  I'm going to try to do my measurements tonight.  I would love to see how many inches I lose in addition to the weight.

Day 5 & Still Cheating

Weight: 182.8
Amount Lost: 1.2 lbs.

Wow!  I'm amazed that I lost anything once again.  I guess being on the low calorie diet will make that happen regardless of how well I behave.  I do think I may have to add in one extra meat a day.  I know it's not exactly protocol, but it's my wieght loss and I have to do what's best for me.  My body lives off protien.  It's funny though, chicken fills me up more than fish.  I figured that out yesterday.  I made a soup for dinner and will post the recipe at the bottom here.  Diet or not, it was awesome!  For lunch I had lemon pepper flounder.  I forgot to go get dill out of the garden to go with it.  I do think I'll be having onions with most meals.  They add a lot to a meal.

As for the cheating, I stress eat.  Did I mention that?  Well, yesterday I had an Oscar-Meyar hot dog, a bite of mac and cheese and a few fried squash.  I wonder how much more I would lose without all that.  Regardless, I've lost 2.2 lbs. in 3 days.  (I'm not counting the loading.)  I wish I was seeing the more rapid weight loss that was talked about, but I'm sure it has something to do with my cheating side!  I think I may need to add in some walking to help speed things up.

And now for the soup...

1/2 medium onion diced
2 Roma tomatoes (cut in half and sliced)
100 grams chicken breast (fat removed)
1/2 can chicken broth
1/4 paprika, curry, ground mustard, garlic (use fresh if you have it)
Dash of cayenne pepper or hot sauce.

Cook the onion, being careful not to burn it.  Since oil is banned, this will be a pain. You may need to add broth if necessary.  While that is going, slice the chicken breast into thin pieces and then dice it into bite size bits.  When the onions are translucent, add in the chicken. Give it a few minutes to cook. It's okay if it sticks to the bottom of the pan.  Then add in the tomatoes.  Let those cook for a few minutes.  After that, add in the chicken broth.  Scrap the bottom of the pan for any burnt bits.  These will add flavor.   Add salt if neccesary.   Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes and enjoy. 

P.S.  I know you are not suposed to mix veggies.  I don't care.  I will be mixing some veggies to enhance flavor where necessary. I'm a flavor addict in addition to being a food addict!

Day 4 & the Bad Dieter

Weight: 184
Amount Lost: 1 lb.

Had I followed the diet, I may have lost even more.  I did great for breakfast and lunch.  But then came dinner.  Dinner killed me.  I had to cook for the church.  I can't cook without tasting things to see if they are seasoned properly. Then I didn't want to cook my fish and have it smell up the church.  I know, lame.  So I had a small plate of spaghetti.  And my friend made pies and I had most of a slice of one.  And then I got a call about some insane drama and figured that since I had already screwed up the day, I would eat a few pretzel bites.  All in all, I have no idea how I lost a pound.  It's a miracle. 

As for today, I'm back on the diet.  I am going to change something up.  I can't eat all the food I need to at each meal.  So for today I'm going to have one piece of fruit for breakfast.  I can't get to lunch without eating.  I just don't have it in me.  As for the water, I'm not doing bad at drinking it all.  I happen to like water very much.  I'm going to try and portion out my food today so I have an easier time with meals. I don't like having to pull out the scale at every meal to figure things out.

On a good note, I love Fitday.com. It makes tracking food so much easier.  It lets you enter the weight of food to figure out calories and makes tracking the 500 a breeze.  Try it out sometime.

Day 3 - 1st Day of 500 Calories

Weight: 185
Amount Lost: 0

Well, it's the first day of 500 calories and I'm already starting to get hungry.  I started by drinking some water and am getting some tea in a minute.  I'll be buying my food for the rest of the week today.  I have to make dinner for the church tonight, so it'll be hard not to lick my fingers!  But I'm determined to lose this weight and obeying this crazy diet is very important right now. By tomorrow, I should be shedding some water weight tomorrow.  I'm really hoping for a fast turn around.

After this first round, I'm not sure if I'll continue or if I'll start the gym to work on the rest.  And I'm a little nervous. I may be starting my period soon.  The protocol says to stop while I'm on that, but if it's this soon, I don't think I will.   I'm afraid that I don't have enough HCG in my body to hold me through 7 days.  I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

P.S. I am grumpy.  It could be hormones building up from PMS. I was grumpy yesterday while loading, so it's very likely.  But being hungry is not helping one bit.

Day1 and 2

Day 1: Weight 185.4
Day 2: Weight 184.5

I decided to start the HCG diet after seeing my friends lose a good amount of weight on it.  I don't do caffine well, which makes most diet aids useless to me.  My goal for this round is to lose 20 pounds.  But I'll consider it a success if I even lose 10.  Tomorrow I start pigging out on 500 calories a day (joking here).  I'm not looking forward to it, but I think I'll be just fine for a month or so.  As far as these two loading days go, I don't think I'm loading as much as what the online sites recommend.  Oh well.  No pain, no gain.

And, just for the record, I purchased the HGC online.  I'm doing sublingual (under the tounge) drops.  The whole needle thing just doesn't appeal to me.  I hope to have some measurements up soon.  Lord willing I'll be tracking some losses as well!