Ever hear of muscle confusion? It is a term my personal trainer (one of them) used. He said that our bodies are so adept at adapting to what we are doing that they get used to it and we stop getting as good a result. This results in plateaus, where even though we are doing everything the same as before, we are not getting as good a result. Dr. Wright and I were talking a couple of weeks ago (when I was having the blood sugar problem) about "diet confusion." According to research done by Dana Thornock (among many others) when the body feels stressed, it goes into "fat storing mode." This is why it is possible for people to eat under 1000 calories per day and still gain weight. Anyway, since you already know that I EAT all the time, (I once had a boyfriend jokingly tell me that no one would marry me because they couldn't afford to feed me! And on my mission I was known as "the sister who eats- I wasn't fat then, so I didn't care if that was how people knew me) and you know that I am a cheater (but I don't cheat every day) I thought I would talk a little bit about confusing your body with a different amount of calories periodically. Here is how I did it:
So on my cheater day, I ate double the food that is allowed on this diet, and (of course) the pumpkin muffins (I think I had 4). I estimate that was about 2000 calories for the day. Dana Thornock believes that for the body not to go into starvation fat storing mode, you have to hit that 2000 calories. She taught people to up their calories to 2500-4000 depending on your body type (like the larger the frame, more muscle etc. needs more calories) then when your body is comfortable at that caloric intake, drastically reduce calories to access the fat stores. But, because the body is so adaptable, she taught to bump the calories up on the weekend to be sure that your body doesn't adapt to the lower amount. Since the hcg program that I am on has the additional variable of the hcg releasing fat stores, we seem to be able to skip the part of getting the calories up for a long period of time (although, Dr. Simeons did say to eat normally for a week if you have been cutting calories significantly, then binge for 3 days before starting the 500 calorie protocol) and just go straight to the cutting calories. However, on days when I cheat (up to the 2000 calorie line) I can expect to gain a pound or a pound and a half. But then when I go back on the reduction, my body is still burning and hasn't adapted back down, so I lose rapidly. I lost 4 pounds today. I am OK with the small gain, and feel like my body is "taking a breath" or "changing gears" to continue the burn.
For now, this is still very experimental, and not according to the approved plan at all, but I want to find the balance in my life so that when I am done with this, I have good habits and delicious recipes to be able to maintain my new fabulous look.
So today, I took a family favorite recipe and adapted it to the diet. Now I am using more veggies in this recipe than are recommended, but I figure when I am too hungry, if I put some more veggies in my mouth, it is better than grains or dessert!!
The family recipe is called Meatloaf Italiano, and I got it from the book "How to Dry Foods by Deanna DeLong. The filling is delicious, made with ground beef, mushrooms, peppers, onions and etc. (she does it with dried veggies, since that is what her book is about- I use fresh and canned if I have them) and then it is baked in a bread crust that is braided around it and sprinkled with sesame seeds. The original recipe calls for cheese, but I leave it out more often than not, because the filling tastes so good to me without all the extra fat and calories (although, it is parmesan and mozzerella, so it is not so bad to add either). Anyway, here is what I did to modify it:
Stuffed Peppers (serves 2)
2 bell peppers, hollowed out and boiled till crisp-tender
7 oz extra super lean (7%) ground beef
1 small yellow onion
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 large can mushrooms, chopped (these are good filler, that is why I use so many)
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp worcestershire
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
While peppers are boiling, cook the ground beef with onion, and garlic. Add the rest of the ingredients, and cook until thick-ish (about 10 min or so) you could probably add corn starch if you wanted to hurry it up. The peppers take about 10-15 minutes to boil anyway.
Grease a bread pan and place the boiled peppers there. Fill with the filling, then bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes. Delightful!
PS
You can reach Dr. Wright at the Murray Health Clinic by telephone at 262-4228
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Cheater Cheater Pumpkin Eater
OK, so I freely admit it. I am a cheater. But it makes me happy to cheat, so I have to do it sometimes. Even though I am a cheater, I am making the best of it and learning from my cheating.
Today I came home and made dinner for the family (not a good idea when you haven't been eating a lot) and while I was cooking, I decided I wanted to make some pumpkin muffins for my kids. You know, they are sacrificing too, since they have to cook a lot more than they used to, and I don't cook nearly as much of the stuff they love as I used to. Anyway, I have this wonderful healthy recipe from Dana Thornock's Cooking Lean Not Extreme cookbook with whole wheat flour, no egg yolks, low fat, and etc. So I made them. And of course, I had one. And then another. Then I stopped eating them. Which was a good thing. And I started thinking about my eating habits. I have always eaten pretty healthy, but I realized that I eat a lot of this kind of stuff when I am not really hungry. What a revelation! Also, I pick A LOT while cooking for the family. OK, so I have to say, that it is important to TASTE what you are cooking so that you know it is good, but I will admit that my habits are to taste too much. This got me to thinking, and talking with my husband about my discoveries. He suggested that when we are done with the diet, we could make a dessert and divide it into serving sizes (I mean whatever is left over after dinner) so that we realize that we are eating too much. This is what we do with our meat after we buy it- just weigh it out and bag it up. That way I know how much is enough. I think it really is in the little things that you keep your successes.
By the way, here is a really good recipe that we had today (not cheating on this part)
3.5 oz london broil or lean roast
1 onion
Salt and pepper
put it in the crock pot on high for a couple hours. Tastes just like roast! Oh, because it is roast!
Brenda
Oh yeah- 22.5 pounds down.... go hcg!
Today I came home and made dinner for the family (not a good idea when you haven't been eating a lot) and while I was cooking, I decided I wanted to make some pumpkin muffins for my kids. You know, they are sacrificing too, since they have to cook a lot more than they used to, and I don't cook nearly as much of the stuff they love as I used to. Anyway, I have this wonderful healthy recipe from Dana Thornock's Cooking Lean Not Extreme cookbook with whole wheat flour, no egg yolks, low fat, and etc. So I made them. And of course, I had one. And then another. Then I stopped eating them. Which was a good thing. And I started thinking about my eating habits. I have always eaten pretty healthy, but I realized that I eat a lot of this kind of stuff when I am not really hungry. What a revelation! Also, I pick A LOT while cooking for the family. OK, so I have to say, that it is important to TASTE what you are cooking so that you know it is good, but I will admit that my habits are to taste too much. This got me to thinking, and talking with my husband about my discoveries. He suggested that when we are done with the diet, we could make a dessert and divide it into serving sizes (I mean whatever is left over after dinner) so that we realize that we are eating too much. This is what we do with our meat after we buy it- just weigh it out and bag it up. That way I know how much is enough. I think it really is in the little things that you keep your successes.
By the way, here is a really good recipe that we had today (not cheating on this part)
3.5 oz london broil or lean roast
1 onion
Salt and pepper
put it in the crock pot on high for a couple hours. Tastes just like roast! Oh, because it is roast!
Brenda
Oh yeah- 22.5 pounds down.... go hcg!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
The Big 2-0!!
Yep, this morning I got on the scale and I am TWENTY pounds lighter than I was 3 weeks ago. I am as amazed as anyone, believe me. I like the way my clothes are fitting, my face looks thinner, my arms and legs look thinner, my hands look more feminine-- when you get to 20 pounds lost, it is a real milestone and I am feeling good about it. Although, it has been simple enough that I still feel amazingly guilty accepting the praise of my wonderful friends and family who tell me how proud they are of me for sticking with it. I have to say, though, even with the tough stuff, what would I do instead? Nothing has ever worked at all, and certainly not this well, day after day after day. So I am loving it.
By the way, my husband (he spoils me rotten, you know) bought me some mineral makeup- Beauty by Nature last Saturday night. This is significant because on the HCG diet, you cannot wear regular makeup-- it has stuff in it that is not good for fat loss) It is really pretty! I like how it feels. They say it is good for your skin (it is a bunch of crushed up rocks (mica) with color and glitter (in some of them) added.) Anyway, I feel pretty putting it on. Oh, and they have cool brushes that hold the makeup in the tube, and it shakes out on the brush-- easy for traveling (NOT doing makeup in the car, what kind of a lunatic do you think I am?!?) but seriously easy to use. Oh yeah, and they have "clear gear" that you use to make lipstick and nail polish too. It is pretty cool.
Anyway, I had to post the big news. G'Night!
By the way, my husband (he spoils me rotten, you know) bought me some mineral makeup- Beauty by Nature last Saturday night. This is significant because on the HCG diet, you cannot wear regular makeup-- it has stuff in it that is not good for fat loss) It is really pretty! I like how it feels. They say it is good for your skin (it is a bunch of crushed up rocks (mica) with color and glitter (in some of them) added.) Anyway, I feel pretty putting it on. Oh, and they have cool brushes that hold the makeup in the tube, and it shakes out on the brush-- easy for traveling (NOT doing makeup in the car, what kind of a lunatic do you think I am?!?) but seriously easy to use. Oh yeah, and they have "clear gear" that you use to make lipstick and nail polish too. It is pretty cool.
Anyway, I had to post the big news. G'Night!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
And On We Go.....
So I have had a little bit of a hard week. At my last post, I had lost 15.4 pounds, and that was more than a week ago...This week, I have lost 3.5 more pounds-- and almost 3 of it was this morning.
Let me tell you what happened... I guess I am somewhat of an anomaly, what with my "sleep eating" disorder, but this week I had some trouble with my blood sugar as well. You know, fainty, tunnel vision, irritable (I'll Say!) headaches- AND to top it off... I started my period (is that polite to say in public?) I don't know how else to get the message across-- that time of the month is often accompanied with bloating, so I gained 1.5 pounds, then sort of stagnated for a few days. When I called Dr. Wright about the tunnel vision, (the support is great-- he took my call on a Sunday), he recommended that I eat more for a couple of days, and just know that it would put me behind a little bit. I weighed it out (no pun intended) and decided that since I could not even lose a SINGLE pound in a week before HCG (much less keep it off if I did lose it) that I would be OK with listening to my body for a couple of days, and following the 5 fingers of balance (water, veggie, grain, protein fruit) at a more normal caloric intake (around 2000) Imagine my surprise when I did not gain ANYTHING the first day I ate like that, and the second day, I still LOST about 1/2 pound! I felt much better and on Tuesday went back on the restriction, and low and behold, I lost nearly 3 pounds this morning, bringing me to a total of 19 pounds lost since I started almost 3 weeks ago. Not bad, I have to admit.
I really like listening to my body- I feel like it tells me things for a reason. It is nice to learn what it means, and to be patient with it while it teaches me how to take care of it. I like that my body burned fat even while I was eating A LOT more calories- I think my body has been hoping I would figure out something to help it feel safe enough to burn fat for many years. I am so excited that I have found HCG and am having such great success with it. (by the way, my hubby has lost 22 pounds now!)
So Dr. Wright recommends some supplements for the program, but not everyone will need them, so they are not included in the initial price. But for blood sugar regulation, he recommends a cinnamon and chromium blend. I am taking that now, so I am hoping to be OK through the duration of the program. I also picked up some Papaya digestive enzymes, the L-carnatine (I guess it helps your body to metabolize fat better) and some DHEA-- I have no idea what that does, but Dr. Wright says it helps a lot on the program, so I am taking it too.
OK, now to your favorite part-- RECIPES!!
I tried the cabbage rolls, and they turned out SO YUMMY!
3.5 oz ground bison (or ground steak, or super lean ground beef)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp sea salt
Cabbage Leaves
For sauce, blend in the blender
1 whole tomato
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 small onion
Steam the head of cabbage for a few minutes to make the leaves soft.
Mix the first 3 ingredients together. Pour just a little of the sauce in (like, maybe 1/4 cup?) Mixture should still hold together when you shape it in your hand. Shape into ball, then peel off a cabbage leaf and place the ball in the center of the leaf. Wrap it up, and place it seam side down in a glass baking dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray (I used a bread pan) Use all of the beef (should make about 3 cabbage rolls). Bake at 375 for 1.5 hours (at 45 minutes the meat was done, but cabbage was still crunchy-- I guess you could cook the cabbage longer at the beginning...) This is really yummy.
Salad Dressing or Dip
Take 1/2 cup of nonfat plain yogurt and add garlic salt and dill weed to taste. Really good as a dip for celery, cuke spears, peppers, or bread sticks (although, bread sticks are limited, so they don't last long... but it is still good)
"Desserts"
These are so yummy, they save the day when you are feeling really naughty.
Apple Cinnamon Delight
1 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 dropper full of liquid stevia
1 whole apple, cut up
1/8 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
I also added nutmeg and cloves to make us think of pumpkin pie. Really good with a cup of Pero. It was a fun, tasty, cozy, winter-ish night treat.
Strawberry Delight
1 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 dropper full of liquid stevia
1 handful of strawberries, cut up
1/8 tsp vanilla
We eat this for breakfast every day (yeah, we are on the cheater plan)
So, I will try to write sooner next time-- I even got phone calls about when I was going to update!
Thanks for all of your support--
Let me tell you what happened... I guess I am somewhat of an anomaly, what with my "sleep eating" disorder, but this week I had some trouble with my blood sugar as well. You know, fainty, tunnel vision, irritable (I'll Say!) headaches- AND to top it off... I started my period (is that polite to say in public?) I don't know how else to get the message across-- that time of the month is often accompanied with bloating, so I gained 1.5 pounds, then sort of stagnated for a few days. When I called Dr. Wright about the tunnel vision, (the support is great-- he took my call on a Sunday), he recommended that I eat more for a couple of days, and just know that it would put me behind a little bit. I weighed it out (no pun intended) and decided that since I could not even lose a SINGLE pound in a week before HCG (much less keep it off if I did lose it) that I would be OK with listening to my body for a couple of days, and following the 5 fingers of balance (water, veggie, grain, protein fruit) at a more normal caloric intake (around 2000) Imagine my surprise when I did not gain ANYTHING the first day I ate like that, and the second day, I still LOST about 1/2 pound! I felt much better and on Tuesday went back on the restriction, and low and behold, I lost nearly 3 pounds this morning, bringing me to a total of 19 pounds lost since I started almost 3 weeks ago. Not bad, I have to admit.
I really like listening to my body- I feel like it tells me things for a reason. It is nice to learn what it means, and to be patient with it while it teaches me how to take care of it. I like that my body burned fat even while I was eating A LOT more calories- I think my body has been hoping I would figure out something to help it feel safe enough to burn fat for many years. I am so excited that I have found HCG and am having such great success with it. (by the way, my hubby has lost 22 pounds now!)
So Dr. Wright recommends some supplements for the program, but not everyone will need them, so they are not included in the initial price. But for blood sugar regulation, he recommends a cinnamon and chromium blend. I am taking that now, so I am hoping to be OK through the duration of the program. I also picked up some Papaya digestive enzymes, the L-carnatine (I guess it helps your body to metabolize fat better) and some DHEA-- I have no idea what that does, but Dr. Wright says it helps a lot on the program, so I am taking it too.
OK, now to your favorite part-- RECIPES!!
I tried the cabbage rolls, and they turned out SO YUMMY!
3.5 oz ground bison (or ground steak, or super lean ground beef)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp sea salt
Cabbage Leaves
For sauce, blend in the blender
1 whole tomato
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 small onion
Steam the head of cabbage for a few minutes to make the leaves soft.
Mix the first 3 ingredients together. Pour just a little of the sauce in (like, maybe 1/4 cup?) Mixture should still hold together when you shape it in your hand. Shape into ball, then peel off a cabbage leaf and place the ball in the center of the leaf. Wrap it up, and place it seam side down in a glass baking dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray (I used a bread pan) Use all of the beef (should make about 3 cabbage rolls). Bake at 375 for 1.5 hours (at 45 minutes the meat was done, but cabbage was still crunchy-- I guess you could cook the cabbage longer at the beginning...) This is really yummy.
Salad Dressing or Dip
Take 1/2 cup of nonfat plain yogurt and add garlic salt and dill weed to taste. Really good as a dip for celery, cuke spears, peppers, or bread sticks (although, bread sticks are limited, so they don't last long... but it is still good)
"Desserts"
These are so yummy, they save the day when you are feeling really naughty.
Apple Cinnamon Delight
1 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 dropper full of liquid stevia
1 whole apple, cut up
1/8 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
I also added nutmeg and cloves to make us think of pumpkin pie. Really good with a cup of Pero. It was a fun, tasty, cozy, winter-ish night treat.
Strawberry Delight
1 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 dropper full of liquid stevia
1 handful of strawberries, cut up
1/8 tsp vanilla
We eat this for breakfast every day (yeah, we are on the cheater plan)
So, I will try to write sooner next time-- I even got phone calls about when I was going to update!
Thanks for all of your support--
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Ups and Downs
Wow! The time is really flying by. It is Wednesday already and I was trying to write by MONDAY at the latest- *smile* Oh well, better late than never, right? But I know you are all wanting to know what is happening!!
So here goes-- I have lost 15.4 pounds since I started. I am really starting to feel the difference- On Sunday, I got up to get ready for church, and I thought "I wonder...." of course you KNOW what I am wondering because you also have in your closet clothes that you won't put into storage or give to charity because that would be an admission that what you have gained is permanent!! I also have those clothes in my closet, and one of them is a beautiful suit that I have not worn in 2 years, maybe more. I refuse to take it out of my closet because it is so beautiful, and because I don't want to know that it doesn't fit, so I simply "choose" to wear something else every week. But this week, I am really wondering.... can I get the button done up? I gingerly reach for it and step into it slowly sliding it over my hips. I reach behind-- it buttons! Wow! I fumble with the zipper and enlist my husband's help. It zips! I am happy and amazed- but still don't dare sit down. I take it off and wear something else, including a sweater that used to be too tight.
Later in the day, I realize that I am REALLY hungry- I feel grumpy and angry that I am so hungry. I am short with my kids (who for some reason are exceptionally hyper-- can you say HALLOWEEN CANDY?!?!) When I went to bed, I reflected on the day. I start to wonder... I have read Dana Thornock's works about Eating to be lean, and her theory that when our bodies are restricted from calories for a period of time, weight loss slows because our bodies think we are starving, so they adapt to the new caloric intake and start to maintain at that level. I wonder if this increase in hunger is a call from my body to be sure that we are not actually starving before it adjusts to the new level. I drift off to sleep wondering about it.
Some of you may know, and many of you probably don't, that I have a sleep disorder- sleep-eating. I know, I know as if that is a real disorder, but seriously, I have for YEARS woken up in the night and gone out to the kitchen, eat whatever I can find and go back to bed. I am awake enough to remember it when I wake up in the morning and wonder why my mouth tastes so disgusting, but not awake enough to comprehend what I am actually doing. Since being on HCG, I have only had 2 incidents of sleep eating. This is unheard of because it has always been calorically related-- like if I get enough calories during the day, I will not get up and eat, but if I am low (like go to bed even slightly hungry) I will almost assuredly be up eating. And the worst part of it is that I have no discrimination at that point! So whatever I can find, is what I eat. As you can imagine, my dieting efforts have been frustrating and fruitless.
So Sunday night, after being hungry all day, I got up and started eating. Now to my credit, I thought I was awake, and that I was making some good choices. I ate a breadstick, some cottage cheese, and some chicken. My husband heard me out of bed, and he came out to talk to me. He asked me what I was doing. I woke up, and couldn't remember what I had been doing. It started coming together for me, and I realized that the chicken I had cooked for the kids was frozen when I started cooking it, so I did not take the skin off. Oh, I took it off before I served it, but the chicken I am sure had a lot more fat in it than if I had skinned it first.
I woke up the Monday morning and weighed. I had gained one half pound. I started thinking about things, and decided not to stress about not having lost that day. I spoke with Doctor Wright about it, and we agreed that I would try to take a day each week (probably Sunday) to eat double the calories that I am currently eating. It is still only about 1000 calories, so it is possible that I will still lose weight, but even if all I do is reset my body to think that there is still enough food, and I am not going to starve to death, then it will just be like changing gears, and then I go on losing.
Tuesday morning I got up and had lost 2.5 pounds. Wednesday I had lost another 1 pound bringing the total up to 15.5!
Soooo... I am still going the right direction!
I promised some additional recipes- and here they are:
Bison "tacos"
3.5 oz ground bison
Onions
Taco Seasoning
Romaine Lettuce
Tomatoes
Cook the bison with just a few slices of onion for flavor. Add the taco seasoning to taste. Place bison on a romaine lettuce leaf . Add chopped tomatoes (a handful, of course). Roll up the lettuce leaf-- Delicious!
Stir Fry
You could do this with beef or chicken. I did it with chicken.
3.5 oz chicken, cut into bite size pieces
1 Bell Pepper
2 T Braggs liquid amino acids
Stir fry the chicken (add a couple slices of onion for flavor) Add 1 T of Braggs to keep the chicken from sticking. Cut up the bell pepper , and add to the pan. Cook and stir, add the rest of the Braggs and cook until peppers are as done as you like them.
The other great thing about this recipe is how BIG your serving looks! So wonderfully satisfying.
We are trying Cabbage Rolls tonight-- I will let you know how it goes.
So here goes-- I have lost 15.4 pounds since I started. I am really starting to feel the difference- On Sunday, I got up to get ready for church, and I thought "I wonder...." of course you KNOW what I am wondering because you also have in your closet clothes that you won't put into storage or give to charity because that would be an admission that what you have gained is permanent!! I also have those clothes in my closet, and one of them is a beautiful suit that I have not worn in 2 years, maybe more. I refuse to take it out of my closet because it is so beautiful, and because I don't want to know that it doesn't fit, so I simply "choose" to wear something else every week. But this week, I am really wondering.... can I get the button done up? I gingerly reach for it and step into it slowly sliding it over my hips. I reach behind-- it buttons! Wow! I fumble with the zipper and enlist my husband's help. It zips! I am happy and amazed- but still don't dare sit down. I take it off and wear something else, including a sweater that used to be too tight.
Later in the day, I realize that I am REALLY hungry- I feel grumpy and angry that I am so hungry. I am short with my kids (who for some reason are exceptionally hyper-- can you say HALLOWEEN CANDY?!?!) When I went to bed, I reflected on the day. I start to wonder... I have read Dana Thornock's works about Eating to be lean, and her theory that when our bodies are restricted from calories for a period of time, weight loss slows because our bodies think we are starving, so they adapt to the new caloric intake and start to maintain at that level. I wonder if this increase in hunger is a call from my body to be sure that we are not actually starving before it adjusts to the new level. I drift off to sleep wondering about it.
Some of you may know, and many of you probably don't, that I have a sleep disorder- sleep-eating. I know, I know as if that is a real disorder, but seriously, I have for YEARS woken up in the night and gone out to the kitchen, eat whatever I can find and go back to bed. I am awake enough to remember it when I wake up in the morning and wonder why my mouth tastes so disgusting, but not awake enough to comprehend what I am actually doing. Since being on HCG, I have only had 2 incidents of sleep eating. This is unheard of because it has always been calorically related-- like if I get enough calories during the day, I will not get up and eat, but if I am low (like go to bed even slightly hungry) I will almost assuredly be up eating. And the worst part of it is that I have no discrimination at that point! So whatever I can find, is what I eat. As you can imagine, my dieting efforts have been frustrating and fruitless.
So Sunday night, after being hungry all day, I got up and started eating. Now to my credit, I thought I was awake, and that I was making some good choices. I ate a breadstick, some cottage cheese, and some chicken. My husband heard me out of bed, and he came out to talk to me. He asked me what I was doing. I woke up, and couldn't remember what I had been doing. It started coming together for me, and I realized that the chicken I had cooked for the kids was frozen when I started cooking it, so I did not take the skin off. Oh, I took it off before I served it, but the chicken I am sure had a lot more fat in it than if I had skinned it first.
I woke up the Monday morning and weighed. I had gained one half pound. I started thinking about things, and decided not to stress about not having lost that day. I spoke with Doctor Wright about it, and we agreed that I would try to take a day each week (probably Sunday) to eat double the calories that I am currently eating. It is still only about 1000 calories, so it is possible that I will still lose weight, but even if all I do is reset my body to think that there is still enough food, and I am not going to starve to death, then it will just be like changing gears, and then I go on losing.
Tuesday morning I got up and had lost 2.5 pounds. Wednesday I had lost another 1 pound bringing the total up to 15.5!
Soooo... I am still going the right direction!
I promised some additional recipes- and here they are:
Bison "tacos"
3.5 oz ground bison
Onions
Taco Seasoning
Romaine Lettuce
Tomatoes
Cook the bison with just a few slices of onion for flavor. Add the taco seasoning to taste. Place bison on a romaine lettuce leaf . Add chopped tomatoes (a handful, of course). Roll up the lettuce leaf-- Delicious!
Stir Fry
You could do this with beef or chicken. I did it with chicken.
3.5 oz chicken, cut into bite size pieces
1 Bell Pepper
2 T Braggs liquid amino acids
Stir fry the chicken (add a couple slices of onion for flavor) Add 1 T of Braggs to keep the chicken from sticking. Cut up the bell pepper , and add to the pan. Cook and stir, add the rest of the Braggs and cook until peppers are as done as you like them.
The other great thing about this recipe is how BIG your serving looks! So wonderfully satisfying.
We are trying Cabbage Rolls tonight-- I will let you know how it goes.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Food, Glorious Food
OK, so it has been one week since my first hCG injection... and (drum roll please) I am down 11 pounds! No, I will not tell you what that makes me.
So today, I thought I would spend a little time telling you about some GLORIOUS food creations I have come up with this week. When you agree to go on a "food plan" that is this stringent, you want every morsel of food to be delicious. You savor it in your mouth, rolling it around on your tongue and teeth, feeling every texture, and chewing very slowly. You drink the juices from the pan and look longingly at the grill, thinking about licking off what flavor is left there.
As a disclaimer, this is an EXTREME diet, and please don't do it without a doctor. I had to have an EKG to be sure my heart was up to it, and I have no heart history in my family (unless you count that my dad has been married to my mom for almost 40 years-- I call THAT heart history)
Here are some ideas that I came up with this week. First of all, you must understand, my husband and I are doing this together, and we agreed that 3.5 oz of fish at any meal wasn't going to be enough. Heck, when we eat fish for dinner, we are always STARVING by bedtime. So we agreed to begin with chicken and beef. We bought some hormone free and range fed beef and chicken at Sunflower Market here in Murray. I carefully weighed and cut the portions, bagging them in sandwhich bags and putting them all into quart size freezer bags. I thought it would be easiest to succeed if I did this on the first day (while I was still motivated, and not inclined to cheat). The veggies and fruits are easy, because they are a "handful" of each. I can reach in and get a handful at mealtime.
Grilled Steak
3.5 oz steak
Grill mates steak seasoning
or
Lemon pepper and garlic salt
or
Worcestershire sauce (1 tsp will cover the whole thing) and salt
or
any other seasoning that you like on steak
Grilled Chicken
3.5 oz chicken
Grill mates chicken seasoning
or
Lemon pepper and garlic salt
or
Italian Seasoning and garlic salt
or
any other seasoning that you like on chicken (I am going to try poultry seasoning this week)
What to do with your Grilled Chicken or Grilled Steak
1-put it on top of a handful of green salad
2-eat it just as it is with a side of vegetables
that is all I have thought of so far.
So here are some menus that we ate this week:
1-Grilled steak with Sauteed Mushrooms I grilled the steak with the grill mates, and sauteed the mushrooms dry for a couple of minutes, then added white cooking wine (about a tablespoon) for a wonderful flavor. I felt like a guormet cook.
2- Chicken Parmesan (without the parm) I grilled the chicken with Italian seasoning and garlic salt. I took a whole tomato and cut it up, then put it on the stove. I cooked it down slightly and seasoned it with more Italian seasoning, garlic salt, and pepper. Then I cooked it some more. I served the stewed tomatoes over the chicken. Delicious. (I served the rest of the tomato juice in a glass, the flavor was so wonderful I wanted every bit that I was entitled to!)
3- Grilled Chicken with Wilted Spinach I grilled an extra piece of chicken for our lunches the next day, so I took the cooked chicken, cut it into small pieces, and heated it in the pan. When it was starting to get hot, I added a handful of fresh spinach to the pan, and continued to stir. Pour in a tablespoon of that white cooking wine, and cook a couple of minutes more--wow. So yummy.
4-Beef Fajitas- I took the steak and sliced it thin, then stir fried it on the stove. I cut a whole pepper and stir fried it too. I put the beef and pepper together, then added fajita seasoning and water. Very good, but a little too hot for me. I like the lime flavor in it, though.
Drinks
We have to drink A LOT on this plan, but it is a good thing because otherwise, your mouth gets bored with nothing to do. Here are some things that we have found to liven it up.
Herbal teas-- there are many types of herbal teas, and lots of them taste AMAZING! If you like your tea sweet, add stevia (just a little, mind you). We have also added cinnamon and cloves. Helpful hint: Ground Cinnamon goes slimy in hot tea. Cut off a piece of cinnamon stick and use a whole clove instead.
Lemonade-- we are allowed the juice of 1 lemon per day on this plan. I juice the lemon, add 3 cups of water and 2 droppers of stevia. This stuff is SOOO good, I don't know if I will go back to real lemonade-- ok, fake lemonade. What could be more real than this? Pure lemon juice, filtered water, and stevia.
Apple Cider Vinegar water. Sounds gross, doesn't it? Buy the raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar at the health food store. Put a teaspoon in a bottle of water, add 4 drops stevia. It is pretty tasty!
Emergen-C for energy (and to keep the capillary bed strong-- I was bruising the first few days of shots)
and of course, plain old filtered water. It tastes good too.
See you later!
Next time: Bison "tacos" and Cabbage rolls
So today, I thought I would spend a little time telling you about some GLORIOUS food creations I have come up with this week. When you agree to go on a "food plan" that is this stringent, you want every morsel of food to be delicious. You savor it in your mouth, rolling it around on your tongue and teeth, feeling every texture, and chewing very slowly. You drink the juices from the pan and look longingly at the grill, thinking about licking off what flavor is left there.
As a disclaimer, this is an EXTREME diet, and please don't do it without a doctor. I had to have an EKG to be sure my heart was up to it, and I have no heart history in my family (unless you count that my dad has been married to my mom for almost 40 years-- I call THAT heart history)
Here are some ideas that I came up with this week. First of all, you must understand, my husband and I are doing this together, and we agreed that 3.5 oz of fish at any meal wasn't going to be enough. Heck, when we eat fish for dinner, we are always STARVING by bedtime. So we agreed to begin with chicken and beef. We bought some hormone free and range fed beef and chicken at Sunflower Market here in Murray. I carefully weighed and cut the portions, bagging them in sandwhich bags and putting them all into quart size freezer bags. I thought it would be easiest to succeed if I did this on the first day (while I was still motivated, and not inclined to cheat). The veggies and fruits are easy, because they are a "handful" of each. I can reach in and get a handful at mealtime.
Grilled Steak
3.5 oz steak
Grill mates steak seasoning
or
Lemon pepper and garlic salt
or
Worcestershire sauce (1 tsp will cover the whole thing) and salt
or
any other seasoning that you like on steak
Grilled Chicken
3.5 oz chicken
Grill mates chicken seasoning
or
Lemon pepper and garlic salt
or
Italian Seasoning and garlic salt
or
any other seasoning that you like on chicken (I am going to try poultry seasoning this week)
What to do with your Grilled Chicken or Grilled Steak
1-put it on top of a handful of green salad
2-eat it just as it is with a side of vegetables
that is all I have thought of so far.
So here are some menus that we ate this week:
1-Grilled steak with Sauteed Mushrooms I grilled the steak with the grill mates, and sauteed the mushrooms dry for a couple of minutes, then added white cooking wine (about a tablespoon) for a wonderful flavor. I felt like a guormet cook.
2- Chicken Parmesan (without the parm) I grilled the chicken with Italian seasoning and garlic salt. I took a whole tomato and cut it up, then put it on the stove. I cooked it down slightly and seasoned it with more Italian seasoning, garlic salt, and pepper. Then I cooked it some more. I served the stewed tomatoes over the chicken. Delicious. (I served the rest of the tomato juice in a glass, the flavor was so wonderful I wanted every bit that I was entitled to!)
3- Grilled Chicken with Wilted Spinach I grilled an extra piece of chicken for our lunches the next day, so I took the cooked chicken, cut it into small pieces, and heated it in the pan. When it was starting to get hot, I added a handful of fresh spinach to the pan, and continued to stir. Pour in a tablespoon of that white cooking wine, and cook a couple of minutes more--wow. So yummy.
4-Beef Fajitas- I took the steak and sliced it thin, then stir fried it on the stove. I cut a whole pepper and stir fried it too. I put the beef and pepper together, then added fajita seasoning and water. Very good, but a little too hot for me. I like the lime flavor in it, though.
Drinks
We have to drink A LOT on this plan, but it is a good thing because otherwise, your mouth gets bored with nothing to do. Here are some things that we have found to liven it up.
Herbal teas-- there are many types of herbal teas, and lots of them taste AMAZING! If you like your tea sweet, add stevia (just a little, mind you). We have also added cinnamon and cloves. Helpful hint: Ground Cinnamon goes slimy in hot tea. Cut off a piece of cinnamon stick and use a whole clove instead.
Lemonade-- we are allowed the juice of 1 lemon per day on this plan. I juice the lemon, add 3 cups of water and 2 droppers of stevia. This stuff is SOOO good, I don't know if I will go back to real lemonade-- ok, fake lemonade. What could be more real than this? Pure lemon juice, filtered water, and stevia.
Apple Cider Vinegar water. Sounds gross, doesn't it? Buy the raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar at the health food store. Put a teaspoon in a bottle of water, add 4 drops stevia. It is pretty tasty!
Emergen-C for energy (and to keep the capillary bed strong-- I was bruising the first few days of shots)
and of course, plain old filtered water. It tastes good too.
See you later!
Next time: Bison "tacos" and Cabbage rolls
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Just getting going-- and loving it!
Hello, all--
I am 36 years old (but don't tell anyone-- I only admit to 26!) and I have had a weight problem most of my life. Well, not a SERIOUS weight problem when I was young, I was just a little pudgy beginning in about 3rd grade. My dad also had a weight problem (his was pretty serious) and he was concerned for me, and wanted me to look my best and be healthy. He would always tell me that I should hold in my stomach, and it seemed (to me, at least) that he was worried that I would get fat. I believed it.
Through junior high and high school my weight fluctuated between size 12-16. I wasn't really concerned about it, and I always ate pretty much what I wanted. My mother fed us whole grains and lots of vegetables, so as a rule, I ate pretty well. I didn't have a lot of money, and we lived out of town a ways, so the "7-11 run" that my kids are into wasn't a problem for me. Not a lot of junk food available, and I always liked pretty healthy food, but still, I have always been a big girl. A strong girl too, I have always put my size off to my "raised on a farm" upbringing, bucking hay and milking the cow.
I got married at age 22 and a size 10. I figured I could be happy at that size for the rest of my life. GO ME!!
But.... marriage was stressful, and pregnancy was worse. My husband regularly told me that he was afraid I would get fat. I rembered my dad was afraid of that too. I believed it. I gained 40 pounds before I got pregnant, then another 60 (no that is not a typo) while I was pregnant. My life felt out of control. I had no idea how to lose weight. I delivered my first baby at 268 pounds. I got right to work, and lost down to 225, but couldn't seem to shake it after that. I got pregnant again about 15 months later, this time only gaining 35 (not sure what was different). After that I worked really hard, and got back to...... 225. Couple of years later, I was pregnant again- this time only gained 25 pounds, but still I stuck at 225. One more time (this time only 5 months later YIKES!!) and I gained 17 pounds, then lost 16. Bringing me back to.... 226. Over the next few years I crept up, settling around 250. I tried numerous food plans, but I have ZERO will power, and I get EXTREMELY GRUMPY when I diet, (not to mention that I had 4 small children and did I mention? a stressful marriage) so didn't make a lot of progress.
I got divorced (marriage is stressful!) and I took a very active job and dropped to 220!! Hooray! Then I broke my foot, lost my active job and got remarried (marriage is stressful!) to an AMAZING man (still stressful) with 4 more kids (also stressful) and gained back to 260. AUUGH what is the point? My husband also has a weight problem, so we bought a GYM pass and 125 sessions with a personal trainer... we went 4 times a week with our trainer for 2 months- DID NOT LOSE A POUND!! OK, I like to exercise, so I go to water aerobics or ride my bike, or take the dog for a walk- and I usually do one of those every day. And I think--- I am OK. I will just be fat and happy, and try not to feel bad about getting the "preferred smoker" rate on my life insurance, even though I have never even tried a cigarette or about not being able to tie my shoes without breathing hard, or about my little boys thinking my mushroom top looks so interesting that they have to feel it every day, or that one of my boys is always telling me about the latest weight loss commercial. But I still wanted to find some way to get the weight off. I secretly wished that I could be AMAZINGLY gorgeous and people would be SHOCKED to learn that I was older than 26, and have 8 (yep count 'em) children!
Then I found Dr. Wright (check out his blog!) and he told me that there is a theory that obese people have a MALFUNCTION in the Hypothalmus gland that makes my body store fat abnormally, and in ways that make it not accessible until AFTER all of the normal fat and structural fat are gone. Meaning (on the off chance that I gain some will power) even if I lose weight, I won't lose it in my stomach first (more likely my breasts-- which was the one part of my body that I could really feel good about!) I started thinking about this, and doing some research. hCG is a pregnancy hormone (it is the one your pregnancy test looks for to get the positive result) so I know that I am not allergic to it, and the CLAIM is that even though you are on a SEVERELY restricted diet, because the hCG is correcting the malfunction, your abnormal fat stores are being released and YOU DON'T FEEL HUNGRY!
Not hungry? My life is one long meal- I am ALWAYS HUNGRY!! I eat every 2-3 hours, and am always thinking about what is next. Now, part of it (give me a break, already!) is because I don't like to face all the HUNGRY PEOPLE at dinner time when I have not thought about it yet... or breakfast, or lunch, or snack... you get the point. So this claim was hard for me to believe. Still, it made some sense. If my body is getting all of the calories it needs by using up the fat stores.... hmm I was going to have to try it.
Once I said I was going to do it, I still took a few days to get into the doctor and get the tests run. Dr. Wright and Dr. Purser ran a bunch of labs, and an EKG to be sure my heart was up to the intense STARVATION diet that I was about to embark upon (how did I talk myself into this? I seriously have no willpower!!) While they are telling me that I am the perfect candidate (over 30, female, with children) I am still somewhat skeptical, but excited as well. Wow, imagine me, a size 9-
All the tests come back good, and we schedule for the demonstration with the shots (Did you say SHOTS?!?!) for the next morning. I learned how to give myself an intra-muscular injection (with a NEEDLE!) in my upper right thigh. I was scared, but once I jabbed it in... I couldn't even feel it. That needle is really thin. (Not like the epidural needle-- I went for natural childbirth because I was too afraid of THAT needle.)
Now for the REALLY FUN PART!!! You have to BINGE (really? Binge?) for 3 Days prior to starting on the diet part of the plan. This is to allow the hCG to build up in your system AND to build up your normal fat stores so that when you start the RESTRICTION part of the diet, you can tolerate it. We had a great time eating pizza, ice cream, cookies, muffins, cheeseburgers, and chocolate, chocolate and MORE chocolate. Ahh the rapture....
So I started getting scared on the morning of the third binge day- what if this is a big joke? Here I am putting on 10 pounds over the weekend, and then.... omg-- what if I can't do it?!? How did I get into this mess? Here I will be WORSE off than when I started...
So I decided to "practice" the diet on day 3 of binging. I did ok-- until the kids got home, then I was STARVING and ate some leftover pizza. Later, panic REALLY set in and I ate 4 cookies, and 2 buscuits, and 3 cups of whole fat milk, followed by dinner. I felt terrible. My head was hurting, I was exuasted within the hour. My husband was worried. We went grocery shopping to get all of the healthy food for the next 60 days. I started thinking about things-- hmm. I know that white flour and sugar are addictive substances, maybe the panic is related to the addiction-- and there are PLENTY of chemicals in our food supply that are also addictive... or so I have read. I am going to assume that this is normal. I gave myself permission to be scared.
Next morning I got on the scale-- I lost 4 pounds. There must be something wrong with the scale, so I laugh it off and stick with the diet for another day. I get on the scale again the next morning (I am surprisingly not hungry) this time, 2.5 pounds. Wow! I stick with it for another day. My friend is so proud of me for or sticking with the diet, but I feel sort of GUILTY accepting all of the praise since I am not exerting any WILL POWER (which I don't have a lot of) since I am not really that hungry. Anyway, day three on the elf food diet, and I have lost 8 pounds! Amazing-- also, my hydration level is going up, and my body fat percentage is going down (so don't tell me it's all water...)
I am 36 years old (but don't tell anyone-- I only admit to 26!) and I have had a weight problem most of my life. Well, not a SERIOUS weight problem when I was young, I was just a little pudgy beginning in about 3rd grade. My dad also had a weight problem (his was pretty serious) and he was concerned for me, and wanted me to look my best and be healthy. He would always tell me that I should hold in my stomach, and it seemed (to me, at least) that he was worried that I would get fat. I believed it.
Through junior high and high school my weight fluctuated between size 12-16. I wasn't really concerned about it, and I always ate pretty much what I wanted. My mother fed us whole grains and lots of vegetables, so as a rule, I ate pretty well. I didn't have a lot of money, and we lived out of town a ways, so the "7-11 run" that my kids are into wasn't a problem for me. Not a lot of junk food available, and I always liked pretty healthy food, but still, I have always been a big girl. A strong girl too, I have always put my size off to my "raised on a farm" upbringing, bucking hay and milking the cow.
I got married at age 22 and a size 10. I figured I could be happy at that size for the rest of my life. GO ME!!
But.... marriage was stressful, and pregnancy was worse. My husband regularly told me that he was afraid I would get fat. I rembered my dad was afraid of that too. I believed it. I gained 40 pounds before I got pregnant, then another 60 (no that is not a typo) while I was pregnant. My life felt out of control. I had no idea how to lose weight. I delivered my first baby at 268 pounds. I got right to work, and lost down to 225, but couldn't seem to shake it after that. I got pregnant again about 15 months later, this time only gaining 35 (not sure what was different). After that I worked really hard, and got back to...... 225. Couple of years later, I was pregnant again- this time only gained 25 pounds, but still I stuck at 225. One more time (this time only 5 months later YIKES!!) and I gained 17 pounds, then lost 16. Bringing me back to.... 226. Over the next few years I crept up, settling around 250. I tried numerous food plans, but I have ZERO will power, and I get EXTREMELY GRUMPY when I diet, (not to mention that I had 4 small children and did I mention? a stressful marriage) so didn't make a lot of progress.
I got divorced (marriage is stressful!) and I took a very active job and dropped to 220!! Hooray! Then I broke my foot, lost my active job and got remarried (marriage is stressful!) to an AMAZING man (still stressful) with 4 more kids (also stressful) and gained back to 260. AUUGH what is the point? My husband also has a weight problem, so we bought a GYM pass and 125 sessions with a personal trainer... we went 4 times a week with our trainer for 2 months- DID NOT LOSE A POUND!! OK, I like to exercise, so I go to water aerobics or ride my bike, or take the dog for a walk- and I usually do one of those every day. And I think--- I am OK. I will just be fat and happy, and try not to feel bad about getting the "preferred smoker" rate on my life insurance, even though I have never even tried a cigarette or about not being able to tie my shoes without breathing hard, or about my little boys thinking my mushroom top looks so interesting that they have to feel it every day, or that one of my boys is always telling me about the latest weight loss commercial. But I still wanted to find some way to get the weight off. I secretly wished that I could be AMAZINGLY gorgeous and people would be SHOCKED to learn that I was older than 26, and have 8 (yep count 'em) children!
Then I found Dr. Wright (check out his blog!) and he told me that there is a theory that obese people have a MALFUNCTION in the Hypothalmus gland that makes my body store fat abnormally, and in ways that make it not accessible until AFTER all of the normal fat and structural fat are gone. Meaning (on the off chance that I gain some will power) even if I lose weight, I won't lose it in my stomach first (more likely my breasts-- which was the one part of my body that I could really feel good about!) I started thinking about this, and doing some research. hCG is a pregnancy hormone (it is the one your pregnancy test looks for to get the positive result) so I know that I am not allergic to it, and the CLAIM is that even though you are on a SEVERELY restricted diet, because the hCG is correcting the malfunction, your abnormal fat stores are being released and YOU DON'T FEEL HUNGRY!
Not hungry? My life is one long meal- I am ALWAYS HUNGRY!! I eat every 2-3 hours, and am always thinking about what is next. Now, part of it (give me a break, already!) is because I don't like to face all the HUNGRY PEOPLE at dinner time when I have not thought about it yet... or breakfast, or lunch, or snack... you get the point. So this claim was hard for me to believe. Still, it made some sense. If my body is getting all of the calories it needs by using up the fat stores.... hmm I was going to have to try it.
Once I said I was going to do it, I still took a few days to get into the doctor and get the tests run. Dr. Wright and Dr. Purser ran a bunch of labs, and an EKG to be sure my heart was up to the intense STARVATION diet that I was about to embark upon (how did I talk myself into this? I seriously have no willpower!!) While they are telling me that I am the perfect candidate (over 30, female, with children) I am still somewhat skeptical, but excited as well. Wow, imagine me, a size 9-
All the tests come back good, and we schedule for the demonstration with the shots (Did you say SHOTS?!?!) for the next morning. I learned how to give myself an intra-muscular injection (with a NEEDLE!) in my upper right thigh. I was scared, but once I jabbed it in... I couldn't even feel it. That needle is really thin. (Not like the epidural needle-- I went for natural childbirth because I was too afraid of THAT needle.)
Now for the REALLY FUN PART!!! You have to BINGE (really? Binge?) for 3 Days prior to starting on the diet part of the plan. This is to allow the hCG to build up in your system AND to build up your normal fat stores so that when you start the RESTRICTION part of the diet, you can tolerate it. We had a great time eating pizza, ice cream, cookies, muffins, cheeseburgers, and chocolate, chocolate and MORE chocolate. Ahh the rapture....
So I started getting scared on the morning of the third binge day- what if this is a big joke? Here I am putting on 10 pounds over the weekend, and then.... omg-- what if I can't do it?!? How did I get into this mess? Here I will be WORSE off than when I started...
So I decided to "practice" the diet on day 3 of binging. I did ok-- until the kids got home, then I was STARVING and ate some leftover pizza. Later, panic REALLY set in and I ate 4 cookies, and 2 buscuits, and 3 cups of whole fat milk, followed by dinner. I felt terrible. My head was hurting, I was exuasted within the hour. My husband was worried. We went grocery shopping to get all of the healthy food for the next 60 days. I started thinking about things-- hmm. I know that white flour and sugar are addictive substances, maybe the panic is related to the addiction-- and there are PLENTY of chemicals in our food supply that are also addictive... or so I have read. I am going to assume that this is normal. I gave myself permission to be scared.
Next morning I got on the scale-- I lost 4 pounds. There must be something wrong with the scale, so I laugh it off and stick with the diet for another day. I get on the scale again the next morning (I am surprisingly not hungry) this time, 2.5 pounds. Wow! I stick with it for another day. My friend is so proud of me for or sticking with the diet, but I feel sort of GUILTY accepting all of the praise since I am not exerting any WILL POWER (which I don't have a lot of) since I am not really that hungry. Anyway, day three on the elf food diet, and I have lost 8 pounds! Amazing-- also, my hydration level is going up, and my body fat percentage is going down (so don't tell me it's all water...)
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