Less of Me with HCG

4kDP: Plants & P3

2012-07-10T15:23:00.000-07:00

Can I just take a moment to whine and complain? It just amazes me how plants have the ability to wait and wait and wait, while the weather is perfect for doing a harvest, and then, at the first sign of 100 degree weather - only then, do the plants actually become ready. ::sighs::

It's been kind of a long haul where lavender is concerned - there's three more days of harvest still in front of me. :( And, I have to admit that doing something like this takes more than 500 calories a day. I've moved into P3 and haven't looked back.

I'm bouncing all over the place, but I refuse to do a steak day with what I'm doing, physically. It's just going to have to wait. lol. Regardless of my body size, life still must go on!

4kDP: Spoke too soon

2012-07-05T11:01:00.000-07:00

Hehehe - joke is on me! I bragged and was so excited about my numbers whizzing by lately. I've been brought back to earth, though. Kinda. I'm down another pound, but it was a little bit of a let-down after the 1.8s!

Today was actually supposed to be our last P2 day, but I think Mom wants to keep going. I'm ok with that. I still get my coffee and our foods are still yummy. In fact, we've used our cookbook so much that it's falling apart. lol. You get that when you start spilling things on it and it falls to the ground. Your books fall apart when you flip through them two, sometimes three times daily, too. We've been quite hard on our book, I have to say! But it's got some great recipes in it that we use as jumping off points now, altering the original recipes with substitutes from the 4kDP food list.

A little piece of artwork I did on a 5x7. It's a
watercolor background with acrylic flowers and
dark thrushes.

We've also been experimenting with mixing our veggies. Guess what we've found so far? Mixing veggies doesn't interfere with the plan. If we want a salad these days, it's got a mix of lettuces from our garden, a sprinkle of green onion, spinach, 6-8 grape tomatoes, 1/4 cucumber, and sometimes a few grates of carrot. Then we top that with our protein and add some red wine vinegar for dressing. We try to keep it small, but it's not just a cup of veggies. It's more like two cups. We go light on the veggies with higher sugar content (carrots, in particular), but are fairly generous with the lettuces because they don't hardly register on the calorie scale, even in large quantities.

I've also been experimenting with different breads. In the 4kDP, you get one slice of 140 calorie bread. However, I found that 1/2 of a bagel comes in under that amount, as does a whole sourdough English muffin. Toasted, those two treats are a perfect companion to my coffee in the morning!

Just so you're not alarmed when it happens, our lavender garden is just about ready for harvesting. It takes quite an effort to get it harvested, bundled, and hung for drying with just two people doing it. I figure this year it's going to take the better part of two days and maybe into a third. I think around Saturday, we'll be out there harvesting. So, if we don't check in, don't worry. We're just bringing in the lavender! :)

Numbers:
Me: -1
Mom:

4kDP: Numbers speeding by... FASTER!

2012-07-04T09:47:00.004-07:00

I seem to be speeding up in my losses rather than slowing down, like normal (and like Mom's doing). In fact, I've had several full pound days, and two days of almost two pound losses in a row. On average, I'm at a little over one pound per day of HCG. Mom's at a little under one pound per day. She's been having all the great success this round, as I've had in the past on the more strict (but not the original) plan. Mom has done very well so far as we follow the 4kDP. Better, in fact, than any previous round!

Initially, I'll admit to being a little disappointed in my far slower losses. But I wasn't about to give up my milk for my coffee to speed it back up! :) Sticking with it, though, has revealed that my body seems to be warming up to the idea of this new plan.

Probably, knowing how it works and still getting my skinny breve, I would have continued with the plan anyway. I can see, however, where a Grasshopper Personality might abandon the 4kDP and move along back to something more strict.

I think what I'm trying to say is this: Give it a shot and stick with it for at least a whole round.

You're still going to drop *some* weight. If you're like me, your losses will come faster at the end of the round and make you wonder if you should be looking at the end! If you're like my Mom, your losses at the beginning of the round will be greater than any previous round of HCG, and you'll be so satisfied with your morning "spoil-me," you won't even mind it when the numbers slow down toward the end of the round.

Numbers:
Me: -1.8 (again!)
Mom: -0.6

#INDIVISIBLE Answer to Starbucks call to Action

2012-07-03T19:56:00.001-07:00

Starbucks CEO, Howard Schultz, issued a national Call to Action for Americans with his letter, "An Open Letter: How Can America Win This Election?" In it, he asks us to blog, video, tweet, FB or otherwise use the internet communication devices and services to express our individual view of how America could be, and how we can all put citizenship over partisanship.

I'd like add my voice now and say that we need to free our food from GMOs. I think we, as a nation, are obese because our bodies are reacting to the foreign DNA in our foods. Bodies can process normal food normally, but the extra strands enabled in food that is manufactured for money (genetically altered to resist dis-ease, insects, and spoiling so fast) are unknown substances. The body has automatic defense mechanisms, developed over millenia, to wrap those foreign things up in a ball of fat to keep our organs safe.

GMOs have nasty stuff like Round-up in them! I did a post on Round-up and what it does to dogs, but it does the same thing to any living creature (including humans).

The symptoms:
Losing control of bladder function
Sleepiness (it could be fatigue)
Forgetfulness
Mood & depression
Generalized anxiety

I've even got the MSDS sheet for it, to back up my claims.

Toxins in your body can make it very difficult to drop the weight. Your body is protecting you by keeping those nasty thingies separate from you in that protective fat cell:

In a closed system where exposure to toxic substances is controlled, your body does indeed deal with most toxins very effectively (mostly processed in liver and excreted via kidney.)
HOWEVER... the amount of toxic exposure we're experiencing is unprecidented. It's not uncommon for the liver to become over-taxed to the point that it cannot keep up. When this happens, toxins absolutely are disseminated, primarily to adipose (fat) tissues. Evidence for this is abundant! And we're only beginning to understand the multitude of physiologic effects.
CDC’s Fourth National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals tested 212 chemicals and found ALL to be in blood and urine of most Americans (and 6 specific chemicals to be in the blood/urine of EVERY individual tested.) Heavy metals are part of the picture, but for most people the following are more relevant with respect to toxic exposure:- BTEX compounds (volatile organic compounds)- PCDD and PCBs (vinyl and plastic)- Dioxin- PFOA (found in non-stick cooking coatings and thermal printing papers)- PDEs (flame retardant on clothing)- Pthalates (plastics)- Acrylamide (created when cooking fatty foods at high temp. Think KFC.)- MTBE (gasoline additive that's been taken off the market, but *every* individual tested by the CDC still had measurable amounts of MTBE in urine and blood.)- Bisphenol A (found in plastics and can linings)
I'm fully anticipating to be "taken to task" on this one, but frankly suggesting that there's no toxic accumulation in humans is outrageous. So pre-emptively I'm providing just a few of the hundreds of articles published in major peer-reviewed journals...http://www.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden2/e…http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20045…http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20951…http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/84662…http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16244…http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20188…

Another site says the toxins disturb the flow of homeostasis:

"Toxins disturb the natural flux and flow of homeostasis. The body's immune system must defend against these toxins. The battle waged by the immune system between toxins and homeostasis is expressed as disease. A strong immune system quickly identifies the enemy and works to destroy it, hence causing fast and possibly more severe symptoms that quickly abate. A weakened, worn out, overloaded immune system is slow to respond to the toxic invasion, or does not respond at all, and thereby does not cause much, if any, symptomatology. How many times have you known or heard of someone who was "so healthy" and who "never got sick", but ate very poorly and maybe even smoked cigarettes, that suddenly died of cancer "with no warning" at a relatively young age? What happened? Let us examine the body's normal, physiologically programmed methods of maintaining homeostasis, the key to health."

Still another, in a question and answer format, shows that our laws and governing bodies were developed long before science figured out what harmful effects there would be on all of us:

Q: Don't government regulations protect my family and me?A: Current regulations were developed well in advance of the new science that shows that small exposures to chemicals - once considered harmless - are indeed capable of subtle cellular changes. New evidence shows that these subtle changes can raise the risk for birth defects, cancer and other health problems. In addition, the regulations now in place are not designed to look at exposures in the context of the full burden of chemicals we carry. No one is looking at the health effects of the cumulative total.
U.S. regulations are the result of long, involved political processes in which special interests exert considerable influence. Industries with significant financial interest in the continued use of a particular product or chemical have historically been quite successful in limiting regulatory controls. More information about the chemical body burdens of individuals, particularly exposed communities, and national populations could help us make better decisions about which products we want to use, which food we want to consume and what laws need to be in place to protect us.

So, my version of what America could be is this:
Organic America. All foods grown in America would be organic, on farms honoring the spirit behind the Seven Generations concept of the Iroquois Nation of American Indians in their Iroquois Constitution:

In every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations. - Iroquois proverb

The Iroquois nation, a confederation of Native American peoples, wrote in their constitution more than 500 years ago that leaders must “Look and listen for the welfare of the whole people and have always in view not only the present but also the coming generations” and that “the thickness of their skin shall be seven spans” to protect against “anger, offensive actions, and criticism” from affecting their making the best decisions.

These commitments of stewardship for future generations and moral toughness are a profound formula for ensuring intergenerational responsibility by considering the well-being of those who do not yet have a voice, but who may nonetheless be affected by our decisions today. As one commentator has observed, “The point [of considering seven generations] is to remove individual self-interests from public decision making. Seven generations is about the longest period of time that we can grasp subjectively. Some of us had great grandparents when we were born. We have known our grandparents, our parents, and ourselves. We may also know our children, our grandchildren, and possibly our great grandchildren. These seven generations are a yard stick of human experience.”

Americans would grow, harvest, & consume all organic foods. This would open up new venues & opportunities for innovation in:

Pest control methods
Weed control methods
Harvesting methods so the vine ripened foods would be in stores sooner
Transportation methods
Farming methods to keep the land healthy and full of nutrients
Organic fertilizer creation
Seasonal menus and eating habits
Feeding methods & best practices for our animals (both domestic and farm animals)
Health benefits of real, unadulterated food
Packaging methods re-creation for canned, frozen and preserved foods
Preserving methods revisited!

In my version of America, we'd be the healthiest nation around. We could be the go-to center for the best methods available. America would build their people back up with nutrition so that instead of a sick, old, and dying place, we were full of innovative concepts and LIFE.

Nasty thingies in our foods wouldn't be hidden and shrugged off as conspiracy theory any longer. If the laws don't work, they are revoked and new ones put in place to support a safe future, seven generations into it.

4kDP: Oh, and another thing...

2012-07-03T09:26:00.000-07:00

I've come up with another reason I really like this plan. So, that makes it five reasons total so far...

When I look at my hands and when Mom looks at her hands, we witness something that's not happened in previous rounds. There's still *moisture* in them! They're not dried out and chapped, bleeding and and and... horrible looking! I have hands still instead of dried up things that look ready to blow away at the slightest breeze.

Numbers (over the last two days because we left so early yesterday and didn't weigh in):
Me: -1.8
Mom: -0.4

Gardens, more...

2012-07-01T10:58:00.000-07:00

I do enjoy my camera these days! These are of the water gardens Mom cultivates. She has some pretty large koi and goldfish in there, too, but you can't really see them. But those blooms are beautiful!

4kDP: Of bagels and espresso

2012-07-01T10:50:00.002-07:00

This morning, I had a brilliant idea. I'm allowed a piece of bread in the mornings, in addition to my milk. The slice of bread can be up to 140 calories. My normal bread has 160 calories, and I've been using that off and on, but I really wanted a bagel this morning. Historically, I add cream cheese to my toasted bagel. My bagels are generally the "everything bagels," too, so there's lots of great flavors.

All I had in the freezer today, however, was plain bagels. I was quite disappointed until I realized that I had a little bit of 0calorie, 0fats, 0, 0, 0 garlic flavored cooking spray. I had just enough to make a bagel size spot on my frying pan (we use cast for most of our frying). Since a whole bagel has 230 calories, I just fried one half in my cooking spray. It was quite delightful! It had a wonderfully satisfying crunchiness to it and my skinny breve (I think that's an oxymoron) goes with it JUST RIGHT.

I *feel* completely spoiled right now. That bit is important, because those small things that you can do for yourself while you are HCGing are the things that make you stay ON it. :) If you're feeling like you just have to do something out of the norm, try a double helping of one of your choices before you go on a binge and pay for it over the next three days.

Numbers:
Me: -1.6
Mom: -1.2

Some of our Gardens

2012-06-30T13:00:00.000-07:00

4kDP: Double CHEATER!

2012-06-30T10:10:00.001-07:00

I thought perhaps the first sandwich was a fluke. Mom indicated that since I'd been losing in the half pound range, that perhaps I was "due" for a larger loss. Well. You can't prove anything by chance. So, I did it again. Two days in a row... wait for it... 1# loss each day!

Of note is that when Mom tried it, she lost nothing. No gain, but no loss, either. That just goes to prove, once again, that every body is different. Feel like doing the Subway thing? Just keep in mind that your body could react like mine or like Mom's or, like your own. :) It's a roll of the dice, to be sure!

The whole days' food consisted of this, both days, for me:
1 cup milk
4oz espresso
1 eyedropper full of stevia/vanilla mix
1 Subway sandwich (see previous post for what it was, exactly)
1 cup fruit at night just before bed
~160oz water

The first night, I had blueberries. Last night, I had cantaloupe. Both days, I was so full after the sandwich I thought I'd made a mistake. The whole sandwich was so satisfying, though, that I also found I didn't care! Probably, that's not a good thing, as it harkens back to the overeating days. But, you know, it's just not possible to leave a sandwich sit for more than half an hour when you've requested they spray on vinegar and it soaks through. The bread is all soggy and icky then. Yuck.

Mom says that maybe I should be following Jerry's Plan of a Sub Sandwich a day. lol.

Numbers:
Me: -1.0
Mom: -0.6

4kDP: CHEAT!

2012-06-29T18:52:00.001-07:00

I cheated. It was a planned cheat. It wasn't like I lost control of myself or anything. I calmly left my house to go to town 15 miles away with the express intention of having a Subway sandwich.

What news from that front? I dropped a full pound. I'll have to give it another shot, I must say. I ordered a foot long sandwich:

Wheat bread
Ham
Cheddar cheese (gasps!)
The works on the veggies, minus jalapenos
Mustard
Vinegar
Pepper

I ate one half of it, then discarded the bread from the second half and ate the veggies and meat from that. So, essentially, I ordered a 6" sandwich with double meat and double veggies. lol.

Numbers:
Me: -1.0 (this after the sandwich AND a series of half pound and no losses!)
Mom: -0.6

4kDP: Exercise

2012-06-28T12:16:00.001-07:00

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you know I'm not in love with "exercising." I just hate the idea of toiling in one place, always looking at the same thing, always for the same amount of time, always this, always that. I think it's boring and unproductive.

This is summer, however, and Mom and I have quite a farm going these days. Where I don't like "rolling around in the dirt," as I call it, I do like the idea of fresh fruits and veggies, with no added pesticides (I do as much organic gardening as possible). This kind of "exercise" is more to my taste - at least we're getting something done when we're moving around for hours at a time!

We just harvested some of our baby lettuces last night. Mom called it "thinning." (I'm not a gardener, myself - I called it pulling by the root to eat it early.) We topped it last night with a spicy buffalo meat and some red wine vinegar.

Today, we've got more weeding on the schedule. There's one weed in particular that seems to be the bane of Mom's existence. I think it's a nice looking plant, though it does like to take over everything and the roots go straight down into the ground. I have to admit that I admire it's ability to persevere in the dryer climate we live in. It's even nice to look at, with frilly leaves and cute little pink flowers. But this particular plant must really haunt Mom's dreams because she's got us out there pulling those things daily.

The weed I hate is one that has sticky seeds we call "hitch hikers" that attaches to anything that moves by it. It's a lot like velcro. Nasty little things to get out of a poodle's fur! I also have a major vendetta against "foxtails." Those miserable seeds get into a dogs' ears and just keep working their way down, sometimes puncturing their ear drums. Compared to these two terrors of the weed world, I think Mom's weed is pretty innocuous.

The lavender is just about ready to harvest now, too. That's always quite a chore. It's backbreaking early morning work that can only occasionally be dispersed across two days' time. To be truthful, it needs to be cut between 6am and 9am, then hung from the rafters to dry between 9am and noonish. Noon is really pushing it, but our lavender field is almost too big to get this done in one day. Generally, there's two harvests, so just about the time the first harvest is dried and debudded, it's time to get the next round into the rafters to dry out. Nature waits for no woman!

Time to get to it!

Numbers:
Me: 0
Mom: -0.4
Personally, I think it's all the weeding and muscle tearing going on as we weed. lol.

Less of Me Ladies

2012-06-27T13:12:00.000-07:00

I've had a few requests for the Less of Me Ladies to be put on shirts! What fun! I had not thought of doing that, but it turns out it was easy... I've got those things out here: zazzle.com/ChocolateOnion* Just scroll down a little and look for "categories" on the left side of the site, where you should find "Less of Me."

Yes, I have another business, in EMarketing & Business Imaging: ChocolateOnion.com. :) I also have a site I host/design/develop & maintain securities for kids to trade art with each other: ATCsJr.com. There's lots of stuff about me that most people aren't even aware of. Hehehe. I publish Frequency Therapy Albums, too! Good for just about anything that ails you. :) Just about. If you search my name, "Jayme Hunt," out on Amazon, you should find the whole set of works I've done so far in this field.

There's lots of other stuff in the works, too, but that's neither here nor there, when it comes to a weight reduction strategy! :)

I did find a not-so-desirable combination of foods the other day, though, and wanted to let you all know. I *should* have known better, but I was busy and not thinking about previous meals. I had spinach for lunch one day, then eggs for dinner. The following day, I ate another helping of spinach. This combination, just so everyone knows, is NOT recommended. lol. I discovered that the spinach/eggs combo is sort of like a 1, 2 punch to the bowels and gives most unpleasant effects of diarrhea.

Numbers:
Me: -0.6
Mom: -1.0 (this is two days' worth because she forgot to get her number yesterday)

4kDP: "Active Lifestyle Protocol"

2012-06-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

It occurred to me that I never did post the plan for those who enjoy living the life of exercise-infestedness. I don't think that's really a word, but I'm sure you all get the idea. :) I don't happen to be one of those who like to run in one place without getting anywhere. It goes against all the laws of natural, even gravity because if you're lifting weights gravity is the law that you're, by definition, working against.

Numbers:
Me: -1.2
Mom: ? She got up early and left today...

4kDP: Important Reasons, 4 of 4

2012-06-25T10:29:00.000-07:00

The last of the series of reasons, at least for now, that I have for my fervent approval of the 4kDP:

Forgiving
The 4kDP is also very forgiving. If you're out on the run like we were at Cub Scouts Camp, having a different set of proteins, vegetables, and fruits for each meal isn't always possible. There was a day when we had two meals of cottage cheese, tomatoes, and berries. There was also a day when I had two meals of eggs, lettuce, and apples. Even with this, I still reduced my weight both days.

With all the physical activity we got from volunteering, we also found that the basic plan worked, even though we probably should have gone with the "Active Lifestyle" plan that's available through the 4kDP, too. However, it was nice to know that we *could* have done the math, added a few extra large portions of both protein and vegetables, and been just fine. I suspect that if I'd been more ambitious, I would have done just that, because I didn't load properly in preparation for this round and I was hungry. :) My own fault, that, so I figured I'd best just suck it up and take my "medicine."

*****

I think that, since we're not exercising like we were, Mom's body is going through a readjustment period. Of course, it could also be water retention because she hurt her back, too... Myself, I'm pretty steadily dropping. Today & tomorrow, I'm working on another volunteer group's stuff (but I'm the leader/instigator of this one!). I run atcsjr.com, an art trading site for kids to trade with one another. The social host we were on went nuts with my bank account, so I'm on the hunt for a new solution. I think I've found it, oxwall.org software, it's a bit of a learning curve to get it up to snuff where security is concerned. I can't possibly plug all the holes up, but I need to keep my group members as safe as I can!

So, off to research I go!

Numbers:
Me: -1.0
Mom: +0.2

4kDP: Important Reasons, 3 of 4

2012-06-24T11:23:00.001-07:00

Reason three for why I'm so pleased with the 4kDP coming your way today!

Easy on the Go
In the strict protocol, there are a set of proteins available to you, all of which must be cooked somehow and without any oils to keep it from sticking to the pan. It makes it exceptionally tough to stay with the program if you're a busy person who doesn't have time to stay home and just tend to yourself. Work, kids' activities, family events, and so forth have a way of keeping you from being home to make your meals. With the 4kDP, however, there's a couple of options that don't need to be cooked or that could be cooked in advance without interfering with the integrity, texture, and taste of the protein. There's all of these that work well on the go:

Eggs
Tuna
Lobster
Crab
Nonfat Cottage Cheese
Raw Fishes (if you like sushi-type meals)

Of these, We used the cottage cheese and the eggs profusely the whole week long while we were at Cub Scout camp. No one wants to volunteer at one of those events, then come home and cook.

Trust me. You just want to go to bed. And you want to stay there for a couple of days until your muscles stop being sore. Hehehe.

The cottage cheese, in particular, is something you can just go pick up at any grocery store. Toss a veggie and fruit that's easy to eat on the run like tomatoes, cucumbers, apples, berries, and nectarines then *POOF,* just like magic, the meal is practically done for you! Eggs, these days, can also be found already hard boiled in the deli section of larger stores like Safeway and WinCo. Where you do have to peel them, it's still pretty doggone easy to get your meal on the run!

Numbers:
Me: -1.4
Mom: 0

4kDP: Important Reasons, 2 of 4

2012-06-23T11:05:00.000-07:00

I started telling you the reasons why I'm so pleased with the 4kDP in the last post, and wanted to continue my reasons today...

Variety
Having a large list of foods to select from has a great impact on how successful a weight reduction program is. The strict program works, and lots of people find that out for themselves, but I also get a large percentage of those people (myself and Mom included!) who don't want to go back on such a successful program simply because it's hard to stay with it given the very small food selection. We have some great culinary skills in our household, which is why we published a cookbook for HCG, but even we got bored with the lack of options. So, even with no hunger as a "carrot" while dieting, we just aren't interested in doing something for ourselves that we know will provide great health benefits. Having a larger list of foods to choose from helps with creativity in the kitchen and keeps us interested in the whole thing.

*****

The Boy Scouts had a campout last night, but it was rained out (whew!), so we ended up staying up until midnight watching movies and eating sweets, popcorn, and whatever else was around (um, they did, not Mom & I!). It makes for a seriously late night, though, with dinner in the wee hours of the morning for me. Mom planned to stay at the campout with my nephew, so she planned things out far better than I did!

Today, we've got HOUSEWORK to do. We've ignored it all for over a week and the dust feels like it's an inch thick. The dogs have had the run of the house and my pup has torn up papers and chewed toys and so forth. Where I cleaned those up as we went along, I'm always wondering about the messes I didn't find yet. Pups will be pups! We've also got piles of Boy Scouts stuff all over everywhere and the kids' books are lying here and there. In short, you can tell that all we did was come home, cook, eat, do laundry, and sleep for a week. I'm so glad it's raining outside else I'd also have to add weeding to my list today. Catching up is as pleasant as an angry Momma Bear.

Ah well. Coffee and then I guess I need to get to it. The recycling has to be taken in this morning, so maybe that will get me motivated to get dressed and going today. I've only got until noon to get that done! :) For now, I'm going to sit back, enjoy that coffee, snuggle my pup and relax.

Think the housework can just wait another day? I want to just shut down for a little bit before the rush of life again.

Numbers:
Me: -0.4
Mom: -1.2

4kDP: Important Reasons, 1 of 4

2012-06-22T11:23:00.000-07:00

I can't even tell you how pleased I am with this new diet plan sent to us with our latest drops. I know it's not strict protocol, but from our numbers, you can see that it still works just fine. Let me tell you one of the reasons why I like it, because I think reasons are important. There are actually several reasons, but I'll just list one today:

Milk
Milk is famous for it's calcium content. Osteoporosis is something that, as we age, becomes more and more real in each of our lives. Both age, gender, and race seem to be important risk factors in who is finding themselves with brittle bones and for people over age 60, one in three women and one in five men experience it. According to WebMD, races which have high lactose intolerance also have higher risk of Osteoporosis. Calcium intake is one of the natural things you can do to help your body build stronger bones, so it stands to reason that, even on HCG, some form of bio-available calcium should be allowed. Any diet that doesn't include calcium should be looked at closely again to find out just what you're giving up to lose that fat (lean muscle, bone integrity, etc).

Numbers:
Me: -1.4
Mom: -1.8

4kDP: This and That

2012-06-21T11:47:00.002-07:00

Well, three days into Twilight Camp and just two left! We end up eating our lunch right before we leave for camp, around 2:30pm, and don't eat again until we get back, around 10pm. It sounds grueling, but it's not bad, really. I do wish we could just come home and go to bed because all that going here and there, dragging this and that...

Ah well, one step at a time, right?

Ok, I'm off to make my hair purple! Check in later!!

Numbers:

Me: -2.0

Mom: -.6

4kDP: Cub Scouts & Gardening

2012-06-20T13:27:00.002-07:00

We've had quite the week here at our place. This whole week, we're volunteering at a Cub Scout camp. The schedule has us rising late (10ish) and staying up late (11:30ish). We walk up and down hills, carry tables and chairs back and forth, set up garbage and recycling stations, walk from this end to that end of the whole camp... It seems like they set it up so you do have to walk at least a tenth of a mile where ever you're going - and if they can get you to go up and down a hill along the way, that's set in the direct path. lol.

In short, we're getting a TON more exercise than we normally would in the evenings.

But wait! That's not all!

This year, we also decided to do several gardens all over our yard. The problem with that is there's only one water spigot and it's in the front yard in one corner, while our gardens are in back yards in the opposite corner. What that means is a schedule of dragging hoses back and forth from one corner of the yard to the other in order to get all the gardens watered. Our gardens are 12' x 24', 12' x 12', 3' x 3', 10' x 30', 3' x 3', and our last is approximately 55' x 25'. Dragging hoses is the least of our worries, though. We have some serious weeding going with all those gardens!

So, exercise in the morning followed by more exercise in the afternoon. My own body is complaining mightily with all this... Mom's body is *really* unhappy with her, too. So unhappy, she's in bed right now, in fact. I'm glad we're at the half way point (at least with the Cub Scouts) for the week!

With all that going on, I can't even begin to tell you how pleased I am to get breakfast with the VLCD this time around. I still don't eat the cereal, as I've never been one who really likes it. But that extra protein in the morning helps considerably with a low blood sugar bottom out. So far, it's not happened a single time! In previous rounds of HCG, I'd bottom out with the slightest of nothing forms of exercise. It was terrible. I'm also paying for my lack of really getting to business with the Loading Days. I slacked. I was busy! I didn't do as I should have and now I'm facing a week of hungry. lol. It's my own fault, but I did want to mention that it happened and why...

What's really interesting about this round is that Mom's numbers are far higher than mine. Historically, that's reversed and my numbers are at least double hers pretty consistently. Not this time! So, if you've had the trouble that Mom's had in the past (plateaus for no reason, daily losses of .4 and below), based on her success so far with the 4kDP, I recommend you give that alternate menu a shot. It's working well for her!

Numbers:
Me: -1.2
Mom: -1.6

4kDP: First Day's results

2012-06-19T13:19:00.000-07:00

I'm liking this new diet plan quite a bit. Mom likes it even more than me! Our first day, here's our results:

Me: 3#, exactly.

Mom: 5.8#, a record for her!

Mom's never lost that much in a single day on HCG before. It was discouraging for her to hear my big loss numbers and her's always be little. On the 4kDP, she's really rocking it, in addition to getting her tea in the morning still. :) Yae, Mom!

4kDP: Coffee Snob

2012-06-18T11:48:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'm seriously loving this diet plan this morning. The biggest thing I've complained about in the past is the lack of having my coffee in the morning. I'm one of *those* people, yes. But I'm maybe a little worse because I hand grind my own coffee, have my own espresso maker and purchase organic beans! You could definitely say I'm a "Coffee Snob."

I usually have a Breve in the morning, which is apparently an American variation of the standard Latte. They're so wonderfully creamy and it's my one weakness. Ok, I have more than one weakness, but it's my One Morning Weakness. Hehehe.

With the 4kDP, I get half a cup of skim milk! Where I'm supposed to marry it with half a cup of cereal, I'm not a cereal eater, so I married it to my espresso instead. :) Wheeeee! It's not nearly so creamy as a Breve, but it does make me feel spoiled still, which is what the morning espresso is all about anyway. You know, fulfilling that "one weakness" thing. ::grins::

Anyway, I'm way under the calorie count for the breakfast *and* I get something similar to my typical breakfast.

Turns out, Mom's loving this concept, too. She normally has a cup of chai for breakfast. It's a complicated recipe for her: 1 double spice chai tea bag, one single spice chai tea bag, one earl grey tea bag, one envelope of stevia, and four ounces of water. Put that into the micro 1.5 minutes, then let steep 20 minutes or until cold. Add half cup milk and one cup water, put back into the micro for 3 minutes. Pull it out and squeeze the juices out of the tea bags into the cup she's going to drink out of. Then pour the milk mixture in the cup and drink. This, currently, is Mom's "One Morning Weakness." :)

So, we both get to start the day off with our "spoil me!"

Feasting Day (Loading) 1 done!

2012-06-17T13:59:00.001-07:00

I really don't like loading days. They're not fun at all. They sound like they should be fantastic and the best thing *ever,* but they're just not. They're icky and make me feel sick to my stomach for the whole time I'm stuck doing them.

I don't know if I'm doing such a great job this time around, to be honest. Where I am eating high fat content foods, I'm not really eating until I'm green. In fact, today, loading day 2, I've only had a breve and a cookie! Naughty, naughty me!

::sighs::

I suppose I best get into the kitchen and see about something fat to eat.

::blech::

Thank goodness there's only today left, and then I don't have to force myself to each any more!

4kDP

2012-06-14T10:56:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, I mentioned the HCG brand I ordered from Amazon. The interesting thing about that is that I got an email from the company, Wild Butterfly, with their version of the HCG diet. I think I may be trying this one out this time around, since it came with the product *and* it looks so much easier to follow when you're out and about! I'll call this expanded version of HCG the 4000 Diet Plan or 4kDP, just because the product is called "HCG Lean 4000 Plus Activate-8 Diet Drops."

Here's a snap shot of the main diet page:

I really love that there's a breakfast! I also love that there's MILK included with the morning meal, because I can continue to have some semblance of my traditional Breve. I've mentioned how much I love those liquid delights before... Hehehe. It certainly won't be a Breve, but I can have a Skinny Latte. I flavor with pure vanilla extract and a little stevia, so if the milk is allowed, all is well! :) YAE!

I also like that there's an option for an egg and a bread... The bread we have around my place is 160 calories per slice, which I had no idea of until I saw that the bread on this list had to be 140 calories. I figure when I want the egg/bread option, I'll stick with my own bread (it's a sprouted grains bread with TONS of seeds and nuts in it), but just slice off a side of it and share with my Grrls. They'll love me for it and I'll feel like I'm a spoiled HCGer, for certain...

From this point in my blog forward, any recipes I post will be made from this list. I've caught a lot of flack in the past about not sticking to the original ultra-strict Simeon's diet plan, but why be so strict with yourself when you can use an expanded foods list and still reduce body fat? It's basically the same thing, but more flavors to work with! If you like the recipes posted, but want to stay with Simeon's original foods list, just substitute the protein and veggie with one from his list, then use all the same seasonings and cooking instructions. I'll be doing something similar, as I'm adding buffalo to the list of proteins. Buffalo already proved itself to me. It's delicious and it works within the confines (read: fat content) of the diet requirements.

Anyway, that's it from my corner of the world for today! Tomorrow everything should arrive and we'll begin loading Saturday, then VLCD on Monday.

Update 2012.06.23:
I should have thought of this before, but Boy Scouts Twilight camp had my brain not quite functioning properly... Here's a copy of the 4kDP on my Google Drive, available as a public document!

HCG ordered & on it's way...

2012-06-13T18:50:00.001-07:00

We ordered the HCG yesterday. It'll arrive on Friday, thanks to Amazon Prime! :) I chose to order a different kind of HCG this time. The reviews on it are ridiculous, as they ones reporting with one star complain about the HCG being Homeopathic and not containing actual HCG. The other side of the reviews all have 5 stars and are reporting that the HHCG works exactly as it's supposed to.

I've also ordered Raspberry Ketones. It makes sense that they will help me keep the body in ketosis while in phase 2 & 3. If they work as advertised, I will plan to just continue them! This is my testing for this time, which I promise to report back about...

I'm planning a few other alterations, but they're minor, really. I've fallen in love with Fred Meyer brand water enhancers that's similar to Mio. The Fred Meyer brand has added B3, B6, and B12 - I see a huge difference in my energy level when I add this to my water as opposed to when I don't. This is something I'm refusing to set aside, even for the HCG Diet.

The other thing I refuse to set aside is my toiletries. They will all remain the same. I sincerely hope to alleviate some of the dry skin commonly associated with phase 2. I have trouble with dry skin already; HCG always exacerbates it.

So, there's a few things I'm altering, but for the most part - it's business as usual!

This weekend should be the feasting days!

Going to do it again!

2012-06-12T19:24:00.002-07:00

We've decide in my household that we're going to run through a short 28 day round before the heat of summer really gets us into the mood for cooking outside... Mom's heading to North Dakota for a while in August, so if we're going to do it, now's the time. :)

I'm still on my cycle for another day or two, so the timing is perfect for starting this!

Wish us luck and I'll check in daily with what's going on after we begin again...