BIG "A" little "a"... what begins with A?

Aunt Annie's Alligator & APPLE DAY!!!

Due to yet another stall I am doing another apple day. I skipped a shot yesterday and AF still hasn't shown her ugly face so I'm just grateful I didn't have a gain. I am really hoping to get 2 more lbs off before phase 3 but who knows. I have 2 more shots (after today's) + 72 hours after last injection of dieting so it might happen...

I have been sitting in the steam room at the gym as often as I can. I don't know if it's helping with the weight loss but my face/skin feel a lot better and it's the only time that I'm WARM! I get SO cold on the HCG diet.

I have to admit that I am tempted to do another round. I am at a "normal" weight for my height but still 10 lbs above what is considered "ideal"... whatever that means. And even though I am wearing a size 6 (wore my tinniest jeans yesterday)I definitely still have extra fat, ya know? Plus I like not having to "decide" what to eat. I don't know. I'll just see how P3 goes and decide in a few weeks if I'll shoot for 10 more lbs in another 23 day round. what I really need is a VACATION to work towards! ; )

Have you ever heard the old saying "It takes 23 days to form a habit and only 3 days to break it."? It's SO TRUE!!! I remember during my last HCG round that I really struggled until I hit that 20-21 day mark and then it just seemed Old Hat. But then I was done on day 26 and had to switch to something different. It's a vicious cycle. That's how I'm feeling now- Like I have the hang of it and dreading a change. Plus I HAVE to start back at the gym and I have a love/hate relationship with the gym!

Last night we had our old nanny over for dinner (she's agreed to nanny for us again-yea!!!) And I made Chicken enchiladas and double chocolate cake and everything smelled SO GOOD!!! Everyone just raved about the meal! And because the enchiladas are cream based I altered the ingredients a bit to be low carb (other than the tortillas) and used some LOW CARB tortillas and made a few extra for me- just stuck them in the freezer! I can't wait to eat them! If you're interested I will post the recipe!

Lastly- I have a few HCG shout outs that have helped me through this round....
1) Smooth Move Tea
2) Dandilion Tea
4) Stevia sweetner
5) Stevia chewing gum
6) Apple Cider Vinager w/lemon on salads
7) Red pepper flakes to flavor chicken
8) The Steam Room & heating bags to keep me warm
9) My husband (who even though had to be asked) would clean up the dinner mess for me
10)My kids who would happily taste test for me so I wouldn't have to! I'm lucky my kids are so skinny! LOL!
11)Scrapblog.com! kept my mind/fingers busy since work has been slow!

Hang in there!

I DID IT!!! I DID IT!!! I DID IT!!!

I REACHED MY GOAL THIS MORNING!!!! WAAAA-HOOOOOOOO!!! I am so happy I can't even begin to tell you! To see that number on the scale was so incredibly satisfying!!! You'll see for yourself if you haven't already!!!

Sorry I didn't update yesterday. I had a bad day. Not so much diet-wise even though I just stayed the same on the scale. But it can pretty much be summed up in 3 words... P M S! I don't know why it's SO bad this month!!! My mom is convinced that it's because I'm "so skinny" and my body is "deprived!" ... Lol! She thinks I'm "so skinny!" that's awesome!... I'm not. I'm just right. I know it's not the HCG 'cause I didn't have it bad last month so it may just be a fluke. Anyway- to think that I was able to lose .6 yesterday and have Af RIGHT around the corner is fantastic. Still hasn't started but I can tell it will soon.

I have 3 shots left. I decided to skip a shot day today in hopes of that helping TOM. But I will shoot up Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday and then finish the additional 72 hours of the death diet Thursday and Friday! Saturday morning I am going to be indulging in my breakfast casserole... or maybe the L/C waffles... I just can't decide! And I am also rewarding myself for making it through another round (w/out a single cheat) by getting a ONE HOUR MASSAGE at 11AM on Saturday! I don't know which I am more excited about, real food again or the massage! And Saturday night we are going out for our Anniversary to a wonderful SEA FOOD restaurant w/many L/C options for me! And Sunday is my little brothers birthday (yes, I have a lot of little brothers 2 of which have b-days in January) so I think I will make myself a L/C cheese cake so I can have a goody while everyone else eats cake. The last b-day party was torture! But this time I am going to freeze MOST of the cheese cake and only have it on special occasions when everyone else is eating treats! Being PREPARED is Key on the HCG diet and it's extremely important to continue that habit through maintenance!

I will also be posting my before and after measurements sometime this week too! So watch for those!

6 Days Left!...

With only 6 days left (4 shots, 2 diet extra diet days) and I am {{{{drum roll please}}} .6 lb away from my goal! WAAA-HOOO! I am 145.6 this morning and I can't begin to tell you how happy that makes me! And with 6 days left I KNOW I will make my goal!... Now what I don't know is if after a couple weeks of maintenancem, push my luck and go one more round in hopes of getting to 140? How SWEET would that be? Don't worry- that is well within my "normal/healthy range!" for my age, height & body frame. In fact some stupid website said my "ideal weight" should be 135... yeah, right! In my bra!!! (name that movie!)

Don't have much else to report today. I'm still livin' the lettuce/chicken/strawberries/apples/oranges/celery/bread sticks lifestyle! It's exciting! : p that's sarcastic!

Have a great night. Maybe in the AM I will be AT MY GOAL! Although it may take a couple days to get there as AF has been knocking at the door for the last couple days. Do you think if I ignore her she'll go away? Doubt it. bitch.

Be Happy! Be Healthy! Just B!!!

Opps! Did I miss a day?

Sorry- my laptop was in the shop yesterday and didn't get a chance to update you all with my progress. I was down .4 yesterday morning and down another .8 this morning. For all you math wizards, that puts me at a whopping 1 POUND AWAY FROM MY GOAL!!! HOLY SMOKES! I am really excited about that!

Another great thing is today I wore my tinniest pants to work. Old Navy size 6 (with NO stretch in them.) Best part? I can pull them down without even having to unbutton them- I don't think I've ever been able to do that. It feels great to know that I can go into my closet and grab ANYTHING and KNOW that it's going to fit! Nothing TASTES better than THAT! Am I right?

I've also begin to suspect that I may be insulin resistant. I began taking Metformin today and it might just be mental (lord knows I'm "mental!") but I was NOT hungry this afternoon. I usu sally get really hungry after I eat my first meal- and then continues throughout the day. I am really hoping this to be the answer for my diet struggles. My mother started taking it a few months ago and her cravings for sweets and breads have all but disappeared. Food isn't as appealing to her now that she doesn't have irrational "food swings!" & Cravings! Insulin resistance runs in my family and some have gone onto have diabetes as well. And not only that I remembered last night that I had gestational diabetes towards the end of my pregnancy which also puts me at risk for insulin resistance. Anyway- I have all the classic symptoms.

So that's all for now. I'm hoping to be down another POUND tomorrow but I know that's not going to happen... baby steps. I have about 6 more shots (8 more days of diet) and then I move to maintenance. Really looking forward to some yummers breakfasts!

I'm hanging in there! "I'm doing the work! I'm baby stepping!" (name that movie!)

Another day down...

Well, after a rough apple day yesterday I was back down the .6 I had been up. So that's good I guess. Even Steven. I'm kind of just sober about the whole diet today. So you'll forgive me if I keep today's update brief.

Stress is playing a huge part of my mood today. This afternoon when I got home from work my nanny let me know that she will be quiting in 2 weeks. Which is a whole stressful thing in itself. And tomorrow we have to tell all of our employees at work that they will be getting 10% pay cuts effective immediately. So, I know this isn't really diet related but I think stress ultimately really effects your overall spirit, mood and motivation when doing such a strict diet. Don't get me wrong- I've not fallen off the wagon or cheated at all but I just don't have the upbeat spirit and mood that I usually have.

I took a few minuets for myself this afternoon and sat in the steam room at the gym but all that did was leave me alone with my thoughts. Thoughts that tend to be on the negative side these days. I just wish I knew how to fix everything- And I don't know how to fix anything these days.

But Tonight I pray for our new President and his family. I can't imagine the pressure and stress that will greet him in the morning. I pray he can keep a positive attitude and make some much needed changes to this great country that we live in. I pray also for this country. I pray for peace and love and prosperity. There are so many people struggling to keep their heads above water and everyone (struggling or not) needs help. We have to help. We have to help each other and we have to help ourselves. We need leadership and guidance but we have to be responsible for ourselves and our actions. God bless this great country and help us remember how far we've come. Help us get to where we need to be.

goodnight and godbless you and your family

Rough Day-

Like I said earlier, today's been a rough day. Hence the reason for 2 posts. It's sad how the number on the scale ultimately sets the tone for my whole day. I was really bummed about the gain this morning and it's just stuck with me all day. Makes me wonder if the "number" is over rated. I felt fat and grumpy all day. And I really can't figure out this hunger thing. Is my HCG no longer workin? Or am I just totally over the whole VLCD?

Tonight I was watching Blaine's Low Carb Cooking on FITTV and got me really excited for food again! So I thought I would share a few of my low-carb recipes that I really enjoyed during the last round of P3. I know there is a lot of different information regarding what you can and cannot have during the maintenance phase but I just try and keep my carbs as low as possible and i was able to maintain just fine... But to each his own- this is just worked for me!

Low Carb Waffles (this was by far one of my favorites!) Just FYI: I 1/2 the recipe and it makes about 4 waffles. I top it with sugar free syrup & butter OR strawberries & whipped cream! It's so delicious! Serve with a serving of sausage if you're feeling really hungry!
Ingredients:
1 cup soya powder (local health store)
2 tablespoons granular sugar substitute
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon sugar-free vanilla syrup
1/4 cup ice water
Vegetable oil spray to grease waffle iron
Directions:
Heat waffle iron per manufacturers instructions. Whisk together soya mix, sugar substitute, baking powder and salt. Add cream, eggs and syrup and stir until well blended (batter will be stiff). Add cold water 1 tablespoon at a time until batter is easily spoonable and spreadable, about the consistency of a thick pancake batter.Spray waffle iron with oil spray. Place approximately 3 tablespoons of batter in center of a waffle iron. Cook according to manufacturer's instructions until crisp and dark golden brown. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve warm.

Low Carb Cheesecake (top with fresh strawberries and whipped cream)
Crust: (i kinda made this up)
1/4 cup each of: crushed almonds, pecans & walnuts (crush in food processor until fine)
2-3 TBLS melted butter
3/4 cup crushed low carb peanut butter cookies (see recipe below)
Mix above ingredients together (adding butter last) and line into a buttered spring cheesecake pan bottom and edges
Ingredients:
* 5 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese* 5 large eggs* 18 packets Sweet n Low or Sweet One sweetener or Equal or a combination (Splenda works fine!)* 1 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract* 1/2 cup heavy cream
Preparation:
1. Make sure cream cheese and eggs are at room temperature.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Spray a spring form pan with non-stick spray or rub with butter
4. In a large bowl, beat eggs, cream, sweetener and extract.
5. Add cream cheese in 1 to 2 oz chunks for easier beating.
6. After all lumps are gone pour into pan and bake for 50 to 55 minutes.(do not overcook)
7. Let cool and chill before serving. (at least 24 hours)
Serves 6

Low Carb Peanut Butter Cookies
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar substitute (maybe a little less if you are sensitive to the artificial sweetener taste)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions
1mix ingredients in a small bowl.
2drop by rounded teaspoons onto cookie sheet.
3bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes or until set.

Egg muffins(sort of).
I sprayed a standard 6 muffin tin with cooking spray. Preheated oven to 350. Beat 3 ex-large eggs and add salt, pepper and a splash of tabasco sauce(or not)Into each muffin cup sprinkle some onion and ham (or breakfast meat of your choice). Add some shredded cheese -you want the cup almost full. Then carefully pour the egg into the cups to fill (the egg will settle around the filling, so go slow).Pop in the oven for 18 minutes

Devilishly delicious Deviled eggs I have to quadruple this recipe 'cause everyone LOVES THEM!
6 hard-boiled eggs
salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons Miracle Whip or mayonnaise (I prefer mayo)
1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
2 tablespoons sugar free sweet pickle relish
pinch of onion salt
horse radish to taste
paprika
Directions
1Peel shells off cooled hard-boiled eggs and slice into halves lengthwise.
2Remove yolks from whites and put into small round bowl and mash yolks with a fork into fine pieces.
3Add 2 heaping Tbsp Miracle Whip, 1 tsp yellow mustard, 2 Tbsp sweet pickle relish, and salt& black pepper to taste.
4Stir mixture until creamy.
5Spoon mixture into a zip-locked sandwich bag, seal bag and snip off one corner of bag.
6Squeeze mixture out of corner of bag into white egg halves.
7Sprinkle tops of filled deviled eggs with paprika.
8Chill in refrigerator 1-2 hours or until cold before serving.

Southwestern 'Breakfast' Casserole a'la crockpot! (another FAVORITE! This got better with each passing day!) again- I cut the recipe in 1/2- do not overcook. Mine was done in about 4 hours on LOW. I recommend making it the day before you want to eat it 'cause it cooks too fast to cook overnight.
1 tablespoon butter
18 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup water
1 small can green Ortega chilies or a small jar red jalapeno chilies
1 pound cooked hot 'n' spicy breakfast sausage (***See note below)
1 pound cooked mild breakfast sausage (***See note below)
2 1/2 cups grated cheddar, Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced red bell pepper
1 cup diced orange or yellow bell pepper (***See note below.)
1 cup diced green onions
salsa (optional) Brown both packages of the sausage thoroughly. Drain and set aside.Beat the eggs, heavy cream, and water together. Set aside.Grease crock with the butter.To layer the ingredients in the crockpot, start with half the cooked sausage. Sprinkle 1/2 the chilies, 1/2 the onion, 1/2 the red bell pepper, 1/2 the yellow bell pepper, and 1/2 the green onions over the sausage, distributing them evenly over the sausage. Sprinkle half of the cheese over the vegetables.Distribute the remaining sausage over the cheese, then sprinkle the remaining chilies, onion, and yellow bell pepper over the sausage. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over all.Pour the beaten egg mixture over the ingredients in the casserole. Sprinkle the remaining green onions and red bell pepper over the egg mixture. (This produces a colorful top to the casserole.)Cover the crockpot, turn it on low, and cook for 7 to 8 hours.Serve with sour cream and salsa.Serves 8 to 10.

Low Carb Stuffed Pizza
3/4 cup olive oil to fry
6 low carb tortillas1 -
14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. fresh cracked pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. Parmesan cheese
1 8 oz. bag pre-shredded Italian Blend Cheese
48 slices pre-cut pepperoni
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Stack tortillas and puncture with a fork about a dozen times. Fry low carb tortillas one at a time in about 1 tbsp. olive oil in a 10" nonstick pan over medium high heat until brown and crisp. Repeat adding 1 tbsp. olive oil to pan until all tortillas are brown and crisp. Make sure you cook tortillas on both sides then drain on paper towels. Season tomatoes with Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Put three tortillas on cookie sheets. Spread 2 tablespoons of tomatoes on each tortilla and top with 1/4 cup grated cheese and 6-8 pieces of pre-cut pepperoni. Top 3 made pizzas with 3 other tortillas and repeat with sauce, cheese and pepperoni. You will have a total of 3 stuffed pizzas. Cook on cookie sheets in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Cut each pizza in half and serve.Yields 6 servings - approximately 10 net carbs per each serving

Low Carb 7 layer dip
First layer: Spicy guacamole (I buy the ready made easy stuff!)
2nd: pured re fried beans (optional if you are sensitive)
3rd: Sour cream (I let it sit out to room temp and then put it in a small zip lock, cut the end and drizzel on beans- makes it easy to spread)
4th: Browned ground beef w/taco packet
5th: Mexican Blend Cheese
6th: Chopped tomatoes
7th: Chopped green onions
It's good to serve fresh/chilled but I prefer warmed up! It's so yummers! Serve on low carb tortillas or low carb chips or pork rinds.

So those are just a few of the ones that I like when i'm doing the low carb thing. I found them to be life savers over the holidays 'cause it made me feel like I was actually eating and wouldn't you know it- other people really enjoyed them too! Obviously, you can't eat these kinds of things every day but it's nice to have a "treat" that's not going to throw you into a diabetic sugar coma!

Now my tummy is HUNGRY!... and I also just realized another possible reason for my hunger and crankiness- Stupid AF is due in about a week. : p

Thanks for stopping by to visit my HCG DIET/LOW CARB DIET RECIPE SITE!

Aa Apple Day...

I knew my streak couldn't last forever and was certainly NOT expecting a loss this morn, However, I was also not expecting a gain either- much less a .6 gain. BOO!!! I was pretty bummed. So, I'm doing an apple day. I have 2 suspects behind the gain- 1) Sodium from chips/almonds that I licked yesterday. I know, I'm weird. 2) I did Pilate's on Saturday and I'm a little sore and sore muscles retain water as part of the healing process. I'm also feeling like I'm coming down with something. A cold perhaps. I have very little energy today.

I've been having a hard time falling asleep lately and I don't know what's up with that... It's kind of frustrating because I don't fall asleep 'til after 1 and then can't get up in the morning. It's a vicious cycle. I think I'm going to take some Tylenol PM tonight and try and get on a better routine.

I feel as though this round is more difficult than the previous round. Is it because the newness and excitement is gone? Or is it because I'm not nearly as busy as I was during the last round- I've been bored and hungry unlike last round. who knows. I have 9 days left after today so I can make it but I not be much fun!

Thanks for stopping by to visit my HCG DIET BLOG!



I'm really hoping for a loss tomorrow.