Really??

So I got on the scale Saturday just to peek at my weight.  I was down a lb from my last weigh in.  I forgot to weigh in yesterday as I previously mentioned.  Last night sucked butt.  My two smallest kids started getting the cold my son had given me.  I was up with them till about 2am.  I woke up this morning completely stuffed up and my throat once again feels like I've been swallowing sand.  I got on the scale and it said I was up a lb from my previous weigh in ( or two pounds up from Saturday).  I'm going to go out on a limb here and say the gain is from being sick and getting crappy sleep.  There are days I just want to take my scale and throw in through the window.  I did measure myself today.  A few places were 1/4 inch bigger and a few places were 1/4 inch smaller.  Basically my inches are still at 59 1/2 inches lost. 
I'm bummed but not depressed.  This weight took a lifetime to put on and it's going to take a while to get it off.  It's definitely coming off much slower than I ever dared to guess, but I guess that's ok.  If it takes me a year or two to get down to my goal weight, then so be it.  I'm going to keep chipping away at it until I get the results I want.

I think when I take my son to school I'll crawl back into bed w/ my daughter and take a nap.  I'm so very very exhausted.

Atkins Day 15

I don't know how it happened but I forgot to weigh in today.  Arggg!!!  We were in a hurry to get up and dressed for church that I completely spaced it.  Guess I'll just wait until tomorrow.  Anyhoo, right now I'm trying a new low carb recipe.....almond sugar cookies. 
4 oz of almond flour (or almond meal )
1 egg
1/2 cup splenda
1/2 cup erythritol (or just use 1 cup of splenda)
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 tsp of almond extract
1/2 stick of softened butter
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp of cinnamon (optional)
Mix with an electric mixer until well combined.  Drop spoonfulls of dough onto a cookie sheet covered in parchement paper.  This should make around 9 cookies.  Cook at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. 
These equal out to about 1 carb per cookie. 
I haven't tried them yet since they're baking.  They sure smell good though!!UPDATE:  ok, so I think this recipe needs to be tweaked a bit.  I think a little more almond flour and a little less sweetener.  Other than that the taste is great!!!!UPDATE:  Upon further research, this version of the recipe is the best. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4BrlRgqfIM&feature=related

Ok so for breakfast I just had some coffee.  For lunch I had some tuna on havarti cheese (mmmmmm) and two small apple slices.  For dinner I made a low carb beef stroganoff that was REALLY good.  I used lean ground turkey in place of ground beef just for the pure simple fact that I pretty much hate hamburger.  lol
I served it over noodles for the family and I had a bowl of just the stroganoff.  That is definitely a keeper recipe. 

carbs for the day:  19

So my husband is building these deep heavy duty shelves in our garage for storage.  We want to start stockpiling up beans, rice, lentils, flour, sugar, etc etc.  I'd like about a 6-12 month supply of food for my family.  It's been something I've felt really strongly about for quite a while.  I'm hoping I get to start babysitting again.....it'll help w/ the cost of getting the stockpile started.  I contacted a gal I went to high school with who is a Mormon.  I'd heard from Mia that they have a place where you can buy bulk food items at super low prices.  The great thing is you don't have to be a Mormon to buy the food.  yay!  She gave me the phone number and location of the "cannery".  I'm actually really excited to start putting together my stockpile. 

Atkins Induction Day 14

Hubby let me sleep in this morning, bless him!  I got on the scale this morning.....just a peek.  lol  couldn't help it.  I am down from my last weigh in, so I'm excited to get on tomorrow for my official sunday weigh in.  Maybe those cheddar bay biscuits didn't hurt me too bad.
We have a lot of errands to run today, but I plan on bringing water and Atkins friendly snacks with me so I don't run into a temptation I can't overcome.  My jeans have been fitting a little bit better this week, so I'm hoping that some inches are coming off as well as more lbs.
Hope you all have a great day!  I will update my food choices are carbs this evening.♥
UPDATE:  I ended up  making another PB&J low carb pancake for breakfast.  My daughter ate half of it so I made another one and ate that as well.   While out running errands I ate a chocolate peanut butter Atkins bar and when I got home I ate some more chinese chicken salad. I need to pound down the water today.  So far I've only had 4 glasses. 
Carbs so far today: 15

Atkins Induction Day 13

Ok I'm getting really tired of my kids bringing home diseases from school.  haha

I'm woke up with a killer sore throat and a runny nose.  It's not fair!  I got the flu last week, then TOM came and ruined my life (ha!) and now this?!  Not to mention I've been sleeping horrible the last few nights.  Our dog has an ear infection and keeps shaking his head so his ears flap.  He sleeps in our room and so every few minutes he shakes his head and we wake up again.  Today I took him to the vet to get his ears checked out and to get his manhood chopped off.  We considered breeding him, but honestly I don't want to bother.  Not to mention if it helps calm him down, it'll be well worth the surgery. 

I had another peanut butter and strawberry jam pancake for breakfast.  Yummy yummy yummy!  I've been craving BP&J's since I started HCG.  So this really helps calm that craving. 

I'm not thinking I lost much this week weight wise just due to being sick and TOM.  Although even if I lost a pound I'll be happy. 

I think I'm going to take a small nap today.  I need to nip this cold in the bud. 

Carbs so far today: 5

UPDATE: I found a low carb sutffed pepper recipe that I'm going to try for dinner.

http://www.food.com/recipe/low-carb-stuffed-bell-peppers-156140

I think for lunch I'll make that chinese chicken salad again.  I have just enough cabbage to make another meal.

total carbs for today:17

UPDATE:  We ended up taking my son to Red Lobster for dinner and dessert since he got straight A's.  I had a large salad w/ grilled chicken and ranch.  I caved and had two cheddar bay biscuits, but no dessert.  Booo

Carbs for the day: probably around 60

Atkins Induction Day 12

Wow, it's been almost 2 weeks since I switched over to Atkins.  I feel good.  I like the food I get to eat.  I just wish the weight came off faster.  I wish I had the time and the $ to go back to the Croc Center.  I loved the water workout classes and I loved swimming laps. 
I had a low carb pancake for breakfast w/ 1 tsp of natural creamy peanut butter and 1 tsp of sugar free strawberry jam.  It was very yummy, but I'm starting to get hungry, so I think I'll go drink some more water and have an Atkins bar. 
Carbs so far today: 5
I had such a good lunch today!  I changed up an old fav recipe of mine to make it Atkins friendly.  It's a Chinese chicken salad.  You basically cut up cabbage like you're making slaw.  Then add in some chopped green onions and some cooked chicken breasts into bite size pieces.  The dressing is made out of  3 TBS olive oil, 1 TBS sesame oil, 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar, 2 TBS soy sauce, 1 flavor packet of beef or chicken ramen, 4 splenda packets, and some black pepper.  Normally this dish would have some slivered almonds, sesame seeds, and crushed ramen noodles, but it was still delicious w/o the additions.  I think I'm going to have to have some more for dinner.....it was soooo good.
Carbs for the day:  19

Atkins Induction Day 11

My mood is significantly better today.  Yay!  Atkins is really going well.  I love being able to eat food when I'm hungry.  =)  Although today fruit and bread sound really good.  I love to eat Dave's Killer Bread.  100% organic w/o any weird preservatives and other such nonsense.  Mmmmmm.  Course that's totally off limits when one is watching their carb intake. 
This morning I had a couple of fried eggs, a small handful of almonds and then for a snack I had an Atkins bar.  It's about 1:00pm and it's time I figure out something for lunch.  I'm leaning towards eating the last piece of salmon, some homemade low carb coleslaw, and a few spicy pork rinds.  yum! 
Total carbs from breakfast and lunch: 11

UPDATE:  So cravings today have been pretty much gone except for this evening.  I want a big thick slice of chocolate cake w/ vanilla ice cream in the worst way.  It's been like 8 months since I've had cake.  mmmm cake       Cake has got to be one of my most favorite indulgences.  Anyway instead of having any cake (not that I have any on hand anyway) I'm having a bowl of low carb egg flower soup.   sigh  I will be enjoying a slice of cake on Amanada's birthday, which is on March 4th......I just gotta hold out till then.  ;)

Carbs for the day 22

Atkins Induction Day 10

Today I feel depressed.  Like deep dark seriously depressed.  I'm pretty sure it's just the surge of hormones due to TOM.  Still sucks.  I don't want to see or talk to anyone today.  If I could lay in bed and just put a pillow over my head I'd be content.  I hope tomorrow is a better day.  I hate feeling like this.  On the other hand, my flu seems to be gone, so that much is good.
I took my daughter out to lunch today.  I got a grilled chicken salad at Sonic.  It was a pretty pathetic salad, esp for $5!  I really need to get my rear to the store and get some more vegetables.   Course that means I need to see and speak to people.  Ugh.  
UPDATE:  I feel bad, I've been avoiding Amanda.  I refused to answer my phone and texts from her today.  As soon as my husband got home from work I left and went shopping.  I needed to get out of the house and away from people who wanted to talk to me.  I about decked 3 different people at walmart, but I was able to pull myself together long enough to walk away.  ;)
Although I didn't "cheat" today, I did go over my 20 carb limit.  I'm thinking I ate around 35-40 carbs.  All things considered that's still really low, but definitely not "induction" low.  Between severe cravings, mood swings and being really really hungery I think I did pretty good.  I bought some Papa Murphy's pizza for dinner and I scraped off all the meat, veggies, and cheese and ate that and threw the crusts away.  I had about 6 slices worth of toppings.....ooops.  I also bought some sugar free hazelnut coffee creamer that's beyond nasty.  I hate coffeemate creamer....not sure why I caved and bought it.  Blech! 
I have to babysit tomorrow.  I know this is lame, but I always feel like I need to be dressed w/ hair and makeup done when the kid is dropped off at 7am.  I'm regretting ever saying I'd babysit.  Course at the time I wasn't feeling depressed and anti-social.  I love my kids so very much, but there are days I wish I could just have some peace and quite.  A day without anyone needing to be fed and dressed and their diaper changed.  Sometimes I am jealous of my husband.  He gets to get out of the house, see different faces, talk with other adults, go to lunch w/ his collegues, and sometimes spend the night in a hotel out of town.  I know that many women would love to trade places w/ me so they could stay home w/ their children.  I'm not trying to sound selfish.......there are just days when I could really use a day away.  Away from everyone and everything.  Anyone else ever feel like that?

Atkins Induction Day 9

Sorry I have to vent just for a second.  There is a gal on my facebook who is complaining about her 7 day diet detox.  She has to eat fruit, vegetables, and meat.  She keep whining about hard it is.  If I could reach across my computer to slap her I would.  haha ok rant over

I feel like crud again today.  This morning I sent my son out the door to school, put netflix on for the other two kids and went back to bed.  My glands in my neck are soo swollen.  On top of having the flu, TOM arrived today.  So cramps on top of everything else.  joy of joys

The diet is going well.  I really want a latte.....like REALLY want a latte, but alas milk as 12 carbs in just 8 oz.  =(  I think on Valentines Day I'll treat myself to a small latte.  I can have coffee w/ a splash of cream right now, but honestly there are no sweeteners I can tolerate right now, so coffee is out.  Maybe next time I'm at the store I'll pick up a bottle of sugar free coffee syrup.  Why can't I be someone who enjoys coffee black or at least coffee w/o the need to sweeten it up? 

I've had a lot of cravings today, I'm blaming it on TOM.  I keep dreaming about shoving food in my mouth.  Any and all food really.  Strange how that works.  I've been a good girl and have been eating exactly what I should be. 

Total carbs for today: 19

Atkins Induction Day 8

Today's weigh in was 223.6 lbs.  I'm definitely happy with that.  It's a 4.9 lb loss.  Next Sunday I should be under 220.  =)  Yippee!  It's hard to work out when my husband is home.  It's a super pretty day today, maybe I can take the dog for a long brisk walk instead of jumping around the living room in a sports bra. 

I had salmon again for breakfast.  Yum!  Sure wish I could afford to eat salmon weekly. 

Carbs so far today: 1

I don't think I ever quite got over my flu.  Today I woke up and my skin is really tender and all my muscles are achy.  There is a lot of pressure behind my eyes and I think I have an ear infection.  sigh

I'm going back to bed.  I just had an Atkins bar for lunch and a huge glass of water.

Carbs so far today: 4

Atkins Induction Day 7

Today I got my Atkins welcome package in the mail.  Can't believe how fast it got here.  It came w/ a recipe booklet, an instruction booklet, a carb counter that's the perfect size to keep in your purse and 3 Atkins bars.  How's that for free?! 

I still feel really good!  I had a mushroom asparagus omlet w/ guacamole and a small piece of leftover salmon for breakfast.  For lunch I had an Atkins bar since we were out running around to different thrift stores.  I think now that we're home I'll have some more salmon w/ a small side salad. 

I'm excited to get on the scale tomorrow.  Although since I realize I wasn't quite following the Induction phase the right way until yesterday I know my losses won't be quite as much as they could've been.   Oh well, live and learn I guess. 

Carbs so far today: 12

Atkins Induction Day 6

I was going over the Atkins website today and realized I haven't been following Induction properly.  Shoot!  10-15 carbs out of my 20 allowed daily carbs needs to come from the approved list of vegetables.  I haven't been doing that.  Soooo starting today I'm going to follow the Induction rules to a T.  I will definitely need to get to the store and buy some veggies today.  Induction should be followed anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 weeks.  I plan on doing it until Valentine's Day.  Vday I want to splurge and have just one meal that's "off Atkins".  Then I will go into Phase 2 of Atkins which is eating 25 carbs a day and each week adding a few more while watching my weight.  I can slowly add carbs weekly as long as I'm still losing 2-3 lbs a week. 
I was happy to wake up this morning feeling well and back to normal.  Same for my son.  Yay!  I love short lived flus.  I will be starting to workout daily w/ a minimum of 30 minute workouts.  Today I'll be doing The Biggest Loser 2 workout.  There are 9 separate workouts in the video and you can mix and match the workouts to add up to a total of time you're wanting to workout. 
Carbs so far today: 5Well I got my workout in.  Great googly moogly I'm out of shape.  =(
UPDATE:  So I don't understand how sometimes when I put spaces between paragraphs it doesn't stay that way once I publish my post and yet other times it does.  Grrrr
So I made some salmon for dinner and made a yummy low carb glaze for it.  My husband just kept groaning while he ate the fish saying it was delicious.  Yay!  I also made a low carb creamy garlic dressing to put on our salads.  It was pretty good too.  Overall no one had any idea we were eating "diet" food for dinner.  Score for me!  
Hubby and I are going to relax once the kiddos get in bed and then watch a movie.  Hope you all had a lovely day.♥ 

Atkins Induction Day 5

I woke up in the middle of the night w/ a terrible headache and sore throat.  This morning my oldest son came to my bedside crying because his head and throat hurt as well.  Sigh   Time to pump in some extra vitamins and water. 
Other than not feeling 100%, things are great. 
This morning I had one of my favorite breakfasts......eggs parmesean.
I take a nonstick skillet and put in about 1/2 tsp of olive oil and 1/2 tsp of butter.  Then on med heat I throw in 1 clove of minced garlic.  I let the garlic cook about 30 seconds and then I crack on two eggs.  After salting and peppering the eggs, I put on 2-3 TBS of my fav spaghetti sauce, 1 oz of fresh mozzarella and a few shakes of parm cheese.  I put a lid or another larger pan over the skillet and let it cook until the mozzarella is completely melted.  It's truely an amazing flavor explosion. 
Carbs for the day: 5*UPDATE:  for lunch I deceided to make just a classic low carb coleslaw.  I was going to eat it w/ some chicken strips, but was starting to feel really exhausted (from being sick) so instead I just ate a big bowl of slaw.  The coleslaw was fabulous!1/2 head of cabbage, finely sliced into strips1/8 of a red onion, finely sliced into stripsDressing:1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup sour cream
1 packet of splenda
2 tsp of apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp of yellow prepared mustard
a little bit of salt and pepper
Mix the dressing ingredients until well combined and then toss with the cabbage and the onion. 
I was skeptical about adding the onion, but now I'm glad I did.  It really gave it a nice "punch".  This would be perfect along side a burger w/all the fixings wrapping in lettuce.
This recipe makes 5 servings at 1 carb per serving.

Atkins Induction Day 4

I feel sooo good today.  It's nice not to be hungry.  I hate hate hate being hungry.....and although most hunger goes away on hcg, you still feel ....empty.  It's a nice change to feel content. 
I made myself another pancake this morning for breakfast and another guacamole omlet for lunch.  Too yummy!  I found some coleslaw recipes that sound great.  One is an asian slaw w/ a sesame almond dressing.  I think I might grill up some salmon and have slaw for dinner.  I'm looking forward to my atkins bars getting here tomorrow. 
I've been sleeping really well the last few nights.  I'm wondering if I'm sleeping so good because my body is working so hard to shed the fat.  I sleep the same when I'm on hcg as well. 
I'm hoping to get to the grocery store this evening.  I want to pick up some Xanthan Gum.  It's a natural thickener that's all fiber so no carbs.  That way I can thicken up stews, soups, chowders, gravies etc etc w/o having to using flour or cornstarch. Carbs so far today: 7*UPDATE:So Amanda lost another .8 lbs today.  She's just humming right along.  =)I went out and got some groceries and since I had a coupon I grabbed an Atkins Nutty Fudge Brownie bar. (2 carbs)  OMG OMG OMG it was sooo good!!  It reminded me of those Little Debbie frosted brownie snacks, only after eating it I didn't feel sick with all the sugar.  It was way better than I even dared to hope.  It does contain sugar alcohols so the carb count is super low.  The problem with sugar alcohols if consumed in large quantities can cause tummy and bathroom issues.....SO.....this will help with eating them in moderation.  lol  Only 1 bar a day.  For those interested in finding more info on ketone strips and being in ketosis (it's quite fascinating) here is a link that does a great job summing it up.  http://www.lowcarb.ca/tips/tips011.htmlOhh so I hate smooth move tea....like freaking loathe smooth move tea.  I have to hold my nose and chug the entire cup of tea and then shove a piece of peppermint gum in my mouth and chew it for a minute before I let go of my nose....it's seriously that nasty to me.  Anyway I needed to get some more.  Sorry for the TMI but I haven't gone to the restroom in like 7 days.  I don't feel bloated or anything, but I think it's time for some movement.  Anyway, while I was at Fred Meyer's I bought some Chocolate Smooth Move Tea.  I don't have high hopes it'll taste much better than the regular stuff, we'll see.  Unfortately my cashier saw the tea and went into a 5 minute discussion on "poo teas" and how great the are and blah blah blah.  Ummmm I don't want to discuss poo teas w/ my cashier, thank you very much.  ugh!*Last Update haha: So I wasn't able to make my slaw.  Boooo!  I had some nuts this afternoon for a snack and then my atkins bar, leaving me w/ only 1 carb to spare.  Oooops!  lol  Instead I'm having a large turkey burger w/ aminos.  Total carbs for today: 19

Atkins Induction Day 3

I woke up feeling so good this morning.  I checked my ketones this morning and I'm definitely in ketosis, YAY!!!  That means my body is indeed burning fat for fuel right now.  yahoo!  I'm getting excited to get on the scale on Sunday.  This morning  I found a low carb pancake recipe that was amazing! 
2 1/2 TBS of vanilla whey protein powder (no sugar)
1 egg
1/2 tsp of baking powder
dash of salt
1 tsp oil (i used coconut)
2 tsp of water
Wisk the ingredients together and pour into a small nonstick skilled that's been sprayed w/ pam (i used more coconut oil)
After it cooked, I topped it w/ a pat of butter and 1 tbs of sugar free maple syrup.  It was suprisingly delicious.  One completely filled me up, which also suprised me. 
Total carbs so far today: 5  (2 from the pancake and 3 from the syrup)Amanda is still doing pretty good.  She's definitely not losing as fast as some, but at least she's losing everyday.  She's down about 10 lbs down and 12 inches.  She's doing great!Oh I forgot I needed to adjust my ticker to what I weighed when I stopped hcg.  Boooooooo
UPDATE:So for lunch I had another turkey patty (think I might be addicted) and some nuts and some cheese.Dinner was a california omlet.  I diced up some of the roasted chicken leftover from last night and put that in my omlet along w/ some havarti and jack cheese.  I topped it w/ some fresh guacamole, sour cream and salsa.  It was devine!I have to admit I got on the scale today after I ate breakfast and had two big glasses of water.  I was getting ready  to take a shower and was just curious what the scale said.  I won't reveal just yet the number, but I can tell you this much.....so far so good.  ;) 

I went on Amazon and ordered some Atkins bars.  They'll be perfect to keep in my purse.  It always seems like when I'm out running errands that it runs into meal times and when I get hungry my self control goes out the window.  So keeping these bars on me should help eliminate the need to cheat.  PLUS I was on carl's jr's website and saw that they not only have a low carb burger (8 carbs) but they also have a low carb chicken club (7 carbs).  

My plan for this evening is to go through all my workout dvd's and pick at least one that I'm going to do a minimum of 3 times a week.   I may even get a workout in after I put the kids to bed.  =)

Carbs for the day: 17

Atkins Induction Day 2

Since I started yesterday I think I'll weigh myself every Sunday.  I feel really good so far.  It felt so naughty eating cheese and butter.  =)
I think I'm having a love affair w/ almond butter.  I need to make sure I eat no more than 2 TBS daily.  I pretty much had the exact same thing for dinner yesterday that I had for lunch.  Today I'll be reseaching for some new recipes.
So far today I've had a two egg omlet w/ 1 oz of jack cheese, sauteed mushrooms and onions, and a teaspoon of almond butter (oh heaven) (not on the omlet lol).
Carbs so far today: 4 
Update:  For lunch I had a homemade turkey patty made w/ lean ground turkey, parm cheese in place of bread crumbs, sage, thyme, salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder and cooked it up in a skillet w/ some coconut oil.  Afterwards I put on some braggs aminos.....sooo delicious!  I also had the rest of my mock mashed potatoes. 
For dinner I bought a couple roasted chickens from Costco.  I had chicken, some asparagus, and a small wedge of some hot wasabi horseradish cheese....holy moly that stuff is GOOD! 
For dessert I'm going to mix up a couple oz of softened cream cheese, 2 packets of splenda, a tiny splash of vanilla and a capful of lime juice.  It tastes just like key lime cheesecake. 
Total carbs for the day:13

decisions

After much research and consideration I've deceided to take a break from hcg.  My body just isn't releasing any weight.  I talked w/ a gal who coaches those on hcg and she thinks my body is exhausted from "cycling.  It's recommended that beween round 1 and round 2 that you take a full 6 week break ( 3 weeks of phase 3 and 3 weeks of phase 4).  Between your 2nd and 3rd round you should take an 8 week break (3 weeks on phase 3 and 5 weeks of phase 4).  etc etc etc

Well I've been waiting only 2-3 weeks between rounds.  Although you can't become immune through the homeopathic hcg, you can exhaust your body....which is what I think I've done.  Sooo instead of sitting around and twiddling my thumbs,  I'm going to be doing Atkins.  I started my Induction round today.  Where I basically can only eat 20 or less carbs a day for 2-6 weeks.  I've done Atkins before with wonderful success.  I will do Atkins for 2-3 months and then will probably do another 6 week round of hcg.  This time I think I'm going to try injections.  Partially because I'm curious if it'll feel any different from the drops and partially because I hate trying to remember to take my drops 3 times a day.  With 3 kids and the million things I do on a daily basis....the once a day shot seems like it would be way easier.  Of course it's pretty expensive.  So I want to make sure my body has fully rested before I tell it it's pregnant again.  lol

Although weight loss through Atkins isn't as fast as hcg, it's still faster than many many other diets. It'll be nice to get rid of some more weight while I'm waiting to start hcg again. 

I plan on weighing only once a week while on Atkins.  I will contiue to blog, even thought the title of this blog is "hcg diet adventures". 

Today I got up and had a string cheese, but my daughter mooched half of it, so I had another one before we went to church.  Afterwards I made myself a turkey burger w/o any bun.  I also made a nice helping of fauxtatoes.  Cauliflower "mashed potatoes".  It was delicious!  I'm sooo full and feel so very happy and content.  So far today I'm at 8 carbs. 

R4 VLCD 12

Lost .5 lbs today.  Not great, not too shabby.  Hope the scale keeps going down down down down.  

Amanda lost .8 lbs today and her oldest son told her he could see her getting smaller.  I know that meant the world to her.  She's thrilled that she's seen significant weight loss for the past several days.  I'm very very proud of her. 

I've been doing a lot of research and a lot of thinking the last couple of days.  I think when this round is over I'll do atkins for at least a couple of months before I do hcg again.  I lost 60+ lbs w/ atkins when I was 19/20.  It obviously wasn't as fast as hcg  but it was sooo easy and I loved all the food I could eat. 
I need a break....a big break, but I don't want to just be in weight limbo, I want to keep losing.  Atkins seems like the best choice.  Being a stay at home mom I have no excuse not to be working out.  I'm looking forward to start toning up my muscles. 

Hope you all have a super dupery kind of day.  ;)

R4 VLCD 11

Yesterday was a really bad day, for so many reasons.  I went to bed cranky and woke up feeling so refreshed and relaxed, despite only getting 5 hrs of sleep.  I got on the scale this morning and it said I didn't gain or lose anything.  After about an hour I got on again and it showed a 1 lb loss.  I got on again an hour later and it still showed a 1 lb loss.  So YAY I lost a lb!! 
Amanda is doing great!  Yesterday she lost .4, today she lost .6 and she said her hunger is pretty much completely gone.  I'm so happy that she's had several days of consistant weight loss now. 
I just can't get over how good I feel today.  I feel so positive and happy......despite how I'm still waaay behind weight loss wise.  Although if this is truly all caused by an old set point, then I have no reason to be all upset.  I was reading some blogs last night on some people who follow the Atkins diet.  I lost 60 lbs doing that diet years and years ago and I know it works.  They were saying if you have a several month stall there were things you could do to help kick on weight loss again.  I started to think how pathetic I was to be crying to myself in my bathroom over my week long stall/gain.  Part of the process of losing weight is losing and gaining and losing and gaining, but the losing is more than the gains and eventually through lots of work and dertmination you reach your goal.  I need to stop comparing myself to people who only have a few lbs to lose or those who are losing much much faster than me. 
I am me, and the things my body does in reaction to this diet are ok.  If it takes me several months longer than I anticipated to get to my weight goal, that's ok.  The important thing is not giving up. 
I read a quote from Dave Ramsey last week and it really hit home.  I know I won't say it perfectly but it was something along the lines of.......When the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change, only then will you embrace change.   How true that is....in so many aspects of life.  Weather it's weight, financial, spiritual......it really touched me.  Anyway the thought of even staying at the weight I am currently is unacceptable.  I don't want to be this heavy.  I would not be happy stopping at this point even if I stabilized 100%.  So the pain of staying the same is far too great than the pain to continue my weightloss journey. 
Anyhoo, that's enough rambling for today.  Take care you guys.....keep going.

R4 VLCD 10

I got on the scale today and GAINED 2.2 lbs!  I got on and off and on and off and the number didn't change.  I have to admit I got off the scale and bawled.  I don't understand!!!  I followed protocol to a T yesterday and drank a little over a gallon of water.  At this point I'm pretty much am back to where I was right before I started loading....after 10 freaking low calorie days I've gone backwards and am back at the beginning.

Yesterday I had an apple at 10 am.

At 1:30 pm I had my allotted ground chicken and 1 cup of asparagus in a soup using fat free chicken broth and spices.

Dinner I had more chicken and tomatoes simmered into a "chili" followed by my allotted strawberries w/ the juice of 1 lemon blended into a "sorbet".

 Stalling is one thing.  But to gain .4 yesterday and then another 2.2 today, i'm freaking devastated.   

R4 VLCD 9

I knew I hated apple day, but now I hate it even more.  I didn't lose anything......in fact I actually gained .4 lbs!  It was royally stupid to quit my last round after I had just passed the set point.  Dr. Simeons says it can take 15 days to pass them.....unbelievable.  Oh well......I'm going to keep on doing what I know I'm supposed to do and let my body figure it out for itself.  Quitting isn't an option.

R4 VLCD 8

Big fat ZERO on the scale today.  My old set point is haunting me once again.  I think today I'll do an apple day is hopes of getting past it.  Phooey!  I LOATHE apple days.  =(

My friend lost 1.6 from her apple day and then today she gained .4 lbs.  After one week of hcg she's only down about 1 lb.  It's so frustrating for me!  I can't imagine how frustrated she must be.

R4 VLCD 7

Down .6 lbs today.  Not great, but not too shabby either.  Any loss is still a loss.  Can't wait to get into new weight loss territory.

Newest VLOG

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSCpqVUwXRI

R4 VLCD 6

Well today I woke up to a 1 lb loss.  I'll take it by golly!  =)

My hunger is almost completely gone and all headaches are gone.  Yay for finally detoxing from the sugar.  whew!

No weight change for amanda as of this morning.  =(   Although she was up most of the night with sick kids.  She also said she thinks she has an ear infection and is in a lot of pain.  Poor girl.  She's being tough though and is doing an apple day today to see if it'll help. 

I  need to get my rear in gear and make another youtube vlog. 

Have a great day ladies!

R4 VLCD 5

Only down .2 today.  I had two days of fairly big losses and now two days of small to nothing losses.  I just want things to be even.  I'd even take an average of half a pound day.  hmmph!

I feel worse for my friend.  So she started after loading at 167.4, the next day she was 168.4, the next day 167.4, today 168.0  WTH?!?!?!

We talk on the phone several times a day and we go over what she's eating in great detail.  She's totally following protocol as well as drinking 100 oz of water daily.  She's also taking her vitamins and magnesium so it's not like she's "backed up".  I'm literally stumped as to why she's not dropping any weight.  Her cold is almost completely gone.  I feel like I built her up to super high expectations and now she has nothing to show for her hard work. 

R4 VLCD 4

No weight loss today.  Booooo!!  Whatever.   Tomorrow better show a HUGE loss.....just sayin.

Today I made some chicken meatballs w/ bbq sauce and sauteed swiss chard for lunch.   It was very yummy.  In the oven I have a half of grapefruit sprinkled w/ a little cinnamon baking.

Overall I feel  really good.  I'm so anxious for the scale to keep moving down.  The days just aren't going by fast enough.

Newest Vlog

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_ykyLEETXA

R4 VLCD 3

Well I'm not sure exactly what I lost today.  I jumped on the scale and then the dog started chewing on the cat and the kids were fighting and my son was complaining because he thought he was going to be late for school.  So I didn't get a true reading.  I lost at least 2 more lbs.  So for now, until I have a chance to weigh in again, I'll just say I lost 2 lbs. 

My poor friend, Amanda.  I feel so bad for her.  She's been watching me on my journey since July and has been really hesitant to even try this diet.  She finally deceided to give it a go and yesterday she gained a lb and today she lost the lb.  She's exactly where she was after loading for two days.  She's quite bummed.  I don't blame her!  She keeps asking me what she's doing wrong and I'm literally stumped.  She has a cold but isn't taking any medication for it.  Maybe the cold is causing her to not release any weight.?????  I don't know.  =(

UPDATE:  I weighed myself again now that my son is off to school and the two little ones are eating breakfast.  I'm actually down 2.4 lbs today, putting me at a 2 day total of 5.2 lbs.  YAY!   I hate hate hate being above my LDW but I know I need to be patient and just allow the hcg to do it's thing.  The weight will come off in due time.

R4 VLCD 2

Well I'm pleased to say I lost 2.8 lbs this morning.  =)

I slept amazing last night.  I'm hungry today.  I can't wait for the hcg to fully get into my system and all hunger goes away.  Things are so much easier then. 

I tried some new gum that was delicious.  Extra Key Lime Pie sugar free gum.  OMGoodness it's soo freaking yummy! 

I'm 7.5 lbs away from my lowest weight.  I'm hoping I will get back to it by Saturday or Sunday.  Then I'll have 5-6 more weeks to get to the 100's. 

Stay strong girlies♥

R4 VLCD #1

OMG OMG OMG apparently I REALLY loaded well the last two days......WAHHH!!
I'm officially 9 lbs over my LDW and 11 lbs up from my lowest weight.  I can definitely feel my pants are way tighter and my shirts are getting snug.  I feel really swollen and bloated.  yuck!  I'm looking forward to the clean and light feeling I have after being on hcg for several days. I'm in the game.....I want to really "POP" this round.....(Perfectly On Protocol).  I can't look back, only forward.  My goal for this round is to lose 31.5 lbs to put me at 199.9 lbs.  We'll see what happens. 
BTW, I reconfigured my ticker like Mia did.  I didn't want to see my little gal skating backwards.  lol

Round 4 Loading day #2

Well round 3 can pretty much go into the record books as a complete waste of time.  Ugh!  No more short rounds for me.  Oh well.  I'm 7.5 lbs up from where I was at my lowest weight and 5.5 lbs up from my LDW.  I loaded like an animal yesterday.  It's the 1st time since starting hcg that I really tried to seriously load.  I went to bed last night in tears because my tummy felt like it was going to explode.  BLECH!  I went grocery shopping yesterday morning and ate a bacon, egg, and cheese mcgriddle from mcdonalds and gave my daughter the hashbrowns......I was too full already.  lol
While at the store I bought a dozen donuts.  I came home ate ate 2 donuts with a couple cups of coffee and lots of creamer.  After a few hrs I ate some ruffles potato chips and onion dip, spinach dip on pumpernickle bread and some muddy buddies.  Dinner time came and I ate another donut, more onion and spinach dip, cheese, veggies and dill dip, and guacalmole.  OMGoodness I felt like I needed to be carried to bed in a wheelbarrow.  I was in soooooo much pain.  This morning I planned on making the family biscuits and gravy, hashbrowns and bacon for breakfast......but I honestly feel so sick from last night still that I don't think that's going to happen. 

My plan for round 4 is to get into the 100's.  pure and simple
If I have to extend this round by a week or so to get there, I'm going to do it.  I'll be loading for round 5 in the middle of march.  It'll be my daughter's 4th birthday and Amanda's (my good friend) birthday.  I want to take Amanda to the melting pot on one of our next laoding days. 

I'm rooting for all you guys.  I'm proud of each and every one of you♥