Time for an Update

So, I guess this update is long overdue! Life has a way of getting crazy sometimes, but, honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way!

I hadn't set an official goal when I began my journey, partly because I really didn't know what I would consider to be a good stopping point, and partly because I was a bit afraid that I might not attain as high of a goal as I wanted to. As my journey continued and I was still losing, I decided that I would make my goal to lose a total of 100 pounds. I am thrilled to say that I am 95% of the way there...I have lost 95 pounds to date! I am in shock and utter amazement at this reality!

I knew I needed to lose at least that much and in the process I discovered what weight I should be at to be in the "normal" range. I will be ending my HCG Journey at the high end of that "normal" weight range for my age and height, but not only that, I will also have a "normal" BMI reading at that point as well.

So, I only have 5 pounds to go! Sounds easy enough but I have to say it has been a real struggle to get the last 15 pounds off, and looking back at my journey, it's taken me nearly 4 months to lose 25 pounds. The weight came off so quickly in the beginning but it has definitely slowed down the closer I get to my goal.

I posted on Facebook the other day that size-wise I am officially half the woman I used to be, as I am now wearing a size 12 pants (may I remind you that I was wearing a size 16 by the age of 16?!)  Which, of course, means that when I started this journey I was wearing a Women's size 24 pants! Ouch! That was painful to put into words! But that was my reality. Not only that, but I felt stuck...like there was no way out of my morbid obesity (ouch, again)!

And, yet, here I am thanks to the HCG Protocol and thanks to God!!!

By the way, pictures will be coming soon.

One Day at a Time

My losses the past 5 days have been crazy weird, but overall good! So, hooray for that! :-) Here they are:

Jan. 12: Minus 1 pound
Jan. 13: Minus 1.4
Jan. 14: Up .3
Jan. 15: Minus 1.8
Jan. 16: Minus .1
Average loss for the last 5 days: .8 (almost a pound per day)

I am quite shocked at my average loss, as it has been quite a while since I've averaged almost 1 pound loss per day. As long as my losses continue, I will continue in Phase 2. I have moments when I think I can't wait much longer to get into Phase 3, but seeing these results keeps me motivated to keep going! I really don't feel deprived in Phase 2 but I will say Round 3 has been the most difficult. Each round seems to get more difficult, so I would like my next round to be my last and I would like it to be a short round (23 days total with 2 days loading). That means I need to lose as much as I can this round, and I need to stabilize well.

I am going to plan better this time for Phase 3 and here's some great info. on Stabilization. As a side note, TOM still hasn't arrived (I've lost track of how late it is!) and I suspect that TOM will arrive once I stop the drops (as that happened my very first round also). This could cause some problems with getting my correct LDW, but I'm just going to have to take that one day at a time. For now, I'm going to keep plugging away.

Round 3, Phase 2, VLCD 40!

I just realized that today is day 40 of this 3rd round of Phase 2! I knew it was coming up, and I have decided that I am going to continue on a while longer. Dr. Simeons' Protocol calls for a maximum of 40 days on hcg due to most people developing immunity to it by then, but he used the real stuff. People using the homeopathic version don't become immune and seem to be successful doing longer rounds. I'd like to hit the 80 pounds lost mark before moving into Phase 3. However, I may settle at 75 pounds lost. I don't want to burn myself out so from here on, I'm going to play it by ear.

I have lost approx. 25 pounds so far this round. Unfortunately, almost 10 were pounds I had previously lost but gained because I didn't stabilize well in Round 2 and from loading at the beginning of Round 3. So, technically, I've only lost about 15 pounds so far. But I also had my planned interruption, which turned into Christmas indulgences, that I had to recoup as well.

The good news is that I am officially wearing a size 16 regular pants! I say officially because I was able to wear 1 pair of 16's (out of the 4 pair I had) a couple weeks ago. However, now I can comfortably wear all 4 pairs. I was a teenager the last time I wore 16's! Some of my XL shirts are beginning to look big on me. I am amazed and thrilled!

So, I'm not as far along weight-wise as I would have liked for this round, but I am further in this journey than I ever believed possible! And so my journey continues.

New Milestones

I hit 2 major milestones in the past 2 days. First is that my grand total loss is 70 pounds! Funny thing is that it has taken a while for that to sink in. I mean, I realize that 70 pounds is a LOT! I see the difference when I look in the mirror. But even that wasn't as unbelievable to me as my second milestone, and that was wearing a dress today that I haven't worn in 17 years! I can't even believe that I have kept it in my closet for all these many long years, first of all! I haven't been able to wear it since B.C. (before children!) I wore it to church this morning and got so many compliments & I just had to tell everybody how long it had been since I had worn it because I was so excited! And, of course, I had to post a picture on Facebook and tell everyone! (Thank you for all the wonderful comments, everyone!)

I am so thankful to God that He used other people to lead me to hcg! It has changed my life! I have started a list of things that I now love that I didn't love before this journey.

~I love the new feeling of confidence I have about my appearance

~I love to cross my legs while sitting

~I love how I fit so much more nicely in my husbands arms (he can wrap them around me with ease!)

~I love that I don't have to worry about where I am going to sit for fear that I won't be able to squeeze  between this or that when it's time to leave (you have no idea how this haunted me before)

~I love that I don't have to hide behind others when a picture is being taken (not that I really could anyway!)

I think I will be adding to this list as time goes on. So, 70 pounds down, about 30 pounds to go (I'm guessing, since I don't exactly know where I should be yet but I think I will know when I get there!) I would still like to lose another 10 pounds before finishing this round of Phase 2, though I am already on Day 36. Dr. Simeons' Protocol says to do Phase 2 for a maximum of 40 days (plus the 2 loading days for a grand total of 42 days), but his Protocol was for injectable HCG and his reasoning is that people become immune to HCG after 40 days. Since immunity isn't a problem when using homeopathic HCG, some people on hHCG do longer rounds and since I really want to lose more before finishing out this round, I am shooting for a longer round. If I feel my resolve getting low, I will just end it and deal with losing more on the next round.


I have been hungry this round, which has really surprised me because I was almost never hungry on the previous 2 rounds of Phase 2. I started taking 8 drops 3 times a day (increased by 2 drops per dose) and it seems to be helping with my hunger issues. Also, I should mention that TOM has been delayed due to the hHCG. I asked about it on the Facebook support group page and some say it causes them to have TOM too often and with others it causes delays. I was glad to know I wasn't the only one!

Hey, if you want some great recipes for homemade ketchup, mayo, and salad dressing, be sure to check out my friend, Julia's blog. Great stuff! Thanks for sharing, Julia!

Strawberry & Lime Dessert for P2

Strawberry & Lime Dessert

-Handful of frozen strawberries
-Lime
-Stevia
-Magic Bullet or blender





If you plan ahead, you can set your strawberries out about an hour in advance. If you don't, you can microwave them a bit to soften before putting in the Magic Bullet (35 seconds is about right for my microwave and makes a good consistency for me). Once the strawberries are ready, I put them in the Magic Bullet container with one good squeeze of the lime and a scoop of Stevia. Blend for 10-20 seconds (only 10 seconds at a time with the MB, so as not to burn up the motor).

                                                                         

Don't let my great picture taking abilities fool you :) It doesn't make much (it's a small bowl!) but it sure tastes yummy! Of course, you could make it without the lime juice but it wouldn't be called Strawberry & Lime Dessert. However, it is still very tasty! Some people like to use chocolate flavored Stevia...I just haven't acquired the taste for the flavored Stevia's yet.

Chicken Chili With a Twist for P2

I made myself Chicken Chili last night and added a little twist to it so I am calling it Chicken Chili with a Twist:

100 g. of chicken, cooked
1 cup diced tomatoes (I like to blend 1/2 c. in my Magic Bullet and leave the other half chunky)
chili powder
garlic powder
onion powder
cumin
salt
small handful of fresh cilantro (YUM!)
lime juice

I love to have chicken pre-cooked, cut up and waiting for me in the freezer (even if I forget to pull it out in advance...I will put it in a little hot water to get the thawing process started!)

Put tomatoes in a small sauce pan on medium heat, add desired spices. Once this is boiling a bit, I add my chicken & let it continue to cook on low a few minutes. Chop up a small handful of fresh cilantro & cut a lime in half while you wait.  Just before serving, add the cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice. I got the idea for this from a recipe a friend shared with me. Just love the combination of cilantro and lime!

I also love to put lime juice in my water with a little Stevia. I just bought this handy dandy little juicer thingy at my local Walmart a few days ago for $4.97. They had 3 different kinds to choose from and I chose this one. I have never owned a juicer thingy before. It sure beats squeezing the lime halves to death! I put the juice of one lime in a quart jar, add a couple little scoops of Stevia and fill with the jar with water. My favorite way to drink my water! Of course, this could be done with lemons as well, but I prefer limes.

The Many Ways to Eat Cabbage on Phase 2!

This has been the round where I have discovered that I love cabbage!  Funny thing, really, to discover that you love a food that you never knew you loved in the midst of a diet plan!


Cabbage is versatile, tasty and cheap!  I bought it for 29¢ a pound last week (of course, that was just before New Year's), but I don't think I've ever paid more than 69¢ a pound.  Some people mix it with lettuce in their salad to give it more bulk and to make it go farther.  Unfortunately, in Phase 2, we can't mix veggies, but I will likely do that when I get to Phase 3 again.

Here's what I've been doing with my cabbage lately.  First of all, I chop the head of cabbage into small pieces, along with 3 green onions (a little mixing with onions is ok, some say and it works for me).  I put it all in a big bowl in the refrigerator, so it's easy to grab what I need.

I already posted the recipe for Cabbage Soup, but there it is again in case you missed it in my earlier post. I love to put it in my crock pot!

I've also been making a little stir fry with my cabbage. I've been using chicken, but you could use beef as well. I marinate my chicken in some Bragg's Liquid Aminos, garlic and powdered ginger root for at least an hour (overnight, if I think that far in advance!) I've been using 1/2 to 1 Tbsp. MCT oil (medium chain triglycerides) to stir fry my chicken and then approx. 2 cups of cabbage. I like to add more ginger & a touch more Bragg's as it cooks, and a little vegetable broth at the end to scrape the pan.


Here's a link to a recipe and a vlog that talks about why you can use up to 2 Tbsp. of coconut oil or MCT oil during Phase 2.

And last, but certainly not least, I've been making my own P2 friendly version of Asian Salad. I put 2 handfuls (approx. 2 cups) of cabbage in a bowl. In a separate small bowl, I combine 1/2 Tbsp. of MCT oil, 3 splashes of Rice Vinegar, 5 splashes of Bragg's Liquid Amino's (I know, splashes are a very scientific method of measurement!) and just a tiny bit of Stevia. After stirring up the dressing, I add it to my cabbage, stir it & let it sit for a few minutes. Then I stir it up a bit more before (and during) eating it, as the dressing tends to settle in the bottom of the bowl. This is one of my favorite salads! In Phase 3, I add slivered almonds to said salad...even better!