Week 2 on hCG Diet...down 8.4 lbs. the first week :)

Wow! I can't believe it is already Saturday again, meaning 1 week through the diet. Last weekend I was loading, eating everthing I wanted. Oh, well. I've lost right on track with a pound a day...over 8 pounds in the first week! Woo-hoo! At this rate I will be at my first goal- which is to be below 200 pound mark- by next weekend!

Day 8: 1/2/2010 Weight 208.6. I'm down another half pound from yesterday. I can't wait until I'm in ONE-derland! I put 2 Tbs. of my suager free creamer in my coffee this morning. It is only 30 calories. Kind of an experiment to see if it stalls my weight loss. My dear husband is so impressed with me! First, he didn't think I was going to be able to do the injections, and that I have not cheated at all. His support makes a world of difference as well. He also says he thinks the diet is pretty healthy, since I am eating so many fresh fruits and vegetables, and that I still have energy. He feels if it wasn't working I would feel miserable. Speaking of energy- I've noticed I have A LOT more! I laid in bed a couple nights ago telling dh that I felt "weird", because I felt so normal. With the few calories I've been consuming I can't believe how normal I feel. And then yesterday and today I have tons of energy. I am going to go clean my room today- something I haven't felt like doing in a long time!!

Today I ate turkey and celery...I know turkey is not on the list, but that's what I had...and I simmered it in some chicken broth. We went to a movie, and when I walked in the smell of popcorn was a little overwhelming. I smelled the bucket, contemplating how much a few handfuls would set me back, and surprisingly it smelled HORRIBLE!! Kind of like stinky feet. It was propbably the type of oil/butter stuff they use. Whatever, it kept me from wanting to eat any! On our way home, the kids wanted to get Chinese takeout. I cringed. I was about to voice my protest, when my hubby said to go ahead and stop. He then said, "I won't get anything, since you can't. We'll just get some for the kids". I love him so much...he's always so thoughtful!! And even though I saw him sneak a few bites off the kids plates when he thought I wasn't looking, it was touching! So he sat down with me, and ate exactly what I ate. We had some lean ground beef, pickled cucmbers and baked apples. Totally legal food choices in a decadent environment!!

Day 9: 1/3/2010 Weight 208.6. Exactly the same as yesterday. I was bummed. But I am still having remarkable losses, so I will take this in stride. Today I made filet mignon again. No, I don't usually eat a lot of filet, but Harter House had a good deal so I bought 5. I also made cauliflower, steamed in microwave and put a little WF Alfredo. Somehow I managed to knock the entire dish on the floor. Luckily my filet was safely perched on it's own plate. So I cleaned up the cauliflower and went to get a towel. When I came back, my 18 year old son had my entire filet on a fork and was eating it!!! I was like, hey...what do you think you're doing??!! My entire family wants my food on this diet. Usually when I am on a diet I can't force it on them. It sure makes it easier to eat yummy food. Well I was so mad all I ate was the steak. I ate an apple a little later, and for dinner my wonderful husband decided to cook for me. I was worried. As I was cooking for the children, he was spicing up some tilapia filets. He was so cute, he would ask "can you have this?" and hold up various spices. It turned out so good! But the best part was he brought it to me, arranged on the plate with steamed broccoli artistically placed around it. This diet is turning us into gourmet chefs!! I hope it continues to be this easy.

Day 10: Weight 207.0!! Wow, I am down a total of 10 pounds now. Whoo Hoo! I can hardly believe it.

This was my first day back at work from the winter vacation. I packed the rest of my pickled cucumbers, an orange and some meatballs I had made and frozen. It was a decent meal and I got to eat with my coworkers and feel "normal". They had a welcome back breakfast, with pastrys, muffins, fruit, etc. I went back and took an oatmeal chocolate chip muffin (again to fit in, lol), but wrapped it up to take to my daughters. I also took quite a few orange segments and saved them to eat with my lunch. For dinner I made some buffalo chicken chunks and broiled a zuchinni. I was going to eat my strawberries, but was so full I decided to eat them later. Then I ended up forgetting about them.

Day 11: Weight 206.6. At least I'm down. I will take any movement of the scale in a downward direction :).

I made a foil pack last night with asparagus and a tilapia filet. I seasoned it (with dear hubby's help) and brought it to work today. I'm going to pop it in our toaster oven and hope for the best!! It turned out really yummy, although it took forever to cook and everybody was complaining about the burning smell from the toaster oven. I think it needs cleaned...

Tonight we had a Girl Scout cookie rally. I'm a troop leader, and we are going to have over 3,000 boxes of cookies in my living room next month. I'm not quite sure how I am going to cope with that. If it's like I have been feeling, it won't be too much of a problem for me. Like after the meeting, I stopped and got my daughters some McDonalds. At first the smell was so good. I said "Give me a couple fries" and put my hand back. She was taking forever (luckily) and visions of the grease vats they were fried in just popped into my head. I've never had that happen, and I wasn't even trying to resist them. But I suddenly did not want them, and did not eat a single one!! I am totally SHOCKED myself. I went home and cooked up my buffalo chicken chunks, and sliced up a cucumber. I ate it with a couple tablespoons of WF Ranch dressing. It is runny, but tastes okay. I again wasn't hungry so I skipped my second fruit.

Day 12: Weight 205.6. Another pound!! It is AMAZING watching the scale go down every single day. I just can't describe the feeling!! And I am also amazed at how much energy I have. With the little bit I've been eating it just does not seem possible. But I will sure take it! I haven't felt this great in years.

For lunch today I brought some buffalo chicken chunks (yeah, I'm addicted)and some cauliflower. I plan on eating my orange right at noon, it looks really good today! Well, I was completely FULL after my lunch, I did not eat my orange. I felt like I had over-eaten at a buffet and had only eaten 1/3rd of my chicken. I forced myself to eat it anyway, and felt ill for it. Then I started getting a headache. I was gettng worried about it, especially when advil wasn't helping much. On my way home from work it dawned on me- I didn't have my coffee this morning! That's why I have a headache. So I drank a couple cups of coffee and the headache was gone! Wow, I guess I'm addicted to caffeine and didn't realize it. For dinner I tried some "miracle noodles" with my shrimp. I stir-fried them in a tiny bit of coconut oil (it's supposed to be okay on this diet, guess I'l find out tomorrow). They had a tough, kinda chewy texture to them. I wasn't too impressed, but they are full of fiber so I went ahead and ate them. I will try them again in some homemade chicken soup to see if they have a different texture. Again I felt so full, but managed to eat an apple as a bedtime snack. It was then that I realized I forgot to eat a vegetable with my dinner. Oooops!

Day 13: Weight 204.8. Almost a pound! I'll take it. I drank three cups of coffee this morning! It's a snow day, and being at home, kinda bored makes me want to eat. But my results so far are keeping me from raiding the kitchen. DH brought home some dougnuts for the kiddos, and I had to stay out of the kitchen. They looked soooo good. I used to be addicted to doughnuts. But I resisted and conquered the fat laden, sugar filled demons! Victory is mine!

Last night I made a pot of (legal) chili. I put in 2 cans of diced tomatoes with chilis, 1 tiny can of tomato paste and half a packet of chili seasoning. I couldn't believe the ingredients in most of the seasoning packets! Most of them have MSG, flour, and several have sugar. I found one at Dillon's that only has chili pepper, spices, salt and garlic. It is called Amazing Taste, and was only 99 cents. I also put more garlic- can't have too much- water to desired consistency and 300 grams of 96/4 browned ground beef. I planned to put diced onions but guess who forgot to buy onions?? I boiled it and then let it simmer for a long time. I sampled it and it was yummy! Too bad I can't put cheese and sour cream on it- not until phase 3 anyway!! So I divided it into 3 servings and put in fridge. Guess what I'm having for lunch?! I also bought some Melba toast since it is allowed on Dr. Simeon's original protocol and plan to have that with it. I can't wait. I'm going to eat half a grapefruit at noon. Okay...so the chili was AWESOME!! I didn't even miss the beans! For dinner I ate the last of my buffalo chicken chunks. I shredded my cauliflower and sauteed it in a teeny bit of chicken broth. It looked like rice. It actually kind of felt like I was eating rice. Very satisfying!! For dessert I put my strawberries (frozen) in the blender with 1 cup of water and 3 packets of splenda. It will be better with vanilla stevia, but I haven't got any yet. I put it in the freezer and keep stirring it every 15 minutes or so. Right now it looks like a slushie, and it tastes pretty decent. And because of the water it looks like a lot. When I get my stevia I have a mock ice cream recipe to try!!

Day 14: Weight 204.2. Another 1/2 pound!! Yea! I wonder if I hadn't of eaten that Melba toast I might have lost a full pound? Oh well, the world may never know :) I am totally fine with 1/2 pound losses. Especially since I am still averaging 1 pound per day.

For lunch I ate another serving of chili. It is so filling. I was too full to eat my apple until just now. For dinner I am having Filet Mignon and cauliflower. I steamed the cauli and then put it in the blender with garlic salt and a little salt. It looks and feels exactly like mashed potatoes! I tried a bite before putting in the fridge, and the likeness is amazing. Now, don't get me wrong, it still has a cauliflowery taste, but I bet if you seasoned it just right it would be a good substitute if you were craving them. I plan to put some I can't believe it's not butter spray and a little ranch dressing (WF of course)to make it creamier. I won't get to eat my second fruit since I ate the apple so late.

I also tried something completely off protocol. I mixed together a TBSP of coconut oil, a TBSP of cocoa powder and a packet of splenda. I put it in waxed paper in the fridge and let it get solid. It had a little grainy texture, but I think it was the splenda. I will make it with stevia when I get some. But the reason I tried this is not because I was craving chocolate, but because a lot of people on the forum said it actually helps weight loss. I guess we'll find out tomorrow! It also is supposed to help prevent gallbladder problems in people who have pre-existing problems, which I do.