New Stuff I Love!

In my quest to remain low-carb and sugar-free to maintain my 85 lb HCG weight loss, I have found a couple new products that I LOVE!

Xtreme Wellness High Fiber Tortillas from Ole Mexican Foods. You can find the nutritional information at FatSecret.com and I bought mine at WalMart, which makes me think you can get them pretty much anywhere.  They are tasty and filling and are perfect for Maintenance goals. Definitely not for everyday, but a good choice for wraps or mexican dishes.

I am also totally in love with BEANITOS. They are so delicious and the perfect crunchy salty snack for dips, cheese, and guacamole. I have been looking for something to take the place of crackers and chips which I crave regularly and these are perfect. Plus, my kids hate them which makes me even happier because that means I don't have to hide them to keep to them to myself. :D

Another treat I've found just in time for summer is a new drink flavor from the WalMart knock-off of Crystal Light: Great Value Lime Margarita Sugar Free Drink Mix. I am planning to make slushies and popsicles to cool me off poolside in the heat! Oh yes, I will be poolside this summer! :D

Hope you enjoy these yummy treats!

One week to go...

I have one more week of VLCD left to go! My last shot is on Friday. I am so ready to be done. I'm very glad I did this last round, but I am seriously tired of eating the same, same food. I have used all the yummy recipes on this blog and then some which has helped because I know it's not always just chicken and broccoli (actually one of my favorite meals, but you know what I mean!)

Going into Phase 3 is one of the hardest times for me. I always struggle when there are more choices and it's not so regimented. One of the things I am looking into is a way to help me in Phases 3 and 4 and beyond. I am reading a book called Why We Get Fat and What To Do About It by Gary Taubes. It has been very informative and I highly recommend it. It seems to go along with the protocol in that it puts the blame squarely on sugars and carbs, which is exactly what we need to avoid not only especially during P3 but also from now on, if the weight loss is to be permanent. This book doesn't necessarily tell you how to do that, but why it is important. So now I am interested in finding out more about the South Beach or Atkins philosophies to see if that can help with the day to day. I'd really love to hear if any of you have experience with either of these high protein/low carb diets..or any other tips you have. What helps you most in P3 and P4? I'll let you know what I come up with!

Thanksgiving in the Zone

We had a great Thanksgiving weekend, as I hope you all did as well. I was worried about the holiday for all the obvious reasons...there was so much food! And then there were leftovers! Turkey, treats, drinks, & desserts.... it was all so good! If there was one Holiday that could derail me, it would be this one

The morning of Thanksgiving I weighed in at 4 pounds under my LIW, so I knew I had a little leeway. But I also knew I'd be eating a ton. I didn't plan on skimping...I'd done enough of that over the past few months while my body was reprogramming itself.  I figured I'd be gaining but I was nervous about how much. I didn't really want to do a Steak Day, at least not the day after Thanksgiving. I was trusting my body to stay in the ZONE.

Luckily, I woke up the Day After and I had gained 3 lbs...but still one pound under my LIW! I ended up gaining another pound the next day and then lost one by Sunday morning. So a net gain of 4 but still under my LIW.  Not too bad, considering how much food I ended up eating.

I should explain about the ZONE....

Remember back to all the other times you tried to diet and no matter what you did, your body always seemed to stay at the same basic weight. I would lose some weight and then bounce right back to that same weight again. Or I would gain some over a few days and then somehow I would always drop right back to that same 'magic' weight. I call this the Zone, I've heard it called the Fat Thermostat as well. One of the beautiful things about the HCG diet is that it helps you drop your 'magic' weight and reprograms your body to your new Zone. This is what the 3 week Phase 3 is all about.

 I spent a lot of the holiday weekend trying to convince my mother, who was visiting, to trust in the Zone. She has been doing HCG as well, and has lost almost 70 pounds, but she is still dieting, even though she is in the Maintenance phase. I think she is doing what a lot of us do, which is to get scared of putting the weight back on, so we keep doing what worked to take it off.  The trouble with this approach is that your body will kick back into "Starvation Mode" and start hanging onto the pounds again, so that if you eat anything at all, you have a major weight gain and it messes up your Zone.  She'd had this happen a couple times and so I was trying to get her to understand that she needed to eat a little more and trust in her body to keep her in the Zone.

I haven't spoken to her yet to see if she was able to make this breakthrough, but it has been working for me. If ever I do break out of the Zone, I do a Steak Day and it puts me right back in there. I've only had to do this twice now and the rest of the time I've stayed exactly where I wanted to be!

I love the HCG diet! Our bodies are crazy and complicated machines. I'm glad someone finally discovered the trick to making mine work right! I hope it is working for you too. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them here! I love hearing from you!

Phase 3 of the HCG Diet

Also known as the first three weeks of the Maintenance Phase, this is the most critical phase of the diet. Your hypothalamus is being reset to your new weight during these three weeks.  It is important that you do not consume any sugars or carbohydrates since they interfere with the hypothalamus' control of your metabolism.  You can eat any foods you like, at any time during this phase, but you cannot have sugar or starches.

It is also important for you to weigh daily during this period. You should note your weight on the last day of your injection, this is your target weight. You will also need to continue the 500 calorie diet for an additional 72 hours from the time of your last injection.  It takes about 72 hours for your body to rid itself of the HCG in your system.  At the 72 hour mark, you can begin to increase your calories. As you weigh daily, you don't need to worry about any increase unless you go 2lbs over your target weight, even if it is just by a few ounces.  You should also be careful not to lose more than 2 lbs either since this may be a sign that you are not eating enough calories and may put your body back into "starvation mode."  

There are actually two procedures that I am aware of at this point.  The clinic I went to suggested a Grace Period if you are going to do another session. Basically, you are advised to stick to the VCLD menu & only increase your portions to about double what you had before, roughly 1000 calories.  This Grace Period lasts about 3 weeks at which point you would start Round Two of Phase Two again.

Dr. Simeons' original protocol and the majority of the research I've done online recommends a period of at least 6 weeks before you begin Round 2 and the only limitation is the sugar and starch rule that I explained earlier.  After the 3-week no sugar/starch period, you would then begin to add back in some of the sugar and carbs you would eat normally and continue in this maintenance phase for the rest of your life, unless you planned to do a repeat round of injections.  This period is sometimes referred to as Phase 4, but it is still the Maintenance Phase.

At any point during phase 3, should your weigh exceed your target weight by more than 2 lbs, you will do a Steak Day.  A Steak Day calls for you to skip both breakfast and lunch and then eat a big steak and a big apple for dinner.  I'm thinking at least 7 oz for the steak and a fairly large apple.  This will result in an immediate drop of 1-2 lbs the following day.   It seems kind of magical, but those I know who have tried it say it really works.  As of this post, I haven't had to do a Steak Day since my weight has stayed well within the target range.  If you have tried it and want to share your success, post a comment here.

It is also important to note that if you plan to do more than 2 rounds of Phase 2, the wait period between rounds increases each time.  For instance, it is suggested that you wait 6 weeks between Rounds 1 and 2, and then wait 8 weeks between Rounds 2 and 3, 12 weeks between Rounds 3 and 4, etc.  This is to avoid developing HCG immunity.