R2 P3 Day 21: -1

Today’s Weight: 155.4
LIW:  154.4
Today’s change: -1

Not too chatty today.  So let’s stick to the basics. 

Two hours in the gym last night – 1 hour of weight lifting and 1 hour of Zumba.  The pulled muscle in my abdomen is still bothering me a bit.  I need to speak to my Pilates instructor before class tomorrow about modifying some of the moves that could exacerbate my minor injury.

Actually I feel better already 🙂 any day I get to use the word exacerbate in a sentence is a damn good day no matter how you look at it.  I just love that word.

My meals:  omelette for breakfast.  Grilled chicken topped with peppers, onions, mushrooms, and cheese – and a side of broccoli for lunch.  Dinner was about 1/2 of a leftover steak.  Again.  I didn’t feel like fixing anything else.

R2 P3 Day 20: -0

Today’s Weight: 156.4
LIW:  154.4
Today’s change: -0

Only one hour at the gym last night – Pilates.  I pulled a muscle in my abdomen during the class.  I’m pushing myself pretty hard.   And I’m cussin’ sore again.  My clothes are already fitting a little differently than before I started working out – differently being looser.  I’m more lean even though my weight is not changing.  Yay! 

My meals:  Plain greek yogurt with stevia, strawberries and blackberries for breakfast.  I had a leftover steak for lunch with asparagus and bell peppers.  Dinner was ribs again with a salad.

I’m already ready for the weekend *sigh*.  Oh well.  Friday’s coming.  But for now, work.  Blah.

R2 P3 Day 19: +2

Today’s Weight: 156.4
LIW:  154.4
Today’s change: +2

I’m mentally in a bad spot right now.  I talked to my girlfriend about it yesterday and she layed it on the line and told me that I was feeling the way that I am because I don’t value myself.  And it’s true – I have always had self esteem issues.  I’ve even been to counseling over it.  On a logical level I think I’m a great girl and have tons to offer – but on an emotional level I never feel good enough.  And because of that I constantly look for affirmation from other people.  This is not good.   And it’s something that I really have to work on.  When people give me compliments – I always feel kind of unworthy – and I wish I could see myself differently.  Why can’t I?  I don’t get it.

Going to the gym is helping.  Endorphins and serotonin are my friends.  When I work out hard, I feel great.   And let me tell you – I *am* working out hard!!!!  Today was two hours in the gym again, 1 hour of weights and 1 hour of Zumba.  I’m reaping the emotional/mental benefits already – but I’m also excited to see the physical results of all this hard labor down the road.

Sorry for whining today.  You know I do that occasionally.  One thing I have figured out is this blog is a great outlet for me to express my feelings – even the negative ones.  Hell, face it,  this blog is form of counseling for me.  And you get to read ALLLLL about it 😉 LOL .  Sorry.

I’m moving to P4 this week.  I’m only doing three weeks of P3 even though I’m supposed to do 4 weeks for my second round.  Also with working out as much as I am you will see me a become a little more liberal with my food choices.  At least sometimes.  I’m ready to have some meals that I’ve haven’t had in six months. 

Like pinto beans and green chile grits   (if you’re new to my blog – that’s a link to the grits recipe on my cooking website).  The grits are to die for – I’ve missed them so!  There’s no doubt that those grits contributed to the big ass I had six months ago – I used to make them ALL THE TIME.  My mouth is ready to greet them.  And greet them it shall.  But – when I make them – I’m not going to make the usual ridiculously huge pan.  I’ll half the recipe.  And limit my portions.   Hmmmm – “portions”, plural.  Freudian slip?

My meals:  leftover steak for breakfast.  No lunch – I think working out made me not want to eat.  For dinner I grilled baby back ribs and jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped in bacon.  And had broccoli salad with it.  Yum!

R2 P3 Day 18: -2.4

Today’s Weight: 154.4
LIW:  154.4
Today’s change: -2.4

I do not know how I managed to lose 2.4 pounds (wait until you see what I ate) but I’m not going to complain.

I had a nice day – I went to Nordstrom’s to buy a sports bra so I can keep the girls locked and loaded while I work out (yes, this has been a problem this week at the gym).  And speaking of bra’s – I can’t believe I didn’t blog about this yet.  If you have not had professional bra fitting, you *must* go.  I highly recommend Nordstrom’s.  Their customer service is unbelievable and they definitely know what they’re doing.   I went for a bra fitting on my birthday because my girlfriend had been telling me I was in the wrong size bra.  I was buying 38C’s.  I was just like – whatever – but I made an appointment with Reesey at Nordstrom’s (love you Reesey, you’re the best xxoo).  It turns out I was wearing WAY the wrong size – I’m a 34DDD people!  Now nothing physically has changed but DAMN I like the sound triple D!  Maybe I don’t need a boob job after all.  And it’s truly unbelievable the difference being in the right size bra has made in my clothes.  I never really considered myself a big boobed girl – I don’t think the girls are the first thing someone sees when they look at me, I think they are proportionate to my body (I’m a tall girl).  But DDD?  Ok, maybe I’m big boobed.  And actually the sports bra I bought yesterday was a 34E.   Unbelievable.

After Nordstrom’s I went to Tuesday Morning and bought a gorgeous oil cloth tablecloth, bright red background with peaches on it, and found coordinating placemats, napkins, and a floral arrangement.  It’s all adorning my table as I type this, with it’s bright spring colors, and it makes me happy 🙂  My Mom and I have been looking for oil cloth for a loooong time, it’s hard to find.  It’s common in Mexico but not so much in the US.

My food yesterday:  1/2 leftover steak for breakfast.  Sashimi and seaweed salad for lunch.  At dinner I indulged – I picked up takeout at a mexican place I have been wanting to try for a very long time (Guajillos).  I drank two (yes two!) margaritas while I waited for my order and ate a small mountain of chips and salsa (the salsa was hot and so cussin’ good).  I was so full from that that I only had one taco (beef alambre on a corn tortilla with refried beans) when I got home.  My son and I are in full agreement about this place – their food ROCKS.  And it’s much healthier than the standard Tex Mex restaurant.  This place is going on my list of favorite SA restaurants.  It doesn’t hurt that owner was cute and flirted with me, and went out of his way to make sure I was taking care of.  I think he was impressed by my ability to eat that hot hot salsa. 

Or maybe it was my big boobs 😉

R2 P3 Day 17: +.4

Today’s Weight: 156.8
LIW:  154.4
Today’s change: +.4

No gym yesterday.  The plan was seeing my sweetie but he’s sick and didn’t feel up to it.  So I was totally bummed out.  I picked up some steaks and some wine on my way home and cooked dinner, read, and soaked in the tub (I’m EXTREMELY sore from working out).

My meals:  scrambled eggs for breakfast.  Salad with chicken, guacamole, pico de gallo and cheese for lunch.  Dinner was a steak, grilled veggies (asparagus and bell peppers) and broccoli salad.  And red wine – I bought a delicious pinotage by Fleur de Cap – I loved it.

Have a blessed Saturday!

R2 P3 Day 16: -1.6

Today’s Weight: 156.4
LIW:  154.4
Today’s change: -1.6

Better on the weigh-in.  I may as well adjust my LIW to around 156 because that’s where I seem to hang out.  But we’ll see what happens with adding exercise to my regime.

Two more hours at the gym last night.  This time it was Bodypump, which is a barbell class that utilizes weight room exercises, and then Zumba, which is a kind of dancy type cardio class.  Once again, the classes kicked my ass.  And that’s a good thing.  I am *really* feeling it this morning, I’m about to take some ibuprofen.  One thing the gym is doing for me is I’m sleeping well.  Woo hoo!  I frequently suffer from insomnia so that’s a welcome change.

My food:  scrambled eggs with bell peppers and mushrooms for breakfast.  Tuna salad² for lunch (tuna salad² = tuna salad on salad).  Drank 4 liters of water during the day and one more liter while I was working out.  For dinner I had a salad with grilled chicken, avocado, tomatoes, and ceaser salad dressing.

Hello Friday!!!  Yay!

R2 P3 Day 15: +1.2

Today’s Weight: 158
LIW:  154.4
Today’s change: +1.2

Well doesn’t that suck !  I know the gain isn’t from what I ate – my food intake was fine.  I didn’t even feel heavy when I woke up this morning – I felt fine or even like I dropped a pound or two.  And when you’re as conscious about your weight as we get on this protocol you can usually tell, yes? 

What was different was I actually went to the gym and took TWO classes.    I did Pilates first, and then belly dancing.  The Pilates class was the hardest Pilates class I’ve ever taken – it was taught by a man and let me tell you he was *tough*.  I was shaking after it was done.  But I forged ahead anyway.  I knew I would love the belly dancing class since I’ve been taking it somewhere else, and this class was definitely more of a workout than the class I’ve been going to.  I was thrilled when I checked the class schedule at my gym and saw belly dancing – I’m already paying for it through my gym membership.  I was having to pay extra for the other classes I was going to. 

I’ve said for a while that I was going to start working out – and yesterday it finally commenced.  What finally got me off my ass?  Besides just wanting to firm up and shape up – my best girlfriend in SA, who was unemployed for 6 months, started a new job in Dallas this week.  I’m very happy that she found a cussin’ awesome job but very *very* sad that she will be moving soon.  It took me two years to find a really a good friend in SA and there is definitely going to be a big something missing in my life when she moves.  😦  That’s how I feel about that.  But we’ll be friends for life.  Nothing can change that.

The other thing is that I miss my sweetie all the time – it’s ridiculous.  I don’t get to see him as often as I would like as he lives about 45 minutes from SA.  Having said that, I think it’s probably a good thing for both us in the long run.  I’m in this for the long haul with this man and am willing to be patient.  It’s just difficult.  I’m an Aries, after all.  I’m ruled by passion and there is plenty of passion in my heart for him.

I think it’s important for me to view these things for what they are and not let them get me down.  Sitting on my ass at home does nothing constructive for me.  Working out in the gym will make me feel better AND look better.  So now that I’ve finally started down this new path – wind me up and watch me go.  I need to do measurements again soon, it’s been a while, and I sure need a point of reference.

My food yesterday:  1/2 grilled chicken breast for breakfast.  Grilled chicken with bell peppers, lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, and pico de gallo for lunch.  For dinner I had pork chops with squash and green beans.

Today I’m going to drink tons of water – I think my water intake was lower than normal yesterday.  I’ll get rid of this little gain.

Have an incredible, fabulous, magical day, and happy losses!  xoxo

R2 P3 Day 14: -0

Today’s Weight: 156.8
LIW:  154.4
Today’s change: -0

So today I’d like to write about paying it forward.  Specifically taking my experience with the HCG protocol and sharing it with others so that they can decide if it’s something they want to try.  I feel very strongly about the impact that this protocol has had on my life – which I’ve written about before.  I am a different person than I was 6 months ago.  And these are not lightly spoken words.

Lots of people I know ask questions about how I lost weight.  I’m always truthful about it, I never sugar coat it.  Some react with the expected “I can’t believe you did that”, but most are very interested and ask tons of questions.  At the beginning when I first started, there were lots of skeptical people in my life, concerned about my health and well being.  Over time they saw my incredible results and were happy to find out that my new doctor actually supports the HCG protocol.  As an opposer to this protocol, you may be able to argue many points against it, but you can’t argue with the results.  I’m living, breathing proof.  I lost 50 pounds and am keeping it off.  When I was at Costco last night I looked at a 50 pound bag of sugar and it just struck me what an amazing accomplishment that weight loss was.

Paying it forward is important.  I don’t want to keep this a secret.  I feel like shouting it from the rooftop!!  So far there are two friends that are on P2 now – and seeing results – and there are at least 5 more friends/family members that are planning on it.  I practically need an HCG hotline – since I researched this so much and was totally obsessed with learning everything I could about it – I am able to answer most questions that everyone has.  And I’m happy to do it to say the least. 

Paying it forward, indeed.  It’s the right thing to do.

Yesterday I had strawberries and blackberries for breakfast.  I’m going to have this alot for breakfast, they were yummy.  For lunch, a salad with grilled chicken and blue cheese dressing.  Dinner was a leftover steak and yellow squash.

Today is going to be a beautiful day!  Enjoy!

R2 P3 Day 13: +.4

Today’s Weight: 156.8
LIW:  154.4
Today’s change: +.4

I’m walking on sunshine this morning.  My sweetie came over for dinner last night.  It was the first time I cooked for him and I wanted to make something special, so we had surf and turf.  I grilled filet and shrimp and served it with yellow squash and a salad.  Then came dessert – strawberries and blackberries with light whipped cream.  Dinner was a smashing success.  We spent hours after that just talking and watching basketball.  The more time I spend with him, the more crazy I am about him.  There is just something about him that draws me to him.  I’m not even sure I can put it into words.  But I guess I don’t have to – I’ll just enjoy it.  He’s such a sweetheart!  And damn does he smell good!

Other than that yesterday was just a normal work day with normal lo-carb meals.  I had leftover steak for breakfast, then again for lunch with yellow squash and a grilled tomato.  You already know what I had for dinner 😉

Have a great day my friends!

R2 P3 Day 12: -.4

Today’s Weight: 156.4
LIW:  154.4
Today’s change: -.4

Gee I’m happy to see 156.4 this morning 🙂  This weekend was the longest I’ve gone without weighing myself.  I was good with food – I stuck to lo carb for the most part (ok, I had one bite of birthday cake) – but of course I had wine and beer and some sugar free jello shots over the course of the weekend.  It was a party!  Actually it was a party weekend 🙂  I had a freaking blast.  My pal Beck was sweet to invite me to hang out with her and her girlfriends – we laughed and laughed and laughed until we practically peed our pants (and actually some of us did!).

I was nervous to get on the scale.  Yesterday I decided to do a steak day even though I had no idea what my weight was (but my jeans were a little tight), and my steak day was mostly successful.  I didn’t quite stick to a strict steak day.   I had a small bit of scrambled eggs for breakfast, and then nothing else until dinner, which was steak, yellow squash, bell pepper, and tomatoes – all grilled to perfection.

Now, hello Monday, back to reality.  Do we *really* have to do this??