| The struggle to become half the man i used to be . . . |
|
-
Reason to Lose #7
Fun Family Vacations -
Reason to Lose #13
Fitting back into my converse windshirt -
Reason to Lose #9
Being able to see my kids birthdays -
Reason to Lose #10
Not being gawked at at the public pool -
Reason to Lose #8
Fitting on the Sled -
Reason to Lose #11
Making it to the crown without passing out -
Reasons to Lose #1-6
My family -
Reason to Lose #12
Being able to chug through Disney with my excited kids!
WELCOME:
I am glad you stopped by. My goal is to post my thoughts (big & little) about my weightloss efforts here a few times a week. I hope you enjoy them.
I am glad you stopped by. My goal is to post my thoughts (big & little) about my weightloss efforts here a few times a week. I hope you enjoy them.
DAY#169 - I'm going to Disney World!
So Brian, now that you lost all this weight, how are you gonna celebrate?
I'm going to Disney World!
Miriam ran into the living room yesterday and announced '2 months to Disney.' Well, we are truly a few more days out than that, but we are leaving the first week of November so she was almost right. However, the excitement in her voice sent a small electric charge through everyone in our family. That spark was enough to jump start the final phases of my Disney planning.
Since I seem to share everything about me on my blog, you are gonna get a little bit of my Disney obsession today. I love Walt Disney World, my first trip was in 1976 and I have been back numerous times since. I enjoy most everything there. It is a fun place to sit back and enjoy being entertained while you learn some things along the way. And just when I thought I was growing out of my infatuation, I had kids and now I get to live the magic with them, and to be honest, I love it even more now.
My wife's take is slightly different, she loves Disney too but at a slightly slower pace than me. SLOW DOWN is her mantra, she is a stop and smell the roses sort of girl who has been partnered with a do it all, see it all, conquer it all guy. But in the end my love of Disney wins out and I end up running from ride to ride, show to show, preferred seating to preferred seating for as long as my vacation will allow. I have consumed several books, read complete websites, own 5 iphone apps and an insiders subscription to give me every edge when it comes to planning the perfect Disney Vacation.
I started planning this vacation while on my last Disney vacation and the planning has continued at key points in time for the last year. This year will mark our longest trip ever with the most stuff planned ever. To confess my true sickness would be to show you a picture of my google spreadsheet where I have every day planned and every reserved seating recorded. Here it is in super small version, and yes, I blurred out all the important stuff, I like my vacations with my family. Cause I know all you crazy people who read my blog might attempt to join us.
If you think my spreadsheet is normal, then I will 'one up' that with my book. Yes, I said book. I have compiled and am finishing up a 80+ page guide to our vacation. It takes the reader day by day through our vacation, and outlines the maps, shows, restaurants & menus. When it is complete I will print out 3 copies of the book and also turn it into an ebook for consumption on our iphones and ipads. I did this for a few reasons. First of all, I needed to get better acquainted with Adobe InDesign and the best way was to work on a fun project (wink, wink). Secondly, my mom and mom-in-law are joining us for this vacation and I wanted them to have as much info as possible about what we are doing. Thirdly, i thought it would be a cool way to channel my positive Disney energy.
Ok you can haul me off to the funny farm now. Yes, it is true I am a Disney lover. And this is gonna be the best vacation ever! I am stoked! As you can tell from my slideshow at the top of my webpage, one of the reasons I wanted to lose the weight was to be able to have more fun and do more things with my family. And this vacation is high on that list. Oh to not sweat buckets while walking in the warm Florida sun. To have energy to chase down Lois as she makes a running break for a character she sees across the park. To be able to comfortably share a seat on my favorite rides with my kids. To not be gawked upon. It shall be a blast.
How do I plan on maintaining my new 'figure' while on vacation? Very Carefully. I have been slowly identifying foods that seem to not work well for my body and I plan to avoid them more often and eat my 'happy foods' instead. However, I do plan on having my fair share of mickey ears and pigging out at Ohana's my favorite dining experience. (We are going there twice : 0 ) So I am joining Miriam in her countdown, I can't wait to go back and experience Disney as the new Minnie-Me.
[2010-09-01]
So Brian, now that you lost all this weight, how are you gonna celebrate?
I'm going to Disney World!
Miriam ran into the living room yesterday and announced '2 months to Disney.' Well, we are truly a few more days out than that, but we are leaving the first week of November so she was almost right. However, the excitement in her voice sent a small electric charge through everyone in our family. That spark was enough to jump start the final phases of my Disney planning.
Since I seem to share everything about me on my blog, you are gonna get a little bit of my Disney obsession today. I love Walt Disney World, my first trip was in 1976 and I have been back numerous times since. I enjoy most everything there. It is a fun place to sit back and enjoy being entertained while you learn some things along the way. And just when I thought I was growing out of my infatuation, I had kids and now I get to live the magic with them, and to be honest, I love it even more now.
My wife's take is slightly different, she loves Disney too but at a slightly slower pace than me. SLOW DOWN is her mantra, she is a stop and smell the roses sort of girl who has been partnered with a do it all, see it all, conquer it all guy. But in the end my love of Disney wins out and I end up running from ride to ride, show to show, preferred seating to preferred seating for as long as my vacation will allow. I have consumed several books, read complete websites, own 5 iphone apps and an insiders subscription to give me every edge when it comes to planning the perfect Disney Vacation.
I started planning this vacation while on my last Disney vacation and the planning has continued at key points in time for the last year. This year will mark our longest trip ever with the most stuff planned ever. To confess my true sickness would be to show you a picture of my google spreadsheet where I have every day planned and every reserved seating recorded. Here it is in super small version, and yes, I blurred out all the important stuff, I like my vacations with my family. Cause I know all you crazy people who read my blog might attempt to join us.
If you think my spreadsheet is normal, then I will 'one up' that with my book. Yes, I said book. I have compiled and am finishing up a 80+ page guide to our vacation. It takes the reader day by day through our vacation, and outlines the maps, shows, restaurants & menus. When it is complete I will print out 3 copies of the book and also turn it into an ebook for consumption on our iphones and ipads. I did this for a few reasons. First of all, I needed to get better acquainted with Adobe InDesign and the best way was to work on a fun project (wink, wink). Secondly, my mom and mom-in-law are joining us for this vacation and I wanted them to have as much info as possible about what we are doing. Thirdly, i thought it would be a cool way to channel my positive Disney energy.
Ok you can haul me off to the funny farm now. Yes, it is true I am a Disney lover. And this is gonna be the best vacation ever! I am stoked! As you can tell from my slideshow at the top of my webpage, one of the reasons I wanted to lose the weight was to be able to have more fun and do more things with my family. And this vacation is high on that list. Oh to not sweat buckets while walking in the warm Florida sun. To have energy to chase down Lois as she makes a running break for a character she sees across the park. To be able to comfortably share a seat on my favorite rides with my kids. To not be gawked upon. It shall be a blast.
How do I plan on maintaining my new 'figure' while on vacation? Very Carefully. I have been slowly identifying foods that seem to not work well for my body and I plan to avoid them more often and eat my 'happy foods' instead. However, I do plan on having my fair share of mickey ears and pigging out at Ohana's my favorite dining experience. (We are going there twice : 0 ) So I am joining Miriam in her countdown, I can't wait to go back and experience Disney as the new Minnie-Me.
[2010-09-01]
| PAST JOURNAL ENTRIES. . . | |
|---|---|
| DAY 165 | Progress Check #24 |
| DAY 162 | icky day |
| DAY 161 | Caloric accounting 101 |
| DAY 158 | Progress check #23 |
| DAY 157 | Goodbye Phase 3, Hello Phase 4 |
| DAY 156 | Chocolate delight |
| DAY 155 | My Next Steps |
| DAY 154 | my 5k goal announced! |
| DAY 152 | A tale of two videos |
| DAY 151 | Progress check #22 |
| DAY 150 | Lust |
| DAY 149 | The skinny on my skin |
| DAY 148 | ENERGY BABY! |
| DAY 147 | P3 YUMMINESS |
| DAY 146 | Lab Results |
| DAY 144 | C25K |
| DAY 143 | Phase 3 -Week 1 Summary |
| DAY 141 | My Drug |
| DAY 138 | Progress Check #20 |
| DAY 136 | Phase 3- DAY 1 |
| DAY 134 | The End of Phase 2! |
| DAY 131 | Progress Check #19 |
| DAY 128 | inches |
| DAY 124 | Progress Check #18 |
| DAY 122 | HCG Diet INFO/Recap |
| DAY 121 | w00t! |
| DAY 120 | Shelly |
| DAY 119 | 100 HCG days |
| DAY 118 | Feeling Demoralized |
| DAY 116 | Progress Check #17 |
| DAY 113 | Perception |
| DAY 110 | Progress Check #16 |
| DAY 107 | New goal !! |
| DAY 105 | video update |
| DAY 104 | Progress Check #15 |
| DAY 100 | 100 days! |
| DAY 96 | Progress Check #14 |
| DAY 93 | My big fat thumb |
| DAY 92 | ANOTHER GOAL! |
| DAY 91 | Doctor, Doctor |
DAY#168 - Running Man
This weekend our treadmill started acting funny. I didn't want to hear or think about it cause it just made me mad. I don't like when things break and it is even worse if I am actively using the item that broke. The god news is it is under warranty, the bad news is I now need to go to work to get the company to fix it.
This left me in a bad position. I was in the middle of my new habit of exercising almost daily and also doing the c25k training. I had no choice, i turned to the great outdoors. I had been planning on taking my runs outside in a few weeks as things got a bit cooler. I like the idea of exercising in slightly less humid weather. I would take a brisk breeze over the hot sun any day. But necessity is what it is, So i announced to the kids on Sunday night that our c25k training would begin Monday morning at 7am.
I was awake by 6:30 the next day and had the kiddos up by 6:45am. I used Google maps to plot a few course options ranging from 2.2-3.2 miles. My road is too scary to allow my kids to run on for now. No offense to those who drive by my house, but you are crazy speed demons. So i found a road a half mile away that only has a few farm lanes attached to it and little traffic. So we hopped in the FAM7 mobile and drove over to no mans land for our run.
I loved it. It was great. I was happy to be outside and moving again. The air was still crisp as the sun rose and it made for a good training climate. We ran the length of the road 2x which equaled 2.2miles and did it in 30 minutes. Since we are still alternating running and walking I think we have a good pace and after another month of training I think we will be up to jogging our first 5k.
I was so pleased when I got home I made some purchases with my Amazon gift card. Being a techie, gadget guru I decided to pimp my workout with a few items. I have loved the idea of the Nike sensor you can put in a pair of Nike running shoes. It reads all your exercise stats back to your iphone or regular ipod as you do your thing. How cool exercise and tech. But I was bummed cause I didn't have a pair of nikes to put the sensor in. Well I found an ingenious little device that velros around your shoes laces and holds the nike sensor to any pair of shoes. It is called the
Sportsuit Sensor Case for Nike + iPod Sport Kit and for $8.29 it is just what I wanted. Now I can have fun playing with my nike sensor without having to own a specific type of running shoe. w00t!
While I was on my spending spree I also got myself an armband to hold my phone while I run. Those three items were my splurges on my small shopping spree. I am hoping they will be an investment that will continue my workout excitement for weeks to come. However, with so much electronic gadgetry on me as I run I am also considering taking out some extra life insurance incase I get hit by lightening.
[2010-08-31]
This weekend our treadmill started acting funny. I didn't want to hear or think about it cause it just made me mad. I don't like when things break and it is even worse if I am actively using the item that broke. The god news is it is under warranty, the bad news is I now need to go to work to get the company to fix it.
This left me in a bad position. I was in the middle of my new habit of exercising almost daily and also doing the c25k training. I had no choice, i turned to the great outdoors. I had been planning on taking my runs outside in a few weeks as things got a bit cooler. I like the idea of exercising in slightly less humid weather. I would take a brisk breeze over the hot sun any day. But necessity is what it is, So i announced to the kids on Sunday night that our c25k training would begin Monday morning at 7am.
I was awake by 6:30 the next day and had the kiddos up by 6:45am. I used Google maps to plot a few course options ranging from 2.2-3.2 miles. My road is too scary to allow my kids to run on for now. No offense to those who drive by my house, but you are crazy speed demons. So i found a road a half mile away that only has a few farm lanes attached to it and little traffic. So we hopped in the FAM7 mobile and drove over to no mans land for our run.
I loved it. It was great. I was happy to be outside and moving again. The air was still crisp as the sun rose and it made for a good training climate. We ran the length of the road 2x which equaled 2.2miles and did it in 30 minutes. Since we are still alternating running and walking I think we have a good pace and after another month of training I think we will be up to jogging our first 5k.
I was so pleased when I got home I made some purchases with my Amazon gift card. Being a techie, gadget guru I decided to pimp my workout with a few items. I have loved the idea of the Nike sensor you can put in a pair of Nike running shoes. It reads all your exercise stats back to your iphone or regular ipod as you do your thing. How cool exercise and tech. But I was bummed cause I didn't have a pair of nikes to put the sensor in. Well I found an ingenious little device that velros around your shoes laces and holds the nike sensor to any pair of shoes. It is called the
Sportsuit Sensor Case for Nike + iPod Sport Kit and for $8.29 it is just what I wanted. Now I can have fun playing with my nike sensor without having to own a specific type of running shoe. w00t!
While I was on my spending spree I also got myself an armband to hold my phone while I run. Those three items were my splurges on my small shopping spree. I am hoping they will be an investment that will continue my workout excitement for weeks to come. However, with so much electronic gadgetry on me as I run I am also considering taking out some extra life insurance incase I get hit by lightening.
[2010-08-31]
DAY#165 - Progress Check #24
It has now, officially, been a month since I ended Phase 2 of HCG. My weight at the time was 233.2 and I am happy to report a month later that I weight 230.2. So far, I have kept it off and maintained nicely. I must say that a month ago I was worried that I may not have stabilized and that my weight would be on the rise, but it is safe to say my fears were just fears.
To be honest, I do not think I have ever weighed the same or less a month after stopping a diet. I think I have always put on at least 5lbs. So this is a lifetime first. I also believe that 30 more days from now I will be declaring a second month of success. I still give credit to Standard Process Hypothalamus and Pancreatrophin PMG. I have taken them each faithfully for the last month and my supply is now complete. I am done with them for now unless my weight starts going crazy, then maybe I will buy more.
I am not a huge pill popper but I am still taking MSM tablets. I also believe that they have aided me in firming up my skin. Compared to when I did Atkins and lost weight seven+ years ago, my skin is less flabby today. w00t!
On the bad side, I am not sure Bananas will be my friend. I have noticed that my body has not reacted well to them as of yet :( I love bananas but they do not like me, so for the time being I have removed them from my diet and I will test them again in the future. I went out to eat twice this past week and both times I did a little googling ahead of time and figured out what to eat on the menu that wasn't crazy. Believe me there are many things on a restaurant menu that are crazy. McDonalds has long been villainized for it's Big Mac and fries being a ton of calories but let me tell you I have seen items on nutritional menus that make the consumption of a large value meal look like an after-schoolsnack compared to the calories consumed in them.
OK, I must go my wife already has one foot out the door to run some errands. I wish you a productive Saturday and a good week.
[2010-08-28]
It has now, officially, been a month since I ended Phase 2 of HCG. My weight at the time was 233.2 and I am happy to report a month later that I weight 230.2. So far, I have kept it off and maintained nicely. I must say that a month ago I was worried that I may not have stabilized and that my weight would be on the rise, but it is safe to say my fears were just fears.
To be honest, I do not think I have ever weighed the same or less a month after stopping a diet. I think I have always put on at least 5lbs. So this is a lifetime first. I also believe that 30 more days from now I will be declaring a second month of success. I still give credit to Standard Process Hypothalamus and Pancreatrophin PMG. I have taken them each faithfully for the last month and my supply is now complete. I am done with them for now unless my weight starts going crazy, then maybe I will buy more.
I am not a huge pill popper but I am still taking MSM tablets. I also believe that they have aided me in firming up my skin. Compared to when I did Atkins and lost weight seven+ years ago, my skin is less flabby today. w00t!
On the bad side, I am not sure Bananas will be my friend. I have noticed that my body has not reacted well to them as of yet :( I love bananas but they do not like me, so for the time being I have removed them from my diet and I will test them again in the future. I went out to eat twice this past week and both times I did a little googling ahead of time and figured out what to eat on the menu that wasn't crazy. Believe me there are many things on a restaurant menu that are crazy. McDonalds has long been villainized for it's Big Mac and fries being a ton of calories but let me tell you I have seen items on nutritional menus that make the consumption of a large value meal look like an after-schoolsnack compared to the calories consumed in them.
OK, I must go my wife already has one foot out the door to run some errands. I wish you a productive Saturday and a good week.
[2010-08-28]
DAY#162 - icky day
i am sad today. I just am. I have lots of things to be happy about, but nonetheless, I am sad. I am sure the dreary cloud covered day that is taking place outside isn't helping my mood. But that isn't really why I am in a funk.
It all started yesterday, my gout came back. It wasn't as bad as my most recent episodes but it was still icky. That lead to no c25k training yesterday. So I took my gout meds but it is hanging on still today. It is getting better, so I am sure tomorrow I will be good to go again.
Along with my gout came some weight gain. Most likely due to water being held in my swollen ankle and knee joints and I am hoping it passes too or I might just cry. However, I know that I have many things to be thankful for. My current sad situation is temporary and the things I can be happy about are permanent. So in my sadness I am blessed. Now, gout GO AWAY!
So for fun: In the past I have eaten when I am sad, so today I am gonna shop instead . . . my favorite website Amazon is having a back to school sale. Also extra $10 off of 50 and $25 off of $100 good deals. Enter promo code BK2SKL01 for qualifying orders of $50 or more, or BK2SKL25 for qualifying orders of $100. hope this helps.
Amazon Back to School Sale
[2010-08-25]
i am sad today. I just am. I have lots of things to be happy about, but nonetheless, I am sad. I am sure the dreary cloud covered day that is taking place outside isn't helping my mood. But that isn't really why I am in a funk.
It all started yesterday, my gout came back. It wasn't as bad as my most recent episodes but it was still icky. That lead to no c25k training yesterday. So I took my gout meds but it is hanging on still today. It is getting better, so I am sure tomorrow I will be good to go again.
Along with my gout came some weight gain. Most likely due to water being held in my swollen ankle and knee joints and I am hoping it passes too or I might just cry. However, I know that I have many things to be thankful for. My current sad situation is temporary and the things I can be happy about are permanent. So in my sadness I am blessed. Now, gout GO AWAY!
So for fun: In the past I have eaten when I am sad, so today I am gonna shop instead . . . my favorite website Amazon is having a back to school sale. Also extra $10 off of 50 and $25 off of $100 good deals. Enter promo code BK2SKL01 for qualifying orders of $50 or more, or BK2SKL25 for qualifying orders of $100. hope this helps.
Amazon Back to School Sale
[2010-08-25]
DAY#161 - Caloric accounting 101
I will be honest with you, I am not good a budgeting money. It is not my strong suit. I took an accounting class in college and after the first week I transferred to a different math course. The logic of accounting is too much for me. I consider myself a math genius and pulled a 790/800 in math on my sat back in the day but accounting argggh, ick, yuck, barf. However, in the past few weeks I am starting to get a new appreciation for accounting and budgeting as I count calories.
This past week I decided to eat a rib eye steak one day for lunch. I had bought a set of 3 bigs ones at Costco incase I needed a correction day on Phase 3 of my diet, but I never used them. So I decided it was time to have a nice juicy steak. Well, my steak weighed in at 23oz. and after trimming every piece of fat off of it I got it down to 19.5oz. Which when put into my calorie chart rang in at 1400+ calories, over 50% of my daily intake for the day. Ouch!
I eventually cut off 3.5oz for my youngest, Lois to eat. That took my calorie count down to 1157 calories. This caused a major balancing issue in my menu plan for the day. I had to cut back on my snacks, eliminate my second protein shake for the day, due to too much protein from the steak. Anyway to make a long story short, by the end of the day my major 'take away' from my experience was. A 16oz steak just isn't worth it.
The next time I consume steak it will be a serving about half the size and allow me another 500 calories to eat other food in my diet.
Budgeting my calories has been eye opening. I am glad I made a commitment to count calories daily for the next year. I am learning a lot about food and proper portions and what I can and can not eat. I am glad to be doing it. My hope is if i keep on doing it it will become second nature to me and I will be able to quickly estimate portions and sizes of food I can eat without thinking. I shalt be a food accountant extraordinaire. Just don't ever ask me to balance a check book.
[2010-08-24]
I will be honest with you, I am not good a budgeting money. It is not my strong suit. I took an accounting class in college and after the first week I transferred to a different math course. The logic of accounting is too much for me. I consider myself a math genius and pulled a 790/800 in math on my sat back in the day but accounting argggh, ick, yuck, barf. However, in the past few weeks I am starting to get a new appreciation for accounting and budgeting as I count calories.
This past week I decided to eat a rib eye steak one day for lunch. I had bought a set of 3 bigs ones at Costco incase I needed a correction day on Phase 3 of my diet, but I never used them. So I decided it was time to have a nice juicy steak. Well, my steak weighed in at 23oz. and after trimming every piece of fat off of it I got it down to 19.5oz. Which when put into my calorie chart rang in at 1400+ calories, over 50% of my daily intake for the day. Ouch!
I eventually cut off 3.5oz for my youngest, Lois to eat. That took my calorie count down to 1157 calories. This caused a major balancing issue in my menu plan for the day. I had to cut back on my snacks, eliminate my second protein shake for the day, due to too much protein from the steak. Anyway to make a long story short, by the end of the day my major 'take away' from my experience was. A 16oz steak just isn't worth it.
The next time I consume steak it will be a serving about half the size and allow me another 500 calories to eat other food in my diet.
Budgeting my calories has been eye opening. I am glad I made a commitment to count calories daily for the next year. I am learning a lot about food and proper portions and what I can and can not eat. I am glad to be doing it. My hope is if i keep on doing it it will become second nature to me and I will be able to quickly estimate portions and sizes of food I can eat without thinking. I shalt be a food accountant extraordinaire. Just don't ever ask me to balance a check book.
[2010-08-24]
DAY#158 - Progress check #23
So today is progress check day, and I am now at 2 Saturday postings in a row. w00t! This week has been a crazy positive week. I am a happy man. I currently weigh 229lbs. I am down 3.4lbs from my LDW but I am in Phase 4 so no keeping in my 2lb. zone. I am now purposely on my way to my next goal of 220lbs. I am hoping for a slow gradual weight loss of 1-2lbs a week for the next two months to hit my goal of 220 before November and I would be super happy to be there even sooner.
I started taking a bigger vitamin regimen this week and I noticed an increase in my energy level and in my overall attitude. I can't help but to think I was missing something in my diet along the way and that whatever is in my vitamins is helping me out. So I am sold on taking supplements for the time being.
I also completed my first full week of my c25k training. This is good news since my first attempt at c25k two weeks ago ended in a gout flair up. I am very happy to report that I have not had any gout issues this week so my new med combo is working. I also ended my last 30 minute session of the week going over 2 miles. That is a major plus for me on my way to 5k.
Tomorrow is my wifey's birthday and our whole family is going away to celebrate and out to eat for supper. I did research ahead of time and found several dishes from the restaurant of of choosing online with a nutritional information listed. A few of them scarily had 1000-1500 calories per dish. I am steering away from them and found a goof tasty dish that weighs in at 640 and most of its calories from protein & fat. Here is hoping that planning in advance pays off.
I am looking forward to my fun, restful Sunday. I wish you the same.
[2010-08-21]
So today is progress check day, and I am now at 2 Saturday postings in a row. w00t! This week has been a crazy positive week. I am a happy man. I currently weigh 229lbs. I am down 3.4lbs from my LDW but I am in Phase 4 so no keeping in my 2lb. zone. I am now purposely on my way to my next goal of 220lbs. I am hoping for a slow gradual weight loss of 1-2lbs a week for the next two months to hit my goal of 220 before November and I would be super happy to be there even sooner.
I started taking a bigger vitamin regimen this week and I noticed an increase in my energy level and in my overall attitude. I can't help but to think I was missing something in my diet along the way and that whatever is in my vitamins is helping me out. So I am sold on taking supplements for the time being.
I also completed my first full week of my c25k training. This is good news since my first attempt at c25k two weeks ago ended in a gout flair up. I am very happy to report that I have not had any gout issues this week so my new med combo is working. I also ended my last 30 minute session of the week going over 2 miles. That is a major plus for me on my way to 5k.
Tomorrow is my wifey's birthday and our whole family is going away to celebrate and out to eat for supper. I did research ahead of time and found several dishes from the restaurant of of choosing online with a nutritional information listed. A few of them scarily had 1000-1500 calories per dish. I am steering away from them and found a goof tasty dish that weighs in at 640 and most of its calories from protein & fat. Here is hoping that planning in advance pays off.
I am looking forward to my fun, restful Sunday. I wish you the same.
[2010-08-21]
DAY#157 - Goodbye Phase 3, Hello Phase 4
Well I have officially graduated from Phase 3 and am now entering Phase 4. What does that mean? it means slowly adding back in more carbs & starches that were omitted in Phase 3 and seeing what my body does with them. My hope is i i maintain my caloric intake and slowly re-introduce carbs I can maintain what I have worked so hard to achieve. Once again time will tell.
Now that Phase 3 is over I will give one last shout out and recommendation for Standard Process Hypothalamus and Pancreatrophin PMG. If you are in Phase 2 I would recommend picking some up for a successful phase 3. I went through Phase 3 with 0 correction/steak days and felt great. I followed the directions on the bottles and did well. My next round of HCG, i will be including them on phase 3. And I am actually planning on taking them for one more month now. I AM SOLD OUT!
So what is my next step now that I am in Phase 4? What food do I miss and want to re-introduce? The answer is Bananas. Yup, I am sticking one in my blender with my protein drink. YUM, bananas, I missed you. And shortly. . . corn. As far as breads & flour go. I have been virtually wheat free for months now and I do plan on continuing that. So i do not see myself rushing off to eat bread anytime soon. I have been happy with my coconut flour muffins and am going to work on some almond flour recipes next.
I also want to say, I am not sure about white sugar anymore and do not have plans on embracing it anytime soon. I actually am really liking stevia and plan on keeping it in my life. I have used it to sweeten my tea, i use 5 liquid droppers of stevia to one gallon of freshly brewed tea. I use it to make, homemade pickles, coconut flour- muffins, mix with strawberries, add to my wilted spinach, a few drops of flavored stevia in water have gotten me through. So my top 4 stevia things in my cupboard.
1. Stevia Glycerite
-- this is my newest find. think the best tasting and no after taste like some i have tried. And i think as far as $ per sweetness goes, maybe the best deal.
2. NuStevia Pure White Stevia Extract
-- this stuff is potent. you get very little but i goes a long long way. like a few graduals will sweeten anything.
3. Flavored stevias: Liquid Stevia by SweetLeaf
-YUM, my favorite of the flavored stevias, i use a few drops in a glass of water for a cream soda flavor to my water. I have also used on my baked apple and on strawberries. I also own chocolate and peppermint and have used them in similar ways. when it came to, I need something with flavor now these have saved me in a pinch. honorable mention goes to: SweetLeaf Liquid Stevia, English Toffee 
- YUM!
4. Stevita Stevia Supreme Packets
--this is stevia mixed with Erythitol(a natural no sugar sweetener derived from fruit) but in sweet-n-low style packets. I keep a box in my car for when I find myself somewhere and need some 'packets' of sweetness for my tea etc. lets face it restaurants don;t cary this stuff so having a back up in my car has saved me from using the yucky stuff. and at a 1.99 it was a good deal.
I have also used a stevia conversion chart to help me figure out how much stevia replaces sugar. I found one at Cooking with stevia and one at stevia.net. both handy resources to use as a rule of thumb when estimating. Always try a bit less, you can always add more.
And finally. . . my top 6 Phase 3 things i did that i think helped me.
1. I ate a majority of my calories for breakfast and lunch. I kept supper on the lite side.
2. I did not eat after supper, most times this meant not consuming food from 7pm-8am most days. MY goal is to have this become a habit.
3. I did not gorge myself on my new foods. I tried to take it easy. I also chilled out on fruit for the first few days of phase 3 and then added it back in more in week 2 and even more in week 3.
4. I kept a strict calorie count online and I planned most of the food i was gonna eat the day before so there were no food surprises.
5. I started exercising again. It took me a few days to build back up my stamina from the low calorie diet. but as soon as i felt good I was back at it.
6. I started with my fat intake high and m carbs low and i gradually added more carbs and toned down the fat. See my posts from the last few weeks for more info on that.
So there you have it. Hello phase 4 and goodbye phase 3 and in summary you now know the 2 supplements i took, my 4 favorite stevia products that saw me through and my 6 things i did that i think made a difference. Now it is time for me to go 8 a banana. :)
[2010-08-20]
Well I have officially graduated from Phase 3 and am now entering Phase 4. What does that mean? it means slowly adding back in more carbs & starches that were omitted in Phase 3 and seeing what my body does with them. My hope is i i maintain my caloric intake and slowly re-introduce carbs I can maintain what I have worked so hard to achieve. Once again time will tell.
Now that Phase 3 is over I will give one last shout out and recommendation for Standard Process Hypothalamus and Pancreatrophin PMG. If you are in Phase 2 I would recommend picking some up for a successful phase 3. I went through Phase 3 with 0 correction/steak days and felt great. I followed the directions on the bottles and did well. My next round of HCG, i will be including them on phase 3. And I am actually planning on taking them for one more month now. I AM SOLD OUT!
So what is my next step now that I am in Phase 4? What food do I miss and want to re-introduce? The answer is Bananas. Yup, I am sticking one in my blender with my protein drink. YUM, bananas, I missed you. And shortly. . . corn. As far as breads & flour go. I have been virtually wheat free for months now and I do plan on continuing that. So i do not see myself rushing off to eat bread anytime soon. I have been happy with my coconut flour muffins and am going to work on some almond flour recipes next.
I also want to say, I am not sure about white sugar anymore and do not have plans on embracing it anytime soon. I actually am really liking stevia and plan on keeping it in my life. I have used it to sweeten my tea, i use 5 liquid droppers of stevia to one gallon of freshly brewed tea. I use it to make, homemade pickles, coconut flour- muffins, mix with strawberries, add to my wilted spinach, a few drops of flavored stevia in water have gotten me through. So my top 4 stevia things in my cupboard.
1. Stevia Glycerite
-- this is my newest find. think the best tasting and no after taste like some i have tried. And i think as far as $ per sweetness goes, maybe the best deal.2. NuStevia Pure White Stevia Extract
-- this stuff is potent. you get very little but i goes a long long way. like a few graduals will sweeten anything.3. Flavored stevias: Liquid Stevia by SweetLeaf
-YUM, my favorite of the flavored stevias, i use a few drops in a glass of water for a cream soda flavor to my water. I have also used on my baked apple and on strawberries. I also own chocolate and peppermint and have used them in similar ways. when it came to, I need something with flavor now these have saved me in a pinch. honorable mention goes to: SweetLeaf Liquid Stevia, English Toffee - YUM!4. Stevita Stevia Supreme Packets
--this is stevia mixed with Erythitol(a natural no sugar sweetener derived from fruit) but in sweet-n-low style packets. I keep a box in my car for when I find myself somewhere and need some 'packets' of sweetness for my tea etc. lets face it restaurants don;t cary this stuff so having a back up in my car has saved me from using the yucky stuff. and at a 1.99 it was a good deal.I have also used a stevia conversion chart to help me figure out how much stevia replaces sugar. I found one at Cooking with stevia and one at stevia.net. both handy resources to use as a rule of thumb when estimating. Always try a bit less, you can always add more.
And finally. . . my top 6 Phase 3 things i did that i think helped me.
1. I ate a majority of my calories for breakfast and lunch. I kept supper on the lite side.
2. I did not eat after supper, most times this meant not consuming food from 7pm-8am most days. MY goal is to have this become a habit.
3. I did not gorge myself on my new foods. I tried to take it easy. I also chilled out on fruit for the first few days of phase 3 and then added it back in more in week 2 and even more in week 3.
4. I kept a strict calorie count online and I planned most of the food i was gonna eat the day before so there were no food surprises.
5. I started exercising again. It took me a few days to build back up my stamina from the low calorie diet. but as soon as i felt good I was back at it.
6. I started with my fat intake high and m carbs low and i gradually added more carbs and toned down the fat. See my posts from the last few weeks for more info on that.
So there you have it. Hello phase 4 and goodbye phase 3 and in summary you now know the 2 supplements i took, my 4 favorite stevia products that saw me through and my 6 things i did that i think made a difference. Now it is time for me to go 8 a banana. :)
[2010-08-20]
DAY#156 - Chocolate delight
So there is a bunch of hub-bub about Chocolate Delight when you get to phase 3 on the HCG diet. YOu take coconut oil and cocoa powder and some stevia and you mix them up, garnish them with some chopped macadamias, stick them in the re-fridge and then get out and enjoy.
Being a lamb I followed a bunch of posts, watched a youtube video and set out to make myself some Chocolate Delight. Going whole hog I made one using a cup of coconut oil , 3/4 cup of cocoa, and some stevia. I crushed some nuts and mixed them in and poured it out on a cookie sheet. I left it in the freezer for 30 min then broke it up.
What i did next spoiled my whole splurge. I calculated the serving size for me so i could record it on MyNetDiary. Well crap, when i was done each 1oz. portion of Chocolate Delight was 232 calories. 1oz. Now mind you, it was sugar free and tasted like a mounds bar so that was good, but an ounce isn't much. A snickers bar which is 2x the size has just 266 calories so to be honest i wasn't impressed. There is so much other good stuff i would like to eat. I could consume about 3lbs of veggies for the same calories, two big apples, or 7oz of chicken breast. So much more healthier and providing my body with better nutrients.
After stewing on this for 24 hours. I had one bite of it this morning and then threw it in the trash. I understand consumption of natural fat is good for you, but i have better things to budget my calories on. Chocolate delight, sorry, no thanks, I will find better food to eat.
[2010-08-19]
So there is a bunch of hub-bub about Chocolate Delight when you get to phase 3 on the HCG diet. YOu take coconut oil and cocoa powder and some stevia and you mix them up, garnish them with some chopped macadamias, stick them in the re-fridge and then get out and enjoy.
Being a lamb I followed a bunch of posts, watched a youtube video and set out to make myself some Chocolate Delight. Going whole hog I made one using a cup of coconut oil , 3/4 cup of cocoa, and some stevia. I crushed some nuts and mixed them in and poured it out on a cookie sheet. I left it in the freezer for 30 min then broke it up.
What i did next spoiled my whole splurge. I calculated the serving size for me so i could record it on MyNetDiary. Well crap, when i was done each 1oz. portion of Chocolate Delight was 232 calories. 1oz. Now mind you, it was sugar free and tasted like a mounds bar so that was good, but an ounce isn't much. A snickers bar which is 2x the size has just 266 calories so to be honest i wasn't impressed. There is so much other good stuff i would like to eat. I could consume about 3lbs of veggies for the same calories, two big apples, or 7oz of chicken breast. So much more healthier and providing my body with better nutrients.
After stewing on this for 24 hours. I had one bite of it this morning and then threw it in the trash. I understand consumption of natural fat is good for you, but i have better things to budget my calories on. Chocolate delight, sorry, no thanks, I will find better food to eat.
[2010-08-19]
DAY#155 - My Next Steps
As I come to the end of Phase, 3 I am already planning my next steps. I am focusing on moving on with my healthy lifestyle. As you may have read in the past week I have started my C25K challenge. Which I am hoping to run my first 5k on October 9th, 3 days before my 41st birthday. I also want to drop 10-15 more pounds slowly over the next 2 months so i can hit my final weight goal of 220.
Losing weight outside of HCG is not recommended in the protocol, but being a rule breaker I am going for it anyway. The last phase of HCG is phase 4 where i slowly add back in starch and sugary food slowly to test how it goes. I do plan on doing that and at the same time to drop my caloric intake a little bit and increase my exercise to continue on with a slow and steady weight loss until i hit below 220lbs. I am hoping to accomplish this by November 1.
Currently I am at 230lbs so I am only 10lbs away from 220. And only 2lbs. away from 228. 228 is significant cause that will the the lowest weight of my adult life. 228 will break my old record of 229.7 from a diet many years ago. And when I hit 220lbs, I will then weigh what I did when i was 15, two and a half decades ago. The other weight I would love to hit is 215lbs. this will be the weight where according to the US government statistics tables I will no longer be classified as 'obese'. I will just be plain 'overweight'. So 3 meaningful weight goals all within 15lbs for me. Will i get there? Only time will tell.
After Nov 1. All dieting is off till the new year. We are planning to go on vacation in November. Which will be followed by Thanksgiving and then the Christmas season will be upon us. My goal will be to not gain weight during this time, but I have no plans to lose more weight. However once the new year starts back up, I have one last weight goal and that is to get rid of the 2. To do this i want to push into the 190's and leave 200lbs behind. My cousin who is about my same height and frame looked very good when he was in the 190s and I plan on going there and staying there. My goal is to be done before Easter and finally take my grandma up on the new suit she has been offering to by me for the last 7 years. Also, when i hit the 190's I will also finally achieve my slogan of becoming half the man i once was. That will be a crazy exciting day.
So I am hoping you keep on my journey with me. Cause it ain't over till the skinny man sings.
[2010-08-18]
As I come to the end of Phase, 3 I am already planning my next steps. I am focusing on moving on with my healthy lifestyle. As you may have read in the past week I have started my C25K challenge. Which I am hoping to run my first 5k on October 9th, 3 days before my 41st birthday. I also want to drop 10-15 more pounds slowly over the next 2 months so i can hit my final weight goal of 220.
Losing weight outside of HCG is not recommended in the protocol, but being a rule breaker I am going for it anyway. The last phase of HCG is phase 4 where i slowly add back in starch and sugary food slowly to test how it goes. I do plan on doing that and at the same time to drop my caloric intake a little bit and increase my exercise to continue on with a slow and steady weight loss until i hit below 220lbs. I am hoping to accomplish this by November 1.
Currently I am at 230lbs so I am only 10lbs away from 220. And only 2lbs. away from 228. 228 is significant cause that will the the lowest weight of my adult life. 228 will break my old record of 229.7 from a diet many years ago. And when I hit 220lbs, I will then weigh what I did when i was 15, two and a half decades ago. The other weight I would love to hit is 215lbs. this will be the weight where according to the US government statistics tables I will no longer be classified as 'obese'. I will just be plain 'overweight'. So 3 meaningful weight goals all within 15lbs for me. Will i get there? Only time will tell.
After Nov 1. All dieting is off till the new year. We are planning to go on vacation in November. Which will be followed by Thanksgiving and then the Christmas season will be upon us. My goal will be to not gain weight during this time, but I have no plans to lose more weight. However once the new year starts back up, I have one last weight goal and that is to get rid of the 2. To do this i want to push into the 190's and leave 200lbs behind. My cousin who is about my same height and frame looked very good when he was in the 190s and I plan on going there and staying there. My goal is to be done before Easter and finally take my grandma up on the new suit she has been offering to by me for the last 7 years. Also, when i hit the 190's I will also finally achieve my slogan of becoming half the man i once was. That will be a crazy exciting day.
So I am hoping you keep on my journey with me. Cause it ain't over till the skinny man sings.
[2010-08-18]
DAY#154 - my 5k goal announced!
OK, so in the style of putting my cart before my horse I am going to announce my plans to run my first 5k on October 9th. My C25K training should be finishing up by that time and I am gonna go for it. So where am I gonna do it? Well after some searching I picked the Tanger Fit for families 5k Run/walk in Lancaster PA on October 9th at 8:30am.
If you want to join me, the more the merrier. I mean, I haven't shied away from being public about my goals so far. So I might as well go full force and invite people to join me. I just started training this week so there is enough time for you to start training and join me. And don't worry I am a slow runner, so you won't be last. And to add an interesting twist to this whole deal. I have had at least one family member tell me they are interested in joining me so picking the 'fit for families' 5k seems to have been a good choice.
So who in my family is joining me? I will tell you later. I am optimistically excited about this opportunity. Lastly if you want to join me but you are not near lancaster, Tanger is hosting 5k's at 15 of their outlets in 11 states that day. so find one near you and join in the fun.
I also updated my goal page.
[2010-08-17]
OK, so in the style of putting my cart before my horse I am going to announce my plans to run my first 5k on October 9th. My C25K training should be finishing up by that time and I am gonna go for it. So where am I gonna do it? Well after some searching I picked the Tanger Fit for families 5k Run/walk in Lancaster PA on October 9th at 8:30am.
If you want to join me, the more the merrier. I mean, I haven't shied away from being public about my goals so far. So I might as well go full force and invite people to join me. I just started training this week so there is enough time for you to start training and join me. And don't worry I am a slow runner, so you won't be last. And to add an interesting twist to this whole deal. I have had at least one family member tell me they are interested in joining me so picking the 'fit for families' 5k seems to have been a good choice.
So who in my family is joining me? I will tell you later. I am optimistically excited about this opportunity. Lastly if you want to join me but you are not near lancaster, Tanger is hosting 5k's at 15 of their outlets in 11 states that day. so find one near you and join in the fun.
I also updated my goal page.
[2010-08-17]