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R5P2 Starting Weight 176.8
Yesterday – 166.2
Today – 166.4
0.2 lb GAIN Overnight
4.4 lb Over LIW of Round Four (162.0)
10.4 Lost Since Start of R5C1 (VLCD) 05/06/08
84.4 Total Lost Since Start of Protocol (VLCD) 06/26/07

TOM is still in the house, and was whipping my butt yesterday. A .2 gain is nothing for me to worry about – Dr Simeons said not to worry about anything up to .2 over. So that is what I am gonna do. Not worry. I didn’t end up doing an egg day yesterday, just felt like I wanted my cottage cheese and blueberries again – so my body asked for it, I gave it.

I am parched this morning, like I didn’t have enough water, so maybe I am a bit dehydrated? We shall see. Tom just needs to LEAVE already, I am SO over him.

Superfoods – Salmon

Today’s topic is on Salmon – the biggest benefit that Salmon gives to us the Omega 3 Fatty Acids – What is that anyway? According to Answers.com:

Any of several polyunsaturated fatty acids found in leafy green vegetables, vegetable oils, and fish such as salmon and mackerel, capable of reducing serum cholesterol levels and having anticoagulant properties.

So Omega 3 Fatty Acids are very important, especially for our “heart” health. It seems to not allow the gathering of cells in arteries that could cause blockage. Omega 3′s are something that our bodies cannot produce on it’s own, so we need to get these things from our food sources. What are some food sources that we can derive this essential fatty acid from:

• Plant sources include plant sources such as Flaxseeds, Flaxseed (linseed oils), Broccoli, and Brussels Sprouts
• Fish sources include Wild Salmon, Snapper, Whiting, King Crab, Mackeral, Herring, Sardines, Alaskan Halibut, Canned Albacore Tuna, Trout, Sea Bass, Oysters, and Clams

Wild Salmon is the number one source out there to provide you with these essential Omega 3 Fatty acids, but as you can see, there is other seafood that will give you the benefits of getting it also, just not the bang for the buck that Salmon provides.

So what is Salmon good for:

• Omega 3 Fatty Acids are an “Essential” fatty acids, which means we need to have this in our bodies because our bodies do not produce it on their own, and we get this from plant and animal sources
• Heart Health (Cholesterol lowering)
• It raises Heart Rate Variability – a measure of cardiac function
• As little as two servings a week can Lower Triglycerides
• Help prevent and control High Blood Pressure
• Protection against stroke
• Helps regulate insulin levels and prevent obesity
• Protection against Fatal Heart Arrhythmia

No wonder salmon is listed as a SUPERFOOD! When off of protocol, I am going to focus in on getting in as much salmon as I can, but at least two servings a week. If you want even more information about Salmon and it’s health benefits, read this article:

Salmon by the Worlds Most Healthiest Foods Organization

Just a thought on Farmed vs Wild salmon, I have made a personal choice to only eat “Wild” fish, not “Farmed” – this is a decision you have to make for yourself. Read this article to get a start on determining what is good for you:

Is there any nutritional difference between wild-caught and farm-raised fish? Is one type better for me than the other?

Interesting if you can’t find Wild Salmon in your grocery’s refrigerated section? Just go into the canned fish aisle, and if you see Alaskan Salmon be rest assured that all canned ALASKAN SALMON is wild caught. And what is even cooler about canned salmon? The canning process makes the bones in the salmon very soft and edible, and would provide you with an EXCELLENT source of calcium. Now, whoda thunk?

Superfood talk is dropped until Monday (the 19th) when I will be discussing “Spinach” – tomorrow my article will pertain to “Emotional Rebellion” in regards to our eating habits.

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R5P2 Starting Weight 176.8
Yesterday – 166.2
Today – 166.2
0.0 lb LOSS Overnight
4.2 lb Over LIW of Round Four (162.0)
10.6 Lost Since Start of R5C1 (VLCD) 05/06/08
84.6 Total Lost Since Start of Protocol (VLCD) 06/26/07

Totally didn’t except to have any big loss today, I have had a pretty good run. And I worked outside most of the day yesterday, it was SO glorious that I spent time in my garden, mowing the grass and pressure washing the house and deck. Absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!! I also didn’t eat enough yesterday. I muched on veggies, and then just had a big salad with a bit of feta and balsamic – no protein to speak of (MY BAD) – today? Because I enjoyed my egg day so much on Monday I am gonna do another.

I got lots of questions on my “Modified P2 Egg Day” – here is a blow by blow account of what I did Monday just for the record. Someone also asked me why I chose Egg Beaters instead of using real eggs. Remember that one of my requirements this round is to stay at the 500 calorie limit. With that limit, I could only have 6 eggs the entire day. I didn’t feel like that was gonna be enough for me, so I opted for something that would give me more food. The Egg Beaters have 40 calories per 1/4 cup serving, and so I figured I would be allowed up to 12.5 servings in order to be at my 500 calorie limit.

• I ate 1/2 cup in the morning with some Butter Flavored Pam
• I ate 1/4 cup mid morning with 1 oz spinach and .5 oz feta – Butter Flavored Pam
• I ate 1/2 cup right after noon with 1 oz spinach and .5 oz feta – Butter Flavored Pam
• I ate 1/2 cup at dinner with 1 oz spinach and .5 oz feta – Butter Flavored Pam

So in total I ate 1.75 cups of the Egg Beaters, 3 oz of Spinach, and 1.5 oz of feta for the day, and my total calories were 411. But the option was open for me to eat more of the Egg Beaters if I wanted, I just was not hungry.

And speaking of hunger, yesterday the blessed HCG started working VERY well. I was NOT hungry all day – and it showed up in me only having about 350 calories – I have to be near 500 calories in order for me to do well on this protocol, and yesterday I was so caught up in being outside, that food was not interesting. It has officially KICKED in – I love this feeling!!!

My stats are the same as yesterday:

• Round 1 (8 completed days) – 3.35% of body weight lost
• Round 2 (8 completed days) – 3.54% of body weight lost
• Round 3 (8 completed days) – 4.24% of body weight lost
• Round 4 (8 completed days) – 5.53% of body weight lost
• Round 5 (8 completed days) – 4.98% of body weight lost

Superfoods – Blueberries

So let’s talk about the benefits of blueberries. We all know about antioxidants right? According to the Medical Dictionary this is the definition:

Antioxidant: Any substance that reduces oxidative damage (damage due to oxygen) such as that caused by free radicals. Free radicals are highly reactive chemicals that attack molecules by capturing electrons and thus modifying chemical structures.

Well-known antioxidants include a number of enzymes and other substances such as vitamin C, vitamin E and beta carotene (which is converted to vitamin A) that are capable of counteracting the damaging effects of oxidation. Antioxidants are also commonly added to food products like vegetable oils and prepared foods to prevent or delay their deterioration from the action of air.

Antioxidants may possibly reduce the risks of cancer and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Antioxidants clearly slow the progression of AMD.

So, let’s put that in simpler terms. Antioxidants can help our bodies with the damaging effects of cell aging. As noted in the definition above, companies can add Antioxidants to different products to help that product stay fresh longer. Well, fresh fruits and veggies contain these antioxidants without any help from us. By taking in these products in their raw form, we are giving a boost to our own cells, and giving them protection against the effects of so many different things.

According to a study done in Boston Ma at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, they felt that Blueberries are among the fruits with the highest levels of antioxidant activity, in fact they rated it number 1 when compared to 40 other fresh fruits and veggie. Getting just one serving of blueberries will provide more antioxidant activity than all other fruits and veggies. No wonder they call it a SUPERFOOD.

What are blueberries good for? According to numerous articles I have found, they seem to help with the following conditions:

• Help prevent cancer
• Brain protection and the prevention of Alzheimer’s
• Enhancing the function of the urinary system
• Studies being done now for setting BACK the aging process
• Helps lower the buildup of “LDL” (bad) Cholesterol – so this is good for your heart.

That all being said, I find that blueberries are an important addition to my overall health, and I will forever try to have at least ONE serving of blueberries every day. A serving is 1 cup. They can be eaten raw, frozen, or added to numerous things such as Oatmeal, Cereals or muffins (all when we are on maintenance). My choice? It’s delish with cottage cheese and sweetener. I have chosen to eat blueberries on my Phase 2 – I have no issues with them at all, and they are similar in make up calorie wise to the strawberries.

Tomorrow? We will talk about Salmon.

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R5P2 Starting Weight 176.8
Yesterday – 168.4
Today – 166.2
2.2 lb LOSS Overnight
4.2 lb Over LIW of Round Four (162.0)
10.6 Lost Since Start of R5C1 (VLCD) 05/06/08
84.6 Total Lost Since Start of Protocol (VLCD) 06/26/07

Well lookie there, the P2 Egg Day Worked! What a GREAT loss to put me on the straight and narrow again! OH YES YES YES! That makes 10.6 pounds gone for the first week, I am loving life! This is even with TOM in the house! WOOT!!! Let’s look at those darn percentages NOW!

• Round 1 (4 completed days) – 3.75% of body weight lost
• Round 2 (4 completed days) – 3.54% of body weight lost
• Round 3 (4 completed days) – 5.28% of body weight lost
• Round 4 (4 completed days) – 6.40% of body weight lost
• Round 5 (4 completed days) – 6.00% of body weight lost

Yes Ma’am, I am catching up to my Round 4!!! The numbers do NOT lie! WOO HOO FOR ME!

So, what did I do? I went and got some “Egg Beaters with Yolk” and according to the calories on the label, I was allowed to have up to 12.5 servings (1/4 cup) that would total up to around 500 calories. Instead, I only had 7 servings, but with the exception of just the first serving (which was 1/2 cup – so that is really two servings) I had the rest with fresh spinach and just a SMALL amount of feta thrown in. I still only manged to get in 411 calories that way, but boy I enjoyed the day, not to mention the results! WOO HOO FOR ME! Did I say that already?

I am only 4.2 lbs away from my LIW, and only 6.2 pounds away from my goal for this cycle (160 lbs) – one week down, think I can do the rest by two weeks from now? That is only 3.1 pounds average a week. I think I might be able to handle this challenge. Let’s look at the numbers shall we! LOL – OMG! I crack myself up!

• During my 2nd week of Round 1 – 6.4 lbs lost
• During my 2nd week of Round 2 – 6.2 lbs lost
• During my 2nd week of Round 3 – 3.8 lbs lost
• During my 2nd week of Round 4 – 5.2 lbs lost

If I just AVERAGE what I did for my previous four rounds, which is 5.2, I will be so thrilled it’s not even funny! THANK YOU DR SIMEONS!!! Onward with today’s topic:

Superfoods

The term “Superfoods” has been used significantly as of late, especially with the rise of the latest movement of “Green” talk … seriously, if we are going to spend so much time getting the earth “green” we might as well make our bodies “green” also. Green is just another word for natural, and how we can keep our earth as healthy as possible. We need to do the same things to our bodies, don’t you think?

I have spent time on the whole subject of raw, so you know that my focus is primarily on a diet full of healthy raw veggies and fruit, healthy fats, lean proteins, proper hydration and enough sleep. I didn’t realize until doing much research that there are a group of foods, called “superfoods” that seem to benefit us more than others. So what is a superfood anyway?

It’s pretty much a buzzword these days, like I mentioned before, but this is one buzzword we should take notice of. Basically, through the research I have done, superfoods are called that because they pack a nutritional punch for the amount of calories they provide. These foods will usually do one or all of the following:

• Help alkaline the body (gosh, I am finding out how incredibly important this REALLY is)
• They help support the immune system
• Improve your health
• Provides you with optimal amounts of critical nutrients
• They can act as a barrier against excess amounts of environmental toxins

So now we know what a “superfood” is, let’s talk about a few of my favorites. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s article on “Blueberries”!!!