R5P2 Starting Weight 176.8
Yesterday – 168.0
Today – 168.4
0.4 lb GAIN Overnight
6.4 lb Over LIW of Round Four (162.0)
8.4 Lost Since Start of R5C1 (VLCD) 05/06/08
82.4 Total Lost Since Start of Protocol (VLCD) 06/26/07

Oops, it’s in the wrong direction – but as my title shows, Aunt Flo came a calling during the night and I woke up with a small gain. So that must be it, it couldn’t have been what I ate yesterday could it?

Ok, EweWho is gonna crack up at me, cause I told her last night, shhhhh, don’t tell anyone, but I deviated at a get together yesterday. And she says, Biz, I wont have to tell on you, you will tell on yourself. How much she knows me!

We had a function to go to after our services yesterday, it was something we were invited to last minute and my family wanted to go, so we went. When I got there, there was a SPREAD that you wouldn’t believe, and all things SOUTHERN. OMG – what was I gonna do? We were invited on Saturday to this function, so I had enough to plan, so I said to myself, I will take a nice large veggie tray, make a dip that was relatively P2 legal and I would have fun with that.

Yesterday morning, I should have just stayed in bed. In retrospect, it was Aunt Flo taking over the day, but yesterday morning I didn’t know that. I went to the store to buy the various veggies, and the power went out in the store while I was there, sign number ONE I should have stayed in bed. Sign number TWO was when I got home and tried to make TWO different veggie dips to take to this thing, and both of them turned out like super ICK. And I consider myself a pretty darn good cook, yet things were NOT coming together. So after our services, we stopped at a store to go ahead and buy a premade dip and take that.

As you can imagine, I was already with “ATTITUDE” when we got there, so when I saw all that NUMMY food, I was like, OMG – I am SO in trouble. Funny how when Aunt Flo is in the house, all will power is thrown on the window. Again, if I would have KNOWN that Aunt Flo was the culprit, I could have been better prepared MENTALLY. As it stands, I started wrestling with my thoughts. Hmm, look at this great week I just had, I can afford to eat some of this and some of that with no issues. Let me tell you the menu:

• Collards
• Cornbread (one of my weaknesses)
• Beans and Rice (another one of my weaknesses)
• Lasagna
• Waldorf Salad (no nuts, and with sweetener instead of sugar)
• Regular Salad
• Broccoli Chicken Salad (with bacon bits, craisons, sunflower kernels and a dressing)
• Fried Chicken
• Rotisserie Chicken
• Boiled Cabbage
• HOME MADE DESSERTS!

So what did I deviate with? When JPS heard what I ate, she was like, that wasn’t a deviation! LOL – but to me it was. I had like THREE servings of the Waldorf Salad (it had mayo, raisins, cabbage, apples, and sweetener), a few bites of the rotisserie chicken, some boiled cabbage (didn’t eat the ham in it, but could taste the salt) and a BITE of Beans and Rice – literally, just a BITE. But I left EVERYTHING else ALONE. So all in all, I did really well. The Waldorf Salad was SO good I didn’t feel deprived in anyway.

All in all, I probably didn’t have MORE than 500 calories yesterday anyway, because after this function I didn’t eat anything else, just drank my water.

So what does that mean for me today? I am gonna do a modified “egg day” – I bought some Egg Beaters (I know, I know, gross out) and I will have 500 calories worth of this today. I am bound and determined to reach my goal of 16.8 pounds this cycle, so I will do whatever it takes. Now that I know Aunt Flo is in town, I can work my mind correctly.

Just because I gained, does not mean I wont post my percentages. They still make me feel better. So, what are those percentages?

• Round 1 (4 completed days) – 3.35% of body weight lost
• Round 2 (4 completed days) – 3.54% of body weight lost
• Round 3 (4 completed days) – 4.97% of body weight lost
• Round 4 (4 completed days) – 5.64% of body weight lost
• Round 5 (4 completed days) – 4.75% of body weight lost

Ok, so, I am not doing so good this round as my 3rd and 4th round, but I can STILL turn it around!!! At least it’s better than my 1st and 2nd round! ROFL – oh how we justify things when Aunt Flo is in the midst. I will probably feel differently tomorrow. We shall see.

So anyway, that is my day for today. I am on day 7, 6 days complete, 8.4 lbs lost. Still, that ain’t so bad. Have a good one people!

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Saturday, March 29 Checkin

LIW +8.6
Overnight Loss 0.0

Here is my menu for the day before – this is what I ate:

Breakfast: Coffee with Half and Half, orange
Lunch: large green salad (spring mix, romaine, spinach) with feta and evoo/balsamic and an apple
Mid Afternoon Snack: Cottage cheese and banana (OMG–NUMMY)
Dinner: mostly protein, a piece of chicken and a couple of pieces of cubed steak
Dessert: Wine and Coconut Bark

A total of 2172 cals divided: 121 fat grams (49%), 93 carb grams (16%), 108 protein grams (20%), 14 alcohol grams (5%)

Discovered coconut bark on Friday. Thank goodness I only made four servings because I ended up eating the whole thing. You can tell TOM is lurking because chocolate craving is unusual. No gain, no loss.

Sunday, March 30 Checkin

LIW +8.6
Overnight Loss 0.0

Here is my menu for the day before – this is what I ate:

Breakfast: Leftover 1/2 of a grilled chicken breast, 2 hamburger patties with a slice of swiss cheese and mayo
Lunch: 2 eggs scrambled in EVO, bacon bits and cheese
Mid Afternoon Snack: Houston Dip
Dinner: Salad with blue cheese dressing, hot chicken wings and beer (2)

A total of 2590 cals divided: 178 fat grams (61%), 52 carb grams (8%), 151 protein grams (24%), 26 alcohol grams (7%)

Saturday was a VERY BAD DAY for me. I had one of those days that I couldn’t stop eating. Thank goodness I stuck with proteins and I didn’t attack the sugars or it would have been DISASTROUS. No gain, no loss.

Today’s Checkin

LIW +8.0
Overnight Loss 0.6

Here is my menu for the day before – this is what I ate:

Breakfast: Coffee with Half and Half, orange, 2 eggs scrambled in coconut oil with bacon bits and cheese
Mid Morning Snack: 1 slice whole wheat bread w/banana and pb and coconut oil
Mid Afternoon Snack: Tortilla chips and salsa
Dinner: My hubbies famous chili and a slice of cornbred
Dessert: Coconut Bark

A total of 1958 cals divided: 110 fat grams (50%), 165 carb grams (31%), 78 protein grams (16%)

Back on track today. TOM is STILL lurking, and I just wish he would hurry up and show his face because I am totally over him, and he isn’t even here yet. Yesterday was much more calm day for me, but I can’t tell that my emotions are still all over the place.

I am sorry I was MIA over the weekend. I think I had something similar to post traumatic stress syndrome or something. I pretty much needed a couple days to myself. After spending all that time in Cali and then coming home and going and going since I got here, I think I crashed. I literally stayed on my couch all day on Saturday, totally vegging until I had to pick up JPS from the airport at 5:30pm – then we went to Wild Wing and I actually started to feel a bit better. Maybe it was the beer

Whatever it was, I feel it slowly leaving my body. The only thing is, that since TOM is lurking, my thoughts are all garbled and I can’t seem to concentrate on any one thing. For example … I usually pick a title for my post before I write anything. That way it helps me keep focused and I have a general theme I write from. I am this far into this post and I have no title. Nothing that I can focus on.

I know I told you I would let you know my theories on weight loss after indulging on this protocol, but I haven’t been able to get my thoughts in any logical order to be able to publish anything, so again, I must ask you to wait. That being said, I guess this shall remain an update post, and I will strive on getting myself back on track. I need to, cause it’s seriously disrupting my routine.

By the way. I cannot be disappointed in losing 8 pounds since that Saturday when I stepped on that scale and I was 16 lbs over LIW – 8 lbs lost in 9 completed days. Not bad. Those are protocol averages, for a man at least!

On to my commenter’s – these are my responses to Friday’s comments:

Shelly – sorry sweetie, theories will have to wait. Gotta get my head into the game here. It’s taking all I have right now just to put those theories into practice.

Becca – I think we got everything working out with the forum for you? Why don’t you post an introduction or something? You will love it there.

Jan – oh yes, the egg day, I am doing another one tomorrow – they are truly a blessing.

B - master? HA! I don’t think so, just plowing thru the journey like all of you, finding what works and what doesn’t along the way. Looking forward to your updates.

Misto – thanks! It’s good to have you back as well. I hope things settle for you. I think it’s time for spring to get here, everyone is ready for it ya know?

Crystal – wow, look who showed up! MY GOODNESS! Out of the woodwork. Thanks for the link – I had actually already found that one, and am gonna study it over the next few days. I like their mission statement.

CB – HA! Close to doing fruits. It’s all part of the raw, fresh thing ya know?

Liz – well kudos to you to do what you can to make sure the word gets out there. It’s a struggle, but one worth the effort.

Until later folks!

R4P2 Starting Weight 184.4
Yesterday – 163.4
Today – 162.4
1.0 lb LOSS Overnight
13.0 lb UNDER LIW of Round Three (175.4)
22.0 Lost Since Start of R4 (VLCD) 01/22/08

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Here is my menu for yesterday. This is what I had:

I will explain below.

A total of around 466 calories divided this way: 17 Fat, 0 Carbs, 73 Protein

GO HERE AND SIGN UP FOR UPCOMING HCG NEWSLETTER!!! People, bear with us, we are not looking at Tuesday.

Let’s not forget the HCG BOOK CLUB – join in on the fun! If you haven’t signed up for it yet, please do so now. eMail Address Form

Our FAQ Question this go round is the following, please spend some time if you can answering this survey:

Since we are on Phase 3 – let’s discuss those people out there that actually have a difficult time keeping weight ON during the Phase 3 portion of the Protocol. Yes, there are some out there with this problem. Remember that Dr Simeon’s said that it was just as important to keep the weight on as it was to keep it off! So please help out if you can!

Phase 3 – What If You’re Still Losing???

Listening To Your Body

I preach, and I preach, and I preach – one of the biggest lessons learned on this protocol is that your body consistently speaks to you. Over and over again, we just get to the point in our lives were we tune out what it is saying to us because we think we know better.

One of the things I am finally getting down pat is this listening thing.

Yesterday, I woke up with this really strong sensation of wanting protein. I thought about it all morning, and what came to mind was the ending of my 2nd round. I had the same sensation but didn’t do anything about it and it got worse and worse and pretty much made my last week on the protocol very excruciating. Yesterday, I said to myself I will not let this happen again.

I quickly went to my FitDay and figured how much ground beef I could have without going over 500 calories. With the ground beef I had I could eat 12 ounces. So around noon I pan fried some ground beef and then I munched on that the rest of the day. No veggies, no fruits, just the ground beef with a little bit of Ono Hawaiian Seasoning.

By 5pm last night, the protein craving was gone. I was completely satiated for the day, and this morning I am up, no craving and one pound lighter. Is there something to listening to your body?

I really feel like your body gives you the right signals for healthy eating. I think our “mind” takes over and tries to decide what is best, and sometimes that doesn’t work. I think sometimes we let the emotional attachment to foods dictate what we think our body is trying to tell us. I believe our body wants to run efficiently but we sometimes fall prey to the emotional attachment we have formed to certain foods. I know it’s been a slow process, but I am starting to figure it all out.

JPS and I have had some really deep conversations this week. I am really trying to wrap my head around this weight and she is truly trying to help me. Some of you already know this, but I will say it to the rest of you. It’s like I am just going thru the motions. I get up, I weigh, I input the numbers, but in my head they are not ‘mine’ – I don’t own this weight yet. I am mechanically going thru the routine of the day, but not really realizing this is me I am talking about.

This break I am about to take will probably be the most important break I will be taking in this protocol. I was telling JPS yesterday, that this time, this break feels different. This break is like a mission for me. The last two breaks I was on were ‘play’ breaks. They were the ‘testing the limits’ breaks. This upcoming break I feel like I did when I came off my first round. I want to be BY THE BOOK and make sure there is no ‘play’.

I want to ‘own’ this weight until the next round. I want it to be MINE – I want to see in the mirror what a 162.4 lb person looks like. I want to look into the mirror and the person that looks back at me is ME and I KNOW it. I need time for that. What a great time for a break.

On to my commenter’s – these are my responses to yesterday’s comments:

Shelly – HA! Thanks for the nice words for my sister! And I will by all means show off this body!

Lili – Always a pleasure talking to you Ms Lili!

CB – Thanks girlfriend, I have your email ready!

EweWho – A very wise woman once said to me, “What’s the Worse That Can Happen?” – well, I kept repeating that yesterday. If I don’t get everything done, what is the worst? LOL – My boys would have to do it! ROFL

Mary – Good stuff that Vitamin C!

Ed & Jenn – HA! Yeah, look at me today? What is up with that??? What do I need to try next? ROFL

Crystal - So true, so true – and it’s California, how wrong can I get. It’s just the whole on separate coasts that is playing with my mind! ROFL

Becca – My sister’s biggest apprehension was going thru the recovery process like the last time. That was min 18 months recovery. This ‘new’ surgery, we are talking weeks. Something they pulled on her as she was checking in the day of the surgery … she had to sign a piece of paper that said basically that if they got in there, discovered that the ‘new’ surgery wouldn’t work, they would have to continue with the ‘old’ surgery – there was no ‘turning back’ – she said she about died. She didn’t want to go thru with it. But she stayed strong, had faith and viola came out a winner. I will have to get my sister and your friend together! My sister has been like the poster child for this process!

Vitamin C flush is basically this. When you feel the ‘yucks’ coming on? Start taking 1000 mg of Vitamin C every hour. Do not use the chewables, get ones with no fillers. You take until you reach ‘bowel tolerance’ – what that means is that you take it until your bowels become runny which means you have had enough. Do this again the next day. Do it until you start to feel better. It’s worked for me twice now. And isn’t it amazing that Dr S said we could do Vitamin C???

Ann-Marie – Interesting concept. I am really focusing on staying true to P3 protocol this break. And if that means every other day becomes a protein day for me, well then, that is what it means! I am finally understanding how incredibly important protein is! Hit my head with a baseball bat eh?

Monica – HA! Thanks girlfriend! My family hasn’t seen me here. I was 108 when I got married the first time. Two years later I was close to 200 lbs. That is when they saw me next. HA! Yeah, I would think they are gonna flip! ROFL

Later gaters!

Biz