R4P2 Starting Weight 184.4
Yesterday – 164.4
Today – 163.8
0.6 lb LOSS Overnight
11.6 lb UNDER LIW of Round Three (175.4)
20.6 Lost Since Start of R4 (VLCD) 01/22/08
87.0 Total Lost Since Start of Protocol (VLCD) 06/26/07

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

I am going to discuss in detail what I ate yesterday further below, but for the interest of continuity, I am going to post it here as well. Cottage Cheese and Peaches for breakfast, lunch was a Sammie from Quiznos, snack was a Grapefruit, Dinner was a Salad with Asian Dressing and Soup with Napa Cabbage and Shirataki Noodles.

A total of around 493 calories divided this way: 9 Fat, 70 Carbs, 34 Protein

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I have finally put the FAQ up from two questions ago! I know, I am slow! But it’s there now!

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???

What Do You Think Of That?

I really went off the deep end yesterday, and I have to tell you, it really wasn’t worth it, loss or no loss. I have been wanting to experiment with these “Sammies” from Quiznos – now quite frankly, if they looked anything like the picture on the commercial or even the advertisement, I would have been happy. But nope, not even close. They were just “OK” – nothing spectacular at all. One thing it did do? I don’t know if it was psychological or what, but I was hungry after I ate that. Serious hunger, weird hunger, but HUNGER none the less. Could it have been the bread? That shocks me quite frankly based on the fact that Dr Simeon’s allows us Melba and Grissini. So I don’t know, but it was bad, but it’s over now. I am feeling myself again today.

I wont be trying that again. I am glad I did mind you, got it out of my system, but it so wasn’t worth it. I was actually craving P2 foods yesterday afternoon again! ROFL

The rest of the day was pretty normal!

Here are the numbers for those of you following – won’t be able to use Round 3 numbers from this day forward as I only had 21 completed days on that round.

Day 21 (Complete) – Round 4 = 11.17% Body Weight Loss
Day 21 (Complete) – Round 3 = 9.21% Body Weight Loss (This was my LIW)
Day 21 (Complete) – Round 2 = 8.30% Body Weight Loss
Day 21 (Complete) – Round 1 = 8.13% Body Weight Loss

What follows is a post from another forum that I visit. A member there, ArticShark has given me permission to completely copy and paste her post here. It is an important one and it will make you think. It made me think, and it ties into some things that happened to me over the weekend. I think we are all dealing with this at one point. It’s long, but it’s a good read.

Live Big!

Here is one of the things I have been thinking about. It is kinda Long.

Some recent events have made me think about our responses to bad/tragic/negative events. It triggered a memory of my reading of Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits. He said that some people aren’t happy when something good happens to other people. These people have a belief that goodness is divided into what they perceive as pie slices. If one person gets a piece of the “goodness” pie then that leaves less pie for them. They operate on a diminishing pie theory. They are jealous of other’s success because that means that there is less success for them or that their ability to attain that same level of success is compromised. Or they deliberately or unknowingly sabotage the success of other’s so that the odds of them being successful are increased.

Mr. Covey explained that the universe isn’t set up that way. It has infinite pies and slices that are constantly being replenish or brought into being based on our desires or intent. That one person taking a slice of the success pie doesn’t mean that there are less slices but in reality that there are more. It is like taking a drop of water from the ocean. A drop is not noticeable and through the constant of rainfall, weather and the mechanism of our own biosphere, the water is replenished, renewed and sometimes altered for the better (Like the addition of oxygen and minerals to the water that is put back into the ocean). And if you think about Einstein’s theory, matter and energy are in a constant state of flux, changing from one to the other as needed. So if one person takes a slice of the “goodness” pie, our universe instantly and automatically fills that space back up with more “goodness.” It is an infinite source. Limitless.

The reason I thought of all of this are several. And for those of you that helped triggered these thoughts, thank you, and I hope you don’t think I am singling you out for any bad purpose. It’s just that your posts helped coalesce these thoughts. One post had me thinking about why people are soooo attracted to reality TV shows that portray our fellow humans in pain/to laugh at/ to point at and to generally engage in their misery. Why does such a large segment of our population LIKE to watch other peoples’ failures? Do they laugh at them in that cruel way because they believe, falsely I might add, that those peoples’ failures somehow make the probability of their success more likely? Or do they genuinely like to see other people’s pain? Why does the train wreck that is portrayed of other’s lives fascinate us? Shows like American Idol, Biggest Loser, Who wants to marry a millionaire and their ilk showcase the bad and ugly for our viewing pleasure. In truth, reveling in this type of negativity diminishes us all. Makes us more callous. More mean. It makes us less like the infinite and more like the mundane. Don’t fall into that trap.

Why do people LIKE it when you fail at a diet? They don’t come out openly about it. But secretly, inside, they are joyful at the thought that you failed to lose weight. Or for those that are really vested in your failure, they will either subconsciously or consciously, engage in behavior that is designed to sabotage. Why when you are experiencing success does your spouse or a co-worker or a parent start buying treats and other foods that you are not allowed? Especially after you have told them what is and is not a part of your plan and protocol? I read an instance where a spouse had deliberately put sugar into a steak rub and when confronted stated that “just a little won’t hurt.” Or a mother, who is diabetic and had stopped buying sweet treats, who started bringing home cakes and candies and other “goodies.” Or even co-workers that no longer engage in small talk and banter as you successfully meet your goals to be the person you always thought you were or could be.

Maybe they think that your success highlights their failure. Or they are comfortable with you being the fatty and don’t want you to be skinny and perhaps more desirable to others. Or maybe they think that you will notice their flaws and once the weight is gone, will no longer desires them as your ability to pick and choose increases. In almost all these scenarios, it is about the saboteurs fears. As one of my girlfriends says “There are 2 kinds of problems. A me problem and a you problem. Most things are not a me problem. And in this instance, that is a YOU problem. That is not a ME problem.” In reality, most things are not a Me problem and all other issues have to be let go. There is very little that most of us can do about YOU problems as we are not able to control the thoughts and behaviors of other people. What we can control is how much influence they have in our lives. As you bloom, evaluate if there is just more that pounds that have become dead weight in your life. It is amazing how much freer we feel once we let it go.

The other event revolved around the Super Bowl. I really truly didn’t care who won. I was rooting for the Patriots just because I thought it would be neat to see history being made. And good for them getting to that point. [If you are genuinely a Giants fan, it wasn’t about seeing them lose or anything in that way] But as I expressed that view to many, and several weren’t Giants fans or had ever been a Giants fan until that game, I was surprised that soooo many wanted the Patriots to lose. As if the Patriots winning and having a perfect season was a bad thing for them personally. They actively engaged in cheering for team that they had probably rooted against and made disparaging remarks against all season. Just so a team, maybe not their own, could be knocked down a notch or two. It really was small-minded behavior. And not very flattering at all. And I just sat back and said WOW, here is another example of if they take a pie slice then it leaves less for me (or my team or what I care about, etc) and maybe no one will notices when I am not perfect as well or it relieves me from striving for perfection or whatever diminishing and small-minded mundane thought, belief or feeling.

So be BIG. Believe in the infinite. Revel in the success of others. Strive for perfection. Laugh if not achieved and more importantly laugh if it is. Share the formula of your success. Kind thoughts and kind words. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that another person’s success is a DIRECT link to ensuring you fail. It is not. If anything, it is a road map. Live BIG.

Thank you ArticShark for such a thought provoking post!

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

Mary – I am ending this round on the 17th – I will be on Phase 3 and 4 while I am in California, I will be there for 4 weeks. I planned it all around that!

Crystal – JPS and I were pretty much cracking up on their whole menu yesterday, it really is TOO FUNNY! LOL – Peaches DO work! That is for sure!

Ed and Jenn – HA! JPS told me to pull another beer day before I stop, I might try that on Saturday, we shall see, give me the UMPH I need to get closer to 160! ROFL

Shelly – HA! Nope, I think I am flying pretty high at the moment!

Tracey – HA! I hope my sister has ENOUGH clothes for me!!! ROFL – we need an update from you my sweet!

B – Oh it’s good to have you back my friend! WOO HOO FOR YOU in the size 14′s! Can you imagine???

Amanda – !!! Hey girl, I am SO HAPPY you found a doctor in Australia! That does my heart good! You must drop me an email and we just MUST catch up! WOO HOO FOR YOU!!!! On your way again! I know about the CC – JPS has consistently thanked me this week for MAKING her try them! ROFL

Have a great day everyone!

Biz

LIW – 175.4 lbs (12/17/07)
Today’s Weight – 179.2 lbs
3.8 OVER LIW

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

Breakfast: Coffee and Cream – 1 Scrambled Egg in Butter
Mid Morning Snack: Leftover Chicken and Leftover Broccoli with Melted Cheese and a Dollop of Sour Cream
Lunch: Leftover Atkins Friendly Beef Stroganoff with Shiritaki Noodles
Mid Afternoon Snack: More of the Stroganoff and Noodles
Dinner: Nacho’s (just chips and cheese, with a bit of sour cream) and some Refried Beans
Dessert: Some Praline Pecans and one Chocolate Chip Cookie

A total of around 1800 calories divided this way: 116 Fat, 118 Carbs, 89 Protein – After all of that I was surprised to only gain a POUND! I think I may be overestimating my calories, I don’t know, but it doesn’t feel like I am eating as much as it says I am! ROFL Ok, I “officially” start P4 today!!!

GO HERE AND SIGN UP FOR UPCOMING HCG NEWSLETTER!!! It’s coming honest! Just waiting on my partner to put the finishing touches on it!

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

Thanks to Ann and Jeannette for filling out the new FAQ Survey! It’s a pretty hefty survey, so I might leave it up for awhile. Please go here when you have a chance and fill it out!

Stalls, Gains and Cravings – What to do? P2 Experience Only

Thank you to Pat and Jeannette for more interview questions! I would still like to get some MORE questions from my Sunday’s post about interviews, I know I said only until Wednesday, but it’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind right??? If you didn’t see it could you go here and take a look, thanks!

Aspartame

I don’t think there is a more controversial subject to fly around any sort of weight loss forum than the subject of Artificial Sweeteners, I certainly found that out in doing some surfing on the web yesterday. Most often the question comes up, “What is ‘such and such’, will it stall me and is it safe?” When it comes down to the brass tacks, the decision to use any type or artificial sweetener is an individual one, because quite frankly the effects of using it will be as different and individual as we all are.

It’s interesting to read reports of scientific studies being done with various sweeteners on lab animals, and one would have to be a little skeptical of definitive conclusions being drawn from massive dosages of products for a particular size animal, especially when they associate the same conclusions, or the same amounts would do the same damages to a human who might use these sweeteners on occasion.

Be that as it may, I continue to read while surfing, and have experienced myself, adverse reactions to different artificial sweeteners. So, as I mentioned in the first paragraph, results from taking in these sweeteners will change from person to person, and each person must make that determination for themselves.

You could be one of the fortunate ones, you could slip right past ANY reaction to ANY sweetener. My hats off to you! But for MOST of us out there, there is some reaction. There is a range from ending up in the emergency room to just headaches. Even the mildest of symptoms could be a big red flag that your body SHOULDN’T be made to TRY to tolerate their use. These things would include things like a fuzzy head, stomach distress, unexplained cravings, stalls, and quite possibly weight gain.

Let’s talk about “stalls” for a moment using artificial sweeteners … in my research, the general conclusion is that stalls occur more from the ‘fillers’ used in granulated and powdered forms of sweeteners rather than the liquids. This makes perfect sense as most of the fillers that are used are ‘maltodextrin’ or ‘dextrose’ which are both simply ‘starches’. With the more research I do, I am finding that these ‘fillers’ might be the culprit to other adverse effects as well, this would be an interesting theory to test. I for one have only tried to use the powered versions of sweeteners and never the liquid, with the exception of the Stevia. Remember people, that some may not have any reaction whatsoever, either visibly or physically.

My eventual goal using this protocol is to eventually be able to eat “real raw sugar” (or my preference I am sure will be “local honey”) and not have to use any of this artificial crud anymore. I would think that would be ALL of our goals yes? So what must we do until that happens? Find the one thing that will do the least amount of damage until then. There are far too many things in this world that are not ‘pure’ anymore from our drinking water to the very air we breathe.

So then, let’s talk about Aspartame – in MY OPINION, one of the WORST artificial sweeteners we can use.

Small description:

Aspartame – better known as Equal and NutriSweet – Interesting that Wikipedia says this about Aspartame: “Aspartame is the methyl ester of the dipeptide of the natural amino acids L-aspartic acid and L-phenylalanine.”

Let’s define “methyl” – according to the medical dictionary methyl is “The alkyl group, often a univalent radical, CH3, derived from methane” – so in other words it’s methane, which we know is an explosive gas that is formed from decomposing organic matter.

Define “ester” – a compound formed from alcohol and acid.

Define “dipeptide” – this is a molecule consisting of two amino acids joined by a bond – so the two amino acids that are joined together are the L-aspartic acid and L-phenylalanine.

So in other words, if I am understanding this correctly, Aspartame is made up of two amino acids bonded together by methane and acid. Hmmmm….and I am EATING THIS???

Because I cannot possibly begin to give you the kind of information that has already been written, I am going to lead you to the research I have done on the subject of Aspartame, and you draw your own conclusions.

One of the first things I came across was an article written by the Aspartame Information Center – WOW! They surely do try to sugar coat it eh? ‘Scuse the pun!!!

Aspartame Information

Check this out: “Debunking the Aspartame Myth” – what I like about this site is that it gives alot of factual references for it’s conclusions – and pretty much refutes what the above article says:

Debunking the Aspartame Myth

If you haven’t watched this yet, it’s a MUST when it comes to Aspartame. It about an hour and a half so you have to have time to view it, but it’s worth the watch. I have ALWAYS had my feelings about Aspartame and it was ONE THING I made sure my kids NEVER touched, but this movie took it DEEPER, to the point that if I see someone giving their kids something with Aspartame, I say something immediately, I don’t care what they think of me. I feel that strongly about it.

Sweet Misery – A Poisoned World

Very comprehensive article written with many facts regarding Aspartame:

The Problem With Aspartame

Also, here is a discussion about Aspartame on a Bulletin Board dealing with “Conspiracy Theories” so read with caution, but it’s an interesting discussion none the less – there are four pages:

Why Is Aspartame Still On The Market?

So with all that information, what is your opinion?

Mary – I would think that everyone around you just needs to CALM their butt down if you decided you needed to do an egg day! Now if you can’t stand yourself, that is another story! ROFL – Thanks for the link you sent me! Lots of useful information there!

Crystal – Hey there STRANGER! Thanks for the visit, and any info you can give me on the sugar subs, I will gladly take it, all in the name of research ya know?

CB - I completely forgot about her knowledge, sad thing tho, she hasn’t updated in a while??? She is one of those that are MIA!!!

Becca – You start when you need to start, we are all overlapping at points anyway. It’s important to use the schedule that is good for your hubby! I wonder why your post never showed up, who knows about cyberspace sometimes. I am going to find out about cylamates also – it’s on my list.

B – Is there ANY non sugar sub your family member doctor recommends? YUP! The egg day worked!

Have a wonderful day peeps!

Biz

Last Injection Weight – 187.4
Today’s Weight 190.4
0 lb Gain/Loss From Yesterday
3 lb Over LIWHere is my menu for yesterday.

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Wow, now that is quite weird. Steak day didn’t help me. I do have to say that I didn’t get my steak until almost 7pm, things were chaotic around here yesterday and my husband didn’t get to grill until late. And the steak was salty. And I was starving around 5pm and I was starting to get dizzy so I had a cup of coffee with cream to satiate myself, so not sure if that would have done it. And one more thing, I didn’t “go” this morning, so there is almost a pound of meat sitting in my stomach that hasn’t made it’s way out yet.

I feel so out of the loop people. I have had a very hectic few days, and I am so behind on all my visits to fellow bloggers and to the board, I am incredibly sorry. Today is going to be another one of those days, so I will not be around.

I have some things I really need to address, so I want you to know I am thinking about these things and will address them when I have more time, tomorrow will be much better for me.

1) The discussion of half and half (from the board)
2) The discussion of “Fear of Success”
3) The discussion of “Straying” from the protocol
4) The discussion of deviations from the protocol per clinics advice.

So, tomorrow morning I will be addressing these things. Believe me, I have lots to say, when have I not?

Until then, everyone have a good one. Don’t worry about me, I am not in the least concerned about this 3 pounds over. I have another trick up my sleeve that I will try today and see what happens. I will share my findings tomorrow.

Seriously, no worries ok? I am OK!

Biz