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LIW – 163.0 lbs (05.28.08)
Today’s Weight – 164.0 lbs
1.0 OVER LIW

Still within the limits – just where I want to be. As you can well imagine, I have been very busy as of late. Add to everything else that is on my plate, this is the last week of school for my kids. So end of year activities are pretty much filling up my time.

Dinner was totally scrumptious last night. We had “Tuna Carpaccio” – one of my husband’s most delicious meals, and I have to say it was divine. He makes it with Sashimi grade tuna with avocado, mango, papaya and green onion, with his own special sauce. We ate late, so that is why I have a feeling the weight is a bit up today. And of course it has soy sauce, and the sodium was sky high so a .6 gain is A-OK.

Thank you all for the continuing well wishes and the understanding in my absence. I go back on P2 on Monday so you know my mind will be much clearer and I will be able to pick up where I left off on my “SuperFoods” discussion. My next discussion will center around “Pumpkin” – so plan on that on Monday.

Deviations

Deviations seem to be a topic of conversation these days over on the My HCG Journey Community Forums – there seems to be a lot of this going on within the first round of the protocol. It saddens me that this is happening, but I can’t help but wonder if the vets (such as myself) are partly to blame. People that are new to the protocol could very well come to my blog and see that yes, I do indeed eat broccoli, I do have cottage cheese, I have used Parmesean Cheese sprinkled on my salad, but what they do NOT understand is that I have been on this for almost a year. I have figured out what works and what doesn’t for MY body. These people are assuming that just because it works for me, that it will work for them. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Way back last year, at the end of September there was a big blowout over at the YahooGroups (both the HCG2 and the HCGDieters) about someone new coming on board and letting everyone know one that they had just discovered a miracle, they could eat “NOODLES” on protocol and still lose weight. Most of my long time readers will remember this, we all called it “NOODLEGATE” – we laugh about it now, but the points made during that time were very pertinent. I went nosing around to some of my old posts and I found one in particular that I wanted to share with you today. Keep in mind I wrote this on September 24, 2007 – but the feelings and sentiment that I shared in this post are things that I still feel today. I have grown alot in this protocol since this time, but I totally BELIEVE in what I wrote, even today. Keep in mind that I wrote this while on my 2nd Round (I have removed any names that I didn’t get permission to reprint):

****,

Where as I totally agree with *****’s post on the other board for precisely the reasons you brought out in your last paragraph, I totally agree with you also.

Some weeks ago I was talking to JPS about some things and the remark I made to her was on the same grounds as your remark. I told her that the yahoo group is basically a research study in what works and what doesn’t. I told her that with the wide diversity of people that there is on the board we are creating our own research study results.

But with like every research study results, in order for something to work for the masses, you have to bring things down to the lowest common denominator. So with the testing grounds that Dr S had in his time, he had to figure out what was going to work for every single person across the board. He had to bring his diet into a field where if anyone one did it, they were going to have similar results. He couldn’t possibly come up with a diet that would change from female to male, from age 45 to 25, from really obese to only needing to lose 15 pounds.

So my thoughts are this, and they always have been this:

You WILL have success on this protocol if you follow Dr S by the book. But you COULD also have success if you deviate for what is good for YOUR body. What is good for MY body is not what will work for YOUR body. I do believe in something NHW once told my sister in that “you will lose weight on this with whatever you eat as long as it totals 500 calories or less – you may not lose as fast as you would if you followed the menu, but you will lose faster than with any other diet” – and for some, quite frankly, this is all it is, a “diet”. To me, it’s something FAR different. But you know what? NHW has been around for 17+ years and it has worked all that time with them.

Because all of this ‘case’ studies we are doing with ourselves is in the infancy stages, we really don’t know what the final results will be. I have faith in knowing that because of the way I felt in phase 3, I feel my hypothalamus has been reset. Will these people who are deviating radically who get into phase 3 feel the same way? We don’t know because they are not there yet. I totally disagree with doing something this far from the protocol in your first round. Do the program the way it works, then make your changes if you have subsequent rounds to go.

I know I for one am not as completely anal this round as I was last round. My husband brought home a new beer a few days ago and was shocked when I told him I wanted a taste. Just a tiny sip – it didn’t hurt me. Last round I would NEVER have eaten beef twice in one day…this round? I don’t care. If it stalls me, I know what I did and will back up and try again. I can do these things because I know what to expect.

Ok…now I have written a novel. I hope I don’t get flamed. I am still a “purist” – but I am also, if you got 100 pounds or more to lose, you gotta make this protocol your own. Just my thoughts, and I am sticking to it.

Biz

So there you have it. Even 8 months later, I feel the same way. Don’t mess up your first round, do it BY THE BOOK – that first round teaches you SO VERY MUCH it’s not even funny. It teaches you your attachment to foods, it teaches you how your emotions are tied up in your eating. It teaches you how to be content with little. It teaches you how to appreciate MIXING VEGGIES! Ok, I had to throw that one in.

When you get to be in Round 5 like me, then you can experiment with different things, see how they work for you. But let the process work like it should. You will be happy you did.

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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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LIW +4.0
Overnight gain 0.8

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

Breakfast: plain yogurt with blueberries, peaches, mangos and strawberries
Lunch: green smoothie with a leftover piece of grilled chicken
Dinner: grilled shrimp, steak with huge kick butt salad with everything in it, grilled asparagus
Snacks: green smoothie, one glass of wine

A total of 1909 cals divided: 73 fat grams (34%), 155 carb grams (30%), 158 protein grams (33%)

Challenge Totals:
Total of approximately 80 ounces of food eaten – 50 ounces of it was raw! YES! I met my goal again!!! I made it to 63% raw yesterday!

Another day down on my challenge. I am starting to figure out combinations of my smoothies that I really enjoy. For one thing, adding the blueberries into the mix is a very good taste. And did you know that blueberries are a super food?

Yes, I know, I need to focus in on the super foods. That will be a task for Monday. Have I mentioned how incredibly BEAUTIFUL it is around these parts recently? Oh my, the sun is shining and I am spring cleaning and life is good.

I am up actually EARLY today! Let’s hope this lasts! I love the early morning, it’s like the only thing that exists in this world is me for a few hours. No phones, no children yelling “I’m Hungry”, no kids knocking at my door, no responsibilities!!! This time is MY time. I have been missing my time, now if only I can get my body BACK into this mode consistently I would be THRILLED!

Oh, and don’t worry about the gain? My grilled shrimp and steak were incredibly salty and I haven’t ‘gone’ yet this morning. And I also weighed in a bit earlier than I have been. I am trying to get back on a schedule!

Thanks for hanging in there with me!!!

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

Becca - there are those old habits that seem to want to pop up every once in a while, ugh. I am paying for it that is for sure! Thank you SO MUCH for that bagel site, I am on that like white on rice! I haven’t tried it, but I will be ordering some, I absolutely LOVE my bagels!B - Thanks B! I will be, I know!

Lindsay - I followed you to your blog and posted something there. I have heard of some giving shots only 3 times a week, and I have heard that it does work, but I am sold on the daily injections with one skip day like Dr Simeons stated in his book. If you have any other questions feel free to write me ok?