P3 D9-10

Today is a great day. After a week on P3, I am only .2 lbs higher than my LDD (last drop day) and Mike is equal to his LDD. We are excited that this is working so well. We did see some flucuation during the week and did have to do 2 steak days. On one occasion, I actually gained .8 lbs but Mike lost 1 lb. The 2nd time we did the steak day, I lost 2 lbs the next day and Mike lost 2.4 lbs 2 days afterwards. Then yesterday, I lost .2 and Mike lost another 2.4 lbs. We worked really hard yesterday in the yard. I had to stop several times because I was light headed but I know Mike worked really hard because he lost a lot of weight. We were drinking a lot of water.

To help with the dizziness, I am assuming I am in ketosis. Once time when I did the Atkins diet, I ended up feeling the same way and the carbs were just too low for my body. Mike has been having light headness off and on also. So we found some no net carb bread, and some low carb chips, tortilla pita bread, pizza crust and spaghetti. We have been eating that the later part of the week and haven't seen any gain in our weight (actually lost!).

So here is the link for the bread and spaghetti:

https://www.lindasdietdelites.com

We ordered:

Dixie Diner Skinni Spaghetti Angel Hair Pasta = $7.32
HealthWise Bakery Flavor Rey Zero Net Carb Bread (perishable) = $6.99

The spaghetti is a little dry but some low-carb sauce and Parmesan helped. We just were glad to have some spaghetti. We haven't decided if we liked this over the spaghetti squash but we will continue with both to see.

On the chips, tortillas and pizza crust, we ordered from:

https://locarbu.com/

1 x Dixie Diners Low Carb Texas Toasters Pizza Flavored Chips = $6.99

1 x LA TORTILLA GARLIC N HERB LOW CARB TORTILLAS 7" = $3.99
2 x carLO CARBiano Low Carb Pizza Crust Garlic Basil 7" = $9.98
1 x LA TORTILLA WHOLE WHEAT LOW CARB TORTILLAS 7" = $3.99
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So, on Friday we had the pizza. I put it on my Pamper Chef pizza stone but it still wasn't firm. Overall it was good. We liked that as well as the cauliflower pizza dough - plus it was a lot easier to prepare. The chips have been good with the guacamole or nachos we have been making. Again a little chewy or soft when they are heated up. They break easy too when dipping so we spoon our guac on it.

All in all, we are enjoying the low carb. We are trying to keep our carbs very low - and according to Atkins, it should be below 20 grams a day. We definitely haven't gone that high. We still aren't sure what our total calories are mostly because we don't take the time to calculate them.

Also yesterday was our measuring day. We both are continuing to lose some. Not much now week to week but about .5 inches each. Total I have lost 13.5" and Mike has lost 15.75". Our clothes are now fitting either perfectly or a little loose.

This week will will try to get to the gym. We didn't over the weekend because of the work we were doing in the yard preparing for our master bedroom renovation. So we will try....hopefully at least 3 times this week.

So here is the summary post from our diet so far. I have summed it up for a weekly summary plus added the days I hadn't posted. Also is the P3 week one, where you can see how the weight goes up and down. Sometimes the steak day works but we are not disheartened by it because we both are now within the 2 lbs since the LDD. We are committed to make this work in the long run. We are now checking the labels all the time and making the right choices. Two more weeks on Phase 3 and then Phase 4. We plan on being alert to what we eat in that phase also. In November going to St. Thomas for our anniversary and want to show off our slimmer bodies!

Me

Pre-Load 188.4

P1 D1 188.4

P2 D7 181.0

P2 D14 176.0

P2 D21 173.2

P2 D22 173.0

P2 D23 171.8 (last drop day)

P2 D24 171.4 (no drops)

P2 D25 171.4 (no drops)

P3 D1 171.0

P3 D2 173.0 (1.2 lb gain so not 2 lbs yet)

P3 D3 174.2 (steak day)

P3 D4 175.0 (no loss from the steak day)

P3 D5 173.6 (less than 2 lbs since LDD)

P3 D6 173.6

P3 D7 173.8 (steak day)

P3 D8 171.8 (yahoo! the steak day worked)

P3 D9 171.6

P3 D10 171.6

Mike

Pre-Load: 271.4

P1 D1 274.4

P2 D7 258.8

P2 D14 250.6

P2 D21 246.6

P2 D22 247.6

P2 D23 245.8 (last drop day)

P2 D24 243.8

P2 D25 243.8

P3 D1 243.6

P3 D2 244.6

P3 D3 246.6 (steak day)

P3 D4 245.6

P3 D5 247.4

P3 D6 247.0

P3 D7 248.0 (steak day)

P3 D8 247.8

P3 D9 246.2

P3 D10 243.8

P3 D2-D8

I have been so swamped with work and have barely been able to weigh in every morning. Thankfully I have a wonderful husband who takes care of my (our) food needs).

This has been our first week on the Phase 3. They warned us that our weight will be going up and down and they were right.

So last I posted we were on D1 of Phase 3, which is basically a low-carb diet. Some of the web sites have suggested we do Atkins Induction Stage but that is too restricted for us coming off the vlcd of 500 calories! So we did cauliflower pizza the first night and absolutely loved it. This past week we have been on a low-carb diet and still have not eaten any starches or sugars. We have had to do two steak days already but our weight is pretty much stabilized. When we began our P3 I was starting at 171 and Mike was at 243.6. We are supposed to, however, use our last drop day as the weight we are supposed to be 2 lbs around every day. So for me it would be 171.8 and Mike 245.8.

So anyhow, lunches and dinners have been low carb. We don't know how many calories we are eating but know we probably ate way to much the first day even with the cauliflower crust pizza which was on Friday, 8/20. By Sunday 8/22, we had to do a steak day! I lost 1.4 lbs over night and Mike lost 1 lb. We had another steak day last night and I lost 2 lbs and Mike only lost .2 lbs.

As far as foods, we are still using the HCG cookbook but adding some cheese to it and doubling the size of the meat. We also are using other low carb recipes. As of today, after losing the 2 lbs overnight, I am back to 171.8 which was my weight on the last day of my drops. Mike is at 247.8 which is 2 lbs higher than his last drops. The Steak days are not doing what they need to for Mike. We will have to discuss this and see if there is something else he wants to do. I know he wants to start exercising more and has ran once. I think we will go to the gym this weekend so that we can get back doing that. We won't start heavy just a long bike ride as well as light weights. We will see how to move his weight back down. He doesn't want to do 2 steak days in a row.

I am also back taking my vitamins and that is helping me a lot. Since they have a little oil in it, I figured I was safe taking them again.

Overall, I still brag about this diet. I still get shocked looks from people when I tell them 500 calories but then they can see that I have lost the 15+ pounds in 30 days. Mike has lost 23+ pounds. We both are happy. We are addicted to the fast weight loss though and want to do another round but the timing won't work out for us since we are going to St. Thomas at the beginning of November. We don't want to be on Phase 3 during that! So we will continue the low carb for the 2 weeks and then make the decision on what we will do with Phase 4. We have already found Bread that has a 0 net carbs. 7 grams Gram and 7 grams fiber. So we will see if try that anytime soon!

To all the followers, thanks for posting comments. If you are doing the diet, congratulations. I wish you all the success. If you are contemplating it, I will tell you it is not easy at first because you have to make all your meals. I did eat out at restaurants a couple of times but called ahead and planned my meals - which was mostly shrimp since that is always on the menu. Good luck to all! I will try to be more diligent in posting more.

Cheers!

P3 D1

Today we decides was going to be our Phase 3 Day 1 instead of tomorrow. We were just getting very hungry and felt that the HCG must of worked through our system so we are giving the low carb diet a try.

I lost .4 pounds and Mike stayed the same. So tomorrow we will see what happens. Today we had cheese omelettes and bacon for breakfast. For lunch we finished off the beef we had cooking a low calorie sloppy joe with romaine lettuce. For dinner we went the low carb way and created our own pizza which was made with cauliflower dough. We had found that before and decided to try it since we both were craving a pizza. AND the pizza was great. It is not very crisp except on the edges but it tasted like pizza. You don't even taste the cauliflower. Here is the where we got the recipe:

http://www.ehow.com/how_5559550_make-cauliflower-pizza.html

There are tons of places. Of course, everyone out there is trying to make the crust more firmer but I haven't found the answer. I did cook it on my pamper chef pizza stone and it came out okay. I too wish the crust was a little stiffer but overall it was worth it. Mike really loved it.

(We hope our weight doesn't go up tomorrow morning.)

So now, we are on a low carb diet with no starches or sugars. So we will see how it goes. We are both disappointed we didn't get to our goal weights but I lost 17.4 lbs and Mike lost 28 pounds so we are glad about that. So we will see how the next 3 weeks go. We will be going to gym starting next week also.

P2 D24

Yesterday was the first day without drops and neither of us gained weight but we didn't lose any either.

Yesterday I had bbq chicken fingers and celery for lunch. Dinner we had Italian Meatballs and a salad. I am having leftover meatballs for lunch.

We are both craving food and I think that is mind over matter mostly - knowing on Saturday we get to eat something different. We have pulled out our low carb recipes and even have a low carb pizza dough that we are going to try. This dough is made with califlower riced - it sounds so good. Mike isn't excited about califlower but we will see. Maybe we will make that for dinner on Saturday so we can finally have a pizza!

More later.

P2 D23

Today I officially have lost 17 pounds! I dropped only .4 overnight (and I am blaming my boss for that since I had to eat lunch at restaurant LOL otherwise I may have lost more). I am now 1.5 pounds away from 169.9! I just want to get into the 16os.

Mike lost 2 lbs overnight but he skipped lunch so that is not right. He is thinking of skipping lunch again today so he can drop more weight.

We are no longer taking the GNC HCG Platinum drops so these next three days will be interesting as the HCG leaves our bodies. I hope we can wait until Saturday morning for our 1500 calories and don't start getting hungry these next couple of days. I have read that if we do we slowly add more calories - mostly from the recipes we have been using for Phase 2. Don't try to add any new ingredients until Saturday. So we will see how it goes. We are also supposedly going to continue to lose weight during these next 3 transition days. .5 a day will work for me!

Getting used to my clothes slipping on so nicely. Really like the feeling and am determined not to gain the weight back. Next week we can also start doing more exercising. Of course, we won't go full out yet. Just slowly start doing more than a 30 minute stroll every night.

Mike still hasn't taken any of his synthroid. He will schedule a blood test the 2nd week of Phase 4 to see how it looks. With things still settling down during Phase 3, it would be best to wait for him to be in maintenance mood. I would be so excited if the blood test comes back with no problems with the thyroid. That would be assume. Several on line have mentioned that had happened to them. Of course, several also who have done this no longer are Type II diabetic either but that must come from the weight lost. So hopefully both of our bodies are healthy and we can stay within this weight range.

Tomorrow weigh should be interesting as well as hunger. Wish us luck!

P2 D22

Today was a great day for me on the weigh in - I lost 1.2 pounds! That, of course, made me mad because today is the last day of the drops and I want more to go away. However, my clothes are slidding on my and I am within 2 lbs of what I weighed this time last year. So I am back on track.

Mike lost 1.8 lbs which one pound was what he gained after eating the steak.

So far I have lost 16.8 and Mike has lost 25.6!!! He is so anxious to get to Saturday and we laugh about it. So hopefully tomorrow I drop into the 160s or at least by Saturday morning. The weight is supposed to continue even though the drops have stopped at least for the 3 more days we are on the 500 vlcd.

My boss made me go to lunch with him and I had to ask the restaurant to grill the salmon with nothing on it - no butters, etc. It actually came out pretty good. I didn't finish it all and tried to figure out what 4 oz would have been - half the size of my palm. So hopefully I don't gain weight but if I do, I told my boss I would blame him. LOL.

We have spaghetti less meat sauce for dinner. I love that recipe and requested at least once a week. It is quick to make and yummy.

So starting weight for me was 188.4 and I am now at 171.8. Mike's starting was 271.4 and he is now at 245.8. This stuff is working. We have also started taking 2 tablespoons of raw apple cider vinegar, which we now wish we did the whole time - since it is supposed to help you lose more. But, we didn't pay attention to that until now and now I lose more weight! Oh boy and oh well.

More to come tomorrow.

P2 D21

Yesterday was chicken tacos (romaine lettuce) for lunch and steak for dinner. Mike gained a pound and I lost .2. Every time we have steak we essentially don't lose weight or gain it. We had a New York Strip steak so there probably was more fat in it then the fat we trimmed.

Today was cold chicken salad with celery for lunch. We don't know what we will be having for dinner. Dinner was hamburgers and cucumbers.

Of course, every day we have one apple and one orange.

We are getting a little anxious about Saturday and are totally bored with the recipes. Not much we can do differently or eat any differently from the recipes so we are just counting down 4 more full days after today until Phase 3. We are already looking at low carb recipes so that we are prepared for the 3 weeks. Planning, planning and more planning to success. Anyhow, we are reading over and over again Phase 3 so that we are doing what we need to do.

I realized that I never did share any of my links that have helped us be so successful so I just posted it in my P2 D1 post but am now including it here also:

http://www.hcgdietdirect.com

(one of my favorite sites because I usually find answers on this one most.)

HCG Diet News

HCG Diet FAQ

HCG Diet Tips and Library

Dr. Simeons Protocol - PDF (This is the actual protocol that started the whole thing.)

About HCG Diet Direct

http://healthyhabitswellness.net/clients/204/documents/HCG_receipe_book.pdf (THE RECIPE BOOK)