Round 2 VLCD 8 (Day 10)

I've completely deviated from the traditional hcg diet and have lost 6 pounds in 10 days.  Basically 8 days, since 2 of those days I was fat loading.  I have been eating very small amounts, mainly veggies, teeny bits of carbs, very little fat and taking my hcg.  I stalled twice due to "eating what I wanted" on two of those VLCD days.  It's crazy, but if you look at it closely, I have lost 1 pound a day each day I chose to watch carefully what I was eating.  I am pretty much never hungry, and feel completely satisfied.  So far this is working incredibly easy for me and can see doing this for life.  This also makes it far easier to stay committed to when I love what I'm eating every day.  Lots of variety, and lots of flavor.

If I start to stall or gain I will cut back and be more careful, but so far this is working great and I'm steadily losing weight without even feeling like I'm dieting.

Round 2 VLCD 4 (Day 6)

One pound lost yesterday and two today!  5 pounds total in 3 days.  I have basically been eating how I want but very carefully.  We went to Qdoba for lunch yesterday.  We wanted a place for a good salad, but also to experiment with eating out.  I had their fat-free spicy ranch dressing and about a tbsp. of sour cream on my salad.  It had beans and corn in it, grilled chicken, pico de gallo, and lettuce.  It was inside a deep fried shell.  I even ate about half the shell.  We also had Diet Coke with our lunch.  I also ate 2 eggs with salsa in the morning. Since I ate "a lot" (it still wasn't that much) I decided to go easy for dinner.  I had a small fillet of fish with broccoli.  No fat on any of that. I also had a low calorie pudding mousse cup for dessert.  I felt completely satisfied, was never hungry all day, and went to bed with no cravings.  I woke up to 2 pounds lost!

What I like so far about what I've been doing, is eating healthy but experimenting with foods that could possibly stall me.  So far no stall.  I'm eating much healthier as far as variety goes.  The small amounts of fats I've eaten have not been harmful in any way.  Of course my ultimate goal would be to never eat cooked oils again, but oils in small amounts is necessary for our diet.  I know my body needs a little.  The problem people can get into is overeating oils, along with eating them all cooked.  I definitely over-ate fats in general but I love healthy oils in my diet.

What I also like is the variety of foods I'm eating, along with not giving up beans.  I love legumes and hated cutting them out when doing my first round.  I don't want to go overboard with them right now, but I feel miserable not being able to eat them.  I prefer them over meat most of the time.

I've also been contemplating what foods I can and can't eat normally, along with amounts.  I'm trying to eat "the hcg way" but conform it to my normal way of eating.  I want to be able to stop hcg but it to feel like I never stopped.  The whole point of "dieting" is changing the way we eat.  I want to change how I eat now while taking hcg so it's easy to maintain for life.  The hcg diet is not a normal way of eating at all!  Very little variety with no fat or carbs is not healthy.  But, eating the small amounts, low fat meats, and eating fruit & veggies is a great thing.  My hope is to combine healthy eating with the good things about hcg.

I could be dreaming, but also hope this new plan works for me.  I don't feel deprived, I am eating very healthy (minus the pop), and love the variety (which is the most important thing to me I have realized).

Plus, I'm so happy!  I'm not miserable in my own skin anymore.  Happiness in general is really making this easier.  Life is soooooooo good.  Jeff and I do so much better when we do this together.  We each have tried to diet alone before and never do as good as when we do it together.  I also hated not making meals for my family and eating separately.  We eat together at the table most every night, and during my last round we didn't.  Partly because I planned and bought all kinds of foods I thought the kids would like (they even picked out some of it) that they could cook themselves.  But, they ended up wanting to eat everything we ate!  This time we are trying to combine as much as possible to keep our normal routines.  We love our family dinners and really want to keep it that way as much as possible.

So far so good, and hoping it continues to work out!

Round 2 VLCD 2 (Day 4)

I should have updated ages ago but here goes.  I gained back about 10 pounds after my first round.  The first 8 happened in the first 3 weeks after Phase 2 (the no carb 3 week time period known as Phase 3).  Basically, I was so sick of the blah food I'd been eating, even the smell of some of those foods made we want to vomit.  That coupled with Thanksgiving and Christmas means 8 pounds gained (I ate everything I wanted).  The last 2 pounds happened in the last week knowing I'd be starting another round and doing the fat loading.

The major difference I noticed between my first round and now is how my body reacts to junk food.  I can't eat it like I used to.  It makes me sick.  I have more of a limit.  I also don't gain instantly like I used to.  I was eating all kinds of crap during Christmas and didn't gain a pound.  I maintained amazingly well.

I do think the whole hcg plan did what it was supposed to with my metabolism.  I fat loaded fairly well this time, I think.  Hunger is not hitting me too hard in these first two days.  I was very hungry in my first go round.  It got better over time as my stomach shrunk, but this round already seems easier.

I plan to do a few things differently this time.  I don't plan to do 43 days, but will if I decide to shake things up with my menu consistently.  I'm experimenting with the menu this time.  I plan to eat most any vegetable I choose, but try to stay focused on the diet's recommendations.  I do plan to eat more fruit if I'm wanting it.  I plan to eat other types of meats but limit processed meats.  I plan to exercise, especially on days I deviate from the original diet.  I plan to avoid fats, but if I'm wanting a little salad dressing I'm going to eat it, just keep it minimal.

All this could totally lead to my downfall but I'm going to experiment.  My main problems with the whole hcg is not the amount of food we eat (it's actually a lot bigger on the plate than one might think), it has more to do with the lack of variety and taste.  That tad bit of olive oil in the pan when cooking makes a big difference.  I'm fine with eating low fat, but those healthy oils are what I tend to miss.  I don't even miss sugar as much as the oils.

So, today was the first day to see something on the scale.  Two pounds lost!  I probably could have lost 4 but chose to eat some of the pork roast and sweet potatoes I made for dinner last night.  All was very minimal and I didn't have a big appetite.  I had a small diet Dr. Pepper when out with the YW, and I also ate half a pepperoni stick later in the evening with my orange. The rest of the day I was perfect (fish and asparagus for lunch, and just water through out the day).

One other thing.... I was thinking about how my level of happiness has made an impact on my "need" to lose weight.  Before starting hcg I was miserable.  Now I'm just uncomfortable.  I want to get out of that and move toward "comfortable", but not in a huge rush like before.  The main reason is - I'm happy.  My husband loves me just the way I am, and I'm not miserable in my own skin.  I don't want to be like I am forever so I'm going to keep moving forward, but I'm not in a huge rush and want to make sure my eating habits are permanently changed along the way.  There were days during the holidays that I went completely back to the old ways of eating (sort of - I didn't eat the quantity, just all the same foods).  I want to make sure I have a handle on all that as I go.

The hcg way of eating is not healthy.  It works but I'm also wondering if it's too drastic.  It's so different than normal eating that it's hard to transition.  Well, maybe if I'd followed it like I should have that wouldn't be an issue.  Either way, I'm hoping to be more aware of those transitions this time, so it's easier to be aware of food choices.

I feel good overall and mostly concerned with making permanent healthy eating habits.  I want to be able to go to any restaurant and feel completely content by just ordering a healthy dish.  I want to be able to skip the bread at restaurants, avoid Caesar salads, avoid fries and other fried foods, avoid late night eating, eat small amounts of dessert, and more.  These are my goals for now.

Quick and Easy Black Beans

Quick and Easy Black Beans 
by Our Best Bites

2 Cans Black Beans, drained and rinsed 
1/2 T olive oil 
2/3 C diced onion 
2-3 garlic cloves, pressed or finely minced 
2/3 C chicken broth (or water, I use broth for extra flavor) 
1/4 t cumin 
1/4 t coriander
1/4 t oregano 
1/2 t salt 
1/4 t pepper 
1 lime 

In a saucepan on the stove, heat the olive oil to med-high heat. Saute onions for about 3 minutes or until they just start to become translucent. Add garlic and saute abut 30 seconds more. Add beans, broth, and remaining seasonings and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer and simmer for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. When they are done cooking, remove from heat and add in a few squeezes of fresh lime juice. Then use the back of a spoon or rubber spatula so smoosh (yes, that's a technical culinary term) some of the beans. You don't want to pulverize them, but you want to take a bunch of good smooshes so that some of the beans are smashed, which will thicken the sauce. I like mine on the thicker side so I smoosh quite a bit. They will thicken more upon standing.

If you want a more soupy consistency, just add a little more broth.
Serve as a side dish, or on top or rice, in fajitas or tacos, or on top of chicken or steak.


Makes 6 1/3 C servings

Asian Cabbage Salad

Asian Cabbage Salad
Recipe by Our Best Bites

1 14 oz bag coleslaw mix 
1 rib celery, sliced
1/2 cucumber, sliced
1 small handful sugar snap peas (about 20 baby ones)
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
1/4 of a small red onion, thinly sliced
1 T toasted sesame seeds*
1/3 C slivered or sliced almonds, toasted*
Optional: 1 1/2 C cooked, shredded or diced chicken

Dressing: 
2 T canola oil
2 T cider vinegar
1/4 C seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 T sugar (or equivalent of sugar substitute)
1 t kosher salt
2 t soy sauce
1/4 t garlic powder, or one small garlic clove, minced
1/4 t black pepper
1/2 t sesame oil

* To toast almonds or sesame seeds, place them (not together, do one thing at a time!) in a dry skillet over medium heat. Turn constantly until golden brown. Let cool before using. 

Begin by making dressing. Combine all ingredients in a sealed jar and shake shake shake. Store in the fridge until ready to use. You can definitely do this part a few days ahead of time.

Place all salad ingredients in a bowl

You need to pour on the dressing and toss to coat at least 30 minutes before you're ready to serve. When you pour the dressing on you might think it's not quite enough, but just wait. When it sits and marinates, it combines with the veggies and draws out liquid and there will be more than plenty of dressing after it sits. After you've poured on the dressing, place salad in the fridge to sit for 30-60 minutes.

Right before serving mix in toasted almonds and sesame seeds.

It's as pretty as it is delicious!

Leave out the chicken and it makes a great vegetarian salad, or a terrific side dish for things like potstickers, Asian BBQ chicken, or Sweet and Sour Pork. Serve it with the chicken for a light meal.

Serves 4 main dish servings, or 6 side salads.

Black Bean Soup

Black Bean Soup

Recipe by Our Best Bites

1 T olive oil

4 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped

3/4 C diced carrots (about 2 med carrots)

3/4 C diced celery (about 2 ribs)

1 C diced onion (about 1 sm-med onion)

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 3.5oz can green chilies

2 cans low-sodium beef broth

1 t kosher salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/2 t chili powder

1/4 t cumin

1/2 t dry oregano leaves

1 bay leaf

Optional Toppings: sour cream, tortilla chips, grated cheese, chopped cilantro, etc.

Place a large stock pot on the stove-top and set to medium-high heat.  When pan is warm, add olive oil.  Add carrots, celery, onion, and garlic and saute 4-5 minutes.

 

Add in the black beans, chilies, and beef broth. Stir to combine and then add the salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and bay leaf.

Simmer uncovered for about 20-25 minutes or until carrots are tender.

Remove from heat. Remove bay leaf from soup. 

Place soup in a blender. (You could use an immersion blender in place of this step) Place lid on blender, but remove the stopper in the lid to let heat escape. Place a paper towel over the hole to avoid splatters. 

Puree soup until completely smooth.  Optionally you could pulse until a semi-chunky soup is achieved. Squeeze in the juice from one lime and pulse to combine.

Ladle into bowls and top with desired toppings. Serve with extra lime wedges.  Makes about 8 C soup.

Nutritional Information (1 C soup, w/o toppings):

125 calories, 2g fat, 8g fiber

2 Weight Watchers points

South Beach Diet Phase 2 (eat carrots sparingly)

FORTIFY

FORTIFY:  to make strong and secure

Every year for quite a few years now, I have chosen a word to focus my goals on.  This year it's FORTIFY.  Basically, I have been wanting (Jeff, too) to make sure what is most important to us is strong and secure.

Last year I chose CHERISH.  That word sums up our year perfectly.  2010 was filled with happy memories we will cherish forever.  Disneyland was our highlight, of course, but Christmas and so many other great things added to our year being filled with memories to cherish.

This year is a year for making things strong and secure.  We have been working on our health, our food storage, our savings, our family, and basically - our future.

I'm excited for another year filled with happy memories and new goals to make us better people.