HCG 3rd Cycle Update: 5 Days In

I started the HCG diet (modified of course...see previous links from cycles 1 and 2) on Monday and I'm down 7 lbs! 7lbs in 5 days! Its omazing! I'm back down to my weight (almost) I was since the last cycle.

I don't know what it is about the diet, I don't even think its the spray because DH did it without the spray and still lost. But you really don't put on that much weight that you lost and when you start again, you lose right away, quick! Of course, by next week, my weight lost won't be a dramatic and more gradual (the bigger you are the faster you lose) but I hope to continue.

I plan to look like this by my birthday, Novemeber 3!

#hoopdreams
I know, I know, buffy may be far fetched, but I'm on my way! Add to that, I've been working out EVERYDAY again, at least 30 minutes of some intense cardio and I'm sure I'm going to tighten it up fast! I want to be in a bikini when me and the DH go to Mexico!

Leeeeegooo!

Back to the basics: HCG

To say I've went HAM over the summer would be an understatement. I've went ham, turkey, corn beef...the list goes on.

I've had a super lazy summer, full of not working out, and lots of eating out. My diet, fitness, belly has just gone out the window. Add to that I signed up for the Marine Corp Marathon (only the 10K race, but still) and it is in 2 months. I have NOT worked out since June! WTF!

Today, I started old faithful...HCG again. No other diet plan has worked and stayed with me like this one. I am sad to inform you I have gained like 10 lbs during my summer of loafing around and its not a good look at all. Especially with my bday coming around and I expected to be well under my goal weight by that time.

Anyhoo, today, I got on the scale and the numbers were frightening. I was in shock and appalled at them. Yeah, my clothes have been a little more snug, but damn...who knew.

I'm back. Today, as I type I'm eating my apple:-( (I haven't eaten an apple in like 3 months) and I have a salad and chix breast for lunch (I haven't eaten a salad for lunch in like 2+ months). And my horrible horrible MelbaToast for my snack.

Ugh...*whispering in my quiet voice* leggo

What the F' Fridays: Fried Kool-Aid

So the trending topic for yahoo has been this…

I tried for about 2 days to ignore it, but I mean come one…when you see the words, “fried” and “kool aid” together, you have to know what it is all about. So…I gave in. I clicked it.

Don’t they look like little red donut holes. I hear they are little drops of heaven. Seriously. Drops from heaven. Combining anything in fried form for me is just awesome, so red kool aid fried was a no brainer. I like to think I really don’t like kool aid, but the older I get, the more I can appreciate making a whole pitcher of something for 27 cents!

I was all for this item, that is typically served at state fairs ONLY once a year. I mean, let’s not overdose on it right. But then I see this quote at the bottom of the page and I’m giving the creator mad side eye. He need to gone head with that…”Perhaps the creator is hoping his invention will get picked up by KFC as the perfect dessert pairing for its "DoubleDown" chicken sandwich.”

The only thing that will be doubled down is your wife’s health insurance policy once she knows her husband is going to drop dead in 5, 4, 3,2…

My weight loss files

I've lost almost 50 lbs! And yes I'm thrilled. I still wear this skirt, but I wear it like this (belted and with a sweater) because I love the pattern and I can't afford to replace every single piece of clothing in my closet because of my weight lost.

I've went down from a size 18 suit to a size 12 (Calvin Klein i wore for my first day of work). Yeah I was geeked and yeah it was quite snug, but it buttoned. I hope by the end of July its hanging off like the other skirt.

My problem and what makes me melancholy is my post baby belly. Pre baby...I had boobs but no belly. Now...belly. And as K likes to call them "scratch marks" instead of stretch marks. She told me yesterday that I needed band-aids for all my "scratch marks". That cut me deep (no pun intended).

I joined a gym, I work out (typically...although I haven't been in like a week, but don't judge me). And still no movement on my belly. I even think its lopsided. At what point to do I say f' it. I'm a mom and I have a belly and be happy with my weight loss success or am I just doing the wrong thing to try to loose it?  In another world with a richer husband and a better job, I'd have a personal trainer who could tell me exactly what to do to transfer that fullness from my belly to my booty, but for right now...I'm at a loss.

I do sit ups, crunches, weights with the belly, etc. of course I don't go super hard, but hard enuff where I think I should have some shrinkage. Maybe I need to start measuring it. Maybe it is gettingsmaller and I don't feel it is, like I feel like my hair isn't growing until I look at previous blog post.

I don't know. I want immediate results...although as I'm typing this I've just crushed a whole bag of chex mix and I was only supposed to eat 1/3 of it...boo me.

I must be about to start my cycle because I'm a hot hungry mess.

Yahhhh...me. Keep up the good work (note sarcasm).

Biker Chicks

The weather is finally betting warmer and I'm thinking me and mini me will be doing a lot of this...

Looking super cute in our fashion accessories? Or riding bikes?

I say both! I have been wanting a pink Schwinn old school for some time now, and since Santa purchased the little one's radio flyer, I'm definitely getting one. I plan to spend my spring and summer working on my fitness...the cute way. Bike riding!

When I first moved to DC, I had sold my car back so I wouldn't have a note, and only had a bike. I lived close to the metro so to work I would ride my bike, but to go like grocery shopping or even sometimes to the gym, I would ride my bike. During this time, I'm sure you can imagine...I was in the best freaking shape of my life. Mostly because I couldn't fit that many groceries in my book bag i wore during riding and because I was getting so much physical exercise with the walking/riding.

I'm going to try that again. Though I live in the boonies and can't ride my bike to the grocery store...or even if I could my grocery list is so extensive I can't carry all that crap in a back, so I will still be driving. But things I can do are park far away from the entrance. I can also get off the train a stop earlier and walk a longer distance to my office. Me and K can go bike riding after work and on the weekends. Or enjoy strolls, one of our favorite activities anyway.

I plan asap to get in and stay in the best shape of my life. And to get my pink Schwinn...just like this one; wish me luck!

End of 2nd Cycle of HCG

So here is a picture of me about a month before I started the HCG...

Here I am after the first cycle of HCG (20 lb lost)

And here I am after the second cycle (another 20 lbs)

I have been off the diet for about 2 weeks and have maintained a weight loss of about 36 lbs! I am so excited. I'm in "phase 3" of the program which is pretty much eat what you want within 1500 calories, but I haven't been counting calories or exercising like I was on the diet (which has shown with that extra 4 lb gain).

I plan to start the diet again next week and am kinda preparing myself this week for it. I plan to start drinking my cleansing tea again this weekend to rid myself of some of the patron and scotch and girl scout cookies I have been consuming and will hopefully lose another 20.

My final goal weight is only 25 lbs away, so I'm really excited about hitting it and maintaining it! I hope to be there by April...so wish me luck.

There have been a lot of exposes' about HCG and how it may or may not be healthy, but I really don't think there is anything wrong with it. The doctors have said nothing bad, just that they aren't sure about the effects, but if you see this banging body, you can see the affects, lol. Just kidding...but I really think its the low calorie intake that makes all of the difference. I do about 1000 calories per day on it, and no matter if you are spraying HCG or not, you are still going to lose weight with so few calories. Add to that a workout plan and you will have Amber Rose body in no time.

My process again started in like Sept. I did Sept - Oct for the first cycle. Was off through the holidays and started the second cycle Jan - Feb. I plan this next cycle to go Mar- April.

20 Days of HCG

20 Days...give or take. And I got down to my lowest weight in the past 3 years! Until...yesterday I went out for fondue for my baby's mama birthday. The scale showed me...3+ lb gain overnight! What. The. F! It could have also been the scotch and late night shrimp fried rice catching up with me from the night before with the girls where I was super tiny, but it was really tragic to see that today. Here is a pix of me on Saturday at my all time low...only 9 pounds from my goal!

Tiny right! Those are skinny jeans...with no overlapping side fat (yes, I did have on a slight girdle, but still...) Tiny!

I've been working out every night for at least 20 minutes. I try to do a fit TV circuit on the Comcast On Demand. My favorite lately has been Jillian Michael's Fat Burn. Its quick and hits all the stuff I need to get tight and get right. My problem areas are arms, legs, butt...hell, everything. So I still have a lot of work to do to look good naked, but I'm looking pretty good in clothes so far.

So today I did a partial apple day. Its with the HCG, if you cheat (like I do every weekend) you eat apples mostly all day. Its supposed to be all day, but I can never get through the whole day. I have like 3 at work and a little salad for lunch. Then another later and a bowl of cabbage when I got home.

So far I'm done like 1.5 lbs from my super high weight gain this morning, so I'm hoping to be back at my goal by the morning. I'm going to try to do a whole hour of work tonight...so wish me luck!

For my hair in this picture, I did two-strand twist with Shea Moisture, wrapped it for a couple of hours, and then untwisted them. My front and middle never really curl, it was super straight after the blow out the day before, so I put on one of Kennedy's ribbons and kept it moving.

Day 11 of HCG

I have some awesome pix I'd like to show you, but to reiterate...I've misplace my picture holdy thing (i'm having a brain fart and can't think of the official name). Anyhoo, yeah, I'll post those when I have a chance.

Anyhoo, I am only 12 lbs away from my goal weight...well my first goal weight. My first goal is to get to my pre-baby weight. The next goal is to get to my first goal weight ever. I've been here like once in my life and Imma do it...no diggity no doubt.

The diet is coming along. I'm losing about .5-1 lb per day. People are hilarious cuz they like to tell you how the weight is going to come back, how diets don't work, etc, etc. Well, I'm not feeding into it. I've dieted before and lost 50 lbs (first goal weight) and kept it off for almost 5 years. It wasn't until I meet this man, oh, my DH, that the weight started coming back, and back and add baby...you get big girl.

What I'm eating now...Below is a sample of what I had today. Kinda random, but I'm full:
1. Breakfast - Apple
2. Lunch - Morning Star Black Bean Pattie, Sandwich Thins 100 Calorie Buns, 2 cups of Spinach, 10 Grape Tomatoes, 2 tablespoons Ken's Steakhouse Dressing Lite Cesar (da bomb)

{Source}

The Burger on the left is the one I eat and the right is one you can make from scratch that has black beans. If you click on the link, it gives you the instructions. I'm not really down with cooking my own from scratch food right now. I barely have the energy to eat much food right now, so I'm keeping it simple with the Morning Star set and forget its.

One last thing I've incorporated is a little exercise. I try to do about 30 minutes a day. I'm using the Comcast FitTV right now and it actually has a lot of the videos I actually own for free.

Let's see if we can get to my goal by next Sunday...dun, dun, duuuuuuunnnnn!

Day 7 of HCG

Ahhh....the diet! I have to admit, yesterday, I did go out for cocktails and a chili dog...(it was quite necessary), but all and all I have completed my first week of the diet. So far this week I have lost almost 10 lbs! Almost I say, because yesterday's little diversion threw my count off a little, but today I have had a mostly apple day (will write about that later) so I hope tomorrow the weight starts coming off again.

I started Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred again yesterday. Lady K and I did it together, well she did about 3 minutes and then laid across me and pulled on me as I did the rest. I believe since I had the extra weight of a 26 lb child on me during my work out, I deserved a day off, so today I took it. Instead of the workout, I jogged for about 20 minutes and that was enough.

I have some pictures of what I've been eating, but I just came upstairs to write and had my thumb drive and of course, its lost. I'm not well. I loose everything at the drop of a hat. I have my phone one minute, next, its lost, I have my purse, yep, lost. This is like the longest running case of baby brain in history I'm sure.

Anyhoo, diet going good. I will say, I have surpassed the hump where I'm starving and have to have everything in sight to stuff in my mouth. I don't crave sweets as much or bread. I do think this week will be awesome. I plan to loose lots! More to come... later alligators.

Day 4 of HCG

So, below are a couple of pictures of what I've been eating for the past couple of days...

Spinach Salad with Grilled Chicken and Veggies

Jerk Chicken Sandwich with Hummus Spread and Spinach Side Salad

So far I have lost 5 lbs. I am doing a somewhat modified HCG because I have been soooo hungry this time around. I am allowing myself a few more carbs and mixing my veggies because I need the variety. Also, instead of the apple cider vinegar/lemon juice dressing for salads, I'm using my ultimate favorite Ken's Steak House light Cesar dressing.

This morning, I weighed and hadn't lose as much as I wanted to, which blew me because I'm really trying. But I did eat a huge handful of honey roasted peanuts around midnight, which may of had something to do with it! I'm back. Those peanuts are gone out of the bedroom (how they got these will come in my post about my night eating addiction).

Anyhoo, today, I'm back. After reading an article in Women's World, I'm trying to take more vitamins also. I'm horrible with remembering any pills (maybe how I got the baby and this big anyway), but I'm doing a multi-vitamin, calcium supplement, and vitamin d. A lot of natural girls are taking biotin supplements also, and I hope to try those oneday. One mountain to climb at a time.

My goal is to lose 30 lbs. And after today, my goal is those boy shorts in my previous post. But I'm now 25 lbs away!

Big Girl Panties

I present Exhibit A!

These are cute little boy shorts I used to sport all the time pre-baby. Today, I find these under a box, under a pile in DH's closet. I found these shorts along with a bunch of pre-baby undies that I obviously packed away and planned on wearing (or even freaking know existed) shortly after having her.

Now 2 f'in years later, I'm finding them and for a minute had to wonder were they mine or my 9 year old niece's. It's hard to even consider I was that small! I have a photo with me, talking on the phone to DH wearing these shorts.

So tiny...so, so tiny! And this was pre-breast reduction! Look at that flat belly! Ahhhhh...those shorts have drove me into a full depression. I'm collapsing on the floor...

I know to have a baby, I had to put on my big girl panties, but damn, I didn't know I had to keep them on!

Its looking grim for me. I talk to my girlfriends and they say stuff like, oh, it has taken me 4 years to get my body back, or oh my baby is 15 and I still don't have it back.

Well, this is my pledge...by 6/08/11 (that will be exactly 3 years since this photo), I will be rocking these shorts, I will be rocking the hell out of these shorts! You just wait and see!

My body so far...

So...2 years ago the good Lord blessed me with a little girl. For this purpose we will call her "Lady K". She was a ummmmm pleasant surprise. Before her, I was thick...in all the right places. Now...I'm just plain thick...in places I didn't even know existed. The weight definitely did not just fall off like I expected it to since, in my mind, I'm a superstar and on TV superstars are back sexy in a couple of weeks. Two years later, I'm still working on it.

A few months ago I decided to take my life back and start a somewhat extreme eating/diet plan. It is called the HCG diet. You can google it to get more info, but in a nutshell. Its torture, but the results are quick fast. I lost about 1-2 lbs a day and my dear hubby (DH) lost about 3 lbs a day. We did it for about 3 weeks, you are supposed to do it for 40 days, but we couldn't make it. I lost about 27 lbs and he lost about 35 lbs.

This was about 3 months ago. I have put on maybe 5 of those lbs back and for the new year, I plan to get back on it. We are starting the diet again tomorrow. Wish us luck!

So this is the plan for the diet. Per day you can have the following:
2 fruits (an apple, 1/2 cup of strawberries, or 1/2 grapefruit)
2 cups of veggies (lettuce, asparagus, tomato, cabbage...and only one type per meal)
2 proteins (3 ozs of chicken breast or lean flank steak, or 7 oz fish)
Sauces - apple cider vinegar, lemon, salt, pepper, and garlic
Melba Toast (a couple pieces with each snack and lunch/dinner)
(no liquor...all of this and no liquor)

Don't judge me.

What this ends up being is about 500 calories per day! I know, its drastic. Really drastic. We cheat a little and it ends up being a little more than 500, but definitely not more than 1000. For breakfast I will have an apple, for lunch a salad with one of the meats, for snack, another apple, and for dinner, pretty much the same thing for lunch. Its pretty boring but you can make some good meals and it really works to drop the weight fast. I typically get bored with diets if I don't see speedy results, so this works.

I hope to make it at least 30 days. I did all my grocery shopping today for the next 2 weeks. The meal preparation is what kills you, but if you cook and prepare in advance, all of the food can be done and you can just pick your poison.

I will upload pix of our meals and keep you posted on our progress throughout the next couple of weeks...if I have the strength.

So here are my before and afters...

About 1 year before the baby

Almost a year later and I am about 7 months preggo (how that happen??)

My 30th birthday a couple of months ago, post HCG diet and 27 lb lost.

Can't wait to see what I will look like post HCG again...hopefully we can go to prebaby!!!!