End of 2010

Jami: 161.8
Justin: 205.2

It has been an amazing year!! Not just with weight maintenance, but with life in general. A quick update, Justin and I both got new jobs in the first quarter and are still loving them. we bought a house in September for WAY cheaper than we ever thought possible. We are both very close to work now too. Next year we start Josie and JJ in all day school/daycare. They are going to love it. That is the short version.

With all these distractions, I am happy to say I did not gain back much weight, only 8 pounds. Justin does A LOT more sitting than he used to, so part of his goal is to work in a workout routine after hitting his weight goal. Though we still need to put together the exercise machine...

My new goal is 135. This weight used to seem unreasonable, but I have a friend who just lost 25 pounds on HCG (which she heard about from me) and is down to 135. This is significant because she is the same height as me and has the same fake girls as I do. She looks incredible and that motivates me. I can totally look like her too. :)

Otherwise, the holidays are busy and my two week goal is to not gain any more weight before gorging. Well, for that matter, not during gorging either. I am going to stick to only eating fatty foods, not the chemicals, except wine. Any other suggestions for how to not gain 10 pounds while still gorging correctly?

Thanks everyone!

Jami

Day 9 - Down 1.8 each

Jami: 153.0
Justin: 193.4

Finally! That stutter there was making me nuts! Of course, I didn't eat any protein at lunch, skipped dinner, and skipped my evening grapefruit. We went for a bike ride last night, 16 miles. Justin pulled the kids in a tote, which was 60 pounds. Today we feel like we just got done with a heavy workout only minutes ago. About to eat a delicious looking trout with spinach, tomatoes and garlic. We LOVE garlic. This food is phenomenal, which is why we can keep this up even after the injections stop.

Hopefully all the running around today will keep up the big drops to make up for the lack there of before.

Jami weight lost this round: 6.0
Jami weight lost to date: 19.8
Justin weight lost this round: 10.6
Justin weight lost to date: 21.4

Day 8 - Up and Down

Jami: 154.8 - Up .2
Justin: 196.2 - Down .8

Now I am seriously getting irritated. No cheating in several days, which was super tough at work, and I am still up? And even better, my stomach has been growling in the morning for a couple days now. Almost feels like the HCG isn't working at all. But...can't give up yet.

Otherwise, swamped at work and must go. Happy Friday All!!!

Day 7 - Down .8 each

Jami: 154.6
Justin: 196.2

Sweet, only one day of lag time for my over eating of protein on Tuesday. Justin is steadily losing, so we are happy. Yesterday I successfully circumvented the cake, though I did have a single spoon of frosting.

Tons of work to do, so more postings later. Happy Thursday!

Day 6 - Up and Down

Jami: 155.4
Justin: 197.0

So pissed! I ate on protocol except for 200 grams of steak for dinner instead of 100. It was super delish, must not have been as lean as I thought. Justin has been losing steadily even though he too ate a little more than he should have. He did mention that he has been having an easier time this round. He's not as hungry as he expected. For me, cheating really isn't an option, at least not for food not on protocol. I did have a single cheeto on Sunday. Ah, confession is cleansing.

Today may be a bit hard, we are having cake for someone's birthday. Man I love me some frosting. But Heather is not eating cake either so we are keeping each other accountable. But just thinking about the frosting is already killing me...

There wasn't a post yesterday because I was alone in my office all day. Such a blessing! No talk radio in the background, no hearing about how bad traffic was during rush hour, and no mistakes to fix. And I just loved jamming out to my music all day! "I wanna have a slumber party in my basement"

Off to do more work.

Day 4 - Down .4 each

Weight: 155.6
Justin: 198.something

Sorry, I don't know Justin's exact weight this morning, but I do know he is tracking it on the spreadsheets at home. From Sunday to this morning we each only lost .4 pounds. That's a bit of a shocker, but the steak we had for dinner must not have been as lean as we needed. We also went for an hour bike ride, so not sure if there was some sort of stall from the extra exercise. Either way, all we do at work is sit and eat on protocol. Crossing our fingers for bigger drops tomorrow.

Fun weekend though! We got to go cake tasting for our good friends getting married in September. And by cake tasting I mean three minuscule crumbs, just enough to get the taste. The bride is going with a white raspberry cake that is to die for. Can't wait for it in September. Ramece is the groom to be I mentioned on Saturday and man does he look different!!! You can really see where he lost those 28 pounds. He also shared some amazing food with us: HCG safe soda and miracle noodles. Justin and I both had one of the sodas yesterday, they are tasty. The noodles we are looking forward to as well. They digest as a fiber instead of a carb. Not sure if we'll be brave enough to have them on the protocol or just wait until Phase 3. We'll see.

Oh yeah, tomorrow is going to be awesome!!! My best friend from high school is flying into town tonight for some training over at the National Harbor. I haven't seen her in 9 years, but I get to pick her up tomorrow and enjoy a great evening with her. :) So excited! She knows we are on this diet, but she won't be able to tell by the food Justin makes. I'll post more on that tomorrow.

Jami weight lost to date: 17.2
Justin to date: 16.x

Day 2: Down 3.2 & 2.8

Weight: 157.4
Justin: 200.8

Interesting, seems the more rounds you do the less significant that first day drop is. For me Round one was 5.4 from the first day, Round two was 4.2 (I think), and this round was only 3.2. I am using the word only lightly here. 3 pounds in one day is still quite significant. :) And I can still keep my fingers crossed for a larger than average drop tomorrow too.

In other news; Justin and I are getting a kiddie bike tote or seats for the kids today. We both have bikes now, and it is such a lovely thought to picture our little family riding around some cute little trail. The bike Justin got me last weekend is super cute! It has a 1970's feel to it with the middle bar low and curvy and the seat wide. Whoever would think riding a bike on a tiny seat is fun is crazy. It'll be great family time and exercise too. I am really looking forward to it.

Also, some of you know that I am a Master Recruiter, so I will update you on my three friends who are also on HCG right now.

Ramece: Getting married to a really close friend this September. He is about 5'9" and used to be a heavyweight boxer. He still has that boxer physique, it is just under 3 years of school stationarity (could be a made up word, but you all get the idea) and comfort food. On top of all that, he is one of the greatest people we know with killer smarts. He is truly a great addition to our (small) circle of friends.
His stats as of yesterday: day 20 of the VLCD and down 28.2 pounds!!! For the first two weeks he was averaging over 2 pounds a day. Of everyone I know, he has been the strictest at following the protocol. Not a single cheat. Incredible. And his results are proof. I can't wait to see him tomorrow. Lastly, Ramece is a chef, so his protocol recipes have been amazing and creative. If anyone wants to hear about them, let me know. Braised lemon chicken, strawberry spinach salad, braised cabbage...yum.

Robin: I don't have the most faith in her yet. We work together, offices right next to each other. She ordered a single vial, did really well for a week, realized she was out, and quit. She had lost 10 pounds that week. Yesterday was her first gorge day. I can't really say she had an official round one, but at least she didn't wait long for round one-b. Given she went all out and pretended to gorge for days before her HCG arrived, I am crossing my fingers that she can stick with it for at least 3 weeks. The one shining light here is that I can help motivate her at work, and so can Heather.

Heather: Another coworker. She doesn't really have much to lose other than her fast food induced belly, but she is a rare case. She is diabetic, Type 1. Her doctor didn't scoff the protocol, which is good, and simply told her to listen to her body. Because of that, she has been less strict on the number of calories per day. Also, she didn't actually read the food list, so I caught her eating yogurt and granola bars the first week. In spite of this, she has still lost 11 pounds in two weeks. Now that she has the allowable food list her success should increase. Her doctor did tell her that those foods are great and that all she should modify is how often she eats. I told her to simply add in an apple or protein if she needed. And the best part of Heather's story: She had her normal monthly blood work done after being on HCG for only a week and it had her BEST RESULTS EVER!!! Everything they tested her for was significantly better than her doctor has ever seen. I did my I told you so! dance right there on the spot. I don't know of anything that could be more convincing to the benefits of this diet. :)

Alright, off to do the weekend chores.

Jami weight lost this round: 1.6 To date: 15.4
Justin weight lost this round: 3.2 To date: 14.0

Day 1 VLCD - Down .2

Weight: 160.6
Justin: 203.x

Interesting that the both of us managed to lose weight after the second gorge day! That's pretty good considering I had all kinds of fast food crap yesterday. I wonder if the mojito for dessert had anything to do with it...

The kids have been a little under the weather lately, but not enough to be awful. Instead they go to bed extra early now. It's so lovely. No kids after 8pm. I got to read a great leisure book for over an hour last night. Unfortunately, I am super tired today. Went to bed by 11, but somehow that 7 hours just wasn't enough. I am crossing my fingers that I don't miss anything crucial at work today.

Can't wait for that first big drop tomorrow morning!

Gorge Day 2 - Up 1.8

Weight: 160.8
Justin: 205

Totally normal to be up a couple pounds during gorging. Things have been really busy everywhere, and about to kick into high gear at work, so I am happy to have all kinds of distractions this round. Since Justin is doing it with me we are expecting better results.

Sorry to cut this short, tons of work to do. Until tomorrow...

R3 Gorge Day 1

Weight: 159.0
Justin: 204.0

Not bad, didn't put it all back on, phew. It'll be interesting to try to gorge at work today, what with all that work to do getting in the way. Lol, feels good to be back on the wagon. Looking forward to more good results.

Good news though, the couple weeks I have been fitting in some P90X workouts have paid off. I hate to admit when Justin is right, but I can see a difference in my muscle tone already. This round of HCG is purely to get the rest of the cellulite out of the way so I can focus more on pretty toned muscles.

Time to work, happy Hump day all!!

Update on friends doing HCG

Weight: 154.4 - Decent, I'll take it, along with my no-bake cheesecake breakfast. :)

It is in my nature to be a recruiter; when I get excited about things it can be infectious. With that said, I will tell you all that I now have 3 friends who are on or have ordered their HCG after learning about it (from me, but I am not really keeping track). I would like to share their progress though, to help us veterans with our belief and adherence.

Mece (Groom to be in September): Down 17.4 in 8 days. Not 18 days, just 8 days. He has been able to maintain over 2 pounds a day every day so far. He is on the drops, not the shots.

Robin (Coworker): Down 10 in 2 days. We do all know your most significant loss is right after the gorge days, but who wouldn't love to be down 10 in 2? And she is more of a believer from these results too. Injections are working for her.

Heather (Coworker): Receives HCG drops late this week or this weekend. She is diabetic (Type 1) but is still going to manage this diet with her doctor. Being a lifelong diabetic, she opted for the drops and got them off of ebay. That is the only tricky part. I don't know if I would trust an ebay item that I would ingest, but it was only $30 for a 45 day supply. I'll keep everyone posted.

Me and Justin: Ordered another round this weekend and are expecting it by the end of the May. We have been doing P90X for over a week now. I can totally feel my muscles hurting, but I haven't really seen any other difference. Neither has Justin, but he also thinks I keep making cookies to keep him chubby... ;)

That's all for now, off to work.

Day 24 - Up .4

Weight: 151.4

Barg...Miso soup must have pushed me over the edge. I just thought that Justin made it really salty, turns out Miso is almost pure salt. Doh! So even though I didn't have a chance to eat lunch, my two bowls of salt (yummy yummy) soup did me in this morning. Oh well, still have some time this week to flush it out. :) A word of warning; get enough sleep! The more tired I am the hungrier my body thinks it is, which is bad news for any diet.

Good news, two coworkers are ordering their HCG this week. It's going to be like an office Biggest Loser fest soon. I love to help people, so I am hoping to be somewhat of a ring leader here. And motivator, because I need one too...

Last night I discovered that my new sitter thrives on words of affirmation. She was desperately worried that since I had to climb over a fence to get to the back door that I would be mad at her. She'll see that I am very laid back soon enough, but in the mean time, I wrote her a nice thank you card with my kick butt calligraphy pen last night. She is super nice and thoughtful, we really struck gold with her. :)

So on to work now. Come on warmer weather!

Day 23 - Down 2.8!

Weight: 151.0

Woot woot! Only one pound away from lowest achieved weight again. I'm figuring by Thursday I'll be in the 140s. Yay! Pam, you totally cracked me up yesterday. Here I am worrying about gum while still eating chocolate. Lol, priorities misaligned. :)

I didn't eat exactly on protocol yesterday, but the trade offs I think were allowed. For example, I ate tons of spinach instead of just a handful with my lunch. Then I skipped my grapefruit and had fresh strawberries instead. And those were at 8:30pm, which was definitely only 2 hours before I went to sleep. Seems to have been OK though.

So, I still think the HCG makes me a bit grumpy. And on top of that, my new insurance won't let me get refills on medications as often as I was getting them. For example, I can only refill the same dosage of meds every 45 days instead of 30. Stretching this stuff out stretches me out.

Oh, but I wanted to tell you all, it's only been one day and I already know this is the best sitter I have ever had! Day one and she makes sure to have full juice cups for me to take in the car with the kids!!! So amazing that she thought that far in advance about my commute home. She is such a wonderful lady. Another good sign, JJ didn't fuss at all when Justin dropped him off in the morning. With Zar, he cried every day for a month. I should listen to him more often, he is quite an intuitive little man, just like his daddy. Did I mention that the kids had a snack at 5? That small snack made it possible for us to play outside for 20 minutes while waiting for Justin to get home. It is such a pleasure to have happy kids at night! I know for a fact that I will be baking cookies every weekend for Mita and her family! Oh, and last thing, Josie and JJ will be learning yet another language. Don't ask me what it is, I can't remember, but something foreign and more difficult than English. Ah, life is good. :)

This is also the last week that Justin is going to be working at the watch store in addition to his regular job. It's so nice to have him at home! Every mom can attest to this, kids just act better for dads. So just having him there makes a difference in the way they act. Less whining, more playing, more giggles. So unfair that mom gets the worst of everything yet does almost everything for them...

Job is still a Godsend. It's incredible to feel so appreciated. I wish more employers would understand that most people are good at heart, and the more you appreciate them, the more and better work they will do for you.

Alright, off to work. :)

Weight lost this round: 11.0
To date: 21.8

Day 22 - Flat

Back on the wagon again today, not surprised to see a lack of loss. Snuck a couple pieces of chocolate. But today I have an incredible fish dish that Justin made last night and the promise of yummy boiled shrimp for dinner tonight. Last night Justin made shrimp kabobs that were incredible!! Pineapple, bell peppers and jumbo shrimp skewers; not on the protocol, but super Delicious.

I wonder, what is everyone's take on gum? I know the book says no due to the chemicals, but are there really enough chemicals in a stick of gum to mess up the diet? I want to think no because it helps keep my mouth busy. Hmmm....

Watch out for traffic today, the Nuclear Summit is already causing backups all the way in VA. I'll be leaving early today to avoid being late for my first day with the new sitter. She is so nice! I have a really good feeling about her. :)

Now it's time to send out my ticket contestation letter...Happy Monday!

Weight: 153.8

Day 21 - Random drop :)

Weight: 153.8

Hmmm, YAY! I had a chili relleno for lunch, some Easter candy corns, and pizza at the Sofitel. Actually, it wasn't a large amount of food, but there was tons of walking around DC. Either way, I am back on the wagon today. Justin doesn't mean to, but he makes me feel bad when he points out that I have been slacking off for a week. Guilt is a huge motivator for me. Even though there is more chocolate in the freezer...

Day 19 - I suck

Weight: 154.2

Must just be tired of this...and so out of control! Stupid really. Why can't I resist the cupcakes in the fridge, the chocolate at home and McDonald's on the way to work?!?! And let me tell you, as good as that sugar tastes, it makes me feel like crap! Allergies heightened, sore throat and tongue, increased fatigue and depression and bloating. Dang it!! But all the candy is out of the house now and I have yet to find a Starbucks near my work. I do know tomorrow night will be filled with debauchery, but next week is clean up week. Wish me luck!

Weight lost to date: 18 pounds

And thank goodness, because my clothes look so much better! :)

R2P2 Day 18 - Down .8

Weight: 152.2

I am eating sugar every day. I still love it and there is still candy in the house. So the fact that I am still losing at least a half pound a day (of weight I technically already lost) is pleasing. I figure by Saturday morning I will be right back where I was last week. And of course Saturday night is out really fun party. No worries, I planned to get back on the wagon all of next week for stabilization and recuperation.

My only other comment to day is: Go Pam, Go! I think this round you'll have large losses for more days in a row vs one huge drop followed by regular losses. Go buy a scale! Your peace of mind is worth it. :)

R2P2 Day 17 - Still up

Weight: 153.0

Today I am back on the wagon. I say this in the morning after a soy chai from Starbucks, but I am happy about things. Just keeping the HCG in my body for days like today when I eat below normal caloric needs. I've been lifting weights at night too, which feels really good. None of that lung pain associated with running that I hate. I am also finding that it is easier to not eat when I am busy, so tonight will include a trip to the park with the kids. And a trip to the store for a fan...Man is it hot in our apartment! And you can guess that being too hot does not incline one to drink hot tea.

Honestly I am shocked I even went down at all from yesterday. I ate a cupcake with frosting on it, as well as the frosting off two cupcakes for the kids. Add a couple pieces of chocolate, chips and salsa, and I should have had a gain. After talking to Cat this morning, we both think that round two on HCG does a quicker/better job of resetting your metabolism and keeps large bounce-back type gains at bay. Makes sense to me, let's hope it stays that way.

Babysitter news: Zar approached me last night and asked if she could keep the kids still. She even lowered the price back down to $300 a week, which is what the new sitter agreed to take. In spite of her eliminating the con of a higher price, I still want to go with the new sitter. Not only was her house stain free (a massive feat when you have three kids!), but she understands that sometimes there will be traffic and JJ will need sunscreen every day. Those were two things I could never quite communicate effectively to Zar. I will take the extra 20 minutes of commuting to feel better about the care my kids are receiving while I am at work. Did I mention that Zar would take the kids back if I decide the new sitter isn't working? And the economy is right for good deal making on home daycare. Options abound, take the new sitter. :)

Biggest Loser: Goodbye Melissa! They did a really good job of making America hate her. I'm sure she is a nice person in real life and I wish her all the luck, but was anyone surprised that she went home? I doubt it.
OMG - I am that person who blogs about tv shows...Crap. Fine, off to more important things, like work. :)

R2P2 Day 16 - Recovery Day 2

Weight: 153.6 - Down 2.4 from yesterday

Not bad for a semi botched apple day. :) We still have Easter candy in the house. And you know what, some people's kids drive them to drink, mine drive me to eat crap! It's not their fault, it's the terrible sitter who is torturing me. More on that later.

So I am really comfortable with my weight being in the low 150s. I started working out my butt again, and on top of being super skinny already I do not expect much more weight loss this round of HCG. What I am going to do though, is stay on through next week to recover from this coming weekend (and obviously this past weekend too). It's my colleague's 40th birthday party at the Sofitel in DC. Gonna be crazy! I am betting my weight stabilizes at 151, which is fine. :)

Back to the terrible sitter. To save money, she doesn't give any of the kids anything to eat past 3:30 or 4:00pm. She also doesn't change their diapers past that time. The result: hungry, thirsty, wet kids for me to take home. Of course, I've been at work all day, so there isn't really an assortment of ready to eat food that the kids like. I give them crackers, granola bars, oatmeal, bananas, Cheetos, and PB&J until I can get some rolls, hot dogs, or pasta made. It works, but it takes about an hour for the whining to stop. A purely torturous hour I might add. And yesterday, that hour resulted in a downed strawberry mousse chocolate, soem of Justin's chili, a roll, and another Dove chocolate. Actually, my apple day was botched because I was starving when I got home. I had already had four apples and two cups of coffee, but just couldn't stop thinking about food. I did at least eat the chili first as a filler.

Lol, note that I am reserving all blame for the sitter...And to think, she wants a two week notice after all this bad behavior! Not a chance.

R2P2 - Days 14-15 - Cheaters Never Prosper

Weight: 156.0

It seems completely inconceivable to gain 6 pounds in two days. So I have a theory; all water weight plus the weight of the food I ate this weekend. I was doing really well on Saturday at first, considering I had Laryngitis. I only ate protocol food, even if just a little more than normal. Then it was dinner time and I had already eaten all my food for the day. The kids were running me ragged and I broke down. We had crab cakes and slices of cheese for dinner. Then my loving husband did exactly what I asked him to do, and brought me some Easter candy. Man was it Delicious!!! Justin really was a saint Saturday night. He took the kids out shopping and let me rest at home all by myself. All I did was watch Father of the Bride one and two and exercise, but it was amazing me time.

Then he continued being an awesome husband and took us out to National Harbor for Easter lunch. We ate at a very posh Mexican place, so needless to say, I indulged on chips, quesadillas, and a margarita. And of course, more candy throughout the day. I did try to 'wash' it all out by drinking tons of water and tea, but that seems to have backfired. Instead of peeing it all out like normal I retained at least 50% of it. I know this because my restroom breaks were fewer than normal. And strangely, when I am sick, I feel like exercising. And exercise I did. Nothing too strenuous, just some butt lifts and such. But, put all that together and it is no surprise my weight is up to much this morning. Unfortunately there are several factors here, so my apple day may work and may not work. And either way, I won't have isolated the problem. Wait, who am I kidding? The problem is cheating, no doubt about it. I will just keep my fingers crossed that eating nothing by apples today brings me down a couple pounds a day for the next couple days.

My final comment about the HCG diet: in spite of what appears to be a massive gain, I still look thinner than I have since college. None of that weight is showing anywhere (which is the other reason I think it is water weight).

Other good news from the weekend; we found a new babysitter! Yay! Her house is immaculately clean, her kids are well behaved, her youngest is 2 1/2 and potty trained, and she is super nice. And less expensive than Zar. :) Add that she is exactly half way between Justin's work and home and she is ideal. We are really happy to start with her next week. I am sure this week I will notice even more reasons to be happy about leaving Zar too. Like knowing I won't have to put wet kids in my car in the evenings since they only get changed at 2pm and no later. And not having to carry kiddie cups with me to fill up my parched kids on the way home. And most exciting, No More Bite Marks!

Alright, off to work. Happy Monday!

R2P2 Day 13 - Down .2

Again, not surprised. We had cake again at work yesterday and again I only ate the frosting. What is sucking though is the fact that I don't feel well. Laryngitis I think. I'm about to do some grocery shopping then come home and do nothing for the rest of the day. And by nothing I mean, cook, clean, feed the babies, play with the babies, and clean dirty butts.

The last couple of days have been reshaping days too. I know this because my measurements have changed even though my weight has not. Now as cool as this diet is about getting fat off of you, it doesn't do anything to build muscles. For some of us that means when the fat is gone there isn't anything left. Literally nothing. My next goal is to build up muscle in the flabby areas. Thankfully by flabby I mean lacking tightness, not fatty.

Bleh, being sick makes me REALLY want to eat crap food. It's not ten am and I already had a grapefruit, apple and lots of tea. I hope the miso soup I have for lunch will keep me from binging later!

Enjoy the weekend all!

Weight: 150.0 (So close)
Weight lost R2: 11.4

R2P2 Day 12 - Flat

Oh thank goodness! I didn't binge but was worried about things this morning. I ordered the jumbo shrimp in a "Lobster" sauce. No idea what that sauce was, something clear, so I brushed off as much as I could from the shrimp, mushrooms, and waterchestnuts. For dessert, I only ate the frosting off the top of the cupcake and the top layer of the cupcake. You know what I am talking about, the actual muffin top part. I was so proud of myself! Everything else was right on protocol for the rest of the day too. So for a flat reading this morning, I'll take it.

Then I started feeling sick last night. It was bound to happen, all the kids at the sitter's house have been passing green snot around. My throat started hurting and this morning my voice is terrible. Being a mom limits your ability to be a big baby when you are sick, so my only complaint is that I wish I could eat. Even just crackers, some sort of comfort food. Either way, I may have to break to no medicine rule after taking the family to the doctor tomorrow.

On the home front, Justin and I have discovered that we must have some sort of tee shirt gnome. Justin has 6 undershirts that are actually long enough, but somehow, every week, he manages to not have any by Friday. Now he swears he is washing laundry all week to keep up on the shirts, but somehow, none are clean on Friday. The conclusion: we must have a gnome who eats them. Or the gnome takes them out of the dryer, hides them, and puts them back in the dirty clothes pile on Thursday so none are clean on Friday. Justin is fashioning a trap for the gnome tonight. :)

Time for work, Happy Good Friday All!

Weight: 150.2

R2P2 Day 11 - Down .6

Weight: 150.2

So close, bah! And yet today is going to be a hard day. We are having cake and ordered in food for lunch. I believe I can get a decent salad, but I brought my own lunch just in case. And really, it's not the lunch part that'll be hard, it's the cake. I love frosting. It's yellow cake, which I'm not keen on, so no worries there, but the frosting, oh the frosting! Luckily it's a cupcake cake, so no corner pieces to salivate over. Maybe it won't be that bad. Just one, and not the cake part. Wish me luck... The good news is Justin will be home tonight and keeping me accountable to my dinner. If he weren't there it could easily turn into a full day of going overboard.

Cool work to do today, so I hope everyone enjoys the sunny afternoon. :)

R2 Weight lost: 11.8
To date: 22.6

R2P2 Day 10 - Down 1.0

Weight: 150.8

Is it possible that tomorrow I could break into the 140's? Yes it is! I am not going to question why I am not craving anything nor having a hard time sticking to the protocol, I am just going to keep doing it. :) As a matter of fact, I have really been enjoying my steak, boiled shrimp, cute little salads and veggies. With this round working so well it is just about time to take measurements again. The only side effect; when it's that TOM I am a bit more irritable, but that isn't HCG related and is actually more mild than normal because I don't have nasty food hormones compounding everything. I would also like to mention that I had a crown put on two weeks ago and since starting the HCG haven't had any pain with it at all, not even temperature sensitivity. Again, this stuff is awesome!

Proud Justin moment: He REALLY likes his job! It is one of the best feelings in the world to enjoy what you do. And he is super lucky, it took me three years to find that sort of job, not 3 months out of college. In fact, I think he likes it so much he might simply be on call at the watch store soon. Man would that be great! Evenings and weekends with our whole family? Dream come true. :)

Quote of the day from yesterday: "Yes ma'am, that $11.00 charge is for your free trial membership."

R2 Total Weight lost: 11.2
To Date: 22.0

R2P2 Day 9 - Down 1.0

Weight: 151.8



Phew, back on "track" as they say. And lucky for me, I bought a bridesmaids dress on gorge day one, so I have those measurements to compare to soon. :) The last couple of days were a little uncomfortable too, I think the stomach flu my kids had planted itself in my intestines too. Thankfully no throwing up, but the other end was not fun either... Oh, and I was sad that I missed my grapefruit last night. :(



Tonight is mixing night again. I was so good, I got every last drop out of my current vial to make for an even 200cc's this morning. The bad news: looks like I will either have several days of HCG left over or will be on Phase two for a little longer than I wanted. Maybe I will stay on since Saturday April 10th we are going to the Sofitel in D.C. for what promises to be an incredible evening filled with amazing food and drinks. That's a good plan.



In other news, we are now seriously hunting for a new babysitter again. Zar is super nice, the kids love her, but she doesn't feel the need to communicate with me and it could jeopardize my new lovely career as well as Justin's. For example, last Thursday she told us that we couldn't bring the kids in on Friday because JJ had thrown up all day. Now I don't have a problem not bringing them in when they are sick, but it is an issue when I find out at 6pm the night before. How are we supposed to make work arrangements if we are already off work when you tell us? Heck, if she had called during the day I could have gotten them early, got them better, and not have been scrambling at work on Friday. Then she did it again last night! "JJ cry all day, no nap, eat a lot, you take him to doctor please. No come back if no medicine." Are you kidding me?!? How am I supposed to make arrangements at night for the next day without looking like an unreliable mom? Call me during the day! Then I can take my work home. Not to mention, Urgent Care co pays are twice what regular doctor's visits are. Needless to say, I am unsatisfied and looking elsewhere. Wish me luck!

On to payroll, everyone enjoy the rainy days before the sun comes out this week. :)

Weight lost R2: 10.2
To date: 21.0

R2P2 Day 8 - Flat

As much as I can find reasons that this is unexpected it still sucks. Why is it a bit expected? One, I didn't sleep much last night as my belly was a bit tumultuous all night. Two, it fits my pattern from round one of small losses until tomorrow. And three, I can still have another day of a small loss and still be on the pound a day average, so I am not behind by any means.

Less than two weeks to go too. :)

Weight: 152.8

R2P2 Day 7 - Down .2

Weight: 152.8

Sculpting day I guess, boo. :( Although this fits with my pattern from round one; a week of good losses then a slow down for a couple days. This time though, I hope it doesn't last a couple days. No cheating has occurred but a couple accidents did tick me off. One: I accidentally dumped half a packet of Emergen-C into my cup before realizing it. It has sugar in it, bad bad bad. Two: Justin slow cooked a turkey night before last and I had to de-bone it. While doing so, I ate a tiny piece without even thinking about it. Three: I made steak for dinner and cooked it in butter then forgot to make sure it was super lean. Unfortunately it is the fat that tastes the best, but I did make sure not to swallow the fat once I realized what it was. Gross but true.

Yay! I just tried on my smallest pants from college (the lucky ones ;) ) and they FIT! No muffin top or anything. Holy moly! Maybe my boobs weigh more than I thought they did. If those pants fit I can't be far from college proportions. Woot woot! Of course, I have only been on round two for a week, so I still have two weeks to go.

More updates later, time to shop. :)

R2 Weight loss: 9.2

R2P2 Day 6 - Down 1.4

Weight: 153.0

As expected, a good night's sleep, no throwing up kids, and lots of water before bed did the trick. Tomorrow should be big too, at least I rationalized that since 1.4 and .4 do not equal 2 and my minimum goal is a pound a day. Actually, my real goal is 22 pounds in 22 days. The funny thing is that my high school reunion is really motivating me, though I am pretty sure I won't be going.

I am also super proud of myself because so far I haven't even tasted anything not on the protocol. During round one I would taste food and spit it out, but not this time. And I will say that yesterday was harder than the rest of the week because I was home with the kids and feeding them all my favorite snacks. To battle that this weekend, I have a long list of things to do, including visiting Cat tomorrow. :) By the way Cat, if I forget to mention it any other way, I many need a mixing needle from you. I used my last one for my first vial, then managed to drop it on my toe. The scab is still present... Either way, needles only have a one use shelf life.

You all know my blog wouldn't be complete without a message of revelation, so here is today's: I think all seven pounds I put on in Phase three were all residing in my colon. Super gross, but deucing this week was definitely different than the last time I was on Phase 2. As a matter of fact, Justin is pretty sure that is where is 5 pounds is residing as well. Here comes the colonics, yay!

On a side note, everyone reading this should definitely get their hands on a Chelsea Handler book. I'm reading "My Horizontal Life; A Collection Of One Night Stands" right now and it is hilarious!! She is a phenomenal writer.

Weight Lost Round 2: 9.0
To Date with HCG: 19.4

R2P2 Day 5 - Down .4

Weight: 154.4

No surprise there, my babies were up every hour on the hour to throw up last night. I didn't get any sleep and also did not drink as much water before bed (worried about ingesting kiddie germs). It was actually a struggle to drive to work safely this morning, but thankfully our office coffee is STRONG. I'm jazzed for now. But wishing I had some XS.

I am still super happy about how well this works, especially in the first two weeks. Still have not had the urge to cheat either! Urges to eat yummy food, but Justin helped that by making his amazing chili that fits the protocol. He's such a great husband!

Random story: Since my drive home is long enough to have long conversations, I do. Last night I called a bookgirl friend of mine, Lauren, and found out the she is working in the same building as me!!! It's such a small world; I've been working here for four weeks and this is her first week, and we couldn't live farther apart while working in the same building. There are no coincidences!

And Pam, you are not alone! I just started 5 days ago, so we'll be on this together for at least a week.

Alright, off to accruals and more playing Money Investigator. Happy Rainy Friday All!

Total weight lost R2: 7.6
To date: 18.4

R2P2 Day 4 - Down 1.4

When I look back at my weight loss from the first round, I am already 'ahead of schedule' on this round. And, coincidentally, only four days in and I am already at my lowest attained weight since I got married (more like since October 2008). Man, this stuff is cool!

So I have a theory that this protocol is more meant for people who do not love to exercise, like myself. Of course I always feels good as soon as I am done, but the whole time I feel awful, just willing the time to go by as fast as possible. But with HCG, I can do NOTHING and lose pure fat. It is so much easier for me to limit what I eat and not exercise than to try to make myself exercise. Now Justin is exactly the opposite; he would rather eat freely and work it off. For those people, a couple weeks on the HCG followed by intense exercise seems to be working better. Life is so fun when you find out that it really does take all kinds to make the world go round. :)

My biggest problem right now: I need to by smaller (and of course longer) pants for work. Cheers to Another shopping trip soon!

Weight: 154.8

R2P2 Day 3 - Down 2lbs

Weight: 156.2

Ah, the miracle of the first couple days. :) I've had tons of temptations, but still no real urges to stray from the protocol. Drinking lots of water and tea at night really help too. Oh, and eating grapefruit that isn't over-ripe is nice.

Justin is looking awesome now too! The P90X on Monday is still shaping as of today. He hasn't lost any weight, but there is no need when his muscles are bulging so much. Keep it up, honey!

No other significant news, just working and loving it. Happy Wednesday!

R2P2 Day 2 - Down 4lbs!!

Weight: 158.2

That first day drop is always so wonderful to see! Four pounds, yay! And that ultimate feeling of knowing I am not going to cheat is still there and still encouraging me. I was telling Justin this morning that I can handle feeling hungry in the morning a lot better than I can handle it at night, so I adjusted my eating schedule around that. In the morning I drink TONS of coffee/tea/water, then my apple at 10am, lunch at 2pm, and dinner at 7pm. That way I only have the minimum 3.5 hours of being awake after my last meal. In the middle of the day I get swamped and have a harder time drinking the right fluids, so I load up again in the evenings. And I still shout, "God bless Stevia!" Any sort of sweet craving that I could have is easily managed by a nice hot, sweet tea.

So Justin started P90X yesterday, and it kicked his butt. Matter of fact, his muscles were really pretty last night, possibly swollen from the workout, but pretty no less. I am crossing my fingers that it gives him the results he wants since it takes so long for the HCG to get here.

And Cat, I miss your daily blogs. I know you are busy with school, but I miss those few minutes of Cat musings. Pam is starting round 2 next week, and I am excited to see how well it goes for her. :) You girls are a great support group.

Merry Tuesday!

R2P2 - Day 1 VLCD

Weight: 162.4

I did not feel well most of yesterday and didn't gorge like I could have because of it. I did eat lots of chocolate, but I think that contributed to the ill feelings. Plus it was really hot in our apartment even with the windows open. Either way, I only gained a total of .4 pounds over the two gorge days. Here's hoping that doesn't slow my weight loss the first couple days as we all know those are the big drop days.

I have had a very interesting feeling this time around: I just know I am not going to cheat this time. So far I am not even feeling any craving to cheat. And of course, the first couple days of the VLCD are marked with hunger since you just spent two days stuffing your stomach to the point of stretching. Again, thank goodness I am swamped at work and don't really have time to think about food.

On to invoicing. Happy Monday all!!

Gorge Day 2 - Up .2

Hmmm, I do have one explanation for why I only gained .2 since yesterday: I have sort of been gorging for days now, not just yesterday. But I did eat tons of good stuff for gorge day one! Everything mentioned in my previous blog as well as portobello and cheese stuffed ravioli in a cream sauce, tirimisu, and salad and bread sticks from Olive Garden, mint stuffed Oreos all day, and a Cadbury cream egg.

This morning I have already had some swiss cheese slices and peanut butter chocolate ice cream. Next I am making myself some Tapioca pudding. Thank goodness I am busy enough at work to not over eat or be as tempted by food. :)

Tomorrow marks the first day of a perfectly executed Phase 2. Woot woot!

Weight: 162.2

R2P2 - Gorge Day 1

Morning Weigh In: 162.0

Damn, can't believe I packed back on seven pounds already! Well, I can believe it, I have been eating tons of sugar and fast food lately. Lol, technically I have been gorging for days now, it's just that today will be the first day I get to do it with HCG coursing through my veins. We are about to pack up the kids and go have brunch with several friends at a pancake house, then for dinner we are going to be out with more friends. Sounds like the perfect time to fill up on all that food I will be missing next week. Hopefully I'll get some good candy in this weekend too. :)

Everything else is good, loving the job, and so if Justin. Have a happy weekend all!!

Mid day update: I am feeling a bit sick from all the sugar I've already ingested. French toast, eggs, bacon, coffee, toffee chocolate bar, Cheetos, swiss cheese quesadilla, mint oreos and soy milk. And here is Justin, taking bites of everything I am even though it's not a gorge day for him (oops). Olive Garden for dinner and more chocolate until then. Grossly yummy.

HCG has arrived!

So guess who wants to order another round of HCG? Justin! He's been exercising and counting calories for three weeks with no real results. He is frustrated, as anyone who does that is. And since we got the post office notice today that my HCG is here, I will be ordering another round for him tomorrow. Rest assured though, I will not be delaying starting my next round in order to wait for Justin's to get here.

How funny is this? I weighed less just now, with my hair soaking wet than I did this morning. I am not sure if it was the monster drop off at the pool or that fact that I haven't eaten since lunch (crown and two fillings at the dentist this afternoon). I just hope that going to bed right now will ensure I am not heavier in the morning.

As everyone else has noticed, steak days lose their effectiveness over time. Knowing that, I too will be more strict with following the protocol exactly in my next round. Leaving it all on the field is the only way to feel confident with any project. And I am really excited for my gorge days, which are scheduled for this weekend. My dear friend Laura Berry is joining us for another celebration dinner on Saturday. Pizza, pasta, and sugar, BEWARE! My mouth is watering already.

Off to bed.

Morning: 159.6
Evening: 159.0

Anxiously waiting for more HCG

Jami: 158.0

I think I finally stabilized enough to eat candy in the morning and not see significant gains the next day. This is three pounds above my last injection weight, but I try not to worry about things unless I get near 160. I wonder if it was all the house work I did last night that helped. Or it could just be that I am super happy with my new career and those happy feelings are making me energized. Scratch that, the Daylight savings crap negates it all...

Arg! The kids are staying up way too late because their little bodies don't know that the time changed. Everything is great when your kids are on a schedule, but it sucks when that schedule is changed (and for no reason!). It's still not even warm/dry enough to take the kids outside and wear them out. Boo.

Justin starts training today. :) He looked extra handsome in his suit this morning! His weight loss has staggered since he started working out, but his muscles are taking on a whole new level of definition. Yum yum, he is looking good!

Ooops, time to work. Love you all!

Lany, call me today at 3 your time if you can, want to catch up on how you and your mom are doing. :)

Steak day again, I must like it...

Yay! Justin got the job he wanted!! Woot woot! HE really deserves this and we are both thrilled. He is now a Research Analyst for a small 7 person firm in Alexandria. It's work he can do, loved in school, and they loved his sales background. He's going to rock it! Justin and I got to celebrate his new career last night with a fantastic sushi dinner! Probably the best sushi dinner we have ever had. Totally worth it.

So today is supposed to be a steak day, but I already ate some candy and cereal. I'm being good now, so not too much damage was done. Of course I have a major headache to deal with. And normally I would battle it with comfort food... But alas, I am going bridesmaid dress shopping tomorrow and need to be thin and not bloated tomorrow. Let me tell you, I don't like that it takes so long for those dresses to come in! Three months! Most women's bodies can change a lot in that amount of time. Especially one who is dieting with such a successful tool. Good thing the dress has a corset back.

I do want everyone to know that eating crap food in Phase 3 (and probably anytime) does not feel good. I am more tired than I was on the HCG and more irritable. It could be that I finally have a job that is mentally invigorating, but I really do think it is mostly due to crap food. Lesson noted, but I am still not willing to give up candy. I guess I will just have to be moderate with it and do the HCG as an annual maintenance ritual.

Jami: 161.0
Justin: New job euphoria :)

Day umpty-um - Steak day again

Ah yes, eat stupid, steak day to fix it. Honestly, I am just trying to maintain being under 160 until my next batch of HCG arrives. And I know that we all have areas of this protocol that we know we will do better in the next round, mine is perfecting phase 3. So for now, I am still under 160, but too close to eat like crap today, so it's another steak day.

So really good things are happening for Justin!!! He has his third interview this morning with Promar International. I really think it is just formality that he is meeting the fourth and final partner (who was out of town last week). My reasoning? They asked for Justin's references yesterday as well as told him last week that the final candidate would know early this week where they stood. So, he is going in this morning and will hopefully have a job offer by the end of the week. Of course, Justin is super smart, so he also has another interview lined up for Thursday morning with another company. This job would be more exciting for Justin, more in line with what he really wants to do in life, but the pay doesn't thrill us. So Promar pays better but isn't as exciting. Hopefully that will be a decision for Justin this week or next. :)

Also good Justin news: He did an apple day on Monday to rid his body of water, then ate really well and worked out yesterday, and VOILA! Back down to his lowest weight achieved on the HCG protocol. 192.8. He is visibly thinner this morning too. What a great way to start the day when you have a promising interview to go to. Yay!

My new career, which I am no longer referring to as a job, is still so great!! I get to do contract administration and tracking, financial tracking, and invoicing, all skills I learned at Flatirons but get to perfect with QSI. One thing that is really funny, everyone keeps asking me how bad the commute is. It isn't bad at all! 33.2 miles takes me 35-37 minutes. My gas mileage is significantly better already. It's all beltway (interstate for all you non-east coasters) travel, hardly any traffic, and breezing by the inner loop people all stuck in their traffic. There are two slow downs just before the bridge and at the exit before mine, but it's hardly ever a complete stop. So lovely. And God bless this nice weather we are finally getting! My body likes its vitamin D.

Off to work!

Jami: 159.4
Justin: 192.8

P3 Day 11

Nothing really exciting to report. The fix it steak day still works. :) So I ate a bunch of crap today. Tomorrow might be hard, I have a meeting downtown that may take all afternoon, after which I am sure we will be eating out. I'll just have to make sure it only protein.

So Justin did an apple day today. He remembered that Creatine, which he has been taking since he started working out again, makes your body retain water for rebuilding purposes. The apple day has already done at least part of its job; Justin weighs less tonight than he did this morning before he worked out. We are hoping it does the rest of its magic over night.

Also exciting, Justin has yet another interview with the same company on Wednesday. This is the small think tank firm he would love to work for. It almost seems like a formality that he has to go in for a third interview, but the fourth partner was out of town last week. Everyone cross your fingers that he gets this one (because the others ones, while also good, don't pay as well or are part time).

Cat, you may feel like things are slow, but you are right, you are still ahead of the curve. Expect one pound drops and you won't feel as disappointed when you do. That is the average. :) And try not to stress this week while finishing up your projects! Stress kills!

Love you all!

P3 Day 10

Steak day again. :) I am actually really loving the do what I want, fix it with a steak day routine.

Justin has been going super strong with working out yet he is STILL gaining over a pound a day. We both think he may be retaining water where his muscles are being beaten up. Makes sense to me! But I know it is really frustrating for him to eat well below his daily calorie needs and workout like crazy yet be gaining weight. That is exactly how I felt right before my first round with the HCG. Huh, that must be why I am doing it again!

Taking the kids to the park.

Jami: 158.6
Justin: 197.0

P3 Day 9

Should have been another steak day, but Justin was home with us all day, so I'll just do it tomorrow. Yes, I know that is strongly advised against in the book, but a healthy relationship with my husband is highly recommended. Plus, my trend seems to be steak day, f*** up day, steak day to fix it, f*** up day, steak day to fix it. Sounds like I let myself be bad because I know it'll only take a day to fix it. In the long run, it's not a fix at all, I do realize that. Honestly, I am just waiting for my next batch of HCG to come in so I can do Phase 2 again, and much more strictly this time. And I am sure Phase 3 will be done more effectively as well. :) Especially since I am still flipping back and forth between wanting and not wanting to go to my High school reunion. I finally have a job I am proud of and very shortly will have a body to match.

Seriously, Justin has been a workout machine lately! His muscles are popping out all over the place. And we did his measurements again yesterday morning. He's lost a total of 7 inches from his belly, 4.5 from his chest, 3 from his hips and 3 from each thigh. His clothes look so big on him. As a matter of fact, we got him some new pants today, and he is down to a size smaller than when I met him! Woot woot!

And tonight Justin made mustard chicken over braised cabbage. It sounds nasty, but man is it delicious! The recipe came from the email Cat sent me, which I distributed to all who follow this. Now we did go to Red Lobster for lunch, and none of that was on the list of approved food, but like I said above, I'll fix it tomorrow.

Justin on the job front: He now gets 2-3 hits a week. He had three interviews last week and a couple phone screens that should turn into interviews as well. We are keeping our fingers crossed that something turns into a full time job off soon. Go Justin!

And as I am sure lots of you have already heard this week, I Love my new job! The people are hard workers and dually rewarded. It is super exciting to come in when a company is in turmoil and help fix it. It really puts a stamp of ownership on things. I am looking forward to many years of hard work!

And yes, the kids (including Justin) have been sick this weekend. Fevers and runny noses and such. But I think the fresh air, fresh fruits and veggies, and tons of juice with Emergen-C in it will have done the trick by Monday. Of course, tomorrow will be a day of relaxation too. :)

Kudos to Cat for AWESOME results thus far! Keep up the good work!

Jami: 158.0
Justin: 195.4

P3 Day 8

So the steak day worked again. :) Back down to 156.6. Of course, at work today we had a family style lunch that was ordered from a local Chinese place. Let me tell you, the Hot and Sour soup was terrible! So were the fried wantons (which I got for the kids!). The steamed vegetable dumplings were pretty good though. My new company does this once a month, so I am hoping I can find some better stuff to eat each month. And I am certainly not going to try the "Italian" food served by the Chinese place.

And Justin had an interesting experience. He weighed himself After we ate the steaks and again two hours later (no deucing in between) and somehow he weighed less! So that means he was questioning me ALL night. "How is that possible? That steak (it was actually two pretty big steaks) weighed at least a pound after we cooked them. How on earth could he eat over a pound of meat and two hours later weigh less?!?! Who knows, but he ended up losing a pound overnight as well. Oh the unknown science of the HCG diet and stabilization period.

Hopefully my eating today doesn't make me have to have another steak day, but I wouldn't be surprised. I was super late picking the kids up yesterday due to bad traffic for Justin and the sitter was pretty upset. To make it up to her (for cheap of course) I made her some cookies. I only ate about 5 I think, including the dough. So weird though, when I get a lot of sugar in my belly it makes me really sick! I never used to lose my food, but lately any excessive amounts of sugar can make me toss my cookies, literally. And Cat, you can appreciate how crappy that is! All things in moderation, huh?

Now to take care of three sick babies...

Jami: 156.6
Justin: 194.0

P3 Day 7 - another steak day...

Another steak day already. I noticed that all my latest posts have been about steak days too. What does that mean? I am a yo-yo and not stabilizing correctly. So yesterday I could eat what I wanted except no sugar, starches or chemicals. And what did I eat? Sugars, starches and chemicals. Dumb dumb dumb. But oh well, I will be super busy today and Justin is cooking steak again tonight. So yummy!

Now Justin's biggest frustration is that he has been working out and taking in fewer calories than he is burning, but he is still creeping up on the scale. There isn't any logic that I know of that explains this either. Can anyone shed some light on this?

Good luck on your test today, Cat! You're gonna rock it!

Jami: 159.2
Justin: 195.2

P3 Day 6 - Steak days work!

Just as Pam discovered, Steak days work! I am back down to 156.8 and Justin is down to 194.0. So great! And steak days are hard for us, thank goodness they work so well! And we are really not sure how they work. We both weighed about five pounds more the night before. SO how does cramming the world's biggest, most buttery steak into your belly at night, and not deucing make you lose weight? Who knows, so maybe we aren't supposed to ponder it. :)

Since I felt very depraved yesterday I sort of went overboard today. I drank a couple hot chocolates at work, ate a hershey bar for breakfast and had a couple cookies after dinner. Maybe I'll have another steak day tomorrow. Good thing I have so much work to do I won't notice. Either way, I need to be able to eat on Friday; it's a company holiday and they order Chinese for the entire office. It's been so long since I had Chinese...mmmm....

So Justin had a really good day today! He had a second interview with a little think tank place that he would do very well with AND got called for another interview today for another great position. We are keeping our fingers crossed that one of these turns into something soon. Thankfully both positions seem to need filling sooner rather than later, let's hope by this time next week he'll have an offer or two in hand.

How is my job going you ask; INCREDIBLE! There really is a ton of work, and lots of the things I did at Flatirons are going to be really helpful here. God Bless Mr. Gatewood for seeing potential and investing in that instead of solid, previously attained skills. I am going to rock this company!

Alright, time for a bath. Night Ya'll!!

Jami: 156.8
Justin: 194.0

P3 Day 5 - Another Steak Day

Ah, the sweet creep up on the scale has pushed us to another steak day, well, another for me and Justin's first. I didn't think it wise to attempt a steak day on my first day, but today is as good as any and I am still 2.8 up from my final injection weight. Justin is only up 2.2, but really wants to maintain his hot new physique. Obviously he is doing much better with the discipline than I am! The worst part for him is all the crap they have to eat at his work; stay away from the cake! Thankfully my new job hasn't been a hoard of sweets piling up in the kitchen yet. However, I suspect a monthly birthday bash will be happening since I signed 3 birthday cards today.

I am thankful for the steak day for three reasons: One, I know it works and I will be down significantly tomorrow. Two, yesterday my belly was so tumbly and wreaking havoc on my calm office demeanor that I am glad to have fewer issues with it today. Try spitting out nothing but tea you naughty butthole! I am still crampy and bloated from that TOM, but it's something I can handle. :) God bless having so much work to do you don't have time to worry (as I sit here and write my blog...)! And three, Justin makes the world's most incredible steaks ever! Yummy yummy yummy!

So I have another friend joining the "I am doing the HCG diet" ranks. He ordered his drops yesterday so they should be here about the same time as my next HCG batch arrives. I am trying to get him to start a blog and track his progress as well. And he is super motivated because he is getting married in September. :)

Lol, at my new job, I have already been able to identify someone who doesn't like me, go figure. She is a really nice lady, looks incredible for her age (she's 47 and I thought she was 27), but has an attitude not to contend with. She has been cordial to me, but I have not missed her looking me up and down both days with a look of disgust on her face. No worries, I dressed more demurely today hoping she never thinks I am in competition with her. She really has the boss' ear so I want her to feel respected. It's a good learning experience, she will like me, I am determined. :)

Other than that and the trots yesterday, work is AMAZING! My wonderful husband has flawlessly taken care of the kids each morning, safely delivering them to the sitter before going to work himself. My colleague is super nice and a hard worker, my boss is compassionate and hearty, and the other ladies in the office are very nice as well. I was busy all day, ate lunch at my desk, and left in time to pick the kids up at 5:45. I have not told the sitter I got a new job yet, she would want a raise herself, even though she got a 150% raise over Christmas when I didn't get this job until this week. And she can't tell me she needs more money when she hired an assistant.

Alright, off to learn some more.

Jami: 157.8
Justin: 195.0

P3 Day 4

WOW! The steak day really worked! I am back down to 158 this morning. Now the question is, was it the food from INOX, the steak day or some virus that gave me 'tender' stomach all day? And it wasn't nerves of a first day.

Justin is almost above two pounds, but I am so proud! The incredible dinner we had at INOX didn't do him in like it did me. Dang men and their great metabolisms...

Unlike other people I know, the steak day was really hard for me! I was hungry almost all day and all I could think about was when I got to eat. That is probably because I was at home all day feeding the kids. That is what normal dieting feels like; hungry and grumpy all day. I'm sure if I had to do one while working I would be fine though. Just a few awkward moments when I explain why I am skipping lunch. It may happen tomorrow for all I know. I didn't know if I should do a steak day two days in a row, so I opted no, but it I am not down a pound tomorrow I will be on it again.

As for today, I did really well! I had my two apples, chili and a salad for lunch, all kinds of kosher tea and coffee, noodle-free lasagna (actually, I fed the noodles to the kids) and a grapefruit for dinner. And more tea, love me some vanilla tea!

So my first day of work was AWESOME! Worked so hard we forgot about lunch until after one, did payroll all day, learned their systems, wrote down some ideas for the future, and in general had a magnificent time. I even got to hang my pictures of my babies. :) This place is going to get my very best and I theirs. What a blessing. Everyone reading this, all I did was write down that I make XXX THIS year and read it out loud daily for a month. I didn't know where or how I was gong to make that money, but I was sure I was going to. Goal setting 101, write it down and read it daily. You are what you think about.

Now time to bathe the kids.

Jami: 158.0
Justin: 194.8

P3 Day 3 - Steak day already

Justin got to eat regular phase 3 foods today, but I did not. And I lived to tell the tale that a steak day is something you can survive. I was up again this morning, but not surprised since we had the party last night. I am just a bit upset that eating the same thing as Justin yields far worse results for me. At this point, I am curious if you are supposed to do two steak days in a row if you are still up more than two pounds from your last injection day. I am going to guess that I may be doing that tomorrow to continue to correct the ill affects of my actions this week. And Pam was right, fair warning that a steak day will leave you with bad breath all day!

So I want to mention that I have not felt myself at all today. There are two reasons that I think have caused this more upset, more volatile Jami to appear. One is normal to women in general every few weeks, that TOM. And let me say, this one is much worse than I ever remember experiencing, albeit two weeks later than expected (yay!). Cause number two: I had a temporary crown put in on Tuesday. Since they had to shave all around the tooth (a top back molar), I have had lots of swelling and pain since Tuesday. As a matter of fact, the only way to manage my pain (and therefore my temper) has been with Tylenol. I am convinced the Tylenol is evil, aside from it's pain relieving properties. So which is worse? Being in pain and super grouchy or not being in pain but having less control over emotional eating? Pick wisely, right...

For all of you following this blog, postings will now be happening at night. Tomorrow is my first day at my new job and their privacy policies strictly discourage personal time on the internet (as they should since I get paid to work and not play!) Let me tell you, I am SUPER excited to go to work tomorrow! I have my hair all in rollers, my bag packed, my lunch and outfit planned and my training manual read. Get ready for some fun reading tomorrow evening. Night ya'll!

Jami: 161.4
Justin: 194.2

P3 Day 1 - Up .4 and Down .4

Jami: Up .4
Justin: Down .4

Oh well, right? I had a great time with my coworkers on Thursday and it is just going to take a few days to get rid of that. I did do very well on protocol yesterday, minus the green tea latte from Starbucks. Surprisingly I wasn't that hungry.

Justin is happy about his drop though. But enough about yesterday, today is the treat day! We had scrambled eggs with goat cheese and half a sausage for breakfast. Just now Justin made some more chili, which we get to put cheese on now. :) While he was making the chili, we cut up two apples and some smoked apple wood Gouda. So yummy! It's just about nap time, after which we are taking the kids to the play place. Since my party is tonight, I am making lasagna for our babysitters. Of course, who can resist lasagna?!? So, I am making half of it without noodles. That way Justin and I can have some this week too. Cheese, meat, and tomatoes are all on the not restricted list. :)

Tonight might be hard, given we are going to a restaurant. But we are going to avoid the breads and hopefully the desserts. Desserts are always my weakness. We will be drinking, me less than Justin though (sulfide allergy). And I wanted to comment on drinking. The book doesn't outline specifically not to drink, and I think it is fine. Here's why: Alcohol may turn to sugar in our bodies, but so do apples. And though wine won't say it is organic, it usually is. Actually, wine is more organic than bottled water! So, other than the normal risks of excessive drinking, go for it! It shouldn't affect the diet. :)

As promised, I did reorder my HCG last night. For two reasons: One, to compete with Justin, and two, I went shopping yesterday and was disappointed. Though my friends think I am crazy to want to lose more or look like I did in college, I still want to. And actually, I was just disappointed that the clothes I tried on weren't as flattering as I had pictured them. Don't get me wrong, I don't have much more to go, maybe 10-15 pounds. So I only ordered enough for 3 more weeks. In the meantime, I have however long it takes for it to get here to finish round one of phase 3 and workout. Perhaps the working out will make things look better too.

Jami: 158.6; Total Weight Lost: 14.2
Justin: 193.0: Total Weight Lost: 21.8

Day 28 - Up 3.2 and Up .2

Jami: Up 3.2 (OMG!)
Justin: Up .2

Holy crap, what did I do to myself!! For this to be true, I had to have not expelled ANYTHING I ate yesterday, and I mean nothing! Not the water, tea or food. I will admit, I had a fun time eating yesterday, but as Pam said, I felt ill most of the afternoon and evening. At my lunch at Chili's I definitely ate all the chips and salsa I wanted. They were corn chips deep fried in oil, which I am sure is still sitting in my stomach as of this morning. I had one bowl of Chicken Enchilada soup (not that good) and a salad (no croutons) to go with the chips, and we had Southwest Egg rolls. Oh, and Blackberry tea and a Chai tea from Sbux. Ooops. So, maybe I will be the first person to have to do a steak day the first day they are off the VLCD. I am on protocol food today in a cleansing effort, but we'll see. Did I mention they are NOT serving steak at my party tomorrow night? Interesting.

Justin is a bit peeved too, up .2. Hopefully he will read Pam's stuff from the last couple days and see it does take 3 weeks to stabilize. He'll be fine though, he's tough and disciplined.

We did decide to start a new type of competition too! I am going to order more HCG for myself, another 23 day round, but none for Justin. We are both going to jump right back into exercising, starting tomorrow. I will be working out along side Justin clear until I start round two. Since protocol only has walking in it, I will be doing that, if I do it at all, when injections start again. Just for any non-believers still out there, my round two will be an excellent time to see who loses it faster and better. We all know it'll be me, but I want more solid proof in my blog. And since we are going to be working out almost daily in the interim, Justin's metabolism will be ramped up AND he'll get to eat good food with me both from now until I start R2 and during it.

I guess that means I better get to reordering! Oh, and cleaning out my desk since this is my last day at Flatirons. :) Goodbye Bit**es!

Jami: 158.2; Total Weight Lost: 14.6
Justin: 193.6: Total Weight Lost: 21.2

Day 27 - Flat and up .6

Jami: No Change
Justin: Up .6

Uh Oh! Justin is pissed! He had a few slices of cheese and a piece of summer sausage with dinner last night, that must have done him in.

More later, off to lunch. :)

Jami: 155.0; Total Weight Lost: 17.8
Justin: 193.4: Total Weight Lost: 21.4

Day 26 - Down .4 and .6

Jami: Down .4
Justin: Down .6

So now I am getting a bit frustrated! Three perfect days of protocol and tiny losses? I'll give it one more day and see what happens. Well, 3 days actually, since today was the last day of my injections. :) Woot woot! Let me say this too, I had to will the scale to read the way it did, by getting on it ten times and doing the average. Only twice did I get readings below 155! Justin on the other hand, registers losses every morning, first try. We are going to do some exercise tonight, and I hope it works.

Bane of my existence: Bagels and cream cheese. And right now, this very second, there are cinnamon sugar bagels, asiago cheese bagels, veggie cream cheese, and honey walnut cream cheese just ten feet from my office. How awful! It was all I could do not to touch one as I got my coffee this morning! Oh carbs and sugar how I miss thee! And cheese, my lovely lovely friend cheese. At least I can eat you in P3...

Work front news: Andy is still an a**. He suggested I move up my last day to this Friday and lied about why. Go figure. I am sure he just wants to be rid of me as I want to be away from him. Good riddance putz, you are about to lose many of your finest workers. And Pam's advice did work! I am getting paid for almost all my unused holiday time and 100% of my vacation time. Andy asked me to come in for a bit each day this week "in case something comes up" and I agreed (it's the right thing to do to not disappear completely in your last week). But afternoons are MINE! Today it is training with my new company, tomorrow it is lunch with my favorite coworkers, and Friday is a shopping day! I really look like I am wearing my moms work clothes that are too big...

And about lunch tomorrow, I don't know how good I can be! I can guarantee that I eat at least one chip from Chili's, though I will try to fill up on soup and salad first. It's gonna be so yummy!

Jami: 155.0; Total Weight Lost: 17.8
Justin: 192.8: Total Weight Lost: 22.0

Day 25 - Down .2 and 1.4

Jami: Down .2
Justin: Down 1.4

.2!?!. Really!?! Only .2 after one of my more perfect days? Boo! My only cheat was three conversation hearts. And I even ate a little less chicken with dinner to make up for the calorie difference. Arg, arg, arg. Fear of the plateau is really setting in now. I wasn't quite as hungry yesterday, just bored.

But Yay Justin! He was hoping for a good loss today, and he got it. :) I don't know about other women's husbands/spouses/boyfriends, but I have noticed that Justin is MUCH better at food discipline than I am. He had a perfect day yesterday, and it really paid off. He too was bored at work, which made him think he was hungry when he wasn't.

So we made a decision this morning: We are doing our final injections tomorrow. We are only wasting 2 days of HCG, so it could be worse. This way we'll be on the VLCD for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, but NOT this weekend. :) My holiday party is Saturday night, and though I am planning to eat on P3 protocol, I still want the option to eat whenever I want. We are still not going to buy any carbs, sugars, or chemical stuff in order to minimize temptations. But lovely, lovely cranberry goat cheese, dried Italian salami, and cheddar eggs, here I come! Justin is excited to get back to exercising. His mind feels much better when he can eat when he wants and burn off the guilt later. Not me, I don't like exercise...

And the latest with Andy: he is still an a**. My resignation letter had no explanation in it, so he is taking it upon himself to make one up for me. "No one ever told Jami that position would be more than admin, so I don't know why she thought it would." But let me tell you what he in August when I told him I was bored and had goals, "Just keep doing what you are doing and your position will change and grow with you." Idiot, no wonder so many people are leaving and think he is incompetent. Oh well, 12 days and he no longer matters. :)

I am very excited to go shopping this weekend for food! One of the emails Cat sent (Thank you!) had a bunch of recipes for P3 attached to it and they ALL sound so yummy! And honestly, in 23 days of dieting I lost 17.4 pounds of PURE FAT (and cellulite too!). Take out the 2 major cheat days and their subsequent readjusting days after, and I lost right on the one pound per day average. Same for Justin, who actually lost more.

Alright, off to write my exit interview outline. :)

Jami: 155.4; Total Weight Lost: 17.4
Justin: 193.4: Total Weight Lost: 21.4

Day 24 - Down .8 and Flat

Jami: Down .8
Justin: No Change

Ah, the faux pas of thinking you can eat restaurant food and things will be ok. Justin did his absolute best yesterday, minus the two crumbs of blue cheese and french fried onion strings, to eat a healthy salad, but apparently it didn't work. My concern was that there was sugar/chemicals in the balsamic dressing. Who knows. Lesson learned, no dressing from restaurants!

And down .8 is totally doable for me. :) It was almost a perfect weekend of eating for me, only one cheeto and one cheerio. Not too shabby if I do say so myself, especially because it was harder than normal to stay on protocol. I'm not sure if my threshold is only three weeks, but I was REALLY hungry all weekend. Which makes me miserable. So since I am still losing fair amounts of weight, I have no idea what to do about it, if anything. I don't appear to be plateauing, but my body is trying to tell me something. For now, I can handle it day by day. If I start seeing a decrease in weight lost daily, I'll go up to 800 calories a day, but until then, I will be gulping down the tea and coffee for their fullness effect.

Lol, today will be interesting at work too. Andy received my resignation letter Friday night, asked me for a specific day, and has already decided to ignore me today. That's perfectly fine with me, the less explaining I have to do, the better. Of course, I had TONS of conversations in my head with him this weekend, most of which centered around the "You can't be surprised" theme. My only hope at this point is that they do not announce my leaving until next week. We have our holiday party this Saturday and I prefer that it not feel like a going away party with lots of explanation.

Anyway, PAM! I know you have been working hard all weekend, and even looked smashing for Monte Carlo night, but I am dying to hear how you are doing. No pressure of course. :) I hope your weekend was wonderful!

Jami: 155.6; Total Weight Lost: 17.2
Justin: 194.8: Total Weight Lost: 20.0

Day 23 - Down .6 and 1.2

Jami: Down .6
Justin: Down 1.2

Darn! Yesterday I did everything perfectly and Justin still beat me. I was really hoping to have over a one pound loss to inch me closer to the pound a day average. Let's hope my body isn't thinking I am approaching a good weight to hover around forever. 155 may be my pre pregnancy weight, but that is still 15 - 20 pound over what I was in college. Granted, I ate nothing and danced the night away 4 nights a week in college, but I didn't have any fat back then.

Good job Justin though! He is rapidly approaching the 30 total pounds lost (20 from the HCG and 7 from Phase 1) mark. Let me tell you, his pants don't fit at all. And his suits are all starting to swim on him. As we approach the final days of injections, he too has a new resolve to make the last few days really count. In order to spice up the menu this week, we are making Pam's chili again. The only difference, we are cutting the onion amount in half. The book says not to mix veggies in the same meal, so we are minimizing that while trying to keep flavor. As Lany's mom is finding out, it is harder to stick to this if your food sucks.

More news and tips for Lany: For the first week I did eat the super boring steamed chicken and lettuce, no spice meals. It wasn't that bad, but I did get tired of it quickly. What I found though, is that lemon, pepper, and apple cider vinegar make a world of difference to how everything tastes, especially fish and salads. On top of that, Justin and I still add garlic to almost everything. When we have roasted cherry tomatoes we have a couple teaspoons each of minced garlic. None of these additions seem to have done any harm to our weight loss. Another controversial food is shrimp. A friend of Cat's, Demi, who was sort of the pioneer of our group doing this (and unrecognizably skinny), had a harder time losing when she ate shrimp, but Cat, Justin, and I haven't seen any noticeable adverse declines. So, a nice sauteed (in lemon juice) 100 grams of shrimp are a great on the go meal. We even eat them cold with lemon juice.

Arg, I hit a vein this morning. That has never happened before. It didn't hurt, just a little scary. I guess I'll have to move further down the butt to get pure fat. Boo, what a problem to have! ;)

Today I am taking the kids to see Cat and Mac, Yay!! She is back on the wagon and in gorge days, but I am excited to make chili at her house too. I'm sure she'll be eating tons of good gorge food, which I applaud. The better you gorge the better your first week is. Since Justin and I have been doing this for over 3 weeks now, I am VERY comfortable eating with other people and not snacking. Actually most my friends know what I am doing and respect that I eat my own food.

Holy Sh**!! We just did some measurements. Here are the old ones and the new ones are below them:

Jami:
Beginning:
Hips - 44.75", Waist - 29.5", Bust - 36.75", Thighs - 26"
Day 23:
Hips - 41.5", Waist - 27', Bust - 39.5", Thighs - 24"

Justin:
Beginning:
Hips - 42.5", Waist - 44", Chest - 46.5", Thighs - 38"
Day 23:
Hips - 41.5", Waist - 38", Chest - 43", Thighs - 36.5"

YAY! Not sure that my bust really got bigger (or maybe perkier), but look, look, look! I am down a total of 7 inches!! 3 in my hips alone! And Justin is down 6" in his belly!! This is great motivation to keep up the good work this week. Of course, Justin has the Insanity Workout Video infomercial on right now too...

Since we don't know exactly how many days our current batch will last (we think through Friday), I do have a lunch that may be harmful. It's going to be my going away lunch with my closest coworkers, scheduled for this Friday, but I am going to see if I can move it to the following week. That shouldn't be a problem, just depends on if Andy exercises his right to NOT keep me for two full weeks. Oh yeah, so the state of Virginia only requires companies to pay out a minimum of 50% of your accrued vacation. There has been rumor that Flatirons is paying out just the minimum. Bastards.

Man, I am having a ton of random thoughts this morning. Let me tell everyone, Honey Vanilla Chamomile tea with a packet of Stevia is FANTASTIC! The BEST dessert tea possible. Speaking of Stevia, Justin and I use no restraint in our use of it. My sweet tooth would not allow it and I would have crashed and burned the first week. Next thought; My TOM started on my second gorge day, lasted for 5 days, and that was 13 days ago. Before the diet I was getting it every two weeks (just like my mom), but I am really hoping that that was because of my poor eating habits. I guess we'll see this week. If it is on it's way, that would explain the decrease in pounds lost per day. Lol, I wonder if I took a pregnancy test if it would show up positive from the HCG. Everything I read said that when HCG is used for fertility treatments it is used in 100 times higher dosages. Too bad I am too cheap to waste a $4 pregnancy test to find out... Although, the last two jobs I had I got when I was pregnant. That trend stops with this job!

Off to get the kids ready to go see Cat. :)

Jami: 156.4; Total Weight Lost: 16.4
Justin: 194.8: Total Weight Lost: 20.0

Before Picture

This was taken by a photographer friend a couple months after Josie was born. It's the best representation of what I looked like back in January.

IF I could draw an arrow to the spot I detested the most, it would be the saddle bag area. My butt was HUGE! My belly looks ok here, it was after only one kid. This picture is also pre boob job.

Ignore the terrible hairdo...

Day 22 - Down .4 and .8

Jami: Down .4
Justin: Down .8

Still working, still working, still working, Yay! I am actually not surprised by this, yesterday was a long day of emotional waiting, and I filled some of the time with 20 Conversation Hearts, 10 cheerios, 4 Cheetos, and a thin slice of Parmesan. Justin is right, more than a mouthful is too much. But we are still losing consistently and can't complain. :)

The emotional waiting I was talking about? Well everyone knows it is good sense not to resign from one job before you have the official paperwork for a new one, so I was waiting desperately all day for my official official offer letter to come into my email. It is a clue as to how much work I am stepping into that the President is working 16 hour days right now and only had a chance to send my Offer letter at 9pm. Yay, real work to do!!! So yeah, I was waiting all day, imagining telling Andy in person that I was leaving. I ended up sending my resignation in email (wussy, I know) but they needed it sooner rather than later. As a strategic move I didn't include a specific last day. My new job will take me ASAP and I figured Andy would understand that even though I am obligated to give him two weeks notice, he is not obligated to take it all. He didn't get it, so that will be a fun conversation on Monday. It was super awkward when he came in telling me that March would hold more office move work to do.

Funny that this blog morphed into and HCG results blog plus personal life updates. Oh well, emotion, food, and life all seem to be tied.

So a quick shout out for Justin: he got Another phone screen with another company. You really have to be a tard to mess those up, so we are expecting he will get two interviews sometime in the next two weeks. Everyone keep your fingers crossed that he gets the best one possible!

Back to the diet. We only have enough HCG for about a week each. With that in mind, I have renewed resolution to stick to protocol for the next 7 days. It's only 7 days, and everyone remembers the end of projects not the beginning. No regrets! That would put me just into the 140s and Justin just into the 180s. Both of us will consider this diet EXTREMELY effective with those results in round one. One funny coincidence; we may not have too many temptations next Saturday like we thought we would. For all I know, they will dis-invite me from the Holiday party. They shouldn't, but Andy doesn't have morals like the rest of us. If they do, we have plans to go to a friend's house for a Mexican Food Orgy, and as long as we avoid the tortillas we should be fine.

Jami: 157.0; Total Weight Lost: 15.8
Justin: 196.0: Total Weight Lost: 18.8

P.S. The Conversation Hearts are at work. :)

Day 21 - Down 1.4 and 2.8!

Jami: Down 1.4
Justin: Down 2.8

Bam!! Back on schedule!! Exactly as I predicted; it takes 4 days to get back where you should be had you not cheated. Justin is down exactly 18 pounds in 18 days (top of his gorge days). He was so excited for another big drop that he hesitated before getting on the scale the second time to verify. He was pleasantly surprised to see that it was correct. :)

As for me, I saw five different readings: 157.8 (Cool, a pound), 157.0 (Really!?!?), 157.2, 157.2, 157.6. So I settled on the average of 157.4. Sounds reasonable to me, especially since it's still a more than one pound drop. I didn't do anything super special, just rode my bike for 30 minutes and got some extra sleep. And allowed myself to eat (and spit out) two Conversation hearts.

Boo, I actually have work to do, transition stuff. Have a great day everyone!

Jami: 157.4; Total Weight Lost: 15.4
Justin: 196.8: Total Weight Lost: 18.0

Day 20 - Down .8 and 1.6

Jami: Down .8
Justin: Down 1.6

Yay! Love this diet! Pants that I couldn't zip two weeks ago are so baggy they look bad. Shopping trip! And Justin is in the 190's!!! Goodbye 200's!

Confessions: Justin eats a small piece of bread and/or slice of cheese almost daily. And I have small daily cheats too. Like one M&M or a pinch of bread. Or flavored coffee instead of black. So really, it kills the mind a lot the more you do it, but super small amounts don't seem to be affecting our weight loss. Hindsight may make us think differently though...

I was telling Cat this morning that my injections started hurting. But for a VERY good reason: I no longer have pockets of fat to inject into!! The only spots left are in my butt and I am still hitting muscle. Don't let this scare you, it's a GREAT problem to have. And really, it isn't bad enough to make me even consider stopping.

Job update: I GOT IT!!! They loved me. He didn't even check my references. I will be starting March 8th. The position is so exciting! It will be me and another guy being and building the finance department. All the processes are already in place, it's just a pile of work that needs to be done. And related to my degrees, finally. :) I was mostly attracted to this job because of the people. Until you've worked in Corporate America for a while, you have no idea how important it is to respect and admire your coworkers. The work will always be there, but if you can't smile at your coworkers you are in trouble. Literally, if Andy were a decent person I wouldn't want to leave so bad. My new boss, Wayne, has three main qualities: Passion, compassion, and is demanding. He wants his people to work hard and he will go above and beyond for them in return. That's exactly what I need! Someone to have expectations and want to help me accomplish them. The drive will be so worth it! It's against traffic and my drive to DC for the new Flatiron's office would have been just as far without free parking...

Anyway, off to do the right thing (creating manuals of my work at Flatirons).

Jami: 158.8; Total Weight Lost: 14.0
Justin: 199.6: Total Weight Lost: 15.2