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
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
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
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
Friday, February 26, 2010
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
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
Thursday, February 25, 2010
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
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
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
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
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
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
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
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
Monday, February 22, 2010
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
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
Sunday, February 21, 2010
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
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
Saturday, February 20, 2010
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. :)
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. :)
Friday, February 19, 2010
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
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
Thursday, February 18, 2010
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
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
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Day 19 - Down 1.2 and 1.8
Jami: Down 1.2
Justin: Down 1.8
See, told ya. :) One more day and I will be right back on track to the one pound per day, same for Justin. And let us tell you, cheating is SO not worth it. Not just the following days of working hard to get back on track, but the bloating, fatigue, heartburn and terrible deuces. Don't do it.
Every day there are little things we are noticing. Today Justin mentioned that I haven't been complaining of terrible sleep lately. I thought about it, and yep, I have been sleeping better and better the longer I am on this. Now I can't say it is all from the diet because of the other things going on in my life, but I am sure it is at least partly helping. The other thing I recently noticed is that I am not hungry nor experiencing those random hunger pangs. Hopefully this is the beginning of my emotional break from food. You know, the part where you no longer crave food for emotional comfort.
Now Pam, I wanted to give you some preliminary Phase 3 advice (even though I haven't been there, this is mental attitude stuff). DO NOT buy steaks unless you have to do a steak day. By not buying them now, you are not telling yourself that you will mess up and that the steak is there for that occasion. This goes for everything is life, as I am sure you know being the athlete you are. People tend to set themselves up to fail in the name of caution. Justin and I are going to buy only the food recommended and not the steak unless we have to do steak days. Plan to win, the grocery store is convenient enough that you don't need to stalk up. :)
And Lany, no excuses, order the injections. David will see your incredible results and that will dissolve any needle apprehensions he has (or at least minimize them). It'll be harder for you at first, but well worth it.
Shout out to Cat; Congrats on the In-Person Interview!!! It's a wonderful game plan to be on the diet for a few days before and during the interview. They are going to love you!! Who wouldn't?
News on my interviews yesterday: they both were AWESOME!! The first one, The Perfect Job, was the best though. It was not a traditional interview AT ALL. None of those "What is your biggest strength/weakness, what do you bring to the table, why do you want to work here? BS" It was about my personality and work ethic. Which are solid solid compared to the pile of beans labeled 'What I have done." So he emailed me last night me to tell me they are checking references today and will be extending an offer this week. Everyone cross your fingers I get the amount I asked for. :) Thanks all for your support!!
Off to make backups for when I leave this place.
Jami: 159.6; Total Weight Lost: 13.2 (back in the 150's! Woot!)
Justin: 201.2: Total Weight Lost: 13.6
Justin: Down 1.8
See, told ya. :) One more day and I will be right back on track to the one pound per day, same for Justin. And let us tell you, cheating is SO not worth it. Not just the following days of working hard to get back on track, but the bloating, fatigue, heartburn and terrible deuces. Don't do it.
Every day there are little things we are noticing. Today Justin mentioned that I haven't been complaining of terrible sleep lately. I thought about it, and yep, I have been sleeping better and better the longer I am on this. Now I can't say it is all from the diet because of the other things going on in my life, but I am sure it is at least partly helping. The other thing I recently noticed is that I am not hungry nor experiencing those random hunger pangs. Hopefully this is the beginning of my emotional break from food. You know, the part where you no longer crave food for emotional comfort.
Now Pam, I wanted to give you some preliminary Phase 3 advice (even though I haven't been there, this is mental attitude stuff). DO NOT buy steaks unless you have to do a steak day. By not buying them now, you are not telling yourself that you will mess up and that the steak is there for that occasion. This goes for everything is life, as I am sure you know being the athlete you are. People tend to set themselves up to fail in the name of caution. Justin and I are going to buy only the food recommended and not the steak unless we have to do steak days. Plan to win, the grocery store is convenient enough that you don't need to stalk up. :)
And Lany, no excuses, order the injections. David will see your incredible results and that will dissolve any needle apprehensions he has (or at least minimize them). It'll be harder for you at first, but well worth it.
Shout out to Cat; Congrats on the In-Person Interview!!! It's a wonderful game plan to be on the diet for a few days before and during the interview. They are going to love you!! Who wouldn't?
News on my interviews yesterday: they both were AWESOME!! The first one, The Perfect Job, was the best though. It was not a traditional interview AT ALL. None of those "What is your biggest strength/weakness, what do you bring to the table, why do you want to work here? BS" It was about my personality and work ethic. Which are solid solid compared to the pile of beans labeled 'What I have done." So he emailed me last night me to tell me they are checking references today and will be extending an offer this week. Everyone cross your fingers I get the amount I asked for. :) Thanks all for your support!!
Off to make backups for when I leave this place.
Jami: 159.6; Total Weight Lost: 13.2 (back in the 150's! Woot!)
Justin: 201.2: Total Weight Lost: 13.6
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Day 18 - Up .4 and Down .2
Jami: Up .4
Justin: Down .2
The race back to normalcy after the cheat is currently being won by Justin. :) No worries though, I think my body might just be filling up space that used to have fat in it with water and that will clear out in the next two days. I didn't see any new or returned dimples this morning, so I think it is safe to say it is still working. :)
Not to mention I am totally psyched about my interviews today that I don't even care about the gain this morning! Well maybe not as much as I could care; I did skip dinner and just ate my grapefruit instead.
Short blog today, time to put the kids in bed. And Pam, the name of the restaurant is Vaso's Kitchen in downtown Alexandria. If you ever want to make the trip, we would be glad to take you there!! After phase 3 of course. :)
Jami: 160.8; Total Weight Lost: 12.0
Justin: 203.0: Total Weight Lost: 11.8
Justin: Down .2
The race back to normalcy after the cheat is currently being won by Justin. :) No worries though, I think my body might just be filling up space that used to have fat in it with water and that will clear out in the next two days. I didn't see any new or returned dimples this morning, so I think it is safe to say it is still working. :)
Not to mention I am totally psyched about my interviews today that I don't even care about the gain this morning! Well maybe not as much as I could care; I did skip dinner and just ate my grapefruit instead.
Short blog today, time to put the kids in bed. And Pam, the name of the restaurant is Vaso's Kitchen in downtown Alexandria. If you ever want to make the trip, we would be glad to take you there!! After phase 3 of course. :)
Jami: 160.8; Total Weight Lost: 12.0
Justin: 203.0: Total Weight Lost: 11.8
Monday, February 15, 2010
Day 17 - Up 1.0 and 2.2
Jami: Up 1.0
Justin: Up 2.2
We were totally expecting this today. Last night was amazing and bad all wrapped together. We did well all day but went overboard at dinner last night. It was the BEST food I have had all year! I did well with just water and coffee, then a single glass of red wine. Then we started in on the bread, the heavenly heavenly bread dipped in olive oil. Appetizers: Artichoke roasted in garlic olive oil and Zeste feta red pepper spread on pita bread. Dinner: We split an entree of Veal wrapped in ham and cheese and topped with grilled shrimp, garlic butter covered broccoli. Dessert: Filo dough pastry stuffed with orange custard and tirimisu soaked with Bailey's instead of Kahlua. Again, the best meal we have had all year. Fortunately or unfortunately, however you choose to see it, all that sugar made me super nauseous and I ended up losing all the dessert and half the entree. Of course guilt settled in, so I drank more than half a gallon of water and tea right before bed.
Oddly, I am not freaking out about this small gain. Here's why; logic (or what I think is logic) kicked in and I think I understand the chemistry of what happened and will happen in the next couple of days. Even though I cheated, it is not like my body changed gears and decided to store up excess fat overnight. I am a little bloated looking, but none of the fat I lost off my butt and thighs reappeared. Instead, I think that messing with the food/HCG chemistry simply told my body to store extra water. Justin and I have both noticed that the two days after cheat weight shows up, we tend to lose a couple pounds a day in order to get us right back to the pound a day average.
And with that in mind, we are both strictly back on the protocol. Even better, we ordered more needles last night (forgot alcohol wipes, but should be able to find those in a store) in order to continue the protocol until we run out of HCG. I think we have enough to last an additional week over our planned 23 days. Maybe that is the way to do it. Plan on the minimum and when you are overwhelmed with results and stop feeling hungry (about 5 days for us) then decide to go longer. Justin and I are very mentally prepared to go longer, especially since this was supposed to be our last week of round one. What's one more week? Also, Justin decided we need to do another round and we will be reordering soon. According to his official "what-you-should-weigh" website, we still have 15 - 25 pounds each to go. The HCG will tell us when we are done losing excess via an unshakable plateau. Then it'll be exercising time, woot woot.
So, even though it seems like a wasted day, we are sure our bodies will over compensate and even things out.
Jami: 160.4; Total Weight Lost: 12.4
Justin: 203.2: Total Weight Lost: 11.6
Justin: Up 2.2
We were totally expecting this today. Last night was amazing and bad all wrapped together. We did well all day but went overboard at dinner last night. It was the BEST food I have had all year! I did well with just water and coffee, then a single glass of red wine. Then we started in on the bread, the heavenly heavenly bread dipped in olive oil. Appetizers: Artichoke roasted in garlic olive oil and Zeste feta red pepper spread on pita bread. Dinner: We split an entree of Veal wrapped in ham and cheese and topped with grilled shrimp, garlic butter covered broccoli. Dessert: Filo dough pastry stuffed with orange custard and tirimisu soaked with Bailey's instead of Kahlua. Again, the best meal we have had all year. Fortunately or unfortunately, however you choose to see it, all that sugar made me super nauseous and I ended up losing all the dessert and half the entree. Of course guilt settled in, so I drank more than half a gallon of water and tea right before bed.
Oddly, I am not freaking out about this small gain. Here's why; logic (or what I think is logic) kicked in and I think I understand the chemistry of what happened and will happen in the next couple of days. Even though I cheated, it is not like my body changed gears and decided to store up excess fat overnight. I am a little bloated looking, but none of the fat I lost off my butt and thighs reappeared. Instead, I think that messing with the food/HCG chemistry simply told my body to store extra water. Justin and I have both noticed that the two days after cheat weight shows up, we tend to lose a couple pounds a day in order to get us right back to the pound a day average.
And with that in mind, we are both strictly back on the protocol. Even better, we ordered more needles last night (forgot alcohol wipes, but should be able to find those in a store) in order to continue the protocol until we run out of HCG. I think we have enough to last an additional week over our planned 23 days. Maybe that is the way to do it. Plan on the minimum and when you are overwhelmed with results and stop feeling hungry (about 5 days for us) then decide to go longer. Justin and I are very mentally prepared to go longer, especially since this was supposed to be our last week of round one. What's one more week? Also, Justin decided we need to do another round and we will be reordering soon. According to his official "what-you-should-weigh" website, we still have 15 - 25 pounds each to go. The HCG will tell us when we are done losing excess via an unshakable plateau. Then it'll be exercising time, woot woot.
So, even though it seems like a wasted day, we are sure our bodies will over compensate and even things out.
Jami: 160.4; Total Weight Lost: 12.4
Justin: 203.2: Total Weight Lost: 11.6
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Day 16 - Down 1.0 and 1.8
Jami: Down 1.0
Justin: Down 1.8
Stay on Protocol! That's it, nothing more is really needed.
Victory! I am out of the 160's! I am sure this post will be full of exclamations. :) And those of you who read the post yesterday before 11pm get to know that I did cheat a bit. Our babysitter for tonight has been under the weather all week, but isn't canceling on us, so I made her cookies. Three dozen of them. Not the ones that come as dough and you just pop in the oven, the actual Nestle Tollhouse recipe. I thought about substituting Stevia for sugar but decided not to since almost all the cookies are going to Zar and I need to get rid of my non-organic sugar before Phase 4. And even though the kids split three and a half cookies, I only had half of one. And a teaspoon of dough. The results may show up tomorrow in a lack of loss or super small loss, but I am ok with that. I still feel quite victorious having held myself to so little cheats in the face of the cookies. And of course, I rode my bike for an hour at more than a leisurely pace to counteract the cookie. :)
Next it is Justin's turn to break into the 190's. He is one short pound away! I really believe men are more disciplined when it comes to food and that I am attributing to his ability NOT to eat any dough nor cookies last night. His reward? An almost two pound drop in one day. Tonight may be harder for him than for me though. It's easier for him to refrain from eating food, but put decent wine near him and it's torture not to let him drink it! Since I figured out I am allergic to the sulfites in wine, it's a lot easier for me not to drink. So as this festive evening brings many temptations, the biggest of all being trying not to look like freak dieters, we have a solid plan of attack. We are taking the kids to the play area in Tyson's 1 to wear them out. Then some shopping and back to the house at lunch time. If we are lucky, that will result in a two hour nap this afternoon. Then we will send them outside to "clear off" the balcony to wear them out some more. Our dinner is at 7, wish us luck!
Word of advice: make sure you are doing your shots only into fat! It stings a bit when you start hitting muscle.
I want to note that Justin's total weight loss including two weeks before the HCG is now at 21.0 pounds. We are in no way claiming that you cannot lose weight by lowering your calorie intake and working out. But we are claiming that doing the protocol is a LOT easier than anything else AS WELL AS the best targeting weight loss EVER! Justin's belly and chest seem to be the only places the fat is melting away. Same for me, just in my butt, thighs, hips and waist. You girls know what I am talking about, the saddle bags between your belly button and knees. :) Ok, infomercial finished. Call now to receive your special internet offer...
Jami: 159.4; Total Weight Lost: 13.4
Justin: 201.0: Total Weight Lost: 13.8
Justin: Down 1.8
Stay on Protocol! That's it, nothing more is really needed.
Victory! I am out of the 160's! I am sure this post will be full of exclamations. :) And those of you who read the post yesterday before 11pm get to know that I did cheat a bit. Our babysitter for tonight has been under the weather all week, but isn't canceling on us, so I made her cookies. Three dozen of them. Not the ones that come as dough and you just pop in the oven, the actual Nestle Tollhouse recipe. I thought about substituting Stevia for sugar but decided not to since almost all the cookies are going to Zar and I need to get rid of my non-organic sugar before Phase 4. And even though the kids split three and a half cookies, I only had half of one. And a teaspoon of dough. The results may show up tomorrow in a lack of loss or super small loss, but I am ok with that. I still feel quite victorious having held myself to so little cheats in the face of the cookies. And of course, I rode my bike for an hour at more than a leisurely pace to counteract the cookie. :)
Next it is Justin's turn to break into the 190's. He is one short pound away! I really believe men are more disciplined when it comes to food and that I am attributing to his ability NOT to eat any dough nor cookies last night. His reward? An almost two pound drop in one day. Tonight may be harder for him than for me though. It's easier for him to refrain from eating food, but put decent wine near him and it's torture not to let him drink it! Since I figured out I am allergic to the sulfites in wine, it's a lot easier for me not to drink. So as this festive evening brings many temptations, the biggest of all being trying not to look like freak dieters, we have a solid plan of attack. We are taking the kids to the play area in Tyson's 1 to wear them out. Then some shopping and back to the house at lunch time. If we are lucky, that will result in a two hour nap this afternoon. Then we will send them outside to "clear off" the balcony to wear them out some more. Our dinner is at 7, wish us luck!
Word of advice: make sure you are doing your shots only into fat! It stings a bit when you start hitting muscle.
I want to note that Justin's total weight loss including two weeks before the HCG is now at 21.0 pounds. We are in no way claiming that you cannot lose weight by lowering your calorie intake and working out. But we are claiming that doing the protocol is a LOT easier than anything else AS WELL AS the best targeting weight loss EVER! Justin's belly and chest seem to be the only places the fat is melting away. Same for me, just in my butt, thighs, hips and waist. You girls know what I am talking about, the saddle bags between your belly button and knees. :) Ok, infomercial finished. Call now to receive your special internet offer...
Jami: 159.4; Total Weight Lost: 13.4
Justin: 201.0: Total Weight Lost: 13.8
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Day 15 - Down .6 & 2.6
Jami: Down .6
Justin Down 2.6!!!
Go Justin, Go Justin, Go Justin!! Finally a big loss to even things out. What do I mean? Well, you are supposed to lose about a pound a day for every day you don't cheat. Now we are both right on track. Unfortunately, that also means I need to clarify the numbering system. Today's blog title is Day 15, which is the number of days we have been injecting HCG. I am including today as one of the 15 since we do our shots in the morning (as you are supposed to). Since the first two days of injections are load days, we are not counting them as weight loss days (VLCD days). We have been on the VLCD for 13 days, including today even though it isn't finished. To understand how the math is averaging out here, we have completed 12 weight loss days (not today) and have each lost over 12 pounds. The days and pounds will match up at the end when we stop taking the injections and continue the VLCD the additional two days that the HCG won't be clear of our bodies.
So my reaction this morning: "OMG, get me out of the 160's!!!" I know I shouldn't be disappointed, but I have been on the cusp of the 150's for days and days and days it feels like. The reality is I am VERY pleased with the transformations thus far, they have really exceeded my expectations. And Cat, you are so right, I shouldn't be obsessed with any particular number. But I am. And probably will until I break that barrier.
You all will be pleased to know that after the disastrous temptations last weekend and this past Wednesday that I was trapped in the house with the kids, this weekend is jam packed with friends coming over, shopping trips, and children's play areas to keep us occupied. There are two reasons, the first already stated, to be unaware of temptations, and the other is to pass the time before I get a call back on an interview that I am so totally psyched for I can hardly be five feet from my phone.
What about an interview? Well, since you asked...I got THE BEST phone call yesterday morning. The President/Owner of a small business that contracts to the government called me about a senior level Administrator position. That sounds dull, but when he described it he was talking about what I want to do to a tee. Admin plus project coordination plus proposal writing/costing/editing/delivery/implementation, the works. And it's a small company so there is plenty of work to do (my main issue with my current job being the ungodly prolonged workless hours) and the better you do the higher you rise. Finally a place to take ownership and have that work for me! Does this sound familiar? It should, it's exactly what Flatirons was when I joined. Unfortunately, the additions and changes in executives and leadership have all but squashed what once was. So say it with me, "Come on Mr. Gatewood, call Jami ASAP to schedule that interview!!! She lives a mile from you and can meet for coffee whenever you are ready." And of course, I have been over analyzing the conversation for the past 24 hours. He mentioned that I needed to look at the website. I did, and it very clearly states in multiple areas that they have incredibly low turnover due to a highly selective interview process. They even named it the Candidate Screening process. Sounds to me like there is a personality test involved. Or maybe not that high tech, but an unwritten test of some sort. Drawing from that conclusion, I am now worried that since he said he would call me back yesterday afternoon to schedule the interview and hasn't yet, but gave me his email address "in case I had questions," maybe I am supposed to email him some questions to show how eager I am? Or maybe it's just that he is the President/Owner, there are over 100 employees, and most people were trapped at home all week, so his work piled up. Either way, I need as many distractions as possible to keep me from going insane.
Question for you Pam and Cat: The book says no fast food and no chain restaurants. What is the ruling on family owned hole-in-the-wall restaurants? I ask because Justin and I are having dinner with some friends tomorrow at one such place. Lucky us, it's Greek, so we should be able to get good meat and salad fixings and not look like dieters. But how safe is it to think the food they get isn't exactly the same prepackaged crap that chain restaurants get?
Final note: Justin hasn't had heartburn AT ALL the entire time he has been on this diet. Might not sound like much, but it was so bad he was taking Prilosec almost daily as well as 10-20 tums a day. Even after he cut out sugar he would still get it pretty bad. So if anyone wants to be heartburn free, do this diet.
Now off to the store before Jason gets here.
Jami: 160.4; Total Weight Lost: 12.4
Justin: 202.8: Total Weight Lost: 12.0
10:35 pm: Success! I made 26 cookies for the babysitter for tomorrow and only ate a teaspoon of dough and half a cookie. Maybe a minor success, but considering there were 36, it's phenomenal! Justin didn't have ANY! Woot woot!
And...my interview is Tuesday, Yay! I emailed the guy and he called me five minutes later to set it up. Go persistence. :)
Justin Down 2.6!!!
Go Justin, Go Justin, Go Justin!! Finally a big loss to even things out. What do I mean? Well, you are supposed to lose about a pound a day for every day you don't cheat. Now we are both right on track. Unfortunately, that also means I need to clarify the numbering system. Today's blog title is Day 15, which is the number of days we have been injecting HCG. I am including today as one of the 15 since we do our shots in the morning (as you are supposed to). Since the first two days of injections are load days, we are not counting them as weight loss days (VLCD days). We have been on the VLCD for 13 days, including today even though it isn't finished. To understand how the math is averaging out here, we have completed 12 weight loss days (not today) and have each lost over 12 pounds. The days and pounds will match up at the end when we stop taking the injections and continue the VLCD the additional two days that the HCG won't be clear of our bodies.
So my reaction this morning: "OMG, get me out of the 160's!!!" I know I shouldn't be disappointed, but I have been on the cusp of the 150's for days and days and days it feels like. The reality is I am VERY pleased with the transformations thus far, they have really exceeded my expectations. And Cat, you are so right, I shouldn't be obsessed with any particular number. But I am. And probably will until I break that barrier.
You all will be pleased to know that after the disastrous temptations last weekend and this past Wednesday that I was trapped in the house with the kids, this weekend is jam packed with friends coming over, shopping trips, and children's play areas to keep us occupied. There are two reasons, the first already stated, to be unaware of temptations, and the other is to pass the time before I get a call back on an interview that I am so totally psyched for I can hardly be five feet from my phone.
What about an interview? Well, since you asked...I got THE BEST phone call yesterday morning. The President/Owner of a small business that contracts to the government called me about a senior level Administrator position. That sounds dull, but when he described it he was talking about what I want to do to a tee. Admin plus project coordination plus proposal writing/costing/editing/delivery/implementation, the works. And it's a small company so there is plenty of work to do (my main issue with my current job being the ungodly prolonged workless hours) and the better you do the higher you rise. Finally a place to take ownership and have that work for me! Does this sound familiar? It should, it's exactly what Flatirons was when I joined. Unfortunately, the additions and changes in executives and leadership have all but squashed what once was. So say it with me, "Come on Mr. Gatewood, call Jami ASAP to schedule that interview!!! She lives a mile from you and can meet for coffee whenever you are ready." And of course, I have been over analyzing the conversation for the past 24 hours. He mentioned that I needed to look at the website. I did, and it very clearly states in multiple areas that they have incredibly low turnover due to a highly selective interview process. They even named it the Candidate Screening process. Sounds to me like there is a personality test involved. Or maybe not that high tech, but an unwritten test of some sort. Drawing from that conclusion, I am now worried that since he said he would call me back yesterday afternoon to schedule the interview and hasn't yet, but gave me his email address "in case I had questions," maybe I am supposed to email him some questions to show how eager I am? Or maybe it's just that he is the President/Owner, there are over 100 employees, and most people were trapped at home all week, so his work piled up. Either way, I need as many distractions as possible to keep me from going insane.
Question for you Pam and Cat: The book says no fast food and no chain restaurants. What is the ruling on family owned hole-in-the-wall restaurants? I ask because Justin and I are having dinner with some friends tomorrow at one such place. Lucky us, it's Greek, so we should be able to get good meat and salad fixings and not look like dieters. But how safe is it to think the food they get isn't exactly the same prepackaged crap that chain restaurants get?
Final note: Justin hasn't had heartburn AT ALL the entire time he has been on this diet. Might not sound like much, but it was so bad he was taking Prilosec almost daily as well as 10-20 tums a day. Even after he cut out sugar he would still get it pretty bad. So if anyone wants to be heartburn free, do this diet.
Now off to the store before Jason gets here.
Jami: 160.4; Total Weight Lost: 12.4
Justin: 202.8: Total Weight Lost: 12.0
10:35 pm: Success! I made 26 cookies for the babysitter for tomorrow and only ate a teaspoon of dough and half a cookie. Maybe a minor success, but considering there were 36, it's phenomenal! Justin didn't have ANY! Woot woot!
And...my interview is Tuesday, Yay! I emailed the guy and he called me five minutes later to set it up. Go persistence. :)
Friday, February 12, 2010
Day 14 - No Change, Down 2.4
Jami: No Change
Justin: Down 2.4
Huh? Really? Ok fine! Damn slice of parmesan cheese, 10 cheetos and 10 cheerios... Just goes to show that little cheats mess up the chemistry of the protocol food. No big deal though, it wasn't a gain. On the positive side, I tried on my dress collection to see what I want to wear to my company holiday party (yep, in February...) and everything fit nicely! Whoo. Maybe I need a new dress then... ;)
Justin: "Phew, finally! Cheating just isn't worth it." It's taken 4 days to get him back to his lowest weight acheived so far. I don't think he'll be straying from the meal plan for the next 7 days. Go Justin!
7 days...that's all we have left...that's it? Wow. Why did I cheat at all?!?!? Three weeks isn't enough time to mess around! So here is our plan: 100% on protocol for the next 7 days, see where we are going into Phase 3 to determine when/if to reorder, 100% faithfulness to the Phase 3 restrictions (1800 calories a day max), and reimplementing working out.
Pam, if my calculations are correct, we will be doing Phase 3 simultaneously. Let's rock it. By the way, Pam rules! She has been on Phase 2 for almost 40 days now and has been incredibly faithful to the protocol. Her results speak that as well. Keep it up, Pam, you're doing the best of any of us!!
Time for the slightly off-subject comments. I'm reading an Office Etiquette and Protocol book for fun, but it says not to wear anything strappy, bright-colored or otherwise too sexy to office holiday parties. Really?!?! My first choice dress is bright blue and green, strappy and boobaliscious. My second choice dress is of Asain tradition except slit up the sides almost to my hoo hoo, so when I sit there is tons of asscheek hanging out. I can pair the Asain dress with tights to tame it down (except for the hot seem running of the back of each leg). Anyone any thoughts?
Jami: 161.0; Total Weight Lost: 11.8
Justin: 205.4: Total Weight Lost: 9.4
Justin: Down 2.4
Huh? Really? Ok fine! Damn slice of parmesan cheese, 10 cheetos and 10 cheerios... Just goes to show that little cheats mess up the chemistry of the protocol food. No big deal though, it wasn't a gain. On the positive side, I tried on my dress collection to see what I want to wear to my company holiday party (yep, in February...) and everything fit nicely! Whoo. Maybe I need a new dress then... ;)
Justin: "Phew, finally! Cheating just isn't worth it." It's taken 4 days to get him back to his lowest weight acheived so far. I don't think he'll be straying from the meal plan for the next 7 days. Go Justin!
7 days...that's all we have left...that's it? Wow. Why did I cheat at all?!?!? Three weeks isn't enough time to mess around! So here is our plan: 100% on protocol for the next 7 days, see where we are going into Phase 3 to determine when/if to reorder, 100% faithfulness to the Phase 3 restrictions (1800 calories a day max), and reimplementing working out.
Pam, if my calculations are correct, we will be doing Phase 3 simultaneously. Let's rock it. By the way, Pam rules! She has been on Phase 2 for almost 40 days now and has been incredibly faithful to the protocol. Her results speak that as well. Keep it up, Pam, you're doing the best of any of us!!
Time for the slightly off-subject comments. I'm reading an Office Etiquette and Protocol book for fun, but it says not to wear anything strappy, bright-colored or otherwise too sexy to office holiday parties. Really?!?! My first choice dress is bright blue and green, strappy and boobaliscious. My second choice dress is of Asain tradition except slit up the sides almost to my hoo hoo, so when I sit there is tons of asscheek hanging out. I can pair the Asain dress with tights to tame it down (except for the hot seem running of the back of each leg). Anyone any thoughts?
Jami: 161.0; Total Weight Lost: 11.8
Justin: 205.4: Total Weight Lost: 9.4
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Day 13 - Down 1.2, Up 1.4
Jami: Down 1.2
Justin: Up 1.4
My Aha! moment has been achieved! Although yesterday was a bit of a cheat day for me, I still managed to lose over a pound. My mind says "You cheated a lot!" but my body is saying "Not really, and that hour long bike ride was just what you needed." So the Aha! part: ride the bike for an hour a day! It's not strenuous riding, but apparently it works. That must be the key ingredient I was missing up until now. Dually noted body, thanks. So what did I eat that was awful? 4 ounces of cheese (parmesan, apple smoked gouda, cotswold, and stilton), 10 Honey Nut covered Cheerios, 3 pieces dried salami, 2 pieces of summer sausage, a tiny pinch of bread, and a Nilla wafer cookie. What was good that I ate? My apple and 4 shrimp. The cheese alone was 400 calories, so I rode my bike for over an hour until it read 400 calories burned. All I can say is it must have worked. :)
Justin did a full blown cheat day and felt bad for doing so. At the end of the day he felt so bad he thought he would just go off the diet altogether. He'd go back to eating when he wanted and working out to negate the effects. Then this morning the scale only registered a 1.8 pound gain. He thought it would be more I guess. Well, his cheat day did him well mentally as he is not going off the diet. Yay! He's going to do the rest of our 3 week cycle as planned and if he or I or both are not where we want to be we will do phase 3 until our next shipment of HCG arrives. As counter intuitive as it may be, I think this morning was when Justin because a believer. Now if we can just get him walking one hour a day he'll be out of the 200s in no time.
One thing to note about cheating; it doesn't feel good in your stomach. My stomach actually hurt yesterday and not the normal hunger pangs either. Being bloated sucks. Now if only I could figure out if it were caused by the cheese or the other crap. I am really hoping the other crap is what did that since cheese is not banned in phase 3.
The other thing we learned yesterday is that YouTube videos of success stories are really motivating and help bring back little things you forget from the book. Particularly, Phase 3 will not be a free for all stuff your face marathon. We'll still need to stay under 1800 calories a day aside from avoiding carbs, sugars and chemicals. Good to know that I won't be able to eat an entire block of parmesan in one sitting. (Boo.)
Off to work, wishing the snow would go away forever...
Jami: 161.0; Total Weight Lost: 11.8
Justin: 207.8: Total Weight Lost: 7.0
Justin: Up 1.4
My Aha! moment has been achieved! Although yesterday was a bit of a cheat day for me, I still managed to lose over a pound. My mind says "You cheated a lot!" but my body is saying "Not really, and that hour long bike ride was just what you needed." So the Aha! part: ride the bike for an hour a day! It's not strenuous riding, but apparently it works. That must be the key ingredient I was missing up until now. Dually noted body, thanks. So what did I eat that was awful? 4 ounces of cheese (parmesan, apple smoked gouda, cotswold, and stilton), 10 Honey Nut covered Cheerios, 3 pieces dried salami, 2 pieces of summer sausage, a tiny pinch of bread, and a Nilla wafer cookie. What was good that I ate? My apple and 4 shrimp. The cheese alone was 400 calories, so I rode my bike for over an hour until it read 400 calories burned. All I can say is it must have worked. :)
Justin did a full blown cheat day and felt bad for doing so. At the end of the day he felt so bad he thought he would just go off the diet altogether. He'd go back to eating when he wanted and working out to negate the effects. Then this morning the scale only registered a 1.8 pound gain. He thought it would be more I guess. Well, his cheat day did him well mentally as he is not going off the diet. Yay! He's going to do the rest of our 3 week cycle as planned and if he or I or both are not where we want to be we will do phase 3 until our next shipment of HCG arrives. As counter intuitive as it may be, I think this morning was when Justin because a believer. Now if we can just get him walking one hour a day he'll be out of the 200s in no time.
One thing to note about cheating; it doesn't feel good in your stomach. My stomach actually hurt yesterday and not the normal hunger pangs either. Being bloated sucks. Now if only I could figure out if it were caused by the cheese or the other crap. I am really hoping the other crap is what did that since cheese is not banned in phase 3.
The other thing we learned yesterday is that YouTube videos of success stories are really motivating and help bring back little things you forget from the book. Particularly, Phase 3 will not be a free for all stuff your face marathon. We'll still need to stay under 1800 calories a day aside from avoiding carbs, sugars and chemicals. Good to know that I won't be able to eat an entire block of parmesan in one sitting. (Boo.)
Off to work, wishing the snow would go away forever...
Jami: 161.0; Total Weight Lost: 11.8
Justin: 207.8: Total Weight Lost: 7.0
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Day 12 - Down 1.2 Together
Jami: Down .8
Justin: Down .4
Finally!! Still not a really significant drop, but better than yesterday! And I even ate the yummy chili. :) If I am correct in my theory, I lose more weight the more fluids I intake, specifically at night after my last meal. That and riding my stationary bike at a leisurely pace for an hour last night are the only things I changed. I still didn't get great sleep either, so the better sleep I did get cannot have had much of an effect.
As for cheats yesterday; I ate 7.5 All-Natural White Cheddar Cheetos. They were only 40 calories but they sparked my hour bike ride. Justin had 4 Cheetos. It was a good day.
Actually, I think we both found extra motivation when we decided to have a small cheat day today. Yes, it's true, we are planning to stray a bit from the protocol. We are stuck at home in the snow again and just the thought of a bit of comfort food is really enticing. I will say that my drop today was good enough to make me not want to cheat at all, but I am allowing myself a couple tiny pieces of cheese, a smidgen of bread, and half a glass of wine. I'll be skipping dinner to make sure I stay under the 500 calories, it's the least I can do. For lunch we are having shrimp, which shouldn't hurt us hardly at all. We are justifying the cheat day as a reward for not only having done really well until now, but also because of all the snow we'll be clearing after this current storm settles.
Nothing else to report, off to battle blizzard conditions to get our friend Blair and have our snow party. :)
Jami: 162.2 - Total Weight Lost: 10.6 (broke ten pounds, goal 1 accomplished)
Justin: 206.0 - Total Weight Lost: 8.8
Justin: Down .4
Finally!! Still not a really significant drop, but better than yesterday! And I even ate the yummy chili. :) If I am correct in my theory, I lose more weight the more fluids I intake, specifically at night after my last meal. That and riding my stationary bike at a leisurely pace for an hour last night are the only things I changed. I still didn't get great sleep either, so the better sleep I did get cannot have had much of an effect.
As for cheats yesterday; I ate 7.5 All-Natural White Cheddar Cheetos. They were only 40 calories but they sparked my hour bike ride. Justin had 4 Cheetos. It was a good day.
Actually, I think we both found extra motivation when we decided to have a small cheat day today. Yes, it's true, we are planning to stray a bit from the protocol. We are stuck at home in the snow again and just the thought of a bit of comfort food is really enticing. I will say that my drop today was good enough to make me not want to cheat at all, but I am allowing myself a couple tiny pieces of cheese, a smidgen of bread, and half a glass of wine. I'll be skipping dinner to make sure I stay under the 500 calories, it's the least I can do. For lunch we are having shrimp, which shouldn't hurt us hardly at all. We are justifying the cheat day as a reward for not only having done really well until now, but also because of all the snow we'll be clearing after this current storm settles.
Nothing else to report, off to battle blizzard conditions to get our friend Blair and have our snow party. :)
Jami: 162.2 - Total Weight Lost: 10.6 (broke ten pounds, goal 1 accomplished)
Justin: 206.0 - Total Weight Lost: 8.8
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Day 11 - Down .4 each
Phew, a drop! Not significant, but still a drop. :)
As emotion threatened to plow me over this morning, my very wise friend Cat made some very good points that are keeping me sane and on track. 1) I don't have that much to lose, maybe 30 pounds at most. Also, because I may not even need to lose that much, this is much more about body sculpting than it is about weight loss. 2) .4 pounds a day is really good! It's still a consistent loss. With that in mind, I am committed to not doing an apple day until I have two days of zero loss, but not until then.
Of course, Justin is pissed that he hasn't made it back to 205 yet. Don't feel too bad for him, though, he cheated a bit yesterday. He did really well considering the circumstances!! His work bought them all lunch; chicken parm, bread, pasta, pasta, pasta, and salad. Justin was very smart about it, he ate as much salad without dressing as he could before tasting the other selections. I didn't ask exactly how much he cheated, but I think it was just samples of the other food. So considering, him having a loss this morning is great.
I will say, even though the scale isn't registering as much as I would like, the reshaping I am seeing is still AMAZING! A pair of pants I wore last Thursday (which were super tight that day) I wore again yesterday and they were loose! Even after washing them! I read that women don't normally lose breast fat, but I can tell that my bras are looser. Maybe that just says that if I hadn't had the girls done I wouldn't have anything at all (which is why I got them done in the first place!). And odd as it sounds, my boots are looser. All strange but exciting.
Another interesting fact; since starting on the VLCD Justin and I both noticed that our teeth never feel icky anymore. They don't get gritty, they always feel clean, and are less sensitive. Maybe my dentist will notice a difference next week when he goes to put the crown on.
So I am not going to avoid the chili tonight. Justin made enough for us each to have some each day and it's just too good to skip! I've been over the ingredients several times and cannot find a flaw. Onward with the yummy chili! We're going to need it's durability tonight and tomorrow as we continue the snow shoveling saga that has consumed our area for the past week.
Speaking of snow, here's a funny story/update. Justin was up with a sore throat last night (not the funny part) at about 2am. Since he was up I was up too and we were cuddling on the couch. I was trying to go back to sleep but kept hearing a banging. Justin looked outside and turns out it was the douche who stole our spot the other day. He was cleaning off his car. 10 minutes later he was done. Then he left. So Justin got dressed and moved my car into the spot then and there. :) Take that, a**hole! As wrong as it is, I really hope he came back shortly after to discover his spot gone. Ha! The real victory will be whoever gets it tonight. We saw a tow truck this morning, which means the reserved spots are back to officially off limits. They haven't plowed our parking lot yet, most of the clearing having been done by drivers and residents alone. It's going to get interesting again. Also, keep your fingers crossed that we find a shovel! Still haven't gotten one, lol. And the home Depot near our house has a special recording letting callers know they are out of shovels before it gives you the option to talk to an actual representative.
Ok, so I finally got some work to do today, YAY! I'm off.
Jami: 163.0 - Total Weight Lost: 9.8
Justin: 206.4 - Total Weight Lost: 8.4
As emotion threatened to plow me over this morning, my very wise friend Cat made some very good points that are keeping me sane and on track. 1) I don't have that much to lose, maybe 30 pounds at most. Also, because I may not even need to lose that much, this is much more about body sculpting than it is about weight loss. 2) .4 pounds a day is really good! It's still a consistent loss. With that in mind, I am committed to not doing an apple day until I have two days of zero loss, but not until then.
Of course, Justin is pissed that he hasn't made it back to 205 yet. Don't feel too bad for him, though, he cheated a bit yesterday. He did really well considering the circumstances!! His work bought them all lunch; chicken parm, bread, pasta, pasta, pasta, and salad. Justin was very smart about it, he ate as much salad without dressing as he could before tasting the other selections. I didn't ask exactly how much he cheated, but I think it was just samples of the other food. So considering, him having a loss this morning is great.
I will say, even though the scale isn't registering as much as I would like, the reshaping I am seeing is still AMAZING! A pair of pants I wore last Thursday (which were super tight that day) I wore again yesterday and they were loose! Even after washing them! I read that women don't normally lose breast fat, but I can tell that my bras are looser. Maybe that just says that if I hadn't had the girls done I wouldn't have anything at all (which is why I got them done in the first place!). And odd as it sounds, my boots are looser. All strange but exciting.
Another interesting fact; since starting on the VLCD Justin and I both noticed that our teeth never feel icky anymore. They don't get gritty, they always feel clean, and are less sensitive. Maybe my dentist will notice a difference next week when he goes to put the crown on.
So I am not going to avoid the chili tonight. Justin made enough for us each to have some each day and it's just too good to skip! I've been over the ingredients several times and cannot find a flaw. Onward with the yummy chili! We're going to need it's durability tonight and tomorrow as we continue the snow shoveling saga that has consumed our area for the past week.
Speaking of snow, here's a funny story/update. Justin was up with a sore throat last night (not the funny part) at about 2am. Since he was up I was up too and we were cuddling on the couch. I was trying to go back to sleep but kept hearing a banging. Justin looked outside and turns out it was the douche who stole our spot the other day. He was cleaning off his car. 10 minutes later he was done. Then he left. So Justin got dressed and moved my car into the spot then and there. :) Take that, a**hole! As wrong as it is, I really hope he came back shortly after to discover his spot gone. Ha! The real victory will be whoever gets it tonight. We saw a tow truck this morning, which means the reserved spots are back to officially off limits. They haven't plowed our parking lot yet, most of the clearing having been done by drivers and residents alone. It's going to get interesting again. Also, keep your fingers crossed that we find a shovel! Still haven't gotten one, lol. And the home Depot near our house has a special recording letting callers know they are out of shovels before it gives you the option to talk to an actual representative.
Ok, so I finally got some work to do today, YAY! I'm off.
Jami: 163.0 - Total Weight Lost: 9.8
Justin: 206.4 - Total Weight Lost: 8.4
Monday, February 8, 2010
Day 10 - No loss and Up for Justin
Jami: No Change
Justin: Up 1.8
Bummer. Now I am Really afraid of the chili!! Not really, I haven't been sleeping well at all the last couple days. It's weird, I don't have anything pressing I am up thinking about, just can't seem to fall asleep. The kids have been up in the middle of the night, which definitely doesn't help, but I don't understand why I am not taking naps and still can't get to sleep before 1 or 2am. I've even taken to not drinking coffee after 4pm in case that was the problem. Someone at work told me Chamomile tea is a mild sedative, so I drank 4 cups before bed last night. Didn't work. Oh well. And thanks Pam, I like the logic that a small or lack of loss is more of a body shaping day than a scale loss. :) That does help! And I want everyone reading to know that I didn't cheat this weekend, except for 2 cheerios. 2, literally. Which I think doesn't count. :)
So, yesterday was interesting for Justin. With all the snow shoveling he felt he needed extra food. He ate 2 lunches and 2 dinners, but only one apple. All protocol food though. He did munch on 4 white cheddar Cheetos too, but I cannot imagine that those alone were the cause of his gain. Gross as it is, neither of us has had a significant number 2 in at least 5 days. I think the logic for his gain is that he didn't drink enough water/pee any out and therefore everything he ate/drank yesterday is still in him. Either that or our scale takes bogus readings on the other side of the floor. I had to move it to mop yesterday, and when it was in it's new place my readings were up .4 twice, then back to it's original spot they were no loss, no loss, and down .6. Anyone have other logic for me to pass on to him?
Quick update on the douche who stole our spot; the people who own the reserved spot we were forced to take did not have us towed. They are nice, neighborly people. I will be apologizing to them in person as soon as I find out who they are.
Good luck with the snow ya'll, we are supposed to get another 5-10" Tuesday night. Must be all that global warming, huh? HAHAHA.
Jami: 163.4 - Total Weight Lost: 9.4
Justin: 206.8 - Total Weight Lost: 8.0
Justin: Up 1.8
Bummer. Now I am Really afraid of the chili!! Not really, I haven't been sleeping well at all the last couple days. It's weird, I don't have anything pressing I am up thinking about, just can't seem to fall asleep. The kids have been up in the middle of the night, which definitely doesn't help, but I don't understand why I am not taking naps and still can't get to sleep before 1 or 2am. I've even taken to not drinking coffee after 4pm in case that was the problem. Someone at work told me Chamomile tea is a mild sedative, so I drank 4 cups before bed last night. Didn't work. Oh well. And thanks Pam, I like the logic that a small or lack of loss is more of a body shaping day than a scale loss. :) That does help! And I want everyone reading to know that I didn't cheat this weekend, except for 2 cheerios. 2, literally. Which I think doesn't count. :)
So, yesterday was interesting for Justin. With all the snow shoveling he felt he needed extra food. He ate 2 lunches and 2 dinners, but only one apple. All protocol food though. He did munch on 4 white cheddar Cheetos too, but I cannot imagine that those alone were the cause of his gain. Gross as it is, neither of us has had a significant number 2 in at least 5 days. I think the logic for his gain is that he didn't drink enough water/pee any out and therefore everything he ate/drank yesterday is still in him. Either that or our scale takes bogus readings on the other side of the floor. I had to move it to mop yesterday, and when it was in it's new place my readings were up .4 twice, then back to it's original spot they were no loss, no loss, and down .6. Anyone have other logic for me to pass on to him?
Quick update on the douche who stole our spot; the people who own the reserved spot we were forced to take did not have us towed. They are nice, neighborly people. I will be apologizing to them in person as soon as I find out who they are.
Good luck with the snow ya'll, we are supposed to get another 5-10" Tuesday night. Must be all that global warming, huh? HAHAHA.
Jami: 163.4 - Total Weight Lost: 9.4
Justin: 206.8 - Total Weight Lost: 8.0
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Day 9 - Down 1.4 Total
Jami: Down .4
Justin: Down 1.0
Erg! See, this is exactly why I started the gorge days on a weekend day. Being snowed in and having a restricted diet means all we want to do is eat!!! All the same 'what-ifs' went through my head this morning too, with this second day of a small loss. But I didn't even lick any of the kids' food, so all I can do is chalk it up to the fact that I am a woman. For some reason us women seem to have plateaus more often than men. At the very least, I am 90% sure tomorrow will yield a two or more pound drop for me. :) I just want to break into the 150's, that's my first goal. 155 is my pre-pregnancy weight, and therefore another significant accomplishment.
So, my high school reunion just got announced. It's Memorial Day weekend, just over three months away. Now I understand that whoever planned it thought that the long weekend would help ensure a higher turnout, and I am sure they are right. At least there will be a higher turnout of people who live close. I, however, live 2000 miles away and the fact that it is on a holiday weekend makes it much more expensive for me to come. It just goes to show that they were thinking that only the people who stayed close were the ones they would want to keep in contact with. I'm not going, I decided. I keep in contact with the people I loved back then and Facebook keeps me updated on the rest.
Another funny story this weekend; we witnessed the truth of the phrase, "One douche makes us all douches." There's how much snow? Over two feet in the light places. So what does our douche neighbor do? Watch Justin clear out our two unreserved spots. It took him two hours. I let him eat an extra meal right after just because of all the effort it takes. Anyway, we were going insane, so we took the kids to the grocery store. Just for an hour. And what does this guy do? Drive 30 feet from his uncleared spot into ours!!! He couldn't have gone far because he didn't even bother to clear off his front nor rear windshield. Of course, this not only means we had to shovel out another spot, but the only one left is RESERVED. I'm sure the tow trucks aren't out today, but I know those people pay $50 a month for those spots and if it were me, I'd be pissed! So, I left a note on my windshield with our apologies and the description of the douche car that made us do it. How rude.
Back to the diet. Can I tell you that I am super frustrated? Justin has been having a harder time than I have yet he is losing weight more consistently. He even ate one of the kids' pigs-in-the-blanket yesterday with no negative result. And he's been eating an extra apple a day for a couple days now. Boo for working harder and getting less than equal results.
Also, Justin made the chili that Pam posted on her blog and it was AMAZING!!! It actually tasted so good that I gave my last couple of spoonfuls to Justin. There is no way that something that tasted that good wasn't food that I should have been having. Plus, it looked like more food than I normally eat in a serving. And what do I get for that? Crap loss of less than half a pound. What is confusing me most is I am still seeing noticeable results DAILY! So even though .4 on the scale sucks, I've already lost at least 2 inches in my mutt and one in my waist. We should have measured my thighs though, because that is where the biggest transformation is occurring. Just a few more days and my pant legs will be loose. :) Yay!!
Can't wait for work to distract me tomorrow!!
Jami: 163.4 - Total Weight Lost: 9.4
Justin: 205.0 - Total Weight Lost: 9.8
Justin: Down 1.0
Erg! See, this is exactly why I started the gorge days on a weekend day. Being snowed in and having a restricted diet means all we want to do is eat!!! All the same 'what-ifs' went through my head this morning too, with this second day of a small loss. But I didn't even lick any of the kids' food, so all I can do is chalk it up to the fact that I am a woman. For some reason us women seem to have plateaus more often than men. At the very least, I am 90% sure tomorrow will yield a two or more pound drop for me. :) I just want to break into the 150's, that's my first goal. 155 is my pre-pregnancy weight, and therefore another significant accomplishment.
So, my high school reunion just got announced. It's Memorial Day weekend, just over three months away. Now I understand that whoever planned it thought that the long weekend would help ensure a higher turnout, and I am sure they are right. At least there will be a higher turnout of people who live close. I, however, live 2000 miles away and the fact that it is on a holiday weekend makes it much more expensive for me to come. It just goes to show that they were thinking that only the people who stayed close were the ones they would want to keep in contact with. I'm not going, I decided. I keep in contact with the people I loved back then and Facebook keeps me updated on the rest.
Another funny story this weekend; we witnessed the truth of the phrase, "One douche makes us all douches." There's how much snow? Over two feet in the light places. So what does our douche neighbor do? Watch Justin clear out our two unreserved spots. It took him two hours. I let him eat an extra meal right after just because of all the effort it takes. Anyway, we were going insane, so we took the kids to the grocery store. Just for an hour. And what does this guy do? Drive 30 feet from his uncleared spot into ours!!! He couldn't have gone far because he didn't even bother to clear off his front nor rear windshield. Of course, this not only means we had to shovel out another spot, but the only one left is RESERVED. I'm sure the tow trucks aren't out today, but I know those people pay $50 a month for those spots and if it were me, I'd be pissed! So, I left a note on my windshield with our apologies and the description of the douche car that made us do it. How rude.
Back to the diet. Can I tell you that I am super frustrated? Justin has been having a harder time than I have yet he is losing weight more consistently. He even ate one of the kids' pigs-in-the-blanket yesterday with no negative result. And he's been eating an extra apple a day for a couple days now. Boo for working harder and getting less than equal results.
Also, Justin made the chili that Pam posted on her blog and it was AMAZING!!! It actually tasted so good that I gave my last couple of spoonfuls to Justin. There is no way that something that tasted that good wasn't food that I should have been having. Plus, it looked like more food than I normally eat in a serving. And what do I get for that? Crap loss of less than half a pound. What is confusing me most is I am still seeing noticeable results DAILY! So even though .4 on the scale sucks, I've already lost at least 2 inches in my mutt and one in my waist. We should have measured my thighs though, because that is where the biggest transformation is occurring. Just a few more days and my pant legs will be loose. :) Yay!!
Can't wait for work to distract me tomorrow!!
Jami: 163.4 - Total Weight Lost: 9.4
Justin: 205.0 - Total Weight Lost: 9.8
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Day 8 - Down 1.8 together
Jami: Down .4
Justin: Down 1.4
Boo! Didn't I just write that I didn't want the stress of not having consistent numbers?!?! Arg. And I didn't cheat either. Of course all morning I have been analyzing every last little thing I did yesterday that might be considered off routine. Was is the Old Bay I sprinkled on my veal last night? No, Pam has been pretty liberal with spices with no dramatic effect. Was it that I didn't drink quite as much water at night as I usually do? I hope not, I was proud that I wasn't so hungry I needed to drink a ton of water. Was it that I had my last cup of coffee at 7pm and, possibly consequently, stayed up until 2am reading Harry Potter? Was it that I licked the kids' pig-in-the-blanket before I gave it to them? I really hope not on this one, these tiny tastes have been very satisfying for me will not being considered an actual cheat. Or was it that I had lunch after a nap? Did I visualize the wrong number? Is it that I am still at that TOM and will have a significant drop when it's done? Man we women think too much!!
But good job Justin!!! With all the snow last night and the other idiot drivers he hit a slick patch on the way home and accidentally smacked his truck into a curb, which busted his from passenger tire off the wheel. Thankfully it was right next to the apartment but he still spent an hour outside changing it in the snow. When he came in he said he was exhausted from all the extra effort. I used Pam's advice and told him to eat an extra apple, which apparently worked. :)
Thank you, thank you, Pam! We are using your advice every chance we need. :) I even made a color-coded calendar last night to count down the days we have left. Three weeks really isn't a long time, but I put the calendar on the fridge as a reminder anyway.
I fear and dread this weekend. Being snowed in is bad enough but having to feed the kids every 30 minutes all weekend is torture too. I've done it every evening this week though so I am confident it'll just be a bit irksome.
Now back to our daily dose of Nemo (I wonder how long it'll take Justin before he throws it away).
Jami: 163.8 - Total Weight Lost: 9.0
Justin: 206.0 - Total Weight Lost: 8.8
Justin: Down 1.4
Boo! Didn't I just write that I didn't want the stress of not having consistent numbers?!?! Arg. And I didn't cheat either. Of course all morning I have been analyzing every last little thing I did yesterday that might be considered off routine. Was is the Old Bay I sprinkled on my veal last night? No, Pam has been pretty liberal with spices with no dramatic effect. Was it that I didn't drink quite as much water at night as I usually do? I hope not, I was proud that I wasn't so hungry I needed to drink a ton of water. Was it that I had my last cup of coffee at 7pm and, possibly consequently, stayed up until 2am reading Harry Potter? Was it that I licked the kids' pig-in-the-blanket before I gave it to them? I really hope not on this one, these tiny tastes have been very satisfying for me will not being considered an actual cheat. Or was it that I had lunch after a nap? Did I visualize the wrong number? Is it that I am still at that TOM and will have a significant drop when it's done? Man we women think too much!!
But good job Justin!!! With all the snow last night and the other idiot drivers he hit a slick patch on the way home and accidentally smacked his truck into a curb, which busted his from passenger tire off the wheel. Thankfully it was right next to the apartment but he still spent an hour outside changing it in the snow. When he came in he said he was exhausted from all the extra effort. I used Pam's advice and told him to eat an extra apple, which apparently worked. :)
Thank you, thank you, Pam! We are using your advice every chance we need. :) I even made a color-coded calendar last night to count down the days we have left. Three weeks really isn't a long time, but I put the calendar on the fridge as a reminder anyway.
I fear and dread this weekend. Being snowed in is bad enough but having to feed the kids every 30 minutes all weekend is torture too. I've done it every evening this week though so I am confident it'll just be a bit irksome.
Now back to our daily dose of Nemo (I wonder how long it'll take Justin before he throws it away).
Jami: 163.8 - Total Weight Lost: 9.0
Justin: 206.0 - Total Weight Lost: 8.8
Friday, February 5, 2010
Day 7 - Down 1 Pound Each
Jami: Down 1.0
Justin: Down 1.0
This morning my injection site hurt quite a lot. Tolerable but still annoying. Woot woot, yesterday was definitely easier than the day before! And I am very thankful for continued consistent results!! I can really see where my love handles are disappearing each day. :) Justin is really starting to miss food though. I hope he can pull through that. He had to have half of a large grapefruit last night just to get his mind off of food. Anyone have any other suggestions of super small things he can have at night?
I also had a wonderful victory at lunch yesterday; went to Olive Garden with a couple of coworkers and didn't cheat! Actually, my chicken and cucumbers covered in lemon juice and pepper was really really tasty. The only thing I did was smell the chocolate sauce served with deep fried donuts and still wasn't tempted! It really is comforting and encouraging to see steady results. I don't know how I would handle small losses mixed in with large ones, too much stress!
Here comes the snow though...
2:06pm: I am at home watching Project Runway while the kids finish their naps and I noticed something wonderful in the bathroom: I am already seeing a significant decrease in cellulite!!! My skin is responding better than I could have ever imagined and I know that when I am done my skin will not betray that I ever carried the extra weight. I wonder if the major players on The Biggest Loser have the same experience?
One final note, no where in the book does it tell you to expect far fewer trips to the bathroom for number two. It makes sense though, since you are only taking in 500 calories there cannot really be much extra that isn't used. Now don't misinterpret that to mean you use less toilet paper because that is Not the case! In fact, you'll become a lot more acquainted with the nearest bathroom, especially if you use the teas and coffee to fend off the hunger pangs. In case you couldn't tell, I like that little bit of extra TMI to make me memorable.
Jami: 164.2; Total Weight Lost: 8.6 Pounds
Justin: 207.4; Total Weight Lost: 7.4 Pounds
Justin: Down 1.0
This morning my injection site hurt quite a lot. Tolerable but still annoying. Woot woot, yesterday was definitely easier than the day before! And I am very thankful for continued consistent results!! I can really see where my love handles are disappearing each day. :) Justin is really starting to miss food though. I hope he can pull through that. He had to have half of a large grapefruit last night just to get his mind off of food. Anyone have any other suggestions of super small things he can have at night?
I also had a wonderful victory at lunch yesterday; went to Olive Garden with a couple of coworkers and didn't cheat! Actually, my chicken and cucumbers covered in lemon juice and pepper was really really tasty. The only thing I did was smell the chocolate sauce served with deep fried donuts and still wasn't tempted! It really is comforting and encouraging to see steady results. I don't know how I would handle small losses mixed in with large ones, too much stress!
Here comes the snow though...
2:06pm: I am at home watching Project Runway while the kids finish their naps and I noticed something wonderful in the bathroom: I am already seeing a significant decrease in cellulite!!! My skin is responding better than I could have ever imagined and I know that when I am done my skin will not betray that I ever carried the extra weight. I wonder if the major players on The Biggest Loser have the same experience?
One final note, no where in the book does it tell you to expect far fewer trips to the bathroom for number two. It makes sense though, since you are only taking in 500 calories there cannot really be much extra that isn't used. Now don't misinterpret that to mean you use less toilet paper because that is Not the case! In fact, you'll become a lot more acquainted with the nearest bathroom, especially if you use the teas and coffee to fend off the hunger pangs. In case you couldn't tell, I like that little bit of extra TMI to make me memorable.
Jami: 164.2; Total Weight Lost: 8.6 Pounds
Justin: 207.4; Total Weight Lost: 7.4 Pounds
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Day 6 - Down 1.2 Each
Jami: Down 1.2
Justin: Down 1.2
We cannot complain about these results! And just like Cat said, the body transformations are incredible!!! I literally say my goodbyes to my hips, thighs and butt each night and by morning more of them are gone. Holy crap!
Yesterday was by far the hardest for both Justin and I. Justin is feeling a bit under the weather with a persistent sore throat, which is agitating him. Also, he and I both have slow jobs right now, which just makes us think about being hungry all day. Let me clarify; my mind is not hungry at all, in fact, I feel full and unbelievably energetic all day, but my stomach grumbles as if it is hungry. It's a very strange combination of feelings. Hopefully Pam is right and it really does get easier each day. Yesterday was also the day our bodies said, "CHEESE, give me cheese!" To which we said (with as much muster as we had), "Goodbye cheese addiction." Neither of us has cheated at all in three days, total victory.
In light of Pam's 'fun-with-the-quirky-scale,' I would like to say that Justin and I both weighed ourselves 5 times this morning. Our scale is not quirky, but it still gave 3 different results, very close, but still different. Mine were 165.2, 165.6, 164.8, 164.8, and 165.0. I am going with 165.2. Justin's had the exact variation as mine, so he went with 208.4. So far I am "winning" the race of total weight lost, and I am working hard to keep it that way (sorry honey, I want to win this one!) :)
Something else cool, Justin has been weighing himself at night, just for fun. Last night he was 211.4. I thought he was peeing it all out in the morning, and he must be. Actually, I think that's why we weigh in the morning, everyone knows you are several pounds heavier at night. Might I add, on The Biggest Loser, they weigh them at night. Strange.
Tonight might not be as easy as I am hoping, but we are having a good friend over for her birthday. Thankfully she is eating before she comes over, but I promised her at least a cupcake. Of course, Justin and I are going to avoid watching her eat it. It's such a little thing, let's hope it stays that way.
Unrelated to the HCG diet, yesterday was actually a REALLY good day!!! Boring as usual until 4pm, then 'fate' stopped by. Just so you all know, I am NOT a fatalist, yet still get excited when things seem like more than coincidence. Laura B had her very exciting second interview at that time yesterday as well as some other important work news, and I got an email inviting me back for a second interview. Then, as if by magic, my coworker suggested I check out what jobs are new on Monster. Low and behold, THE PERFECT JOB for Jami, in plain sight, in Arlington, OMG I WANT IT!!! Those of you who know more about my work life know that Arlington is much better than the dreaded DC office move. This position is called an entry level marketing coordinator, but the description is for a junior level proposal coordinator. I have been trying to bust into the proposal and contracts arena since I first dipped my hands in their pools. The government is very inefficient, but contracting is interesting to me. Never thought anyone would say that, did you? Anyway, I applied and wrote what I think was a stellar cover letter to go with it. Everyone, keep your fingers crossed that it pays what I need and they want me too. Anyone else have anything significant happen at 4pm yesterday?
Lany, you get a special shout out to remind you to order your stuff. You are now being held accountable. I expect a confirmation comment sometime this week. :)
On to email.
Jami: 165.2; Total Weight Lost: 7.6 Pounds
Justin: 208.4; Total Weight lost: 6.4 Pounds
Justin: Down 1.2
We cannot complain about these results! And just like Cat said, the body transformations are incredible!!! I literally say my goodbyes to my hips, thighs and butt each night and by morning more of them are gone. Holy crap!
Yesterday was by far the hardest for both Justin and I. Justin is feeling a bit under the weather with a persistent sore throat, which is agitating him. Also, he and I both have slow jobs right now, which just makes us think about being hungry all day. Let me clarify; my mind is not hungry at all, in fact, I feel full and unbelievably energetic all day, but my stomach grumbles as if it is hungry. It's a very strange combination of feelings. Hopefully Pam is right and it really does get easier each day. Yesterday was also the day our bodies said, "CHEESE, give me cheese!" To which we said (with as much muster as we had), "Goodbye cheese addiction." Neither of us has cheated at all in three days, total victory.
In light of Pam's 'fun-with-the-quirky-scale,' I would like to say that Justin and I both weighed ourselves 5 times this morning. Our scale is not quirky, but it still gave 3 different results, very close, but still different. Mine were 165.2, 165.6, 164.8, 164.8, and 165.0. I am going with 165.2. Justin's had the exact variation as mine, so he went with 208.4. So far I am "winning" the race of total weight lost, and I am working hard to keep it that way (sorry honey, I want to win this one!) :)
Something else cool, Justin has been weighing himself at night, just for fun. Last night he was 211.4. I thought he was peeing it all out in the morning, and he must be. Actually, I think that's why we weigh in the morning, everyone knows you are several pounds heavier at night. Might I add, on The Biggest Loser, they weigh them at night. Strange.
Tonight might not be as easy as I am hoping, but we are having a good friend over for her birthday. Thankfully she is eating before she comes over, but I promised her at least a cupcake. Of course, Justin and I are going to avoid watching her eat it. It's such a little thing, let's hope it stays that way.
Unrelated to the HCG diet, yesterday was actually a REALLY good day!!! Boring as usual until 4pm, then 'fate' stopped by. Just so you all know, I am NOT a fatalist, yet still get excited when things seem like more than coincidence. Laura B had her very exciting second interview at that time yesterday as well as some other important work news, and I got an email inviting me back for a second interview. Then, as if by magic, my coworker suggested I check out what jobs are new on Monster. Low and behold, THE PERFECT JOB for Jami, in plain sight, in Arlington, OMG I WANT IT!!! Those of you who know more about my work life know that Arlington is much better than the dreaded DC office move. This position is called an entry level marketing coordinator, but the description is for a junior level proposal coordinator. I have been trying to bust into the proposal and contracts arena since I first dipped my hands in their pools. The government is very inefficient, but contracting is interesting to me. Never thought anyone would say that, did you? Anyway, I applied and wrote what I think was a stellar cover letter to go with it. Everyone, keep your fingers crossed that it pays what I need and they want me too. Anyone else have anything significant happen at 4pm yesterday?
Lany, you get a special shout out to remind you to order your stuff. You are now being held accountable. I expect a confirmation comment sometime this week. :)
On to email.
Jami: 165.2; Total Weight Lost: 7.6 Pounds
Justin: 208.4; Total Weight lost: 6.4 Pounds
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Day 5 - Down 1 Pound
Jami: Down 1 Pound
Justin: Down 2.2 Pounds
Yep, still works. :) Justin and I both ate exactly on protocol yesterday (except his cup of chocolate coffee). It's not like me to not cheat on a diet in the first couple days, so this is a proud statement for me. Also, we are starting with the super boring food in the beginning with plans to add spices and use actual recipes when things get boring. Perhaps my fear of salt will go away before then.
How terrible is this, I am actually disappointed with my one pound. Damn Biggest Loser for skewing my expectations! It's not a logical feeling, but I was fairly hungry last night and it made me work harder to not eat anything, which resulted in me drinking a gallon of water between 6 - 11pm. I was hoping to see more results for my efforts. But really, I was sitting on my tush all day, so I really can't complain. And after drinking that much fluid right before bed, it's awesome to see another significant loss. Needless to say, Justin is continually excited about our progress. I guess his cup of chocolate coffee didn't hurt him at all, lucky boy.
One mistake that I may have made is with the timing of this whole thing. Aunt Flo began her visit on Sunday, the second day of injections. But, given that so far my results are stellar, can it really be viewed as a mistake? Maybe it's actually a really good thing, since HCG can make you more fertile and that is the LAST thing I need. Side note, after reading Cat's, Pam's, and Ryan's blogs I am thankful that neither Justin nor I have had to deal with headaches these first couple days. Maybe it being that TOM for me is helping? Any thoughts ladies? Also, do you girls think I could still be retaining water because of it/her?
Now there were several things I noticed yesterday/today that I wanted to get feedback on today. One, did anyone else notice that you no longer have gas? The book does tell you that all those chemicals and crap give you gas, as does any other nutritional research worth its salt, but I never really knew that that was the issue. Just thought I was a gassy person. Turns out I am not. Memo received body, thanks.
Two, I almost threw up this morning directly after the injection. I got a hot flash and woozy and darted to the bathroom. Thankfully I don't have a severe aversion to puking (sorry Cat, must be because I threw up every day that I was pregnant with Josie), but I hope this doesn't turn into an every day thing. And my injection site has been a bit itchy. Nothing bothersome, just noticeable.
Three, I don't have any actual cravings! Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE sugar, love love love it. There were doughnut holes, granola bars, M&Ms, and chips right outside my office just like they always are, but I didn't even have to talk myself into not looking at them. It was as if they didn't exist. How cool is that? :)
Four, this one is for Ariel; Is taking/injecting HCG really the "wrong" way to lose weight? As smart as I think I am, I honestly don't think it is!! I've seen a couple things on Youtube (understandably not a reliable source) that all people naturally have HCG flowing through their bodies from birth and that food processing and chemicals 'kill' it over time. If that is true, then reintroducing HCG into your body is similar to diabetics reintroducing insulin into their bodies. It's a way to reboot/reprogram your body with a hormone that it should have already. Now I could see this being more controversial if the HCG were a man made chemical, but it isn't, it's natural, taken from the urine of pregnant women (gross, I know). Plus, this 'diet' is more scientific than most others on the market today. It's actually about food chemistry and regulating hormones and glands that drive and regulate the food-for-fuel process. I can say with much confidence that non-belieivers just haven't done enough research. I can also say that I am not a blind follower of Kevin Trudeau. His salesman stuff I skip right over (electromagnetic deflector something, and cleansing), it isn't for me.
Random question, does anyone else feel like mornings are more anticlimactic then you thought they would be?
Last bit of news this morning, Justin has already lost 3 inches in his chest and another 4 inches from his waist!! High five honey! We should have taken pictures in our unmentionables for proof...shoot.
Jami: 166.4; Total Weight Lost: 6.4 Pounds
Justin: 209.6; Total Weight lost: 5.2 Pounds
Justin: Down 2.2 Pounds
Yep, still works. :) Justin and I both ate exactly on protocol yesterday (except his cup of chocolate coffee). It's not like me to not cheat on a diet in the first couple days, so this is a proud statement for me. Also, we are starting with the super boring food in the beginning with plans to add spices and use actual recipes when things get boring. Perhaps my fear of salt will go away before then.
How terrible is this, I am actually disappointed with my one pound. Damn Biggest Loser for skewing my expectations! It's not a logical feeling, but I was fairly hungry last night and it made me work harder to not eat anything, which resulted in me drinking a gallon of water between 6 - 11pm. I was hoping to see more results for my efforts. But really, I was sitting on my tush all day, so I really can't complain. And after drinking that much fluid right before bed, it's awesome to see another significant loss. Needless to say, Justin is continually excited about our progress. I guess his cup of chocolate coffee didn't hurt him at all, lucky boy.
One mistake that I may have made is with the timing of this whole thing. Aunt Flo began her visit on Sunday, the second day of injections. But, given that so far my results are stellar, can it really be viewed as a mistake? Maybe it's actually a really good thing, since HCG can make you more fertile and that is the LAST thing I need. Side note, after reading Cat's, Pam's, and Ryan's blogs I am thankful that neither Justin nor I have had to deal with headaches these first couple days. Maybe it being that TOM for me is helping? Any thoughts ladies? Also, do you girls think I could still be retaining water because of it/her?
Now there were several things I noticed yesterday/today that I wanted to get feedback on today. One, did anyone else notice that you no longer have gas? The book does tell you that all those chemicals and crap give you gas, as does any other nutritional research worth its salt, but I never really knew that that was the issue. Just thought I was a gassy person. Turns out I am not. Memo received body, thanks.
Two, I almost threw up this morning directly after the injection. I got a hot flash and woozy and darted to the bathroom. Thankfully I don't have a severe aversion to puking (sorry Cat, must be because I threw up every day that I was pregnant with Josie), but I hope this doesn't turn into an every day thing. And my injection site has been a bit itchy. Nothing bothersome, just noticeable.
Three, I don't have any actual cravings! Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE sugar, love love love it. There were doughnut holes, granola bars, M&Ms, and chips right outside my office just like they always are, but I didn't even have to talk myself into not looking at them. It was as if they didn't exist. How cool is that? :)
Four, this one is for Ariel; Is taking/injecting HCG really the "wrong" way to lose weight? As smart as I think I am, I honestly don't think it is!! I've seen a couple things on Youtube (understandably not a reliable source) that all people naturally have HCG flowing through their bodies from birth and that food processing and chemicals 'kill' it over time. If that is true, then reintroducing HCG into your body is similar to diabetics reintroducing insulin into their bodies. It's a way to reboot/reprogram your body with a hormone that it should have already. Now I could see this being more controversial if the HCG were a man made chemical, but it isn't, it's natural, taken from the urine of pregnant women (gross, I know). Plus, this 'diet' is more scientific than most others on the market today. It's actually about food chemistry and regulating hormones and glands that drive and regulate the food-for-fuel process. I can say with much confidence that non-belieivers just haven't done enough research. I can also say that I am not a blind follower of Kevin Trudeau. His salesman stuff I skip right over (electromagnetic deflector something, and cleansing), it isn't for me.
Random question, does anyone else feel like mornings are more anticlimactic then you thought they would be?
Last bit of news this morning, Justin has already lost 3 inches in his chest and another 4 inches from his waist!! High five honey! We should have taken pictures in our unmentionables for proof...shoot.
Jami: 166.4; Total Weight Lost: 6.4 Pounds
Justin: 209.6; Total Weight lost: 5.2 Pounds
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Day 4
Jami: 167.4 - Down 5.4!!!
Justin: 211.8 - Down 3.0!!
Ha ha Bitches!! Any of you non believers try to think of just one time in your life that you ate right all day, worked out like crazy and lost 5 pounds by the next day. Never happened, I guarantee it! And I sat on my ass all day yesterday. Ha!
In a lighter tone, there is already visible transformation for both Justin and myself. My face looks Amazing! I haven't been sleeping well, even before the HCG, but you can't tell. My eyes aren't puffy at all and my face is noticeably thinner and radiant. Justin's pecks are also noticeable smaller. In just one day! Amazing and super encouraging!
Yesterday wasn't as tough as it could have been. Of course I was bored at work, but I didn't cheat at all and neither did Justin. We were a bit hungry in the evening, but nothing that we couldn't handle. And it was totally worth it this morning! :) As a side note, Justin has lost a total of 11 pounds in 2 weeks, 3 from HCG and the other 8 from regular exercise. Go Justin!
Fears for today: We may have possibly hurt our chances for big drops tomorrow. Our coffee at home is dutch chocolate flavored. Stupid bag says artificial ingredients and I didn't catch it until after Justin had had his entire cup. :( Fortunately for me I only had 4 sips of it. The hardest part; I don't know how to fix it! Either way, it's gone now, out of the house for good.
For today I am eating on protocol of course, and finishing my taxes. Tonight will be a motivating evening with The Biggest Loser. Thanks for the addiction Beth!!
Justin: 211.8 - Down 3.0!!
Ha ha Bitches!! Any of you non believers try to think of just one time in your life that you ate right all day, worked out like crazy and lost 5 pounds by the next day. Never happened, I guarantee it! And I sat on my ass all day yesterday. Ha!
In a lighter tone, there is already visible transformation for both Justin and myself. My face looks Amazing! I haven't been sleeping well, even before the HCG, but you can't tell. My eyes aren't puffy at all and my face is noticeably thinner and radiant. Justin's pecks are also noticeable smaller. In just one day! Amazing and super encouraging!
Yesterday wasn't as tough as it could have been. Of course I was bored at work, but I didn't cheat at all and neither did Justin. We were a bit hungry in the evening, but nothing that we couldn't handle. And it was totally worth it this morning! :) As a side note, Justin has lost a total of 11 pounds in 2 weeks, 3 from HCG and the other 8 from regular exercise. Go Justin!
Fears for today: We may have possibly hurt our chances for big drops tomorrow. Our coffee at home is dutch chocolate flavored. Stupid bag says artificial ingredients and I didn't catch it until after Justin had had his entire cup. :( Fortunately for me I only had 4 sips of it. The hardest part; I don't know how to fix it! Either way, it's gone now, out of the house for good.
For today I am eating on protocol of course, and finishing my taxes. Tonight will be a motivating evening with The Biggest Loser. Thanks for the addiction Beth!!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Day 3
Jami: 172.8
Justin: 214.8
We gorged like crazy, so I am shocked to see only a pound gain over the last two days. Justin thinks it's because we have been exercising and our metabolisms are already up quite a bit. Either way, I know we did it right because Justin told me several times last night that he felt bloated and stuffed. Of course, I was like a school girl, too excited to sleep. Hopefully I won't get too tired today.
Day 3, here I come!!
Justin: 214.8
We gorged like crazy, so I am shocked to see only a pound gain over the last two days. Justin thinks it's because we have been exercising and our metabolisms are already up quite a bit. Either way, I know we did it right because Justin told me several times last night that he felt bloated and stuffed. Of course, I was like a school girl, too excited to sleep. Hopefully I won't get too tired today.
Day 3, here I come!!
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