HCG

Well I'm not sure how many people read this since I haven't updated in FOREVER, but I'm not going to advertise that I'm updating this so I can get my thoughts out of my head. It will also be good to have this for my book that I'm in the process of writing.

Two weeks ago I started HCG. Let me back up. About a month ago Devon (my dear partner in crime and fellow Group Q member) sent me an email saying that she was going to do HCG and I should too. She also forwarded me the groupon coupon from Skin Envy in GR which was for the 40 day program with 40 days worth of HCG injections for $299. It promised at least 40 lbs of weight loss in 40 days. I purchased. I looked into it and was delighted to discover that this program would strip down my nutrition and allow me to rebuild it little by little. So I was in. Two weeks and one day ago I went to Skin Envy in GR with my dear mamasita. I was given a bag full of 40 injections and was taught how to give them to myself. I find my hipbone and then go to the right of it (My right) to find a spot with flab and I inject it there. I had a three day load period where I was able to eat what I wanted. (My last day was pancakes, freshly baked cookies with milk, turkey sandwich, pop chips, WW mac and cheese, sweet potato fries, more cookies and two glasses of wine). Then I started the food plan part which is 500-1000 calories a day. One protein: Beef, chicken, veal, lobster, crab, shrimp. ONE fruit: apple, orange, grapefruit, strawberries. ONE veggie: green salad, radish, cucumber, tomatoes, chard, onion. AND one carb: either melba toast or grissini breadstick.
I do the meal plan for 40 days. I am now on day 13 of the food and day 16 of the injections. I'll be done with "phase two" (the 40 day meal plan) on March 6th and then I start phase three which allows me much more food- 1600 cal a day but still keeps out most starch and sugar. After 21 days of phase three I start phase four where I slowly incorporate some starch and sugar into my 1600 cal food plan and stick to that for the rest of my life.
My starting weight was 220 and today I weigh 205.2 It's working. Some days faster than others.

I learned that HCG works best with minimal exercise since you can't go over 1000 cal consumed and it might put the body into starvation mode. This week I'm trying to do as little exercise as I will allow myself. This is hard for me, because if you know me, you know that I love to workout every single day and I push myself in whatever I do.

I am not talking about this on Facebook or as publicly as I normally would because I don't want to read a bunch of comments telling me to stop and that this won't work. It is working and I am going to see it to completion. I just need to keep my focus. I will be down to 180 lbs by March 6th and I'm ready for that. I've also lost inches and that's amazing as well. I can do this, even though it's hard. I miss carbs. I miss working out as hard as I want to. I miss pancakes on the weekends and I miss dairy. I am getting tired of apples. I am getting tired of cucumbers. But I can do this... And I will. I need to teach myself a lesson and allow my body to adjust without so many carbs and without the bad habits I was starting to develop again. I made a promise to myself that I would never, ever go back to the person I was when I started this journey. I was starting to get glimpses of that person so I knew it was time to do something about it. My drastic "something" was HCG and I'm going to do it, lose my plateau and never have to do it again.

Losing It

Wow! It's been a long time since I updated! Sorry about that! The truth of the matter is I was in a huge slump. I felt like nothing I was doing was working and I needed to find a way to really get back on track. I've been running and working out like a feind. Still plateau.
Last Tuesday I had an epiphany. I started my plateau last July when I had surgery, but it was also around the same time that I stopped using my body bugg! I saw the new version on people on Jillian Michaels new show and I realized that I needed to go back to my body bugg. I decided that I wanted to get a new body bugg because the new version is much lighter and smaller. So I shopped around right then and there and purchased one right off of their website for a lot cheaper than anywhere else. It should be here sometime this week. :)

I am going to use the bodybugg for my calorie intake as well. It's worth the time and the money I'll put into it and I'll for sure be more than back on track!

So here I am- back on track. Eating right and exercising the right way. A race a month (two in September) and no more school eating temptations. It's going to be a wonderful summer!!

It's not easy...

I realize it's been a long, long time since I've blogged. This is because I have faced some of the most challenging and emotionally draining weeks of my life.
We received a call from Hospice on Valentine's day that Sweet Baby Ray (My grandpa) was having a hard time breathing. It was a matter of time. We rushed to Kalamazoo and were there as a family as he had his last days. Losing the last of my grandparents was really hard and I'm not completely back to normal. After that week I had a rough work week last week and I've been sick since Friday. Today I'm mainly battling with a headache because the meds are tackling my chest congestion and my nose. Ugh!

In the midst of all this I have done some great runs. I ran 6 miles last week Thursday and I did it in 76 minutes. I haven't been able to work out since, and today is no exception. I'm giving myself time to fully recover before I go back to the gym.

My eating is going well. I have kept mostly to my food plan and that's been good. I weighed in yesterday 4.6 lbs lighter than I weighed on February 1st. I weigh 211.4 right now and it feels great that I didn't gain, even though I'm still in my plateau range.

I just want to kick this emotional draining time of my life and get back to doing what I need to do to kick this plateau and lose the last 40 lbs to my goal! Ugh!

I know I can do it, I'm ready to do it...

Penguins are cute

Yesterday I had a pain in my calf. I thought I could run through the pain but I couldn't. So I walked at a 4.1 for an hour and went *Shock!* 4.1 miles and burned over 700 calories! I'm pretty proud of myself for still making it to the gym and equally proud that I didn't push myself too far. Hopefully I'll be able to run again soon. Today I am going to try to get a circuit or three in and walk about 20-40 minutes.

My food plan for today:
Breakfast: Cereal, raspberries, Orange Juice, coffee
Snack: Special K crisps *Yum!*
Lunch: Smart Ones Mac and Cheese, 100 cal cupcakes, yogurt, banana
Snack: Yogurt
Dinner: Fish, salad, goldfish grahams

We didn't have a snow day today, and really the snow isn't all that bad. We are still getting some snow but it really isn't so bad. All that worry for nothing. Plus in my heart I really didn't think that we'd have a snow day. It's count day for the district. Most of the snow was in Muskegon and Grand Rapids and south.

It's going to be a great day! How will you make every minute count?

"Oh the weather outside is frightful..."

Seriously... Can winter please just be over? We're about to get a huge snowstorm and people are banking on a snow day tomorrow. Ugh. I don't want a snow day. We don't have to make it up if we have one or two more but it's an unpaid day so I'll have to do some kind of work anyway. I hate winter. I hate feeling cold. I hate hate hate driving on icy roads that could kill someone at any turn or any random moment. Let it be spring I say!

Ok now that my negitivity is out, I'll turn back into my normal, upbeat self. :)

Last night I ran 35 min and walked for 30 minutes and went 5.25 miles! I stuck to my food plan pretty much and I'm still a vegetarian!
I really like not eating meat. Of course when I see a commercial for Logan's I crave a steak now but for the most part I'm really liking being a vegetarian. I tried some meatless, boneless buffalo wings that were yummy and I absolutely love veggie burgers! Today for my lunch I packed a meatless chicken patty! I bet it's delicious!

Well here it is, my food plan for today:

Breakfast- egg sandwich, orange juice, coffee
Snack- Special K fruit crisps (YUMMY!)
Lunch- Meatless Chicken patty, flat sandwich bun, banana, yogurt, WW PB cookie
Snack- Pretzals, goldfish crackers, peanut butter
Dinner- Fish, salad

Have a great Tuesday! Hope the snow doesn't get too bad!

"Missa sad"

Today my thoughts are with my last living grandparent. Sweet Baby Ray. He will be 98 in March. Yesterday he fell twice and they found out that he has blood on the brain again. They are going to try to operate today and he is in the hospital. Five years ago this happened and he was so much better afterward. However, Sweet Baby Ray is not the same as he was five years ago. He was brought in a few weeks ago to be observed and they changed his meds. He hasn't been as coherent as he had been. It's been hard for him to string three words together.

You know how you have that one grandparent or family member that you connect with and is just "Yours"? My Grandma Boughton was mine. Sweet Baby Ray is my brothers. He is really upset and might even drive home. I'm worried about Steve. I hope he's ok. He's alone in Iowa right now because Donna (his wife) is away on business for the rest of the week in PA. I don't like that Steve is alone to deal with this. I am grateful that he's in the loop though. That's a good thing. *sigh*

I hope Sweet Baby Ray makes it through this surgery, but in my heart I know that if it truly is his time to go and be with my grandma, he will go. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. It's a hard day at work for me today...


Last night I went to the gym and ran 2.67 miles in 30 minutes and then walked at about at 4.0 for another 15 minutes. I ended at 3.71 miles and burned 601 calories. I stuck to my food plan yesterday and I'm completely on track!

Food plan for today:
Breakfast: Egg sandwich, Orange Juice, Coffee
Snack: Grapes
Lunch: Tuna sandwich, orange, 100 cal strawberry cupcakes, granola bar
Snack: Apples
Dinner: Veggie lasagna, salad

I am hoping to get to the gym tonight at 7pm or so to run 30 minutes and do 30-35 min of strength training...

"Gotta live like we're dying"

I ran yesterday. I went over 5 miles in less than an hour plus I also accomplished all three circuits of strength training! I was a sweaty mess, but I feel great! Today I'll run for 45 minutes. :) Hooray for getting back into my workout routine!
I also stuck to my food plan yesterday! Whoo hoo!

Today after dinner I am going to go into Muskegon to get a birthday present for Kaden. He's six on Friday and I'm going to his birthday party on Saturday. It will be a good time.

I'm also starting to make some summer plans. I'm going to Indiana the first Friday in June with the group Q girls. It will for sure be a good time. :)

My favorite holiday is coming up a week from Sunday- Valentine's Day! :) I just love the promise Valentine's day has and even though I haven't had a particular sweet Valentine's day with someone, I know that one day I will...

My food plan for today:

Breakfast: Fiber One shredded wheat cereal, orange juice, coffee
Snack: Grapes
Lunch: Mini bagels with Peanut butter, orange, granola bar
Snack: Graham crackers, milk
Dinner: ?? and salad

It will be a great day! Go get your workout! Be inspired!