A new start!

It’s been awhile since my last post and lots has changed since then! A big one....in a word....MENOPAUSE!!! I’ll write about that more later.

I’ve also gained back any weight I had lost and then some. It’s been very frustrating to loose a ton of weight only to gain it back. And then to have nothing work......nothing!  Part of that is the dreaded menopause and part of it was the habit of yo-yo dieting. It’s wrecked my health.....big time!

Last year I started to have some major health issues. The most annoying was chronic heartburn that turned into GERD. I couldn’t drink a glass of water without getting heartburn and it lasted all day......every day! For awhile I was living on antacids, then went to drugs like Prilosec for relief, but I knew I didn’t want to be on medication forever! Who needs that! So I started to do some research on what would help and of course diet came up. What I was eating was causing my heartburn and if I didn’t want to be on meds the rest of my life......then a change had to be made.

In doing research I found that a keto diet really helped. So in February of last year I started a ketogenic diet. The results.....I lost 25 pounds in 6 months and my heartburn disappeared! Happy dance! But......a trip to Mexico derailed my best intentions. I started again when I got home but a series of illnesses ( who knew you could get back to back flu bugs!) had me off tract again. (I gained back 15 lbs) It wasn’t until the end of February that I started to feel better and the first thing I did.......was join a gym! Me....57 and 35 lbs overweight.......joined a gym!

So.....that was the beginning of a lifestyle change for me. While I have tried a plethora of diets I have never tried exercise. Now I’m doing both.....keto and exercising. I’ll be reviewing recipes and exercises I’m trying and anything else that tickles my fancy! Stay tuned.....

P2 - Day 8

First week total was 9.0 pounds. I was trying for 10. No cheats this week. Stayed right on tack with water and meals. Hoping for a 5 pound loss this next week, but we'll see. In looking back over my last rounds, it's not typical for me. I'm still determined to stick with the protocol for 21 days straight with out cheating.....so far so good! And that despite the fact that my girls came for a visit and cooked and ate all kids of foods that I can't have.

Was a bit hungry tonight and very cranky! I haven't had any problems with cravings, which is a good thing, but I'm already tired of the food. I'm really tired of the Apple Cider Vinegar and lemon juice dressing on my salad.

This round the apples aren't setting well with me. Not sure if it's the specific kind, or apples in general. Headed to the grocery store tomorrow and will try a different type to see if I can deal with them better.

Starting over!

This is my forth day on P2. I never finished my last round and managed to gain almost all of my weight back. When I first began with the HCG, after my load days I weighed 172.something. This round I started at exactly 170. What a bummer. Having read up on the diet again at least I know why I failed. I didn't stick to protocol on the P2 and thus had trouble stabalizing in P3. This round I'm mentally set! I know what I'm doing and why. I've made it my goal not to cheat.....not even once for 21 days straight. Interestingly, so far this round has been very easy. No hunger, no cravings. I haven't decided if I'll just stick to the 21 days, or I'll stick with it longer to lose more weight. I've cleared my calender through the end of April, so I could do 40 days. My ultimate goal is to get down to 125. I'm around 5'3". I say that because I have scoliosis and have been shrinking. I may actually be closer to 5'2 1/2" right now. I haven't decide my 'goal' weight loss for this round. I'm not sure if I just want to do the 21 days, or stick with it the 40 days and see where i am. Alot will depend on how I feel at the end of the 21 days. If I'm still in a good place mentally, I'll probably stick with it longer. if not, I can always do another round later.

I lost 6.5 pounds my first 2 days, which was increadable considering that I only gained 2 pounds on my load days. I didn't lose anything this morning, which I was concerned about after losing that much in just 2 days and not all of it from the load. After reading up more on Dr. S's protocol, I'm only eating my meat grilled this week and am adding nothing to my foods but lemon juice and apple cider vinegar. I want to see if I can make it down 10 pounds in week one. Next week I may start to add some spices and Bragg's Liquid Aminos back into my diet. Plus, this round I am really focused on my water intake. No diet soda, no sugar free sports drinks, no nothing. Water, tea and coffee and I've even cut out the coffee, since I can't manage to drink it without flavored creamers!

Here's to starting over again.......

R4P2 - Day 8 - Monday

Start Weight 160.0
Today's weight 154.5

Total weight loss first week - 5.5

No I haven't given up. I'm still plugging along. Still struggling with this round and haven't been staying completely on protocol. I'm sure thats why I've only lost 5.5 pounds my first week. I haven't been able to gice up my coffe with flavored creamer yet and I've also had some half & half in my broccoli soup on 3 days in a row and for 2 out of the 3 I also added a little cheese to the soup. Yesterday I had ribeye steak instead of New York, which has a lot more fat, but tasted oh so much better. I'm determined to do better this week. No more cheats. I'm just not sure I can give up my coffe in the mornings!

A friend of mine, who is also on the program, had a wonderful idea. She's taken to substituting her meat with non fat Greek yogurt. 1 cup is 130 calories and has 23 grams of protien in it. Last night I made my broccoli soup and added the 1/2 c yogurt instead of the half & half and the whole bowl was only 115 calories. Then I took the other 1/2 cup of yogurt, added a little stevia and strawberries for a wonderful desert. My total calories were only 215. The half & half alone that I was putting in my soup had more calories than that. It's a really nice chance of pace when I'm tired of meat!

I'd like to lose 5 pounds per week. I'm staying on Phase 2 until December 23, when we go camping for 4 days. I'll stop taking the drops during those 4 days and resume the drops on the 27th. Then I will be on Phase 2 until the end of January or until I've lost the weight I've gained. Out anniversary is in February and I'd really like to be down into a dress I couldn't wear last year. It will probabaly take that long for me to get my mind wrapped around doing maintenance the RIGHT way!

Lunch - 165

1 c Greek yogurt
strawberries

Dinner - 220

100 g chicken
8 oz mushrooms
apple

Total calories - 385

Mushrooms aren't on protocol but it was the last I had in the frig and didn't want them to go to waste. Especially since they were the baby portabellas! They did make a tasty dinner. If it doesn't effect my weight loss too much I may have them again.

Still working on my water intake. It's been so stinkin cold here that the last thing I want to do is drink a lot of water. Makes me that much colder! I hate cold weather, by the way. having grown up in sothern California, I still can't adapt to it and I have no clue as to how to dress to keep warm. I'm either freezing or I over dress and I'm roasting. No happy medium here!

R4P2 - Day 4

Start weight 160.0
today's weight 156.3
Loss -.4

Not as good as I had hoped, but it's still a loss. Yesterday I had chicken and mushrrooms for lunch which is off protocol, but I didn't want to see them go to waste. I also had elk that my son-in-law gave me. Very lean meat.

This round is so far the hardest one I've done and I'm not sure why. I'm really struggling with it. Haven't been able to completely give up my coffee creamer in the mornings. I know that's why my weight loss is slower this round than others, plus I really didn't load. I had already gained so much weight that I just didn't want to put on more. I ate pretty normal exepct on Sunday when I had 3 candy bars. Maybe that's why it's already been so hard.

Lunch - 250

100 g turkey
2 c broccoli
apple

Dinner - 181

100 g elk
2 c lettuce
Strawberries

Total - 431

Still working on my water intake. When I have errand or appointments and I know I'm going to be out and about it's hard to drink a lot of water because I'm always searching for a bathroom.

R4P2 - Day 3

Start weight 160.00
Today's weight 156.7
Loss -1.1

Lunch - 190

100 g chicken
1 c mushrooms
apple

Dinner - 146

100 g Elk meat
2 c lettuce

Total calories - 336

R4P2 - Day 2

Start weight 160.0
Today's weight 157.8
Loss -2.2

Not to bad considering I didn't really load like I should have. Today wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I'm still not as gung ho as I should be. I need to drop the weight, but my mind still isn't in it. I'm hoping I can manage not to sabotage myslef until I get a better grip......mentaly!

Lunch - 200

100 g chicken
1 1/2 c cabbage
apple

Dinner - 240

100 g steak
2 c asparagus
strawberries

Total calories - 440

I made chicken and cabbage soup for lunch and it was horrible. I don't know if it's just trying to get used to the no sugar or startch, but even with added salt it was pretty tasteless. Had to force myself to eat about 3/4 of it. I need to check out some recipies because if this is day 2 and I'm already tires of the food......it's going to be a long haul!