Trail Blazers and Path Takers

[TerriMM]

Great ideas Bud! Thanks!!

I did add 12 almonds today, wild thing that I am, and they really held me better until lunch. In fact I'm much less hungry tonight. Another thing different, no grains.

I have some chopped up chicken thigh, avocado and green sauce with my name on it for lunch.

I went ahead and stuck with my plan. I was actually quite satisfied today and figured I'd just go with it. (plus the almonds of course). I ended up with: 605 calories, 50% fat, 36% protein and 14% carbs. So lower calories/higher fat.

So tomorrow is down day for you? What’s the plan?

Good Luck Maggie!

[TerriMM]

Sorry for the rough day Lydia, been there. But tomorrow is a fresh new day!

Coconut Soap Huh? Now that's some coconut I can get into. My favorite so far is the Sweet Pea, so luxurious!

[dazygyrl]

good morning!

so glad you felt good last evening! enjoy your almonds! your meal today sounds yummy!

yes, DD today. i have 2 avocados left from the 5 pack i bought at sam's the other day. so i will have my little meal i posted for you above...and hope the other one will keep till thursday.

great UD yesterday. i wondered around scratching my head most of the day as nothing was really speaking to me on what to eat. i did eventually come up with something, but it was weird to not 'know' what to eat. came in right at my cal goal 1644 (range 1600-1800). and then even weirder (read: more awesome-er) part....i was down 1.2 from yesterday. back at a number i haven't seen for a long time. so am finally heading the right direction!

lydia...i'm glad you found it...and thank you for your kind words. let me know if you have any questions.

thanks, miss deb!

(i gotta make more sweet pea soap...thanks for the reminder, terri. )

[TerriMM]

Good Morning for the loss. Looks like persistence is finally paying off. That's great!

Well I'm down 1.1 today, still .10 away from my pre-load. I'm planning an UD of around 800 calories with 52% fat today.

[dazygyrl]

woot! congrats on your 1.1! enjoy your UD!

[privatediva]

I'm having chocolate chocolate chip protein pancakes with coconut butter and turkey bacon this morning. Heh...I pity the fools who are scarfing their donuts or IHOP. This is awesome!

437 cals, 25.2 g fat, 37.5 g protein, 7 g carb, 5 g fiber

[dazygyrl]

that's illegal to talk about something like that without following it with a recipe, ya know!?

sounds yummy!

[TerriMM]

She won't incur penalty points if she posts the recipe quickly.

[Twirl]

chocolate chip protein pancakies? And here I went off all on icky carbs yesterday? Geez. Yes, may we have that recipe?

Carrie, I've already picked out a few goodies which will be my treat to me next paycheck.

Terri, I admit I haven't figure out what a fat fast is, that's what you're doing? And you did it so soon after starting P2. That's interesting. Have a great day,

Lydia

[dazygyrl]

btw...there is a whole thread dedicated to fat fasting. i believe it's called "Fat Faster's" or something similar.

[TerriMM]

Here's the link to the thread, I learned everything here:
**FAT FASTER'S THREAD**

I'm not doing this currently, but I have done it during P2 and P3 with good sucess. It's very hard for me to go back to a low fat P2 after this so I'm trying to get a little farther along before I try it again. But it works for me. YMMV of course.

[privatediva]

There's a lot of 'do whatever you want' in this recipe...it started out as plain protein pancakes, and has since been cinnamon pancakes, chocolate chip, and chocolate chocolate chip:

This is the Chocolate Chocolate Chip version:

1/4 cup whey protein powder (I use Jay Robb Vanilla)
1/4 cup egg white protein powder (I use Jay Robb Vanilla...you can use all egg white protein or all whey...or different brands/flavors)
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/3 cup egg beaters
1 Tblsp Salted Caramel Torani (SF of course)
1 capful coconut extract
maybe a little extra sweetener of your choice
2 heaping Tblsp of Special Dark Cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder

blend until smooth. You must then allow the batter to sit for five minutes. It will thicken a lot during that time. (if you want plain pancakes...just leave out the cocoa, and use maple extract instead of coconut....add a tsp of cinnamon for another twist)

Cook on a griddle...I spoon them out and sprinkle a few SF choc chips on them (Nevada Manna...no malitol). Flip em. Don't overcook...they're actually great if they're a little "molten". Awesome with butter. Plain ones are wonderful with butter and WF pancake syrup. Cinnamon, I like with cinnamon and splenda sprinkled on after butter. Oh...the chocolate kind are awesome with coconut butter on them.

Play with the recipe and if you come up with something cool, let me know. Merry and I make them several times a week. yum

[shirleychef]

Privatediva... please forgive me for contacting you this way but I cannot remember... did you and hubby follow 500 cal's only?? The reason I ask is hubby is doing the VLCD/hcg with me right now and is REALLY struggling. Mainly he cannot think straight. He is losing great but still struggling a bit with hunger BUT he wants to get back down to previous LDW or lower. AFter week 1 he is already less than 5 pounds from goal weight. I thought when I joined this forum I heard of other "protocols" that allow for higher calories.. like 6-800... he does not care if he loses the last bit slowly.. he just needs to be able to think clearly and function well as his work is REALLY stressful right now which is what contributed to him not being able to stay at LDW with ease.

Actually.. if any of you know of an altered plan.. maybe with a bit more protein/food that yields good results, even if they are slower please share.

Thanks a bunch!! I haven't posted here for a while because I'm being a stricty this round and don't want to allow my mind to wander toward experimenting again. LOL! Hi Terri.... got to chat with Dazy earlier on the Coconut Manna thread... and "hello" to others I missed... Cheryl.. and others. I think about ya'll LOTS sorry to not be connecting as of late. And thanks for any info you might have to share so I can help hubby get through the next 2 weeks before he can transition to phase 3.

[dazygyrl]

Thank you, dear!

And guess what I made today, deb? Coconut butter!it turned out beautiful!

I got a case of 12, 8oz bags of shredded coconut for $24. I used 2 bags for my butter. It creamed up so nice and taste just like the nutivia brand. Only thing is there still some bits of coconut, which aren't my fav, but not enough to 'ruin' it. So if you get tired of spending $8-9 per jar, grab ya a case and only spend $4/jar.

[dazygyrl]

Shirley, dh does hhcg when he feels like he's gained a bit too much...he'll do 7-10 days then resume LC. But when he doses, he does not count at all. Just has high protein and no fat. LOTS of veggies. He always drops 10-12 pounds in that time that he does it.

[shirleychef]

Originally Posted by dazygyrl

Shirley, dh does hhcg when he feels like he's gained a bit too much...he'll do 7-10 days then resume LC. But when he doses, he does not count at all. Just has high protein and no fat. LOTS of veggies. He always drops 10-12 pounds in that time that he does it.

Does he do this often and do you think that since it isn't for the full 21 days that the losses stick? Thanks so much for the help!!

And maybe try blending the CM a little longer and see if those little bits get ground up. Mine has a tiny bit of that too.. but I thought it was b/c I added the CO too early. I love making it for 1/2 the cost or less!!

[dazygyrl]

Yeah, they do stick for him. He doesn't monitor much of anything accept carbs when eating LC, but even that he doesn't actually count...just knows what is and isn't a carb. When he knows he has indulged a bit too much, and clean LC eating doesn't correct it he'll just do hhcg and then resume life.

I will try blending a little longer next time. Thanks!

[dazygyrl]

One thing for dh, he's tall and pretty buff so needs way more cals and protein than protocol allows...I would guess he eats 1500+ cals when he doses....veggies and lean meat, eggs, and a bit of fat. And even then is hungry most of the time.

[shirleychef]

Thanks Dazy.. I think we will increase his protein tomorrow. He honestly cannot think straight and he is working 2 full time job's right now under his current employer b/c they are transitioning out of one contract and they have him working on projects for another contract already.. .PLUS they want to add on another responsibility.. tomorrow is the meeting and he has to share with his supervisors how stretched they already have him.... BUT he is having a VERY hard time focusing.. he lost 10.6 his first week on the VLCD.

[privatediva]

We did the 500 calories, both of us. Neither of us had any problems working our fool heads off. I sometimes do wonder if our experience is a little different from the hhcg experience. We both used sublingual RX drops which included a pretty nice dose of B-12 and took a prescription Potassium supplement and a few other supplements our doctor felt were important (green tea also).

I think I'll get a case of coconut...I need to order some protein powder anyway, Whole Foods was out of my beloved Jay Robb today. Did you get your case from Netrition? Was it shredded, flaked...or?

[shirleychef]

Thanks Deb... I think I need to get on his case about taking supplements. He took potassium religiously his last 2 rounds but has not this round... I think he needs to. I have b-12 too... so we'll get him going on those and hopefully it will help to give him the clarity of thought and energy he needs... the poor guy is struggling... and he's married to the VLCD/hcg energizer bunny!!

My energy is AMAZING this round.. AND I'm exercising... a lot!! Lifting weights 3 days a week followed by 2 aerobic miles plus doing 3 aerobic miles on my non lifting days.. only resting on Sunday. We are taking the same hhcg too... so I know his isn't "bad".

I think the work stress is really taking it's toll on him. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my post. I cannot figure out how to PM people... I'm so techy challenged!

Oh and for the homemade CM.. I like the fine shredded coconut.. if you can find it but I think they will all work.. your processor will just have to work harder if the flakes are larger.

[privatediva]

Okie Dokie...I have a fabulous food processor and also have a Vitamix (the *best* purchase I ever made, we use it several times every day...the whole family loves it) so I think I could probably make butter out of sheet metal if need be

[shirleychef]

Originally Posted by privatediva

Okie Dokie...I have a fabulous food processor and also have a Vitamix (the *best* purchase I ever made, we use it several times every day...the whole family loves it) so I think I could probably make butter out of sheet metal if need be

Let me know which one you like it best in. I've heard you can use a food processor or a Vitamix but I don't have a VM yet... it is on my wish list.. but now I'm trying to decide if I want a Vitamix or a Ninja.. anybody have one or the other and a preference?? We make a LOT of smoothies out of kefired milk/cream frozen fruit, etc, protein shakes, green smoothies.. and I have a chincy little Oyster blender right now that I'm hoping will die so I can replace it with a POWER blender!!

I wonder which machine will yield a smoother CM??

[privatediva]

My sister has a Ninja. It is a pretty good blender...but my Vitamix could make butter out of her Ninja. (I'm kind of serous, actually...it is an unbelievable machine)

[dazygyrl]

deb, i got this....Let's Do Organic Shredded, Unsweetened Coconut, 8-Ounce Packages (Pack of 12)...at the "amaz(on)ing" place that shall not be named...

it's very finely shredded, almost powdery.

[dazygyrl]

good morning, all!

so had a great DD yesterday....really getting 'in the groove' which i am happy about! had just under 700 cals, heavy on the fat and protein. am down 0.8 this morning.

UD today. need to plan my day. was to have lunch with my friend, but i put my baby girl to bed with a fever and horrible sore throat last night. so will be staying home with her, most likely.

how was your day yesterday, bud?

shirley, deb, lydia....hope you all have a great day!

[TerriMM]

Carrie you are rocking! Way to go Hope your sweet baby feels better!

Your suggestion to raise the fat and calories seems to be paying off for me too. Yesterday was 901 calories, 51F, 28P, 21C - Down .90. Today I'm doing a DD. If the little magic bullet blender my friend gave me works out, I'm going to have a Choc/Cherry Smoothie for Breakfast and Lunch with a lean beef stir fry for dinner.

Hi Shirley! Good to see you. I totally understand about staying away from tempting food discussion, I've been there. My DH has trouble focusing on the VLCD too. He also losses well with more protein. If he's having an especially hard moment, believe it or not, a little salt is a quick fix.

Hope everyone has a great day!!

[dazygyrl]

oh, i'm glad my advice didn't screw you up. lol! congrats!

[Twirl]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for the fat fast thread I'll check it out. This round I seem to be feeling physically better but seem to be on the edge of eating off plan. I feel like I'm already experimenting with several things and a little apprehensive and need to get into a groove of what I'm doing. Something like the excuse for why it took me so long to check hcg...maybe I need to shift my thought process a make my groove fine and stable...and check out the fat fast...my brain, lol.

Shirley, if you're looking at machines like the vitamix there is one that might be worth looking at. It's Blendtec. It's expensive and I've read and talked to folks who say it lasts a long time. Longer than most. Though I don't have one, it's the one I would get.

Surprise, I'm up today. After my brief tryst with carbs on Monday. I've got a little post it on my bathroom mirror that says, "I accept myself unconditionally, Right Now." lol Deep Breath.

Have a great day.

[privatediva]

Just fwiw...I researched really thoroughly before I bought my Vitamix. I considered Blendtec as well. Blendtec is an excellent machine...the only blender close to Vitamix in performance. If you google blentec vs vitamix, there is an excellent review site. Should be the first one that comes up. The page that lists the advantages of both blenders is good reading and helped me make my decision. The advantages (for me) of the Vitamix (better durability, service, and much much much less noisy) were the key factors in my decision to pay a little more up front for satisfaction in the long term. The person writing the page owns and uses both machines. They are both *great* blenders.