My hHCG experiment<3

[RileyWorm]

134.6 = yay!! this just goes to show you why correction days are so important in this diet. you must catch the gains early and they come off quickly!! yay!!
Today I've had:
B-2 HB eggs, grapes
L-2 hot dogs with ketchup
D-either bunless burger or chicken salad from somewhere, out running errands before class.
Depserately need to go grocery shopping hence the two hot dogs. Not that I have anything against hot dogs but try to only eat them if I have to. Hoping to stay inthe 134's until Monday.

[virgobaby]

I've read your whole journal and find it very interesting. I'm in a similar place. I'll be restarting hCG on Monday to try to finish up. I will try some of the menus you have posted and see how I do with them.

I live a couple of minutes from an Ulta store but haven't gone in yet - now I'm afraid after reading your posts! lol

Good luck with the interview and making your weight goals. Keep posting!

[RileyWorm]

Hi! Thank you! I hope when reading everything it wasn't too confusing as to when I was doing hcg and when I wasn't. I jump around alot. lol. If you can live a few minutes from Ulta and not go in, then you have wonderful self control and should have no problems reaching goal! No seriously I LOVE Ulta, you need to check it out.
My interview is today eeeekkk!!!
No clue on menu but probably boiled eggs, tuna, who knows. Grocery shopping later today.

[MsHistory]

GOOD LUCK TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!! Crossing all fingers and toes and saying prayers for you... Let me know how it goes!

I'm so happy for you that you've made your loss stick ... I am so irritated with myself right now because I am eating WAY too many calories per day, mostly composed of carbs or chocolate. Idk what my issue is, argh! I need to take EVERYTHING that has carbs in it out of my house.

I'm planning a trip to Sephora this weekend!

[RileyWorm]

YAY!! Let me know what you get!! I need to go to rehab for beauty products, seriously. I will let you know how the interview goes, unless I am too depressed and I didn't get it. AHH!!

I still eat lots of chocolate unfortunately, luckily I have somehow figured out how to let myself have just enough that it doesn't affect my weight too much. I had to detox this week though, becuase over the weekend I had Five Guys, a snickers bar, and a huge meal at a local steak place which included BREAD BREAD BREAD. The worst mistake I make is not making corrections the very next day when I am bad...that's how I gained back 10 pounds so quickly last summer...so I don't really have any helpful hints for you, it has been a long learning process for me.

[MsHistory]

After you gained back the 10 pounds, how did you lose it again? Did you go back on HCG or just eat P3ish for a while?

[RileyWorm]

i started hcg again in january after another 5-10 pound gain over the holidays. So far I've lost 20-25 since then so I am going nice and slow...my counts aren't accurate b/c I switched scales and they have 5 pound diff. But that first 10 I gained back quickly after my 2nd round of hcg which only netted me a 5 pound loss for the round. blech! I would eat like crazy on the weekends, wouldn't face the scale, I had the state of mind "I already messed up so I'm going to eat all of these cookies too." I didn't have a good time to do another round until January this year.

[virgobaby]

I was totally able to follow what you were doing. I have done multiple rounds and screwed up myself with regaining off plan. On my last round I got sick of chicken and celery on P2 so I am on a P3 break currently. Since I know what to expect following protocol I am excited to try some of the menus you used when I restart and see if I can shake things up a bit.

Hope the interview went well and you get good news!

[RileyWorm]

i find out next week if i made it to the next and final interview. they are taking the top 2-3 candidates to interview with the CFO. omg i am so nervous already. i think i did well but sometimes i get tongue tied and embarassed.
tonight is Cardinals game so that means nachos and beer and I don't care! LOL! looking forward to having a good time tonight.

i don't eat chicken breast. AT. ALL. (unless it is FRIED! LOL) this diet ruined it for me. same with asparagus and scallops. it took a long time until i could eat cottage cheese and raw tomatoes too. make sure you keep me updated if you try my menus and how it works for you!

[RileyWorm]

this weekend was bad,bad,bad!!! i did not weigh this morning, i suspect i gained probably 3-4 pounds. today i am eating super clean, mostly high protein/high fat. I did not start hcg today as planned, maybe tomorrow.
today: chicken ceasar salad
2 scrambled eggs with cheese
some nuts
dinner - idk yet.

[MsHistory]

Seriously Erin, our similiarities are crazy! Which is great, because this gives me hope that as soon as I'm done with my "Screw it, I'm eating chocolate" mindset, maybe I can get back to business and head back for the 130's...

Also, sometimes nachos and beer are necessary. My problem is that the day AFTER beer, I also find it necessary to eat everything fried that I can get my hands on, haha!

Virgo, I hear both of you guys on the chicken/celery aversion... ugh. There are certain spices I will never look at again either! SO glad Erin did the experimenting so we could benefit from her menus!

I did pretty good over the weekend, but I keep messing up at work. (WHY oh WHY is there always chocolate here?!... Don't they know that my job is stressful, and when I'm stressed I eat chocolate!?)

[RileyWorm]

i have a bag of avocadoes ready for me this week. i think i'm staying off the scale again and doing a high fat high protein day tomorrow too. i feel better, some of my stomcach bloat is going down...and yep the day after the booze fest i had HARDEES! not really worth it but i just love spicy chicken sandwiches gahhhhh!!!

chocolate is my biggest weakness too, there really is no sugar free substitute that is even close as the real thing! i have discovered a new guilty pleasure for my sweet tooth: i bought it at walmart and it is called 'antioxidant mix' or something like that: almonds, sunflower seeds, and dried cranberries. OMG SO GOOD. of course i'm eating those, along with my chocolate covered almonds.
did you ever try the avocado mousse? i'm going to have to soon but i have been so busy running around with errand/interviews/appointments, and finals on top of it, i haven't had any time to do anything around here. my house is a disaster!! ugh!! hoping to catch up on everything this weekend.

[MsHistory]

Ooh, I'll have to check out the antioxidant mix! My big thing is that sometimes dried fruit has lots of carbs anyway, so I figure I may as well just each chocolate... I need an attitude adjustment! Chocolate covered almonds is a good idea! I wonder if I could make cocoa crack to cover them to satisfy my chocolate fiending...

I haven't tried the avocado mousse yet... I've been super busy too, ugh! (I quit my job and I'm moving in 1 month, so I've been trying to job and house hunt from 1800 miles away. You can imagine how much chocolate...and booze... I'm consuming, right?) I just keep telling myself "It always seems impossible until it is done." Breathe deep.

Any word on a second interview?

[RileyWorm]

the carbs aren't tooooo bad in this, i think 18 total and not sure of net carbs. it is DELICIOUS. the dried fruit luckily doesn't have any other added sugars. but i know what you're saying. for the same amount of carbs i could have half a chocolate bar probably!

no word yet, i sent out thank yous monday, they said they had a final interview scheduled for today, so by tomorrow i may know. uggghhhh i don't even want to know lol! i will probably call her though tomorrow.

good luck with the house hunting and job hunting! it's hard enough doing it in the same city but yeah 1800 miles away can create some obstacles!! why are you moving if you don't mind me asking? that is a BIG move to make!

today i braved the scale and i was 136.6 too high for me but still an acceptable range. i wanted to do a protein day but didn't get with it so i had some of that antioxidant mix, and lunch is a bunless cheeseburger. who knows what dinner will be. i am out of yogurt so maybe i'll make some eggs. i've also started walking the dog 3 x a week and meeting my aunt before work, so i am retaining some water because my legs are a bit sore if you can believe it! i live in a really hilly area so the up/down is making my shins sore. plus the callanetics, so let's up its just a bit of water and i'll be in the 135s tomorrow.

[RileyWorm]

UGH I HAD A PIECE OF COFFEE CAKE. nothing major, but unfortunately i probably won't drop any poundage and my tummy feels bloated! i kindof have to say it was worth it though, it was from scratch and had REAL BUTTER in it. so tonight might be a chef salad/chicken salad from somewhere. my last final is tonight, then i am so happy i only have one class this summer and its online so i will have so much more time to do stuff and save big time on gas!! currently i was spending $40 a week JUST to drive to school - so that doesn't include my other gas expense for work, etc -

[MsHistory]

Oh my gosh, hooray for finals being over!!!!!!! I would just consider the coffee cake as part of the celebration : )

The Texas move was actually prompted by Mr. Right... But, as it turns out, I love it down there, and my son loves it down there. So this will be a really great move for us, but I tend to get really stressed out, and I don't do very well with change (especially when everything seems so uncertain and unplanned, and SCARY!). Even thinking about it now, I am so tense and stressed out, ugh!

[RileyWorm]

I STS same today, which is actually good considering the coffee cake, and then the cheeseburger dip and chips I had later that day. So that means I am once again stabilizing perfectly!!
I am watching it closer today, still trying to get that belly bloat down.

And....

I GOT A SECOND INTERVIEW! OMG my heart stopped when I saw the email! Now to impress the CFO...I am so nervous already. This is truly the ultimate test because she is directly going to choose who to hire for the position. I am going to have to prep, prep, prep until I fall over.

[MsHistory]

YESSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nice job Erin, I'm so excited for you!! : )

Has a date been set yet?

[RileyWorm]

Thanks so much! I am glad to share this news with you because I'm not telling anyone else IRL besides my parents and my boyfriend. I hate people getting excited for me, then I don't get the job, then they ask about it, and then I want to cry. lol
Anyway, the interview is next Friday. :/ Ugh so nervous!! Already! and it's a week away!
I was very bad tonight and me and my mom ate at the Golden Corral. Of course ate way too much, I KNOW i will be up tomorrow. On the plus side, I got some protein powder so can't wait to start working out again! Serious workouts, not just walking.

[MsHistory]

I know exactly what you mean, I hate crying in front of other people. And everytime I do, I start crying harder because I'm so embarassed that I'm crying! Such a vicious circle... Well good luck, and if it's meant to be it will work out! If not, something better is bound to come along.

What do you do for workouts? I quit when I started hcg and just haven't started back up again...

[RileyWorm]

it changes all the time because i get so bored with it, but currently walking the dog 3x a week (trying for more often but was so so busy with school), callanetics on the opposite days (only the exercises i like). i used to do zumba but got out of the habit and want to add that in again, and i want to add in some more weights or maybe p90x. my problem is i GAIN weight when working out so i freak out, even though i know it is water retention/muscle building. and its so hard to get into the swing of things when you stop the habit. callanetics is really great b/c you don't need any equipment, and once you've done it a few times the moves are easy to remember so i do them when i watch tv. it has really helped with my lower belly/love handle/inner thigh areas.

shooting for another high fat/protein day:
b- avocado/ coffee/cream
l-bunless burger
d-? maybe grill something?

[MsHistory]

Ooooh I want to try Callanetics! Any suggestions on which DVD to buy? Do you do a whole hour? My biggest problem with working out is that I don't like feeling like I've wasted an entire hour that I could have spent with my family. I wish there was an amazing 15 minute workout that could make me look like Carmen Electra! ; )

[RileyWorm]

i bought the 10 in 10 video - it is an hour, but after you do it a few times, you can either a) fast forward through a lot of the talking to cut it to 45 minutes, or b) do your own mix and cut it to about 1/2 hour. Like I said the good thing is you can do this anywhere in your house! I think there is an AM and PM video but you could do the AM one day and the PM the next. The dvd was like $15 on Amazon but I think you can find clips on youtube. It is interesting because you do the stretches AFTER the workout, in order to lengthen and lean the muscles so you don't get bulk. I hear you about the time it takes - I feel like I should be catching up on homework or getting stuff done around the house - there is always something that I feel like is more important (sleep usually! lol!) Probably the best thing to do is to get up early before work (currently doing to walk the dog) but I always hit snooze! Haha!
Otherwise my Zumba video is about 22 minutes, it is a game for PS3 Move. Honestly I really want to try Tony Horton's 10 minute videos but I hate to spend $80 on it when I am so fickle with exercise! I liked P90X but it is a freaking hour and I would only find time to do it at 9pm! So I quit that too. lol.
I know some people who like Julian Michaels's 30 Day Shred too. Never tried it so not sure how hard/long the video is.

Ooooh forgot to add also - do you have Netflix Instant Stream? Apparently there are workout videos on there too. I've never checked them out, but my friend does some 10 minute videos on there.

[MsHistory]

Oh my gosh I do have Netflix, that's a brilliant idea! I'll have to look into some of those workouts, maybe Zumba since 22 minutes sounds right up my alley! : ) (10 minutes sounds pretty awesome too, but I wonder if people get any results from that...?)

I fiiiinally made it to Sephora! I decided to get Naked 2 and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!!!!!! Oh my gosh, the colors are so stunning and I love how pigmented they are. <3 <3 <3!

Oh, and I am ridiculously up after this weekend, so I'm going to do a GY correction day today and probably another one tomorrow -- do you have any favorites? I accidentally bought fat free GY, so I hope it still works. I remember you saying that you made your own; was it worth the hassle? And how did it turn out?

[MsHistory]

AND... my mom got me GS's Livin' Low Carb cookbook for my bday! I can't wait to try it! Any favorites?

[RileyWorm]

OMG so excited for you! I have been eyeballing naked 2 for a while now but decided to wait and use it as some sort of reward ie last 6 pounds, new job....so i may be waiting a while lol! i have heard the colors are more cool toned so i am excited to try it. you are going to love love love wearing it i'm sure! i always get compliments when i wear the regular naked. (lol!)

i have so many recipes marked in that one but haven't gotten around to trying them all yet! so far i've tried the crab stuffed mushrooms, the stuffed peppers, the meat lasagna, the ricotta cheesecake, and the pumpkin cheesecake. They are all really good! I think I've had a meatloaf recipe too, that's good too. I've been wanting to try the carbonara and all the baking recipes but never have the right flour. He uses his own low carb ketchup but I just buy it or use regular (its not that much per serving usually). Really haven't had a recipe i didn't like yet! I have 3 of his. I love them!

Don't know if you like brussel sprouts, but I made some awesome ones yesterday. I bought fresh from the store, probably 2 pounds, cut them in half. Then I fried 3 pieces of bacon, crumbled it, poured the bacon, grease and all on the brussel sprouts in an aluminum pan. Added a bit of butter, some diced onion, salt, pepper, cover in foil and put on the grill for like an hour. AMAZING! OMG so darn good. They like carmelized on the bottom layer.
Didn't weigh today but I suspect i'm in the 135-136 range. i weighed yesterday afternoon (bad, i know) and I was 135.6. I've been 'working out' like crazy the past few days trying to tone up my legs real quick. i might weigh tomorrow. today has been a super clean day so far.
b - protein shake
s- leftover steak kabob, deviled egg
l- deviled egg, chicken thigh, brussel sprouts
d - prob the same as above in some combination.

[RileyWorm]

i ruined my day by eating a nutty bar. oooops!!!
forgot to tell you about the yogurt - it was easy to do, but straining is a pain and it ended up being way more expensive than just buying it. lol. HWC is like almost $5 a quart and whole milk was 2-3$ for a quart. It didn't make much after i strained it. Luckily my groc store carries full fat now, but i used to just pour some hwc over the fat free. it worked fine. especially if you had frozen berries omg yum.
another job interview tomorrow, OMG so nervous, it is a temp position at a law firm. I bought a new suit, it's so cute with a skirt with a little flare in the back and a cute jacket. actually my mom bought it for me. its for a payroll/invoice/customer service type position. nothing too exciting but it's experience and i'm excited! then the 2nd interview at the other place friday. I really want the other job but i will take what I can get at this point lol!

[MsHistory]

Yeah me too.... my GY day turned into just a clean day (er, mostly), but less than a pound to show for it on the scale. Boo.
I'm glad you did the experimenting with the GY because it sounded like a lot of work, and it looks like it wasn't worth the hassle anyway! I'm eating mine with frozen peaches in it today, mmmmmm. (According to the label, a serving of peaches has less carbs than a serving of raspberries... weird.)

I have brussels sprouts in the freezer and can't WAIT to try your recipe! MMM!

That's awesome that you are getting so many interviews! Even if they don't all work out, you're getting awesome experience so you will be prepped to nail the one you really want! Fingers crossed for today AND tomorrow!

[RileyWorm]

i am up, up, up today. not even going to say the number because i am bound and determined to make this temporary and get back to 135 quickly. too much sun, not enough water, and too much beer. my plan for the week is to eat high protein, high fat and amp up the workouts. we are going on a float trip in less than two weeks so wanna get a few pounds down.
i should find out tomorrow about if i got the job i wanted or not. please cross fingers and toes i get good news! otherwise, i am also going on another job interview at a local college for a financial aid rep at the school. which sounds fun too.
i am so nervous already.
AND, next friday i am going to a body wrap party. not really sure what it entails but am excited to try it out.

[RileyWorm]

i have a feeling i will see a good whosh tomorrow. i am already down 1 lb for during the day which is always a good sign i will lose overnight. i did a semi-CD:
B- GY with berries; coffee/cream
L - avocado/ranch dressing, some cheese
D- rotisserie chicken with mayo, some peanuts for salt

wanted a protein shake but decided to wait with that until my weight is more stable. will update tomorrow.