Watch your toes...pounds are dropping!

Phase II.2 | Day 4
Weight Loss 50.2

I know I've been bad about updating this so I thought I would start with some really good news - the pounds, they are a' droppin' - check out that chart above!!! I hit a huge goal today...50lbs lost!!

Sometimes I don't really believe it myself until I try on a shirt I haven't worn in a year or slip on those jeans that used to take the jaws of life to get out of (not to mention what it took to get into them). It is an amazing feeling to wear clothes that actually fit!

Speaking of clothes, we just dumped a huge load of clothes off at our local donation center.  We went through our closets and tried on just about everything.  It was great to go through and see what fit, what didn't and both those items that we were glad were returning to our wardrobe and those we were saying good bye to.

Now the only problem is finding the time to go buy new clothes...but what a great problem to have.☺

No-Brainer Fruit Smoothie

Phase II  |  Day Thirty-three
Weight Loss: 36.8 lbs

It appears I have caught the cold I had a few weeks ago so I am not feeling very well today.  I think we are passing it back and forth at the office.  So to combat it, I have concentrated on getting a bit more fruits and vegetables and lowered my protein slightly to compensate.

To help get some of the extra fruits down I decided to make myself a strawberry smoothie.  I start with 4 oz. of fresh strawberries.  I pulse it quickly and then add two cups of ice cubes.

Then as it is whirling away I add a bit of water to loosen up the ice and strawberries and it really starts to spin!

Next I add drops of liquid Stevia - Chocolate Stevia if you're feeling really sparky.

Viola! The No-Brainer Strawberry Smoothie!  Now if only I could convince myself there was some rum in it! ☺

Spice Up Your Life!

Phase II | Day Thirty-one

Weight Loss: 34.6 lbs

They say variety is the spice of life however because of the ease of preparation I often find myself having the ground turkey tacos for lunch. While making a batch of chicken stock that complies with the HCG Plan, I thought of a nice variation and something to do with all of the left over chicken.

Instead of cubing the chicken or leaving it in full breasts to warm up (which tends to be a little dry), I decided to shred the chicken in the way we did when I was growing up making chicken enchiladas.

Then I took  6 oz. of tomato paste and four tablespoons of chicken stock and mixed it in a skillet.
As it starts to simmer you fold in the chicken
Cover and let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes
Add a few dashes of salt and some tabasco sauce and serve it up in a bowl or as chicken tacos! Talk about the SPICE of life!!!

Garlic Shrimp and Asparagus

Phase II  |  Day Twenty-six
Weight Loss: 31.4 lbs

Although Cocktail Shrimp is one of favorite things in the world, instead of tackling making my own cocktail sauce, I thought I would take shrimp in a new direction.

I weighed out four ounces of shrimp, removed their shells and tossed them with paprika, chili powder and italian seasoning.

Next I took two cloves of minced garlic and browned it in a skillet with four table spoons of our homemade chicken stock.

Toss in the shrimp, mix and then add the juice of half a lemon.

Cover and let the shrimp simmer for five minutes.  If the liquid evaporates too quickly you can add another tablespoon of chicken stock.

Steam some asparagus and you have a restaurant-worthy meal!

Fancy Chicken and Asparagus

Phase II  |  Day Twenty-four

Weight Loss: 30 lbs

So my beloved is on a business trip this week and instead of getting gloomy and possibly cheating I have decided to experiment a bit.

I figured I would start out by pounding out a little work-related stress.  I pulled out an individually packaged chicken breasts.  Then I took my trusty meat tenderizer and pounded it nice and flat.

Next I trimmed and rinsed 3 ounces of asparagus.

I lined up the chicken breast and asparagus and tossed some of my favorite spices: garlic powder, onion powder, celery salt, and lemon pepper - don't forget to FLIP and season the other side!

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Roll the chicken around the asparagus and stick a toothpick through the edges of the chicken; making sure you run the toothpick through the asparagus.

Pour two ounces of your homemade chicken stock into the bottom of the baking pan and add the juice from one half of a lemon.

Place the pan into the oven and bake for about 25 minutes.  About halfway through baking you can temporarily take it out of the oven and use the silicone baster to keep it nice and moist. The trick is to just tip the baking pan, squeeze and then baste!

Pair it with some delicious mandarin oranges and all the delicious citrus flavors really pop!

Waist-Slimming Turkey Burger Sliders

Phase II | Day Twenty-two

Weight Loss: 28.8 lbs

Today is a GREAT day! It is almost time to buy a new belt - I am on the last hole! The progress I am making is so exciting!

For tonight's dinner I decided to make Turkey Sliders. I weighed 5 ounces of 99% lean ground turkey meat per person  and set that aside. Then I took two garlic flavored Melba Toasts (per person) and crushed them into crumbs.

Next step, I added the crumbs to some spices - onion powder, cracked black pepper, sea salt and celery salt.

Then I added ¼ teaspoon of egg whites.

I separated the turkey meat into four small patties and tossed them on the grill. To keep them nice and moist, I use this silicone baster filled with chicken stock (home made).

Serve it up on a bed of Romaine Lettuce with a dollop of mustard and a side of lovely strawberries and it is a healthy alternative to the usual high fat meal. 

I have never been so excited to buy a new belt!!! 

Skinny Salsa

Phase II | Day Twenty-one

Weight Lost = 28.2 lbs

Today's challenge is to make "skinny salsa". In many store bought salsas there is hidden sugar and preservatives. While this probably won't last as long, it is going to be much better for us in the long run.

To begin, I skipped weighing the tomatoes (figuring I would weigh it out at each serving) and just grabbed five beautiful, plump Roma tomatoes.

I sliced the tops and bottoms off and cut then into quarters.  To make it a little chunkier I recommend de-seeding the tomatoes. It helps to take a lot of the liquid out.

Then I tossed them into the food processor adding a garlic clove, sea salt, onion powder, chives and good ol' cracked black pepper.

Then I added the final key ingredient - Hatch, New Mexico Green Chili to taste.  Sometimes this is powerful so add slowly!

Viola!  Skinny Salsa!

Add it to an egg white omelet and it adds a nice kick to brunch. Delish!

Whip It ... Whip It Good

Phase II | Day Twenty

Weight Loss: 27.6 lbs

Tonight was our first official dinner party while on the HCG VLCDiet - Phase II. Since our diet is so limited this was going to pose quite a challenge.  How can I entertain without the usuals: delicious hors d'oeuvres, wine, decadent desserts?

We talked with our guests and made sure to clear the food selections with them first. On the menu:

Filet Mignon

Steamed Spinach

Israeli Cous Cous (for our guests only)

The preparation for the filets was a easy breezy - simple is always best; just a little cracked pepper and sea salt. Then onto the spinach! If steaming the spinach, I find that about 4-5 ounces of spinach is a good healthy serving.

The biggest challenge of the night was what to do to finish. I needed to find a dessert that would satisfy even the sweetest tooth and stay within our budgeted amount of calories. Regular strawberries would just not cut it for guests so I decided to kick it up a notch and make my own meringue with the an approved ingredient - egg whites!  

To begin, I tossed about 4oz of sliced strawberries for each guest in some chocolate Stevia and placed them in martini glasses. Then for the meringue, I measured two ounces of egg whites and added eight drops of regular liquid Stevia. Normally meringue calls for cream of tartar, however I left it out this time and instead decided to whip it...whip it good.

I grabbed my whisk and went to town. WOW, talk about working out those biceps! Gym? I don't need no stinkin' gym!

Note: I got so excited I forgot to take a photo until I had already served three so what is show here is about enough for one dessert.

So here is the finished product!

Who says being healthy equals complete sacrifice?

Finger Lickin' Good!

Phase II | Day Eighteen
Weight Loss = 26.8 lbs

"What's for dinner?...Ah, no, CHICKEN AGAIN?" The cry we all know too well.  Even the best chicken can get very boring and ordinary. You can bake it, boil it or grill it with different spices but after a while it all just starts to, well...taste just like chicken.

As I have mentioned, we have been experimenting with some creative uses of the items on the approved list. Being that Melba Toast is the only "crunch" item on the list, we thought we would give it a go.

The first step was easy:
Two Melba toasts + fancy food chopper = instant bread crumbs

The next step would prove a little more challenging. How to make the bread crumbs "stick" to the chicken breast?  Egg yokes are a no-no and even though egg whites are approved, mixing proteins would either not be approved or, with the small amount that would be used, at best be a grey area that could effect weight loss.

Previously I used chicken stock to get spices to attach to the asparagus by basting it lightly. Using the same logic we decided to baste the breast in chicken stock, rolled it in the Melba crumbs and then baked it at 360° F.

The results were crunchy and delicious! I can't wait to try different flavors of Melba toasts mixed with various spices.

Not too shabby for not one ounce of oil being used! Who says the Colonel has the corner on the "fried" chicken market?

Leftovers Smeftovers!

Phase II | Day Fourteen

Weight Loss: 24.4 lbs

As anyone on this VLCDiet will tell you, when weighing out your protein it is sometimes hard to get it exact and in a one whole piece. We have solved this challenge with the chicken breasts by weighing each chicken breast, putting it into an individual plastic bag and then taking a Sharpie to write the exact raw weight. When it comes to steak there just always seems to be a small piece left over.

Fillet being as expensive as it is there is no way I am going to toss that little bit out! So instead I weigh the remaining pieces, slice them up into bite-sized portions and then toss them on the grill along with the fillets for the night. Then for lunch the next day I add it to my spinach, toss on some lemon pepper and squeeze one half of a lemon and make myself a delicious spinach and steak salad!

I usually end up with about 2-3 oz of beef which is too small for a fillet, but perfect for adding to salad!

Good Nutrition is the new Comfort Food

Phase II | Day Seven

Weight Loss: 17.6 lbs.

So it appears that I have caught a bit of a cold.  It is strange, it started out as allergies, then a little congestion, then today it is pretty evident I have a cold.  I am going to continue on with the shots and the diet as planned and see how it goes over the next couple of days.

I am basically treating this like any other cold - minus the Nyquil (which is loaded with sugar).  Tonight my beloved made me some homemade chicken and celery soup.  The broth did wonders for my congestion and now I'm coughing a bit but I know that just means it is clearing up.

Most people will agree on most comfort foods - mashed potatoes, meatloaf, green beans, etc.  What I am realizing is that comfort does not have to mean fattening.  Comfort should mean nutrition-filled.  The chicken soup I had tonight was probably the best I've ever had and it wasn't full of sodium or preservatives.

Now that's comfort food I can get used to!

Steakhouse Dining

Phase II | Day Six

Weight Loss: 15.2 lbs

Today was a very busy day of preparation.  It seems that organization is the key to success with this process.  As I mentioned before, I do fell like Desmond from the Dharma Initiative - preparing shots, cutting chicken, and strawberries into pre-packaged portions, etc.  It is a good feeling to be organized.

We purchased a spice rack and filled it with the primary spices we seem to be using.

We are using a lot of garlic powder, onion powder, basil, celery salt - all spices I have utilized in the past.  With this new diet however, I am being exposed to quite a few new spices: Turmeric, Cumin, Marjoram. While they have all been included in meals I have enjoyed in the past - I have not really cooked with them much.

For dinner tonight I had a 4oz filet mignon and grilled asparagus.  To prepare the filet I only used salt and pepper.   From what I have found simple preparation is always better when dealing with good cuts of beef.

The asparagus posed a unique challenge as I typically toss them in some extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle on sea salt/kosher salt and ground pepper.  Since olive oil is not on the approved list, I rinsed the asparagus and then quickly added the spices.  Voila! I was able to make the spices stick without having to add oil.  I tossed them on the grill and after about 10 minutes they were warm, slightly crunchy and DELICIOUS!

When I started this experience, I was really unsure how successful this Foodie would be cutting out all the foods that had enriched my life.  Much to my delight I am finding new and healthy ways of cooking food that still excite me!

Breakfast For Dinner

Phase II | Day Five

Weight Loss: 13.8 lbs

So after a very busy day at work I came home to the comforting smell of bouillon being made. It seems as if my beloved has caught the cooking bug so tomorrow for lunch we are planning on homemade chicken and celery soup. How delicious does that sound? Pretty delicious when most of the meals lately haven't been even close to being able to be labeled "comfort food".

Usually I am a "little bit of coffee with my cream" kinda gal so I have been very hesitant to try any sort of black coffee. This afternoon I treated myself to an Americano and boy did it add some pep to my step! To my surprise I really liked it! This weekend I am going to buy an Italian Espresso maker so I can try and work that into my morning routine. I think it will do wonders for my productivity during the first few hours of the day.

For lunch I had my delicious shrimp and spinach salad with lemon juice dressing. It really is becoming one of my favorites. Good flavor and easy to pack and take to work.

For dinner we had one of my favorite things in the world - breakfast for dinner! We figured out that 5 oz. of egg whites can be substituted as a protein (for 150 calories) so we decided to make omelets.

I sliced up a beefsteak tomato, weighed it, then took one slice and diced it to add to the egg whites. I tossed in a minced garlic clove and some pepper, sea salt, etc.  For my vegetable I used the remaining slices of tomato as my vegetable and added salt and pepper. It was just like I was sitting in a New York diner across from my best friend Jewie while he ate his omelet with spinach and extra feta. Yum!

So far I have lost 13 lbs! It is already showing in my pants especially around my waste. The sacrifice and dedication is paying off. I am very pleased with the results so far!

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Civic Responsibility vs. Nutritional Responsibility

Phase II | Day One

Weight Loss: 2.6 lbs

Today was the first time I have ever been called for jury duty.  Since I was selected I obviously cannot say much, however I will say this - it has proved to be a very, very interesting experience.

To begin the day I woke up, took my shot and weighed myself (a gain of 3 lbs but I'm not worried).  Then I showered, got dressed, grabbed my packed lunch and work bag, and made the short walk to the lightrail to catch the train downtown.  I had never been selected so from everything I had heard from others I fully expected to be released somewhere around mid-day but took my lunch just in case.

After a very long jury selection process, I was surprised to be selected but not entirely disappointed.  I find the legal system fascinating and something I have never really been exposed to.  It should be fun fulfilling my civic duty.

After a few minutes, we were escorted in to a room and told the good news that the judge - because the process had taken so long - was going to purchase Crazy Jim's Pizza and Salad for everyone. Hurray!  ...not so much.

Talk about temptation! I was thrown for a minute but I pressed on.  While everyone jumped up and served themselves pizza I prepared my Spinach and Grilled Chicken Salad with Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing that I made myself and especially since it was day one, I WAS DETERMINED NOT to deviate.  While my fellow jurors were filling the room with "mmmmmm's" and "oh this is delicious" many of them were encouraging and almost jealous when they saw what I was eating. 

Today I was very proud to be an American AND very thankful that it was day one.  Had it been another day I may not have been able to make it.

Goodbye Bleedin' Armadillo Goom's Cake

Phase I | Day Two

Today was day two of "fat loading". I knew today was supposed to be a loading day but I found myself distracted with planning and instead ready to move to phase two.

On an encouraging note I woke up to a five pound weight loss but that was probably just water weight. I am looking forward to many more mornings where the scale takes a dip.

We purchased some magical Stevia - flavored in a variety of options. We picked up Valencia Orange, English Toffee and even Chocolate! We already used the plain liquid Stevia to prepare a vinaigrette dressing for tomorrow's meal #1: Chicken and Strawberry Spinach Salad.

While preparing I was shocked at the amount of some items. I was honestly imagining teeny tiny portions but I guess it is all about WHAT you choose. Holy MOUNDS of spinach Batman!

I am beginning to feel a bit like Desmond or some other member of the Dharma Initiative from LOST: portioning out meals, preparing shots.... Work is my button to push every 180 minutes.

Tomorrow however I will not be pushing the button - I have jury duty so lunch poses a unique challenge but I am up to it. I prepared my lunch complete with these great little plastic containers that have a built in cooling pack. It pays to be organized.

I am a bit too excited to sleep but I know morning will come quickly.

Farewell my friend -  for my final "meal" I had a slice of Bleedin' Armadillo Groom's Cake.

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Coffee Farewell

Phase I | Day One

Took shot one today. Not feeling anything yet - of course.

I said goodbye to one of my favorites today - a Dunkin' Donuts iced coffee lite with hazelnut.

Since it is fat loading day #1 I got a glazed donut too. Normally there would be too much guilt associated with it but today it is more about bidding farewell.

Shot was easier to administer than I thought it would be. I am looking forward to the challenge of sustaining the mental stamina this takes to achieve and to coming up with some new and creative ways to make food still exciting.

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