Starting Weight: 201.6

Today’s Weight: 181.2

Overnight Gain/Loss: -2

HHCG: 18 drops 2 x daily

Talk about slow losses. lol. I’m still losing, but this week has been crawling very slowly. I’m at a .55 per day loss average. I’m still crawling above the average .5 loss for a woman. Like I mentioned yesterday, I lost more inches this week! As Dory might say “Just keep losing… just keep losing… just keep losing, losing, losing…”

Ground Beef and Onion Hash with Strawberries and Melba Rounds

I made an awesome ground beef and onion hash for lunch today. It was SO good! Sometimes, those experiments work! ha ha

Chinese Chicken Salad with Wasa Cracker

For dinner, my family had Chinese food, so I attempted to make a Sweet ‘n Tangy Chinese Chicken Salad . It was good, but it might be a little too tangy for some people. You might have to adjust the amount of ginger and garlic in this one.

Here’s the breakdown-

Lunch:

100 grams of 96% lean ground beef (130 calories)

156 grams of onion (62 calories)

1/2 cup low sodium fat-free chicken broth (7.5 calories)

100 grams of strawberries (32 calories)

2 melba rounds (25 calories)

Lunch Total: 256.5 calories

Dinner:

100 grams of chicken breast (114 calories)

232 grams of cabbage (58 calories)

1/2 c. low sodium fat-free chicken broth (7.5 calories)

65 grams of oranges (26 calories)

1 wasa cracker (35 calories)

Dinner Total: 240.5 calories

GRAND TOTAL: 497 calories

Water for the day= 1 gallon

Tags : apple cider vinegar, beef, Bragg Liquid Aminos, cabbage, chicken breast, ground beef, HHCG, melba toast, onion, oranges, phase 2, photos, strawberries, VLCD, wasa cracker, water, weight loss

This is really good and very simple. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

100 grams of 96% lean ground beef (130 calories)

1/2 c. low-sodium fat-free chicken broth (7.5 calories)

1 Tbl. minced garlic (adjust to your taste. I like a lot of garlic!)

1 Tbl. Bragg’s Liquid Aminos

1 onion (varies in calories)

Black Pepper to taste

Chicken Broth, Bragg Liquid Aminos, Minced Garlic, and Chopped Onions (Ground Beef not shown)

Gather all of your ingredients. Chop up the onion.

Saute Chopped Onions in Chicken Broth

Pour 1/2 cup of chicken broth in skillet and cook onion on medium to medium-high heat until tender. Most of the chicken broth will reduce.

Onions, Ground Beef, Garlic, and Bragg Liquid Aminos

Add minced garlic and lean ground beef. Cook until beef is no longer pink. Add Bragg’s liquid aminos and cook for a few more minutes on medium heat. Sprinkle with black pepper and remove from heat.

Ground Beef Onion Hash

Pour onto a plate. Enjoy!

Servings: 1

HCG Exchange: 1 protein, 1 vegetable

Tags : beef, Bragg Liquid Aminos, garlic, ground beef, HCG recipes, onion, phase 2, photos, VLCD

In a previous post, I showed you how to prepare chicken breasts and steak to make your life a little easier. I recently purchased a few pounds of 96% lean ground beef, so I thought you might want to see an easy way to prepare it for individual packaging.

Packages of 96% lean ground beef

Gather your packages of 96% lean ground beef along with snack size ziploc bags.

100 Grams of Lean Ground Beef

Weigh your ground beef and divide into 100 gram portions. Place each 100 gram portion into a snack size ziploc bag and set aside.

Flattened Lean Ground Beef Divided Into Snack Size Bags

Seal one side of your baggy and flatten ground beef in snack size bag, pushing the air out as you go. Once your ground beef has been flattened and the air removed, seal the remainder of the bag. I found this tip two years ago on the GreenLiteBites blog while I was on Weight Watchers. This is a very smart idea. The bags lay flat in the freezer, they defrost rather quickly, and they don’t take up much space. You can also stick them into a box or paper bag and cut out part of the side’s bottom so that you can pull out one package at a time… like a dispenser.

Tags : beef, food scale, ground beef, HCG Diet Tips, phase 2, photos, VLCD

Starting Weight: 201.6

Today’s Weight: 181.4

Overnight Gain/Loss: -.8

HHCG: 18 drops 1 x daily (I’m trying out the higher dose again. No reason really… but OOPS, I missed my 2nd dose!)

Today has been a pretty good day. I’m happy that I lost .8 after a night of tennis, but I’m very cautious. Sometimes, it takes a few days for a stall to show up after exercise. We’ll see tomorrow! I uploaded my first YouTube video today. I hope you enjoy it. I don’t have a webcam, so still pic videos will have to do.

96% Lean Hamburger Patty with Grilled Onions and Melba Rounds

Of course, I’m in a pattern. I like to eat the same things, except I didn’t really want fruit for lunch. Dr. Simeons’ protocol says that you don’t have to eat everything. I had to make another trip to the grocery store for more fruits and veggies, too.

Grilled Asparagus with Strawberries, Melba Rounds, and No Bake Cottage Cheesecake with Strawberry Sauce

Ah yes. There’s nothing like cottage cheesecake. Tonight I made a no bake cottage cheesecake  with Knox Gelatin instead of an egg white. It was very good. I think I might have to adjust the sweetness, though. This meal was extremely filling! I drank one Diet Pepsi with my dinner as well. I’m still drinking a gallon of water per day with only the occasional diet drink!

Here’s the usual breakdown-

Lunch:

100 grams of 96% lean ground beef (130 calories)

2 melba rounds (25 calories)

204 grams of onion (82 calories)

Lunch Total: 237 calories

Dinner:

113 grams of Daisy 2% cottage cheese (90 calories)

1/2 tsp. Knox Gelatin (5 calories)

209 grams of asparagus (42 calories)

275 grams of strawberries (88 calories)

Dinner Total: 250 calories

GRAND TOTAL: 487 calories

Water for the day= 1 gallon

Tags : asparagus, beef, coffee, cottage cheese, ground beef, HHCG, onion, photos, strawberries, VLCD, water, weight loss

I had a rather horrible night tonight. My tennis league started this evening. My son and I played, and it was absolutely horrible for me. We had a 6:30 match, and it was HOT! I tried to prepare myself by eating oranges today, but it wasn’t enough. My body felt exhausted throughout the whole match. This is why the protocol does not recommend exercise while on the 500 calorie diet! Mondays will be rough for me. I have played tennis in the past, but it was at a later time (8 pm). At 6:30, it’s still very hot, and the tennis court is even hotter! When I raised my arms to hit a serve, I thought my muscles were going to die. I barely had the energy to lift up my arms. I will have to figure out some way to adjust to this situation during extremely hot hours. I may add more protein and drink orange juice throughout my match. I’ve drank orange juice during my games in the past, and it has helped keep my energy up. I don’t expect to lose after days of tennis, but I am not ready to quit phase 2 just yet.

Starting Weight: 201.6

Today’s Weight: 182.2

Overnight Gain/Loss: +.2

HHCG: 15 drops 2 x daily

Yep. I gained weight this morning! I’m not surprised. Sleep is SO important on any diet, and I did not sleep well at all. I woke up very early this morning, and I couldn’t get back to sleep. NOT GOOD. Hopefully, I will be back down tomorrow, but I played tennis tonight, so who knows…

Lean Hamburger wrapped in Romaine Lettuce with Orange Gelatin and Melba Rounds

My fruits of choice for the day were oranges while I was trying to prepare for tennis. My niece’s doctor told her that oranges were the best choice for sports (even better than any sports drink). I would definitely agree with that. I made an orange gelatine out of oranges, knox, and a little bit of sweetener. I ate it with a 96% lean hamburger patty wrapped in a few romaine lettuce leaves along with my two melba rounds. It was a nice change!

Cottage Cheese Protein Shake with Oranges and Melba Rounds

This was a very simple protein shake that I made with my handy Magic Bullet mixer. I blended up my allowed amount of cottage cheese with orange slices and some ice. I added approximately 2 tablespoons of splenda. I ate it with my two melba rounds. Not half bad for a cottage cheese shake! lol

Here’s my breakdown for the day-

Lunch:

100 grams of 96% lean ground beef (130 calories)

145 grams of oranges (68 calories)

1 packet of knox gelatine (20 calories)

33 grams of romaine lettuce (7 calories)

Lunch Total: 250 calories

Dinner:

133 grams of cottage cheese (129 calories) (I added more because of tennis- still not enough!)

228 grams of oranges (107 calories)

2 melba rounds (25 calories)

Dinner Total: 261 calories

GRAND TOTAL: 511 calories (still not enough for the tennis I played tonight!)

Water for the day= 1 gallon+ (not sure. I drank more due to tennis)

Tags : beef, coffee, cottage cheese, exercise, ground beef, HHCG, melba toast, oranges, phase 2, photos, romaine lettuce, sleep, splenda, tennis, VLCD, water, weight gain

Starting Weight: 201.6

Today’s Weight: 182

Overnight Gain/Loss: -1.0 (yay!)

HHCG: 15 drops 2 x daily

Lean Hamburger Patty with Onions, Apples, and Melba Rounds

Nice blurry pic. lol. I was in a hurry. Does this look familiar? Yep. I had the same thing yesterday. I had to make a shopping trip to the grocery store, so this is what I ate before I left. It was still good. Sometimes I eat the same thing just for the sake of convenience.

Chocolate Cottage Cheesecake with Orange Slices and Melba Rounds

I had my yummy chocolate cottage cheesecake once again. I will post a recipe soon. It’s getting a little better each time. I ate my cheesecake with oranges and a few pieces of melba toast. yum!

Here’s the daily breakdown-

Lunch:

100 grams of 96% lean ground beef (130 calories)

143 grams of onion (57 calories)

73 grams of apple (38 calories)

2 melba rounds (25 calories)

Lunch Total: 250 calories

Dinner:

113 grams of Daisy 4% cottage cheese (110 calories)

1/2 tsp. knox gelatin (5 calories)

1 Tbl. + 1 tsp. Hershey’s cocoa (13 calories)

2 melba rounds (25 calories)

206 grams of oranges (97 calories)

Dinner Total: 250 calories

GRAND TOTAL: 500 calories

Water for the day= 1 gallon

Tags : apple, beef, cocoa, coffee, cottage cheese, ground beef, HHCG, melba toast, onion, oranges, phase 2, photos, VLCD, water, weight loss

Starting Weight: 201.6

Today’s Weight: 183

Overnight Gain/Loss: -.4

HHCG: 15 drops 2 x daily

Well, it looks like the scale is slowly starting to move again. We’ll see if it continues. I am very happy that I lost anything! My average is holding up at .58 per day (still above average for a woman)!

I did not use any coconut oil today. I don’t like to do it every day. The chocolate bark is so addicting. I don’t want to get into the habit of eating it on a daily basis.

Lean hamburger patty with grilled onions, apple, and melba rounds

I had a wonderful lunch which consisted of a grilled hamburger, grilled onions, an apple, and melba rounds. Yum!

Grilled chicken breast with onions, melba, and strawberries

This was my dinner, while the rest of my family ate Taco Bell. The tacos smelled so good, but I’m on a roll. There’s no stopping me right now! I love that I can fight those urges. It really doesn’t bother me! I would like to continue this round until I’m at the point of stalling or the hunger kicks in. So far so good. I haven’t been hungry, I have no desire for other food, and I’m still losing at a decent pace.

Lunch:

100 grams of 96% lean ground beef (130 calories)

2 melba rounds (25 calories)

98 grams – whole apple (51 calories)

101 grams of onion (40 calories)

Lunch Total: 246 calories

Dinner:

100 grams of chicken breast (114 calories)

2 melba rounds (25 calories)

130 grams of onion (52 calories)

198 grams of strawberries (63 calories)

Dinner Total: 254 calories

GRAND TOTAL: 500 calories

Water for the day= 1 gallon

Tags : apple, beef, chicken breast, coffee, ground beef, HHCG, melba toast, onion, phase 2, photos, strawberries, VLCD, water, weight loss

Starting Weight: 201.6

Today’s Weight: 183.6

Overnight Gain/Loss: 0

Total Loss: 18 pounds in 30 days

HHCG: 15 drops 2 x daily

Okay, so this is the 3rd day that I have either gained or stayed the same. This is a first for me. I am up a pound over the past 3 days, but it’s okay! There’s no room for freaking out on this diet. As long as we (women) are losing the average of 1/2 pound daily, then all is good. A loss of 18 pounds in 30 days is still an average of .6 per day. I am still above average!

I did decide to make my own version of the chocolate delight , though. I think I have created a tasty recipe that works for my family and me. After some experimentation, I came up with a wonderful version that we all like! For myself, I can only make enough for one day. Otherwise, I will end up eating the whole batch. See my VLCD 7 for THAT error! As of now, I am going to try 2 tablespoons of coconut oil daily to see how it affects my weight fluctuations, so stay tuned!

I had my usual coffee with splenda this morning. Of course!

Eye of Round Steak, Asparagus, Orange, and Breadstick

I decided to have some Eye of Round steak today. It was good. It’s a little higher in fat and calories, but I have adjusted my other food items. I had some asparagus, about 1/2 an orange, and my sesame breadstick.

I ate half of my batch of coconut oil chocolate bark after lunch.

Sliced Tomatoes with Salt and Pepper

I’ve had a craving for cheesecake, so I decided to make a Cottage Cheesecake with Strawberry Sauce . It’s a bit time consuming, so I ate my tomatoes while waiting for it to cook. Then, I ate the 2nd half of my coconut oil chocolate bark ! yum!

Cottage Cheesecake with Strawberry Sauce

Well, this was my dinner! I used 113 grams (1/2 cup) of cottage cheese, 1 egg white, 125 grams of strawberries, and my breadstick. I’m hoping to have a better picture next time. I was a bit impatient and didn’t let it cool completely before removing it from the ramekin and pouring the strawberry sauce on it. It was tasty anyway! In my own attempt to make a crust, I mixed up a breadstick with some splenda and a small amount of water. It ended up being a bit soggy at the bottom of the cheesecake, so I didn’t include it in my recipe. (Note: this is slightly off protocol because of the addition of an egg white.) My next venture might be some chocolate cottage cheesecake! yum!

Here’s my daily breakdown-

Lunch:

100 grams of eye of round (166 calories)

118 grams of asparagus (24 calories)

119 grams – 1/2 orange (56 calories)

1 sesame breadstick (23 calories)

Lunch Total: 269 calories

Dinner:

113 grams (1/2 cup) of Daisy 4% cottage cheese- 110 calories

1 egg white (16 calories)

125 grams of strawberries (40 calories)

233 grams – whole tomato (42 calories)

1 sesame breadstick (23 calories)

Dinner Total: 231 calories

GRAND TOTAL: 500 calories

Other: Coconut Oil Chocolate Bark consisting of 2 Tbl. of coconut oil, 1 Tbl of cocoa, and 1/2 tsp. of agave nectar.

Water for the day= 1 gallon

Tags : asparagus, beef, breadstick, chocolate delights, cocoa, coconut oil, coffee, cottage cheese, eye of round, HHCG, off protocol, oranges, photos, plateau, steak, strawberries, VLCD, water

You Can’t Eat The Same Item or Meal Twice in One Day.

FALSE! This is not true. In the original Pounds and Inches , Dr. Simeons never tells us that we cannot eat the same thing twice in one day. He does talk about the fattiness of American beef and recommends veal for one meal and another protein for the other meal. Here is a quote from his manuscript:

“While this diet works satisfactorily in Italy, certain modifications have to be made in other countries. For instance, American beef has almost double the caloric value of South Italian beef, which is not marbled with fat. This marbling is impossible to remove. In America, therefore, low-grade veal should be used for one meal and fish (excluding all those species such as herring, mackerel, tuna, salmon, eel, etc., which have a high fat content, and all dried, smoked or pickled fish), chicken breast, lobster, crawfish, prawns, shrimps, crabmeat or kidneys for the other meal.”

I have eaten beef at both meals and have not had a problem with it. Others have used bison meat with good results. You can also use 96% lean ground beef as well.

Tags : beef, ground beef, HCG Diet Myths, pounds and inches

Starting Weight: 201.6

Today’s Weight: 182.6

Overnight Loss/Gain: -1.2 (I’m shocked!)

Total Loss: 19 pounds in 27 days!

HHCG: 15 drops 2 x daily

I woke up this morning and stepped on the scale. I got a nice little surprise. I was not expecting to see such a huge loss. I wasn’t even sure if I would lose anything today since I played tennis last night! It was very exciting. I started out my day with my usual coffee and splenda.

Sirloin Tip Steak with Grilled Onions and Breadstick

For lunch, I ate 100 grams of sirloin tip steak, 1/2 of an onion that was grilled on my George Foreman grill, and a breadstick.

Sirloin Tip Steak on Iceberg Lettuce with Fat Free Croutons Dressing and Cinnamon Apples

I can’t seem to get enough steak lately. I love steak when it’s cooked just right. I decided to put it on my salad tonight. I had 100 grams of sirloin over iceberg lettuce with 2 Tablespoons of Wishbone Fat-Free Italian Dressing (15 calories), fat-free croutons (25 calories), and a baked apple covered with cinnamon and truvia.

Lunch:

100 grams of sirloin tip steak (140 calories)

159 grams – 1/2 onion (64 calories)

1 sesame breadstick (23 calories)

Lunch Total: 227 calories

Dinner:

100 grams of sirloin tip steak (140 calories)

126 grams – whole apple (66 calories)

150 grams iceberg lettuce (27 calories)

2 Tbl Wishbone Fat-Free Italian Dressing (15 calories) (*not on protocol- see note below)

7 grams Rothbury Farms Fat-Free croutons (25 calories)(*not on protocol- see note below)

Dinner Total: 273 calories

GRAND TOTAL: 500 calories

Water for the day= 1 gallon

*Just a quick note: The salad dressing and croutons are not on protocol; however, I do add the proper calories. The potential problem that I see with the salad dressing is that it contains a small amount of sugars (2 grams) per serving. I have used it on this diet, and I haven’t had a problem with it. I don’t use it very often, though. If you try this dressing and find yourself stalling or gaining, then don’t use it.

The croutons have the same potential to be a problem. However, they are only 25 calories for one serving, which equals 7 grams(approximately 20 croutons). There is also a small amount of sugar in this item, but the amount per serving equals zero. Try at your own discretion.

Tags : apple, beef, breadstick, coffee, HHCG, iceberg lettuce, off protocol, onion, phase 2, photos, salad, sirloin steak, steak, VLCD, water, weight loss