Day 10, Round 3- Little black dress...

weigh in: 145.4 pounds
loss of: 1.0 pound
total loss of: 9.8 pounds

It has been a crazy past two days. I am not really sure what all happened, but I am still down regardless of not being strict to protocol. I went to a craft night where there was a wonderful sampling of casseroles and I had some (a very small portion mind you, but still). Last night was our annual Realtor Christmas party. We had such a good time and I ate prime rib and fruit and some corn (I resisted the starches!). I would like to take a little more time to discuss the party, because for the first time in my life I wore a black strapless dress. I felt amazing! I was cleaning my downstairs closets last weekend and I came across an old bridesmaid dress. I never wore this dress. I was to be in a wedding 6 months after I had my first daughter and I was so much larger than I had ever been in my life. I brilliantly, ordered the dress 3 sizes too small thinking I would work hard to lose weight to fit into the dress. I must have been insane! I would have had to lose 35 pounds!!! I know this because I just tried it on for kicks and it fit perfectly!

I want to share my new found love of alteration! This is the dress before alterations (I just had it shortened to right below my knee): I look weighed down and not as skinny as I really am, but...

Here it is after!!! A completely different dress! I got a beautiful party dress for the cost of $30 in alterations. (Sorry, I didn't want to take the time to set up the tripod and the mirror is pretty dirty with little kid hand prints :)). I think I look pretty darn amazing!


I found these adorable shoes downtown! Love them!

I have a collarbone and shoulders!!! :)

My handsome date! ;)

Cutting a rug! My husband and I danced and tried to remember the West Coast Swing dance we learned a few months ago, but to no avail. We have fun anyway! I also got to dance some western swing with our friend and fellow Realtor. I haven't danced that dance for years and it was so much fun! My husband got some shots, but unfortunately my camera doesn't do so well in low light.


It was so wonderful to have people notice how differently I look since last Christmas, but more importantly it was how I felt this year- confident and beautiful! No girdles, uncomfortable self-conscious tugging at my dress or rearranging in the bathroom- just fun and enjoyment of a night out in the company of my husband and friends.

Happy Holidays! December has officially begun! :)

Day 9, Round 3

weigh in: 146.4 pounds
loss of: 1.0 pound
total loss of: 8.8 pounds in 8 days!!!

Pretty... pretty... pretty good! :) Any, Curb Your Enthusiasm fans out there, will get that. :) I was so happy to see that loss today. I think it is more irritating when you do everything right and don't see much of a loss than when you know where you went wrong and can remedy it if you choose so. On those days little comfort can be had with understanding that it is normal and to be expected.... Anyway...

Lunch: hamburger patty cooked with onion, and an orange.
Dinner: chicken tenderloin with orange on spinach.

I will write more later!
Have a great day everyone!

Loss of insulation

Let me just say, winter in Wyoming. I am freezing my behind off! This is due in part to the loss of insulation I have grown accustomed to over the past six or so years. All of that fat did serve a purpose, I suppose. :) haha!

Hope everyone is doing well, today! And, those of you in a cooler climate- stay warm my skinny comrades. :) :) I did have a loss today! 1.2 pounds to be exact! So, I am getting there and it feels good to be back on the trolley!... patience... patience... :)

Day 14 & Day 15, Round 2

Yesterday morning I had gained! I got up to 149.2 pounds, but this morning I am back down to 147.6 pounds. Go figure?!

Day 14-
gain of: 0.6 pounds
Day 15-
loss of: 1.6 pounds

Is my scale really acting up, now? I don't know? Yesterday I ate cleanly and the only thing I can guess from the day before that made me go up 0.6 pounds is I used a little ketchup on my turkey patty. I have used it before, though with no gains? Yesterday I took a brisk walk with my friend and did a yoga routine last night, so that probably helped me get back down.

Round 2 does kind of stink! It is more difficult, that is for sure! I am missing the consistency of Round 1. :( Oh well, I guess I should be happy because I have lost a total of 14.4 pounds during this round. Not bad. I am not counting gains and additional losses-162 (starting weight) - 147.6 pounds. I don't want to exaggerate it, although I have had to actually lose more than 14.4 pounds to be at 147.6.

So, here is to a good weight loss tomorrow! I also wanted to thank everyone again for the wonderful comments! Regardless, of some difficulty as of late I am feeling great and it sure is nice to have all of you following my story and giving me such encouragement! I LOVE reading all of your stories and being together on this! Oh, and thanks to my 12 FOLLOWERS pictured in the sidebar!!! That is awesome! Until tomorrow!

Day 13, Round 2- Back on Track!

Let me start with catching up from yesterday:
October 1, 2009
Day 12
weigh in: 150.6 pounds
loss of: 0.6 pounds

Now for this morning! As you can see I am pretty excited. :) I am in the 140's, YIPEEEE!!!!
weigh in: 148.6 pounds!!!
loss of: 2.0 pounds!
total loss to date: 13.2 pounds!!!

Yesterday I was not pleased at all and didn't want to share my disappointment. I felt like something was wrong and I was never going to lose more weight than I already had. This morning I feel back on track. So, to all my readers- if you're in a rut, try and keep your chin up. I know that sounds silly and basically impossible, because I am suggesting something that I couldn't even do. However, we need to try and see, that although we may be frustrated at the moment- there will be a morning when all that frustration is dispelled and you are renewed and ready to take on that fat by storm. HCG is AWESOME, and although we have been told a million times how it works and what to expect sometimes we forget and it ultimately takes a decrease of the scale reading to snap us out of it. We are fickle creatures, I tell you. :)

Anyway, here is what I ate yesterday. I apologize, I can't remember what I ate on Day 12, isn't that awful?! It was just regular protocol foods- nothing out of the ordinary.

Lunch:
lean ground turkey with sliced onion on top (I don't know if this is allowed, but I tried it anyway. The taste wasn't all together that great- kind of bland, but it seemed to work! :))
4 strawberries

I was quite full and due to poor scheduling and a hectic day I did not eat dinner yesterday. I had an apple about mid afternoon.

Good day of losing or maintaining to everyone!

Oh, and I forgot to point out another milestone I have reached besides hitting the 140 pound range. I have passed a total of 30 pounds lost since I started HCG in late July with a loss of 31.6 pounds!!! Look to sidebar. :)

Day 6, Round 2

weigh in: 153.0 pounds
loss of: 2.4 pounds
total loss to date during round 2: 9.0 pounds

I will update more later on today. Have a great day!

Here are some of the updates I wanted to make note of for today:
The buffalo meat was very good! It didn't seem to affect my weight loss either. I also wanted to mention the Gentle Calm detox/cleanse has started to work. I have not been feeling that great in the digestive area the past couple of days. However, I really like this product so far, because last round I would drink a cup of Smooth Move if I was having problems and it was way too harsh. It felt like instead of really improving my digestion the tea just caused a momentary disruption. Very happy about that improvement this round!

I would also like to make an update on the whole clothes situation. The jeans I have been saving for over 5 years (see post titled: The night before Christmas...), well I thought I would just try them on for kicks this morning. I never dreamed I would be able to button them this early in the game! They are ridiculously tight, but I wore them anyway. :) It was better than the others falling off my hips. Another 10 pounds and they ought to fit quite comfortably! YAY!

Another interesting observation I made this morning is about dressing your body according to its current weight and shape. I LOVE the show What Not to Wear with Stacey and Clinton, and not that I have obviously taken any hints, ;) but someday I would like to really try and dress my body appropriately. However, I think I am having a little bit of a break through. I tried on a couple other garments hanging in my closet that I wore last fall. The two skirts I tried on do not look "right" on me anymore. And, not just because the size is too big, but rather it is the wrong cut. I am only 5' 3 1/2" (got to get that 1/2" in :)), and with the weight I have lost I definitely am looking more petite. I think they looked decent enough on me when I was heavier, because they hid much of the weight, but now they are too heavy and pull me down. I don't need as much fabric, perhaps? When I pulled back the fullness of the skirt and streamlined it a bit the skirt looked better on me. I think it will be so much fun to go shopping! I can't wait! It will be fun to experiment with clothes to see if different styles would now look good on my new body!

Oh, and I am definitely going to have my wedding rings resized. I might put them in a safe place for the time being. They are to the point of being quite worrisomely loose!

Day 5, Round 2

weigh in: 155.4 pounds
loss of 2.4 pounds
total loss to date during round 2: 6.6 pounds in 4 days!

So far so good! I tried out the Bragg's amino acids (I left a comment in post below) and it is wonderful how it brings out different flavors. The ground buffalo I wanted to try last night was not completely thawed so I boiled chicken breast and cut it up in chunks. I put the chunks in a mixture of Braggs, apple cider, basil, cinnamon and a pinch of stevia (I don't know specific amounts- just made it up as I went and taste tested it). I put the chicken on a bed of spinach and chopped apples. It was SOOO good! I loved it! I am really having fun already with new tastes and experimentation. Too fun!

Happy losing, everyone!

It's not too bad!

I am loving the maintenance period! :) I don't crave food as I did previously. So far I don't eat as much, and I am just enjoying being appreciative of food and how I feel. During the 3 days after discontinuing HCG I lost some extra pounds. Currently, I have lost a total of 24.4 pounds! I have now been holding steady at 155.8 pounds for the past 2 days.

For my first meal as a "free woman" I went to my favorite restaurant, Sweet Melissa's with my two little girls. I also had the pleasure of meeting back up with a dear friend who has reentered my life and has recently started her own HCG journey! You are going to do great! I had such a great time, and enjoyed catching up with you immensely! I ordered a veggie burger (without the bun). On top there was portobello mushrooms, swiss cheese, tomatoes and lettuce. Yummy!

I can't wait to go shopping! Most of my clothes are so baggy and I definitely need some clothes to show off my new figure! Yipee!!! I don't know if I should wait until I have completed the second round, though? It is not too far off and that way I won't have to spend money on 2 sets of wardrobes. Another loss of 20 pounds and the clothes I buy today won't fit then. It is amazing and almost unbelievable to think I will be in the 130's before Thanksgiving!!! I guess it was hard for me to think I would ever be in the 150's either. I just feel so light and there is definitely a spring in my step! :)

My thoughts go out to all of you out there losing with HCG! How liberating!

Oh, and I just have a question to those of you who may know: (Thanks in advance!)

1. Do you start counting the 6 weeks before starting another round from the last day of the 3 day period after stopping HCG? If that makes sense? It wasn't especially clear. Thank you! Goodnight.