HCG Diet: Day 8, Phase 2, Round 1

Good news!!!!

I lost 2.8 pounds this morning. I have to admit that as much as Apple Day sucks, and it really does, it WORKS!

So, that is a total loss of 5.8 pounds this week. I'm so excited and have a renewed hope for this diet.

I am SO looking forward to lunch where I plan to have Chicken and Asparagus. I can't wait!

HCG Diet: Day 7, Phase 2, Round 1

Can you say discouraged?

I've been the exact same weight for the past 3 mornings. I told myself last night if I was the same weight this morning then I would do an Apple Day.

Well guess what...

Apple days SUCK!!!! but I powered through and did it. I ate 4 apples all day and my plan now is to go to bed early and be done with apple day.

Check out my video blogs from today here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFHquFTFCJc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osI2XGWsJxw

Keep your fingers crossed that the scale moves in the morning.

HCG Diet, Day 5, Phase 2, Round 1

First off...Is there anything more annoying then a wet sock?

My dogs go to their water bowl, get a drink and then proceed to dribble water all over the floor by their bowl. I'm constantly mopping the floor around their bowl because stepping in a water gives me the creeps. Well, at 4am this morning I stepped in a puddle of water with my sock covered foot...uuggghhh! Not a pleasent way to start the day.

Anyway, Moving on to the topic at hand...

Day 5 on the HCG diet and this morning I have lost another 1.2 pounds!! whoot, whoot...do the diet dance!

I felt really good all day yesterday. The only complaint I have is that... (boys, don't read this part!)... My boobs have been VERY sore. I've had a hysterectomy, so I don't have a "cycle" anymore (greatest thing on earth), so I can only assume that the HCG is making them so sore. If anyone can explain why this may be happening, I'd love to hear your opinion. At this point, all I can hope is that this is a temporary thing.

I've been sticking to the diet like glue and haven't cheated. It hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be. I have been taking a handful of vitamins and minerals every morning, so maybe that is also helping. I will make out a list of what I am taking daily and post it for anyone that is interested.

I didn't get to do a video yesterday but I should be able to get one done tonight. I'm going to try and see if I can get my whole body in the view...temporarily...so that I can document what I look like at my current weight. I didn't do measurements because I was to horrified of the results. I tend to shy away from things that will humiliate me :) I'd rater just live in denial.

Also, Don't forget to check out my video blog.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtZzfAKU18Q

HCG Diet, Day 4, Phase 2, Round 1

Good News!!!

I woke up this morning and I had lost 1.0 pound. I was pretty excited, especially since I had made the mistake of getting on the scale last night and was shocked at how much I had gained over the course of the day. I was pretty discouraged when I went to bed and was not looking forward to the scale this morning, but as it turns out I had lost all the weight I had gained during the day, plus an additional pound. I had no idea how much your weight could fluctuate during the day.

So, lesson learned...DO NOT GET ON THE SCALE AT BEDTIME LOL. Let me tell you, it was horrifying.

Moving on...

I slept better last night but still woke up several times. I'm hoping that will stop soon because it is getting on my nerves. I need my sleep.

I felt good this morning, had good energy. I actually woke up a little early and was able to eat breakfast and get ready for work without rushing around. That was nice since I'm usually running late every morning.

For breakfast I had tea and half a grapefruit. I did put a little Splenda on it to help sweeten it up a bit. It was not bad at all. I haven't eaten grapefruit since I was little, so I was a little apprehensive, but I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it.

After breakfast I took my HCG and so far I don't feel hungry at all. I'll post later on how the rest of my day went.

HCG Diet: Day 3, Phase 2, Round 1

Woke up this morning after a restless nights sleep. I haven't been sleeping well even with my Rx prescription. I'm hoping that will end tonight. I don't do well without sleep...I't makes me cranky :)

I did fairly well on the diet:

Breakfast:
sm apple
Water

Morning Snack:
Lg Apple
Bread stick

Lunch:
Grilled chicken that I pounded out slightly so it would cook evenly on a Forman Grille. I then shredded the chicken and added spices to the bowl. I enjoyed the chicken...it had good flavor. It would taste really good with an apple.

Dinner:
Grilled Shredded Chicken, a bread stick and 1c steamed broccoli. I know broccoli is not on the protocol but I have a lot of food allergies so I am going to try it and see if it affects my results...if it does Ill have to stop and just stick to spinach...that's gonna be fun, fun LOL

If any of you have your own blog let me know so I can follow your journey as well. I love to see how others are doing.

Good luck everyone, I've be back tomorrow with another update.
April

HCG Diet: Day 2, Phase 2, Round 1

Well I made it though my first loading day on the HCG Diet. I weighed in this morning and was .6oz heavier...not exactly the direction you want to go when you are dieting, but I'm not surprised of the gain since you are required to load up on fatty foods the first two days.

I took the first dose of HCG around 7:00am yesterday and my second dose at 11:45pm and after an hour of the second dose I was exhausted. I laid down on the couch and slept until 3pm. Now for me that is very odd. I have very bad insomnia and have for the past 15yrs. I rarely can nap for that long, or even sleep that long without medication.

Once I woke up from my nap I felt a lot better and continued the required snacking though out the day...until my 3rd dose, which I took around 6pm. After about an hour of the third dose, the HCG hit my appetite hard and I suddenly couldn't eat anymore. Even the thought of eating made my stomach turn. So, for the rest of the night I only had water and just prayed I had eaten enough during the day.

I just finished my day 2 breakfast and will take my first dose of HCG for the day in about 15 minutes. I will post later today to document how my day went. Wish me luck :)

HCG Diet: Day 1, Phase 2, Round 1

I've officially started the HTC Diet. I am going to keep a video journal of my journey on this diet and have posted a video on YouTube.com



Feel free to comment or ask question. I need all the support I can get :)

Starting the HCG Diet

I have decided to start the HCG diet protocol this week. This diet is based on Dr. Simeon's Book, Pounds and Inches. I've done a lot of research, talked to my doctor, ordered my supplies, and now I'm ready to begin Phase 1.

Here is an explaination of Phase 1 from www.hgcdietmart.com.

PHASE 1
This phase is not necessary to do before starting the hcg protocol. It is intended for those who feel they need to detoxify or cleanse their body before starting a weight loss diet.

You can detoxify your body in different ways. For example, if you know you have issues with candida yeast, you can do a candida cleanse. Many people like to do colon cleanses, or just simply want to avoid all processed foods, artificial sweeteners, to help with digestive issues. Whatever one chooses to do, avoid anything that advertises weight loss since dieting right before doing the hcg protocol is not necessary nor recommended.

If you are interested in learning more about this diet, www.hcgdietmart.com is a great resource for information.

More practice paintings

Unraveling

You know that little piece of string that you pull and the whole hem of your garment comes unraveled? Well, I am that little piece of string. Just one more tug and I'm going to completely come undone.

The last two weeks have been the worst I've experienced in a long time. I'm not one for pity parties, but I've dug my party hat out and I'm wearing it today.

I hate to post negative things so this is all I'm going to say for now. I might elaborate more on the subject later, if things don't improve.

For now I'm just going to take a deep breath and remember...

"It could always be worse."

Watercolor - Roses

My latest watercolor painting. I'm really starting to like this medium.

Watercolor - Poppies

My first attempt at watercolor. These are now hung on my kitchen wall.

Slideshow

These are just some random pictures from the past couple of years.

OMG - Really?

I'm not sure who to thump on the forehead first...The designer for thinking that any woman wants her crotch lengthened and her legs shortened or Lindsey for supporting this designer.

Father's Day Prayer

My neighbor posted this on her FaceBook page and I thought it was worth reposting here.


This is for everyone out there who's Father has gone to Heaven.


If Roses grow in Heaven, Lord, pick a bunch for me,
Place then in my father’s arms & tell him they’re from me.

Tell him that I love and miss him & when he turns to smile,
Place a kiss upon his cheek & hold him for awhile.

Because remembering him is easy, I do it everyday,
There’s an ache within my heart that will never go away.

Letter to Jack Daniels

Bitchy asked me to write a story for him about his dog Dixie (yellow lab). The Jack Daniels website was having a competition where you send them a story about your yellow lab and if your submission was chosen, you received an oil paining of your dog by a well known artist. Cool idea so I agreed to help. Here is the story...

This is not a touching story about a stray dog who adopts a family only to die of rabies. Nor is it a story about the life and love of the world’s worst dog. I’ve always heard the saying there is nothing stronger then the love between a boy and his dog. Well this story epitomizes that bond.

Dixie is not my first dog or even my only dog, but she is the dog that has actually taught me something during our struggles together.

I had recently lost my black lab and after the pain of putting her to sleep, the thought of getting another dog was the furthest thing from my mind. A friend of mind talked me into going to look at some lab puppies that I neither wanted nor could afford…at least that’s what I kept telling myself.

I arrived that fateful day with every intention of leaving there empty handed. Well one look at her, with this cute little ridge of fur that ran down her nose, and I was hooked. She was breed from good hunting stock and that’s exactly what I wanted, so I worked out a payment plan with the breeder and took the little puppy home. I drove home with visions of dozens of blue ribbons hanging on my walls from field trials she would win. It’ can’t be that hard to train a dog to retrieve birds…right? I had successfully trained dogs to do the basics, sit, stay, lay down, etc. The only difference is hunting dogs have to go pick up a dead bird and bring it back…not any different from bringing back a ball and they do that through natural instinct…or so I thought.

Once home, it didn’t take me long to realize I had gotten myself into way more then I could handle. Needless to say do not come with this inherent knowledge for retrieving dead birds. They actually have to be taught how to do EVERYTHING. So, a little down, but not discouraged I headed to the local pet store to buy some training books.

So without going into a lot of details about the hours of miserable training sessions we had, I will cut to the chase. If it hadn’t been for Dixie’s desire and dedication to please me, she would never have placed at her field trials. Through her loyalty and dedication to me, she has taught me how to train dogs and thus helping me realize my own dream of training hunting dogs for a living

Well Bitchy liked the story but wanted a few things changed (to make himself look cooler - that's a guy for ya!). I decided I better check the contest rules to make sure we were meeting all the requirements. I agree, I should have done this first, because low and behold...the story could only be 150 words...WTH? How can you write an endearing letter about a dog in only 150 words and how were we going to condense the letter we had, which was currently at 423 words, down to 150 words without losing most of the content?

Well we did it and here are the results (146 words)...

Dixie’s not my first or only dog, but she’s the one that has taught me the most.

I’d recently lost a Lab to cancer and getting another dog was furthest from my mind. A friend talked me into going to see a litter of pups that I didn’t want.

I arrived there with every intention of leaving empty handed. One look at her, with a ridge of fur down her nose, and I was hooked. Having successfully trained dogs in the basics, it didn’t take me long to realize I needed more knowledge for her reach her potential. Down, but not discouraged I headed to the bookstore seeking direction.

If it hadn’t been for Dixie’s drive and potential, she would never have received her junior title at 18 months. Through her loyalty and dedication, she’s helped me realize my love of duck hunting and training dogs.

Needless to say, our submission wasn't chosen. :)

Ode to Deuce

Bitchy asked me to write up a story about his yellow lab Dixie for a contest that was being done on the Jack Daniels website. I can't just sit down and write a creative story without getting the creative juices flowing. I sat down and started thinking about all his dogs and his youngest, Deuce, popped into my mind. She is adorable and has a really silly personality. While trying to come up with a story for the contest I wrote this little ode...

Ode to Deuce

Oh silly dog with fur so black,

When it comes to mischief you have a knack.

You tear up my stuff, you roll in the mud

I think that is your Labradorian blood.

Oh wicked dog with big dark eyes,

You've ruined the yard I once did prize.

A chewed up bowl, a hose or toy,

A million things you have found to destroy.

Oh mischief maker with the happy dance,

I let you come over, I took a chance.

You try to be good, you try to obey,

You think you are smooth as you slither way.

Oh silly pest with the muddy paws,

Yes, you who digs, you who gnaws.

For your bad behavior there is no excuse.

You aren't always a good dog--but you always amuse.

Stop Puppy Mills!!

While many people may be familiar with the term "puppy mill" few are aware of the magnitude of the horrors associated with them. Puppy mills are facilities that mass-produce puppies for sale to individuals or to pet stores throughout the country as well as foreign markets. From back yard breeders to those selling via the Internet, thousands of puppy mills aren't even regulated or inspected by the USDA since they sell directly to the public. At present a USDA license is required for anyone with four or more "intact bitches" who sells "wholesale" to brokers (dealers) or directly to pet stores. Whether they are born in a licensed facility or not, puppies face a dismal and uncertain fate at the hands of individuals who are motivated by greed. Some die while being transported to pet stores or shortly thereafter and others find themselves in the hands of irresponsible or abusive guardians.

The dogs used for breeding suffer endless imprisonment in small cramped cages, often soiled with their own excrement, breeding litter after litter till they can no longer reproduce and then are just discarded. Some are dumped on the side of the road to fend for themselves after a lifetime spent in a cramped cage, others are given to shelters, and worst of all some are killed by the hands of their life-long captors.

Please don't buy animals from pet shops or breeders! Each puppy purchased from a pet store, a back yard breeder, or via the Internet serves an industry with no conscience. Thousands of unwanted animals of all ages and breeds are euthanize at pounds and shelters every day. Adopt and spay or neuter an animal from your local shelter or rescue group and help break the cycle of suffering, misery, and death.

PS...

I have two male Shelties that were rescued from two different puppy mills. Both came from mills that were shut down by the state where they resided. Although the above pictures are not of their particular mills, they are a very good example of the living conditions both of them were subjected to for several years. It's heartbreaking to me that someone put them through that hell.

They are both wonderful companions. Rescuing them was one of the most rewarding decisions I have made in my life. It feels good knowing they will never be subjected to such horrible treatment again and the amazing thing is I think they know it as well.

Happy B-Day Dad

Yesterday was my Father's birthday and of course Sunday is Father's Day. My parents are getting older and It got me thinking how much I care about them. I didn't realize how truly wonderful my parents are until I was in my 30's and it becomes more evident to me everyday.

I wish I had realized this when I was a kid. I think things growing up would have been a lot different. I wasn't the easiest child and down-right difficult and ungrateful at times, but no matter what, my parents where always there for me and still are. If I had treated anyone else as bad as I have treated my parents in the past, that friend would not have stuck around. It's a true testament to the love between a parent and a child.

What really sucks is that the only thing I can say is "Thank You". Thank you for being there for me. Thank you for being patient with me. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for not killing me (I'm sure it crossed their mind at least once.) How do these two little words make up for all the things that have happened in the past. Where in these two little words does it explain just how grateful I am that God blessed with me with these two amazing people?

Bath time ruined

I was talking to a friend of mine and we got on the subject of bath time. See, I love bath time and take one almost every night. Well we are having this pleasant conversation about one of my favorite past-times and WHAM he asks me...

"How can you enjoy taking baths? You know you're just bathing in your own filth."

I tell him I'm not really that dirty when I take a bath and if I was I'd just take a shower.

His Response...

"Yeah, but you're still washing your face with the same water you wash your a$$ with."



I'm not sure how I'm gonna rebound from this realization.

But, I didn't take a bath tonight.

Leave it in the bowl!!

Why do my dogs take the food out of their bowl with their mouths and then spit it on the ground? Then they eat it off the floor!?!?! If I wanted them to eat off the carpet I'd bypass the bowl altogether and pour the food on the floor myself.

I can't seem to get through to them that this is unacceptable behavior. :)

OK, I Give Up

As some of you know, I've been trying to lose a little weight for the past couple of years. Okay, so it hasn't been a high priority, but it has been on my "To Do" list for quite some time. I hate working out in a gym (or at home for that matter), so I'm always looking for an alternative way to acheive my goals. You know, the latest lose weight quick miracle. Well, my latest strategy was to watch and reduce my calorie intake. I thought since food is what makes you gain weight then surely I was going to lose weight if I reduced what I was putting in my body. I was hoping I could do this and never step foot in a gym. That's my kinda workout plan!!

I started keeping an online food journal where I tracked my daily calorie intake for several months and I ended up losing a whopping zero pounds. That's right people, I lost nothing! So much for trying to lose weight without having to break a sweat.

So, today I'm finally giving up the fight to lose weight the easy way...because clearly it isn't going to work for me. As reluctant as I am, I'm going to start doing what all the expert (and my Brother) keep tell me to do...ugghh. I hate when they win.

Yep, you guess it...I'm gonna have to start getting sweaty.

This week I started getting up 30 minutes earlier then normal and hitting the treadmil for a 30 minute quick-pace walk. I just hope your brain doesn't have to also be active in order for a workout to be productive because if it does, then I'm wasting my time. My time spent on the treadmill is more like sleep walking at a dangerous pace.

Before you start sending me emails about this not being enough to acheive my goals, let me finish...

Next week I'm going to continue with the morning romp on the treadmil, but I'm also going to go to the gym during my lunch our and get in another 30 minutes of cardio and maybe light weights, at least until my shoulders get better...if they ever get better.

So this is just the start for now until I get into the grove of working out again and then I will see about changing things up.

I will keep you updated on my progress. Wish me luck!

1st Blog - For the Record

Hi, My name is April and this is my first blog.

Okay, that did sound a bit like the introductions at an AA Meeting...I guess in a way I'm hoping this will be a form of therapy for myself.

I spend a lot of time in my head and it makes me wonder how well does anyone really know me. How well do I even know myself? What makes me unique? What are my goals? What are my passions? What mark will I leave on this world when I'm gone...hopefully more then just this blog LOL. These are the things I hope to discover during this journey into my mind.

So, just sit back and enjoy the ride...but wear a seat belt because it might get a little bumpy.

Note: All names in my blog have been changed to protect the innocent...and guilty :)