The walking helps!

Have to figure out how to update that progress meter again. Good news though is that since walking this week I am dropping the weight again.

Lucky for me I enjoy the walking so I just need to get to my target before the high heat hits AZ and I will be forced to slack off a bit.

Really enjoying my cardio trainer software on my Android phone. It lets me publish my walking to FaceBook, unfortunately it doesn't link in with DailyMile or Twitter. So I have to enter some walking in there to get that widget updated.

Social Media is great, if only it was ALL linked together.

Long time no Blog

Wow, it has been ages since I posted anything. I'm disappointed to post that I gained back nearly all of the weight I had lost.

Recently had a visit with my doctor as a 3 month follow up for my diabetes. We discussed my diet and he had a few suggestions for me.

1. Get more fiber
2. Eat 3-4 servings of fruit each day

I recently read "The Diabetes Detour Diet" which discussed the need for the following to avoid diabetes and help the body naturally lose weight.

1. Vitamin D. Get at least 10 minutes of sun exposure without sunscreen on your face and arms each day.
2. Calcium, from supplements or diet, you need this.
3. Fiber, supplements or my Dr recommended a portion of oatmeal each day
4. Vitamin C, my doctor recommended 1500mg a day. I was only taking 500.
   

As the new year approaches I am already trying to form better habits once again. It has been a few weeks now and I am walking with my wife in the morning 3 days a week for 1 mile. The pace is a bit faster than I would like but it is good to be doing something with her.

Once a week the whole family goes out to Telegraph Pass in Ahwatukee and we hike up the mountain and back for a total of 3 miles.

This evening my friend Eric and I are going to meet up and walk our dogs together. Hoping his dog will be friendly with mine so we can hopefully make a daily habit of it. Doing so will add an additional 2.5 miles to my walking each day.

I've been using twitter more these days and also signed up for DailyMile, just added my mileage counter to the blog. Follow me on twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/MarkDMacLachlan.

Nothing to Report

Greetings blog readers. Sorry it has been so long since I posted anything. Frankly there just isn't anything to report.

I think I rushed into this latest round of HCG too quickly as it would appear my body has hit immunity and I don't seem to be losing any weight. I'm eating right but the pounds don't seem to be dropping off like before.

I'm going to go off of the HCG soon and try to keep with the calorie restrictions for as long as I can stand it and combine that with heavy exercise. Currently the only exercise I am getting is walking about a mile a day at work. I really need to focus on that once I go off of the HCG again.

Day 2 of Carb Loading

I started out my day OK, I had a nice big breakfast, the same as yesterday.

Breakfast: 2 slices rye toast, mayo, 2 eggs, 4 slices bacon and a slice of Velveeta cheese.

I had planned on enjoying a big lunch too but got stuck working nearly all day, so I only had a granola bar around 3:30pm.

Dinner was bliss, we ordered from NYPD.

Dinner: 1 dozen upstate wings, 4 (oh man I really ate that much) slices of pizza.

I've been trying to drink lots of fluids and took two fiber pills and a sub-lingual B12 before heading upstairs to write this entry and then off to be I go.

Tomorrow I start VLC diet.

Here We Go Again

I started my new round of HCG on Friday. I love the carb loading days! I put some weight back on this week thanks to an overly busy work schedule and an inability due to that schedule to pack a lunch. So I am starting this round out at 201.8 lbs.

Breakfast: 2 whole eggs, 1/4 cup egg whites, 4 slices bacon, 2 slices Velveeta cheese, two slices rye toast and mayo.

Lunch: 1.5 dozen upstate wings from NYPD (New York Pizza Department)

Dinner: Full rack of Famous Dave's St Louis style BBQ ribs, steak fries, cornbread muffin and small bowl baked beans

I barely made it home from dinner and I was sick! The food all tasted wonderful but it was too much and I paid the price. Something from my day didn't sit well in my stomach. It could just have been the stress of my day too, who knows.

I just finished watching my recording of The Biggest Loser (yes it is 1:43 am now) and I am pumped up wanting to lose a ton of weight. Even with my slight weight gain, my goal is still very much in sight. I have to go shopping either Saturday or Sunday for food for the week. I am looking forward to planning out my meals again, this past 2 weeks of eating out due to a big project at work has really hurt me both physically and financially. It will be good to not be spending so much on lunch again. For anyone who doesn't think being fat costs you money, I would say start recording how much you spend on eating out in a month and I think you will be surprised at what you are spending.

Time to get some sleep, I have to work again tomorrow on another big project. Boy do I need a vacation!

RATS!!! Mixed up my dates.

Well, my countdown continues and I will start HCG again this Friday, but I had my fight night off by a week (thanks Eric for letting me know), so next week I'll be eating salad during the fight unless I push back my start date a week. I am tempted to do that as I really don't want to be so limited while eating out. I have not made up my mind yet.

Last night Michele made beef and broccoli from my LA Weightloss cookbook. I had forgotten just how awesome that recipe is. I wish she had used more broccoli because that is a recipe where I really like to eat my vegetable in. I'll dig out the recipe and share it.

Counting Down

Not much to report YET, however I will be starting up with HCG once again on Friday. I am looking forward to carb loading on Friday and Saturday. Saturday is fight night so it will be nice to be able to not only indulge, but OVER INDULGE during the fights.

I'm going with the injections again this time. I think I had better success with the injections mostly because I could take a shot and forget about the meds until the next morning. With the drops it was necessary to plan to eat 40 minutes ahead of time and that didn't work out so well for me with respect to my work schedule.

RECIPE: Diet Chocolate!

Diet Chocolate
This recipe can help you get through those chocolate cravings without setting you back on your diet. I purchased some "easy out" ice cube trays to use as chocolate forms. They are small ice cube trays with rubber bottoms that make pushing the chocolate out really easy.

Ingredients:
1 Cup Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Powder
1 Cup Coconut Oil
3/8 Teaspoon Sweet Leaf Stevia

Directions:
Melt the coconut oil in a microwave oven, 1 minute on high should do the trick. Slowly stir in cocoa powder and stevia. Pour into mini ice cube trays or chocolate forms and freeze for about 1 hour until firm.

Variations:

• 1/8 Teaspoon of Mint Extract. Mint dark chocolate...yum.
  
• Nuts: chopped macadamia nuts or almonds or pecans.
  
• 1/8 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
  
• Substitute 1/2 the cocoa with non dark cocoa
  

Notes: This chocolate will melt quickly in a warm room, keep it refrigerated. Make sure you thoroughly mix the cocoa into the oil, the faces people make when they get raw clumps of dark cocoa are priceless but really ruin the experience if you are the person eating it.

Steady as She Goes

Sorry I have not been writing much lately. Work has been really busy but the fact is there just isn't much to report. Since going off the HCG I am pleased to report that my body seems to have found equilibrium. I'm neither gaining nor losing weight at this point. I've tried to eat well but have had more than a few days of eating out for lunch and dinner and admit to losing control a few times and really pigging out. This past Friday was bad, a dozen wings and 3 slices of pizza. Still I didn't gain any weight.

I'm looking forward to going on HCG one more time as I am certain it will get me down to my ultimate weight, between 175 and 185.

One thing I can report, I'm updating the recipe for the Cauliflower Pizza Crust. I made that again this weekend and found it works best if you put the crust on parchment paper or wax paper so you can flip it and really get it to start to brown on both sides. The crispier the better (without burning).

Still Doing Well

I am happy to report that my cold is just about gone. What a miserable time that was.
Over the weekend it was "Fight Night" and I ate out at the Fox and Hound.

Eric and I split a sampler platter and then each had a black forest sandwich (smoked turkey on a pretzel role) and washed it all down with 2 Guinness' over the course of about 3.5 hours. It was certainly more calories than I should have ingested BUT it was also a lot LESS than I normally would have eaten during a fight night. I cold beat myself up over the negative side of things but instead choose to celebrate the small victory. I didn't have a desert which I typically can't wait for. The only reason any of this is worth mentioning is the fact that I think I have actually internalized the idea of moderation.

Today I was 195.2, so I am for the most part stabilized around this weight. Work has been crazy busy lately and I've not done any walking. I really need to get outside and move a little. I miss it.

Over the weekend my friend Terry told me about a place to order the HCG injections over the Internet. I am anxiously awaiting the URL and will share it when I have it. I need to wait at least a month before I go back on the program but I can't wait to do it. I feel so much better now, I can't wait to see how much better I feel after another round. I want to go back to injections for the convenience of them, I'll combat the hunger feelings this time around by continuing to take my fiber pills.

Terry also shared a link to some homemade Chocolate that is made with Cocoa powder, coconut oil, stevia and macadamia nuts. I have not tried it yet but as soon as I do I will share the recipe.

On the Mend

Still fighting the remnants of a cold. I'm at that stage where you just wish it would finally get over with. Don't feel right, still have a cough and occasionally reaching for the tissues, but can't really say I am sick either.

I dropped a little bit of weight which I am happy about. Going out for dinner tonight and then again for fight night tomorrow. I keep reminding myself to eat in moderation.

RECIPE: Low Glycemic Peanut Butter Cookies

Low Glycemic Peanut Butter Cookies

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

1/3 c. whole grain or soy flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 tbl. butter/low fat margarine softened
2 tbl. peanut butter
1 tbl. crunchy peanut butter
1 tsp. Truvia brand Stevia Powder*
3 drops Hazelnut flavored Stevia liquid
1 egg, beaten

Directions:

Mix and stir all dry ingredients. Add butter and peanut butter.  Using a fork or whisk mix well.  Add beaten egg and mix well.

Using a teaspoon drop on greased cookie sheet. Flatten with a fork.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

*Note: Not all stevia products are equal.  Though I consider all to be an excellent product I have found that the Truvia brand measures best in substitution with sugar.  As an example 1 package of Sweet Leaf brand stevia is the equivalent of 3-4 packages of sugar.

RECIPE: Red Cabbage Slaw With Cranberries and Apples

Red Cabbage Slaw With Cranberries and Apples

Fat Free Oil Substitute
1 Cup cold water
1 Tbl low sodium vegetarian broth powder
2 Tsp cornstarch

Cranberry-Orange Vinaigrette
¾ Cup fat free oil substitute
½ Cup orange juice
1/3 cup chopped fresh or frozen cranberries
2 Tbl reg wine vinegar
1 ½ Tbl chopped chives or scallions
1 Tbl balsamic vinegar
1Tbl lemon juice
1 Tbl Sugar (I prefer to use Stevia)
1 large clove garlic crushed
1 Tsp salt (I prefer to use the salt substitute “NoSalt”)
Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Salad
1 ½ pounds red cabbage thinly sliced
¾ Cup fresh or frozen cranberries
2 sliced apples.
 
Directions
Combine all ingredients to make the fat free oil substitute. Can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Blend all vinaigrette ingredients, cover and refrigerate.

Combine the cabbage, cranberries and vinaigrette in a medium salad bowl and toss gently.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow flavors to blend.  Add apple slices just prior to serving.
Nutritional Information
70 Cal*, 0.5 g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 1 g protein, 18 g carbohydrates, 11g sugar*, 3 g fiber, 251 mg sodium
*Calories and sugar will be reduced by using No Salt and Stevia.

RECIPE: HCG Cucumbers and Vinegar

HCG Cucumbers and Vinegar

Ingredients
2 peeled and sliced cucumbers
2 packages Truvia (stevia)
2 tablespoons No Salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Vinegar (for phase 1 use white vinegar, for phase 2 use apple cider vinegar)

Directions
Peel the cucumber and roll in a paper towel to absorb extra water.  Thinly slice and sprinkle with the salt substitute.  Add fresh ground black pepper.  Put in a bowl and sprinkle with Truvia.  Add enough vinegar to cover the cucumbers.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Makes 1 to 2 servings.

RECIPE: HCG Mark’s Tomato Sauce (Mark’s own recipe for phase 1 and 2)

HCG Mark’s Tomato Sauce (Mark’s own recipe for phase 1 and 2)

Ingredients
4 beef steak tomatoes
9 Roma tomatoes
Fresh Basil
¼ cup dried basil
1/8 cup dried oregano
½ tsp chili powder
3 dashes Frank’s Red Hot sauce
2 Tbl tarragon
16oz can organic tomato sauce
2 heaping Tbl chopped garlic
2 dashed onion powder
1 red bell pepper, roasted
½ onion diced
2 tsp No Salt
Fresh ground black pepper
3 cans low sodium tomato sauce
2 cans tomato paste

Directions
Cut red pepper in half.  Remove seeds.  Puree ½ pepper and put in a large pot.  Dice the remaining half and add to pot.
Puree the beef steak tomatoes and add to pot.
Dice the Roma tomatoes and add to pot.
Roll the fresh basil and slice with a knife.  Thin stems are OK.  Add to pot.
Add all remaining ingredients to pot.  Put on high for about 1 hour, then reduce to warm.  You want the tomatoes to reduce, if you see a lot of liquid, turn up the heat for a little while.  I prefer to can the sauce for use throughout the week.

Note: different doctors will follow slightly different protocols.  You may need to omit the red bell pepper and onion in phase one if your doctor advises such.  I did not see any difference in my success when I included it.

The Worst That Can Happen

I can think of two terrible things that can really mess up a dieter.  Weather being the first, just when you find yourself getting into a groove and wanting to go out for walks, mother nature seems to turn on you and you get hit hard with rain or snow or extreme temperatures.  We've had some rain here in AZ lately, but nothing to really interfere with my progress.

The second thing I can think of that can truly mess you up is the common cold or flu.  I got hit fairly hard by this one recently.  I started to feel run down and my sinuses were bothering me since last Thursday.  Over the weekend what I thought was just an allergy flair up ended up being all out sick.  3/4 of a box of lotion tissues later I am finally starting to see an end is in site.

On Monday I had to stay home from work, I was still contagious and there was no way I could have driven to work with my eyes watering as frequently as they were. 

The up side was that I wasn't very hungry at all and saw my weight dip down a little.  I actually managed to get down to 192.7.  As I am starting to feel a little better my appetite has also returned and I gained back a tiny bit of weight.  Overall I am down over where I was before I got sick.  I weighed in at 194.6 this morning and I am rather pleased about that.I have less than 10 pounds to go to reach my goal of 185.

How is everyone else doing?  If you are following the blog please let me know what you think about it.  Have you tried the recipes?  Which is your favorite?

RECIPE: Portobello Pizza Made With Cauliflower Crust

I want to thank my friend Terri for pointing me to the base recipe for this one and the original poster Jamie VanEaton.  The same day that Terri told me about this one we both tried it with our own variations.  Experiment a little on your own and you will surely find a combination you love.  This one is really great.

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Portobello Mushroom Pizza & Cauliflower Crust

Ingredients:

Pizza Crust

• 1 head cauliflower
• 1 egg
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tsp oregano

Pizza

• Cauliflower pizza crust
• Toppings of your choice (make sure meats are cooked)
• Pizza or Alfredo sauce
• 1 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 Portobello mushroom, sliced thin
• Fresh basil

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Place cauliflower florets in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 8 minutes.  Remove from microwave and drain any water from bowl.  Allow to cool.
• Rice the cauliflower by pulsing in a food processor or grating with a cheese grater.
• Spray a pizza pan or cookie sheet with non-stick spray.
• In a medium bowl, combine cauliflower, egg, garlic powder and mozzarella.
• Press evenly on the pan.  Keep it a little thick to avoid it braking apart when picking up.
• Sprinkle evenly with oregano.
• Bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes (15-20 minutes if you double the recipe).
• Remove the pan from the oven. To the crust, add sauce, then basil, cheese and portobello.
• Place under a broiler at high heat just until cheese is melted.

Note: I found the crust came out best by cooking it on each side, I used parchment paper to make it easy to remove from the pan and flip it.

RECIPE: Nacho Chicken Soup

This is a delicious soup that is low in fat and carbohydrates, slightly modified recipe from one of my diabetic cookbooks.  I prefer to not cook with the chicken so I can limit my protein to my 3.5oz serving.  I like to boil my chicken and then cube it and add to the appropriate portion size (1.5 cups of soup).

Ingredients:
1 Can Red Kidney Beans Undrained
1 Can Black Kidney Beans Undrained
2 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1 Can Diced Tomato With Green Chilles
1 Can Diced Tomato
11oz Fry's Black Bean Salsa with Corn
3 Cups Chicken
Shredded Cheddar Cheese (3 Tablespoons per serving)
Tortilla Strips

Directions:
Puree both cans of beans in a food processor until smooth.  Transfer to a stock pot.  Add broth and bring to a boil.  Add both cans of tomatoes and the salsa.  Return to boil and then let simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil chicken until cooked throughout.  Remove from water and cube chicken.  Place 1.5 cups of soup in a bowl.  Add chicken and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of finely grated cheddar cheese.  Serve with 1oz of tortilla strips.

Yet Another Pound, Sort Of

Back down to 197.6 today.  That is one pound less than yesterday but still over my lowest point (194) when I was on the HCG.  Eating out so many times really delayed my progress.

I have to remind myself that it is all about moderation and discipline now.  I am making sure I eat right and trying not to snack, or if I am snacking I want to make good choices.  Almonds or other nuts over sugary snacks is essential.

Per my BodyBugg plan I am already ahead of schedule, but I do expect that to change.  As I begin to incorporate strength training into my routine I will without a doubt add some muscle weight.  Lucky for me that will help burn fat more, but there will be some initial weight increases/distribution.

Back on the Bugg

Yesterday I charged up my BodyBugg and created a new plan online.  Now that I weigh less, getting to my target requires less effort while maintaining the same "safe" weight loss of 2 pounds a week as a target.  Back at my heaviest weight I needed to burn 3000 calories a day and consume 2000 calories.  The 1000 calories a day is equal to 2 pounds loss in a week.

Under the new plan I still need that 1000 calorie daily deficit, but this time around my target burn is only 2700.  This is great!  I'm already used to eating 1500 calories a day so eating 1700 is easy and it is a lot easier to hit that 2700 target burn than the 3000 was.

I weighed in this morning at 198.6.  That is a 1.4 pound loss over yesterday.  So I am still going in the right direction.  I started my day with 10 simple pushups.  Regretfully is has been raining and I got very little walking in today.  I'm going to do some more pushups tonight just to get some form of exercise in.

---

The quest for the microwave hard boiled egg is almost done.  No explosions today, well none that were spectacular like before.

This time what I did was used my turkey skewer to make holes in the top and bottom and on each side of the egg.  I added water to the ramekin this time too.  I decreased the power to 4 and tried for 2:25.  It worked.  The egg "popped" but all that happened was the shell split in a straight line along the holes I made.  I will try again with more holes to ensure a clean break.  I will also try lowering the power yet again and going for a slightly longer time.  I want to find the exact second when it bursts so I can stop cooking just before then, or ideally get it to fully cook without bursting.

I know this seems like an elaborate pursuit given I could just boil an egg in water for 20 minutes, but I want to get that process down to under 5 which is all I typically have in the morning when I think about wanting to add an egg to a salad.




 

It Really Doesn't Take Much

With proper nutrition and just a little bit of exercise you CAN lose weight.

Breakfast yesterday was Melba toast and a little bit of trail mix.

We were celebrating a coworker's birthday and went out to lunch yesterday to the Asian buffet (Fuji on 16th and Camelback).  As is my custom there I focused on the Sushi.  I normally would have eaten twice the amount that I did, so I consider that in itself a success story.  When I got back to the office I was feeling a bit sluggish thanks to the rice I had consumed.  So, I went for a few laps around the building and before I knew it I had walked a full mile.

Dinner was very moderate.  Michele had made a Turkey Chili recipe from one of my diabetes cookbooks.  It needed the addition of some hot sauce but was delicious.  Very low fat and low carb. 

I did not have any snacks after dinner.

This morning I weighed in and had lost 2 pounds since yesterday so I am back down to 201.

I'm planning to walk at least a mile again today.  Knowing that 1 lap around the building and parking lot is exactly 1/4 mile really makes it easy for me to track.  If I have a repeat of today's success I will be back under that magic 200 pounds.

So what did YOU do for yourself yesterday?  Remember it just takes a little bit of exercise to get positive results.  With each passing day you want to look back and be able to point to at least one positive thing you did to achieve your goals.  Anything less and you are cheating on yourself, not on your diet.  For me I am looking back at yesterday proud that I managed to find some moderation in eating at a buffet and that I balanced things out with walking a full mile.

My focus today will be on drinking more water and once again getting in some more walking.

---

I just have to tell you about the comedy that happened yesterday morning while I was getting a salad ready to take with me.  After having the sushi I was too full to eat it so I saved it in the fridge at work for today.  Anyway I was making a nice spinach salad with chopped tomato and celery.  I decided I wanted a hard boiled egg to go with it but did not have time to boil one so I decided to try an experiment with the microwave oven.  Now I know that you should not microwave an egg because it can explode, so I grabbed a turkey skewer and poked a few holes in the egg shell and figured that should be sufficient to allow air to vent and prevent an explosion.  I lowered the power level down to 6 and gave it a shot.  Within a minute there was a spectacular explosion that even forced the door open!  Egg was everywhere in the microwave and spilled out onto the stove below.  After I got done laughing at myself I quickly cleaned it up and decided to try once again.  This time I made more holes and reduced the power level down further.  Same result, my kitchen sponge wasn't looking too good by this time.  I tried one last time, this time I poked so many holes in the shell a large piece of it cracked away.  Now I figured there was no way it could explode again.  You guessed it, I was wrong.  As near as I can tell, what explodes is the yolk!  I managed to save about 1/2 an egg from the last one and put that on my salad.  What a mess I had to cleanup.  The whole time I was laughing at the situation though.  The next time I have some free cleanup time I will try again and this time try puncturing the yolk too.

Checking In

It has been a few days since I checked in.  As I expected I gained back a little weight when I went off the HCG drops.  I actually jumped back up to 204.  I am happy to say however that I walked 3/4 a mile yesterday and will likely double that today by walking around my building at work.  This morning I was back down to 203, so I am once again headed in the right direction.  The loss from yesterday to today with so little exercise tells me that I do know what I am doing when it comes to the amount of food I am eating.  I just need to develop the will power to stay away from snacks and my true weakness, chocolate. 

And speaking of chocolate, I found a fudge recipe that uses Stevia.  I can't wait to give that a try.  A no sugar solution to satiate my chocolate cravings would be a good thing.

For the past two nights I've been eating BBQ Pulled Pork.  God I love that.  The real problem with it is the BBQ Sauce.  I do have a recipe for HCG Friendly BBQ Sauce so the next time I make it I will give that a try and if it tastes as good I will post the recipe.

Today is a coworker's birthday, so I will be going out for lunch today.  I miss eating out but am dreading it.  We are going to an Asian buffet.  Sushi hear I come, but I know I am going to pay for it on the scale.

A Tough Week

This week has been a real challenge for me.  After speaking with Terri I know that she has been struggling a bit too.  The urge to cheat has been getting tougher to beat.  I don't know if it is because of dieting so long or if it is because I am hitting immunity with the drops.  I really can't say.  What I can say is that I didn't follow the plan like I should have this week and as a result I put back on a few pounds.  I was back up to 201 this morning.  I am not happy about that.

Looking back at what I ate since Saturday it is easy to see how I added those pounds back on.  Taco dip on Saturday for dinner, then again on Sunday for lunch.  Ribs on Sunday for dinner.  Grilled chicken and grilled vegetables (Macaroni Grill) on Monday and then soup and salad from Schlotsky's Deli for lunch on Tuesday.  Eating out just kills a diet!

What I find most troubling though is that my Monday night eating out was in my opinion really healthy choices.  The chicken was grilled with a little olive oil and rosemary.  The vegetables grilled with a drizzle of olive oil.  With no desert that meal SHOULD be OK.  I have not been walking though and with the torrential rain we are having right now I am not likely to get out there any time soon.

At this point I am looking forward to going off of the drops and starting to exercise with my total gym.  Hopefully that combined with some cardio will get me back into the swing of things and help me lose some more weight.  I keep reminding myself that the HCG is there to help me quickly lose a bunch of weight but it is not my long term solution.  Healthy eating and exercise are the keys for my continued success and long term goal achievement.

Beware the Bachelor's Weekend

Watch out for big changes in your routine.  This weekend my son was away on an overnight field trip to California for Oceanography club.  My wife was off to North Carolina spending some time with her sisters to celebrate her 40th birthday and it was just me with the two dogs at home.

I was supposed to go to a party on Saturday, made my party food for the pot luck, headed out the door and realized that my GPS could not navigate me to the address.  (Toyota want $300 for the new DVD!)  Anyway I called over to the house but no answer so I ended up returning home and eating way too much of that Taco Dip and chips than I should have.  Then on Sunday I went out to eat with my buddy Rick and his family.  Tried Dave's Famous BBQ for the first time.  REALLY good ribs, I should have ordered the 1/2 rack but of course I went for the full rack and ate it all.  I was stuffed, thank goodness I didn't go for any desert, that would have been truly disastrous.

Considering the fact that I did not eat anywhere near what I should have for two meals over the weekend I suppose I should be grateful that I only weighed in at 196.4 lbs today.  That is a 1.4 lb gain for the weekend.

Let me tell you that I am paying the price though.  I feel awful.  The food, however delicious is not sitting well in my stomach.  I am actually relieved about that.  If the really bad for me stuff doesn't sit well anymore then I feel like my body is telling me it did not get what it needs and hopefully this will act as a reminder to me in the future to be more careful about what I decide to put in my mouth.

Almost Humdrum

I feel guilty, I lost another pound and it is almost humdrum to me.  Weighed in at 195.0 this morning.  Not much else to report.

A Little Is Still Progress

This morning I weighed in at 196.4 lbs.  Considering the fact that I was ready to kill for some chocolate yesterday and did eventually succumb to the draw and had a scoop of Deliciously Decedent Chocolate Ice Cream (made with coconut milk and agave nectar-available at Sprout's Farmer's Market) I would say that is pretty good!  That is a 1.6 lb drop from yesterday. Averaged with yesterday I am still around the pound a day average.

Yesterday I did two laps around the office building, that is 1/2 mile of walking.  Not very much but it is better than nothing.  I want to get back into the groove of walking frequently.  I find it enjoyable when the weather is cooperating.

I'm starting to plan out what I am going to do when I hit immunity on the HCG drops.  I was worried I may have hit that already but today's loss tells me otherwise.  I'm working on a plan for both diet and exercise that I believe should be easy for me to stick to.  Short term goal for now is to walk at least 1/2 mile each day at work.  Preferably a mile or more.  That way no matter what the evening brings I will have gotten in some exercise.

Watch Out for Speed Bumps

Like hitting a speed bump or experiencing turbulence in mid air, I saw a slight bump up today.  198.8 lbs.  That is .8 over yesterday.  I seem to have hit the same period I did last time with 'irregularity'.  Going to have to research using fiber pills or something like that while on HCG.

I'm not at all concerned about it this time round, I woke with my stomach being flatter than I can ever recall.  So I am feeling great, though tired as can be.  Been battling a sinus issue and I took some Tylenol PM last night.  I could barely open my eyes this morning.  I think I needed a few more hours of sleep.

---

 Update for today.  I did some research and the recommendation for HCG is to get 30 grams of fiber a day.  I don't think I have been getting that so I am going to take a fiber pill in the coming mornings.

Today is super rough.  I'm getting chocolate cravings like crazy.  If I don't get some chocolate soon somebody is going to get hurt.

A Better Morning

Back down to 198 lbs this morning.  I think the weight gain was a plumbing issue, pipes cleaned themselves out and all is well again. 

I got woken up at 3:00 this morning for a server down issue.  Then went into a sneeze attack and my sinuses have been flowing since.  Could not get back to sleep after that.  I figure I will really be dragging by the end of the day today.

A Bad Morning

This morning wasn't so great, the scale was working against me.  I weighed in at 201lbs.  I ate per the plan yesterday so I don't know why I went up.  I did forget to take my BP medicine so that might be a factor.  Didn't notice any adema though.

Lunch today was Morroccan Chicken and Mock Garlic Mashed Potatoes again.  Once again it was delicious.  I'll probably have a big salad and turkey sausage this evening for dinner.

Not so bad. :-)

Well I had fears that the party food was going to set me back further than it did.  This mornign I was still under the magic 200 and weighed in at 199.0 lbs.  That is respectable to me considering I had no control over what was served for dinner at the party.

I wish I could say that I exercised control over what I ate, but the truth is I was weak.  It was easy to pass on the baked beans and creamed corn and not using a role was an easy choice too.  I tried to stick to the proteins as best I could but did I really need to have the hot Italian sausage AND  the grilled chicken AND a taste of the pulled pork?  Of course not.  In retrospect the chicken was my best choice.  It had a dry spice rub in it and was delicious.  The real problem I encountered was that there wasn't a good vegetable to pair with my protein.  So quite frankly I was still hungry. The evening ended with a slice of berry pie.  I certainly didn't need that.

So what could I have done better?  In a perfect world knowing what the menu would have been I would have been better off eating a salad before we left the house so I would have been less hungry.  I then could have been satisfied with just the chicken and maybe could have overcome the compulsion to give the desert a try.

I have another party to go to next weekend, so I am going to try having my salad at the house before I leave and see if I can do better.

Now I am worried

Just got back from a retirement party for a friend.  I wanted to eat right but there were no salads to be had and BBQ catered for dinner.  Tomorrow may not be so happy but I'll be back on the bandwagon tomorrow morning and will deal with whatever comes.  This is a marathon not a sprint.  I am reminding myself that there will always be exceptions in life and the key is to no punish yourself over them and just take appropriate actions as needed.

Happy Dance!!!!!

197.8lbs!!!!

Went shopping today for new clothes because my old ones were looking shabby and overly big on me.  I can't believe that I have gone from pushing size 40's to fitting comfortably in size 36 pants!  My new fitted shirts make me look downright skinny.  This is a good day!

RECIPE: "Mock" Garlic Mashed Potatoes

"Mock" Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Prep Time: 15 min      Cook Time: 6 min

Ingredients

1 medium head cauliflower
1 tablespoon cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/8 teaspoon low sodium chicken broth powder
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh or dry chives, for garnish (optional)

Directions

Clean and cut cauliflower into small pieces. Cook in boiling water for about 6 minutes, or until well done.
Drain well. Put all ingredients into a food processor, puree until almost smooth.

Notes
Since this uses the Parmesan and cream cheese, skip using dairy in coffee or tea for the day.

The Battle of Midway

The Battle of Midway may have been a turning point in World War II, but for dieters it marks a turning point where you are halfway to your goal and really starting to see results and the end goal.

Although my mathematical midway point was some 5 pounds ago, in my head reaching 200 has been my midway point.  I suppose that is because I don't really know exactly how much weight I want to lose.  Instead I know what size pants I want to fit in and I vaguely recall what I weighed the last time I fit in them.  Regardless, this morning I weighed in at 200.8.  That extra .8 is bugging me because somehow that doesn't seem like 200 to me, so maybe I'm celebrating too early, but tomorrow I should be UNDER 200 and that is cause for separate celebration.

After checking my driver's license yesterday I realized that I now weigh less than I did when I first came to Arizona.  So I weigh less now than I did eight years ago!  Wow that is an accomplishment I am proud of. I am looking to lose another 15-25 pounds and know I can finally do it.

Yesterday I had a great lunch of Morrocan Chicken and Mock Garlic Mashed Potatoes made from cauliflower.  Since I lost 1.2lbs I think it is safe to say that the cauliflower recipe is safe for HCG dieters so I will gladly share it.  I have to tell you, it was delicious and really filling.  So filling I DID NOT FINISH IT.  That's right, the guy who doesn't get the 'I am full signal' from his brain realized he could not eat any more.  I hope everyone enjoys the recipe.  I'd love to hear from anyone that is trying my recipes.  The only recipes I post are my own originals or my adaptations of other recipes to make them HCG diet friendly so I am really anxious for some feedback.

RECIPE: Morroccan Chicken

HCG Morroccan Chicken

Ingredients
3.5 oz chicken breast
Cumin
Paprika
Chili Powder
Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Salt (I prefer to use 'No Salt')

Directions
Thinly slice raw chicken breast and lay out on cutting board.
Sprinkle each slice of chicken with each of the seasonings.  Turn chicken over and repeat on other side.
Heat a cast iron skillet and cook chicken on first side until cooked edge almost reaches top of meat.  Flip over to thoroughly cook chicken.

Another Day Another Pound

That's right, this morning started out slow for me and I thought I had gained some weight, but fortunatly for me after receiving my call from nature I hopped on the scale and I am down another pound.  This morning I weighed in at 202.0lbs.  Sweet!

Today I am trying a new recipe out.  Mock Garlic Mashed Potatoes, they are made with cauliflower.  After I see how they affect weight loss I will post the recipe.  I tasted them last night when I made them and they were amazing.  I'm combining that with Morroccan Chicken for my lunch.

Like It Is New

While preparing my food for the day I had MSNBC turned on.  They had  story about new technology from Seimons that will monitor your activity level and where you are getting your food from to help track obese people and help them lose weight.

I have news for you folks, that already exists.  It is called a BodyBugg and they are awesome.  OK, I admit it is really cool that this new gadget will track if you are in a fast food restaurant, but it won't tell you what you actually put in your mouth.  The BodyBugg system is awesome, it has 3 different sensors for movement to track your activity level.  It also is able to accurately track your calorie burn through sensors that touch your skin.  Combined with their web site to enter your food intake, you can fully (and accurately) track your food intake versus your calorie burn.  Less calories in = weight loss.  The equation is simple.

Because I'm not working out while on HCG, I am currently not using my BodyBugg, but I look forward to using it again when I go on maintenance.  It is a great tool to help you manage your weight.

RECIPE: Spicy Broccoli

HCG Spicy Broccoli

Ingredients
broccoli
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 teaspoons prepared mustard (French's is just vinegar and mustard seed)
1/2 cup low sodium beef broth

Directions
Remove thick stems from broccoli.  In a bowl or measuring cup combine mustards and broth.  Whisk thoroughly.  Transfer to a large zip lock back.  Add raw broccoli.  Seal bag making sure to leave some air in it.  Shake vigorously to thoroughly coat the broccoli.  Enjoy.

The Hits Just Keep on Coming

Not too much to report today except that I weighed in at 203 this morning.  That is a 1.6 pound loss from yesterday.  This afternoon I will try to add a few laps around the work building to my day and see if that has any effect on my weight loss.  My interim goal of getting under 200 is so close.  Mentally I find myself struggling with the idea of wanting to eat as some kind of reward to myself.  Talk about counter productive!

Food is fuel for the body, I know that.  But it is also something that I feel should be enjoyed.  Finding balance between the two is difficult for me.

Once again I want to toss out there that whole raw almonds seem to really be helping me.  Here I am on phase 1 and doing well losing weight and I am eating a few almonds every day.  They offer something tangible for me to sink my teeth into.  They taste great and they are helping me stave off the desire to eat things like tortilla chips that Michele has in the house.  If you are struggling with phase 1 then I recommend you give them a try.

I've not yet done this, but my friend Terri told me that you can flip the fat/protein ratio of almonds by soaking them overnight and then putting them in a dehydrator or roasting them.  I'm looking for a small/inexpensive dehydrator so I can give that a try.

Counting Chickens

Farmers know not to count their chickens before they hatch. Dieters need to remember not to count their pounds until they are off.

Yesterday morning I weighed in at 206.0 lbs. When I came home from work I changed and thought to myself, "what the heck, let's see what I weigh." I was down to 202.6 lbs. Naturally I was ecstatic. Dreams of being under 200 danced in my head like deranged sugar plum fairies in expectation of the coming morning. Of course I had not eaten dinner yet.

This morning I weighed in at my "official" time at 204.6 lbs. That is a 1.4 lbs loss from yesterday morning but alas less than what I had hoped I would be at.

The moral of today's story? Don't be so eager to jump on that scale at times other than your scheduled time. Consistency and slow/maintainable progress are what matters.

Site changes

As I am new to blogging I'm still working out some kinks. I just added links for RSS feeds and realized that it would be easier when browsing the archives if I started all recipes with "RECIPE:" in the subject.

Terri set me straight that she did not start eating almonds until phase 2. Thanks for keeping me honest Terri. I am currently including whole raw almonds in my phase 1 diet, about a dozen or so a day. I think they are keeping me from snacking when I should not.

RECIPE: Cajun Blackend Herb Mix

This herb mix works great for tuna or beef. The key to blackening is to use to flat cast iron skillets. Get them really hot and sandwich your protein between them to cook both sides at once. That sears in all the juices while allowing the protein to cook throughout. If doing tuna, you want the center to be just a little pink. I prefer my beef well done, cook yours to your desired amount.

Cajun Blackend Herb Mix


Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
(I prefer to use "No Salt" which is available in the salt isle)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 4 (8 ounce) tuna steaks (about 2/3" thick each)

Directions

Heat oven to 400 F. Combine paprika, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, cumin, pepper, and cayenne pepper on a plate. Rub butter over tuna steaks. Press tuna steaks into spice mixture; gently rub spices onto fish.

Cooking Tips
Cast iron pans or griddles work best. Get two pans very hot until they smoke. Place tuna on one pan and place second pan on top to cook tuna from both sides at once.
They will make some smoke, this is normal. Transfer skillets to oven and roast fish 5 minutes for medium rare doneness.

Another Day Another Pound

So far I have to say that I am really happy with the sublingual drops. While taking the HCG injections I had days where I lost 2-3 pounds followed by days where I lost nothing. So far with the drops I am consistently losing one pound a day.

Yesterday I went shopping at Fresh and Easy. I always like to check out their 1/2 off isle because you can get some super deals as long as you plan to use the food right away. I saw they had some awesome Ahi Tuna steaks. I don't know why but I thought Tuna steaks were allowed on the plan. This morning I looked back at the HCG guidelines and discovered Tuna is not part of the plan. Oh well, I had a tuna steak for lunch with some homemade blackening herb mix. I'll post the recipe separately. Lucky for me it did not set me back, I still lost my one pound. Normally you would blacken the steaks with a ton of butter too, I used 1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil instead. That seemed to work really well. This is the first time I deviated from the "no oils" rule. I won't be abandoning that rule, but it is good to see that coconut oil (which was not readily available during Dr. Simeon's research) does not seem to have an impact on weight gain.

My friend had told me that she had noted that while on phase 2 after taking the injections that she would always lose weight if she had an apple and a handful of almonds. I did that yesterday, so I can't say if the almonds are what helped me with my one pound despite the tuna, or if they just helped me avoid eating later in the evening. What I do know is that adding that little extra seems to really help me avoid wanting to grab something bad for me.

So I guess I had a real screw up day yesterday, I ate a banned protein and used a bit of oil. I also added a handful of almonds to my day. The bottom line though? I still ate around my 500 calorie target for the day and I still lost my goal weight. By next week I should be under 200 pounds.
...............................
Posting back here because I was curious if anyone else had tested using coconut oil while on the HCG diet and I did find someone..here.

The Start Of My Homeopathic HCG Run

Starting on December 30th I began taking the homeopathic drops . My carb loading days would end out the year and starting January 1st I was back on the low calorie diet.

The 30th was my wife Michele's birthday. I had egg whites, bacon, salsa and Velveeta cheese for breakfast. Lunch was a huge Thai beef salad and a Spider Roll. For dinner we went out to celebrate Michele's birthday and I had a little calamari, chicken parmesan, sauted spinach and chocolate cake.

The 31st was even better, I was determined to really get in all the stuff I know I shouldn't eat but love so much. Breakfast was the same and the day before, but lunch consisted of 2 dozen wings and French fries at Buffalo Wild Wings. For dinner I indulged in 3 slices of sausage and pepperoni pizza.

Before each meal I took the HCG drops about 1/2 hour prior to eating. For lunch I seem to slip up on that timing and took the drops closer to meal time than I should have.

The verdict? I lost .6 pounds eating all that!

I am now on the very low calorie diet portion of the HCG diet. I am three days into it and have lost three pounds so far. I find that in the mornings I am still a bit hungry, though not famished. In between lunch and dinner I find I am NOT hungry. So so far I am enjoying my homeopathic HCG. I am averaging 1 pound a day in weight loss and for the most part don't feel hungry.

RECIPE: HCG Strawberry/Cranberry Vinaigrette

HCG Strawberry Cranberry Vinaigrette
(enjoy with Arugula salad or spinach salad)

Ingredients

Vinaigrette (makes 2 servings)
About 8 Strawberries
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon raspberry wine vinegar
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 package of Truvia (Stevia)
½ cup cranberries chopped
Dash of salt (Use No Salt instead for better blood pressure control)
Dash of cayenne
Fresh ground black pepper to taste

The Salad
1 hardboiled egg sliced
2 Roma tomatoes diced
Bacos or real bacon bits
Large bowl of baby spinach or arugula

Directions

Combine all vinaigrette ingredients in a food processor or magic bullet style mini blender. Puree until smooth. I like to add the cranberries at the last minute so they are not fully chopped.

Combine all salad ingredients. Pour over fresh arugula or spinach salad. Garnish with sliced strawberries and freshly ground black pepper.

Note: Enjoy this vinaigrette during phase 1 by just using white vinegar.

Tracking Your Trends

Tracking what you eat, what your activity levels are, how much water you drink and how much sleep you get along with some important numbers like weight, blood glucose levels, and overall body fat composition are more important that you may think if you are trying to lose weight.

Prior to the start of the new year I decided to enjoy lunch at a favorite lunch place, Sweet Tomatoes. For those living in areas where this chain does not reach, they are essentially a soup and salad restaurant. They have an amazing broccoli salad that I can eat plate fulls of (and I really don't like broccoli that much).

While there I try to avoid the Asian Salad because I know those fried wanton strips and chicken with Soy Sauce are just terrible for me. So I stick with the broccoli salad, a little Caesar Salad, mixed greens and fresh baby spinach. Sounds healthy right?

Well, thanks to my food log I was able to identify that each time I went to this restaurant I gained a good four pounds of weight the next day.

Another trend I have noticed is that the more sleep I get (ugh) the more weight I tend to lose. A good percentage of that is just added water weight that one loses at night, but not all of it. The body needs down time to repair itself and I'm learning that my normal four hours of sleep just are not enough for that process to fully complete.

And speaking of water weight...it seems counter intuitive to me that drinking more water will help you lose weight but the fact is it does. I've been told that a good way to estimate how much water you need to drink is to take 50 percent of your weight to get the number of ounces of water you should drink daily. So at 200 pounds I need to drink 100 ounces of water. That is nearly two gallons of water a day! It is important to note that drinking that much water should be done over the course of the entire day and not all at once or you risk messing up your electrolytes and could cause severe medical injury, even death.

So what have I learned? It is important to track what you eat and drink and watch your activity levels and amount of sleep and then correlate that information with weight loss/gain to improve success or avoid future failure.

Welcome To The Food Addicts Blog

Welcome to my food addict’s blog. I decided to start this blog because I feel compelled to share some recent experiences with others.

What you need to know about me: I love to eat. I don’t really gravitate towards junk food with the exception of either ice cream or chocolate. My biggest problem is I eat good food, but do so to excess. Portion control is a skill I have struggled with my entire life.

I’ve tried many diets before, I think it is fair to say that I had the best temporary success with Nutrisystem, LA Weightloss and better diet and excercise control thanks to my BodyBugg. Still, with each of these diets I always ended up putting weight back on. With each failure I have seen my pants getting bigger and bigger.

My clothing is not the only thing to be affected by my weight gains. My health has suffered greatly. I’ve got the Holy Trinity of bad conditions. High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol and Type 2 Diabetes. The icing on the cake is that I have the most severe Sleep Apnea one of my doctor’s has ever seen. Now please know that like eating I do most things to excess, so when I got apnea I went full bore and got BOTH kinds of apnea, Obstructuve and Central. Obstructive apnea is caused by tissues blocking the air way. This can typically be cured by losing weight. In my case, MRI and X-Ray have confirmed my airway is skinnier than my pinky, so even severe weight loss is unlikely to help my condition. Central Apnea is the more dangerous, it exists when the brain forgets to tell the body to breath. About 52% of my apnea eppisodes are from Central Apnea. I guess all the crazy technical knowledge I have took over where I am supposed to be sending out the Breath In and Breath Out commands.

At my worst, I was taking two medications for blood pressure, medicine for my cholesterol and medication for the diabetes.

Several months ago I saw a client I had not seen in a long while. She is a grandmother close to retirement age and was always heavy since I have known her. To my astonishment she had lost 40 pounds. When I inquired about how she had done it she informed me she had gone to her doctor for the HCG diet. She told me she has kept the weight off and that she no longer had sleep apnea. I let about a month pass before I even started to ask about this diet. To my surprise I learned of a friend (Terri Hirning) who had also done the HCG diet and lost about 24 pounds. She referred me to her doctor who was offering a 50% off sale for new patients. At the risk of sounding like an infomercial, let me tell you about the HCG diet.

HCG therapy was pioneered by a Doctor Simeon back in 1954. Basically HCG is a hormone that is extracted from pregnant women. When injected into belly fat and combined with a very low calorie diet, the HCG reprograms the body and activates the hypothalmus and makes the body burn fat for energy. You tend to lose a pound a day while on the diet. As stated the diet is restricted to 500 calories a day. Breakfast consists of Melba toast and tea (or coffee if you drink the stuff). Lunch is 3.5 ounces of a lean protein and as much of a single vegetable (from an approved list) as you wish. Dinner choices are the same available choices as lunch. For a snack, a single apple or orange or a handful of strawberries.

After hearing the doctor’s speech about it I decided to give it a try. My starting weight was 233lbs. For the sake of uniformity, all weight measurements I share are from my home scale, taken early in the morning. For uniform results I place my bathroom scale on the same squares in the bathroom. To eliminate variances I found with foot placement, I place a single foot sideways in the center of the scale. The other foot is held at my knee in what I believe is called the Yoga Tree stance.

The first 2 days of the diet are the best. You have to eat all the fatty stuff you want. These are your carb loading days. Loading up on the carbs is supposed to prevent the body from thinking it is starving. Under the doctor supervised plan I was on I had to inject myself each morning with the HCG solution. If you have never had to do that let me tell you that it is only scary the first time. After that it is not a big deal, but that first shot is tough to do. After a month on the diet, I had lost 24 pounds! It was here that I entered into phase two of the diet. I stopped taking the HCG and increased my caloric intake to about 1500 calories. I continued to lose a little bit of weight and lost a total of 28 pounds.

While on the HCG I had to stop taking my blood pressure medicine as my pressure got really low. My blood sugars were also steady so I stopped taking the diabetes medicine. Thinking these other improvements likely meant I also did not need the cholesterol medicine, I stopped taking that. At the end of my HCG program I went in to my regular doctor for my 3 month diabetes follow up. My blood work showed my diabetes was in check and I could stay off the diabetes medicine. I was able to drop one of my blood pressure medicines, but had to go back on the other. My cholesterol had raised 100 points, so I also had to go back on the cholesterol medicine.

It is important to note that while on the 500 calorie diet you are not tired, your body is getting all the energy it needs by burning your fat. As for being hungry…I was famished. Towards the end I found myself cheating with an extra piece of melba toast or a few pita crips or a few slices of salami. There is little doubt in my mind that had I not done that little bit of cheating, I would have lost even more weight. I did record it all, including my cheating in my food log.

At the completion of phase two I have continued to keep a log. Now I record some other important information. I make sure I record the following: Weight, Blood Pressure, Waking Blood Sugar. This helps me analyze how my body is affected by certain foods.

Although my weight does vary a bit from day to day, I can honestly say that I have been able to keep all the weight I lost off +/- a few pounds depending on the day.

After going to my dentist recently and discussing my success with the dental hygenist, I learned that she too had recently done the HCG diet and that she did it using homeopathic subligual drops that are available without a doctor’s prescription. I shared this information with my friend Terri and she and I decided to split shipping costs and order the subligual drops so we can each go another round on HCG to lose some more weight.

This about brings us up to date. I have the drops sitting on my kitchen counter just waiting for January to roll around when I will begin a new run on the HCG. I plan to share my progress and experience as I go through it this time. I’ll also share some of my favorite HCG recipes for those people looking to give it a try or just try to eat healthier. What I am REALLY interested to experience is that the sublingual drops give instructions to slowly add drops to your daily treatment if you are still hungry. So they are saying that you should not feel hungry when taking them. Considering how hungry I was while taking the injections, that would be a wonderful difference between the treatment types.