I have been slacking quite a bit with my Project 52 updates. August was crazy busy with canning and pickeling everything under the sun! September has been busy with traveling and cleaning up the outside to get ready for w-i-n-t-e-r!
I LOVE Fall, but I sure hate what follows it! Now, I must admit that the past two or three winters haven't been all that bad (for me), due to the constant stream of hot flashes that I had been having. Since I was always so hot, I thought Hubby would appreciate it if I did my part to save some of his hard-earned money by keeping the thermostat set at about 62 degrees. Unfortunately, while I was quite comfortable, everyone else in the house was freezing! However, today, I'm sitting here with goose bumps all over me, and the temperature is 60 degrees, outside! I'm starting to get nervous that "hotflash season" may be over, and I'll be back to being the ice cube I used to be!
That had nothing at all to do with Project 52, but, I was on a roll!
The Number 1 goal on my list was to lose 30 pounds. Ten (or twelve) years ago, my goal was to lose 10 pounds. Five years ago my goal was to lose 20 pounds. Do you see a pattern? I have been going the wrong way for quite some time. The "Face the Moment" came when my normally short and stubby fingers started looking more and more like sausages. I had to pull off my wedding rings before they started cutting off the circulation. Not good.
Although I had been able to lose weight before, since entering the "Big M" stage of life, it just was not happening. My size 12 jeans were getting tighter and tighter to where I could barely breathe. Hubby and Amazing Daughter have always fought the weight issue due to super slow metabolism.
But, this summer, at a family reunion, we discovered a miracle! One of Hubby's seven brothers had recently lost 34 pounds in a ridiculously short time. Now, you may balk at some of the things I'm going to tell you, but you can check it out for yourself. They had read a book, "Fat2Fab" which is available only in Kindle form. We don't have a Kindle, so I just got my info online.
The secret is a hormone called: hCG. And, it is a miracle. It's inexpensive,it's safe, and it works. I repeat, it works! I just now came across this link, and it has excellent information if you want to check into this further. When Brother D said, "They don't recommend exercise while on this because of the low calorie intake." , I was sold. Ok, I just focused on the "don't exercise" part and not the "low calorie" part.
But, I'm getting ahead of myself. This diet was first discovered by Dr. A.T.W. Simeons back in the 1950's. (If you want to give it a try, do your own research. I checked it out, but when it comes to recording facts, I might possibly forget something...) If you want all the scientific reasoning, you might want to buy the book. Or, you can go right here to read quite a bit of info.
We bought our drops at the health food store for $19.95, much cheaper than anything you'll find online, and we got great results.
So, in a nutshell, this is the diet: Days 1 and 2, take 10 drops three times a day. Eat like crazy. Yes, you read that right. Glut yourself. It's called the "Loading Phase". We quite enjoyed those two days. Because on Day 3, you start the Very Low Calorie Diet of 500 calories a day. Yes, you read that right. But, before you start spazzing out, I will tell you that with the drops you don't get hungry. Well, you might get a little "hungry", but you won't be STARVING! The hCG also helps you lose fat from your fat storage areas and not lean muscle areas. There is a very strict list of foods you can eat, and you MUST NOT STRAY from this list. No cheating what-so-ever! With that being said, I must say that this has been the easiest diet I have ever been on!
This may sound a bit unbelievable coming from a sugar/chocolate addict, but the things I craved the most were more vegetables!
Breakfast consists of black coffee or tea. One tablespoon of milk is allowed, if you don't like your coffee black.
Lunch and supper: 3.5 ounces of protein (weight before cooking), 1 veggie, 1 fruit, 1 melba toast. Everything is to be cooked in water or grilled. Grilled burgers, grilled steak, grilled chicken! Who's complaining? One day each week, I measured/cut the meat to size, then grilled everything all at once. Makes fixing the meal a snap! There is no restriction on salt, pepper, or other spices, so we never ate bland food.
All day: lots and lots of water, coffee, or tea.
That's it.
Here are some examples of what we ate:
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| Fresh Tomatoes with Basil, Grilled Chicken, Orange |
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| Lettuce Steak and Orange Salad |
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| Chicken, Green beans, and Apple |
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| Fresh Tomato with Basil, Steak, Strawberries |
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| Spinach Steak Strawberry Salad with Balsamic Vinegar and Melba Toast |
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| Asparagus, Chicken, and Apple |
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| Asparagus, Grilled Burger and Apple |
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| Drink lots and lots of water, tea, or coffee - a gallon! My system for keeping track of liquids was to put a button in the dish for every 16 oz. glass I drank |
Something else that may surprise you is that there were many times when we were completely stuffed after eating. Ocassionally, we would have to save our fruit to eat later. We were just too full to eat it! I am not kidding!
Stay on this regiment for six weeks or until you've lost 34 pounds, whichever comes first. Since the three of us are doing this together, we're following Hubby's lead. He lost his 34 pounds in five weeks. (Brother D did it in three weeks!!) Amazing Daughter and I are at 23 and 21. At that point, stay on 500 calories for two days, but discontinue the drops. I was a little worried that I would be starving, but, I (and Hubby and Daughter) have made it through without any problems.
The next phase is two weeks at 1500 calories, which now sounds like a feast! I think you work up to 1500 calories, and it is recommended to stay away from sugar and carbs. Following that, go three weeks of just eating. This is to re-set your weight and metabolism. When we finish the program, we should be able to eat whatever we want and not gain any weight. If we do find ourselves gaining more than a pound or two, we're to eat a steak and tomatoes. I can handle that. Brother D stayed within a pound. When that phase is finished, and if you're not at your goal weight, start all over again.
Do you want to know how good those drops work? Someone offered me these brownies. These were more than offered, they were left in my kitchen! I was not even tempted! I am a true chocoholic! I have stashes of chocolate everywhere! I even put my nose down close and inhaled deeply. Nope. Nothin'. I wrapped them in plastic wrap and put them in my freezer, where they are still sitting! Now, that is sayin' somethin'!
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| A temptation that I overcame with NO PROBLEM! (Peanut butter and chocolate brownie) |
I had to make a quick stop at the local Goodwill Store, and bought a couple pair of jeans in a size 10. They are loose on me. My wedding rings are back on and are not cutting off the circulation! Whoo hoo! One more phase should do it for me, and I plan to reach my goal. I have never, in my life, actually reached a goal! But this time, I know I will!
