I woke today to no hunger that is a first for this round. Yesterday I was able to pick up a smaller 3cc syringe from Fleet Farm that has the .5 marking on it. That meant I was able to dose a perfect 125 IU last night. Maybe that is why I feel so good this morning. For the first few days of phase 2 it was difficult to dose right with the syringe I had. I chose to err toward less, since with hcg less is more, so I think most days I was getting between 100-125 IU with each dose. It is common to have hunger during the first 7-10 days, so I wasn't worried about the hunger. My hunger was VERY mild compared to my last round. We'll see if today is my first no hunger day as time goes on.
Today's Weight
Me: -1.6 Total R3 loss: -10.6
Teen Son: -.6 Total R3 loss: -7.4
Teen Daughter: -0 Total R3 loss: 4.6
Hubby: -4.6 Total R3 loss: -6.2
I also heard from my parents. Today is day 2 VLCD for them. They were excited to find 3 pounds gone at weigh in. :-) My mom is a picky eater so this protocol will be challenging for her. I spent some time trying to come up with a salad dressing recipe she might like. She's a mayo gal, a convert from Miracle Whip, who really does not like vinegar. She found a white whine vinegar with no sugar count so she is going to use it to try a dressing similar to the cabbage salad dressing recipe I posted. Mom & Dad only plan to do 21 days. This is my dad's second round. It is fun having them doing the same weight loss protocol even though they are far far away. Mom, teen daughter & I are all within 5-10 pounds of each other. It will be fun to see which one gets to goal weight first, then it will be a big celebration when we are all there! :-)
Saturday, December 31, 2011
You Butter Believe It!
Today we were busy with many chores on the farm. One was taking FIVE hours to shake and make butter! UGH! It was a family event. The littles had quart jars with 2 cups cream to shake and the rest had 1/2 gallon jars with a quart of cream at a time. I will not be surprised if all my kiddo's are complaining of achy arms tomorrow. :-) I kept busy draining off the butter milk and rinsing the butter, then when we were all done salting and packaging it. Four gallons of raw cream from our organically raised grass fed only cows gave us 7.25 pounds of butter. I package them in 1/4 pound = 1/2 cup portions individually wrapped then put four of them equaling one pound into a quart freezer bag. I wore gloves for most of the process because I was concerned about my body absorbing the fat. I didn't wear them for the final packaging and may regret it tomorrow when I hop on the scale.
The four of us who are on phase 2 of the hcg protocol usually drink about 1/2 gallon of cream a day while on phase 3, 4, and maintenance. So we had to come up with a way to use the cream since we aren't eating it. AND I do NOT have enough room in my freezer for making all of it into ice cream and cream cheese clouds. To our family raw organic cream from grass fed cows is called Liquid Gold. :-) So any cream that our friends cannot use we are making into butter to freeze. I may end up making some cream cheese clouds and storing them until phase 3. I have cream cheese in the freezer too. I do sometimes use cream to make cream cheese and will end up making some of that too. I think I'm going to call my Amish friend on Monday who has a butter churner and see what she would charge me to help me with the butter making process. Hopefully I can pay her in driving or butter. But spending 5 hours on 7 pounds of butter is just not an option for me. We still have about 3 quarts to shake, and I have another 3 gallons of cream from today in the fridge. We empty our milk tank to clean it every 2 days. When there is milk left we drain the skim milk into buckets to feed to the farm animals and keep the cream for us. Anyway, I'm exhausted and CRABY... oops, mom's are never supposed to be craby! :-)
Oh well, since butter is $3 a pound, having my own home grown butter that is from cows that are the healthiest on the planet makes the day worth it...... maybe. :-)
The four of us who are on phase 2 of the hcg protocol usually drink about 1/2 gallon of cream a day while on phase 3, 4, and maintenance. So we had to come up with a way to use the cream since we aren't eating it. AND I do NOT have enough room in my freezer for making all of it into ice cream and cream cheese clouds. To our family raw organic cream from grass fed cows is called Liquid Gold. :-) So any cream that our friends cannot use we are making into butter to freeze. I may end up making some cream cheese clouds and storing them until phase 3. I have cream cheese in the freezer too. I do sometimes use cream to make cream cheese and will end up making some of that too. I think I'm going to call my Amish friend on Monday who has a butter churner and see what she would charge me to help me with the butter making process. Hopefully I can pay her in driving or butter. But spending 5 hours on 7 pounds of butter is just not an option for me. We still have about 3 quarts to shake, and I have another 3 gallons of cream from today in the fridge. We empty our milk tank to clean it every 2 days. When there is milk left we drain the skim milk into buckets to feed to the farm animals and keep the cream for us. Anyway, I'm exhausted and CRABY... oops, mom's are never supposed to be craby! :-)
Oh well, since butter is $3 a pound, having my own home grown butter that is from cows that are the healthiest on the planet makes the day worth it...... maybe. :-)
Friday, December 30, 2011
Phase 2 tips for success - Part 1
My number one tip for being successful with the hcg protocol is to read and re-read the Pounds & Inches Manuscript. If you do not have access to the original manuscript I would highly recommend that you join this yahoo group, go to their files and read it ASAP!
Supplements
There are NO required supplements while on the hcg protocol. Many find that these two supplements are helpful while on the VLCD.
Potassium: You may want to take potassium 4-99 mg tablets a day. This is equivalent to a banana and will help prevent potassium deficiency. We pee so much on this protocol that we need to balance that with potassium or you will feel weak and have muscle cramps.
Magnesium: Can be taken to help keep the bowels regular. Take 1000 mg or more until your bowels start to move, then you can back down and find the dose that allows you to remain regular.
Any other supplements you choose to take must be sugar free, starch free, and oil free.
Food List
The only food list I recommend is found in the original Pounds & Inches Manuscript. There are many altered food lists out there, some of which include tuna. Dr Simeons said no tuna. People try to say that back in Dr. S's day tuna was packed in oil.... no back in Dr. S day where he lived tuna was FRESH, so if we are not to have tuna FRESH why do people think it is ok in water? My philosophy is... phase 2 lasts for 21 -40 days, I can do without ANYTHING for that short period of time. Dr. S tells us that using other foods yield less than favorable results. If I'm going to go through the trouble of doing this very strict diet I want the BEST results possible. So we do not gamble with altered food lists, coconut oil, or any other "new and improved" hcg protocols. We eat the foods listed by Dr. Simeons.
Be sure to track your calorie. Dr. Simeons says we are allowed 500 calories a day. This is very important. When on hCG up to 4000 calories of fat are being mobilized for energy use a day. If you add in more than 500 calories it floods your body with more than it can handle and it will often cause a gain or stall. In the files of the yahoo group mentioned above there is a file called HCG Daily Calorie Count forms. This document has all the allowed VLCD foods and their calorie amount per ounce. You will calculate your 2 proteins, 2 fruits, and 2 melba/grassini (must be about 20 calories per serving), then subtract from 500 calories. The rest of your calories can be spent on veggies. It is perfectly fine to stay UNDER 500 calories. Dr. S said we can omit any foods we aren't hungry for. I would highly recommend that you never omit the protein. This diet gives us just enough protein to not be protein deficient, so please eat your 2 protein servings every day whether you are hungry or not.
You can divide up the allotted foods throughout the day. We often start the day with fruit, eat protein & veggie for lunch, fruit and melba for a snack, then protein & veggie for dinner, and end the day with a melba. The foods can be divided up throughout the day however you want. BUT since we are not allowed to eat 2 of one item at a time it is best to space similar foods by 2-3 hours. So if you ate fruit at 10, wait until 12-1 to have another fruit.
Water and Other Beverages
We need water for our bodies in general, but when on this protocol it is vital to the expelling of fat as well as vital for the flushing of toxins. Did you know that your fat holds toxins? We are flushing LOTS of fat on the protocol which means a lot of toxins are being put back into movement in our body. Flush those toxins by making sure you are drinking a minimum of 1 gallon of water a day. If you weigh more than 256 pounds then you need to drink MORE than 1 gallon of water a day. Your water intake should equal 1/2 your body weight in ounces. However, I find that while on phase 2 I lose more consistently when I drink 1 gallon a day.
Coffee and tea are also acceptable beverages while in phase 2. They must be drunk black with the exception of 1 TBSP of whole milk a day. I would also recommend that you drink decaf most of the time. The caffeine is a diuretic, so if you drink caffeine throughout the day you need to drink 2 cups of water for every 1 cup of coffee to keep from dehydrating. To super-hydrate yourself you'd need at least 3 to 1.
The only other beverage that would be acceptable is plain seltzer water sweetened with flavored stevia. Diet sodas are poison and should not be a part of your diet. The aspartame and Splenda will cause you to have excess cravings and the sodium can cause water retention.
The First Week Blues
Be prepared for the first week on the VLCD to be tough. Your body will be detoxing from all the sugar, starch, chemical laden foods that you have been putting into it. Most people experience at the very least head aches for a couple days. Other detox symptoms that some struggle with include but are not limited to: nausau, weakness, tiredness, irritability, emotional outbursts, and rashes. Almost EVERYONE experiences hunger for at least the first few days for as long as 10 days. If your hunger continues beyond that you need to consider adjusting your dose of hcg or changing your dosing options. You can take over the counter pain relievers if your detox symptoms are unbearable.
Ok, this post is getting really long so I'm going to make it a 2 part post. It will end here for today and I'll post more tips for phase 2 at another time.
Supplements
There are NO required supplements while on the hcg protocol. Many find that these two supplements are helpful while on the VLCD.
Potassium: You may want to take potassium 4-99 mg tablets a day. This is equivalent to a banana and will help prevent potassium deficiency. We pee so much on this protocol that we need to balance that with potassium or you will feel weak and have muscle cramps.
Magnesium: Can be taken to help keep the bowels regular. Take 1000 mg or more until your bowels start to move, then you can back down and find the dose that allows you to remain regular.
Any other supplements you choose to take must be sugar free, starch free, and oil free.
Food List
The only food list I recommend is found in the original Pounds & Inches Manuscript. There are many altered food lists out there, some of which include tuna. Dr Simeons said no tuna. People try to say that back in Dr. S's day tuna was packed in oil.... no back in Dr. S day where he lived tuna was FRESH, so if we are not to have tuna FRESH why do people think it is ok in water? My philosophy is... phase 2 lasts for 21 -40 days, I can do without ANYTHING for that short period of time. Dr. S tells us that using other foods yield less than favorable results. If I'm going to go through the trouble of doing this very strict diet I want the BEST results possible. So we do not gamble with altered food lists, coconut oil, or any other "new and improved" hcg protocols. We eat the foods listed by Dr. Simeons.
Be sure to track your calorie. Dr. Simeons says we are allowed 500 calories a day. This is very important. When on hCG up to 4000 calories of fat are being mobilized for energy use a day. If you add in more than 500 calories it floods your body with more than it can handle and it will often cause a gain or stall. In the files of the yahoo group mentioned above there is a file called HCG Daily Calorie Count forms. This document has all the allowed VLCD foods and their calorie amount per ounce. You will calculate your 2 proteins, 2 fruits, and 2 melba/grassini (must be about 20 calories per serving), then subtract from 500 calories. The rest of your calories can be spent on veggies. It is perfectly fine to stay UNDER 500 calories. Dr. S said we can omit any foods we aren't hungry for. I would highly recommend that you never omit the protein. This diet gives us just enough protein to not be protein deficient, so please eat your 2 protein servings every day whether you are hungry or not.
You can divide up the allotted foods throughout the day. We often start the day with fruit, eat protein & veggie for lunch, fruit and melba for a snack, then protein & veggie for dinner, and end the day with a melba. The foods can be divided up throughout the day however you want. BUT since we are not allowed to eat 2 of one item at a time it is best to space similar foods by 2-3 hours. So if you ate fruit at 10, wait until 12-1 to have another fruit.
Water and Other Beverages
We need water for our bodies in general, but when on this protocol it is vital to the expelling of fat as well as vital for the flushing of toxins. Did you know that your fat holds toxins? We are flushing LOTS of fat on the protocol which means a lot of toxins are being put back into movement in our body. Flush those toxins by making sure you are drinking a minimum of 1 gallon of water a day. If you weigh more than 256 pounds then you need to drink MORE than 1 gallon of water a day. Your water intake should equal 1/2 your body weight in ounces. However, I find that while on phase 2 I lose more consistently when I drink 1 gallon a day.
Coffee and tea are also acceptable beverages while in phase 2. They must be drunk black with the exception of 1 TBSP of whole milk a day. I would also recommend that you drink decaf most of the time. The caffeine is a diuretic, so if you drink caffeine throughout the day you need to drink 2 cups of water for every 1 cup of coffee to keep from dehydrating. To super-hydrate yourself you'd need at least 3 to 1.
The only other beverage that would be acceptable is plain seltzer water sweetened with flavored stevia. Diet sodas are poison and should not be a part of your diet. The aspartame and Splenda will cause you to have excess cravings and the sodium can cause water retention.
The First Week Blues
Be prepared for the first week on the VLCD to be tough. Your body will be detoxing from all the sugar, starch, chemical laden foods that you have been putting into it. Most people experience at the very least head aches for a couple days. Other detox symptoms that some struggle with include but are not limited to: nausau, weakness, tiredness, irritability, emotional outbursts, and rashes. Almost EVERYONE experiences hunger for at least the first few days for as long as 10 days. If your hunger continues beyond that you need to consider adjusting your dose of hcg or changing your dosing options. You can take over the counter pain relievers if your detox symptoms are unbearable.
Ok, this post is getting really long so I'm going to make it a 2 part post. It will end here for today and I'll post more tips for phase 2 at another time.
Hot Cinnamon Apple Slices
Today I went grocery shopping and the store had lovely Braeburn and Honey Crisp apples. YUM! I LOVE fresh crispy apples but this time of the year when it is cold and the air is crisp I love apple pie. Apple pie is obviously NOT on the diet. BUT Hot cinnamon apples are!
Hot Cinnamon Apple Slices
1 apple
Cinnamon & Truvia/xylitol OR cinnamon stevia
A small baking dish or mini cookie sheet.
Core & thinly slice your apple in about 1/4" slices. Place in a small baking dish with a titch of water in the bottom. Sprinkle with cinnamon & truvia/xylitol or if using steiva wait to sweeten. Bake in an oven or toaster oven at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until apple are softened to your liking. If you choose to use cinnamon stevia, place the hot apples in a bowl, add drops of stevia to taste, toss lightly. If already sweetened just eat 'em! I used cinnamon stevia and with a honey crisp apple and it was heavenly!
Hot Cinnamon Apple Slices
1 apple
Cinnamon & Truvia/xylitol OR cinnamon stevia
A small baking dish or mini cookie sheet.
Core & thinly slice your apple in about 1/4" slices. Place in a small baking dish with a titch of water in the bottom. Sprinkle with cinnamon & truvia/xylitol or if using steiva wait to sweeten. Bake in an oven or toaster oven at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until apple are softened to your liking. If you choose to use cinnamon stevia, place the hot apples in a bowl, add drops of stevia to taste, toss lightly. If already sweetened just eat 'em! I used cinnamon stevia and with a honey crisp apple and it was heavenly!
Round 3 VLCD 5/2
Sorry for the confusing title but for 3 of us it is VLCD 5, for hubby it is VLCD 2.
Here are today's stats:
Me: -1.8, Total R3 loss: -9
Teen Son: -2.2, Total R3 loss: -6.8
Teen Daughter: -.6 Total R3 loss: -4.6
Hubby - 1.6
I'm shocked as to how well TS is losing since he has cheated EVERY day so far... I'm also really concerned about his stabilization with all the cheating. :-( TD usually loses slower, like usually ends up averaging .3-.4 a day so I'm excited for her that she is losing well still. Hubby didn't lose as much as we expected for day one. BUT he didn't get to eat any of his food for his first VLCD day until 4 pm. His last meal was at 8 so that he could get in both proteins. I'm thinking that is why he had such a low day 1 loss. He says he still feels puffy too, so guess he hasn't released the water retention from loading yet.
Me, I still feel great.... other than FREEZING. Very little hunger. The worst time for hunger for me has been late night. I got a new dosing syringe today so I will be able to accurately get 125 IU 2 times a day. Hopefully that should take care of the hunger issues. I have 3.6 pounds more to lose before I hit the weight at which I stabilized after round 2.... I gained a LOT the week before loading and during loading. I had decided to not weigh and though I didn't pig out all week, I did allow myself to have treats with the holidays. I do NOT regret my choices and am excited to be getting to the point of new weight loss very soon.
Here are today's stats:
Me: -1.8, Total R3 loss: -9
Teen Son: -2.2, Total R3 loss: -6.8
Teen Daughter: -.6 Total R3 loss: -4.6
Hubby - 1.6
I'm shocked as to how well TS is losing since he has cheated EVERY day so far... I'm also really concerned about his stabilization with all the cheating. :-( TD usually loses slower, like usually ends up averaging .3-.4 a day so I'm excited for her that she is losing well still. Hubby didn't lose as much as we expected for day one. BUT he didn't get to eat any of his food for his first VLCD day until 4 pm. His last meal was at 8 so that he could get in both proteins. I'm thinking that is why he had such a low day 1 loss. He says he still feels puffy too, so guess he hasn't released the water retention from loading yet.
Me, I still feel great.... other than FREEZING. Very little hunger. The worst time for hunger for me has been late night. I got a new dosing syringe today so I will be able to accurately get 125 IU 2 times a day. Hopefully that should take care of the hunger issues. I have 3.6 pounds more to lose before I hit the weight at which I stabilized after round 2.... I gained a LOT the week before loading and during loading. I had decided to not weigh and though I didn't pig out all week, I did allow myself to have treats with the holidays. I do NOT regret my choices and am excited to be getting to the point of new weight loss very soon.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Stawberry Ice Cream - Phase 2
Ok, I know you are saying, common Shirley, ice cream in phase 2, YA RIGHT! :-) I made the most amazing ice cream with my fruit this evening. I sat there... freezing my tooshy, wearing my fleece robe, enjoying EVERY bite! Hubby enjoyed it with me.... he had to go grab another sweatshirt too! Ha Ha!
Strawberry Ice Cream
4-6 Frozen strawberries or whatever your calorie's allow for the day.
1 TBSP whole milk (it will taste great without the milk too if you've already used it for the day)
1 dropper full of vanilla cream stevia or your sweetener of choice
1/4-1/2 cup cold water
Place berries in your blender. Add your sweetener and 1/4 cup water. Blend on high or frappe setting. If the berries don't mush enough add a titch more water... yes titch is an official Shirley measuring term. Tee hee! Dump the strawberry ice cream into a bowl and enjoy! You will probably need a scraper to get it all out of the blender... believe me, you won't want to leave one bit of it in the blender! :-)
Who says this protocol is boring and tasteless??? No way! :-)
Strawberry Ice Cream
4-6 Frozen strawberries or whatever your calorie's allow for the day.
1 TBSP whole milk (it will taste great without the milk too if you've already used it for the day)
1 dropper full of vanilla cream stevia or your sweetener of choice
1/4-1/2 cup cold water
Place berries in your blender. Add your sweetener and 1/4 cup water. Blend on high or frappe setting. If the berries don't mush enough add a titch more water... yes titch is an official Shirley measuring term. Tee hee! Dump the strawberry ice cream into a bowl and enjoy! You will probably need a scraper to get it all out of the blender... believe me, you won't want to leave one bit of it in the blender! :-)
Who says this protocol is boring and tasteless??? No way! :-)
Shrimp and Green Onion Soup - Phase 2
This is YUMMY! I had some green onions in the fridge that needed to be used up and I tend to lose better if I eat shrimp or chicken for dinner. I decided to try Shrimp with green onions for dinner. The soup was bright and very flavorful. YUMMY!
Shrimp and Green Onion Soup
100 gram raw shrimp OR 75-80 grams cooked shrimp
Green onions sliced to equal your available veggie calories*
1 1/2- 2 cups water
REAL Salt, pepper and any seasoning that is your favorite (I used French Garden, see my post about spices if you want to know where to buy it)
1. Place all ingredients, spices and salt in a pan. Bring to a boil then simmer for about 15 minutes. Serve in the prettiest bowl you have an sip it like a queen/king! If you have a melba toast available for the day, break it into small pieces and use it like you would crackers in your soup. Remember you only get 20 calories of melba or grassini 2 times a day.
* Green onions are 9 calories per ounce. If you don't want to eat as many as you may have available in calories just use less. Remember, Dr. Simeons says we can eat LESS than the allotted foods for the day.
Shrimp and Green Onion Soup
100 gram raw shrimp OR 75-80 grams cooked shrimp
Green onions sliced to equal your available veggie calories*
1 1/2- 2 cups water
REAL Salt, pepper and any seasoning that is your favorite (I used French Garden, see my post about spices if you want to know where to buy it)
1. Place all ingredients, spices and salt in a pan. Bring to a boil then simmer for about 15 minutes. Serve in the prettiest bowl you have an sip it like a queen/king! If you have a melba toast available for the day, break it into small pieces and use it like you would crackers in your soup. Remember you only get 20 calories of melba or grassini 2 times a day.
* Green onions are 9 calories per ounce. If you don't want to eat as many as you may have available in calories just use less. Remember, Dr. Simeons says we can eat LESS than the allotted foods for the day.
FREEZING!!!
No, this is not a post about freezing more hCG meals... this is about ME FREEZING!! Whenever I am on the hCG and the VLCD I am FREEZING cold. I end up wearing several layers of clothes, wool socks, and sometimes a fleece robe! I dread going out into the cold to milk the cows and take care of my chickens. UGHHH! A pot of hot decaf coffee is often brewing or hot water for tea. I think drinking 1 gallon of water a day only makes me colder BUT it helps to keep me losing nicely.
I knew that this would be a problem...........living in and OLD farm house, winter AND hCG. UGHHHH!
Oh well... if freezing my toosh off for several weeks allows me to get to my goal weight it WILL be worth it!
Bundle up people, we are in for the long haul!! :-)
I knew that this would be a problem...........living in and OLD farm house, winter AND hCG. UGHHHH!
Oh well... if freezing my toosh off for several weeks allows me to get to my goal weight it WILL be worth it!
Bundle up people, we are in for the long haul!! :-)
Hamburger Onion Casserole - Phase 2 with Phase 3 & 4 variations
Hamburger Onion Casserole
4 - 100 g raw burger patties 90-95% lean
4 small - medium sized onions
garlic salt or fresh garlic and pepper to taste
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice onions and place them into a 9X9 baking dish. Season with garlic salt & pepper.
2. Place 4 burgers on top, one in each "corner". Season with garlic salt. Add 1/2 cup water to pan.
3. Cover pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
4. Bake for 40 min or until onions are tender. Divide in to 4 portions. The "leftover" portions refrigerate well and are great to take to work!
Phase 2 bulk cooking variation: make 8 patties and place it in a 9 X 13 pan with 6 - 7 onions.
Phase 3 & 4 Variation:
Add:
6-8 pieces bacon cooked crisp, save bacon grease
2 cups diced tomatoes (or 2 cups of salsa)
1-2 cups cheese of your choice
Make the patties larger and use fatty beef no lean
Layer onions, tomatoes, bacon and burgers, drizzle with the bacon grease and a tiny bit of water. Bake for the same amount of time. Remove foil and sprinkle on cheese. Bake for an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
If I use salsa I usually like colby Jack/Marble cheese. If using tomatoes I love Swiss or hard cheddar.
NOTE: You can make this in a crock pot. Do not add the water if cooking in the crock pot. For all day, put it on low, if only part of the day cook it on high. Add the cheese just before serving.
4 - 100 g raw burger patties 90-95% lean
4 small - medium sized onions
garlic salt or fresh garlic and pepper to taste
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice onions and place them into a 9X9 baking dish. Season with garlic salt & pepper.
2. Place 4 burgers on top, one in each "corner". Season with garlic salt. Add 1/2 cup water to pan.
3. Cover pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
4. Bake for 40 min or until onions are tender. Divide in to 4 portions. The "leftover" portions refrigerate well and are great to take to work!
Phase 2 bulk cooking variation: make 8 patties and place it in a 9 X 13 pan with 6 - 7 onions.
Phase 3 & 4 Variation:
Add:
6-8 pieces bacon cooked crisp, save bacon grease
2 cups diced tomatoes (or 2 cups of salsa)
1-2 cups cheese of your choice
Make the patties larger and use fatty beef no lean
Layer onions, tomatoes, bacon and burgers, drizzle with the bacon grease and a tiny bit of water. Bake for the same amount of time. Remove foil and sprinkle on cheese. Bake for an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
If I use salsa I usually like colby Jack/Marble cheese. If using tomatoes I love Swiss or hard cheddar.
NOTE: You can make this in a crock pot. Do not add the water if cooking in the crock pot. For all day, put it on low, if only part of the day cook it on high. Add the cheese just before serving.
Cabbage Salad - Phase 2 with Phase 3 & 4 Variations
Cabbage Salad Recipe
6 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar
6 TBSP water ( in ph 3& 4 use olive oil)
stevia to taste
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp caraway seed (optional)
1/8-1/2 tsp pepper to taste
1. Thinly slice your cabbage and put in a bowl.
2. Mix the dressing ingredients with a whisk.
3. Pour dressing over the cabbage and toss well. Refrigerate for 1 hour, toss again and serve. Toss before serving. The longer you refrigerate it the better it tastes. Toss often for the best taste.
Variations: This dressing is fabulous on cucumbers. Slice them and cover with the dressing and refrigerate. It is also a nice dressing to serve over lettuce or spinach.
6 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar
6 TBSP water ( in ph 3& 4 use olive oil)
stevia to taste
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp caraway seed (optional)
1/8-1/2 tsp pepper to taste
1. Thinly slice your cabbage and put in a bowl.
2. Mix the dressing ingredients with a whisk.
3. Pour dressing over the cabbage and toss well. Refrigerate for 1 hour, toss again and serve. Toss before serving. The longer you refrigerate it the better it tastes. Toss often for the best taste.
Variations: This dressing is fabulous on cucumbers. Slice them and cover with the dressing and refrigerate. It is also a nice dressing to serve over lettuce or spinach.
Cooking Smart for Phase 2
Many who chose to take the hcg journey struggle with preparing hcg friendly meals along with having to feed their families. As you know, I have six children. My two teens have struggled with their weight and are doing the hcg protocol with hubby and I. The four younger children eat what I call a nourishing traditional approach to food. They do eat grains and starches, but not necessarily every day. One of my four littles, as I call them, has food allergies. He is autistic and functions best on a diet free of gluten and casein. So when on protocol I am often faced with the challenge of preparing three DIFFERENT meals for one meal time. I have found that if I don't get our protocol foods ready in bulk, so they last several days, I don't have the mind power or energy to cook well for the other children.
This round I am the bulk cooking queen! :-) One day I cooked up over 20 chicken portions, 20+ ground beef portions, 8 french onion soup servings, and 20 shrimp portions. Yesterday I made 30 round steak portions. Today I hope to do about 20 more chicken portions from the 4 chickens I have thawed. This may sound like a lot to those of you who only have one person in your house hold on the protocol, but for us, it will not last long. FOUR of us are on phase 2 right now. That means that I need 8 portions of protein daily. AND the rest of my family needs to be eating nutritious meals.
I believe that cooking in bulk can be advantageous for anyone on the protocol. By doing so you will always have the phase 2 foods you need readily available. Emergencies occur, life happens, schedules change so by having cooked protein, pre-made soups, washed and ready veggies we have a meal ready at all times. If we have to run to a sporting event, to the hospital, or out the door on an emergency, we are able to grab a complete phase 2 meal in a matter of minutes.
Here is how I cook in bulk for phase 2:
Chicken
We have whole organic grass fed chickens. They require that I thaw the chicken, debone the breast meat, weigh, and cook it. I usually do this with 4-5 chickens at a time. I use my kitchen scale to make sure that the chicken portions are 100 grams each. The Legs & thighs are then fed to the littles as Parmesan chicken legs (phase 3 compliant) or honey chicken legs (phase 4 compliant). I will post those recipes some day. :-) Once the boneless chicken breasts are weighed and portioned out I place them on a cookie sheet or stoneware bar pan, season them with salt and other seasonings, then bake them at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until done. I then immediately pour off all the juices. Then I allow the meat to cool for a while. When it is somewhat cool I put each piece in a snack baggie, then each snack baggie into a gallon size freezer zip lock style baggie.
95% Lean Ground Beef
We are blessed to have lean organic 100% grass fed ground beef. I thaw about 10 pounds at a time then I start making 100 gram patties. I cook the patties in a frying pan with water or they will burn because there is so little fat. Once the patties are mostly cooked I remove them to a plate for cooling. Then I package them the same way as I do the chicken. I leave them a little pink so that we can finish cooking them when we warm them up.
Round Steak
Round steak is a lean cut of beef and has worked well for our family. I weigh out the 100 gram portions and cook them the same as I do the beef.
Fish
I like finding wild white fish, not farm raised. According to the research I've done farm raised fish has a lot of toxins, so we do not eat it. For the fish I line a cookie sheet with parchment paper that well overlaps it so I have plenty to fold up. Then I line the parchment with the 100 gram portions of fish. Sometimes I add spices, other times I drizzle it with lemon juice & dill, sometimes I just salt & pepper it, I always add a little water so it can steam and stay moist. I then make a pocket by folding the parchment above the portions and folding it in the middle and on the ends. I bake the fish at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. Once the fish is cooled I package it the same as I do the rest of the meat, in smaller baggies then into a larger one.
Shrimp
I have had a difficult time finding fresh shrimp. So I find non farm raised cooked & de-veined shrimp. I then weigh out portions of about 80 grams to compensate for the fact that they are already cooked. I place each serving in a small baggy then all portions into a larger freezer baggie.
This may sound like a lot of work. In reality it takes me about 3 hours to do up 80 or more portions of protein, plus a few soups. If you are cooking for just one person on the protocol, 3 hours would give you enough meals for a complete 40 day round. You then can just take your food out of the freezer in the morning and have the time and energy needed to prepare good meals for your family daily.
This round I am the bulk cooking queen! :-) One day I cooked up over 20 chicken portions, 20+ ground beef portions, 8 french onion soup servings, and 20 shrimp portions. Yesterday I made 30 round steak portions. Today I hope to do about 20 more chicken portions from the 4 chickens I have thawed. This may sound like a lot to those of you who only have one person in your house hold on the protocol, but for us, it will not last long. FOUR of us are on phase 2 right now. That means that I need 8 portions of protein daily. AND the rest of my family needs to be eating nutritious meals.
I believe that cooking in bulk can be advantageous for anyone on the protocol. By doing so you will always have the phase 2 foods you need readily available. Emergencies occur, life happens, schedules change so by having cooked protein, pre-made soups, washed and ready veggies we have a meal ready at all times. If we have to run to a sporting event, to the hospital, or out the door on an emergency, we are able to grab a complete phase 2 meal in a matter of minutes.
Here is how I cook in bulk for phase 2:
Chicken
We have whole organic grass fed chickens. They require that I thaw the chicken, debone the breast meat, weigh, and cook it. I usually do this with 4-5 chickens at a time. I use my kitchen scale to make sure that the chicken portions are 100 grams each. The Legs & thighs are then fed to the littles as Parmesan chicken legs (phase 3 compliant) or honey chicken legs (phase 4 compliant). I will post those recipes some day. :-) Once the boneless chicken breasts are weighed and portioned out I place them on a cookie sheet or stoneware bar pan, season them with salt and other seasonings, then bake them at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until done. I then immediately pour off all the juices. Then I allow the meat to cool for a while. When it is somewhat cool I put each piece in a snack baggie, then each snack baggie into a gallon size freezer zip lock style baggie.
95% Lean Ground Beef
We are blessed to have lean organic 100% grass fed ground beef. I thaw about 10 pounds at a time then I start making 100 gram patties. I cook the patties in a frying pan with water or they will burn because there is so little fat. Once the patties are mostly cooked I remove them to a plate for cooling. Then I package them the same way as I do the chicken. I leave them a little pink so that we can finish cooking them when we warm them up.
Round Steak
Round steak is a lean cut of beef and has worked well for our family. I weigh out the 100 gram portions and cook them the same as I do the beef.
Fish
I like finding wild white fish, not farm raised. According to the research I've done farm raised fish has a lot of toxins, so we do not eat it. For the fish I line a cookie sheet with parchment paper that well overlaps it so I have plenty to fold up. Then I line the parchment with the 100 gram portions of fish. Sometimes I add spices, other times I drizzle it with lemon juice & dill, sometimes I just salt & pepper it, I always add a little water so it can steam and stay moist. I then make a pocket by folding the parchment above the portions and folding it in the middle and on the ends. I bake the fish at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. Once the fish is cooled I package it the same as I do the rest of the meat, in smaller baggies then into a larger one.
Shrimp
I have had a difficult time finding fresh shrimp. So I find non farm raised cooked & de-veined shrimp. I then weigh out portions of about 80 grams to compensate for the fact that they are already cooked. I place each serving in a small baggy then all portions into a larger freezer baggie.
This may sound like a lot of work. In reality it takes me about 3 hours to do up 80 or more portions of protein, plus a few soups. If you are cooking for just one person on the protocol, 3 hours would give you enough meals for a complete 40 day round. You then can just take your food out of the freezer in the morning and have the time and energy needed to prepare good meals for your family daily.
Round 3 VLCD 4
We are all feeling really good. No detox symptoms and very minimal hunger, like mainly at meal times and we find it difficult to complete our meals. :-) We do divide up the allotted food throughout the day. Usually a piece of fruit for breakfast, lunch is protein & veggie with melba, afternoon snack - fruit, and evening protein & veggie with melba. Sometimes we have the melba's in between meals instead of with the meals.
Day 4 weigh in:
Me: -2.2 Total R3 loss: 7.2
Teen Daughter -.8 Total R3 loss: -4
Teen Son -1 Total R3 loss -4.6
Hubby day 1 VLCD
I'll be posting more phase 2 recipes throughout the day today. Have a great day everyone!
Day 4 weigh in:
Me: -2.2 Total R3 loss: 7.2
Teen Daughter -.8 Total R3 loss: -4
Teen Son -1 Total R3 loss -4.6
Hubby day 1 VLCD
I'll be posting more phase 2 recipes throughout the day today. Have a great day everyone!
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Sweeteners for all phases
I am not a fan of artificial sweeteners like aspartame and Splenda. If you wonder why just do a google search for dangers of using these products and you will most likely choose to never include them in your diet for life. Here is one article to get you started:
http://www.westonaprice.org/modern-foods/sugar-free-blues
Stevia is my sweetener of choice. I really like the Sweetleaf brand. It has many flavors and can be purchased from amazon, vitacost, and other places for a reasonable price. My favorite flavors are Vanilla Cream, Cinnamon, and English Toffee. I have also tried the chocolate and chocolate Raspberry they are good too. I plan to make my own flavored soda with seltzer water and the Valencia Orange or Root Beer Stevia's from Sweetleaf. I use powdered stevia from Country Life Natural Foods when I want a plain stevia.
I have tried xylitol and am concerned that it too may turn out to be a nasty "natural" sweetener. I don't think the health food society has really decided if it is good or bad. Here is an article about xylitol and agave:
http://www.westonaprice.org/modern-foods/agave-nectar-of-gods
I have found that if I have too much xylitol in a day it does a number on my bowels. I use it in some of my phase 3 sweet treats, but don't eat it daily.
Many people are pushing Agave nectar as the new healthy sweetener. I will not use it in my house. Here is an article you can start your research of agave with:
http://www.westonaprice.org/modern-foods/agave-nectar-worse-than-we-thought
In phase 4 I hope to be able to incorporate real maple syrup and raw honey. Both of which we harvest here on the farm. During round 1 I was able to have a little each day without any effect on my weight. Round 2 did not allow me to have any at all without a gain. Hopefully Round 3 will end with me being able to enjoy using natural sweeteners in small amounts.
You may have noticed that all these articles are from the Weston A. Price website. My nutritional journey began about 6 years ago when a friend of mine told me about the book Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. After reading it we started to clean up our diets of the store bought, processed, nutrient deficient but commonly accepted foods our society says is "healthy". If you have not ever read the book, it would be an excellent addition to your library. It is an educational tool as well as a cookbook. There is great info in it on everything from sweeteners, fat, grains, starches, and a proper food balance.
http://www.westonaprice.org/modern-foods/sugar-free-blues
Stevia is my sweetener of choice. I really like the Sweetleaf brand. It has many flavors and can be purchased from amazon, vitacost, and other places for a reasonable price. My favorite flavors are Vanilla Cream, Cinnamon, and English Toffee. I have also tried the chocolate and chocolate Raspberry they are good too. I plan to make my own flavored soda with seltzer water and the Valencia Orange or Root Beer Stevia's from Sweetleaf. I use powdered stevia from Country Life Natural Foods when I want a plain stevia.
I have tried xylitol and am concerned that it too may turn out to be a nasty "natural" sweetener. I don't think the health food society has really decided if it is good or bad. Here is an article about xylitol and agave:
http://www.westonaprice.org/modern-foods/agave-nectar-of-gods
I have found that if I have too much xylitol in a day it does a number on my bowels. I use it in some of my phase 3 sweet treats, but don't eat it daily.
Many people are pushing Agave nectar as the new healthy sweetener. I will not use it in my house. Here is an article you can start your research of agave with:
http://www.westonaprice.org/modern-foods/agave-nectar-worse-than-we-thought
In phase 4 I hope to be able to incorporate real maple syrup and raw honey. Both of which we harvest here on the farm. During round 1 I was able to have a little each day without any effect on my weight. Round 2 did not allow me to have any at all without a gain. Hopefully Round 3 will end with me being able to enjoy using natural sweeteners in small amounts.
You may have noticed that all these articles are from the Weston A. Price website. My nutritional journey began about 6 years ago when a friend of mine told me about the book Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. After reading it we started to clean up our diets of the store bought, processed, nutrient deficient but commonly accepted foods our society says is "healthy". If you have not ever read the book, it would be an excellent addition to your library. It is an educational tool as well as a cookbook. There is great info in it on everything from sweeteners, fat, grains, starches, and a proper food balance.
Phase 2 Soup Recipes
Soups are a fabulous way to fill up during your first days of the VLCD. Not to mention that here in Wisconsin soup is a MUST in the winter months.
Most of these soups/chili's below are meat less. You can make them in bulk, divide them into serving portions, and freeze them in 1 quart freezer baggies flat or in those freezable glad containers. When it is time for a meal you can add the protein of choice to the soup. For the plain veggie soups you can eat SEVERAL cups throughout the day if you are hungry. Add the protein only at meal times.
Celery Soup
1 bundle of celery
8-12 cups water or less if you want it more celery than broth
Sea Salt
Spices of your choice: creole, Italian, garlic, chili powder, whatever sounds good to you.
1. Wash & Dice celery.
2. In a pot add celery and about 1 cup of water with salt. Saute for a little while until it starts to get soft. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add spices and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. At meal time add your cooked, cut up serving of protein.
Remember celery is VERY low calorie, 1 calorie per ounce, so chances are you can eat several cups of this soup in a day. It is a great soup to put together in the morning and eat off of throughout the day during the first few days of VLCD. Have a steaming cup any time you are hungry. Be sure to stop eating it 2-3 hours before you'd eat a different veggie for your evening meal. Or just make the day a celery day and eat soup ALL day long.
Cabbage Soup
1 head of cabbage (I prefer green, I made purple once and it was weird to eat purplish black soup)
Sea salt
12-16 cups water
Spices of your choice: creole, Italian, garlic, chili powder, whatever sounds good to you.
1. Wash and slice thinly the cabbage.
2. Put in a large pot with water and spices. Add more water if your cabbage is very large. Bring to a boil, then turn it down to a simmer for about 1 hour.
3. At meal time add your cooked, cut up serving of protein.
Cabbage is another very low calorie soup. Weigh your cabbage before cooking it, it is 7 calories per ounce. You will most likely be able to eat many cups in a day and it will count as only one vegetable. Be sure to stop eating it 2-3 hours before you'd eat a different veggie for your evening meal. Or just make the day a cabbage day and eat soup ALL day long.
Chili
1 16 oz. can tomato sauce (no sugar or starch added)
1 16 oz can diced tomatoes (no sugar or starch added)
4 cans of water
Chili powder to taste
Sea salt to taste
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
dash of hot pepper (or more if you like it hot)
1. Dump all ingredients in a pot. Simmer for 30 minutes.
2. Freeze in 1 quart freezer baggies in serving sizes of your choice. 2 cup portions would be about 58 calories, 1 1/2 cup portions would be about 45 calories.
3. When ready to eat, add 100 grams 95% lean ground beef or 100 grams chicken. Cook the meat then add it to the soup to warm. Enjoy!
Taco Soup
1 16 oz. can tomato sauce (no sugar or starch added)
1 16 oz can diced tomatoes (no sugar or starch added)
4 cans of water
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp chili powder
1-2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp crushed dried red pepper
1/4 tsp oregano
1. Dump all ingredients in a pot. Simmer for 30 minutes.
2. Freeze in 1 quart freezer baggies in serving sizes of your choice. 2 cup portions would be about 58 calories, 1 1/2 cup portions would be about 45 calories.
3. When ready to eat, add 100 grams 95% lean ground beef or 100 grams chicken. Cook the meat then add it to the soup to warm. Enjoy!
French Onion Soup
100 grams 95% lean ground beef or round steak chopped fine
1 onion coarsely chopped or green onions use as many as you are allowed for your calorie intake for the day.
water
Sea Salt & pepper to taste
1. But beef in a small pot with 1/2 cup water. Brown until almost cooked through.
2. Add onion and saute until translucent, add more water to keep it from burning.
3. Add 1-2 cups more water and season. Simmer for 30 minutes.
To make this recipe in bulk. Make 8 100 gr burger patties or however many will fit into your pot in a single layer on the bottom. Add about 1-2 cups water and cook these burgers until they are almost done. Add the amount of onions that would equal the servings of burgers. I usually use 8 small/medium onions if I'm doing 8 burgers. Remember onions are 12 calories an ounce, green onions are only 9 calories per ounce and could be used in this recipe. Cover with 2 cups of water per patty. So if you have 8 burgers use about 16 cups of water. Simmer for a minimum of 30 minutes. Take the patties out and place each one in a quart freezer baggie. Add 2 cups of onions broth to each baggie. If there is a bit extra divide it up between the baggies. Freeze flat. You may want to allow them to cool in the fridge so you don't over work your freezer.
Most of these soups/chili's below are meat less. You can make them in bulk, divide them into serving portions, and freeze them in 1 quart freezer baggies flat or in those freezable glad containers. When it is time for a meal you can add the protein of choice to the soup. For the plain veggie soups you can eat SEVERAL cups throughout the day if you are hungry. Add the protein only at meal times.
Celery Soup
1 bundle of celery
8-12 cups water or less if you want it more celery than broth
Sea Salt
Spices of your choice: creole, Italian, garlic, chili powder, whatever sounds good to you.
1. Wash & Dice celery.
2. In a pot add celery and about 1 cup of water with salt. Saute for a little while until it starts to get soft. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add spices and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. At meal time add your cooked, cut up serving of protein.
Remember celery is VERY low calorie, 1 calorie per ounce, so chances are you can eat several cups of this soup in a day. It is a great soup to put together in the morning and eat off of throughout the day during the first few days of VLCD. Have a steaming cup any time you are hungry. Be sure to stop eating it 2-3 hours before you'd eat a different veggie for your evening meal. Or just make the day a celery day and eat soup ALL day long.
Cabbage Soup
1 head of cabbage (I prefer green, I made purple once and it was weird to eat purplish black soup)
Sea salt
12-16 cups water
Spices of your choice: creole, Italian, garlic, chili powder, whatever sounds good to you.
1. Wash and slice thinly the cabbage.
2. Put in a large pot with water and spices. Add more water if your cabbage is very large. Bring to a boil, then turn it down to a simmer for about 1 hour.
3. At meal time add your cooked, cut up serving of protein.
Cabbage is another very low calorie soup. Weigh your cabbage before cooking it, it is 7 calories per ounce. You will most likely be able to eat many cups in a day and it will count as only one vegetable. Be sure to stop eating it 2-3 hours before you'd eat a different veggie for your evening meal. Or just make the day a cabbage day and eat soup ALL day long.
Chili
1 16 oz. can tomato sauce (no sugar or starch added)
1 16 oz can diced tomatoes (no sugar or starch added)
4 cans of water
Chili powder to taste
Sea salt to taste
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
dash of hot pepper (or more if you like it hot)
1. Dump all ingredients in a pot. Simmer for 30 minutes.
2. Freeze in 1 quart freezer baggies in serving sizes of your choice. 2 cup portions would be about 58 calories, 1 1/2 cup portions would be about 45 calories.
3. When ready to eat, add 100 grams 95% lean ground beef or 100 grams chicken. Cook the meat then add it to the soup to warm. Enjoy!
Taco Soup
1 16 oz. can tomato sauce (no sugar or starch added)
1 16 oz can diced tomatoes (no sugar or starch added)
4 cans of water
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp chili powder
1-2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp crushed dried red pepper
1/4 tsp oregano
1. Dump all ingredients in a pot. Simmer for 30 minutes.
2. Freeze in 1 quart freezer baggies in serving sizes of your choice. 2 cup portions would be about 58 calories, 1 1/2 cup portions would be about 45 calories.
3. When ready to eat, add 100 grams 95% lean ground beef or 100 grams chicken. Cook the meat then add it to the soup to warm. Enjoy!
French Onion Soup
100 grams 95% lean ground beef or round steak chopped fine
1 onion coarsely chopped or green onions use as many as you are allowed for your calorie intake for the day.
water
Sea Salt & pepper to taste
1. But beef in a small pot with 1/2 cup water. Brown until almost cooked through.
2. Add onion and saute until translucent, add more water to keep it from burning.
3. Add 1-2 cups more water and season. Simmer for 30 minutes.
To make this recipe in bulk. Make 8 100 gr burger patties or however many will fit into your pot in a single layer on the bottom. Add about 1-2 cups water and cook these burgers until they are almost done. Add the amount of onions that would equal the servings of burgers. I usually use 8 small/medium onions if I'm doing 8 burgers. Remember onions are 12 calories an ounce, green onions are only 9 calories per ounce and could be used in this recipe. Cover with 2 cups of water per patty. So if you have 8 burgers use about 16 cups of water. Simmer for a minimum of 30 minutes. Take the patties out and place each one in a quart freezer baggie. Add 2 cups of onions broth to each baggie. If there is a bit extra divide it up between the baggies. Freeze flat. You may want to allow them to cool in the fridge so you don't over work your freezer.
Round 3 VLCD3
Today's weigh in:
Me: -1.2 Total R3 loss: -5
Teen Son: - .4 -- CHEATED yesterday :-( Total R3 loss: -3.6
Teen Daughter: -.8 Total R3 loss: -3.2
Yesterday I had a little hunger around 10 am that a quart of water cured. I ate lunch at 12:45 - Shrimp with French Garden seasoning and salt over lettuce with tangy mustard dressing. Snack was an organic orange. Dinner was Phase 2 Chicken Chili. Evening snack was a Strawberry Lemonade Slushy. I had a little hunger at night when it was bedtime.
My detox symptoms have been practically non-existent this round. I had a slight head ache yesterday morning. I took some Advil and it went away and I haven't had a head ache since. This round I loaded differently than I have my other 2 rounds and I'm thinking that it is why I feel good already and it is only day 3 of the VLCD. I'll do a post on loading later today.
Me: -1.2 Total R3 loss: -5
Teen Son: - .4 -- CHEATED yesterday :-( Total R3 loss: -3.6
Teen Daughter: -.8 Total R3 loss: -3.2
Yesterday I had a little hunger around 10 am that a quart of water cured. I ate lunch at 12:45 - Shrimp with French Garden seasoning and salt over lettuce with tangy mustard dressing. Snack was an organic orange. Dinner was Phase 2 Chicken Chili. Evening snack was a Strawberry Lemonade Slushy. I had a little hunger at night when it was bedtime.
My detox symptoms have been practically non-existent this round. I had a slight head ache yesterday morning. I took some Advil and it went away and I haven't had a head ache since. This round I loaded differently than I have my other 2 rounds and I'm thinking that it is why I feel good already and it is only day 3 of the VLCD. I'll do a post on loading later today.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Phase 2 Strawberry Slushy
This recipe is one of my two teens favorite. They usually have it as an afternoon snack. It counts as one fruit and the lemon serving for the day. I encourage the teens to spread out their food intake during the day. This allows them and me to have something to eat when the rest of the family is snacking as well as at meal time. Usually we save our fruits for eating between meals.
Strawberries - frozen with no added sugar
Juice from one lemon or 1-2 TBSP lemon juice concentrate
1 1/2 cups cold water
Stevia to taste
Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until slushy. Pour into a glass and drink through a straw... yes, the straw is mandatory. :-) It makes this feel like your drinking a gourmet slushy instead of a diet food! :-)
You can make this with just strawberries, water & stevia if you are using your lemon for something else. I've heard of folks freezing grapefruit and oranges and making slushies out of those fruits too.
Strawberries - frozen with no added sugar
Juice from one lemon or 1-2 TBSP lemon juice concentrate
1 1/2 cups cold water
Stevia to taste
Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until slushy. Pour into a glass and drink through a straw... yes, the straw is mandatory. :-) It makes this feel like your drinking a gourmet slushy instead of a diet food! :-)
You can make this with just strawberries, water & stevia if you are using your lemon for something else. I've heard of folks freezing grapefruit and oranges and making slushies out of those fruits too.
Protocol Terms: phases, rounds, and more
There are many terms and abbreviations used when folks talk about the hcg protocol. Here is a list of abbreviations that I tend to use the most.
hCG: human chorionic gonadotrophin
hhcg: homeopathic hcg, true homeoapthic must have hcg in it. You will know if it is real homeopathic if it has this listed in the ingredients: hcg 12X 30X 60X.
RX: Prescription hcg
Subling: The sublingual dosing method of RX hcg, placing the hcg under your tongue
LDW: Last Dose Weight, the weight on your morning of your last dose of hcg
P & I: Pounds & Inches Manuscript by Dr. Simeons.
KT: Kevin Trudeau's book, The Weight Loss Cure, or suggestions that Kevin Trudeau makes about the protocol
VLCD: Very Low Calorie Diet - refers to the 500 calorie diet used during phase 2
Phase 1: Detox – completely NOT necessary, made up by a guy named Kevin Trudeau, not in the original protocol by Dr. Simeons.
Phase 2: 2 load days with hcg/drops, 21-40 days VLCD with drops, 2 days VLCD with no drops. Your last day with the drops will get your LDW=Last dose weight. This weight is important for you to track in Phase 3 & 4.
Phase 3: 3 weeks of no sugar and no starch. Must stay within -/+ 2 of your LDW. Details below.
Phase 4: 3 weeks slowly adding in sugar and starch if you wish. Must stay within -/+ 2 of your LDW. This phase gets longer with each round. Refer to the Pounds & Inches Manuscript for the correct time frame for each round.
Round = loading, phase 2, phase 3 & phase 4.
NOTE with each round your total time of phase 3 & 4 lengthens. Phase 3 is always 3 weeks but phase 4 gets longer. Here is the time frame listed out:
Round 1, P3 is 3 weeks, P4 is also 3 weeks.
Round 2. P3 is 3 weeks, P4 is 5 weeks.
Round 3, P3 is 3 weeks, P4 is 9 weeks
Round 4, P3 is 3 weeks, P4 is 17 weeks
Round 5, P3 is 3 weeks, and P4 is 21 weeks
Maintenance: For the rest of your life any time you go +2 of your LDW you will correct. If you do not monitor this you will not notice you are gaining based on how your clothes feel. The fat will be evenly distributed after following this protocol. So continue to weigh your self often and correct as needed.
hCG: human chorionic gonadotrophin
hhcg: homeopathic hcg, true homeoapthic must have hcg in it. You will know if it is real homeopathic if it has this listed in the ingredients: hcg 12X 30X 60X.
RX: Prescription hcg
Subling: The sublingual dosing method of RX hcg, placing the hcg under your tongue
LDW: Last Dose Weight, the weight on your morning of your last dose of hcg
P & I: Pounds & Inches Manuscript by Dr. Simeons.
KT: Kevin Trudeau's book, The Weight Loss Cure, or suggestions that Kevin Trudeau makes about the protocol
VLCD: Very Low Calorie Diet - refers to the 500 calorie diet used during phase 2
Phase 1: Detox – completely NOT necessary, made up by a guy named Kevin Trudeau, not in the original protocol by Dr. Simeons.
Phase 2: 2 load days with hcg/drops, 21-40 days VLCD with drops, 2 days VLCD with no drops. Your last day with the drops will get your LDW=Last dose weight. This weight is important for you to track in Phase 3 & 4.
Phase 3: 3 weeks of no sugar and no starch. Must stay within -/+ 2 of your LDW. Details below.
Phase 4: 3 weeks slowly adding in sugar and starch if you wish. Must stay within -/+ 2 of your LDW. This phase gets longer with each round. Refer to the Pounds & Inches Manuscript for the correct time frame for each round.
Round = loading, phase 2, phase 3 & phase 4.
NOTE with each round your total time of phase 3 & 4 lengthens. Phase 3 is always 3 weeks but phase 4 gets longer. Here is the time frame listed out:
Round 1, P3 is 3 weeks, P4 is also 3 weeks.
Round 2. P3 is 3 weeks, P4 is 5 weeks.
Round 3, P3 is 3 weeks, P4 is 9 weeks
Round 4, P3 is 3 weeks, P4 is 17 weeks
Round 5, P3 is 3 weeks, and P4 is 21 weeks
Maintenance: For the rest of your life any time you go +2 of your LDW you will correct. If you do not monitor this you will not notice you are gaining based on how your clothes feel. The fat will be evenly distributed after following this protocol. So continue to weigh your self often and correct as needed.
Spice it up - Mixes and recipes for all phases
When choosing spices for phase 2 and phase 3 it is very important that you make sure there is no added sugar or starch. Read all labels very carefully.
These are the spices and seasonings we enjoy in all the phases: I cannot seem to get the links to work properly, hopefully once hubby gets home we can get the links working properly. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Homemade Dressing seasoning mixes from amazon
Vegetarian Express seasoning mixes from thevegetarianexpress
From this site I prefer the ranch and Greek seasonings.
Use these in phase 2 by sprinkling them over your meat, salad, or veggies. In phase 3 and beyond you can mix them with sour cream and/or mayonnaise to make a creamy dressing, I prefer the ratio of 1/2 cup mayo, 1/2 cup sour cream and 1 - 2 TBSP seasoning mix of your choice. You can also use them with vinegar and oil in phase 3 and beyond for salad dressings.
I prefer homemade seasoning mixes so that I know they have not added sugar or starch.
Taco Seasoning: equal to 1 packet of store bought taco seasoning
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp crushed dried red pepper
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp REAL sea salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
These are the spices and seasonings we enjoy in all the phases: I cannot seem to get the links to work properly, hopefully once hubby gets home we can get the links working properly. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Homemade Dressing seasoning mixes from amazon
Vegetarian Express seasoning mixes from thevegetarianexpress
From this site I prefer the ranch and Greek seasonings.
Use these in phase 2 by sprinkling them over your meat, salad, or veggies. In phase 3 and beyond you can mix them with sour cream and/or mayonnaise to make a creamy dressing, I prefer the ratio of 1/2 cup mayo, 1/2 cup sour cream and 1 - 2 TBSP seasoning mix of your choice. You can also use them with vinegar and oil in phase 3 and beyond for salad dressings.
I prefer homemade seasoning mixes so that I know they have not added sugar or starch.
Taco Seasoning: equal to 1 packet of store bought taco seasoning
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp crushed dried red pepper
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp REAL sea salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Round 3 VLCD2
This mornings weigh in was very encouraging to me and the two teens. We loaded on way to may holiday delights and each gained over 10 pounds loading. YIKES! :-) It would be discouraging if we didn't KNOW that this protocol works so well and so quickly that very soon that loading weight will disappear and we will be venturing into new pound territory.
Here are today's stats:
Shirley -3.8
Teen Son -3.2
Teen Daughter -2.4
We are each dosing differently.
Shirley - RX sublingual 125 IU 2 times a day.
Teen Son - Rx sublingual 1 time a day, homeopathic hcg 5 drops 2 times
Teen Daughter - homeopathic hcg 6 drops 3 times a day.
Eventually teen son and teen daughter will both be taking RX sublingual 2 times a day. I need to place another order for RX hcg from alldaychemist.com so we will have enough for all of us to dose RX. The teens have a youth activity 26 days into their round which they will be taking a planned interruption for. After their PI they will dose sublingual for another 21 days.
Hubby is loading today and tomorrow and will be using homeopathic hcg for the first part of his round too.
How do I feel today? GREAT, I haven't eaten anything yet and it is 12:45. I'm just getting hungry so will head to the kitchen to get some shrimp and lettuce for lunch.
I wish my fellow hcger's a GREAT day in whatever phase you are in! :-)
Here are today's stats:
Shirley -3.8
Teen Son -3.2
Teen Daughter -2.4
We are each dosing differently.
Shirley - RX sublingual 125 IU 2 times a day.
Teen Son - Rx sublingual 1 time a day, homeopathic hcg 5 drops 2 times
Teen Daughter - homeopathic hcg 6 drops 3 times a day.
Eventually teen son and teen daughter will both be taking RX sublingual 2 times a day. I need to place another order for RX hcg from alldaychemist.com so we will have enough for all of us to dose RX. The teens have a youth activity 26 days into their round which they will be taking a planned interruption for. After their PI they will dose sublingual for another 21 days.
Hubby is loading today and tomorrow and will be using homeopathic hcg for the first part of his round too.
How do I feel today? GREAT, I haven't eaten anything yet and it is 12:45. I'm just getting hungry so will head to the kitchen to get some shrimp and lettuce for lunch.
I wish my fellow hcger's a GREAT day in whatever phase you are in! :-)
Why the hCG protocol?
My hcg protocol weight loss journey began in April 2011. I had already been working on losing weight because my blood pressure was VERY high, like 220/110 most days. I was struggling with feeling dizzy, and simply weird. I was so fat, miserable, depressed, and basically hated my physical body. I remember telling my husband that I felt like if I didn't lose weight I would die. So I read the book, Eat Fat Lose Fat by Dr. Mary Eing and decided to try the recommended health recovery diet in that book. I had been doing the Eat Fat, Lose Fat diet for health recovery for about 6 weeks when I happened upon an article written by Dr. Mercola about the hcg protocol. Dr. Mercola was not convinced of the efficacy of the hcg protocol. His conclusion of the protocol was that he wan't sure if people lost weight due to the low calorie diet alone or if the hcg actually helped with the process. I read many of the comments that people left about their success with the protocol which stirred up a desire in me to figure out what this protocol was all about.
I had going from 235 pounds to 220 in 6 weeks doing the EFLF diet, but the majority of that weight was lost in the first two weeks. I had been at a stall for 2 weeks and was miserable on that diet. I was discouraged because I was sticking to the recommended foods and not losing any weight. I knew I could not continue forward with that diet losing at a snails pace.
So, I began to research the hcg protocol. My search led me to several sites that sold homeopathic hcg. I bought a bottle from one of the sites which gave me a link to the protocol manuscript entitled: Pounds & Inches. I read the manuscript in a day and was convinced that I was ready to try it. Even IF I didn't lose any weight, it was worth a try. I had already tried Weight Watcher 3 times, would lose 20-30 pounds only to get discouraged because my losses would slow to a snails pace, give up and gain it all back. While waiting for my homeopathic hcg to arrive I purchase the book by Kevin Trudeau, The Weight Loss Cure. The book arrived within a day of receiving my homeopathic hcg.
I was nervous about telling my family and friends about this protocol because it is SO low fat and restricted with it's food allotment. I am a believer in the need for real foods, lots of healthy fat, veggies, fruits, properly prepared grains, etc and this low fat diet went against everything I believed for optimum over all health. I was so desperate to no longer be obese that I had to give it a try anyway. While reading KT's book I was so excited because he puts an organic whole foods slant on the protocol that made me realize that I COULD do this diet. The way our family ate was according to the phase 4 stipulations that KT wrote out. So I figured that 40 days of no fat wouldn't kill me. I worked up the nerve to tell hubby and was so thankful that he was willing to support me in my effort to try the protocol.
I have since learned that KT's book has many off protocol suggestions and that the best way to have success with the hcg protocol is to follow the instructions in the original Pounds & Inches Manuscript by Dr. Simeons. I found a yahoo group that offered excellent honest support, as well as a copy of the manuscript that does not have any alterations. You can find a complete copy of the manuscript in the files section of this yahoo group:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/HcgDieters/
Another GREAT yahoo group that offers protocol support and great nutrition information is:
If I've peaked your interest at all I'd recommend that you join the group and read the protocol, then make your decision about whether or not the protocol might be fore you. BEFORE YOU BUY ANYTHING, please read the post about hcg dosing options. There is a change being made in many of the what is considered homeopathic hcg that you need to be aware of. PLUS, you do not want to squander your money on a product that will not be effective.
To conclude this post I want to let you know of my progress with this protocol. I have completed 2 rounds and have gone from 222 to 160. My husband, two teens, and my parents are all doing the protocol at various stages. I just began my third and what I hope to be my final round of hcg. I hope you will enjoy reading more about this protocol and our families progress along the way.
I had going from 235 pounds to 220 in 6 weeks doing the EFLF diet, but the majority of that weight was lost in the first two weeks. I had been at a stall for 2 weeks and was miserable on that diet. I was discouraged because I was sticking to the recommended foods and not losing any weight. I knew I could not continue forward with that diet losing at a snails pace.
So, I began to research the hcg protocol. My search led me to several sites that sold homeopathic hcg. I bought a bottle from one of the sites which gave me a link to the protocol manuscript entitled: Pounds & Inches. I read the manuscript in a day and was convinced that I was ready to try it. Even IF I didn't lose any weight, it was worth a try. I had already tried Weight Watcher 3 times, would lose 20-30 pounds only to get discouraged because my losses would slow to a snails pace, give up and gain it all back. While waiting for my homeopathic hcg to arrive I purchase the book by Kevin Trudeau, The Weight Loss Cure. The book arrived within a day of receiving my homeopathic hcg.
I was nervous about telling my family and friends about this protocol because it is SO low fat and restricted with it's food allotment. I am a believer in the need for real foods, lots of healthy fat, veggies, fruits, properly prepared grains, etc and this low fat diet went against everything I believed for optimum over all health. I was so desperate to no longer be obese that I had to give it a try anyway. While reading KT's book I was so excited because he puts an organic whole foods slant on the protocol that made me realize that I COULD do this diet. The way our family ate was according to the phase 4 stipulations that KT wrote out. So I figured that 40 days of no fat wouldn't kill me. I worked up the nerve to tell hubby and was so thankful that he was willing to support me in my effort to try the protocol.
I have since learned that KT's book has many off protocol suggestions and that the best way to have success with the hcg protocol is to follow the instructions in the original Pounds & Inches Manuscript by Dr. Simeons. I found a yahoo group that offered excellent honest support, as well as a copy of the manuscript that does not have any alterations. You can find a complete copy of the manuscript in the files section of this yahoo group:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/HcgDieters/
Another GREAT yahoo group that offers protocol support and great nutrition information is:
If I've peaked your interest at all I'd recommend that you join the group and read the protocol, then make your decision about whether or not the protocol might be fore you. BEFORE YOU BUY ANYTHING, please read the post about hcg dosing options. There is a change being made in many of the what is considered homeopathic hcg that you need to be aware of. PLUS, you do not want to squander your money on a product that will not be effective.
To conclude this post I want to let you know of my progress with this protocol. I have completed 2 rounds and have gone from 222 to 160. My husband, two teens, and my parents are all doing the protocol at various stages. I just began my third and what I hope to be my final round of hcg. I hope you will enjoy reading more about this protocol and our families progress along the way.
Phase 2 Salad Dressing Recipes
Italian Ph 2
4 oz Apple cider Vinegar
8 oz water (for ph 3 use olive oil)
a tiny sprinkle of stevia or a couple drops
2 fresh garlic cloves or 1/2 tsp powdered
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt.
Shake well, store in fridge.
Phase 3 & 4 variation: replace the water with olive oil.
Tangy Mustard Dressing Ph 2
For the mustard dressing Ph 2 style, I start with about 1/2 cup prepared
mustard give or take and add 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, a bit of stevia and
water to taste. This one is totally open to adding more mustard or acv or water
depending or stevia on how you like it. I just dump dump dump so hopefully these
measurements will give you a baseline then taste it and change it a bit until
you like it. In ph 3 & 4 I add olive oil to this recipe in place of water.
4 oz Apple cider Vinegar
8 oz water (for ph 3 use olive oil)
a tiny sprinkle of stevia or a couple drops
2 fresh garlic cloves or 1/2 tsp powdered
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt.
Shake well, store in fridge.
Phase 3 & 4 variation: replace the water with olive oil.
Tangy Mustard Dressing Ph 2
For the mustard dressing Ph 2 style, I start with about 1/2 cup prepared
mustard give or take and add 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, a bit of stevia and
water to taste. This one is totally open to adding more mustard or acv or water
depending or stevia on how you like it. I just dump dump dump so hopefully these
measurements will give you a baseline then taste it and change it a bit until
you like it. In ph 3 & 4 I add olive oil to this recipe in place of water.
Welcome
Welcome to Reese Ramblings: Rounds, Recipes, and Real Life. This blog will include posts about our families hcg protocol journey, lots of hcg protocol friendly recipes for all phases, and posts about our family farm happenings. I hope it will be an encouragement and a great hcg resource for all who visit.
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