DAY 14 2016 WEIGHT LOSS AND BLOOD GLUCOSE CHALLENGE

Christmas Eve 2015

Today is Day 14.

Weight goal - 151.4 or lower
Actual weight - 148.6

Blood glucose goal - 89 or lower
Actual blood glucose - 89

Today is a Feast Day!



For me, that means a ketogenic diet - high fat, moderate protein and very low carb.  Each day, I will weigh in, check my fasting blood glucose, find out if I will feast or fast that day, update my chart and post it here on the big blog. Im posting it to motivate myself not to give up, and if I think that anyone is looking at this, it will help to keep me accountable.

Yesterday, I had eggs with onion and salami friend in coconut oil and butter with cream cheese for breakfast, guacamole made with avodaco, salsa and sour cream with pork rinds for lunch, and homemade chicken salad with real mayo, green olives and dill relish for dinner.  I also drank a couple of glasses of water and a couple of glasses of water with lime juice and Stevia.

13 DAYS DOWN.  78 DAYS TO GO.  11 FEAST DAYS AND 3 FAST DAYS.

5.4 POUNDS GONE.  12.6 POUNDS TO GO.  30% OF THE WAY TO MY GOAL!

I made a few charts to track my progress.  The orange lines are my goals. The blue lines are my actual results.  The last chart is a little heat map to show at a glance how often I actually have had to fast to achieve the results I am after.

(click on charts to enlarge)

This is a personal challenge just for me, but if anyone reading would like to join me, please talk to your doctor and make sure that it will not conflict with your current medical condition or medications.  If you are taking the challenge, please be sure to let me know how you are doing!  Thanks for reading!

To find out more about this challenge - the rules and how it started - click here.

Read More..

DAY 19 2016 WEIGHT LOSS AND BLOOD GLUCOSE CHALLENGE

Christmas Eve 2015

Today is Day 19.

Weight goal - 150.4 or lower
Actual weight - 147.4

Blood glucose goal - 89 or lower
Actual blood glucose - 80

Today is a Feast Day!




For me, that means a ketogenic diet - high fat, moderate protein and very low carb. Each day, I will weigh in, check my fasting blood glucose, find out if I will feast or fast that day, update my chart and post it here on the big blog. Im posting it to motivate myself not to give up, and if I think that anyone is looking at this, it will help to keep me accountable.

Yesterday, I had a cup of coffee with Stevia, a cup of chai with Stevia, a cup of beef broth with sea salt and a large glass of limeade made with water, ReaLime juice and Stevia. 

I hit a new low for my weight, which is always nice!

18 DAYS DOWN.  73 DAYS TO GO.

15 FEAST DAYS AND 4 FAST DAYS.

6.6 POUNDS GONE.  11.4 POUNDS TO GO.  

37% OF THE WAY TO MY GOAL AFTER ONLY 21% OF THE DAYS!

I made a few charts to track my progress.  The orange lines are my goals. The blue lines are my actual results.  The last chart is a little heat map to show at a glance how often I actually have to fast to achieve the results I am after.

(click on charts to enlarge

This is a personal challenge just for me, but if anyone reading would like to join me, please talk to your doctor and make sure that it will not conflict with your current medical condition or medications.  If you are taking the challenge, please be sure to let me know how you are doing!  Thanks for reading!

To find out more about this challenge - the rules and how it started - click here.

Read More..

DAY 5 2016 WEIGHT LOSS AND BLOOD GLUCOSE CHALLENGE

Christmas Eve 2015

Today is Day 5.

Weight goal - 153.2 or lower
Actual weight - 150.8

Blood glucose goal - 89 or lower
Actual blood glucose -85

Today is a Feast Day.



For me, that means a ketogenic diet - high fat, moderate protein and very low carb.  Each day, I will weigh in, check my fasting blood glucose, find out if I will feast or fast that day, update my chart and post it here on the big blog. Im posting it to motivate myself not to give up, and if I think that anyone is looking at this, it will help to keep me accountable.

Yesterday, I had two cups of coffee with Stevia sweetener, one cup of beef broth with sea salt and a glass of water. I always think fasting is going to be harder than it turns out to be. I only really felt hunger one time in the mid-afternoon, and it passed quickly. It helps that I was working all day, so that kept my mind off of it.

4 DAYS DOWN.  87 DAYS TO GO.  SO FAR, 4 FEAST DAYS AND 1 FAST DAY.

I made a few charts to track my progress.  The orange lines are my goals for the next three months. The blue lines are my actual results.  The last chart is a little heat map to show at a glance how often I actually have to fast to achieve the results I am after.

(click charts to enlarge)

This is a personal challenge just for me, but if anyone reading would like to join me, please talk to your doctor and make sure that it will not conflict with your current medical condition or medications.  If you are taking the challenge, please be sure to let me know how you are doing!  Thanks for reading!

To find out more about this challenge - the rules and how it started - click here.

Read More..

DAY 15 2016 WEIGHT LOSS AND BLOOD GLUCOSE CHALLENGE

Christmas Eve 2015

Today is Day 15.

Weight goal - 151.2 or lower
Actual weight - 147.6

Blood glucose goal - 89 or lower
Actual blood glucose - 86

Today is a Feast Day!



For me, that means a ketogenic diet - high fat, moderate protein and very low carb.  Each day, I will weigh in, check my fasting blood glucose, find out if I will feast or fast that day, update my chart and post it here on the big blog. Im posting it to motivate myself not to give up, and if I think that anyone is looking at this, it will help to keep me accountable.

Yesterday, I had Bullet Proof Coffee with chocolate protein powder for breakfast, eggs fried in butter with cream cheese and sea salt for lunch, and roast chicken with butter sauce, Brussels sprouts with bacon grease and sea salt, and pork rinds with sour cream for dinner.  I also drank a couple of glasses of water.

14 DAYS DOWN.  77 DAYS TO GO.

12 FEAST DAYS AND 3 FAST DAYS.

6.4 POUNDS GONE.  11.6 POUNDS TO GO.  

36% OF THE WAY TO MY GOAL AFTER ONLY 16% OF THE DAYS!

I made a few charts to track my progress.  The orange lines are my goals. The blue lines are my actual results.  The last chart is a little heat map to show at a glance how often I actually have had to fast to achieve the results I am after.

(click on charts to enlarge)

This is a personal challenge just for me, but if anyone reading would like to join me, please talk to your doctor and make sure that it will not conflict with your current medical condition or medications.  If you are taking the challenge, please be sure to let me know how you are doing!  Thanks for reading!

To find out more about this challenge - the rules and how it started - click here.

Read More..

DAY 3 2016 WEIGHT LOSS AND BLOOD GLUCOSE CHALLENGE

Christmas Eve 2015

Today is Day 3.

Weight goal - 153.6
Actual weight - 152.8

Blood glucose goal - 89 or lower
Actual blood glucose -100

Today is a Feast Day.



For me, that means a ketogenic diet - high fat, moderate protein and very low carb. Each day, I will weigh in, check my fasting blood glucose, find out if I will feast or fast that day, update my chart and post it here on the big blog. Im posting it to motivate myself not to give up, and if I think that anyone is looking at this, it will help to keep me accountable.

(Note:  I didnt add in the requirement for lower blood sugar for the first few days, so that is why it seems that I broke the rules.)

2 DAYS DOWN.  89 DAYS TO GO.  SO FAR, 3 FEAST DAYS AND 0 FAST DAYS.

I made a few charts to track my progress.  The orange lines are my goals for the next three months. The blue lines are my actual results.  The last chart is a little heat map to show at a glance how often I actually have to fast to achieve the results I am after.

(click charts to enlarge)

 

This is a personal challenge just for me, but if anyone reading would like to join me, please talk to your doctor and make sure that it will not conflict with your current medical condition or medications.  If you are taking the challenge, please be sure to let me know how you are doing!  Thanks for reading!

To find out more about this challenge - the rules and how it started - click here.

Read More..

DAY 9 2016 WEIGHT LOSS AND BLOOD GLUCOSE CHALLENGE

Today is Day 9.

Weight goal - 152.4 or lower
Actual weight - 148.6

Blood glucose goal - 89 or lower
Actual blood glucose - 68

Today is a Feast Day!


For me, that means a ketogenic diet - high fat, moderate protein and very low carb.  Each day, I will weigh in, check my fasting blood glucose, find out if I will feast or fast that day, update my chart and post it here on the big blog. Im posting it to motivate myself not to give up, and if I think that anyone is looking at this, it will help to keep me accountable.

Yesterday, I had water, beef broth with sea salt, coffee with Stevia and chai with Stevia.  I did not have fun fasting!  I was a little depressed all day and kept wishing I could eat, even though I was not really hungry.  Starting in late afternoon, I just felt like going to bed.

8 DAYS DOWN.  83 DAYS TO GO.  SO FAR, 7 FEAST DAYS AND 2 FAST DAYS.

I made a few charts to track my progress.  The orange lines are my goals. The blue lines are my actual results.  The last chart is a little heat map to show at a glance how often I actually have to fast to achieve the results I am after.

(click charts to enlarge)

 

This is a personal challenge just for me, but if anyone reading would like to join me, please talk to your doctor and make sure that it will not conflict with your current medical condition or medications.  If you are taking the challenge, please be sure to let me know how you are doing!  Thanks for reading!

To find out more about this challenge - the rules and how it started - click here.

Read More..

DAY 12 2016 WEIGHT LOSS AND BLOOD GLUCOSE CHALLENGE

Christmas Eve 2015

Today is Day 12.

Weight goal - 151.8 or lower
Actual weight - 147.6

Blood glucose goal - 89 or lower
Actual blood glucose - 68

Today is a Feast Day!


For me, that means a ketogenic diet - high fat, moderate protein and very low carb.  Each day, I will weigh in, check my fasting blood glucose, find out if I will feast or fast that day, update my chart and post it here on the big blog. Im posting it to motivate myself not to give up, and if I think that anyone is looking at this, it will help to keep me accountable.

Yesterday, I had coffee and chai sweetened with Stevia, and water.  It was so cold outside that Bill and I took the day off and sat by the fire, watched movies and surfed the web.  Fasting was pretty easy yesterday, even with smelling the food that Bill fixed for himself!

11 DAYS DOWN.  80 DAYS TO GO.  9 FEAST DAYS AND 3 FAST DAYS.

6.4 POUNDS GONE.  11.6 POUNDS TO GO.  36% OF THE WAY TO MY GOAL!

I made a few charts to track my progress.  The orange lines are my goals. The blue lines are my actual results.  The last chart is a little heat map to show at a glance how often I actually have had to fast to achieve the results I am after.

(click on chart to enlarge)

 

This is a personal challenge just for me, but if anyone reading would like to join me, please talk to your doctor and make sure that it will not conflict with your current medical condition or medications.  If you are taking the challenge, please be sure to let me know how you are doing!  Thanks for reading!

To find out more about this challenge - the rules and how it started - click here.

Read More..

2 Week Challenge Day 1

Well I made it through day one of my simplified diet, only thirteen days to go! Im excited that so many of you are doing this challenge with me. Remember, today is the first day youll post your daily diary in comments section below. If you arent sure what to include, check out mine below!

Weekly weigh-in: 192.4 lbs

Food Journal
1 large Granny Smith apple
4 pieces of Xilo Gum
4.5 liters of water
2 Lemonade Diet detox caps
1 can lean, fat-free chicken
1 tsp. Louisiana hot sauce
1 Wasa cracker
1 c. broccoli
2 scoops Triumph Slim

Exercise: None, day off. :)

Accomplishment:
I did really well with drinking my water!
Area of improvement:
I didnt get in my second serving of veggies, I have a hard time doing that when I have class, but I think I can figure out a way to do it!

Hang in there everyone! We can do this! :)

Read More..

THE MODIFIED VIRGIN DIET EGG CHALLENGE DAY 4

Yesterday, I challenged eggs for the fourth day in a row on my modified version of The Virgin Diet. 

MY SYMPTOMS

• Acne - No
• Chronic mucus/stuffy nose -No
• Constipation and/or diarrhea - Yes, in response to coconut oil (I think)
• Fatigue -No
• Food cravings -Yes
• Gas and bloating - Yes, coconut oil (I think) and eating out
• Headaches - No
• High blood glucose - No
• Inability to lose weight - No - Starting weight 147.8 - Current weight 143.4 - Goal weight 136 - To get back to goal, need to lose 7.4 more pounds.  Can button "measurement shorts" with a slight "muffin top".  Lost 0 pounds yesterday for a total of 4.4 pounds in 25 days.
• Insomnia - Yes - Woke up in the middle of the night and had a hard time getting back to sleep
• Joint pain - No
• Thinning, limp, lackluster hair -No
• Muscle pain  - No
• Nausea -No
• Swollen fingers - No

MY MENU

Yesterday, I ate bacon and eggs for breakfast.  I cooked the eggs in a tablespoon of coconut oil, and within 30 minutes, I was in the bathroom with bad diarrhea.  I would love to think it was not because of the eggs, but because of the coconut oil, in light of the fact that I got sick the day before right after eating coconut milk for breakfast.

I went out to eat at a family party yesterday, so I did not track my food.  The meal was chips and salsa, then tacos, then cake, cookies and brownies for dessert. 

Here is what I ate: 2 servings of taco meat, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream and guacamole. One large serving of mixed fruit with no sauce. A little bit more guacamole and a little bit of hummus. Water to drink. I did not eat bad carbs, but what I did eat, I ate a little too much of, and spent several minutes in the bathroom with horrible diarrhea. There must have been something in one of the foods that I am sensitive to. All in all, aside from eating the fruit, I think I did pretty well.

Here is what I did not eat: Hard taco shells, soft taco shells, refried beans, Spanish rice, chips and salsa, canned soda, cake, cookies and brownies.

Here is why I am still disappointed with my choices yesterday: I ate too much taco salad. I am on an elimination diet and I am not supposed to be eating ANY dairy, and I had sour cream and cheese. I am also eating very low carb, and Im sure the fruit, even though it had no sauce, probably tripled the amount of carbs I was supposed to eat today. Also, I do not eat legumes at all, and I had hummus.

I noticed that what I did eat made me crave overeating in general. After eating the first serving of taco salad, I went for more, realized as I sat down that my eyes were bigger than my stomach, I was already full, but I ate it anyway, because I felt like a binge was coming on. After eating that, I kept drifting back to the buffet to get a little bit of this and a little bit of that, even though I was uncomfortably full already. I really found it hard to just stop eating. What made me finally stop was that we left the party. And now I am home, I feel sick and full, my stomach is bloated, and all I can think about is finding something to eat. Sigh.   


EGG CHALLENGE

Yesterday was my last day of eating eggs.  For the next three days, I am back to my total elimination diet as it was in the first three weeks.


MY EXERCISE

 None.


MY BODY COMPOSITION

Since starting this diet, my body fat has gone down from 37.6% to 35.9%.  That means that I have lost 4.1 pounds of body fat and 0.3 pounds of lean mass.  To get to my goal of 136 pounds with 30% body fat, I need to lose 10.7 more pounds of body fat and I need to gain 3.3 pounds of lean mass.


If you are interested in getting a short synopsis of how this plan works, you can click on the link at the beginning of this post or you can listen to Jimmy Moore interviewing JJ Virgin by clicking here.

Read More..

DAY 22 2016 WEIGHT LOSS AND BLOOD GLUCOSE CHALLENGE

Christmas Eve 2015

Today is Day 22.

Weight goal - 148.8 or lower
Actual weight - 146.8

Blood glucose goal - 89 or lower
Actual blood glucose - 77

Today is a Feast Day!




For me, that means a ketogenic diet - high fat, moderate protein and very low carb. Each day, I will weigh in, check my fasting blood glucose, find out if I will feast or fast that day, update my chart and post it here on the big blog. Im posting it to motivate myself not to give up, and if I think that anyone is looking at this, it will help to keep me accountable.

I have been making an effort to eat more on my feast days so that my metabolism does not get any slower.  Yesterday, however, was a low food day, but not purposely.  I was busy working and ended up having only BPC for breakfast and eggs for lunch.  I stopped at the store on the way home to buy the ingredients for a wonderful dinner, and a few minutes after I got home, my husband, Bill, vomited and we called off the dinner.  So I ended up only having a fat fast meal for dinner, because I did not want to fix a meal just for myself.

So, inadvertently, I ended up losing weight and I hit a new low for the challenge.

21 DAYS DOWN.  70 DAYS TO GO.

18 FEAST DAYS AND 4 FAST DAYS.

7.2 POUNDS GONE.  10.8 POUNDS TO GO.  

40% OF THE WAY TO MY GOAL AFTER ONLY 24% OF THE DAYS!

I made a few charts to track my progress.  The orange lines are my goals. The blue lines are my actual results.  The last chart is a little heat map to show at a glance how often I actually have to fast to achieve the results I am after.

This is a personal challenge just for me, but if anyone reading would like to join me, please talk to your doctor and make sure that it will not conflict with your current medical condition or medications.  If you are taking the challenge, please be sure to let me know how you are doing!  Thanks for reading!

To find out more about this challenge - the rules and how it started - click here.

Read More..

THE MODIFIED VIRGIN DIET EGG CHALLENGE DAY 5

Yesterday, I stopped eating eggs for the first of three days in a row on my modified version of The Virgin Diet. 

MY SYMPTOMS

• Acne -Yes - One new zit
• Chronic mucus/stuffy nose -No
• Constipation and/or diarrhea - No
• Fatigue - No
• Food cravings - No
• Gas and bloating - No
• Headaches - No
• High blood glucose - No
• Inability to lose weight - No - Starting weight 147.8 - Current weight 142.4 - Goal weight 136 - To get back to goal, need to lose 6.4 more pounds.  Can button "measurement shorts" with a slight "muffin top".  Lost 1 pound yesterday for a total of 5.4 pounds in 26 days.  Thats an average of 1.5 pounds per week.
• Insomnia - No
• Joint pain - No
• Thinning, limp, lackluster hair - No
• Muscle pain  - No
• Nausea - No
• Swollen fingers - No

MY MENU

Yesterday,  I ate this:

124g fat (75%)
73g protein
21g carbs

For breakfast, I ate bacon and my Sunrise Cocktail.

For lunch, I ate homemade beef bone broth with gelatin and a protein shake with strawberries.  I thought I would try using some of that pea protein powder that I thought was giving me diarrhea.  It did not bother me, so I think it must have been the coconut milk all along.

For dinner, I had a ground beef patty and roasted kale.

For a snack later (I had company), I had a fat bomb and celery with cream cheese, and right before bed, I had one very small square of 70% dark chocolate.

By the way, my company was all eating ice cream sandwiches for dessert, and I did not have one.  So very proud of myself.  And since consequently losing a pound yesterday, Im really glad that I did not succumb.


EGG CHALLENGE

Yesterday was my first day of no eggs.  Two more days of this, and I start challenging dairy.


MY EXERCISE

 I took a one mile walk.


MY BODY COMPOSITION

Since starting this diet, my body fat has gone down from 37.6% to 35.4%.  That means that I have lost 5.2 pounds of body fat and 0.2 pounds of lean mass.  To get to my goal of 136 pounds with 30% body fat, I need to lose 9.6 more pounds of body fat and I need to gain 3.2 pounds of lean mass.


If you are interested in getting a short synopsis of how this plan works, you can click on the link at the beginning of this post or you can listen to Jimmy Moore interviewing JJ Virgin by clicking here.

Read More..

DAY 23 2016 WEIGHT LOSS AND BLOOD GLUCOSE CHALLENGE

Christmas Eve 2015

Today is Day 23.

Weight goal - 149.6 or lower
Actual weight - 148.8

Blood glucose goal - 89 or lower
Actual blood glucose - 97

Today should be a Fast Day, but we celebrate my sons birthday, and I must eat out.


For me, that means a ketogenic diet - high fat, moderate protein and very low carb.  Each day, I will weigh in, check my fasting blood glucose, find out if I will feast or fast that day, update my chart and post it here on the big blog. Im posting it to motivate myself not to give up, and if I think that anyone is looking at this, it will help to keep me accountable.

I am really irritated today with my numbers.  I knew yesterday that I was going to be eating out today, so I was very careful about what I ate yesterday.  I even turned down a beautiful piece of homemade lasagna at a family members house, due to the high carb count in the pasta.

However, on the way to that house, we stopped at the store to grab something to eat on the way, and checked the carb count on some deli chicken salad and egg salad.  The carb counts were very low, only about 4 grams, so I felt safe to eat it.  It is common knowledge that nutritional labels are often wrong, and when I saw my blood glucose this morning, I knew that it must be the case with the deli salads.  Its getting to the point where I cannot eat anything that is not prepared by myself with fresh ingredients.

In the meantime, I must eat today at a restaurant.  I will eat something low carb, like a hamburger patty and side salad.  Tomorrow, if my numbers are good, I will eat, and get right back on track.  If they are not good, I will be fasting tomorrow.

22 DAYS DOWN.  69 DAYS TO GO.

20 FEAST DAYS AND 4 FAST DAYS.

5.2 POUNDS GONE.  12.8 POUNDS TO GO.  

29% OF THE WAY TO MY GOAL AFTER ONLY 25% OF THE DAYS!

I made a few charts to track my progress.  The orange lines are my goals. The blue lines are my actual results.  The last chart is a little heat map to show at a glance how often I actually have had to fast to achieve the results I am after.

This is a personal challenge just for me, but if anyone reading would like to join me, please talk to your doctor and make sure that it will not conflict with your current medical condition or medications.  If you are taking the challenge, please be sure to let me know how you are doing!  Thanks for reading!

To find out more about this challenge - the rules and how it started - click here.

Read More..

2 Week HCG Challenge Day 7 Freaking Out!

I have to say that weigh in this morning proved to be overwhelming. In a good way, though.

When I weighed in last week for the beginning of this two week challenge, I was 192.4 pounds. This morning I weighed in at 186.6 pounds. :) In the last 7 days Ive lost 5.8 pounds! Im extremely pleased with those results. Especially considering that Im nearing the end of my round and weight loss tends to slow down at that point.

Now, it wasnt the fact that I averaged nearly 1 pound losses per day in the last week that overwhelmed me.... What overwhelmed me was the number on the scale. 186.6. I am exactly 1 pound away from having lost 100 pounds on the HCG Diet.....

Ohhh boy. Just typing it makes me light headed. I have hard time wrapping my head around the fact that Ive lost an entire supermodel of weight!

And I know that Im supposed to wait another seven days before I weigh again, but I have to say, I dont think I can do it. Im going to have to check tomorrow to see if I made it. :)

I hope all of you did well through the week! :) This is the last week of our challenge and I know we can all make it through.

Heres my Daily Diary for yesterday:

1 Granny Smith apple
1 Wasa cracker
3 oz chicken
1/2 c. Cherry tomatoes
1 egg
1/2 c. Cherry tomatoes
1 Wasa cracker
9 strawberries.
3 L. Water
1 multivitamin, 2 lemonade detox capsules

Exercise: None. Im a slacker.

Accomplishment:
I was able to do really well cutting down my salt intake. I had a bit of hot sauce and whatever salt was in the crackers, but thats all. :)
Area of Improvement: I only ate 1 egg for dinner instead of two... but I accidentally dropped one done the garbage disposal while I was rinsing it off. Haha... yup.

Please post your Daily Diary below.What results did you see after simplifying your diet for a week?

I will be working my plans for Phase 3 and Ill post those very soon! I honestly think that once this challenge is done, Im going into Phase 3. After I finish Phase 3, Im not sure that Ill do another round.... I think I like where my body is and I want to take care of the rest in the gym. Something to think about, I suppose. Its weird thinking that I might be closing this chapter of my journey soon.

Read More..

2 Week HCG Challenge Days 4 5 6

Well, clearly I fell a bit behind this weekend on reporting my food journals. I have to say, though, that Im pleased with how this weekend turned out for me. I did pretty good staying focus, even when I was surrounded by temptation.

Since I slacked on posting this weekend, I have 3 journals for you. :)

Friday:
7 strawberries
3 oz canned chicken
1 Wasa cracker
1/2 c. cherry tomatoes
2 scoops Triumph Slim
1/2 c. cherry tomatoes
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar (the lazy girls cali kicker)
3 L. water

Accomplishment: I got in all my servings of food.
Area of Improvement: I ate dinner around 9, I should have planned ahead by packing my slim to my hair appointment.

Saturday:
1 egg
8 strawberries w/ stevia
1/2 c. cherry tomatoes
Chicken (from Rice Garden)
1/2 c. cherry tomatoes
3 L. water

Accomplishment: I managed to avoid eating any popcorn at the movie theater!
Area of Improvement: Today was difficult because I was running around all day. I packed a can of chicken without thinking to open the can and put it in a container. When dinner rolled around I wasnt near a can opener, so I grabbed some chicken from a little Chinese restaurant in the grocery store. So I ate out after being so good. :( But... the good news is that I got it without any sauce. No more of that though.

Sunday:
1 large Granny Smith apple
3 oz can of chicken
3 cups kale chips
2 scoops of Triumph Slim
2 L. water

Accomplishment: I went to Village Inn and didnt even get anything, nope, not even pie. Woot woot!
Area of Improvement: Im still working out a way to cut down salt on the kale chips. :) Its a work in progress.

Tomorrow marks then end of Week 1 of the 2 Week HCG Challenge. This means that tomorrow is weigh in day for me! Too bad TOM came yesterday. I may or may not be retaining water when I step on the scale. Cest la vie.

Can I just say how excited I am for Phase 3! :) I am getting extremely pumped to join a gym and just go to work. Something tells me this spring is going to mark the beginning of a new me.

Read More..

THE MODIFIED VIRGIN DIET EGG CHALLENGE DAY 2

Yesterday, I challenged eggs for the second day in a row on my modified version of The Virgin Diet. 

MY SYMPTOMS

• Acne -Yes - One new zit
• Chronic mucus/stuffy nose -Yes, very slight
• Constipation and/or diarrhea - No
• Fatigue -Yes, in the middle of the day, because I had to get up for work at 4 am
• Food cravings - No
• Gas and bloating - No
• Headaches - No
• High blood glucose - No
• Inability to lose weight - No - Starting weight 147.8 - Current weight 144.4 - Goal weight 136 - To get back to goal, need to lose 8.4 more pounds.  Can button "measurement shorts" with a slight "muffin top".  Lost 0.4 pounds yesterday for a total of 3.4 pounds in 23 days.
• Insomnia - Yes - Woke up in the middle of the night and had a hard time getting back to sleep
• Joint pain - No
• Thinning, limp, lackluster hair -No
• Muscle pain  -Yes, because I went for miles-long walks two days in a row and hurt my calf
• Nausea - No
• Swollen fingers - No

MY MENU

Yesterday, I ate this:

121g fat (76%)
70g protein
17g carbs

I did lose weight yesterday even though I increased protein by about 12%, so I am going to keep my macronutrient level where it is now.  My ketone strips should arrive in about a week.


EGG CHALLENGE

For lunch yesterday, I ate three eggs again.  Yummy!  So far, the only thing I notice is that I got a zit and a little bit of a stuffy nose.  Does this mean that Im intolerant of eggs?  Im not sure if what is happening shows a slight intolerance or not.  I did have a little insomnia last night, but I think it was due to the "warm flushes" I have been having lately.  I will have eggs again today and tomorrow, and then not have them for the next three days after that, and track any symptoms that I might have.


MY EXERCISE

None.


If you are interested in getting a short synopsis of how this plan works, you can click on the link at the beginning of this post or you can listen to Jimmy Moore interviewing JJ Virgin by clicking here.

Read More..

DAY 13 2016 WEIGHT LOSS AND BLOOD GLUCOSE CHALLENGE

Christmas Eve 2015

Today is Day 13.

Weight goal - 151.6 or lower
Actual weight - 148.6

Blood glucose goal - 89 or lower
Actual blood glucose - 89

Today is a Feast Day!



For me, that means a ketogenic diet - high fat, moderate protein and very low carb.  Each day, I will weigh in, check my fasting blood glucose, find out if I will feast or fast that day, update my chart and post it here on the big blog. Im posting it to motivate myself not to give up, and if I think that anyone is looking at this, it will help to keep me accountable.

Yesterday, I had bacon and BPC for breakfast, guacamole made with avodaco, salsa and sour cream with pork rinds for lunch, and roast chicken, buttered broccoli and a slice of hard salami for dinner.  I also drank a couple of glasses of water and a cup of chai sweetened with Stevia.

12 DAYS DOWN.  79 DAYS TO GO.  10 FEAST DAYS AND 3 FAST DAYS.

5.4 POUNDS GONE.  12.6 POUNDS TO GO.  30% OF THE WAY TO MY GOAL!

I made a few charts to track my progress.  The orange lines are my goals. The blue lines are my actual results.  The last chart is a little heat map to show at a glance how often I actually have had to fast to achieve the results I am after.

(click on charts to enlarge)

This is a personal challenge just for me, but if anyone reading would like to join me, please talk to your doctor and make sure that it will not conflict with your current medical condition or medications.  If you are taking the challenge, please be sure to let me know how you are doing!  Thanks for reading!

To find out more about this challenge - the rules and how it started - click here.

Read More..

DAY 17 2016 WEIGHT LOSS AND BLOOD GLUCOSE CHALLENGE

Christmas Eve 2015

Today is Day 17.

Weight goal - 150.8 or lower
Actual weight - 148.4

Blood glucose goal - 89 or lower
Actual blood glucose - 89

Today is a Feast Day!



For me, that means a ketogenic diet - high fat, moderate protein and very low carb.  Each day, I will weigh in, check my fasting blood glucose, find out if I will feast or fast that day, update my chart and post it here on the big blog. Im posting it to motivate myself not to give up, and if I think that anyone is looking at this, it will help to keep me accountable.

According to my new rule of fasting once a week no matter what, I will be fasting tomorrow even if I reach my daily weight and blood glucose goals.

Yesterday, I had bacon and coffee with heavy cream and Stevia for breakfast, egg salad with mayo, dill relish and olives and a few slices of hard salami for lunch, and a new pressure cooker recipe that contained pork chops, heavy cream, lime juice, onions, garlic, parsley, salt, olive oil and butter. It was excellent!  I also had pork rinds with salsa and sour cream.

16 DAYS DOWN.  75 DAYS TO GO.

14 FEAST DAYS AND 3 FAST DAYS.

5.6 POUNDS GONE.  12.4 POUNDS TO GO.  

31% OF THE WAY TO MY GOAL AFTER ONLY 19% OF THE DAYS!

I made a few charts to track my progress.  The orange lines are my goals. The blue lines are my actual results.  The last chart is a little heat map to show at a glance how often I actually have had to fast to achieve the results I am after.

(click on charts to enlarge)

This is a personal challenge just for me, but if anyone reading would like to join me, please talk to your doctor and make sure that it will not conflict with your current medical condition or medications.  If you are taking the challenge, please be sure to let me know how you are doing!  Thanks for reading!

To find out more about this challenge - the rules and how it started - click here.

Read More..

THE MODIFIED VIRGIN DIET EGG CHALLENGE DAY 3

Yesterday, I challenged eggs for the third day in a row on my modified version of The Virgin Diet. 

MY SYMPTOMS

• Acne - No
• Chronic mucus/stuffy nose -No
• Constipation and/or diarrhea - Yes, in response to coconut milk
• Fatigue -Yes, in the middle of the day, because I had to get up for work at 4 am
• Food cravings - No
• Gas and bloating - Yes, due to coconut milk
• Headaches - No
• High blood glucose - No
• Inability to lose weight - No - Starting weight 147.8 - Current weight 143.4 - Goal weight 136 - To get back to goal, need to lose 7.4 more pounds.  Can button "measurement shorts" with a slight "muffin top".  Lost 1 pound yesterday for a total of 4.4 pounds in 24 days.
• Insomnia - Yes - Woke up in the middle of the night and had a hard time getting back to sleep
• Joint pain - No
• Thinning, limp, lackluster hair -No
• Muscle pain  -Yes, because I went for miles-long walks two days in a row and hurt my calf
• Nausea -Yes, due to coconut milk
• Swollen fingers - No

MY MENU

Yesterday, I ate this:

117g fat (74%)
73g protein
20g carbs

For breakfast yesterday at 5 am, I decided to have some coconut milk with cocoa, cinnamon and Stevia.  I had not taken more than two sips and I started feeling really sick to my stomach.  I spent the next couple of hours belching a lot (this is unusual for me) and then had diarrhea.

I have had coconut milk in the past and did not remember ever having this happen before.  Then, I thought about it...  When I first started The Virgin Diet, I saw that the shakes were giving me really bad diarrhea.  I blamed the protein mix and stopped having the shakes.  Now I am wondering if it was the 1/2 cup of coconut milk that I was having as part of the shake.  I might have a little bit of shake some time today and see if it upsets my stomach.  Its not that I want to go back to shakes, but I would like to see if I should be avoiding coconut milk.


EGG CHALLENGE

For lunch yesterday, I ate three eggs again.  I did have a little insomnia last night, but I think it was due to the "warm flushes" I have been having lately.  I will have eggs again today, and then not have them for the next three days after that, and track any symptoms that I might have.


MY EXERCISE

None.


If you are interested in getting a short synopsis of how this plan works, you can click on the link at the beginning of this post or you can listen to Jimmy Moore interviewing JJ Virgin by clicking here.

Read More..

THE MODIFIED VIRGIN DIET THE END OF THE EGG CHALLENGE

Yesterday, I ended the egg challenge portion of my modified version of The Virgin Diet. 

MY SYMPTOMS

• Acne -Yes - One new zit
• Chronic mucus/stuffy nose -No
• Constipation and/or diarrhea - No
• Fatigue - No
• Food cravings - No
• Gas and bloating - No
• Headaches - No
• High blood glucose - No
• Inability to lose weight - No - Starting weight 147.8 - Current weight 142.4 - Goal weight 136 - To get back to goal, need to lose 6.4 more pounds.  Can button "measurement shorts" with a slight "muffin top".  Lost 1 pound yesterday for a total of 5.4 pounds in 28 days.  Thats an average of 1.4 pounds per week.
• Insomnia - Yes, sometimes
• Joint pain - No
• Thinning, limp, lackluster hair - No
• Muscle pain  - No
• Nausea - No
• Swollen fingers - No

EGG CHALLENGE RESULTS

In case you are just tuning in, I spent the first four weeks of this diet eliminated all of the following:  eggs, dairy, soy, gluten, peanuts, corn and sugar, including artificial sweeteners.  To be more exact, the only things I actually gave up were eggs and dairy, because the other things have not been a normal part of my diet for years.

I tracked my symptoms during that four week period.  I started out having to write "Yes" next to each of the symptoms I listed above.  As you can see, they now mostly say "No".  For week five, I ate eggs for four days in a row and then got back off them for the next three days, and during this week, I have been paying attention to my symptoms.

Basically, I dont think that I have a problem with eggs, based on my symptoms.  But something is a problem, because giving everything up improved my symptoms of inflammation.

For this coming week, I am back off of eggs and I will be challenging dairy.  I will eat dairy every day for the next four days, then stop for the three days after that, and I will be paying attention to my sypmtoms.


MY EXERCISE

 I got no exercise in the past two days.


MY BODY COMPOSITION

Since starting this diet, my body fat has gone down from 37.6% to 35.4%.  That means that I have lost 5.2 pounds of body fat and 0.2 pounds of lean mass.  To get to my goal of 136 pounds with 30% body fat, I need to lose 9.6 more pounds of body fat and I need to gain 3.2 pounds of lean mass.


NUTRITIONAL KETOSIS

This morning, I received my blood ketone test strips, and I tested my blood for both ketones and glucose.  My blood glucose was 89 an hour after eating, which is only a tiny bit high, 83 being my goal.  My ketones were only 0.5, which is a little disappointing.  The last time I was doing this, my average was 1.8 and I was losing weight.  So, for today, I am lowering my protein by a couple of grams to see if that will help.  If it doesnt, I will lower it a little bit more each day until I get my ketone level back up.


If you are interested in getting a short synopsis of how this plan works, you can click on the link at the beginning of this post or you can listen to Jimmy Moore interviewing JJ Virgin by clicking here.

Read More..

DAY 18 2016 WEIGHT LOSS AND BLOOD GLUCOSE CHALLENGE

January 11, 2016

Today is Day 18.

Weight goal - 150.6 or lower
Actual weight - 149.2

Blood glucose goal - 89 or lower
Actual blood glucose - 89

Today is a Weekly Fast Day.




For me, that means that all I will have today is water, coffee, tea, or broth, all without caloric sweeteners or fat.  Each day, I will weigh in, check my fasting blood glucose, find out if I will feast or fast that day, update my chart and post it here on the big blog. Im posting it to motivate myself not to give up, and if I think that anyone is looking at this, it will help to keep me accountable.

As I mentioned before, I am going to fast one day per week whether I "need" to or not.  My weight this morning was below my goal and my blood glucose was right on my goal, so normally I would be feasting today.  But, since it has been six days since my last fast, today I am fasting.

Yesterday, I had Cheese Baked Eggs and coffee with Stevia and heavy cream for breakfast, egg salad with mayo and dill relish and a cup of Bullet Proof coffee with chocolate protein powder for lunch, and just the toppings (onion, mushrooms, cheese, sauce) off of half of a medium Aurelios pizza  for dinner.  After dinner, I had 2 large glasses of limeade made with water, Realime juice and Stevia. 

I did have the pizza toppings as a mini-reward for not having to fast for the previous five days.  I knew that there might be some sugar in the sauce, but it did not affect my fasting blood glucose, so if there was sugar, it must have been minimal.  I also had the pizza because I knew I would be fasting today no matter what.  And, I did put on some water weight - I highly doubt that I gained any body fat.  Although I use a lot of sea salt, pizza is notoriously even higher in salt than I am used to.

17 DAYS DOWN.  74 DAYS TO GO.

14 FEAST DAYS AND 4 FAST DAYS.

4.8 POUNDS GONE.  13.2 POUNDS TO GO.  

27% OF THE WAY TO MY GOAL AFTER ONLY 20% OF THE DAYS!

I made a few charts to track my progress.  The orange lines are my goals. The blue lines are my actual results.  The last chart is a little heat map to show at a glance how often I actually have to fast to achieve the results I am after.

(click on charts to enlarge)

This is a personal challenge just for me, but if anyone reading would like to join me, please talk to your doctor and make sure that it will not conflict with your current medical condition or medications.  If you are taking the challenge, please be sure to let me know how you are doing!  Thanks for reading!

To find out more about this challenge - the rules and how it started - click here.

Read More..