A little support Dieting with a friend

I am excited to announce that my roommate and has started the HCG Diet with me! Jessica only wants to lose 20 pounds before she reaches her goal weight, and shes already well on her way.

I couldnt be happier to have someone doing this diet with me who, not only lives with me, but works with me as well. I really need the support at this point. Its been very difficult to stay focused these last two weeks. 

If you dont have a diet buddy, you may want to consider it. Dont believe me? Well, here are 5 things that may change your mind:

1. Someone who understands your diet can more accurately hold you accountable - The HCG Diet is complicated, there are a lot of guidelines that are hard to understand if you arent actually doing the diet. Having a friend who understands them is a great resource if you ever have questions. 

2. Its always nice to express diet frustrations to a friend, face-to-face - Losing weight can be frustrating. Sometimes you need to vent your frustrations about water retention, drinking water, constipation, lack of appetite, and day to day temptations. A diet buddy can be there to listen to these frustrations, and you can count on them offering support instead of suggesting you just give up.

3. You can share recipes and cook for each other - Variety on the HCG is a lot easier to find when you can pick your friends brain for the latest recipes. Its also nice to have an approved dinner with your diet buddy instead of going out to eat in a place surrounded by unhealthy choices.

4. You wont be the only one among your friends trying to change your lifestyle - It is incredibly difficult being the only one at the party who is watching what you eat. Having a friend by your side who is doing exactly what you are doing can make the difference in keeping you on track.

5. They can remind you why youre doing this diet and why you cant give up - On those tough days when you want to walk away from your goal, a call from your diet buddy is the perfect reminder of why you have to continue. Sharing your goals with someone who is willing to hold you accountable will ultimately help you keep the bigger, healthier picture in perspective. 

Jessica and I do grocery shopping together, we spend time with a lot of the same people outside of work, and we are both very determined to reach our goal. I think that these three things will create a combination for success! 

Do you have a diet buddy? 

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How to Stay Consistent With Your Goals

Do you have a hard time being consistent? Have you ever wanted to try something completely new? Youre so pumped to do it, and you start off strong... and then...it never really takes off? Story of my life. Heres how these things usually happen:
"Hey self?"
"Yeah self?"
"You would be an awesome painter."
"Pffft. Yeah I would. I have the artistic vision of picaso."
"And the social anxiety."
"...and that. Lets try it!"
"In order to do that we need to buy $100 worth of stuff!"
"This is an investment in your creativity. You will use this stuff everyday."
-One Month Later-
"Hey look, remember that time I wanted to be a painter? Heres all that stuff I bought for it and never opened. I should use it someday." *proceeds to stuff painting supplies back under my bed*

Yeah, you know youve done it. And its not that you dont want to be a painter, its just that you arent really consistent with what it takes to do it.

That changes today! Say goodbye to fleeting hobbies and hello to consistency!

How To Stay Consistent

If theres something that you really want to try, but you dont want it to end up like one of your typical abandoned projects, then its time to learn how to be more consistent. Heres the facts:  whatever youre trying to accomplish, whether its losing weight, learning a new hobby, or becoming a better person, its going to take work. So be sure that youre serious about whatever youre doing.

The first step to staying consistent with your goal, is knowing what youre in for. Do research to be sure you understand exactly what its going to take to see the process through start to finish. Next, create a plan. Pull out a calendar write down when you are going to start, and write down when you are going to finish. Then take note of any days that might interrupt what you are trying to do. Come up with a detailed plan and schedule to keep you on track and consistent with your goal.

Next, create a list that outlines every step of the process. Make this list something that you can cross items off of. It is a lot easier to be consistent when you know exactly what is supposed to come next in your process.

As you create your list of steps, incorporate incentives into your steps so once you hit a land mark (maybe you lost 20 pounds or played your first recital) you are rewarded with something that is completely awesome that you would normally have a hard time justifying.

Once youre ready to start, set reminders on your phone to help you stick to the schedule youve developed. If youre practicing an instrument, or trying to set time aside to work on your book, have a reminder go off when its time to get to work!

Finally, track your progress. Its so important to be able to see the progress youve made.

Its amazing what a little consistency can help you accomplish. So now that you now how to be more consistent, the real question is what are you going to do?

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Dieting on Valentines Day

Well, I did it. I made it through Valentines day without cheating!

Dieting during any holiday is difficult, but Valentines day as a single person can be especially rough. Heavens knows yesterday I could have used Ben & Jerry as my dates, but thats not me anymore. Single or not, happy or sad, I cant run to food anytime I am overcome by some seasonal emotions.

My determination to stick to my diet was reinforced when I woke up yesterday morning to a great loss! I didnt want to jeopardize that good weigh in by eating a bunch of sugar. Honestly, its a good thing I came into work with my diet determination shield on because I was met with a war of sugary temptation as soon as I got to the office.

For working in an office of health supplements, we sure do get spoiled with goodies! We had an edible arrangement brought in, white chocolate Oreo truffles, chocolate covered pretzel sticks, mini frosted bundt cakes, and personal bags of candy!

 Oh. Dear. It all smelled so good and looked so delicious, but I was fine taking a quick sniff and avoiding the kitchen whenever possible.

I needed a little Valentines Day treat. And I was fixed on not eating anything off protocol. Luckily when I have a sweet tooth, there are some yummy options available to me.
One of those options is Xilo gum, which is approved for the HCG diet. I usually chew a couple pieces a day but yesterday I munched on about five! Cinnamon is my favorite, it has a very chewy texture, but Fruit Burst is really sweet, kind of like juicy fruit, and it seemed to be especially satisfying yesterday.

I cant imagine dieting without Xilo gum. :) It was a huge help yesterday. If you want to check it out, click here. Theres also Peppermint and Spearmint available. I have to say that Cinnamon rocks, though!


Beyond gum, I had a couple other options for satisfying my sweet tooth. Strawberries are a healthy treat, and while they may not be chocolate covered, if you sprinkle some Trulicious powdered stevia on them, they are just as tasty!

And then of course, theres Zevia. I LOVE having Zevia around. Its an all natural soda sweetened with stevia, so there are no calories! :) Sometimes a little carbonation does a girl good! I can usually find these at natural food stores like Whole Foods or other grocery stores with an all-natural section. There are tons of flavors, but the cream soda is a personal favorite!

I cant tell you how many people I heard saying that Valentines day is a free day, calories dont count! And maybe for some people that works. For me cheating on my diet, even with a miniature bundt cake, can set me back a week or more on my weight loss. Its just not worth it. Some days its a little harder to avoid cheating than others, but the important thing is that Im always trying my best to avoid the things I know will cause problems for me on the scale the next morning.

What healthy sweets do you eat on special occasions?

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The HCG Diet Are You Over Dieting

The recent passing of Peaches Geldof has stirred up a lot of controversy about her diet and diet history. While her autopsy was inconclusive and the tox screen is being processed, many wonder if her eating habits played a role in her sudden death.

 It saddens me to see a young mother die so soon. It saddens me even more to think that it may have been because of her desire to lose weight.

This thought has urged me to examine my current diet as well as offer some advice on what it looks like to over-diet.

Like many girls and women I know what it feels like to NEED to lose weight. I know how it feels to be desperately unhappy with your body. I also know what it feels like to lose weight, and I know how easily a healthy adjustment can turn into an unhealthy obsession.

So that raises the question, are your goals unrealistic? Are you going overboard with your diet?

Here are 6 signs that you are over-dieting and losing weight in an unhealthy way:
1. You arent eating any unprocessed solid foods for long periods of time. If you daily menu is made up of weight loss shakes and pills and not much else, you need to make some adjustments. But what about juicing? If you are going to do a juicing diet, make sure that you do your research and consult a physician before you start.

2. You get really light headed and sometimes even pass out. This is most likely do to not eating enough or not eating the right kinds of foods. If you are on a diet that doesnt allow you to eat protein then its time to check out another option.

3. You are overwhelmingly tired. This is also another sign that your body isnt getting the nutrients it needs. Your diet needs to include fruits, vegetables and proteins. The plain and simple fact is this: your body needs a certain amount of fuel to function. If you dont get that fuel, you might lose weight but your body will start shutting down.

4. You feel guilty when you eat healthy foods. You shouldnt feel guilty for eating more celery than what your diet plan allows. You shouldnt feel guilty when you eat a nice well rounded meal. If you notice this happening, it might be a sign that you are becoming obsessed with losing weight. Take a step back an re-examine your priorities.

5. You are going long periods of time on a restricted calorie diet without seeing any weight loss. Your body is most likely in starvation mode. It isnt getting enough calories and so it is storing what you eat to save for later because it doesnt know if youll be feeding it again.

6. You are skipping meals or throwing up to make up for things you dont think you should have eaten.

None of these things are healthy. In fact, if you feel or do any of these things long term, it can have serious effects on your body.

It is so easy to go from being healthy and losing weight to obsessing and causing more harm than good. So when it comes to the HCG Diet, there are certain measures you need to take to make sure youre going about things the healthy way. Here are some tips for making sure you stay healthy while on the HCG Diet:

1. Eat all of your servings of food, even if you arent hungry. Because of the appetite suppressants in the HCG Triumph formula, toward the end of your round on HCG you may not feel very hungry but it is essential to eat all of your food. Each serving is planned specifically to give your body nutrients that it needs.

2. If you feel light headed, eat an extra serving of protein. You body may need some additional protein temporarily, especially around your period.

3. If you start to feel sleepy on the HCG Diet, make sure you are taking your Vitamin B12 supplement as well as your multivitamin. Both are meant to give you energy and keep you feeling great while you lose weight.

4. If you feel hungry and need to eat some extra celery, that is OK. Really it is. While the HCG protocol is strict when it comes to servings of food, you know your body best. You never need to feel guilty about eating additional vegetables.

5. The HCG Diet is done is cycles. Your first round on the 500 calorie diet lasts between 10-40 days. Then you cycle off the 500 calories and in to maintenance. Maintenance should be 4-6 weeks long and ideally it is done for as many days as you were on the low calorie portion. The Maintenance Phase is critical to your overall health and it needs to be done EVERY TIME you do the HCG Diet. Dont skip it because you are 5 pounds away from your goal and just a few more days will get you there. Maintenance allows you body and your metabolism to adjust to your new weight and more calories.

6. If you have a cheat day, dont try to correct it by throwing up or skipping meals. Just move one. The next day will start fresh and you can do better. Throwing up and skipping meals is never a healthy option and there are always alternative ways to get back on track. Always strive to do better the next day, dont let the mistakes from today push you to do things that will harm your body.

When done the right way, the HCG Diet isnt over-dieting. It can be a great jump-start to help you lose weight. Just make sure that when you do it, you follow the protocol that was built for your body to stay healthy.







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