UPDATE - PHASE II Day 13

Hey everybody!

It has been quite a hectic week for us both, but doing good. Vanessa and Scott continue to march along with the HCG protocol, and are glad to be seeing the results. Now that we are over halfway done with the second phase of this initial round, the pattern and habit of our meals has stabilized. Both of us have noticed the automatic nature with which we turn to our tea, apple, or refilling our water canteens. The fun will obviously be translating these habits into a similar cycle during the maintenance phase.

Not all of our moments have been easy. We are simply becoming more comfortable in dealing with temptations. On Tuesday, while Scott was in his graduate class, Vanessa was on the phone with a relative around dinner time. The conversation dealt with some stressful issues and put her in an agitated mood. When the call was over, she ate dinner but found an old Snickers bar in the cupboard while looking for the tea. Scott got a text from her lamenting that she had "fallen off the wagon" and binged. The funny thing is what she now considered a binge. That one candy bar represented a major downfall to her. Scott had had visions of spaghetti mounded up on a plate and a loaf of bread that would constitute a binge. :0)

Needless to say, Vanessa's body quickly moved the foreign chocolate along(sped-up processing - LOL) and we were both back on the game. Scott had a hilarious moment last weekend while making dinner for the kids. It is so startling when seemingly innocent, routine things pop up to tease you. While making a pot of rice for the meal, Scott was blowing on a small spoonful to test if it was done. Vanessa sat transfixed as the spoon edged closer to his mouth. She began thinking, "If he takes a taste, it is SO on! Gonna have ME some!" Right when the spoon was about to touch Scott's lips, he jerked it away as he realized what he was about to do. Like I said, routine things that sneak up on ya. LOL

The great thing about this protocol for us is that we have approached it as a long term process with reasonable goals. This last week we had a small "cheat" meal and went to a Mexican restaurant in town for tortilla-less fajitas. Both of our weight loss amounts stalled for a day, but we anticipated it. This was probably the second "cheat" meal for us since we began the HCG protocol, but this was the first deliberate one. The first was when we were out with the kids and got delayed and needed to feed them dinner. We took them out to RibCrib. However, in both cases, when we ordered for ourselves we kept to a meat and veggie selection. No breads or starches. It was helpful to experience the ability to make healthy choices when our routine was altered.

Okay, here's what y'all have been waiting for - our numbers today:

Vanessa 204.4 (-25.8 lbs)

Scott 270.4 (-27.4 lbs)


Thank you all for so much love and support as we do this. You are the best!

S & V

UPDATE - Some pics

Hey everyone!

We've gotten a few requests for pictures of us in normal clothing and without the mugshot faces. LOL. So - here are some contrast pictures of us both. First is from December 2009 and the second is from today. :0)





Wowzers! Love ya all. Will post stats and more thoughts tomorrow.

S & V

UPDATE - PHASE II Day 8

Hello all!

It's been a few days since our last post, with many different things making the last week quite hectic. However, we are on track with this second phase and keeping on keepin on. :0) There were a few days where Scott stalled out, and so he made the decision to up his dose from 175 to 200 for the remaining 13 days of the phase. Given that both of us have been fighting colds and taking medicine, that may have affected our weight-loss. No matter - it has been a consistent march toward better health. In fact, both of us have noticed a much stronger ability to manage cravings and dealing with temptations. That in itself has been terrific.

And with that, here are the numbers!

Vanessa 206.2 (-24 lbs)

Scott 273.4 (-24.4 lbs)

We are really excited to be on track to lose at least 30 pounds on this first 43 day cycle! Thanks for all the support! Love ya.

S & V

UPDATE - PHASE II Day 3

Hey everyone!

Well, we are back on the schedule after our loading days. Unfortunately both of us caught a sinus cold (Scott first, and now Vanessa). Trying to keep energy up while fighting the yuckies isn't fun. Oh well, we shall carry on. LOL

For our loading days, we were able to indulge in unrestricted portions of meats, fats, butter, veggies and dairy. Sat morning Scott made cheesy scrambled eggs and sausage, lunch was tortilla-less fajitas covered in cheese, and dinner was broccoli and ribeye steaks at the Saltgrass. It was fun for the first day - but Sunday became a chore. LOL. It was much more subdued on the 2nd day because the novelty had worn off and our bodies didn't want to eat. But we managed to do so. The loading days caused our weights to fluctuate which was expected. Now that the second phase is underway our loss has begun to stabilize. It was shocking to see Scott's weight jump 7 pounds during the loading days, and Vanessa saw hers pop up 6. But it's all a part of the plan. And with that, here are today's numbers:


Vanessa 210.4 (-19.8 lbs)

Scott 275.8 (-22 lbs)

Glad to be back on track. Love you all. Looking forward to seeing the end of this phase show some amazing results!

S & V

LOADING DAYS

Hey everyone!

Just a quick "hiya" as we are running around doing stuff this weekend. Vanessa wanted to make sure we posted pics of us from this morning (our official 21st day weigh-in). So, here are the pics for the end of Phase One in our first HCG cycle. Woo hoo!

S & V

UPDATE - Day 21

Woooooo Hooooo!

The first half of the cycle is over today. Hard to believe it's been 3 weeks already. Here are the numbers for us:


Vanessa 210.4 (-19.8 lbs)

Scott 276.8 (-21 lbs)


So, tomorrow and Sunday we are not taking the HCG and will be using them as loading days. Basically, our portions are not restricted only that the same ban on starches and sugars remains. We are gonna have cheese (hallelujah!) steak, eggs, butter, etc. Mixing a salad again will be like heaven. LOL. Naturally, the purpose of these loading days is to boost the ready fats in our system for the next 21 day phase. Our weights might bump a pound or two up, but should come off just as quickly given the nature of the program.

Yesterday, we went out to a comedy concert in OKC for Vanessa's pre-birthday celebration. Our George Foreman grill had gone kaput so we bought one while we were out. As we were already celebrating the evening, we decided to go to Applebees. This was a very good experience.

We ordered coffee to drink, the 7oz steak which we each cut in half to save for later, and ordered broccoli. We had specified with the waitress NO mashed potatoes. However, somehow that was not remembered and the plates came with them. But, we didn't really crave it and they sat untouched. It was SUCH a vindicating moment to be in the "den of temptation" and come through without suffering. For Vanessa, overcoming the desire to not waste food was tremendous - a real breakthrough. Great trick is to bring your Stevia (substitute sugar) with you at all times. Both for the meal, and after the show it helped to get coffee.

So, we will update again as we start the next phase (Monday) and let you know what the starting weights are. Thank you all for your wonderful support and prayers. :0)

S & V

p.s. Scott looked ROCKIN hot! And I felt so sexy now that my jeans aren't cutting off circulation. LOL

UPDATE - Day 18

Hey everyone!

Only a few more days until our mini-break for 2 loading days. These small goals are so very important because they keep the initiative engaged for both of us. Speaking of goals, here are our numbers for today:


Vanessa 212.4 (-17.8 lbs)

Scott 279.8 (-18 lbs)

Woo hoo!

S & V