2010 Weight Loss CAL

[smith]

I'm sticking right around 173... I've got get drastic once I come back from Disneyland! My goal is 150 by the end of February...:bheart It's woman's heart disease month!! I'm going to get my cholesterol check again too!!

[tralee]

I'm down 1.6 pounds for a total of 17.4 in 10 weeks! I am very happy!

[Tia]

Susan - {{HUGS}} Unfortunately it's not possible to see a loss every day or even every week. It'll happen, just keep it up! If you want you can do what we (those on hCG) are instructed to do to break a stall - eat six apples throughout the day (yeah, that's it!), drinking nothing but water or tea (no sugar but stevia is okay*) Drink half your weight in oz. of water (if you weigh 200 lbs., drink 100 oz. of water).

 

*on hCG we're not supposed to have artificial sweeteners, only Stevia or sugar alcohols like xylitol, erythritol, sorbitol, etc.

 

Tralee - Yay! That's great!

 

Me - I lost another lb. But I'm going to run out of my mixture before the day ends. I've got more on order, pellets this time, they dissolve under the tongue. They should ship out today or tomorrow. So I'll have to up my calories (same foods) until they come and TOM is coming. I probably won't see any more losses for several days.

[Tia]

Susan - I realize now that the 'apple day' probably only works if you're taking hCG. There is something called a 'steak day' or 'high protein day' for when we're on maintenance (NOT taking hCG). For the steak day, you eat nothing all day, then for dinner eat a huge steak and either a tomato or an apple. For a high protein day, you just eat lots of protein all day long, including eggs (no nuts) and make sure the meats don't have added sugar/fillers, no high sodium lunch meats. NO carbs, starches, sugars, etc. allowed on these days, not even one bite! The drinking only water or tea rule applies as well. No coffee.

[happy stitcher]

Well, the all day apple thing may be only for the hCG diet, but apples are very high in fiber, and I remember reading once that a good way to lose weight is to eat an apple before every meal. They'll fill you up so that you eat less of your meal and they're good for you, too! Unfortunately I'm really not an apple fan....an occasional apple is fine, but not 3 a day.

[Tia]

Chocolate Covered Strawberries - 23 cal.

 

5 medium strawberries, sliced in small pieces

4-5 drops chocolate Stevia

Dusting of cocoa powder

 

Mix well, serve chilled.

 

I use a tea ball, opened up, place a small amount of cocoa powder in one half and lightly tap it to place a fine coating over the berries. It acts as a mini sifter. I stir it up and dust a little more on if necessary. The berries are cut up small to release enough juice for the cocoa powder to melt.

[Tia]

I found a better WHEY to make Hot Chocolate - 63 cal.

 

4 oz. water

1 T 2% milk

1 scoop tera'swhey dark chocolate protein powder mix

4 drops chocolate Stevia

2 drops vanilla Stevia

 

In a large mug, heat water, milk & Stevia in microwave until hot, add protein powder & mix well with a small whisk.

 

That's the way I do it. The directions are for 6 oz. water mixed with 2 scoops powder, but that's more calories than I want right now. In maintenance, I'll do that, plus add half 'n half instead of milk.

 

Oh, I found the tera'swhey protein powder at My Organic Market (MOM's Market). They sell single serving pouches so you can try it before buying the big tub.

[Tia]

Can you tell I like chocolate?

[Tia]

Mocha

 

Mix as Hot Chocolate above only use hot coffee instead of water.

[Tia]

Weekly Check-In!

 

How's everyone doing? Plans for the weekend?

[tralee]

Hoping to make it through the weekend without any gain. We are having company, it's my birthday on Sunday as well as Halloween, and TOM is due to show up any moment. Wish me luck!

[Tia]

Hoping to make it through the weekend without any gain. We are having company, it's my birthday on Sunday as well as Halloween, and TOM is due to show up any moment. Wish me luck!

 

:yay:yay:yay:yay:yay:yay

[tralee]

:yay:yay:yay:yay:yay:yay

 

 

Thanks a bunch!

[happy stitcher]

Happy Birthday Teresa!

[Tia]

Happy Birthday Teresa!

 

Whoops, it's Tralee's birthday.

[happy stitcher]

Whoops, it's Tralee's birthday.

 

 

Whhoooopss!! Sorry Tralee!! Happy Birthday to you!!

 

[tralee]

Whhoooopss!! Sorry Tralee!! Happy Birthday to you!!

 

 

 

Ah, thank you kindly!

[tralee]

Just wanted to share that I made it through the weekend and still managed to have a slight loss of .4 pounds! All and all not too bad.

[Tia]

Well I'm officially done with round 1 and have stabilized okay and will maintain until the new year. It'll be hard waiting two whole months before I can start losing again, but it'll give my body and skin time to adjust. I can exercise now and will be able to eat a wider variety of foods during the holidays. Yay!

 

I lost a total of 27 lbs. in a 6 1/2 week period (taking one wk off, so 38 days total on hCG). I also lost a total of 34.5 inches! :cheerMy new jeans are almost too loose for me. They say your body continues to reshape during maintenance, so I might be able to go down one more pant size this year.

[Tia]

I thought you all might be interested in what I eat on maintenance. Basically all foods are allowed except sugars and starches (no starchy fruits or veggies). Here is what I ate yesterday:

 

Breakfast: 1/2 cup red grapes, 12 pistachios, coffee with stevia and 2 T half and half

 

Lunch: Ate at Arby's, ordered the large roast beef sandwich, without the bun or sauce and I added lettuce & tomato. Unsweetened tea. (That's 7 oz. of meat! and it was soooo good, if a little salty).

 

Snack: one small stalk of celery with 1 1/2 T almond butter (peanuts not allowed, they aren't a nut, but a legume).

 

Dinner: large tossed salad with 4 oz. shrimp & 1 oz. swiss cheese and Walden's zero cal dressing. 1/2 c green beans with 1/2 tsp butter.

 

Snack: 8 oz. unsweetened chocolate Almond Breeze (almond milk) to which I added stevia. One naval orange.

 

Total of 1117 cal. Day before yesterday I ate about 970 cal. I'm working my way up to 1500 cal/day.

 

I tried making my own almond milk, it was a disaster! I used my good Kitchen Aid blender, but I guess you really need a high powered one like a Vita Mix. But then I found some that was unsweetened, which I didn't know existed, and that's much better.

 

I also made a low-carb, sugar-free cheesecake yesterday! I took a nibble, but you're not supposed to eat it until it 'ripens' in the fridge for 24 hrs. But I think it's going to taste wonderful! I'll post the recipe once I'm sure it turned out. It is high fat though, but we can eat fat on maintenance.

I'm going to make one for Thanksgiving, that's why I'm testing it now.

[tralee]

Wow, you are doing great! I'm proud of you!:cheer:cheer

[Tia]

Thanks tralee.

 

I was a bit disappointed in the cheesecake. I think I need to experiment some more with it. It wasn't sweet enough, I didn't like the crust and I may have overcooked it. I'll keep trying.

[smith]

Happy Belated Birthday Tralee!!! I hope they are getting better and better every year!!!

 

Tia you are doing fantastic!! If you get the cheesecake thing worked out please let me know! I did one and it was just nasty. How do you like the stevia sweetener? Does it have the chemical after taste?? I dread that flavor.

 

Well we got back from Disneyland late Sunday. How wonderful and draining it was!! We walked forever and ever! Then Monday morning a dump truck showed up at our house with 5 yards of gravel So much for resting before work the next day!

 

The new X-Box Kinect is suppose to be delivered today!! I got the Biggest Loser game and the Zuma fitness....LOL I have no rhyme or rhythm so it should be fun.

[Tia]

Susan - Thanks! I'm really enjoying the Stevia. There are so many different kinds. I have:

 

Stevita drops - they are flavored and I have to be careful and only use 'just enough' to make it sweet, any more and it has a bitter after taste. I usually reserve these for things that need a little flavoring. If it's not sweet enough after using it for flavoring, then I add some...

 

Sweetleaf powder - it comes in packets. One packet equals 2 tsp sugar in sweetness. It tastes awesome! It's the best Stevia product I've had. One packet is perfect for a large mug of coffee. Powders use a bulking agent so they resemble sugar and are pourable. Sweetleaaf brand uses inulin soluble fiber as the bulk and it contains zero cal, carbs, zero everything. Be careful with other stevia powders as they can contain maltodextrin, or dextrose, which are starches and contain a few grams of carbs per packet.

 

Erythritol - Some Stevia powders are mixed with this sugar alcohol and contain zero cal, carbs, zero everything. Most sugar alcohols like sorbitol, maltitol & xylitol can upset the digestive system (gas, diarrhea etc.) But erythritol doesn't effect most people that way and is much more easily tolerated. It's sugar-like, granulated & pourable. It's easy to bake with. I bought it at a health food store, but I found it's much cheaper on line.

[Tia]

No Crust Sugar Free Cheesecake Take 2 (full fat)

 

I made a new batch of cheesecake and changed a few things, it came out awesome! But I only had 1/2 pkg. cream cheese left, so it was a tiny batch that only made 2 mini bundt pans worth.

 

I will make a larger cake, using my new springform pan before making the one I'll take for Thanksgiving. This is so I'll know how to bake it properly. But I'm recording this small recipe for my own personal use because this stuff is so good, I'll gorge on it otherwise. This way I can eat one mini and give one to dh. I just left out the crust, doesn't need it.

 

Filling:

1/2 pkg (4 oz.) cream cheese, softened

2 1/2 T Erythritol

2 packets Sweetleaf

2 1/2 T egg whites, room temperature

1/3 tsp lemon juice

1/3 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup heavy cream

 

Cream cheese and egg whites must be room temperature before beginning. Beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Then add sweeteners a little at a time while mixing. Add half the egg whites, mix, add other half egg whites, mix. Don't over mix eggs. Add rest of ingredients one at a time, beating just until mixed. Pour into pan(s). Spray with Pam if not using a non-stick pan. Place pan(s) into casserole dish filled with hot water. Bake at 350 degrees F for approx. 40 min. (for two mini bundt pans) or until internal temperature is 150 degrees F.

 

I used the toaster oven. Once cooked leave in closed toaster oven (or crack open the big oven door) for half an hour. Let cool completely on counter. Refrigerate 24 hrs. before serving. Cheesecake must ripen in the fridge at least one full day for it to acquire a rich flavor.

 

Makes two servings.

Nutrition facts per servings: 340.5 cal., 31.3g fat, 2.3g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 5.5g protein.

 

Heehee, told you it was full fat, probably should only eat 1/2 a mini one.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

I'm going to triple this recipe next time (still 1/2 of most recipes I see out there):

 

1 1/2 8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese

1/2 cup erythritol

6 packets Sweetleaf

1/2 cup + 1 T egg whites (or 2 large eggs)

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup heavy cream

 

Then follow above directions, wrap springform pan in foil before placing in water bath, baking as above for approx. 60 minutes, crack oven door open and leave inside an additional 1 hr. Refrain from opening oven door while cooking, may cause cracks. After removing from oven, run a knife along the edges so if it shrinks a bit while cooling, it won't (hopefully) crack. Cool completely, refrigerate 24 hrs.

 

Makes 6 servings, see above nutrition facts. (or cut into 8 slices for less fat per serving).

 

I definitely overcooked the first one, it browned, the minis didn't. Using a thermometer to check its internal temp really works in figuring out the cooking time for your particular oven, but sticking it in causes cracks. So if looks are important make some ahead of time to figure it all out first.

 

Oh and if it cracks, have some whipped cream or strawberry sauce on hand to cover it up!