Should we weigh in every single day?

This question, the question of whether or not to weigh in every day has come up a few times in my HhCG community over on Suzannes site: Protocol 2 Health.  And, well, NOT weighing every day does seem to help some people to keep their spirits up, and I 'get it', because I sure can get gloomy if the scale shows me a stall for several days - (Booo!)

However, weighing yourself every single day IS part of Dr Simeons protocol.  It's what he told us to do.
Why?  Well, I think because it keeps us on track, gives us accountability, and let's us know when there's a problem.

Just a few days ago I was shocked to see a +2.8 lb spike in my weight and if I had not been weighing every day I would not have known I had a serious problem in what I had eaten.  I would have no clue why on earth I only shed 1 lb this whole week, and would not have known there was anything wrong or that needed fixing.  It actually took me 3 days to figure it out, that I'd mistakenly eaten the kids's full fat cottage cheese. I only realized it when I opened their container and saw I'd portioned it out as if it was MY fat free container! Yikes.  So, it has taken about a week away from my 40-50 day shed to recover, but that's Ok, because now I FULLY realize the consequences of eating 1/2 a cup of full fat cottage cheese and can be EXTRA careful about checking which container I'm reaching for.  The same sort of thing happened when I was eating a wee bit of unsweetened baking chocolate, thinking I could sneak it in without consequences - but nope.  Good to know!

So, for me, I'm weighing in, like Dr Simeons suggests, at the same time every day, unless I totally forget and drink a bunch of tea first, which I've done too :), and then I just will wait till the next morning.  But there really is a reason and a purpose for everything he has as his protocol and I do best when I follow it to the letter.

Today I weigh 155, and I'm feeling good, but I'm already more than half-way though this round, so I don't want to lose ANY more days to slip-ups!  I'm really hoping to get a lot closer to my goal before the clock ticks down to phase 3, so wish me luck!

If you want to check out my true daily weigh-in, click here.

Happy shedding everyone!

Sick kids, homeopathy and vitality

Whoooeeeee last night was a doozy.  

At around 3am I actually bandaged a warmed, peeled garlic clove, dipped in olive oil, against my 4 yr olds aching ear, stroked her neck (trying to milk the pressure from the eustacean tube) (as per this ear ache fix link!) and tried to sleep with her on the couch, but nope, so I carried her back to bed...

...just in time for my 2 yr old to wake up crying and coughing and hot, so I gave her some homeopathic tablets, (spongia tosta, pulsatilla, belladonna and I forget what else) and she fell right back asleep, 

...just in time for my 6 yr old to wake up claiming he could not sleep, so I gave him some homeopathic for restlessness and went to get him water, by the time I brought it to him, he was back asleep, 

...just in time for my 3 month old to wake up mad, she is teething and her nose is snuffly and though the teething pain seems to come and go, she hasn't experienced being sick before, so I think it's all making her grumpy, so I gave her some Hylands homeopathic teething tablets but she would NOT fall back asleep nursing, did NOT want to lay on Mama in bed, or rock in the rocking chair in Mama's arms and she definitely did NOT want her diaper changed (oh my goodness no, she really communicated well about that) so I put her in her swing and - wow.  

She went right to sleep.  Of course, I didn't, and Daddy was all muttering sleepily; " I'd help you but it's a big day at work tomorrow" yeah, yeah yeah, but it's ok, he gets the big kids up, packs their lunches and drives them to school, so I can deal with night time rigamarole, and he does help at night too, just not last night...

...but my point in all this is: despite the crazy night - 

I woke up to a big 2.6 lb shed!!! Yay!!!! Hooray!!!! 

And my 4 yr old slept in, and woke up to a pain-free ear! 

"Guess what, Mama?! This thing in my ear really worked! My ear doesn't hurt anymore!" she yelled, holding the garlic clove at arms length with her fingertips - too funny, this kid HATES stinky things and yet she was able to put up with the wierdness as well as honor the helpful, albeit stinky, clove.  Awesome.  

And my 2 yr old woke up fever-free, she seems completely better, ready to play!  And the big kids all returned to school today, and the baby is giving me big gummy smiles after sleeping late, everyone seems much better!

I really appreciate how following this Pounds & Inches protocol has taught me to trust in homeopathics, to shop for clean foods, and to believe in our bodies ability to heal itself and work correctly, given the right tools; like fresh air, sunshine, fresh fruit, veggies, and un-processed foods, plus a nudge from homeopathics. 

I've been visiting a chiropractor lately, even had all the kids adjusted (at $5 each, pretty great, huh!) and there's a magazine in the office there called 'Pathways to Family Wellness' that I just love - and the underlying premise is 'vitality'.  I never knew or understood chiropractic before, but apparently it's a whole belief system about helping the body achieve vitality - a "'vitalistic" philosophy.  

Anyway, I find it all very interesting and helpful, and Dr Simeons's protocol fits right in with it all; healthy, clean living, with a nudge from homeopathics or a slight adjustment in alignment and most times the body can correct itself, heal itself.  (Of course, not always, but maybe if we lived clean from the start, we could side-step many of the diseases that can't be treated this way, that more and more we discover come from acidic bodies, indoor living, toxic environments and toxic foods.)  Maybe even the 'hokum' about energy flow and spinal adjustments and alignments is actually true and helpful, and even vitality producing!   

To attempt to live full of vitality, I think it's worth trying!

Down 13 lbs in 15 days!

13 lbs in 15 days! And I might have shed even more if I hadn't made that unsweetened chocolate mistake which caused a 3 day stall.  This protocol works!  I spray twice a day and I'm not even slightly hungry except at mealtimes!!!  I know I'm burning off my reserves, my fat stores - and I'm feeling pretty great, lots of energy, and for some reason, lots of inspired cooking for the kids - like I recently made homemade flour tortillas AND corn tortillas from scratch, and hosted a birthday party, cake and all, and yesterday I made a kugelhopf (like a brioche cake/bread, pictured there on the right) among other yummy things for my family, and I didn't have or want even a taste of any of it.  I mean, sure, I was curious how it all tasted, but I wasn't really hungry plus I am determined to get as close to my goal as I can! (50 lbs off !)

On this spray, I know even a nibble can cause weight gain, so I'm not nibbling, and the spray gives me the power not to nibble.  It's amazing.  Normally I would crumble into itty bitty pieces and eat.  But not on the spray! It really works 100% if you follow protocol 100%!!!  And you can live your life and still shed weight like crazy!

In fact, today I plan on making peanut butter cookies and another Kugelhopf, but I'll be fine, I have tools! What tools? My spray, seasalt, stevia, green tea, lemonade, apple cider vinegar and my meals.  I'll be just fine.  See you tomorrow!  :D

Feb 13, 2012 Let the shedding BEGIN (again!) with HhCG

Hello and welcome to my third round of HhG!

Feb 13, 2013  -  175.8 loaded and ready! (ready? YES!)
Today is Day 1 Phase 2 (P2D1)  I'm so excited, gonna get my body back and fit into the clothes in my closet, gonna feel better in my skin and I'm gonna set the best example I can for my kids.  If something is bothering you, you can fix it!  Be the best you can be!  I'm going to be the best I can be, taking it one day at a time, moment by moment.  I can look great by spring (with the help of Dr Simeons Pounds and Inches Protocol)! YOU can do this.  If you are looking for HhCG spray (the homeopathic version of HCG), go here and sign up with Suzanne.  I think you need to email her to get invited onto the site.  She's lovely, the people are lovely, and her site is new, but she has several years of experience from the other site (which shut down) and she has helped hundreds, if not thousands lose weight.  She helped me so much during my first 2 rounds and I'll be popping over there for this third round, to talk with Suzanne and my ol' buddies - if you come by, please say hello! :D

Happy...

And here is a more current picture of me, taken in late February 2011, by my lovely 8 yr old son.  I think you can see, even with my coat on, that I am still maintaining my weight loss pretty well  - happily happily happily!  But goodness it's cold out! Brrrrrrrrr!!!

Dr Oz, you're wrong. HCG weight loss is REAL. No controversy.

Dear Dr Oz,

I did lose a pound a day. I lost 40 pounds my first round, just like many many many others have before me.  I did it by making a purchase on the internet! (gasp!) and by following the 500 calories per day diet! (second gasp!)  I KNOW IT WORKS.  I especially know that the particular product I bought and used works and works well.  It's a spray, it's homeopathic, which means you do not need a Dr's prescription, and it works.  it is made and shipped with exquisite care and the support site is immensely helpful too.  In fact, without the support site fielding all my questions in the begining and throughout, and having other HhCG spray users to talk to - I wonder if I would have come so far or met my goal so easily.  In any case, Dr Oz, thanks for the warning to only do this protocol under a Doctor's care - but I disagree.  There ARE alternatives to the HCG injections that work and I for one am living the happy outcome of such an alternative route.

Oh, and it's wrong to say you're never hungry.  You are a little bit hungry. You know when it's lunchtime and you know when it's dinnertime.  And the 500 calories are satisfying enough that you eat your meal and your hunger is sated.  It's really very comfortable.  Any other calories you need to live on are taken from your fat stores - including stores of nutrients and vitamins.  Sure, you end up depleting those stores by the end of the 6 weeks, and that's why it's limited - 6 weeks of weight loss per round followed by 6 weeks of maintainence and replenishing your nutrients.  People, it WORKS. I am living proof, as are the thousands of other happy HCG users.

To view some of what Dr Oz has to say about this click here.

Since it mimics pregnancy, there is some hairloss involved for some people at the end, myself included, but you can't tell to look at me, only my hairbrush knew. And once I took my multi-vitamins again, the hairloss stopped within 3 days.  Also, since it is a pregnancy hormone (not really, if it's homeopathic, but for the sake of arguement, let's say it is) it may also increase your fertility.  My own mom conceived me with the help of actual HCG injections.  Lastly, any feelings of weakness or fogginess or overall crumminess are easily dealt with by adding sea salt to the diet.  You can add it to your food or even make a broth with it if you are feeling especially crummy - and it works instantly.  I wish the 2 women who did not like the way they felt while on the diet would have known about the sea salt. It would have made a world of difference.

Some people are so in the habit of eating proccessed foods and sugary soda pop, that they actually experience a 'sugar detox' headache in the first week. It's ok, it's detox, and you'll be better for it - meanwhile, take Excedrine, not sugar-coated Tylenol.

How do I know so much? Because I learned so much on the support site - hundreds and thousands of people all using the same product - all experiencing the same things, all talking - it's a goldmine of information! Dr Oz, next time you want to look into this amazing way to rapidly lose weight comfortably and healthfully, please check out the Ketomist homeopathic spray.  Ask for Rob. 

Come watch me winnow, wriggle and whittle my weight back down to my LSW, and hopefully, beyond...

**************************************LSW 133.2*********************************
P4 D77 02/14/2011 - 136.6 (+1.0) Sheesh.  I'm thinking this is water retention I'm puffy, and only got 4 hrs sleep...wah.
Oh well.  Yesterday I ate only protein and fat.  No veggies, no fruit. An experiment.  Dumb? Maybe. Maybe not.  Today my plan is to have 1 serving veggies at every meal.  Breakfast was eggs, cheese, (butter) and asparagus.  And I plan on adding lettuce to my next 2 meals...see how it goes...
P4 D76 02/13/2011 - 135.6  (0.0)  Breakfast: Cottage cheese-n-yogurt-n-coconut-n-half-a-clementine, 7 almonds, Lunch: 6 oz tuna w/homemade mayo and celery and avocado on a bed of shredded romaine, -  Oh, and let me not forget the half of a sopresseta salami that I ate while driving kids around: 4 servings @ 0 cargs, 8g protein/8g fat each - so 24g protein and 24g fat - which means I ate 440 calories from that salami alone!  Also, 1/2 a banana and whipped cream, and half a date.  Funny, but that half-a-date tasted 'over-sweet' to me...ate 7 more almonds to counter the sweetess but was struck with a 'wow, why'd I eat that?' feeling. Funny. I used to eat dates 2 and 4 or more at a time and now 1/2 of one is 'too much'. Feels like my body chemistry is changed. :)
(still not enough sleep - maybe need more H20 as well...)

Snooze to Lose: the importance of sleep

The following is basically lifted right from the pages of the book Nurture Shock by Po Bronson - a fabulous book compiling all kinds of recent data and studies regarding children...this is from Chapter 2: The Lost Hour - about how even 1 extra hour of sleep makes an enormous difference: (italics mine)


"...Sleep loss increases the hunger hormone ghrelin, which signals hunger, and decreases it's metabolic opposite, leptin, which suppresses appetite. Sleep loss also elevates the stress hormone cortisol which is lipogenic - meaning it stimulates your body to make fat. Human growth hormone is also disprupted. Normally secreted as a big pulse at the begining of sleep, growth hormone is essential to break down fat.

"It's drilled into us that we need to be more active to lose weight. So it spins the mind to hear that a key to staying thin is to spend more time doing the most sedentary inactivity humanly possible. Yet this is exactly what some scientists seem to be finding..."

And on the Ketomist support site, time and again people talk about discovering that if they weigh early in the morning and then go back to bed, they'll wake up later to a bigger loss.  Often a full pound more than when they first weighed. And that if they stay up late and don't get enough sleep, they'll wake up to no loss, or a tiny loss, or even a gain. Is it the bursts of human growth hormone?  Is it leptin or ghrelin at work? Is it all three combined? (I think it's all three factors plus things medical science still hasn't even figured out yet, probably.)

But the point is - are you listening? You snooze - you lose!!!

;)