Slacker! Sorry! ChaLEAN Week 3 Done! :)

OK, so It's Friday already, and I am now just getting to reviewing week 3! It's been crazy busy! I've been trying to keep up on every ones emails first. Then, my hubby is a state employee, so I spent all day Tuesday at a function with the state legislator's wives, and then spent time with my family, since my hubby was out of town. Then Wednesday, I had some errands to run around town to get ready for my fit club I am starting on Saturday. Plus, did some shopping for myself. :) Then my Hubby got home Thursday, so I was trying to catch up on house cleaning. So here it is Friday, and I'm behind, but it was an awesome week! :P

With the craziness, I missed a couple of my workouts, but made sure to be good on nutrition, and have maintained no prob, but still bummed I missed them. But it was all for very good reasons. On the super plus side, as of my Tuesday weigh-in and measurements, I am the smallest I have ever been!!!! Everything is tightening up nicely, and I'm even getting more and more definition of a 6 pack! It's more of a 2-4 pack right now, but I can feel and see it, and it is awesome!!! It's more motivating to keep going when you see results, so I'm back to the grind today. I even got new toys to play with - my Gold's Gym select dumbbells! They range all the way from 10lbs each, to 50lbs, and go in 2.5lb increments! Watch out ChaLEAN, here I come! Oh, and still loving the Brazil Butt Lift - I've lost .5-1" off my hips in just a week!

This all just goes to show that there is life after HCG, and you won't gain the weight back if you change your habits! If you choose to just focus on diet, continue with the daily weigh-ins, but if you are exercising, lifting weights and eating right, try and focus more on your body fat %. The scale can be deceiving when you are working hard. Remember, muscle weighs more than fat, and muscle BURNS fat. Fat is just along for the free ride! So if you are coming off of HCG, I HIGHLY recommend getting into a exercise routine, and push yourself! Set goals! Enjoy your new body! The human body wasn't meant to be idle! Get out and play, be active, move, have fun, run, hike, swim, bike, what ever it is that you enjoy, go for it! I know summer is almost here, and I have some big active plans! Softball, volleyball, a 3 day - 25 mile hiking trip/TREK, a couple of 5ks, and of course my Beachbody DVD's :) I love my new body! And if you love yours too, it will love you back for a long time!!! Keep up the good work everyone!!!

ChaLEAN Week 2, and HEALTHY, FUN SNACKS!

I survived another week of ChaLEAN, and I'm really starting to like it! It's getting easier, but I'm pushing harder, if that makes sense? I've bumped all my weights up, and I even grabbed some creatine from GNC to help with muscles recovery and strengthening. I potentially have a BIG project in the next couple of weeks that I want to look good for, so I've added in some pyramid squats, and dead lifts, and have started Brazilian Butt Lift - WOW, sooo glad I got that creatine - I have been sore! Feels really good though :) I did my measurements yesterday morning, and I have maintained perfectly between 152-154lbs, and 18-20% BF(the BIA can easily fluctuate due to hydration), and all of my inches have stayed the same! It takes a good 2 weeks for your body to adjust to something new (major DOMS factor), so now that I am through that, I'm hoping to start maximizing my results and hit the nutrition hard.

The Brazilian Butt Lift came with a 6 day "Super Model" nutrition guide, that I am going to try. It's low calorie, but since I am doing ChaLEAN as well, I will increase my serving sizes. I know nutrition can be a tricky thing, especially when there are so many different diets/theories/ideas out there, but it's a matter of finding balance, and something you can stick with. It's also important to be able to enjoy occasional treats/snacks - after all, food was meant to be enjoyed!

Here are a couple of my favorite snacks/treats, and other healthy ideas. Remember, carbs are great for your body - they are our #1 fuel source. It's bad/processed/refined carbs that are bad for our body. Check the label for whole wheat, whole grain, etc, and the higher the fiber the content, the better :)


BREAKFAST IDEAS:

Whole Wheat Banana Nut Pancakes:
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, well beaten
2 cups milk (use skim for less calories/fat)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (****use flax seed instead of oil for the 'nut' part)
1-2 ripe/mashed bananas

Mix dry ingredients then add wet - mix till slightly lumpy. Makes about 16 medium sized cakes
NUTRITION: 1 cake = 65 calories, 2g fat, .5g saturated fat, 9.5g carbs, 1g sugar, 3.5g protein, 2g fiber.

I like to make mini ones and freeze them for my little one - just pop them in the toaster when ready to eat. Use fruit compote or preserves instead of syrup - less calories!

Another variation of Pancake are my current favorite - they are much quicker, and have more protein...

PROTEIN PANCAKE:


1c Oatmeal
1/2 c fat free cottage cheese
1/3-1/2c skim milk(depends on how thin/thick you like them)
1 whole egg (egg yolks are beneficial)
1/2tsp baking soda
2-3packets of truvia
Cinnamon to taste

Throw everything in blender, and blend till slightly lumpy - it may be easier to blend oatmeal first, then add the remaining ingredients. Pour on hot skillet - about 3-4inch circles - one batch makes 8 cakes. I like to add a TBSP of Adam's Peanut Butter on top of mine.
NUTRITION: 1 cake - 60 cal, 2g fat, 8g carbs, 1g fiber, 1g sugar, 4g protein!

EGG WHITE OMELET:

1 whole egg mixed with 3 egg whites, or liquid eggs

Saute with olive oil or spray pan with PAM:
1/2 red pepper
1/2 green pepper
1/2 yellow pepper
1/2 purple onion
1 small can of mushrooms, or fresh mushrooms
garlic salt/pepper to taste
cook until desired consistency. Set aside. I usually cook in bulk so that I can use this mixture with other meals.
Pour egg mixture into pan, and let cook until desired consistency, then add about 1/4c - 1/2c of pepper mixture(or as much as you want, since veggies are good for you :)

I pair it with a piece of Wheat and Fiber bread for my carb (or you can pair with protein pancakes!)
NUTRITION: 275 calories, 9g fat(good) 25g pro, 25g carb, 8g fiber, 7 g sugar


SNACKS:

BEAN SALSA

1 can of black beans
1 can corn
1 can black eyed peas
1 can diced tomatoes(or 3 fresh diced)
1 green pepper - diced
1/4 purple onion - diced
bottle of Italian dressing - I use light

Combine all ingredients. Mix in enough dressing to wet all ingredients. Use organic, or high fiber chips for dipping (I like Don Juilo brand - 5g fiber per 8 chips, or Wheat Thins - Fiber Selects - 5g fiber) Will keep in air tight container in fridge for up to a week!


DELI WRAPS:

Tortilla (whole wheat will always be healthier)
1 Tbsp Light Cream Cheese
2-4 slices of Deli meat (Turkey is my favorite)
lettuce
mustard

Spread cream cheese on tortilla, place meat, then other desired toppings, then roll up and cut into inch slices!

This can also be done with peanut butter (I like Adam's) and bananas - just spread the peanut butter, then place the banana and wrap it up and slice!

CREAM CHEESE APPLE DIP:

1 stick of cream cheese (light is better)
1 cup of brown sugar (or splenda, agavae, truvia - any sugar alternative would be ok, just might have to cut in 1/2)
Heath Toffee bits or raisins

Blend all together till creamy

Slice up Granny Smith apples to dip!

POPCORN:


Toss 2 TBSP (100 cal, 24g carb, 6g fiber, 4g protein) of popcorn kernels in a bowl or container with a few drops of olive oil, or spray with PAM. Toss till evenly coated, then pour into a brown paper bag. Fold and tape bag shut. Microwave for 1:30-2:00 minutes, or until there is a delay between popping. Open bag and sprinkle with any seasonings - I found the toppings in the picture for $2.00 at Walmart. Very low calorie, and great way to add flavor. I like Kettle corn, and there is only 1g sugar, for a 1/4 tsp. ***using olive oil will add fat, but both methods worked the same.


I got this one from a friend, and it's almost like a Pumpkin Pie Cake :)
PUMPKIN SPICE PROTEIN CAKE

Preheat oven to 350- grease a 8x8 or similar sized casserole sized dish with cooking spray or brush on olive oil

In a blender (or food processor) combine:
...
1 egg (or 1/4 c. of egg beaters)
1 c. cottage cheese
1 apple (cored and sliced...leave peel on)
1/2 c. of canned pumpkin
pumpkin pie spice seasoning to taste
1/4 c. of sugar free Torani caramel syrup (I didn't have this, so I used 2TBSP Agave, and that worked ok, or you can leave out)

Blend until smooth then add:

1 c. oats
1/2 c. nuts (optional)
1 tsp baking soda
sweetener to taste (I used 6 packets of truvia)

Blend again until smooth

Pour into a mixing bowl and add 4 scoops of protein powder (chocolate flavor works well but so does vanilla)

Mix until blended and pour into greased pan....bake 30+ min. depending on pan size until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean

ENJOY! :)

Where do I purchase HCG?

I've had many people email and ask me where I get my HCG from. A friend of mine that I work on the ambulance with successfully tried HCG last winter, and was so excited with his results, and wanted to share it with everyone, that he decided to start his own company. He did the research, and found a reliable FDA approved lab in Georgia. He has worked very closely with the lab in the formulations of his products, and carries them with pride. I have tried all of his products with success, and trust him, and refer all of my friends, family, and clients to him.

Local HCG is still a small company, with very personal service and customer support. They have a great FB page that I help out with under "Local HCG," that is HCG specific. Anyone is welcome to join and ask questions! You can also join my own personal training page, "Absolute Results Fitness Training," which is for any diet, health, and fitness questions. If you are interested in purchasing their product, you can link over to their page by clicking the HCG picture in the upper right hand corner. Where ever you purchase your product, look for at least a 6x, 15x, 30x, 60x, dilution and any glandular support. Don't hesitate to ask any questions - just do the research so you know what you are getting. Best wishes, and happy losing!

ChaLEAN WEEK 1 DONE

Week 1 of ChaLEAN is done! Woo hoo! It actually hasn't been too bad. At first it was kind of torture, because it is sloooow, heavy, quality lifts. There are 3 phases - Burn, Push, Lean. I'm currently in Burn, and it's all about muscle building, because muscle burns fat. Fat is just along for a free ride, so lets get rid of it! There are about 8-12 different lifts per day. Each lift, you only do 1 set of 12 reps, at a weight that is heavy enough to get you to fatigue by rep 10-12. The key is lifting very slow. If you have never really lifted weights before, and are looking to put on some lean, fat burning muscle, this is a good way to go. It will teach you how to lift properly! You can find more info on my Beachbody page - www.beachbodycoach.com/candiceekberg.

Since I am just 2 weeks off of HCG, I'm trying to stay away from the scale, and just letting my body do what it needs to do. But I know I am maintaining, and I am feeling great! And can I just say I LOVE Shakeology! I look forward to it every day. It's so simple, but good for you. :) I'm trying to be better on my nutrition, because that is my biggest weakness, and so far so good. I'm not following ChaLEANs nutrition plan yet, because it is a little fancier that I have time for, but I do plan on focusing in on it in the next week or so. Right now, I've been trying to go for healthy and convenient. I'm hoping to make my next blog post on some of my favorites, like protein pancakes, protein pumpkin spice cake, bean salsa, etc. :) Abs are made in the kitchen, so I definitely need to make this a priority. I am keeping track of my calories every day and am consuming between 1500-1700, and trying to burn at least 400-600 in my workouts. So far so good! I took some "before" pics, and will hopefully get them posted this week.

HCG Testing and My Next Project :D

This week I finished up my last round of HCG with pellets. Wednesday was day 23, then 3 days of VLCD. Like I wrote in my last post about HCG, I said I would run some tests when I was at the end. These test were just out of my own curiosity, and for my information. Skeptics claim that you can do the 500 calorie diet with out drops and lose weight, which you can, and I tried and already reported about it(miserable, and no effect on TOM?). By doing just 500 calories, you would potentially put your body into starvation mode – or ketosis – which forces your body/brain to utilize ketones for energy instead of glucose (your brain alone needs 100g carbs to function). The Atkins Diet intentionally puts you into a state of ketosis to burn predominantly fat and not carbs. You want to be in ketosis vs your body eating muscle tissue. I was able to obtain a home urine test kit, and tested from day 23-27 for ketosis. Every day I actually tested negative for ketosis…

Skeptics also claim that any low calorie/low carb diet that puts you in ketosis will shut down or slow your metabolism and maybe harmful on the liver. By being in Ketosis, your body won’t want to let go of any energy it has, so, it will slow your metabolism down and cause you to store what little you are getting. To test this theory, I went to a local gym and had my RMR tested. This is tested first thing in the AM on a 12 hour, complete fast. If my metabolism were to have slowed, then it would show.

I went in first thing Friday morning, and got hooked up as pictured above :) When I worked at the Treehouse, we had this equipment, and would test ourselves all the time. I was heavier at the time, but I would generally test in the 1700-1800 range, which would be slightly slow to normal for my height, weight(at the time), age, and gender. After 12 minutes of breathing into the machine, I got my results. Drum roll .,.,.,.,.,., 1642!



I didn’t know quite what I was expecting, but I was pleasantly surprised! Compared to all other women of the same height, weight and age, I tested 9% above average/normal. My RQ was a .72, which shows me burning predominantly fat for my fuel source. Hmmm… Interesting… the trainer that conducted my test was also intrigued by all of this. So, after being on hCG for 23 days and eating only 500 calories for the 23 days, my metabolism was higher than normal, and I was burning fat for fuel – not protein, not carbs, but fat… I am only 1 person, so it’s hard to validate my results, but after everything I have been through, it’s enough for me to feel comfortable using HCG.

I've helped well over 500 people so far, and always ask them them their numbers, how they are feeling, what is going on, and what their thoughts are. For me, there are too many factors that show that it works. It definitely isn't for everyone, but I know many are curious. If you are one of the curious, make sure you educate yourself first, and talk to your family doctor. There are a few categories of people that I feel could benefit from doing HCG; 1 - Those that are so over weight that exercise is just not possible. 2 - Those that don't enjoy/like exercising, won't make time for it, or just flat out won't do it. 3 - Those with knee/hip/back or other joint problems, or any other physical disabilities that won't allow them to work out properly. 4 - Those that are dieting and exercising, and have changed it up, but are still stuck at a plateau and just can't get through it(this was me). 5 - Someone who may have a slower metabolism and is looking to give it a jump start. I would recommend people that feel they fall in this category to first check with their doctor first and possibly have their thyroid tested.

If you are only looking to lose those last 10-20lbs, I would think twice. It is a difficult diet, more mentally than physically. Unlike drugs and alcohol addictions, we must have food. Everything evolves around food. Food is everywhere. You can't just quite food. You are supposed to stay on for a minimum of 23 days, so, you have to weigh if it is worth it or not. And remember, this is supposed to target abnormal fat, not normal fat. But our definition of abnormal fat, and our genetics definition of abnormal fat are two different things, and unfortunately, genetics win. I have always had a backside and thighs. While I did lose in those areas, it wasn't as much as I would have liked. I blame my dad for this. :P I lost most of my inches off of my bust, waist, abdomen, and hips, but I'm ok with that. :D

I am now done with my own personal HCG experience, but I look forward to helping others with theirs. Two things I can guarantee about HCG is if 1 - you follow the protocol, you will lose weight. But at the same, 2 - if you don't change your habits and you go back to your old ways after HCG, I guarantee you will gain the weight back, but it is that way with any diet. Check out this article about "Biggest Loser" contestants. (http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/28449267/ns/today-biggest_loser_on_today/
What the bottom line comes down to is that you have to be ready to make a life time commitment and change, no matter what path you choose. It won't be easy, but if you plan, prepare, commit, and execute your decision, you will succeed, and it will be worth it. Once you have gotten the weight off, take your new body and use it! Get out and have fun! Be active, move, dance, run, play, live! Do this for you, and you only, and you will have long lasting results.

Now that I have gotten my weight off, time to tighten it all up! My next project is going to be ChaLEAN Extreme and Shakeology. I gave my self a free day today, and am going to start the 3 day Shakeology Cleanse tomorrow ( http://myshakeology.com/esuite/home/candiceekberg ) along with ChaLEAN. I will take before and after pictures and blog about my experience. I want to get as lean as possible. I know this will mainly have to come from diet, which is my weakness, so if ya see me around food, keep me accountable ;) Wish me luck, and Happy Losing!

Know Your Health Numbers!!!

In health and fitness there are lots of numbers thrown around, but what do they all mean, and what ones are actually important? February is Heart Health Month, so I wanted to focus on some numbers that can make a difference in quality and duration of life. Important numbers to know will be highlighted in BOLD.

There are several "positive" risk factors that have been linked with heart disease and can classify people as low, moderate, or high risk.

These are from the ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription - 7th Edition

For every factor you have, that is 1 point, so keep track as you read along.

***
1. Family History
Myocardial infarction (heart attack), coronary revascularization (heart bypass or angioplasty) or sudden death (attributed to a stroke or cardiovascular disease) before 55 years of age in men considered immediate family (father, brother, son) or before 65 in women considered immediate family (mother, sister, daughter)

2. Smoking
Current smoking or those who quit within the previous six months

3. Hypertension - Blood Pressure
Systolic blood pressure >140mm or diastolic blood pressure >90mm, confirmed by measurements on at least two separate occasions or on antihypertensive medications

4. Dyslipidemia, hypercholesterolemia, or High Cholestrol
LDL >130 mg/dL, HDL <40mg/dL or on lipid-lowering medication
If serum cholesterol is all that is available, use serum cholesterol >200mg/dL
The HDL score has changed from 35 mg/dL to 40 mg/dL for 2006. Additionally, total cholesterol score is de-emphasized in favor of HDL and LDL scores, unless those two scores are unavailable.

5. Impaired Fasting Glucose - Blood Sugar Levels
Fasting blood sugar >100 mg/dl, confirmed on at least two separate occasions
The score has changed from 110 mg/dL to 100 mg/dL for 2006.

6. Obesity
BMI >30 kg/m2 or
Waist girth >102 cm (40”) for men and >88 cm (35”) for women or
Waist/hip ratio >0.95 for men and >0.86 for women
Due to varying opinions, use additional valid markers of obesity to evaluate obesity
The waist-girth measurement has changed from one previous score of 100 cm (39.4”) to individual scores of 102 cm (40”) for men and 88 cm (35”) for women. Additionally, waist/hip ratio has been added for 2006.

7. Physical Inactivity
Persons not participating in a regular exercise program or not meeting the minimal recommendations of the 1996 Surgeon General’s Report


The only Negative risk factor is HDL Cholesterol - you can minus 1 if your HDL is above 60 mg/dl
1. HDL >60 mg/dL

At this point you are assessed for each factor that you may have. From there, you are scored as follows.

1. Low Risk
Younger individuals (men <45 years, women <55 years) who are asymptomatic and meet no more than one risk factor
2. Moderate Risk
Men >45 years, women >55 years or individuals who meet the threshold for two or more risk factors and are asymptomatic
3. High Risk
Individuals with one or more signs and symptoms for cardiovascular disease, individuals with known cardiovascular (including peripheral vascular disease, cerebral vascular disease), pulmonary (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, cystic fibrosis) or metabolic (renal, liver or thyroid disorder) disease.

***

If you place in the Moderate or High Risk categories, it is important to check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program.

***

Some other great numbers to know are as follows:

Body Fat Composition

The risk factors above went off of BMI, waist girth, and waist/hip ratio, but failed to mention Body Fat percentage. Body fat percentage is a more accurate way to measure overall composition. The most accurate methods are hydrostatic or BodPod technology. These test can be done at the University of Utah for just $25 (http://www.health.utah.edu/peak/PEAK-Services/Health-Fitness-Testing/index.html). You can also use hand held calipers and Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) tools. If you have calipers, this is a great site to calculate your measurements - http://www.linear-software.com/online.html.

If you don't have access to calipers, you can try this estimated BF% based on measurements. http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/home-body-fat-test-2774-143.html

An average female should be between 21-31%. Anything above 32% is classified as obese. Anything below 21% is considered athletic, below 12% is dangerous. An average male should be 14-25%. Anything above 25% is considered obese, anything below is considered athletic, below 4% could be considered dangerous.

Your Basal or Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR/BMR):

Your RMR is measured by calories/kilojoules and is the amount of daily energy expended while at complete rest and fasting. It is how many calories your body needs to sustain just the functioning of vital organs. Your RMR can be altered by age, body composition, menopause, exercise, diet, environment, stress, and illness. Your metabolism is controlled primarily by the hypothalamus and thyroid. While you can't control all factors that effect your metabolism you can control a few such as diet, exercise, stress (to a point), and body composition. Weight lifting is a great way to increase your metabolism. By adding 5lbs of lean muscle mass, you can potentially increase your RMR by 200 calories a day! You need energy to move muscle, fat just hangs there for a free ride. More and more studies are showing that anaerobic exercise, like HIIT can increase metabolism as well.

There is testing available to determine your RMR, but you may need to go to a gym or doctors office to have these done (For those local, I have made arrangements at Crossroads Fitness in Ogden, Utah). If you aren't able to find somewhere, you can use estimates from formulas based on your height, weight, age, and gender. (http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/). Once you figure your RMR (remember, it is your resting metabolic rate) you then need to factor in your activity level. If you do light activity through out the day, times your RMR by 1.35, moderate x 1.55, heavy x 1.75. Ex: My RMR is 1525 - I'm moderately active, so 1525x1.55 = 2363. I would need that many calories a day to maintain my current weight and activity level. If I wanted to lose weight, keep in mind that 1lb fat = 3500 calories. 1 lb a week weight loss would mean I would need to cut 500 calories a day. My goal would be to eat 1863 calories a day. :) Hope that makes sense. :)


These numbers are just to help you out. Just knowing is beneficial. Start out by going to your family doctor and getting a simple fasting blood test to find out your cholestrol profile and fasting glucose. Then, find your body measurements such as waist/hip ratio, BMI, waist girth, and body fat percent. From there, determine what direction your numbers need to go. If they need to come down, estimate your RMR and start counting calories. By losing just 10lbs of body fat, you can start bringing your numbers down and decrease your risk factors. If there are any other numbers you would like to know about, or something you don't understand, don't hesitate to contact me! I hope you are all doing well in your weight loss journey. Happy Losing!

Golden Globe Special Ends Today!

Today is the last day to take advantage of our 25% OFF Golden Globe Discount. Thank you to all of those that have already placed your orders! Stay tuned to my blog - my next article I am working on is "Knowing Your Numbers". It will be about important numbers to shoot for, for better over all health. Happy Losing!

GOLDEN GLOBE SPECIAL - 25% OFF!

Did you watch the Golden Globes? Our LocalHCG product was featured as one of the gifts in the Celebrity Presenter Gift Baskets! To celebrate this occasion, we are offering a special if you order from my blog! 25% OFF our already low retail price on our HCG - drops or pellets! This won't last long! Don't forget to check out our hCG Compatible Protein Powder which is now available! Don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions! Happy Losing!
~Candice~
iluvtnf@aol.com




Look for the red and blue bottle on the lower right hand side. Tonight is the 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards. Our products have been given to the presenters of the Awards show tonight some of which include...Tom Hanks, Chris Hemsworth, LL Cool J, Scarlett Johansson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jimmy Fallon, Chris Evans, Robert Downey, Jr., Kaley Cuoco, Sandra Bullock, Julie Bowen, Jer...emy Irons, Milla Jovovich, Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Warren Beatty, Tim Allen, Megan Fox, Jane Fonda, Jeff Bridges, Matt Bomer, Tilda Swinton, Sylvester Stallone, Geoffrey Rush, Renee Zellweger, Blair Underwood, Zac Efron, Olivia Wilde, Steve Carell, Andrew Garfield, January Jones, Alicia Keys, Eva Longoria, Julianne Moore, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kevin Bacon, Helen Mirren, Kevin Spacey, Hailee Steinfeld, Vanessa Williams, Matt Damon, Garrett Hedlund, Jennifer Lopez, Leighton Meester and Robert Pattinson.

To hCG, or not to hCG?

The last time I blogged about what I was personally doing, I was attempting a week or so of the VLCD without actually taking hCG. Yea, that lasted a week! By the end of the week I was STARVING! I kept hoping it would go away, or I would just get used to it, but I never did. I was able to get down to 157.8, but again, it wasn't about weight. But once I started eating again, I obviously went up a little bit - back to my 159-160 range.

We finally got our hCG pellets and protein powder. I had a lot of people asking about the difference between drops and pellets, so I did decide to do a final round utilizing the pellets. I loaded the 4-6th and got up to 166.3. The day after I started the VLCD I got back down to 159.2 - I'm currently on day 12 and am at 154 - Almost to my lowest point ever.

While I'm excited to be losing, that was not my purpose. I wanted to see what differences I could find between taking drops or not, how pellets compared to drops, and experiment with different recipes with the protein powder. The biggest differences I found between hcg and no hcg were hunger, TOM, and weight fluctuations. As I mentioned previously, I kept getting hungrier without the drops. While on the drops, I found with in a couple of days the hunger started going away. By day 8, I was just fine, and still am. TOM - I have an IUD and don't have a regular period, if ever. I realized the other day that every time I have started a round of hCG, I've started spotting. When I did just the VLCD, nothing. (Sorry if TMI for my male readers;). When doing just VLCD, I lost consistently every day. I even put on my heavy BBW body cream, and still lost. While on hCG, I've fluctuated between losing and gaining. I tried putting on BBW body cream again, and had a stall. During my very first round of hCG, I put on BBW cream with out even thinking about it, and had a gain the very next day - my only gain during my first round. I've also observed on days that I had to wake early for training sessions, I didn't lose near as much as on days that I didn't. Sleep makes a huge difference! I've also been lifting heavy this round, and am enjoying that. I'm sore and it feels good. I've been keeping track of my body fat % with a hand held BIA, and have gone from 22.7 - 20.3%, so I am losing fat, and not muscle, which is very desirable. To me, there were definitely observable differences that leaves me very confident that the hCG is in my system and works! At the end of this round, I will take a ketosis test, and will also have my RMR tested to see where it is at. A month after that, I will repeat these test to see what changes occur.

As far as differences between pellets and drops - I haven't noticed anything too different other than convenience and shelf life. We had a stronger formula created after my last round of doing drops, so I don't know how they compare to that, but compared to my last formulation used, it feels about the same. If anything, I don't feel as tired as I was last time - even with my early hours.

Recipes - still working on that one. I've been adding 1 TBSP and a packet of stevia to plain, fat free Greek Yogurt, and have done well with that. Tastes good to! I plan on going the full 23 days or until my body doesn't want to let any more go. In that time frame, I will come up with some recipes. Extracts are safe to use - mint is my favorite :)

So that is what I have been up to the last couple of weeks. As soon as I am done, I plan on giving P90X my full dedication! I've stocked up on Shakeology and Results and Recover Formula! I'm excites to see what this will do for me and if it will get me where I finally want to be. If not, then I'll reconsider the "Final Phase Fat Loss".

Always a plan, and sticking to it - what's yours? Hope you are all doing well in your resolutions and know that I am here to help in any way I can. Don't hesitate to contact me. Happy Losing!