Day 29

Todays Starting Weight : 162.3 lbs
Total Weight lost to Date: 20.2 lbs


For those of you reading my blog, I apologize for the long stretch without any posts, life got a little away from me and I have been swamped with loads of other things on my plate. However, I did not deviate from the program. I have continued to lose a steady amount of weight and in less then one month I lost 20 pounds!! I have never been this successful in one month on any program I have ever tried. 


Here are a few things that I have learned since my absence from blogging. Although the bottle says 10 drops (0.25ml) those numbers do not seem to be the same. I felt that I was going through my bottle faster than I should have based on the information printed in the guide book. I measured the 10 drops I was taking and it was more than the 0.25ml marked on the dropper. I have since stopped dropping 10 individual drops and have begun carefully measuring the 0.25ml and I have suffered in the weight loss category. 


I consulted my Stimulock practitioner when my weight loss slowed to only .5 lbs/day about 7 days ago. I supplied her with a detailed list of my foods and although I was not eating anything that wasn't on protocol she noticed a few mistakes in my eating habits. I was not eating enough fruit (sometimes I would not eat the whole serving thinking that it would be ok, apparently not) and I was eating the cereal option every morning. She recommended that I do a recovery day and that following that I should switch to the egg and bread option for breakfast. Additionally, I thought that on days that I had a salad for lunch that I should not have my leafy greens at dinner as well, this was wrong. My practitioner explained to me that even if I had a salad at dinner, it was still very important for me to have my leafy greens at dinner. 


People are starting to comment on my weight loss and that feels really great, but what feels even better are my pants! They are getting baggy and button without the slightest problem. I am not only washing my jeans I am actually putting them in the DRYER! I am looking forward to breaking into the closet of jeans that I have held onto hoping that I would one day fit back into them. 


I will try my best to post on a much more regular basis, I am feeling great and looking much better too!

Days 12 & 13

Days 12 & 13

Today's Starting Weight: 170.0 (Did Not Weigh In Either Day)

Weight lost to date: 12.5 lbs

I have found that especially when I am cooking for my boyfriend as well as myself that I gravitate towards the seafood counter in the supermarket. It is an easy way to cook something delicious and satisfying without having to worry about its preparation. Generally, baking or broiling most fish works like a charm without the use of oils or other fats. This approach worked again this weekend when we decided on shrimp and scallops. Pair these with some steamed spinach or a salad with your veggies and you have a full meal, not to mention that he is happy and so am I! I use Bobby Flay's Shrimp Boil (see below for recipe) to cook shrimp for a "shrimp cocktail" minus the cocktail sauce; the cooking method is super quick and the shrimp have an amazing flavor when you eat them. I also use these shrimp as a protein on salads and also chopped up with some diced red onion, lemon and cilantro in lettuce wraps for lunch.


On another note, I really feel disconnected without weighing in on the weekends, I will have to get a scale this weekend. 

Breakfast
1/2 c. multigrain cheerios
1/2 c. almond milk
10 lg. strawberries


Lunch
3 hard boiled eggs
1 c. grape tomatoes


Snack
1 lg. apple


Dinner
2.5 oz. shrimp & 5.5 oz broiled flounder
2 lg handfuls baby spinach, steamed


Daily Water intake 90+ oz.


Bobby Flay's Shrimp Boil

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons kosher salt -- I use sea salt instead and only a little bit, not 2 tablespoons
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
• 2 lemons, quartered
• 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Directions

Fill a medium saucepan with 2 quarts cold water. Add the salt, coriander, peppercorns and lemon wedges, squeezing the juice into the pot first, and bring to a boil. Let boil for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to a simmer, add the shrimp, and simmer for about 4 minutes, or until just cooked through. Drain the shrimp in a colander, transfer to a bowl, cover and let chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Day 11

Day 11

Today's Starting Weight: 170.0

Weight lost to date: 12.5 lbs

The hard boiled eggs were super easy to eat while I was working, mission accomplished. I also love these little orange grape tomatoes called Zima's, they are a little sweet and a little tart at the same time. My boyfriend made a delicious dinner, slow cooked steak that is simply scrumptious! I am so lucky to have someone who is also concious about healthy eating, and he's a great cook! Now if only I could tackle that scale issue! I doubt that we will have the time to pick a scale up this weekend, and I am nervous about not weighing in for two days again...

Breakfast
1/2 c. multigrain cheerios
1/2 c. almond milk
10 lg. strawberries


Lunch
3 hard boiled eggs
1 c. grape tomatoes


Snack
1 lg. apple


Dinner
5 oz. slow cooked steak
1 lg. salad (including cucumber, tomatoes and radished, dressed with Walden Farms Balsamic Vinagrette)


Daily Water intake 90+ oz.

Day 10

Day 10

Today's Starting Weight: 170.5

Weight lost to date: 12.0 lbs

 

 Well, I feel much better after getting on the scale today than I did at this time yesterday. A 1.5 lb weightloss is good any day of the week! This week I am working at an alternate location and have to bring a lunch that I can eat as I work. I have decided that I am going to bring 3 hard boiled eggs each day. I will peel them and cut them in 1/2 at home so I can just pull them out of my tupperware container and keep on going. I happen to love hard boiled eggs so if this week goes well weight wise and hunger wise, I may prepare this lunch more often. Also, I bought the Morton's Salt Substitute to start using. Clearly its not the same as real salt, but it does help add some additional flavor to the food Im eating. 

Today's Diet

Breakfast
1/2 c. multigrain cheerios
1/2 c. almond milk
10 lg. strawberries


Lunch
3 hard boiled eggs
1 c. grape tomatoes


Snack
1 lg. apple


Dinner
2 oz. grilled shrimp & 5.5 oz. broiled flounder
1 c. zucchini
2 lg handfuls baby spinach, steamed


Daily Water intake 90+ oz.

Day 9

Day 9

Today's Starting Weight: 173.0

Weight lost to date: 9.5 lbs

Ugghh. Up .5lbs. This is a disappointment to say the least. I am not sure why this happened. I have been sticking to the protocol from start to finish. Could this be residual backlash from Day 5's deviation? I get on the scale at roughly the same time each day and have been good about making sure that I am taking the drops at roughly the same time each day. I am drinking all the required water and I have not had caffeine at all. I am not giving up though, I will continue to persevere and I will get back on the scale tomorrow morning. I talked to a friend who is also on program (she started one day ahead of me) and she is also a little frustrated. While she has not gained anything at all, she has had days where she has stayed the same. I encouraged her to get a food scale so that she was making sure that she was getting enough to eat, and not just guessing.  


Here's the low down on my diet today


Breakfast
1/2 c. multigrain cheerios
1/2 c. almond milk
10 lg. strawberries


Lunch
3 hard boiled eggs
1 c. grape tomatoes


Snack
1 lg. apple


Dinner
5 oz. baked chicken
1 c. asparagus
2 lg handfuls baby spinach, steamed


Daily Water intake 90+ oz.


** As I was writing this out, I realized that I used sea salt yesterday at both lunch and dinner. Although the protocol says that you can use a small amount of sea salt as it does not retain water the same way that table salt does, perhaps that is part of the +.5 lb problem. I did use some today at lunch but I will not use it at dinner this evening and I will cut it out completely tomorrow. Lets's see if that makes any difference. **

Day 8

Day 8

Today's Starting Weight: 172.5
Weight lost to date: 10 lbs

WAAHOO! 10 lbs down in 8 days! I am back in full swing and as excited as ever. I am eating the same breakfast everyday and this might seem boring to some people, but for me it works. I am a person that does not usually eat breakfast at all and now I am looking forward to it. I eat my cereal at home and while it is a much smaller portion of cereal than most people would eat, its a good start to the day. Usually between breakfast and lunch I will have my first fruit serving. I am partial to strawberries and apples because they are allowed in the biggest quantities. Between lunch and dinner I will have my second fruit serving of the day, this helps to hold me over without being super starving by the time dinner is ready. I have also learned to take my drops before I start cooking or preparing my meals so that I am not watching the clock, waiting the specified 15 miniutes before I can eat or drink.
 
Breakfast
1/2 c. multigrain cheerioes
1/2 c. almond milk
1/2 c. pineapple

Lunch
3 hardboiled eggs with a sprinkle of sea salt
1 c.  grape tomatoes
1 apple

Dinner
5 oz. chicken
1 c. roasted zuchini
2 large handfuls of spinach, steamed

Water Intake
90+ oz 

Days 6 & 7

Day 6

Today's Starting Weight: 174.0

Weight lost to date: 8.5 lbs

Whew! I got on the scale at my moms house when I got there around 11am on Easter. I have not gained but I have also not lost any weight. This makes me happy because I was really sweating the scale after last nights dinner. Today I will not eat anything until dinner time, when I will eat steak and a lg. salad. 

I get right to work in the kitchen helping get the Easter meal prepared and as a total foodie and passionate cook it is tremendously difficult to rely on someone elses taste buds as I cook. I make due but I realize that I am cranky and easily agitated; duh, I'm hungry! This is incentive enough not to make this deviation a habit. I stick to my drops regimen and my 90+ oz. of water for the day. 


Breakfast
-----

Lunch
-----

Dinner 
5 oz. fillet mignon
lg. green salad


Water Intake
90+ oz.

Day 7

Today's Starting Weight: Unknown (did not weigh in)
Weight lost to date: 8.5 lbs

I am ready to get back on a scale and see the numbers going down. Tomorrow will be a very telling day about the total effects of my deviation from protocol. I am looking forward to it and am hoping to have the time to try out some of the recipes from the Stimulock program.

Breakfast
1/2 c. multigrain cheerios
1/2 c. skim milk
1/2 c. pineapple

Lunch
5 oz. grilled chicken (on top of my salad)
lg. green salad with vegetables (cucumber and tomato) w/ walden farms dressing

Dinner
5 oz. lean steak
1 c. asparagus

Water intake
90+ oz.