No lunch today & Should I be getting better results? Advice please...
 

Just looking for some advice. First of all forgot a lunch at home today. I do have an apple and an orange. Is it okay if I skip lunch today? I would eat my orange or apple for lunch and then eat a regular dinner. Should I eat my whole protein portion at dinner. Otherwise, I would just eat the 100 grams of chicken at dinner.

Also, I've been getting very discourage lately with my weight loss. So far only 1.8 lost since last Friday (5 days ago). Here's a look at my weigh-ins:

09/24/11 - Loading Day 1: 272?
09/25/11 - Loading Day 2: 274.6
09/26/11 - Day 1: 277.4
09/27/11 - Day 2: 273.0 = -4.4
09/28/11 - Day 3: 270.4 = -2.6
09/29/11 - Day 4: 268.6 = -1.8
09/30/11 - Day 5: 265.8 = -2.8
10/01/11 - Day 6: 264.2 = -1.6
10/02/11 - Day 7: 263.4 = -0.8
10/03/11 - Day 8: 261.6 = -1.8
10/04/11 - Day 9: 261.6 = 0.0
10/05/11 - Day 10: 259.8 = -1.8
10/06/11 - Day 11: 259.2 = -0.6
10/07/11 - Day 12: 258.8 = -0.4 (Pickles, stevia, breadsticks)
10/08/11 - Day 13: 258.4 = -0.4 (Ate cake (I know bad...only cheat), pickles, stevia, breadsticks)
10/09/11 - Day 14: 259.0 = +0.6 Went to zumba thought I could jump start weight loss - stopped eating pickles, stevia in the raw, and grissini breadsticks)
10/10/11 - Day 15: 259.0 = 0.0 (Apple Day)
10/11/11 - Day 16: 257.6 = -1.4 (Hopefully apple day did the trick)
10/12/11 - Day 17: 257.6 = 0.0 (Zero again today)

I'm a very picky eater, so I stick to ground beef and chicken for protein and that's it. I also do oranges and apples (no strawberries yet). I really don't like any of the vegetables on the list. I'll eat lettuce, but I haven't been lately. Other than lettuce I haven't been eating any veggies (Oh, except the pickles I didn't realize I couldn't eat, so stopped *started eating pickles day 12*). I usually have a melba toast with lunch and dinner. I also had been using Stevia in the raw and the wrong grissini breadsticks which I stopped Day 14.

How important is tea? I really try to drink as much as I can, but only get in 16 oz a day.
500 calories a day: Okay to go under/Okay to go over? (by how much)

Any insight/advice would be much appreciated! Thanks!

First of all, quit freaking out, you're doing absolutely fine. http://hcgdietinfo.com/hcgdietforums...lies/smile.png Actually, better than fine, you've lost 20 lbs in 17 days, that's pretty damn awesome! You are unfortunately at the point where losses start slowing down. Happens to the best of us. Looks like you learned your lesson with the exercise. I would try really hard to branch out with the veggies- asparagus and spinach are both AMAZINGLY good for you, and raw spinach really is mild, like lettuce. Try experimenting with spices (as long as they don't contain sugar or starch) and see if you can get to where you can stand some. One of my favorite easy veggies is the already-shredded cabbage (it's over by the bagged salads, it's like a coleslaw mix only it's JUST cabbage) boiled in a little protocol-friendly chicken broth, with a tsp or so of vietnamese chili garlic sauce. The spicy stuff really seems to jump-start my metabolism. Your losses will be even smaller if you're not hitting your 500 cal, so try to use that as motivation to branch out with your veggies. Otherwise, bump your protein up to 125g or so, to keep your calories up. And, honestly, I would drop the melba/breadsticks, they're completely unnecessary and it's best to break yourself from grains, your body doesn't need them. I don't see why you couldn't eat pickles, tho, as long as they're just cucumbers and vinegar (may be brands out there that have unnecessary chemicals and/or sugar, but read the ingredients and I would think you could find some that were protocol-friendly). You don't have to drink tea AT ALL if you don't want to, water is the most important thing, but most of us get kinda tired of water and tea is a great way to break it up. How much water are you drinking? The goal should be half your weight, in ounces (so your goal should be 128oz ish). Try to get at least 100oz.

Like I said, looks to me like you're doing GREAT so don't stress about it (stress raises your cortisol levels) and just keep swimming! http://hcgdietinfo.com/hcgdietforums...lies/smile.png

Oh and to address your original issue, I usually keep canned chicken and canned tomatoes in my drawer at work so I ALWAYS have an emergency lunch available. You'll have to read the ingredients to find ones that are on protocol, but they're out there.

Thanks for your advice! It does make me feel better. I just hear you don't include your load weigh, so it's really only 15 lbs lost and I keep having these little to no loss days and I want to hit 30 lbs lost like so many other people have. To be honest I am probably not drinking enough water and I may be under my calories a tad. Just wondering what ingredients are okay for the chicken broth (what shouldn't be included). I think a big part of my problem is not really understanding what ingredients are allowed or not, so I just eat the same thing everyday to be safe.

Oh sweetie if I didn't include my load weight, I'd be really sad... LOL When I tally up my TOTAL weight lost (at the end of my signature) that doesn't include my load weights but my per-round losses all do, I mean technically it IS weight that I lost! I need it to keep myself motivated...

In broth, look for sugars or cane syrups, or dextrose or maltodextrin, and any starches or yeast extracts. Plus, you want to avoid sweeter veggies, like carrots. It's hard but there are some out there. My favorite is Swanson (yes huge national brand I know!) Unsalted Chicken STOCK. Unfortunately the beef has something bad in it, can't remember if it's a sugar or a starch, but the chicken has like 3 ingredients and they're all ok. You can usually find something at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's, or the organic section of your grocery store. I think the brand Imagine has some, and maybe Pacific Naturals. Every trip to the store is an adventure, don't be afraid, you've gotta learn this stuff sometime anyway so go ahead and jump in! http://hcgdietinfo.com/hcgdietforums...lies/smile.png

Bubbles,

I understand how hard it is when you go from great losses, to hardly any lose. However, don't get discouraged! It happens to everyone. I wanted to give you a few tips that I use in general on the protocol. First of all, I don't always hit the 500 calories; if I'm not hungry, I don't eat. Strawberries are awesome for P2! I used to eat mostly oranges and apples, but I almost always eat strawberries. I particularily like frozen strawberries. Just thaw them out for an hour or so, or use them in a smootie. Oranges are also really good in smoothies. My favorite smoothie is strawberries, spinach and either fat free Greek yogurt or protein powder. I know it maybe sounds gross but it's a great way to get your vegetables and you can't taste it! Another vegetable suggestion is lettuce with fresh salsa and spinach with sugar free organic mustard. I also put mustard on my chicken and it's delicious! Just make sure to drink as much water as you can. I know it can get boring, so I have flavored Stevia drops that I add to sparkling water. My favorite is the Root Beer flavor! Please let me know if there's anything I can help you with! Good luck.

Just an update, I did end up losing almost two pounds in two days. It was really nice to see a loss. I've really tried to be on top of getting the water in too. Thanks for all the suggestions.

Caitlin-I'm interested in trying that smoothie. I have such a hard time with veggies, so it would be awesome to sneak it in like that. Can you explain exactly the "recipe" you use. How many strawberries that sort of thing. How many strawberries can you have in a day anyway? I've heard of people drinking protein shakes. What kind do you get? Do you substitute that instead of eating the meat?

Generally, I use a big handful of frozen strawberrys for my smoothies or just to eat plan with some Truvia. I do a couple of different varieties with the smoothies. It can be done with just strawberries, spinach, water and Truvia. Otherwise you can add your protein in it and use either protein powder, eggs whites, or fat free Greek yogurt. I like the Jay Robb protein powder, you can get it at GNC. Or just regular Whey Protein that you can get at the grocery store. Jay Robb makes great flavors! I love the chocolate and the pina colada! And when I use the protein in my shakes, I don't eat meat. Hope this helps!