Day 21 - COMPLETE!!

So I have completed the full 21 days of 500 calorie restriction, had 2 days of pre-carb and fat loading to help get through the first 2 days until the drops kicked in and these last two days of no drops and restrictions till the hCG worked it's way out.

Today I was starving - and so very happy that I can start to have gorgeous fresh crisp vegetables (as in more than one at a meal) and some sweet berries with Greek unsweetened yogurt. The odd piece of cheese or an almond or two are totally on the menu as well. The drops out of the system meant that I am no longer drawing fat as an energy source and it really feels different and quite uncomfortable. 

So it's back to using the Fitness Calendar to log in the calories and keep me on tract. 1700 cals is more than enough and I think that I will struggle to get anywhere near that on a daily basis.

Spicy Asian Chicken and celery stir fry 

Today was an Asian Chicken and celery stir-fry for lunch and meatballs with that baked spicy cauliflower dish that work really well together. 

I can't wait to try it with the full marinade to see how it really tastes! Soaking the cauliflower in yogurt, lime juice and zest, chili powder, cumin, garlic and curry with seasoned salt and served up with a gorgeous garden salad.

My normal meals aren't too terrible so I'm not worried to much about that, but will definitely watch the calories in the alcohol.

Thanks again for being so supportive to me and posting comments on Facebook and the occasional blog reply, I really do appreciate that many of you have joined me in my journey to health. Oh and I dropped those 300 grams that I put on yesterday so back to my end weight at last!

Thanks again and will keep up with the next 3 weeks of maintenance.

Cheers!

Day 20 and tomorrow's the last day of the 500 calories per day!

Well I am so happy to report that it is almost over, well phase II anyway, next venture I hope is going to be easier to find meal choices and I can't wait to have an omelet, some berries with yogurt and more than one type of vegetable with my meals.

Today I went up by 300 grams on the scales though I think that it is an adjustment from the 900 I lost over the 2 previous days. The last day of the drops is where you lock in your set weight so I just need to focus on that weight when jumping on the scales as my daily ritual.  

After the Detox

Before the Detox

In total I have lost 5.1 kgs in 20 days, not measured myself (because I can't find the bloody tape measure) so not sure about the cms, I will report asap on that one too.

So the photos as promised -
well there is definitely less of my hips and thighs and my 

After the Detox

Before the Detox

stomach is much lighter in the bikini. I am actually really happy although I didn't clear the full 7 kilos that they predict. I re-read the literature and it makes distinct comments about sabotaging the weight loss with poor sleep. If I was to do it over or if anyone wants advise I would say that when they recommend 8 - 9 hours sleep a night they mean it and you should put that in as a strong element to assist you in your endeavour.

Meat loaf with truss tomatoes and basil

Thanks you one and all for keeping me company on my journey through my 5 kilos. I will still post stuff regarding the next 3 weeks mainly to keep me honest but also for anyone who actually gets a buzz out of the Blogs. 

Good luck to anyone thinking that they might follow the hCG diet and contact me if you want any advise or recipes.

Cheers

Day 19 and last day of the drops.

Woke up and had lost another 350 grams so fingers crossed that there is more tomorrow, as it will be the weight that I need to keep within 900 grams of for the next 23 days to re-set the part of my brain that tells me what normal is.

The Hypothalamus is a particularly interesting organ that sits deep within the brain and is involved in many voluntary processes least most the size and weight of your body and what it deems 'normal'. It loves to have things in status quo so if left to its own devises and I misbehave with my eating it will want to take me back to my original weight and that is simply NOT ON! 

Veal and leek soup

In fact this next phase is probably as important and the last 3 weeks that I have plundered through. I will keep you in the loop because it's something that I am finding really interesting. I am also hypothesizing about the weight changes from early sleep to second rising and I wonder if it has anything to do with the muscles and connective tissue being stretched and alert. Think about how heavy your child is when they are asleep versus how much lighter they are awake. Just a thought...

Lunch today was another test - Soup of veal pieces pan fried and leek all of course with a bevy of herbs and today I chose thyme, chives and a sprinkle of fennel. Turned out pretty well and was super filling which is always a benefit.

My delightful son told me it looks like something nasty and maybe it does, but the flavour definitely passed muster.

Dinner I decided to do up a big green leafed salad with fresh basil and shallots and topped it with pan fried chicken breast. Crisp clean tastes with the added zing of apple cider vinegar was a lovely treat to my palate and a really healthy option.

It was much prettier on the plate than the previous dish though they were both good meals for the day.

I wonder what the scales will have install tomorrow and again wish me luck!

Cheers

OMG Day 18 and I can't believe it's almost over!!

So I woke up early (again) and happily found the scales had dropped again by 650 grams - YAY!!!!
I doubt if I will get to that magic 3 kilo's off but many thanks to all those who have said that almost is ok with them.

I have one more day to go with the homoeopathic drops and then two further days of caloric restriction whilst the hCG works itself out of my system. I am a little nervous about those two days as I don't know how hungry I'll get and what coping strategies I should employ.

Pork with crunchy broccoli and asian herbs

Lunch today was really nice, and made up from what my taste buds were after. Loads of broccoli, ginger, chilli, garlic and my Thai mint which is taking over the herb garden at present. All stir fried with strips of lean pork to make one really tasty mildly spicy dish that satisfied me all afternoon.

Dinner was on the run and packed to eat at the movies (Wolf on Wall Street), so it was light and easy to consume. Slices of roasted beef salted and wrapped up in fresh basil and iceberg lettuce. Alas no photos as I was in too much of a hurry.

Over the day and this coming weekend I will be scouring recipes for low carb and no sugar options to enjoy over the next 23 day phase. There are some pretty sensational sites on the web and I will reference them when needed. What I love is that people seem so giving of ways to help whether it's by forums or diet tips or recipes and the list goes on...

It tells me volumes about how not everyone is out there to scam you "on the net", there are actually some genuinely interested people who just love to share anything they can to help you out on your journey to health.

I thank you all.

Cheers!

Day 17 and it's moving again (fingers crossed)

So the good news is 4 days left before the next phase and I feel really good about it all. I woke up this morning and had lost 300 grams so I'm really hoping that it will be a steady decline for the remainder  of the detox. 

I also finally got the tape measure and lost a total of 13.5 cm on the areas we need to measure. So in 2 weeks I've lost 28.5 in total which seems a ridiculous amount. 

I am actually wearing shorts now that I was going to photograph the before and after but I couldn't get them on for the before shot, I feel really optimistic that I will keep this lighter healthier me long after I complete the 7 week in total regime.

Prawn and tomato broth 

Lunch was another soup but not off a recipe and a little too watery to hold a great flavour, still it was a prawn tomato broth with more wonderful herbs to excite my palette. 

I actually slow boiled the tomatoes with crushed garlic a small amount of onion till soft and then blended it, added the chives, coriander in with the prawns to cook them and sprinkled liberally with parsley before serving.

Dinner was a winner with my hearty meatloaf that I have banged on about for a couple of Blogs. The big taste was the spicy cauliflower.

Meatloaf with spicy baked cauliflower

I saw a Facebook recipe from my good friend Tricia and had to delve into it further. Whole cauliflower (adapted to my 150 gram portion) which you marinade with a mixture of the juice of 1/2 a lime, and a good amount of paprika, mexican chilli (because I didn't have regular) and cumin powder. Pop it into the oven on 175c for 20 minutes and then I microwaved it for another 3 minutes to soften it up a little. I made sure that I did this with the remainder of the spiced lime mix so that it really infused through the vegetable. 

It was absolutely delicious even though the recipe originally calls for yogurt in the marinade it certainly wasn't necessary in this case.

Bon appetite on this one if you want to try it out. 

Perfect world I  will be back tomorrow with more good news about a larger drop in my weight for the downhill run.

Cheers! 

Day 16 and trying to clear 3 kilos in 5 days...

Yes I know it is a mammoth task but I set my heart on loosing 7 kilos of unwanted dangerous fat and at 4 kgs down the time is running short. I didn't move on the scales today either so more disappointed that my stringent efforts to keep the right amount of calories in has come to a halt.

I do know that I had a 6:15 patient so that the sleep was definitely not as long as it should be, but why would it affect the weight? And why does it make a huge difference if you get up a little while later.

tomatoes heating in the pan with fresh herbs

One of my besties is doing the same detox and she remarked about the same phenomenon so it's not just me.

I am starting to eat veal this week, it is healthy, light in fats and goes well with almost anything. Lunch was a make up dish of pan fried tomatoes, garlic, onion, veal and a blend of fresh herbs including rosemary, thyme, chives and parsley to sprinkle on top. Super easy, quick and very nice.

The flavour of the herbs went all the way through the dish and was such a pleasant and filling lunch that I would happily have this again even after my goal weight is achieved.

The finished product

Dinner was an old favourite - the celery, sage and chicken soup. This time I added a small amount of garlic and onion with the chicken and when it was done I took the scrapings of the vegetables and topped the soup for a super crunchy extra sensation in my mouth.

This one will also be on the repeat menu as I start thinking ahead on strategies to keep my body shape and size exactly the way I want it to be.

Extra flavour by adding the pan scrapings

So only 5 more sleeps till the 3rd phase and a different outlook on meals. I really hope that I get a better result from those bloody scales tomorrow morning. 

Wish me luck!!

Day 15 and the start of the final week with bad news!

I can't believe it, I simply can't believe it, loosing 400 grams yesterday and putting 350 on this morning, WTF?????

I haven't done anything differently so I am flummoxed as to why the scales went up as they did. I do remember reading in the literature somewhere something about fluid loading or hoarding if we don't drink enough but if anyone actually reads these and you have an idea I would love to hear about it.

This is day 15 which means I am on the last week of the program. After that I go into 21 days of what they call Phase III or the maintenance which is pretty much eat more fats and protein. One rule only and that is NO carbs and NO sugar, this shouldn't be too difficult because I am not a big carbs chick anyway and my sweet tooth is all but gone. Anyway that is still a long way off in my books and I still want to loose another 2 kilos in my perfect world.

Lunch on the hop was roast beef (again) with beautifully plump vine ripened truss tomatoes. Thank God I did that roast at the start of the week as it has been a real blessing when I am on a tight timeline.

Tonight I wanted to do something special and I had bought scallops fresh earlier so that was on the menu this evening. Spraying those gorgeous succulent seafood bites with Braggs seasoning to add a little extra flavour and served with poached leeks was a wonderful treat to finish off a hectic day.

Sea scallops and poached Leeks

I am seriously hoping that whatever went awry today settles down and I can rid myself of that added weight and the toxins with it.

Cheers

Day 14 and 500 grams :-D

Woke up early this morning feeling alert albeit 5:30 and jumped on the scales to see no change. Jesus H Christ again??? Then I thought it's done this twice before when I've been up before 6 am so I climbed back into bed and rested quietly for another hour to see if the miracle would happen again.

Resurfaced at 6:30 and low and behold the scales had dropped 1/2 kilo. Now I can't even begin to know how this works but the book does say you definitely need a minimum of 8 hours for best results and I am not going to question it further.

Busy day with 8 patients so I had made sure that I had a good hour in the middle of the day to prepare a hearty meal. Sweet and sour chicken cabbage wraps were the choice today. Cabbage is very low in calories so you can have quite a lot and still keep well below the budget. 

Sweet and sour cabbage rolls

To prepare you pan fry 100 grams chicken breast in 2 tbs Braggs, onion and garlic powder till cooked then set aside to cool so you can shred the chook. Deglaze the pan with water and then add a small gala apple chopped and cored, mustard powder, crushed garlic, Tabasco sauce and 2 tbs beef stock. I popped a lid on it so that the liquid didn't cook off before the apple softened, return the shredded chicken into the mix and heat through.

Meanwhile boil 4 deveined cabbage leaves and when soft simply scoop the chicken apple mix with its sweet and sour flavours into the leaves roll up and eat.
This dish is definitely very filling and lasted me most of the afternoon.

beef strips with cucmber

Dinner was a simple beef and cucumber salad which I made sure had plenty of herbs, spanish onion and that apple cider vinegar as the dressing.


Each night I finish off with a juicy navel orange which I relish, it has been a long time since I ate oranges, they seem to be the poor mans fruit with so many others out there to choose from. This is quite unfair as they are sweet, delicious and filling.

Cheers    

Day 13 and weigh-in time with piccies

It's the Sunday night photos and weigh in and I can't find the tape measure! Frustrating in the extreme so will have to do it tomorrow. 

15 days into the diet

Today I put on a pair of shorts that I haven't worn for months and months, they went on with ease and I was so stoked. 100 grams off overnight and 8 more days of the hCG to go, then on to some maintenance for the same length of time.This is the part I hear that people find difficult but I'm not even going there in my head at the moment.

Another advantage is that I haven't lost a stick of energy in all of this. I played 18 holes of golf today and with my golf partner we managed to win the day. Walking the full course with as much energy (if not more) than I would usually have. Some people pooh pooh this style of weight loss but I can tell you if it wasn't for the homoeopathic drops I would not be able to sustain 500 calories day after day and get this much weight loss and have this much get up and go.


There is definitely no where near the creases that I have had in previous photos and really pleased that my tummy feels flatter. Even though I'm never going to cut it for the cat walk I really don't care, it is simply feeling better in my clothes and having all of them as options to put on when ever I like.

Tender beef strips on iceberg lettuce

Lunch today was thin sliced medium rare beef on a bed of crisp iceberg lettuce, fresh herbs including parsley, mint and apple cider vinegar with shavings of red onion for more taste.

Dinner was another marinara style soup but this one had a slant of vegetable broth and loads and loads of chives, parsley, a touch of onion and zest of lemon. Filling and delicious which is exactly what the doctor ordered for the end of the weekend.

Seafood herby broth 

Wish me luck in tracking down my tape measure.

Cheers

Day 12 - the apples worked - 800 grams OFF

I am so happy - the apple day was a hit and lost 800 grams (just over 3/4 kilo) for the day. It wasn't nearly as difficult as I would have thought and though 6 is the maximum for 24 hours I only managed to eat 5 of them.

Today I had loads more energy too which must have been the residue sugars in the fruit. Took off to the garden center to start my pot garden and a couple of vegetables to nibble on when I am off the detox. Nothing better than home grown truss tomatoes and green beans I say.

Today I tried my hand at Thai fish cakes and they went well, I did use a tiny amount of spray oil on the pan but well within the allowed amount for any one day.

Thai style fish cakes on garden greens

This was really easy I simply put the fish, lime juice, small amounts of lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, chilli, ginger and coriander into the magic bullet and blended it for a minute and viola! Perfectly flavoursome and light, and the garden salad with spanish onion and a really good apple cider vinegar was a perfect way to break the apple fast. 

Thai flavours have always been a favourite of mine, they are light in the tummy and bright on the palate. If you want to spice it up further you simply add more chilli or if you prefer it sweeter then adding Stevia to the mix can give you the desired tastes.

Dinner was back to one I had done in the past week, the Meaty meatloaf. After working in the garden and adding more exercise  I felt that I wanted a more substantial feeling for dinner so it fitted the bill precisely. The herbs, spices and crushed grissini stick make a good solid loaf that goes well with almost any vegetable but today I decided on those brussel sprouts again. Yum.

Those Meaty meatloaf strikes again

So tomorrow is measurements and photo time again and I am looking forward to seeing what the tape measure is going to say.

Have a great day and hope you are enjoying the recipes and photos. Please feel free to share these around or email me for any questions about the diet on paula@pnhandson.com.au

Cheers!

Day 11 - apples and alcohol

When I woke up I found no change on the scales so I decided to take the apple day challenge. This consists of nothing at all till lunch time then for the next 24 hours only 6 large apples and very small amounts of water only.
It is done to shake up the system and the fibre in the apples must aid in drawing fluid out of the gut, anyway all will be revealed when I way myself the next day.

detox apple day

I went out and bought a couple of granny smith, gala and delicious and have managed to get through 4 of them but only just struggling through the last one on writing this article.

The hCG mimics pregnancy in that it is the hormone that the pregnancy tests test for. It's action is to draw out the abnormal fats that we hold on when they can't be used in the normal processes of the body. When you eat a severe caloric restricted diet it causes those fats to be mobilised and broken down. Now the energy produced by that action is why I am not particularly hungry, and that is the very over simplified explanation of what is going on in my body whilst I still take the drops. 

The other interesting thing is that I don't have the slightest feeling for anything alcoholic, which many of you will be scratching your heads over! Not one inkling for a cheeky sav, a sip of the French or a refreshing G & T. Nor cravings for those sweet gooey things that sometimes call out for us to buy and eat. Very cool phenomenon but not sure how long it lasts post the homoeopathic drops are completed.

Anyway that is the brief medico lesson today to enlighten those who care to know a little more about what I'm doing to my body.

Cheers. 

Day 10 and still eeking off the kilos.

Jumped on the scales as my morning ritual and just a smidge off, 1/4 kg which I thought is good to drop off that much each and every day. We will see eh?

Work is starting to pick up too which is a two edged sword, it is good because it keeps me busy but it also means I burn a lot more energy so run out by 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Being a remedial therapist and doing so much massage does take its toll but I am looking at ways to soften the hunger bursts. 

These include lots of herbal teas and spreading the 2 pieces of fruit allowed daily into an afternoon block and the after dinner block. This is a better option as often I forget to eat the 2nd piece of fruit because I am no longer hungry or preoccupied in front of the computer doing work.

I am really glad that I have roasted up that beef because it is so easy to have a cold meat and salad for lunch. That is exactly what I did today and added fresh, ripe, organic truss tomatoes that were so plump and full of flavour.  
This is such a lovely meal and if you slice the meat thinly it really does go a long way. 

When I roasted it I covered it over with alfoil and slow cooked it at 160c which is quite the norm now it appears. The meats whether be pork, chicken, beef etc will always turn out so much more juicy and with the volume that you eat on the detox, i.e. 100 grams of protein at any meal, you really need to add as much flavour to everything that you prepare.

Seafood and celery soup

Tonight I tried my own recipe of prawns, scallops, snapper and celery soup cooked in a vegetable stock with passata sauce to add some tomato richness to it. Only herb was parsley and a small amount of onion oh and the celery of course. Lovely, simple flavours and filling because soup seems to do that to me. 

This is a definite meal for another night well maybe two.

Cheers and happy reading.

Day 9 and a wonderful new weight - 1/2 kilo lighter.

Well I can stop complaining for a while, it was interesting again this morning when I got up early and jumped eagerly on the scales to see - no change. I was absolutely gutted, but it was early so I went back to sleep and got up an hour later, thought about it again and climbed back on. To my amazement I was down to 68.5 kgs so somewhere in an hour of sleep I managed to use up 1/2 kg of body weight. This is an incredible journey not only for my body but also for my mind which is continuously trying to unravel how it works in the first place.

Before cooking beef resting on cabbage

Making sure that I get enough sleep seems a big component and not ever going near those sugar-free chewing gum packets should keep me happy.

  Today I decided that I needed to have some easy access meat for that time when I am hungry with no time to prepare food.

So I bought a very lean blade roast and slow cooked it on a bed of purple cabbage and topped with Himalayan salt. pepper and thyme. Delicious!!

Served up today with crunchy cucumber but I can marry it up with truss tomatoes, green salad, sprouts or what ever takes my fancy.

This was really easy and the flavour of the seasoning, herb and cabbage makes a lovely change. Slow cooking at 160c for longer keeps the meat juicier and more delicate.

Dinner was a Lemon, ginger Chicken with bok choy, simple to prepare and wonderful zesty flavours of the lemon rind, lemon juice and the hint of ginger went through the meat as well as drizzling the pan juices through the vegetable to add more to the meal.

Time will tell tomorrow on the scales to see if I will drop more weight by morning. Wish me luck!!

Day 8 and a hard one today

So I woke up expecting the scales to show me good news and BAM - nothing - nada - still stuck on the same weight for 3 days.

I have re-thought all of what I'm eating and nothing seemed wrong, maybe the sugar-free chewing gum isn't actually completely sugar-free. So no more gum and let's see what happens. I think that my biorhythm must be slightly out too because I have been feeling a little ratty today and really hoping more than 7 hours sleep will cure that too.

Lunch today was made on the run, starving after being out on the golf course for 4 hours doesn't play well for thoughtful eating practice. Each morning I try to do my half hour of yoga and that certainly slows me down enough to savour the meal. It makes you settle in and eat slowly with more intent into what you are putting in your mouth. I will try to keep that lesson long after the detox.

Stir fried pork, cabbage, chilli and ginger

Stir fried lean pork with cabbage, ginger, chilli and garlic worked really well. I love the strong flavours of the ginger and chilli and topped with coriander made a lovely lunch.

Dinner was equally as tasty with a home made Meatball and silver beet soup, made with home made beef broth and a little vege stock to fill it out. The trick to silver beet is to add it and then once cooked turn the heat off and let it infuse for 15 minutes. This seems to allow for the slightly sharp notes of the vegetable to soften into the rest of the meal. The soup base had cuts of Thai basil, thyme and shallot to add to it and the whole lot was wonderful and hearty.

Hoping that I get better news for the morning, and using this as a learning tool to understanding my body better as well.

Day 7 and I can't believe it's already one week.

It only seems like yesterday when I was in the kitchen doing my measurements and weigh in, and now I'm 1/3 through the detox and de-fat!

Definitely less waist creases

Happy to report that I have lost a total of 15 cm in the 10 areas that they assess your unhealthy fat distribution. Still no movement on the waist but lots off the hips (thank God), arms, legs and buttock all slowly firming up which I am stoked about.

The ugly photos are saying it all, still quite a long way to go but the creases at my waist have gone and the legs are not as dimply. Phew it's all worth it in the end. 

The side view in my jeans is more forgiving too, tummy still hanging over a little but much better than a week ago. Given that it is ONLY a week ago I won't bemoan anything.

Side view is promising too with less on the belly

No weight change again today :-(
I looked up the information to find that it is indeed the bodies way to re-map the areas of tissue where the fat has gone and fill them with fluid until components within the connective tissue can be broken down and re-absorbed. I remember this from the other day and recall going to the bathroom much more frequently so hoping that this is a sign to come.

Today's menu included seafood again and this 
time I decided to go to the grill.

Fresh grilled Prawns combined with lemon, spring onions, tarragon, parsley, onion powder with a pinch of mustard powder. Allow time for absorbing the flavours then into the grill for 8 minutes and served with slices of Lebanese cucumber with those refreshing lifted tastes.
The combo really went well.

Deliciously light yet flavour busting seafood dish.

 Dinner I tried my hand at a Mighty Mini Meatloaf something that I have never done before and it's surprising how far 100 grams of mince will go. With added garlic, dried onion,mustard, allspice and sage all in the bowl adding the milled grissini stick to bind and then bake gave it wonderful simple flavours just like Mum used to make. Topped with a home made tomato sauce with a chilli zing and served with crunchy green beans.

Mighty Mini Meatloaf

I finished up the day feeling pretty happy with myself. I have been trying to walk for an hour each day or at least 30 minutes of Yoga when I can't get out there which has kept my hunger pangs very minimal and my happy hormones humming. 

Bring on the next weeks measurements and photos!  

Sunday comes and another 400 grams goes...

Can you believe it - 5 days and 2 1/2 kilos gone!

The side effects are becoming apparent, if you eat anything sweet you almost immediately get hungry. I know that the experts say that sugar is as much a drug as cocaine but I have to agree. My one vise is sugar free gum and that gets me through at that late afternoon slump that we all get, or late at night when I am finishing up my work, or blogging to you all. I may pop a piece in and chew for 10 minutes or so but my mind must see it as real sugar because it makes me feel a little displaced in my gut, taste buds and adds some jitteriness to my nervous system. mmmm - mental note when off the detox to keep sugars to the absolute minimum.

Today I jumped on the scales and was happily surprised, not because I had cheated from yesterday, in fact I hadn't quite put in the full amount of calories suggested. It is just that I am starting to feel my tummy less from the inside (if that makes sense). It's like the abdominal visceral fat is shifting which is what this whole process is all about in the first place. Abdominal fat = organ fat = unhealthy = leaving this planet a little earlier than optional.   

Monday night I will have been on the diet for 1 week and so it will be measurements and photos again (gulp), all will be revealed so look out for the ugly shots again.

Today I couldn't resist the Celery soup with Chicken and sage for lunch, it is so full of flavour and tasty and satisfying and ... well .. the list goes on!

Dinner I tried my hand at steak again, but decided to bake in the oven. Stacked steak with poached leeks and they worked out a treat. I used rump steak and rested it on slices of onion to help infuse that flavour through the meat, on top I put a mixture of fresh thyme, tarragon and marjoram then covered it all with a sheet of alfoil and baked for 30 minutes on 180C. Whilst that was doing its thing I sliced and poached the leek in a mixture of vegetable and beef stock. 

So Harry's dinner of roast chicken and rosemary potatoes was in the oven at the same time and we enjoyed our respective meals together.

Look out for the measurements, photos and hopefully further weight loss tomorrow anyone and everyone who may be reading my committment to my eventual personal goal. 

Woke up this morning to find another .5 kg off - total 2 kilos in 5 days!

Very happy to report that the weight is moving again, funnily I woke up around 6 am and jumped on the scales to see NO change - very disheartened. As it was still early, and being a Saturday, I decided to settle back and have an hour or so more.  I had stayed up late the night before and only had about 6 hours kip so I figured it was needed. I finally got up at 8:00 and thought ?? should I jump back on that beast, so glad I did because the extra down time was enough to make the change.

I am not sure how that worked but I do know that the program does stipulate good sleep and preferably at lease 8 hours of quality sleep each night. Guess there is method in that madness also a lesson well learnt, and I will listen to my body when it's sleepy and not push through with things my mind says "can't wait".

Today's meals were equally enjoyable and a few people have commented on getting recipes so I am trying to include quantities which you can increase volumes as you like.

Hearty Veal and tomato soup

Hearty Veal and Tomato Soup can also be made with chicken, mince, prawns or fish, it's just that I had veal handy. As you know the portions of meat are 100 grams, but add as you like. Add 1 cup of organic tomatoes (I chopped mine up in the blender with garlic), add a tub of tomato paste (for me I just put in a teaspoon), added some Braggs seasoning, pepper, chopped 1/2 onion and popped in some basil, parsley and thyme. Tossed the lot into the pot and added some beef stock and Himalayan infused salted water.
Let it boil and then simmer till it reduces to perfection. Served up with a herbal tea.

Chicken lettuce wraps

Chicken Salsa Wraps or Lettuce Wraps was a lovely cool dish to finish the day on. I marinated the bird in lemon juice and garlic then pan fried it on a non-stick pan, took the chook out and when the breast had cooled off I tore it into bite size pieces. Then added 1/2 cup of onion into the pan to soften and brown, you could easily add chopped chives here to add more flavour, but I added a touch of chili to lift it up. Once cooked it's time to assemble, tear up the lettuce leaves and pat dry, stack the chicken, onion, diced tomato and add coriander then wrap and eat. Really delectable. 

4th day and no change to the scales!

Yes that's right, I have lost 1.4 k's in two days so my body is taking a rest day to acclimatize to this on a cellular level. I am not worried a bit because I haven't cheated at all, patience is a virtue in this detox so I am still keen to see what happens Saturday morning when I jump back on those trusty scales in my bathroom.

One beautiful Mercedes

Today also saw me collect my Dad's Merc from the auto-mechanic's now completely road worthy, detailed, one less dint on the front left guard, a sign of early stages where he wasn't as sharp as I remembered.  It is spotless and now I will try to get it sold to someone who will look after it with as much love as dear old Daddio did. Driving down to Mum's for possibly the last time in mint condition, I made sure that I had taken some fabulous photos for Car Sales.Com. Walking back home to my place looking at the Brisbane River with its usual business allowed my mind to roam back to some of the many spectacular times on the water with him. It made me smile instead of cry which I think is a really positive step.

Back to the days fare and it was much more of a success I must admit.
Lunch was what the recipe book calls fried 'rice' with prawns, now the rice is actually cabbage finely minced which is blended with a combination of onion flakes, crushed fresh garlic and stir fried with 2 tablespoons of stock and 1/2 teaspoon of Bragg's All purpose seasoning. Once cooked set out on the plate and the prawns with a little more stock and more Bragg's seasoning in to flavour them up. Plop onto the cabbage and add Himalayan salt, coriander and chives.

Lunch filling and flavoursome 

Dinner was eaten at the movies, on the hop as you might say. So I had to think on my feet, which was partially happening when I walked back from Mum and Dad's.

Meatballs with garlic, grated onion, tomato paste and more the All purpose seasoning for added richness. Served with truss tomatoes and basil on the side. Now I know it doesn't look that spectacular but the shot was taken on my lap, in the car park of Portside in a take-away container.

Super easy to do and I cheated with the microwave of the convection setting whilst I was getting ready to hide in the dark on a Friday night to watch one of the many great movies out there currently.

Home to a crunchy green apple and ready for what's in store tomorrow.

Day 3 and more weight off the scales!

So I nervously climbed onto the scales this morning and found that I had dropped another 700 grams, wow that's 1.4 kilos in 2 days!! 

I woke up refreshed and went for a 50 minute walk, normally I would haul myself up and down the hills of Hamilton but I understand that I need to keep my organs happy so meandered along checking out the massive homes in the Clayfield and Ascot areas. Feeling really refreshed it made for a great start to the day!

Today I discovered that the biggest thing for a sustainable diet is to make the meals really tasty, that way the volume doesn't really matter because you satisfy your taste buds and mental state. Lunch was courtesy of my friend Tricia and her Celery Soup recipe and then I trialed a spicy steak dish which didn't go down so well. Back to the drawing board when it comes to food choices but I think that steak isn't probably the best option when there are so many other delectable proteins to choose from.

Mornings are easy, I nibble on a grissini stick and drink lemon infused soda water followed up by one or two herbal teas of different varieties. Morning tea I slice my fruit and nibble on it savoring the sweetness in every bite.

Lunch was this amazing Celery Chicken and Sage Soup - boiling the celery in chicken stock with cracked pepper and then blending once soft. Meanwhile I marinated the chicken breast in  a little lime juice and fresh Sage for 15 minutes. Cooked the meat with the marinade on a non stick pan till crispy and brown and served it up with the celery - verdict ABSOLUTELY delicious, in fact I would have it every other day if I could.

Over the last few days I have had very light headaches which is ultimately the toxins being released, the good news is that my head is feeling great again. I am wondering about the effects that people talk about regarding clarity of the mind without gluten, different carbs and all those additives and flavours? Is this going to be part of my outcomes too? The weight loss was my primary goal but this lifting of brain fog and health to my organs is a definite blessing. 

The dinner option was Rump steak that I dusted with Paprika, Cumin and Mexican chili powder, I thought it might give me a Tex-Mex flavour but alas not as good as anything else I've prepared. Still it was an interesting experiment and one that was good to do to see and feel how I have reacted... I did serve it up with plump, young brussel sprouts which I happen to think are a wonderful vegetable though I do understand that others think far less of the little green meanies.

Clever Harry passes his drivers learners test

The other terrific news was that my youngest son sat for his learner's driving license and passed first time! Now we have to broach the big issue of lessons (and something that I am not looking forward to).