Another one bites the dust...

...another pound, that is!  I'm on day 21 of the maintenance phase of the HCG diet and I am successfully down 20.5 pounds!!!  So, for those that are keeping track, my current weight is 159.5 pounds!  Super excited about that!!  (Hence all of the exclamation points.)  I have 7 more days of maintenance (even though I could technically be done today, I'm choosing to do another week of "restrictions".)  I am getting to add back more things every day...more sugars, though I have to be careful about how much to consume...more starches, but again, I have to be careful.  I even got to enjoy Thanksgiving (and Cameron's birthday party the following day!)  *I got to have turkey, about 2 tablespoons of mashed potatoes (AMAZING!!), and some delicious spinach casserole my MIL made...quite tasty!  I got to have some apple pie my wonderful hubby made (well, I had the inside of the apple pie...not the crust).  And then for Cameron's birthday party, I got to enjoy a small cake pop.  Delicious!!  In the next seven days, I'll be happy if I even lose one more pound! Updates to follow! :)

The (terrible) Twos

While I'm a couple of days late, I did want to post about Cameron's second birthday.  He turned two on Wednesday...in the midst of family photos, making Sesame Street cake pops, Thanksgiving, two birthday parties, and attempting to get the newly crowned "big boy" into his big boy bed, we're all exhausted!

I don't know why I'm so shocked at how fast the past 2 years have gone..........but I am.  I feel like only yesterday we were not sleeping in the hospital (no really, it does feel like yesterday...seeing as we're not sleeping yet tonight....).  Our little turkey came home the day before Thanksgiving two years ago...and he's still a turkey!

He's such a big boy already!!  Counting (to 10), saying his ABCs, knowing body parts, acting out different emotions, **attempting** sleep in his big boy bed.....it's going too fast!  I want time to slow down a little bit so I can enjoy every moment.  Okay, not every moment...he is rather infuriating from time to time (that high-pitched scream is not cool!!!), and he pushes our buttons multiple times a day.  But we wouldn't trade him for anything.

Happy (belated) 2nd birthday, Cameron!  I love you a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck, little (Mizzou) Tiger!!!

***Here's one of our family photos!!***

The next phase...

Well, I'm done with the days of 500 calories.  My results?  17 pounds lost in 21 days.  Not the 20 pounds I was hoping for, but I'll certainly take it.  PLUS, I lost almost 3 inches on my waist, so that's a MAJOR plus! :)

I'm now on to what they call Phase 3 (Maintenance).  I'm 4 days in with 24 to go.  I'm up to 1500 calories a day and am able to enjoy food a lot more.  I never thought I would be so excited about eating cottage cheese!!!  While I'm enjoying the food more, I still have to be super careful about WHAT I eat.  *Because of unexpected weight coming back, I've now figured out what to not eat and am having a steak day tomorrow to get my weight loss back under control.*

I'm excited to see what the next 3 1/2 weeks bring. :)

The Journey continues...

I'm on day 18 of my diet.  Total weight lost: 14.5lbs!  Down 2 inches in my waist!  While I only have 5 more days left of the 500 calories, I would still like to lose another 5lbs.  *Which is possible. :)*  Then I move up to 1500 calories per day.

I started reading a book (I actually just stumbled upon it while looking for something else at Barnes and Noble) called French Women Don't Get Fat.  Well, I was intrigued by the book all because of the word "French".  So I went to the library to see if the book was there and, what do you know, it was!  Along with a COOKBOOK!!!!  The book (and cookbook) are both written by a woman born and raised in France who married an American man and now splits her time between the Mother Land (France, for those who aren't of my  mind) and America.  She noticed while she was an exchange student in America that the American way of eating is entirely unhealthy.  The way she was raised, you ate for pleasure, and you ate small portions, not the stuff-your-face-and-keep-refilling-your-plate-because-you-think-you-need-to way of eating Americans usually do.  Also, in Europe (especially France), they don't believe in "dieting".  *Especially the "going cold turkey", counting calories, depriving yourself of things you enjoy kind of dieting..........basically what I'm doing.*  French men and women are taught from the beginning to have portion control.  They buy fresh and organic food daily....AND they WALK to get those fresh and organic things.  While the stereotype is that they eat bread and cheese ALL the time, the truth is that, yes, they do get bread every day.  That baguette that is bought in the morning lasts ALL DAY for the entire family.  And the cheese is real cheese, not the processed junk common in America.  They don't have to calorie count because they're not, like I've stated, stuffing they're faces and eating processed food that does nothing but add inches and pounds.  Fresh food, smaller portions, exercise.

Sounds simple enough and is something people have said before.  I'm glad I'm doing the HCG...a nice jump start to weight loss.  But once this is done, I will be embracing the French woman in me even more and apply the French Women Don't Get Fat philosophy to my life.

Vive la France!

Lucky 7

My sweet little boy turned 7 today.  I'm finding it hard to believe that he has already been in my life for 7 years now.  I feel like only yesterday I was holding him for the first time, not sleeping for both of the nights I was in the hospital just because I was so happy to be seeing him face to face, coming home from the hospital and having my dad set us up in the recliner to *finally* sleep.  My little angel...my Gabriel.

What a road we've been down.  Me, a frightened 18-year-old senior in high school with this little bundle of joy, wondering what kind of mother I would make.  The ER visits because he wasn't breathing right or was breaking out to things only to find out he's got allergies and asthma.  The late nights doing homework and projects so I could finish college and provide for this little guy.  I wouldn't trade a second of any of it.

Happy Birthday to my Gabriel...the dinosaur LOVER!!!...the JETsetter (he's in the gifted program at school)...my book loving, puzzle doing, game playing, best big brother ever, AMAZING kid.  I love you.

My Journey

I have embarked on a journey the last 4 days...I have started on the HCG diet.  If you don't know what it is, I highly recommend looking up the HCG diet. For Phase 2, I'm on a 500 calorie a day diet with very strict guidelines as to what I can and cannot eat.  Phase 3 boosts up to 1500 calories a day with a less limited diet, but still some good guidelines.

Many will see the "500 calories a day" and think, "WHAT?!  How can you do that?  That's not right!!"  It's actually not that bad.  There are easy and simple ways to make the food taste wonderful, and it really does fill you up!  I'll admit...the melba toast isn't the best.  For me, this is not only about losing weight, but about disciplining myself to keep myself on a healthier track so I don't just gain back all of the weight or go back down this road again.

My goal is to lose 25 pounds (or more, if I'm lucky!)  Here's how it has all broken down so far:
Days 1-2 (Phase 1): loading days
Day 3 (Phase 2 start): starting weight-180 pounds
Day 4: weight-175.5 pounds!!!  *I'm down 4.5 pounds!!*

I am hoping that by posting, I can keep myself accountable and encourage myself just by typing in the numbers (even though I'm keeping a log of everything *including my inches lost* on separate pieces of paper).

4 days down....19 more to go in Phase 2.  Then 28 days of Phase 3 (Maintenance).

Praying for strength, a positive mindset, and support from those around me. :)

Friends Forever

*For those of you who remember Saved by the Bell (and LOVED it, like me!!), you can probably hear the Zack Attack band singing "Friends Forever" in your head....at least, I do....*

A random thought popped in to my head.  I think there are a handful of friends that are my best friends.  You know, those people that you can go months not getting to talk to because, let's face it, life happens.  But the second you talk to them on the phone, in person, via text, or on Facebook, it's as if you've only spent mere minutes apart.  And, to me, that is so refreshing.  I love that I could call up one of those handful of people and we could pretty much pick up our conversation right where we left off.  We don't have any awkward silences from not getting to talk for a while, we don't have to fish for things to talk about.....it's just awesome.

I'm so blessed by those that are my best friends.

I have my "sisters" (by choice, unfortunately not by blood, though), Nikki and Andrea.  We've been "sisters" since high school....Nik as a senior, Andrea as a sophomore, and myself, a lowly freshman.  We wound up becoming sisters during a senior showcase that Nikki was directing and she had Andrea and I in the play acting as friends.  I had known Nikki for years prior to that from church, but being in her play was where it all started.  And with these two being my "sisters", they are "aunts" to my two precious boys.  Aunt Nikki and Auntie Andrea.  But to me, they're my sisters. Forever.

I have my darling Ashley.  Now, any time I refer to Ashley, I always say, "My best friend, Ashley."  Ashley is the person that I called when I got engaged and asked if there was any way she could be in MO for my wedding less than 2 months later to be my matron of honor.  You have to understand, she was in the Air Force then (her hubby still is) and they live in WA.  So, at the time, it wasn't like she could just hop a plane and come down here.  She had to arrange it.  But she said, without hesitation, that she could come and work their leave to be here.  We have been friends since I moved here in 2nd grade.  Gone to church together, sang countless solos for church choir, been best friends in a play or two, always cheered one another on.  She's always been there for my.  My best friend.  Forever.

And then there is my baby brother, Adam.  I know what you might be thinking...."how can you little brother be your best friend?"  Well, he is.  He is the person who knows me better than anyone else (aside from my husband, I bet.)  Even though he is my baby brother, he has always been my protector.  Even though he's my baby brother, I look up to him (literally, now...he's taller than me).  Sure, we fought as kids.  *And I'm talking the knock down, drag out fights....we really did hit, punch, bite, scratch, do anything to hurt one another.*  But he has always been there to protect me....he's always told me he loves me, even though I know I've let him down on multiple occasions.  I've watched him become such an amazing man and I am so proud of the man he is...the uncle he is, the husband he is about to become, and am beyond blessed to call him my brother. Forever.

So there we are....my best friends.

Now you can go back to singing Zack Attack's "Friends Forever".  I am.  :)