The hCG Diet

A few posts ago I briefly touched on this diet because my hair dresser was/is on it. The other day, I received an email that contained some information on this diet. If you've not heard of the hCG diet, it requires either hormone injections or consuming pellets and eating no more than 500 calories per day. Yes, that's right, per day.

We all know that eating only 500 calories a day can't be healthy but there are so many people who are jumping on the hCG train. Here's the skinny on this diet so you can determine if it's a good fit for you.

Pros:

• Losing weight rapidly - yes, rapid weight loss happens because you're consuming so few calories. Think about it like this: 500 calories is almost one meal! Of course you're going to lose weight

Cons:

• Unhealthy - nutritionists and the American Society of Bariatric Physicians are warning people about this diet. If it were healthy, do you think these people would warn against it? Yeah, I didn't think so.
• Expensive - the hormone injections and/or pellets are very costly. Many people, like my hair dresser, use the internet to make the purchase. Now you have to be careful what you buy online because you never know what's in it.
• Hard to maintain weight loss - losing weight so rapidly, as any Biggest Loser fan knows, can make it very difficult to maintain the loss. That's because it's not a lifestyle change.
• Few choices - because you're only permitted to consume 500 calories per day, you don't have many options. Think about it like this, there are 400 calories in 1 cup of Minute Rice

So, there's some more information on the hCG diet. What do you think about? Healthy or not healthy? I said it before and I'll say it again, there's no way this diet can be healthy. Losing weight has to be a lifestyle change for you to keep it off. 

SnackWell's Brownie Bites - RAVE

If you don't know by now, I'm a chocolate lover and I look for ways to get my chocolate fix without all of the sugar, fat, and calories. The Atkins Peanut Butter Cups are phenomenal and I recently found another keeper that I absolutely love!

SnackWell's Brownie Bites are perfect little bites of chocolate. If you get the brownie bites filled with chocolate, they taste just like Little Debbie's Fudge Rounds...OMG! I throw a bag a day into my purse and eat them after lunch in the afternoon.

This morning as I was grabbing a bag before work, I noticed that I only had 1 bag left. While I was briefly disappointed, I was excited to see that the bag I had in hand was completely full! These are a great pick-me-up for that 2:30 feeling we get.

The next time your down the cookie aisle in the grocery store, pick up a box. They're relatively inexpensive and you don't have to measure servings.

Beyond Irritated!

I used to work from home with a company in California until recently. I decided to leave because the company wasn't paying people anymore. I've been trying to reach Kelly Hagen, owner of Gentask and SitePropeller, for a month so she can settle up with me but she's completely ignoring me.

I'm telling you this so you can pass the word along to everyone not to do business with Kelly or any company with which she's affiliated. It's really bad when people refuse to pay their bills. What's worse is that she has the gull to insist that people work for free! 

Now, if she treats people who work with her like this what do you think she does to her clients? I can tell you. She makes them pay for all services in advance and doesn't come close to delivering what she promises to deliver. She's been reported to several agencies and now she's in the process of filing bankruptcy so she doesn't have to pay people. It's not that she can't; she doesn't want to.

People like her really have no business being in business because they don't know the first thing about it. So, take it from me, be very careful with whom you do business because you never know who's out to take your cash and run.

Good Things are Happening

I've been on a natural high for the past 3 or so days and it's been wonderful. The other day at work, the human resources director had me take a management test because the company is thinking of moving me to a different position! Well, I don't know about anyone else, but I'll take a management position any day! 

On Friday, I was put into the Purchasing department to cover for the person who normally does it. I made that department my bitch! I was as busy as a one-armed paper hanger and I loved it. This is the second time I've been left alone to get a job done and I haven't even been there a month yet!

I really think things are starting to look up career-wise. I'm kind of bummed that, if I'm offered the management position, I'll have to go back to 8-5 but I've got it all worked out. Here's my silver lining - I still get up at 5 am and get my ass on the treadmill for a 30-45 minutes. I'll still have time to jump in the shower and get ready for work because I won't have to leave the house until 7 am. 

I gotta tell ya, I'm really liking working outside the house again. I didn't think I'd like it because I've been home for so long but it's awesome! I love getting up in the morning, putting my makeup on, and getting dressed up for work. I feel absolutely amazing! What's amazed me most of all is that none of my other duties have slipped. I'm still a good mom and good wife, my grades are awesome (I'm pulling down A's), and I still have time to veg out or get together with friends.

All in all, life is pretty damn close to perfect right now. Oh, I was also just invited to be a contributor on Bliss.com so that's pretty nifty, too! The old me would sit around waiting for the other shoe to drop but not the new me. I'm going to ride this wave for as long as I possibly can! 

Time for me to get going a few things that need to be done before I settle down tonight. I have to run a few errands, get the dishes done, fold laundry, pack my lunch, and chill out with my boys while watching a family movie. Have a good one!

Trying New Things

Since finding Makeup Geek, I've been almost obsessed with trying new makeup. I've been buying colors I wouldn't normally buy just to see how they look. I'm buying blues, greens, purples, etc and they're awesome! Because I've been buying different colors of makeup, I've started buying tops with brighter colors. It's been great!

Now, if I could just figure out a way to make my makeup last all day in high humidity, I'll be doing something. I read about face primer so I bought one by MaryKay from eBay. It's supposed to block the oil and sweat from "melting" your makeup. I've worn it a few times but not since it's been so humid. I'm going to wear it the rest of this week (temps for Friday are going to push 115 degrees!). I'll let you know how it works.

I've started a wish list at Makeup Geek and I'm going to start buying a few things at a time until I've bought it all. Trust me, I've got a lot of things on that wish list! If you're in to makeup at all, that site has everything you could ever want....all in one place. I visit regularly to see what products are being talked about, to get new tips, and more.

Struggling

Since going back to work, I've been desperately trying to find a routine. Unfortunately, I haven't been successful. I start out with good intentions and then I tank. I'll have a rough day at work or I'm tired and I come home and just veg. I haven't even read anymore of The Mediterranean Diet. I'm such a slacker!

I haven't been gorging myself with food but I haven't been tracking it either. And, I haven't been working out at all. The only exercise I've gotten is walking at the office or when I've been shopping. That's just not going to cut it. When I come home, I just want to chill out with my guys and watch some shows.

I think they're going to be moving me to a different department at work and, if that happens and my hours go back to 8-5, I'll still get up at 5 am so I can workout in the morning before heading to the office. I've been working 7-4 so I don't have time in the morning for anything except getting ready for work. However, there's no excuse for me coming home and planting my big butt on the couch for the rest of the night.

And, before anyone starts seeing the time this was posted and "yelling" at me because I have time to blog but not workout, this post was written last night and scheduled to post this morning. :-)

Atkins Peanut Butter Cups - RAVE

Most women will totally understand the title of this post without further reading! I'm a huge chocolate fan but, in addition to watching what I eat, I'm also watching my sugar (diabetes in the family). Anywho, my husband, who is always thinking about me, picked me up some Atkins Peanut Butter cups the other week when he went grocery shopping. I was a little scared to eat them because they're sugar-free. My first thought was, "these are totally going to suck without sugar"...lol. I'm so glad I was wrong.

They don't taste like Reese's peanut butter cups but I don't care. Those things are delicious! Besides, who needs all that fat fro Reese's anyway? One thing that really surprised me, other than the taste, was that I'm satisfied after one serving. With Reese's, I would eat 6-8 peanut butter cups or 3-4 of the eggs, trees, or pumpkins in one sitting. Gosh, that's a crap load of fat! But, with these, I eat one serving per DAY and I'm done. 

If you're anything like me, a chocolate lover who's always sniffing out sweets but watching your waistline, give these a shot. 

Crystal Light On The Go - RAVE

Part of any healthy diet is water....and lots of it. I don't know about anyone else but I get tired of plain old water. I've been using Crystal Light for years and everyone in the house loves it! When I found the on the go packets a few years ago, I fell in love with Crystal Light all over again.

I throw a packet or 2 in my bag when we're going out and I keep a few boxes in my office. The taste of the green tea honey lemon flavor is absolutely amazing! It makes drinking water fun and it's only 10 calories per packet! So much better than downing a 20 oz. soda or, one of my weaknesses, a large caramel frappe from McDonald's.

There are many flavors available and you don't have to go to the market to get them. Amazon.com offers them for a one-time purchase or a recurring purchase. I bought some from Amazon a few weeks ago and 12 boxes were delivered a day or 2 later for only $12! The only store in my area that I've found carries them is a super Wal-Mart in Delaware. Granted, it's not that far from where I live and we go there often, but it's so nice not to have to make a special trip out just for Crystal Light.

If you're getting tired of plain water, give these convenient little packets a try. I promise you it will make drinking water much more fun!

Getting There

This month, so far, has been trying. My grandmother passing has really affected me. I lost 5 pounds last week because I wasn't able to eat much. Things have been very stressful.

Moving on. A woman I work with and I were chatting this morning (our internet was down and we had to wait an hour for IT to get us up again) about dieting. I was telling her that my hair stylist is on the HCG diet. We were talking about it and neither of us think it's a very healthy way to lose weight. I mean, how healthy can it be for a person to gorge themselves for 2 days and then limit themselves to 500 calories for a few weeks and repeat? I'm looking into it more to see if there's something I'm missing. I'll keep you posted.

Anyway, our conversation turned to the Mediterranean diet and it prompted me to purchase a book for my kindle. My co-worker already has the book on her iPad (who isn't reading without a kindle or iPad these days?) and she was showing me some of the recipes. So, while we were waiting for an internet connection, I hopped on my cell and purchased it for my kindle. It was $7.99. I haven't really started reading it yet because things have been so chaotic today. If you're interested in reading this book, you can order it from Amazon.com from this post.

Now that I've downloaded the book, my co-worker and I are going to read it together and follow it to see how successful we can be. It's always great to diet with a buddy so you're not bored and you have someone to hold you accountable. Plus, you're always motivated to do your best! If you're interested in purchasing the book, you can do so below.

Well, it's getting on that time when I have to start settling down for the night. 5 am comes too quick these days especially since I've been jumping out of bed at 4:30 thinking I've overslept! If you have any information, thoughts, or opinions you'd like to share with me about the HCG diet, don't hesitate to comment or email me. I'd love to hear from you! Have a great night!

A 4th to Remember

Today is our nation's 235th birthday and, now, the day my grandmother died. I got the news this morning that she passed at 5:27 am. Needless to say, today's not been the best day for anything. I've cried so much I've given myself a headache. I haven't been eating well, or much, today. Hubby's cooking dinner now and I'm not the least bit hungry. We're still going to see the fireworks tonight if it doesn't rain.

I was full of mixed emotions this morning when I got the news because her current husband (not my grandfather) convinced her to move to Florida 3 years ago. Florida is a good 18 hour ride from where we live, which is where my grandmother was born and raised. Her husband has/had some legal issues in Maryland and, instead of taking care of them, he moved. It wasn't long after they got to Florida when she got sick.

She's been in and out of hospitals there and had several surgeries on her heart and arteries. I made the comment to her husband the last time she was hospitalized that I'd never see her alive again. How I wish I could have been wrong. Obviously, I'm sad that she's gone but I'm also very angry that she died with no family in the vicinity. No one should ever die alone. Even though her husband was with her, it's not the same as having family around.

I feel so much resentment toward her husband because, if it weren't for him, she wouldn't have moved to Florida. She would have been here, with family, who would have taken care of her the way she needed to be taken care of. There's nothing I can do about it now.

It's time for me to get moving and get myself ready for the fireworks tonight. I'm happy my grandmother is in a better place and she knew that I loved her.

Busy First Week

Boy, I didn't think the weekend was ever going to get here! This week has been so busy and I haven't had time for much of anything. I started a new job and new classes on Monday....shew! I have off Monday due to Independence Day so I'm going to definitely use this time wisely.

I have literally sat around all day today doing nothing. It's been nice but now it's time to get back into the swing of things around the house. Have I told you lately that I have the best husband ever? All week he's been keeping things running very smoothly around here. Dinner is either cooking or on the table when I get home and he's been keeping up with the housework, too!

I've been able to come home from work, eat dinner, hang out with the hubby and the kids, and concentrate on my homework. Because I've been working on getting adjusted to a new routine, I haven't been keeping as close an eye on my dieting as I should be. However, I can report that I've not been eating a bunch of junk. I pack my lunch everyday so I'm not tempted to hit Mickey D's during lunch.

I've been packing a turkey sandwich on wheat, sliced cucumbers with Ranch dressing, Wheat Thins, and Atkins peanut butter cups. Not too bad, huh? I've been trying to do what I can. Next week marks the start of new hours. Instead of working 8-5 I'll be working 7-5 and then the following week I go to 7-4. Maybe that will give me more time in the afternoon to get a workout in.

Okay, that's it from me today. It's time to get my swimsuit on and head out to the pool while it's still day light. I'll try to post again before I go back to work on Tuesday. I feel like I'm neglecting you. Have a happy and safe 4th of July weekend!