Steak Days DO Work!!

Well I indulged in a few things this week that weren't on my maintenance phase list. They tasted so good in the moment, but I sure did have a stomach ache in the morning. The HCG diet really cleanses your body, and when you put the bad things in you know it!! Well if you gain anything over two pounds (even ounces over) you are advised to take a steak day.

A steak day consists of not eating anything at all until dinner. You drink lots of water throughout the day. At dinner you cook a large steak in butter or oil and eat that with either an apple or raw tomato.

So after weighing myself, I called Eric to see if he would bring home a steak for me. He brought home a 9 oz. ribeye. YUM! He seared it in butter on the stove and then cooked it in the oven. It was to die for!! I ate it with an apple. It was super good, but a TON of food! I was thinking that I really hoped this really worked otherwise I'd have many more calories to burn off the next day.

The next morning I woke up and to my surprise I lost almost 3 pounds! WOOHOO!! Made me want to have a steak day every day ;)

On a side note, I have now lost 11 pounds and Eric has lost 22 pounds! =)

HCG Week 2

Well this is a bit late, but oh well! Week two started off great, and I continued with one pound lost per day. On the third day, things changed. I hit a wall. :( I didn't lose any weight for 3 days. That was very discouraging. Also, my emotions began to overtake me. I was very moody and anytime I thought about having the temptation of food, I lost it on the inside. The bad thing is that I started losing it on the outside too. My husband is so sweet, and I hate that I take so much out on him. It really is true that we hurt the ones we love the most. I think it was two things that were causing my craziness...

1. hypoglycemia- I've had this for ten years and I started to have regular episodes. Those who have it know all too well the wonderful side effects that go along with it! Not pleasant!
2. Not being mentally prepared- I didn't expect it to get this hard. I didn't realize that cooking different food for my toddlers would drive me this crazy. Eric could go to work, and just take his bag of food for the day and somewhat "get away", while being at home I had temptations left and right. I will say that I didn't cheat!

After many "discussions" with Eric, we decided it would be best that I go ahead and move on to the next phase. I felt like it wasn't worth it to cause problems with Eric and I. Also, I was having a hard time with the kids. I wasn't where I needed to be as their mom this week. So for lunch that day, I still ate healthy, just more calories. My blood sugar levels quickly corrected and maintained good numbers.

The best thing that happened with HCG this week was that I lost 10 pounds!! And Eric lost 20!! AMAZING!! For now the plan is to continue on phase 3 and then start another round of HCG in a month or so. I truly believe that knowing what to expect will make a difference this next time around!

HCG Week 1

Eric and I have started something that is loved by some, and criticized by a lot more. Let me just say that we did a lot of research and decided to go for it. We have started the HCG diet! We are taking the HCG drops three times a day, for 18 days.

We are one week into it, and Eric has lost 10 pounds, while I have lost 7. We are eating a lot better than we have in a long time. While it is a very low calorie diet, we are satisfied and feeling great! We have good energy, and are sleeping better. Eric has been such a great encouragement to me this past week. There's many times when I wanted to cave and eat something "not legal", but Eric was there to put my focus back in the right place. We decided to do this to take off some weight initially, and then transition into a healthier lifestyle. 

What I like about this diet, is that it trains you to be healthier. We appreciate what we eat, and how it makes us feel. It's like our taste buds have been reset. We can really taste the flavors of food without all of the added things, which is wonderful. My food cravings aren't totally gone, but they have dramatically decreased. We bought a food scale to control our portion sizes. We look for new, healthier ways to cook the foods that we love. Also, I love to step on the scale each morning and see my weight fall off!! It's a GREAT motivator!! I lost three pounds the first day, and then one pound for each additional day.

We have two weeks left before we start adding foods back into our diet. It's going to be a long, but good two weeks. I'm super excited to see how much weight I can lose! I'm also ready to eat some of the things that I love. We've already planned dinner with some friends to celebrate being done! I'm very excited about that!!

We are young, and want to be healthy for ourselves and our boys. We want  need to have energy to keep up with them, and teach them how to develop healthy habits! I would say this diet is amazing and eye opening...BUT it's not for everyone. It takes great discipline, and a great desire to change your habits to accomplish this diet. I'll be updating our progress each week!! :) 

Blessing in Disguise!!

Last night I was so excited for today. There were so many fun things planned! I was going shopping to get "school" things for the boys, going to make chore and behavior charts, grocery shopping (oh how I love that!!), starting a new diet, and new friends were coming over for dinner! Eric and I cleaned the house on Friday, so everything was ready to go. Well, when I woke up this morning, I was so sick. I don't want to eat Wingstop for a really long time! I had a date with my bed and the bathroom (sounds lovely, right?!). I was very disappointed about this sickness ruining my plans for today. As I laid in bed day dreaming about how my day should have looked, I was reminded of the Israelites and their grumbling. God really, really despises grumbling. I too, was grumbling and complaining about things not going my way. Later I was on the phone with my mom and she said that maybe I just needed the rest. God's plans are not always my plans. I know it seems a bit silly because this is nothing major, but I love what God showed me today. I need to stop grumbling, and thank God for the things he has blessed me with. I need to trust that God's ways are better than my ways.

After a change of heart, my eyes were opened to the blessings all around. Eric was so sweet today. He brought me soup, took care of the boys all day so I could get some rest, and made a trip to the store for me. The boys were wonderful! Normally there are lots of loud noises and fun going on, but today they were more calm! Eric and I cleaned on Friday, so the house didn't need a lot of attention today! It was nice to slow down today, and reflect on God's goodness and grace. I am so thankful that I am His!!

Happy Birthday, Jaxon!!

Happy birthday sweet Jaxon! We can't believe you are two! Time just goes by so quickly...

5 days old - You were so tiny

Your smile and personality are so contagious. You are so full of adventure and ALWAYS find a way to get into what you want! One day you will love all the pictures we take of you getting into things!! We love that you are so passionate. Never lose that.

Stylin with those killer eyes and curls

Now you are talking! We couldn't wait for you to start talking so we could know what was going on in your head! You are SO happy, thoughtful, caring, and patient. We love how you love your brothers. We love how you love us, your grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends.

It blesses our hearts to hear you pray, carry your little Bible, and sing to God. Your favorite songs are Holy, Holy, Holy and Jesus Loves Me. We pray that you will grow to be a Godly man, husband, and father.

Today, you wished everyone else a happy birthday as much as you were wished a happy birthday! One of your favorite things to say today was, "I two!" You LOVED your birthday pancakes, amd going to Godfather's for lunch. We can't forget playing in the arcade - that was a blast! The balloons were a hit until you figured out how to deflate them! You lit up as we sang to you, and even got a bit embarassed, which was super cute!! You are going to have so much fun at your party!! :)

Jax, we love you so so much!! Happy birthday!!

Love, 

Mommy & Daddy

I'm Back!!

Well, it's been Way.Too.Long since I've updated my blog. I started out with good intentions, but life has been going way too fast and I haven't stopped to share it. In the last several weeks there has been lots of snow, outings, and of course a TON of fun! Here's a recap:

Welcoming Ben home. Zane LOVES Ben and calls him his Army Man :)

Blizzard 2011 - The wind knocked the slide off!!

Zane LOVED playing in the snow!

What a precious face!!

Brandt's first time in the snow!

I have more pictures to upload, but the computer keeps messing up. Look for Valentine's Day pictures tomorrow!!

Happy Anniversary, Eric!!!!

I went off to college...and met a guy!

Not just any guy...

but THE guy!!

After dating for a year, I said YES!!!

We were married on February 3, 2007

So in love

Our little family started growing...

And growing...

And growing!!!

Three kids in three years!!! Whew!!!

We are SO BLESSED!!

Five years together, four years married, three kids and I love him more than ever! He is my best friend and I'm the luckiest girl in the world to have him. I truly believe God made us for each other!

Happy 4th Anniversary Eric!! I LOVE YOU <3 <3 <3 <3