Cycle 3

We have completed cycle 3 and are now onto Cycle 4. Cayla has now lost 20 pounds and I have lost 26. She is the biggest loser so far since her percentage of weight loss has been more than mine. She has dropped her BMI from 27.6 to 23.5. I am so proud of her. Here are before and after pictures. Although the dress in the after picture is at least 1 (maybe 2) size to big for her, so it doesn't show really well how skinny she is, but I will post a really good picture when she gets to her goal which is only 8 more pounds.



I have lost 26 pounds on this diet, but I am down 50 pounds from 2 years ago, so hopefully I can keep things going in the right direction for however long it takes. Cycle 4 is a maintenance plan for life. It consists of doing cycle 3 from Monday morning through Friday at noon. Then for Friday dinner through the weekend, you are allowed to eat some of your favorite meals or desserts, in moderation of course, and then back to healthy eating during the week. This is definitely a plan we can live with. Since Cayla still wants to lose another 8 pounds, and I have a long way to go, we will probably continue to be good on weekends as much as possible. Since I have always cheated on Saturdays, I will probably just continue that one deviation and occasionally cook something on Sunday that Alyssa and Brittni will eat, but that isn't necessarily as healthy as I would like it to be.

Cycle 2 of the 17-Day Diet

I love this diet program! I kept us on Cycle 2 for an extra week to keep the momentum going and get Cayla closer to her goal before Cycle 3 where the weight loss slows down some. After 40 days, I have lost 21 pounds and Cayla has lost 16 and has gone down 2 pant sizes. Fortunately Brittni has been losing weight since last year also, although not on this diet, and as she gets too skinny for her pants, Cayla gets skinny enough for her old ones, so we just keep handing down pants. Now we get to look forward to some bread (whole grain only of course), some pasta (wheat or vegetable), and even some skinny cow ice cream treats. YUM!

February 2011

Our notable events for February included Alyssa passing her Master's Aesthetician practical board exam, just one big test to go and graduation from school in a couple of weeks.

Then we had Alyssa's 21st birthday (she didn't want a cake or a big party). Besides the presents shown here, she got the new Verizon iPhone from her dad the Saturday before, which she is in LOVE with.



And Cayla'a piano recital. She actually played 2 numbers but one was a duet with her teacher and the teacer kept messing up so I just posted the number she played by herself.

The 17 Day Diet, Cycle 1, Day 17

Cayla and I started The 17 Day Diet 17 days ago. It is actually 4 cycles of 17 days. The first cycle is green tea with every meal, chicken, fish, and a certain list of vegetables, all you want to eat for lunch and dinner. Breakfast is a protein, which can be eggs, or a probiotic food, along with fruit. You also get another fruit and another probiotic food for snacks. There is also a long list of condiments, fat free cheese and sour cream, sugar free jam, low sugar ketchup, Truvia,low-fat dressings, etc., that are also allowed.

The book includes some recipes which are really good, Taco salad with ground turkey, Turkey and black bean chili, barbecued chicken, chicken vegetable soup, fruit smoothies with kefir and frozen fruits (particularly yummie).

It really hasn't been bad at all, and the weight is falling off. I have lost 14 pounds and Cayla has lost 8. Since I have so much to lose, mine is coming off a little faster which I would have expected. I have to admit that I cheat on Saturdays. Since Bajio is closing for good in April, I refuse to give it up totally for the limited amount of time I have left to eat there. But Cayla is sticking to it even on the weekends when she is with her dad. They either cook some salmon at home, or go somewhere she can order fish, and she's had a buffalo burger without the bun. I am really proud of how well she is doing.

So far, I think this beats what I've heard about those of you starving on the HCG diet. We will see what Cycle 2 brings. I will report back in another 17 days!

Blast from the way distant past

I believe this is a ward activity/talent show from around 1958 in Garland. Dad is in the lineup of men back stage. He is wearing the pink dress with the hat.