Here’s another supplement I’m taking.

 

It’s called Phosphatidyl.

 

Supposedly, it is good for brain function.  Subjectively, when I take it, I do feel like I think faster.  The days I don’t take it I do feel more sluggish (can’t do math in my head as fast nor can I access memory as quickly nor form arguments to defend a position off the cuff).

I have no idea how it works but, perception-wise, I certainly feel it and would definitely recommend that you at least give it a try to see if it might work for you!

Here are my metrics for today:

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50% left through!

Today is the halfway point of my HCG Diet journey.

So far I’m down about 13 pounds with about 10 pounds left to go.

From a body fat perspective I’ve lost about 6.5 points of body fat with about 5 – 7 pats left to go.

My waist is down 3 inches from about 34 to 30.8.

I feel very good.  Right thigh is sore from my 2-3x / wk sprints.  Also, my right shoulder is also still sore.

Overall, I’m very pleased with my progress.  Everything that I set out to achieve is still very doable!

Here are my metrics for today:

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Back on track today!

I kept to a fairly measurable 800 calories and feel pretty good.  Also, my weight and body fat are now (almost!) back to their lowest point since I started the HCG Diet.

The clinic was right…one day of cheating sets you back 3 days!  Still, I’m still progressing at the planned pace and am confident I’ll hit my goal of 135 and 5-7% body fat.

Plus, I feel pretty good to about not feeling like I’m starving and being able to workout (this was a de-loading week for me as my right shoulder has been bothering me.)

Here are my metrics for today:

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Aggh!  I had a work event to go to last night (Brewers vs Pirates at Miller Park) and, of course I found it difficult to not eat anything with people.  I limited myself to just one brat and chorizo sausage with some onions and peppers.  I lost nothing today!  My weight and body fat were the same as yesterday.

I better double down this week and show some progress.  I am only 10 pounds away from my goal and approaching the halfway point (Day 21) of my 6 week journey.  The net loss is on track with what I expected (about 0.33 – 0.5 lb per day or going from 158 down to 137 by the end) which means that at Day 19 I should be at around 148.5 so I shouldn’t complain.

The math of “calories in vs calories out” works out to about 1/3 of a pound per day since I’m expending about 2000 calories and consuming 800 which yields a caloric deficit of about 1200 calories a day which is roughly 1/3 (1200 calorie deficit / 3500 calories) in a lb of fat per day.

OK, well, time to apply some more discipline after a Father’s Day diet debacle and now a Brewer’s game diet debacle back to back  =P  Game on!  I know I can do this!

Here are my metrics for today:

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After Omega 3 fatty acids like DEA/EPA contained in fish oil, the next big supplement that almost no one pushes back on most people needing is…

 

Vitamin D

 

You see, most of us are office rats these days, stuck in our corporate jobs.  We rarely even spend 30 minutes outdoors soaking up the rays that would rejuvenate us and replenish the Vitamin D our bodies need (albeit we need to balance that with ensuring adequate protection against harmful UV-A and UV-B radiation!).

Vitamin D helps build strong bones and teeth, regulates calcium uptake in the body, fights cancer, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis and other diseases.

I take 5000 IU every other day and can see it’s impact pretty clearly in my blood work.  This is something you should consider, too!

Here are my metrics for today:

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Well, I’ve got some bad news and more bad news.

 

I’m fat and…

 

…I deserve to be since I cheated big time on the diet yesterday.

Facing a situation of combined birthday, graduation and Father’s day parties I was forced to eat more than the 800 calories per day that I’m allowed on the HCG Diet.

I didn’t put up much of a fight, to be honest, though.

 

What was on the various menus?  Stuff that was too good to resist!

• Sizzling steak with green peppers, onions, tomatoes
• Mango chicken
• Salt and pepper squid
• Hot braised fish
• Seasoned shrimp with fresh vegetables
• Julienne pork strips with tofu and vegetable medley
• Elegant, bite-sized tapas of arctic shrimp embedded in toast and hoisin sauce
• Taiwanese noodles in savory sauce
• House special fried rice
• An incredible chocolate cake covered in buttercream
• Homemade apple pie from House of M (OK, McDonald’s)

I did try to prepare ahead of time by not eating anything until the party started.  I suppose that helped a little bit as my metrics weren’t terrible (I’m only up 0.8 lbs and 0.8% body fat).

Anyways, these obligatory social events can be extremely difficult challenges to face.  Plan ahead of time (e.g. not eating) but don’t be a diet Nazi (would it have been cool for me to drink a protein shake at these combined parties?)

Today I’ll make up for it by eating a bit less and see if I can get back on track early next week.

Here are my metrics for today:

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Well, today I thought I’d share a little bit with you about another supplement I am taking.  It’s called krill oil.  Krill oil is very similar to fish oil in terms of its benefits.  It purportedly helps to lower your risk of cardiovascular disease, balances the HDL / LDL imbalances we have and helps with overall cholesterol management.  One of the advantages it has over fish oil is that is much more easily absorbed by the body.  This means you don’t have to take as much for it to be of benefit to you.

The brand I take is found at Sam’s Club.  Like fish oil I’m not sure if I actually feel the benefits.  It’s just that there have been a ton of papers that seem to indicate that Omega-3s are good for you (which makes sense when you think of the people who eat a lot of fish and have generally better health than the typical American – people like the Inuuit, or the Okinawans of Japan).

As an FYI krill are tiny, shrimp-like which are found in the chilled arctic waters of our oceans.  There are millions and millions of them and they mostly serve as food for whales.  Hey, if they can help whales grow and live a long time perhaps they can do the same for us, too!

Here are my metrics for today:

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OK, let’s talk about the various supplements I have been taking during my time on the HCG Diet.

The first one I am taking is fish oil.

Specifically, I take Sam’s Club Simply Right Triple Strength Fish Oil with 900 mg of Omega 3 fatty acids per pill.  Supposedly, fish oil has amazing health benefits for avoiding clogged arteries, cardiovascular disease, amongst others that I won’t list here.  Recently, it’s been somewhat controversial.  But, it has been my habit so I continue to take the pills.  Note that I don’t really notice feeling different when I take them vs when I don’t.  That will be the subject for another experiment (where I’d have to go beyond subjective feeling and actually do some blood work before, after and during to see whether it’s affecting any particular marker(s).)

 

Here are my metrics for today:

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I don’t want to gross you out but today I wanted to share with you one of the potential side effects of HCG.

 

Constipation.

 

Thankfully, I haven’t really experienced it in a bad way, perhaps not even at all, as far as I can tell.  Things seem mostly normal to me except it may be just a wee bit harder to “work out my problems” so to speak.

Either way, I haven’t had anything of any consequence really affect me yet.  Just one minor drop of blood when I injected myself once but it was nothing and has never happened since.

 

Here are my metrics for today:

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Here’s another favorite tool of mine.

The Myotape body measurement tool.  It’s so much easier to use than regular tape (or even the old “use a piece of string” around your body and then measure the string tip). I like it not just because it’s easy but it’s also accurate and you can use it by yourself.  Usually, with the normal measuring tape measure it’s somewhat difficult to measure your body parts on your own.  It’s much easier to have another person assist you.  Not so with Myotape!

Here are my metrics for today:

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Diet

Exercise

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Body fat%

Skeletal muscle%

Blood pressure

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Waist