So this was my first round of HCG so I am no expert but I did learned a lot and found things that I simply would not be able to survive without!
First up my
beauty protocol: I didn't make much change to what i was doing pre-HCG except for my body wash and lotion. I was previously using Olay ultra moisture and was concurred it may contain to many fates and oils-this is also an issue with most lotions. I tried to go as long as I could without using any but I finally gave in when my skin began to crack. I bought JASON 84% Aloe vera lotion- doesn't smell to great but works for dry skin. I was having the same dry skin issue with my face so I added back in my Aveeno ultra calming face moisturizer in very small amounts. As previously mentioned I have used my liquid foundation the whole round with no problems.. I dont know what I would have done if I couldn't use it!! I also used my eyeliner daily.
My kitchen:
Note the vegetable steamer, George Foreman style grill, kitchen scale, and cook book. That grill and vegetable steamer have saved my tail numerous times when I realize I have to leave for work in 10 minutes and have not prepared any food! Throw 100g chicken on the grill and cabbage in the steamer, run up stairs finished getting dressed for work , come back down food is cooked and ready to go! I also recommend having some decent knives... I have never chopped so much garlic in my life! I have never cooked so much in my life come to think of it! I never thought I would have time to cook every meal for myself, one of my biggest time savers was making a crock pot full of chicken broth once a week. I measured 3 100g servings of chicken breast and threw that in the crock pot with spices, garlic, onion, and celery. When It was done you now have 3 cooked portions of chicken and broth that you can use as a base for soups. Oh and Veggie Wash! How could I almost forget that- while I would love to buy everything organic it is just not realistic on my budget so I wash everything throughly with Veggie Wash. I do however try to buy organic meat.
Day to day: Keep a detailed log! In addition to this blog I hung a sheet a paper on the wall of my bathroom above the scale It helped to have one detailed sheet of everyday weight, weekly losses, and measurements. Speaking of measurements..TAKE THEM! I know in the beginning you don't really want to know but now that I see how much they changed within 2 weeks I really wish I knew what they were to start with.
Also logging what you eat daily helps to distinguish what you may be sensitive to. It took me a while to realize that I could not handle the Braggs liquid Amino's that I was using as salad dressing and a meat marinade. I also realized I had smaller losses on the days I had beef. The faster you can recognize what is causing your small loses or stalls the better! I also found
http://cronometer.com/ to be a great tool for tracking what I ate and keeping a tally of my calories.
My guilty pleasures: Wondercocoa! 1tbs cocoa, 1tbs your milk allowance, and one dropper of vanilla Stevia. Makes a delicious chocolate sauce for strawberries. I barely ever used my tbs milk, but when I did this is what I used it for! Also I love jumbo lump crab meat, it is so yummy and you can eat so much of it for 100grams! I oddly don't like fish and finding out about my beef sensitivity this was a good break from chicken. Muir Glen organic tomatoes- The idea of opening a can becomes completely foreign on p2, but when you are burnt out on cooking their tomatoes plus tomato paste make a quick and easy tomato sauce for numerous uses and meals.
