Lozilu, iHop and Pwning Life

The Mud Mavens and I completed another women's mud run yesterday at the LoziLu and I couldn't be more proud of us. We had some new faces on the team thanks to Ms. New Booty and I'm proud to say we ALL overcame our mental obstacles to complete the race. I'm so blessed to be part of such a great group of women. Thank you Aliesha, Molly, Brenda and Joyce for joining Kristi and I - we had a blast!

After the race they had some fabulous snacks set out and I was SUPER hungry, so I ate off protocol (snack size peanuts, 1/2 banana and some coconut water). While this might not sound "bad" to you, it's a departure for me and I was worried I would wake up this morning with the same number on the scale...especially since we also took the kids to dinner at iHop (tilapia cooked on a dry grill with only lemon and seasoning, plus a salad and broccoli) last night too. Nope, down another 1.4 this morning which brings my total to 12.6! Doing my measurements today as well to see how I'm progressing there.

This HCG diet is truly amazing and I really do feel completely different inside. Maybe our bodies really aren't supposed to eat dairy and processed starches after all, huh? Have you ever cut anything major out of your diet? How did it make you feel?

LoziLu - I love you!

Setup for the LoziLu Mud Run was last night and it was AWESOME! Volunteering and helping setup to run the race free is a win-win for everyone. Met lots of awesome women all excited about the race today. I can't wait until Carmen is old enough to run these with me! How fun will that be?  Anyways, my heat leaves at 9:40 this morning and I'm prepped for a great day!

Got on the scale today and I'm down another 1.8 for a grand total of 11.2 lost so far! Wow, who'd have thunk it? Aside from noticing definition in my thighs and my back fat disappearing, I FEEL fantastic! No dairy, low carbs, low sugar. I thought this would be WAY difficult, but the results are motivation enough for me.

I have been so good, no cheating (except for done delicious quinoa salad from my Veggie Fever friend). I even resisted temptation last night when my family was eating pizza and wings. I went to my bedroom and cried like a baby because I REALLY wanted that pizza. However, I realized I want to reach my goals MORE than I wanted that damn devil pizza! I resisted and ate my chicken breast, strawberries and cucumber.  Yay me!

Time to go get ready for this 5k. Wish me luck!

Another one bites the dust...

Actually...another 1.2 - pounds that is.  I am down a total of 9.4 pounds since beginning my VLCD Phase 2 of the HCG Protocol.  I really have to admit, I've been hungry - but water helps a LOT.  Also, after my two meals I feel super full.  No dairy and very little carbs really does my body good.  I am, however, getting bored already with chicken breast.  I need to bite the bullet and actually experiment with some recipes.  If you know me at all...you know that I am definitely NOT the cook in the family.  I can make a mean breakfast, but dinners are usually all Joe.

Today after work I am headed to All Seasons Orchard (on 176 between Woodstock and Marengo) to help set up the 5k LoziLu Women's Mud Run so I can run walk it for free tomorrow at 10am with my gurrrrrrls.  Should be a blast!  HUGE slip 'n slide obstacle down a hill?  Count me IN!

Pay no attention to the food in the kitchen..

THIS is the counter at work. THIS is what I have to ignore because THIS is why I'm determined to reach my goals!

To Get What You've Never Had, You Must Do What You've Never Done

The saying "To get what you've never had, you must do what you've never done" has resonated in my brain since the first time I heard it. Well friends, I have finally done something I've never done: I started my first round of HCG drops on Saturday, July 21, 21012.  Before you get worried or nervous for me and decide to leave a comment that is not supportive, please know that this was NOT a spur of the moment decision.  I have been researching and learning about the HCG protocol for a couple years now and the opportunity for me to try it out presented itself and I am ridiculously happy with the results so far - I'm down 8.2 pounds!

The basic premise of the HCG drops is to allow your body to utilize its abnormal fat reserves for energy while you eat a very low calorie diet (VLCD) consisting of VERY specific foods you can eat.  Basically, two meals of protein, vegetable and fruit with 2 servings of melba toast or grissini breadstick.  It's a tough diet, but incredibly worth looking into. If you are interested in learning more about the HCG diet, check out HCG Diet Info - that site is FULL of wonderful information.

I also met with a health coach last night.  Her name is June Franz and she has VEGGIE FEVER!  She is an awesome woman with a passion for nutrition and helping people achieve their goals.  June helped me set my 1, 3 and 6 month goals for myself last night and I am SO excited to achieve them.  My homework for the week was to make sure to drink at least 100oz of water a day and I know I can do it.  The awesome thing about June is that she is willing to meet with you and give you a 50-minute health consultation FOR FREE! If you are interested in setting up an appointment with June, you can visit her website (it's still kind of under construction) here: Destination Transformation.

So, yeah...I am VERY excited for the next few months.  I will keep updating my progress here, so if you are interested in how I'm doing, please come back and check.

Peace.

Life has gotten away from me...

Yes, I admit - I haven't blogged in a long time and SO much has happened I don't even know where to start!  Yes I do...we moved into the new house on June 1st which we lovingly refer to as The Rutkowski Resort on Foursquare.  With all the cool stuff about the house (in-ground pool, vineyard, hot tub, sauna) it's been extremely difficult to do anything with my free time except swim.  I figure that unpacking the leftover miscellaneous boxes can wait until winter when we are all cooped up inside with nothing to do (except use the hot tub and sauna).  So basically...this house is a motivation sucker because it was made for fun and that's all this girl wants to do these days.

Next big thing...I did The Dirty Girl 5k mud run in Chicago on June 30th and it was AWESOME!  Our team name was The Mud Mavens - We're a "HAUTE" Mess and we had a muddy-riffic time.  Such a great time, in fact, that I have already signed up to volunteer at and run/walk my next all girls obstable/mud 5k called LoziLu.  I think I feel a new addiction brewing.  The LoziLu race could quite possibly have a GIANT slip-n-slide type obstacle down a big hill...if that doesn't get the little kid inside you giddy with excitement, there's something seriously wrong with you.

That's all I've got for now.  I promise to try to blog more - maybe I can write from the pool.  I'm sure there's an app for that.

Peace