Getting Vitamin C while in Phase 2

It's still the cold/flu season and, especially if we're not taking vitamins in Phase 2, that leaves us a little on the susceptible side where those things are concerned.  However, you can use an old-as-the-hills recipe called Tannenbaum Tea to get really high amounts of Vitamin C any time you want.  In fact, back when Jacques Cartier came over and discovered Canada, half his crew was already dead from scurvy.  The rest of the crew were treated with Tannenbaum Tea by the natives.  Everyone who drank the tea survived, according to the history books.

In Eat the Weeds, it states that scientists  find the needles of Pinus strobes (White Pine) contain high amounts of Vitamin A and five times the Vitamin C of lemons!

Personally, I like the tea from the needles of these trees:  Cedar, Fir, Pine, & Spruce.  For identification, The Manual of Oregon Trees and Shrubs is one of the best resources.

So, how do you make it?

Vitamins & HCG

From an article I recently published on Triond:

There's always lots of questions about taking vitamins while you're following the HCG Protocol.  It's kind of a controversial topic because Dr. Simeon stated that you don't need to take vitamins while following protocol, because you'll be using the vitamins stored in the fat you're burning.

"Sooner or later most patients express a fear that they may be running out of vitamins or that the restricted diet may make them anemic.  On this score the physician can confidently relieve their apprehension by explaining that every time they lose a pound of fatty tissue, which they do almost daily, only the actual fat is burned up; all the vitamins, the proteins, the blood, and the minerals which this tissue contains in abundance are fed back into the body.  Actually, a low blood count not due to any serious disorder of the blood forming tissues improves during treatment, and we have never encountered a significant protein deficiency nor signs of a lack of vitamins in patients who are dieting regularly."1

However, the controversy comes into play when you consider the quantity and quality of the vitamins that are actually in the foods we eat now.  When Dr. Simeon wrote that bit, the earth's soil hadn't yet been over-farmed and depleted.  Almost every food on the market (save organic) has added vitamins and minerals now. Your food is now "fortified" and "enriched" with ABC Vitamins!

"Enriched means that vitamins or minerals have been added to the food. The vitamins and minerals are added to replace the original vitamins and minerals that were lost during the refining process. 

Fortified means that vitamins or minerals have been added to the food in addition to the levels that were originally found before the food was refined."2

The other thing that most people aren't aware of is the quality of their chosen vitamin.  For example, if the vitamin is made from a synthetic source, it's less likely to be bioavailable for the body to use at all.  Most vitamins found in the grocery or anything-you-want-at-a-one-stop-shopping sort of stores are made from synthetic sources.  If it's not bioavailable, your body can't store it in the fat of your body.  If it's not in the fat you're burning up, then, for everyone following the protocol today, Dr. Simeon's words are not necessarily correct.  They were when he conceived the idea, but they're not now.  How do you know if your vitamins are synthetic or natural?  You must read the label!

"A dead give away [that] the manufacturer is not concerned with the quality of the raw materials is to look at the Vitamin E used. If it says "dl-alpha tocopherol", it's synthetic vitamins. If it says "d-alpha tocopherol", it's natural. (Note the absence of the "l" after the "d".)"4

Basically, if the "l" is present, the company -generally speaking- doesn't use good quality raw materials to make their vitamins and you should move on to a different company.

The vitamins Mom & I use are all made by Now Foods.  All of the vitamins we do use, on protocol, are found in the Less of Me store on our website, if you want to use the ones that we use.  Off protocol, we use several others made by Now Foods, but while following protocol, there's only a select few (none with oils!)

Resources:

1. Pounds & Inches by Dr. Simeon
2. http://www.mamashealth.com/nutrition/enrich.asp
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_depletion
4. http://www.drdahlman.com/quality-vitamins.shtml
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioavailability
6. http://astore.amazon.com/lessofme-20 

Phase 2: Dry Hands

During Phase II, lots of people (I'd even go so far as to say MOST people) experience mild to severe dry hands.  For me, my hands get so dry they crack and bleed.  It's really terrible.  I've been through a few rounds now, and have a really terrific idea for hand moisturizing and softening.

Prep for VLCD for everyone following the Christmas Loading Days calendar!

You've had one whole day of Loading.  Congratulations!  The Loading Days are always the most difficult for Mom & I.  We always feel so...  icky, full, bloated, uncomfortable, just overall yuck.  On the second day of Loading, I generally feel green and have a tough time keeping the food I'm eating down and gag reflexes start kicking in.  Ever try to eat a cream cheese brioche and drink a breve when you just can't seem to swallow?  Sometimes, the breve comes out your nose a little.  Ouch!  It's hot!  I DON'T recommend it at all.

Anyway, while you're not in the mood for food at all, it's the perfect time to sit down and figure out what you're going to have for tomorrow's meals (and, to make the costs of the foods lower, what you'll have for the next week or so).  It's Sunday, so the paper in your area should be stuffed full of the latest ads so you can peruse and find the best deals on the meat, which is really the most expensive part of this program because it's got to be lean, lean, lean and if you can get organic on your budget, that's a bonus.

Just in case you don't have it, here's the list of what we all get to eat while following VLCD.  This list is the list of foods that Mom & I follow.  We've always experienced wonderful results following it; I'm sure you will, too.  When I was on VLCD, I even printed that post out and kept it in my backpack/purse so I'd just have it as a reference.  It was handy and, especially in the beginning, made life much easier because I didn't have the whole thing memorized.

It's also time to change out your toiletries tonight:

• Your regular anti-persperant for Crystal Deodorant Rocks
• Your regular lotion for Corn Husker's Oil-Free Lotion
• Your regular beauty regimine for stuff that's Oil-Free (I don't wear makeup, so can't really help you there; I'd be completely making stuff up and feel like I was leading you astray if I said anything on this topic.  Since that's just NOT who I am, might there be any suggestions from the readers who've already been there, done that?)
• Your regular hand soap for Pear's Oil-Free Soap
• Your regular shampoo for Magick Shampoo

Look around for other oil-containing things that you might use and find some oil-free substitutes for them!

P2+: BLIMEy It's Hot Popsicles

Thought I'd check in real quick.  We're having quite a busy summer so far, but it's time to start thinking about gearing up for the end of next month.  I gotta say, even though I'm really enjoying the size 18 this summer (as opposed to the 28 I was in last summer), I'm looking forward to the size 8 I plan to be in next summer!

So far, so good on the maintaining thing.  It's been easy peasy.  I am able to eat *anything* I want and just stay right where I'm supposed to!  LOVE it!

If all goes as the calendar says it should with cycles, I'm thinking August 30th is the next round start date.  Anyone want to join Mom and I for the next round?

We're planning a few surprises for the next round, too.  I'll be able to report about the tests I've been running while figuring out the secrets to maintaining.  I promise I'll tell - but I want a good solid test before I go yapping about it, k?

For now, I thought I'd share a great little summertime treat that we've all decided we like around our place (including the kids!).  It's easy.

BLIMEy It's Hot Popsicles
1t lime stevita
1c water
Mix those together in a measuring cup, so you have a "spout" to pour out of.  Pour into some of those cute little popsicle thingies they've got out these days.  Freeze at least 4 hours and savor those wonderful treats!  You could also use the other flavors, too - grape, tropical, and orange all sound great to me.

BioAccoustics

Must be the time of year that lots of people are starting to look in the mirror and think about swimsuits on their bodies because I've had tons of requests for the BioAccoustics I created to help out with some of the challenges in P2 (and P3, for that matter!). Congrats to each and every one of you who're doing HCG!! Mom and I are just getting ready to go back into P2 as well and life is finally starting to slow down a little bit again so we'll be able to make more posts and be "regulars" again to our blog/site.

I have GOBS to share with you all on testing and results but life just sort of took over for a while. ::sighs:: It ebbs and flows. Best to just go with it rather than try to fight it, I say. :)

Anyway, here's the BioAccoustics downloads:

BM: http://www.lessofmehcg.com/frex/bm.mp3
Edema: http://www.lessofmehcg.com/frex/fluid_retention.mp3
Bad Breath: http://www.lessofmehcg.com/frex/halitosis.mp3

VLCD: Discussion of Fatty Fish

While I was following the VLCD part, I had lots of questions about my recipes containing Orange Roughy, which, according to one popular writer of HCG books, is a "fatty fish." What I'd really like to do is examine these thoughts.

First, the main tool I use when looking up nutrition about a food - especially one that doesn't come from the store with a label - is http://www.nutritiondata.com/. It's a *great* way to check up on facts for yourself rather than taking someone else's word for what the facts are. I encourage you to investigate for yourself!!

When you find your food, be sure to set your serving size and look for the raw food, as that's what we're supposed to be weighing to eat.

So, I wanted to take a look at one other meat, hamburger, that's called out on *all* versions of allowed foods that I've seen, and compare it to Orange Roughy.

Hamburger (95/5): http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/beef-products/6188/2

Orange Roughy: http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/finfish-and-shellfish-products/4099/2

Mostly, I want to take a look at the fat content of each protien. Hamburger, even very very lean, has 5g of fat in 100g of meat. Orange Roughy, the "fatty fish," has a single gram of fat in 100g of meat.

So, I don't eat veal, but it's another protein on the "allowed" list for all the lists I've seen. The data on it is startling, when considering that we're supposed to cut out all fats:

http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/lamb-veal-and-game-products/4740/2

Wow! In 100g of breast meat, there's over 200 calories and a whopping 15g of fat.

When comparing the other allowed meats to the "fatty fish" to see if it's a good choice or not, it becomes pretty clear that compared to the other allowed meats, even a fatty white fish is better than most of them!

TestV06o is an initial bust

::sighs::

TestV06o is an initial bust. It resulted in a .4 gain today. Of course, that doesn't mean that it's a complete bust - the true tale comes out in the following two or three days. Today is also the 23rd day of this round, which is the same time that I stalled out for almost two weeks last round. To be honest, it's what I was trying to find the solution to.

Last round, I tried two apple days & a mini-steak day to no avail. The only thing that worked and got me jump started was the egg day. I was afraid to rock the boat last time around, though. I wanted to stay as close to "true" as possible so I had a base-line to compare against when I did my own fiddling with things this round.

There are a few things different this time around, though. One major difference is that I tested *starting* the day I began my cycle. This did NOT work out very well. I thought that if I did the loading days the first few days of my female cycle that maybe I'd be "in synch" with my body's natural rhythms and I might get better results. The laugh was on me over that one. Lol!

I'm thinking that next round, I'm going to do only a 23 day round, start just after my female cycle, and see what those results get me... Keep checking in and I'll let you know how the next three days go to find out if TestV06o is a true bust or if the initial results just look like it is...

Cookbook2: Hung-far-lo Buffalo Soup

In honor of my Grandma's favorite Chinese restraunt in Portland, OR, we present a delicious dish:

Hung-far-lo Buffalo Soup (150 calories)

3c water

1 beef bullion cube

1T soy sauce

1T seaweed flakes

1 clove garlic, sliced

1c broccoli (50 calories)

100g ground buffalo (100 calories)

1" fresh ginger, grated

1t soy sauce

2t minced onion (dried)

1T milk

Ground pepper to taste

1/4t chili powder

In pan, bring water, bullion cube, 1T soy sauce, seaweed, garlic, and broccoli to a boil. In separate bowl, mix buffalo, ginger, 1t soy sauce, onion, milk, pepper, and chili powder together. Form 1" balls with the meat mixture. In boiling broth, drop meatballs carefully into broth until cooked.

Seafood Stuffed Zucchini

Today, we've got a seafood stuffed zucchini. We were at the store and it occurred to us that Dr. Simeon never said we couldn't mix proteins - just no mixing veggies. So, we gave it a shot today. We mixed orange roughy, clams, and shrimp together with seasonings and put it all into a zucchini boat. I think it could have used a little more salt and a little more garlic (but you know, I love garlic, lol), but it was delightful and got better with each bite. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Mama Mia!

It takes me a little while to get video taken care of, but I didn't want to just post the recipe with this one - you really need to see the video, too! The kids were a little on the loud side in the background, but you can still hear Mom (Christine) as she shows you how to make up this dish.

Raspberry Chicken

This dish turned out pretty good. I think that next time around, I wouldn't add the Walden Farms stuff to it, though, as it makes it taste too sweet. But "sweet" really isn't the right word - it's a fakey sweet, you know? It did make it even better when we sprinkled chili powder on top, so be sure to give that a shot! That made the dish go from good to YUM!

No Rolls on my Rump Roast

A few days ago, we had roast beef - it was really yummy, but I've been trying to figure out the ups & downs and so forth of getting video done. It takes me a while still, so please pardon me while I work through my learning curve. ::grins::

This video actually has two recipes in it, the No Rolls on my Rump Roast as well as a Garlic Green Bean dish for the side, so be sure to watch the whole thing! The bay leaf in the roast *really* makes the whole thing - if you don't have bay leaves, go get some before you make this! You'll be so glad you did. I promise!

How're you all liking this format?

Chicken Coup Broccoli

We actually needed to steam the broccoli a little before we put it in with the rest of the dish, but it turned out wonderfully! Very satisfying...

Italian Spinach Soup

Tonight's supper was wonderfully fullllll of flavor. It looks like a bowl of bright green moss, but it tastes so good, we finished off two bowls each! :)

Italian Spinach Soup (26 calories)

4c Spinach (26 calories)

2c water

1T chicken bullion

1t dried onion flakes

1T Italian Seasoning

1t fresh garlic, minced

1t garlic powder

Steam spinach until wilted. In separate pot, add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Add wilted spinach to food processor along with broth and blend until smooth. Pour soup back into pot and allow to simmer another 10 minutes, serve hot and enjoy!

HCG Hot-n-Sour Egg Drop Soup

HCG Hot-n-Sour Egg Drop Soup (119 calories)

1 large egg (71 calories) & 3 egg whites (48 calories)

2c water

2t chicken bullion

2T Apple Cider Vinegar

sprinkle garlic

sprinkle onion powder

2 drops stevia

chilli pepper to taste

1T soy sauce

Put everything but the eggs in a sauce pan and bring to a low boil. Whisk together egg and whites in a separate bowl. Swirl broth around in one direction, drop eggs into broth in a steady stream. Add desired veggie! We recommend onions, mushrooms, spinach, or zucchini.

***

Lots of people overlook the eggs as a possible meal option. However, it's one of the most whole proteins available to us on protocol. Dr. Simeon only recommended it for "vegetarians," but we were having a vegetarian moment when we made it. lol.

Orange Spinach Salad

Today's lunch was absolutely wonderful. We enjoyed a citrus salad alongside Orange Roughy made up like it was the halibut from Herb the Halibut.

Orange Spinach Salad (73 calories)

2c spinach (13 calories)

1 orange (60 calories)

sprinkle onion granuals

sprinkle garlic granuals

vinegrette dressing (below)

Slice spinach and place in bowl. Cut orange with a knife, taking off all the white part. Save the rinds and set aside. Cut orange into quarters going the same direction as the segments, then turn and slice in half so you get small pieces. Put half of the orange into the spinach. The other half of the orange, squeeze over the spinach just a little bit before you add to the salad. Get the rinds and squeeze the juice from the cut out part of the orange over the top of that (not the oils from the rind, but the juice from the little left over parts in the white part of the orange).

Optional: Add 1T chopped sweet onion.

Liberally sprinkle onion & garlic powder over the salad, add dressing (below), toss with your hands and plate.

Vinegrette Dressing (14 calories)

1T balsamic vinegar (14 calories)

1T Apple Cider vinegar

1/8t chili powder

1/4 packet of powdered sweet leaf stevia

salt & pepper to taste

Mix together, then pour over the salad

Balsamic vinegar, generally speaking, is frowned upon in the world of HCG while on the VLCD portion. However, in comparing 1T of balsamic vinegar with the juice of 1 lemon, I found that they're similar in sugars and in calories.

A quick overview is:

1T balasmic = 14 calories, 2g sugars.

Juice of lemon = 12 calories, 1g sugars.

So, you could go ahead and delete the balsamic vinegar from the dressing recipe and just add a little more Apple Cider vinegar, sparing yourself the 14 calories, if you'd like!

Green to the Gills Tilapia

We finally decided to try out tilapia whitefish. It's not bad, really. I don't particularly care for fishy fish, and this had a mild fishy fish flavor. We used wasabi as a flavoring for this meal, as we were expecting a stronger flavor to the fish. However, it could have been treated a little better than what we did, to enhance the flavors rather than just overpower them. lol.

Green to the Gills Tilapia

100g Tilapia (96 calories)

juice from 1/4 lime

sprinkle of garlic

sprinkle of Butter Buds

salt & pepper to taste

1/2t wasabi paste

Rinse tilapia in luke warm water, then pat dry. Place tilapia in ramekin, squeeze lime over the top of it. Sprinkle garlic, Butter Buds, salt, & pepper over the fish. Brush wasabi paste over that and put under broiler for 7-9 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

...

Leeska asked if limes were allowed on Phase 2. For the answer, I have to point to some hard data.

Lemons are actually higher in carbohydrates (and have higher sugar concentration) than limes... According to my research and from using it last P2, limes are a better choice, though I also use lemons.

For Lemons: http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1938/2

For Limes: http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1943/2

Be sure to make the amounts 1 ounce in both lemons and limes so you can compare...

P2 Macadamia nuts

So, the "macadamia nut thing" that I posted about earlier led to some research. Not only did I discover that the macadamia nuts are supposed to help with ketosis but found that 1-2 T of coconut oil 2-3 times per week is supposed to do the same thing. In fact, I've also read about one person who's combining the two... No results yet, of course, but that's the plan for that particular person.

Lots to try out next P2!

I think this is really interesting because, after my 13 day stall (even with 2 apple days), I only broke the stall by going off "historic protocol" and tried an egg day. Not only did that restart my body releasing weight, but I lost at a higher rate during the second half than I did the first half (averaging, of course). If egg yolks are so high in fat and I got great results like that from them, I'm thinking the high fat content in nuts and coconut oil should do the same thing.

Hmmm. Yes, lots to try out next P2...

P2: macadamia nut thing

I found this on another forum that was pretty intriguing. Anyone tried it out? I think I'll add it to the list of "to-dos" for January's P2 round. :)

"wow - i tried the macadamia nut thing yesterday (just plain, not mixed with cocoa+coconut oil). mid-week losses had been miniscule, but when i checked in this morning i was down -1.3! and i even ate extra fruit yesterday too!

"it's a trick that some people try and some people have good luck with on p2. i'm in my 5th week of p2 (round 1...i am only doing 1) and just heard about it. supposedly, if you add about 5-10 mac nuts to your intake, just 1-2 times a week, it can help break a stall or a gain, or just speed things a long a bit. it's a risk, because they are high fat (but good fat). i ate probably 10 of them yesterday for the first time, and they were delish."

If you've tried it (or are willing to give it a shot and let us know how it goes), please report in!! :)