Day 18: Choppin' Broccoli

In an attempt to prove that my previous stab at Beef and Broccoli did not cause HS to stall, I made it again last night.  Super yummy stuff, but sadly, I lost nothing today and HS lost only 0.2 pounds again.  There's still a chance that it's merely a coincidence, but I won't be taking any chances anymore.  In reality, while our doc lists broccoli as an acceptable food, the Simeons Protocol only lists spinach, chard, chicory, beet-greens, green salad, tomatoes, celery, fennel, onions, red radishes, cucumbers, asparagus, and cabbage, so I'll be sticking to those from here on out.  No more stupid broccoli.  I've had copious amounts of spinach, salad, tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers already.  I'm trying to think of something tasty to do with radishes, asparagus, or cabbage, but without dip, celery doesn't sound terribly appealing.  I don't know much about chard, chicory, beet-greens, or fennel, and I'm a little afraid of them.  If you have any ideas for me, please comment below.  


I started the day apprehensively because I was getting ready to talk to my critic again.  I was prepared to defend my decision to start the HCG, but really dreading it.  Surprisingly, she was much more supportive today and applauded the progress I've made with the weight loss and lifestyle changes.  I hope she saw that I was more energetic and content than she's used to seeing me.  She did point out that the most important component of successful weight loss is the mental state of a person and his or her readiness to make the necessary changes (and I'm completely ready!).  She also asked a lot of questions about how it all worked, so perhaps she's coming around to the idea that the Protocol isn't as terrible as she thought it was.  


I checked out Whole Foods for the first time today, and while I found some goodies we can have now (like fresh pickles!), I'm really looking forward to trying out some of the meats and cheeses when we're not on 500 calories anymore.  I spent about an hour and a half going up and down (and back up again) all of the aisles gathering ideas for post-HCG life.  I was, however, disappointed that most of the prices were scary-high.  For example, I was going to pick up a plain ol' loaf of wheat bread for the Littles, but the Nature's Own brand that I can get at Fry's for about $1.50 was $3.99 at Whole Foods.  Ouch!  I was excited, though, to receive a book of coupons at Sprouts today (mostly for stuff that isn't HCG-friendly, but still!).