Day 7 - Weight 124.4 - Cabbage Rolls

OK, here's the scoop. It's been one week. I've lost a total of 4.6 pounds and 6.25 inches. Here's how the measurements went:

Weight: 124.4 lbs. (-4.6 lbs.)
Bust: 34" (-1")
Waist: 27" (-1.75")
Abdomen (read: GUT): 36.75" (-2.25")
Saddlebags: 41.5" (-.5")
Left Thigh: 22.5" (-.5")
Right Thigh" 23" (no change)
Left Knee: 15" (no change)
Right Knee: 15" (-.25")

Yes, you read that correctly. I LOST 2.25" OF GUT FAT! (It sounds gross because it is gross). But losing it feels fabulous, fabulous, F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S! It is definitely motivation to continue.

LIQUIDS

• 2 C coffee, 2 liters water, 1 C Chai tea (Not the yummy kind you get at Starbucks with the milk in it. Just the Indian tea with spices added).

COMBO SNACK/LUNCH

• Grapefruit & WASA Crispbread
  
• Dover Sole
• Beet Greens/Asparagus

I didn't have a full 100 grams of either veggie, so I combined the two. This is a no-no and definitely against the diet rules. I cooked the sole in 1 C water with pinch of Thai Spice*, Salt, Pepper, and 2 TBSP lemon juice. Sole is very thin so it cooks very quickly. Then I added the greens and asparagus and cooked the "soup" on medium heat just until the veggies were tender, about 2-3 minutes.

My husband had the Crab Salad w/ Strawberries for lunch and he really liked it. He called me from work to tell me he had eaten his appetizer and to ask me when his entree was arriving... lol!

SNACK

• Grapefruit (I ate this right before dinner)

DINNER

• Cabbage Rolls (recipe below)
  
• WASA Crispbread
  

This dinner would make a really yummy appetizer. I've never done stuffed cabbage before and I struggled with getting the leaves off in one piece. If you were cooking for a "real" meal, you could steam the entire head, halves, or quarters. For the diet, because you have to weigh the cabbage uncooked before cooking, you have to try to separate the leaves to get an accurate reading. So, I didn't have very large & lovely cabbage leaves to stuff and roll with the filling. Still, it was delicious. As always, not enough bites.... sigh....

CABBAGE ROLLS

• Cabbage, whole leaves as possible, 100 grams
• Laura's Lean Beef ground beef (91% lean)
• Salt & Pepper
• Bragg's Amino Acids
• Garlic Powder
• Sambal Ulek

Steam the cabbage with water and a generous splash of Bragg's until just soft & pliable, not mushy. Brown the ground beef with the spices. (I added the Sambal Ulek to mine but not to Michael's. He's not as crazy about the spicy food as I am). Lay out the soft leaves on the plate and put about 1 teaspon of ground beef "filling" into center. If your leaves are too small, you may need to lay two or three together, just overlapping the edges so they stay together as you roll. Then fold in the ends over the filling and roll into a little "burrito" shape. For me, it was just like making dolmathes (a common Greek dish using grape leaves as the shell and filled with flavored rice and sometimes meat). You can eye your leaves and filling to spread the filling out equally. Some of my rolls came out beautifully and some didn't. I ended up with about 4 small rolls per person. I have to admit that while the cabbage rolls tasted delicious, it was a pretty sad looking plate.

One thing I fast realized about doing this diet with someone else - it's not really easier to cook for two instead of one like it is in real life. With the HCG Diet, it's actually twice the work. Each portion has to be weighed separately, cooked separately, and served separately. That's something I hadn't really considered. Also, when my husband leaves for work he needs to take his lunch with him. So, that means I'm getting up earlier in the morning to cook & prep his lunch even though I won't be eating for several hours. I've got to figure out a better way to plan this. Maybe I'll pre-cook some meat portions and have them in the refrigerator so he can mix them with salad greens. I'm not sure exactly what I'll do but there's a better way to do this and I'll figure it out.