Laurin Evans http://laurinevans.com blog Mon, 21 Nov 2011 18:32:15 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 LaurinEvanshttp://feedburner.google.com When only a list will do http://laurinevans.com/2011/11/21/list/ http://laurinevans.com/2011/11/21/list/#comments Mon, 21 Nov 2011 18:32:15 +0000 Laurin http://laurinevans.com/?p=9570 I abandoned my blog back in March, in case that wasn’t clear. But, there were reasons, I swear! I love blogging and missed it terribly, but nevertheless the Blog Abandonment continued for nearly eight months. Yikes! It’s been that long? So, without further ado, I present:

Reasons I haven’t posted since March 24, 2011:

1.  [...]]]> I abandoned my blog back in March, in case that wasn’t clear. But, there were reasons, I swear! I love blogging and missed it terribly, but nevertheless the Blog Abandonment continued for nearly eight months. Yikes! It’s been that long? So, without further ado, I present:

Reasons I haven’t posted since March 24, 2011:

1.  Took both kids snowboarding to Copper Mountain, Colorado, with some friends. Without my husband for backup. We took two babysitters with us for help with all three family’s kids, yet it was still…EXHAUSTING. Number of sweats broken while outfitting two kids with the 87 things they need to put on to leave the house five times a day? Don’t know. My memory of the trip is fuzzy due to dehydration from the exertion and all the alcohol.

So, I had to recover from that vacation, then…

2.  Started a full-time legal and marketing job at the beginning of April. I felt stifled by having a blog in my real name and couldn’t think of a thing to write without inserting a GIANT disclaimer that my views in no way reflect the views of my employer. OBVIOUSLY.

Also, I started living in my car…

3.  Twenty-minute drive to the kids’ fundamental school and then a 40-minute drive from school to work. Plus the twenty-five minute drive home with 2 – 3 days of hitting the gym on the way home to stay sane (it’s all relative) left precious little time to do much extra writing.

At the same time, life started sucking majorly…

4.  A very close family member was diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer the week I started my new job. My family was adamant that I go ahead and take the job. Fortunately, my dear relative had lots of local love and family support, so everything was handled beautifully. We just found out the cancer is in remission. It is a miracle.

Life marches on, however, and

5.  Jack’s second-oldest daughter got married in California a couple of weeks after I started the job. Erin was so sick that she and I missed the wedding and spent nearly the entire trip in the hotel room. Stayed in a lovely old place that began to feel like the Overlook Hotel when we ran out of underwear and receptacles for vomit.

Jack did bring me back a piece of cake, though, and Jake, who promptly began throwing up and other things minutes after Jack left to return to the wedding. Southern California weather is magical that time of year, I hear.

Then, to extinguish my last remaining moments of free time during which I might blog…

6.  Brought home the new baby. I purchased a ridiculously expensive, impossibly tiny, designer dog named Bella for Erin in the hope she would stop moving the cat – nearly 20 pounds and unpredictable when pushed to his limit by a young girl determined to carry him everywhere she goes – and it actually worked! The cat was all but ignored, but unfortunately gained what looks like another five pounds due to lack of previous daily fleeing and eluding exercise.

I am now that person with a purse dog. Unexpected treat: Jack, who fought getting a “stupid small dog” like a demon, is absolutely devoted to Bella. He still has not figured out how much I spent on the dog, so we are still married. Avoiding costly ER visits for facial laceration and plastic surgery for daughter? Priceless.

This picture makes Bella look big, but she is only 1.8 pounds. She has long Jim Carrey in The Grinch-like hair tufting out between all of her toes. It’s totally adorable.

7.  Traveled a bit for work. Went to conferences in Atlanta, San Francisco and Denver. Like a moron, I ate a giant bowl of cantaloupe in Denver AT THE VERY TIME the tainted Colorado cantaloupe was all over the news. In my defense, my co-worker ate some too, so I’m at least tied for stupid. Spent the next month convinced that every cough was the beginning of the end.

Uncharted territory ahead…

8.  Jake was diagnosed with a nonverbal learning disability, complete with an almost total inability to comprehend math (dyscalculia). He was struggling mightily, despite an amazing teacher and support structure at his school. He had a 504 plan and we were in the process of getting an IEP in place, but I could tell that without nearly constant one-on-one intervention he would continue to fall behind.

I lose my shit completely and…

9.  We decided to take the kids out of school for me to homeschool them. I have always been curious about homeschooling and teaching in general (My mother was a sixth-grade teacher, coach and computer teacher for many, many years), but always proclaimed loudly and at every opportunity that I could never homeschool my own kids because, well, they are my boisterous, headstrong offspring. I really tried to put that nicely.

For some reason, the President and CEO of the company where I work generously approved me to work around three hours a day from home. I am incredibly grateful because I really enjoy the work and the people and it allows me to still be an adult making adult money and to use my big words and pricey law degree.

Things start to settle down…

10.  I get the hang of homeschooling and realize Erin would be better off in our zoned elementary school, especially since it is now graded even higher than her former school. She openly despised homeschool (despite begging me to make the decision in the first place) and it was hindering my ability to teach both of them and, frankly, depriving me of the will to live.

Erin starts school next week. Jake is 100% fine with this turn of events and even told me it would be better for just the two of us to do homeschool. Phew!

11.  This just in. Just started Jake on the Feingold program last week to see if it will help with some of the behavior issues. It is a fairly controversial program, and a radical lifestyle change since you can’t eat any artificial colors, flavorings, preservatives or salicylates, but I feel compelled to give it a try. I truly believe I am seeing a calmer boy, with just a few days under our belt. I have written before about Jake’s reaction to red dye, and absolutely believe he has a sensitivity to artificial ingredients.

Jack is not convinced the program has merit and we’ve already had a scuffle after he bought Jake some gingersnaps that contained cloves – lots of salicylates. I will report back on how it goes.

That’s pretty much it. No more or less than what others probably have to deal with during the course of an (almost) year, but I just couldn’t find time for my blog.

See you in eight months! Just kidding. I hope.

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]]> http://laurinevans.com/2011/11/21/list/feed/ 2 HCG Diet Update – Last VLCD Day and Maintenance http://laurinevans.com/2011/03/24/hcg_diet_last_vlcd_maintenance/ http://laurinevans.com/2011/03/24/hcg_diet_last_vlcd_maintenance/#comments Thu, 24 Mar 2011 13:45:02 +0000 Laurin http://laurinevans.com/?p=9558 I’ll be posting my daily progress under the title HCG Diet Update so you can blow right past it if you aren’t interested in whether this so-called “weight loss cure” works for me. My goal is to lose 28 pounds in 26 days and reach 132 pounds, what I weighed for years eating normally until [...]]]> I’ll be posting my daily progress under the title HCG Diet Update so you can blow right past it if you aren’t interested in whether this so-called “weight loss cure” works for me. My goal is to lose 28 pounds in 26 days and reach 132 pounds, what I weighed for years eating normally until I begin taking a migraine preventative medication in October of 2009. My husband and I are doing the diet together.

I’m not gonna lie. I limped to the finish line and didn’t do things the right way. Since Thursday was my last injection, I was supposed to stay on the 500-calorie diet until Sunday morning, to make sure all of the HCG was out of my system. That’s not exactly what happened.

I stayed on the diet all day, but we went out to dinner with friends last Saturday and I totally caved. I had seared tuna for an appetizer, grilled salmon with goat cheese and artichokes and lemon butter sauce, steamed vegetables, and three vodkas and diet Red Bull. I knew I would pay for that, and I did. Sunday morning I was up 1.6 pounds.

To make matters worse, I blew the first day of maintenance by having chips and salsa, goat cheese and table water crackers, and 2 Michelob Ultras. On maintenance I am not supposed to have any sugar or starch, but can otherwise eat normally. Crackers and chips? NOT ALLOWED. The next morning I had gained another .4 pounds.

I decided to suck it up and get back on the plan. I stayed faithfully on the maintenance diet and this morning I weighed less than my last day on the diet. I’m going to start working out again, finish the next two weeks or so of maintenance, and see if the weight stays off once I can eat pasta, bread and sugar again.

All in all, I would recommend this diet enthusiastically, under the supervision of a doctor. My husband is the real star of the story. He has made a complete lifestyle change. He eats a high-protein breakfast now, only has a drink on weekends, and is down 27 pounds. His blood pressure dropped to normal and he no longer snores. All of his clothes are falling off of him!

I lost 17 pounds and feel like my old self. No, that’s not true. I feel better than I have in years. I am certain that the processed food and sugar I was eating was zapping my energy. Food tastes really good to me now and I’m making good choices like protein for breakfast and less coffee. One cup is all I need. I now am completely and utterly addicted to apples. I have 2 – 3 a day.

There are a lot of critics of this diet. They say HCG does nothing, that it is only a placebo, and that 500 calories per day is dangerous. I say they are wrong. Clearly, the HCG does something important.

We weren’t hungry while we were getting the injections. It was difficult to eat all of the meals and the snacks even though it was only 500 calories a day. That’s just crazy. The only logical explanation is that Dr. Simeons was right and that the HCG causes the release of fat into your bloodstream, keeping you nourished and preventing the intense hunger you would expect on only 500 calories.

I think this diet worked so well for us because it was only for three weeks and we had each other for support. It also helped that we got tips and encouragement from friends who were successful on the diet.

I am really glad it’s over and I am really glad my jeans fit again.

My morning weights:

Day 22 (Saturday, 3/19 – Last day of the VLCD)
143.6

Sunday, 3/20 – First day of maintenance
145.2

Monday, 3/21
145.6

Tuesday, 3/22
146.0

Wednesday 3/23
145.4

Thursday 3/24
143.2

Overall mood: Happy and healthy.

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]]> http://laurinevans.com/2011/03/24/hcg_diet_last_vlcd_maintenance/feed/ 4 HCG Diet Update – Days 17 – 21 http://laurinevans.com/2011/03/18/hcg-diet-update-days-17/ http://laurinevans.com/2011/03/18/hcg-diet-update-days-17/#comments Fri, 18 Mar 2011 15:53:48 +0000 Laurin http://laurinevans.com/?p=9550 I’ll be posting my daily progress under the title HCG Diet Update so you can blow right past it if you aren’t interested in whether this so-called “weight loss cure” works for me. My goal is to lose 28 pounds in 26 days and reach 132 pounds, what I weighed for years eating normally until [...]]]> I’ll be posting my daily progress under the title HCG Diet Update so you can blow right past it if you aren’t interested in whether this so-called “weight loss cure” works for me. My goal is to lose 28 pounds in 26 days and reach 132 pounds, what I weighed for years eating normally until I begin taking a migraine preventative medication in October of 2009. My husband and I are doing the diet together.

It’s almost over and I’m completely stalled at 143.6. I have no idea what the problem is. I have not cheated at all since last Sunday, when I had a beer, some boiled peanuts and a slice of bacon. I have read that cheating can stall you, but I was down .6 pounds on Tuesday after the cheat day, so I’m confused to say the least.

Of course I Googled, and here is what I found: Red meat can stall you. We have been eating a lot of grilled cube steak because it’s really good. It has no more fat in it than chicken, but lots of HCG diet experts say that it stalls some people. Annoying note: Jack is eating the same thing as me and he continues to lose. He broke 200 this morning!

On Thursday I had 96/4 ground sirloin and tomatoes for both meals and still didn’t lose anything this morning. Perhaps they are right about the red meat, at least in my case. My last injection was Thursday morning, so today and tomorrow are my last VLCD days. Sunday I start the maintenance phase. I am only going to eat chicken breast for today and tomorrow and hope to lose a couple more pounds. Clearly, I am not going to reach 132 pounds by Sunday, but then I’ll be working out again and not eating all the garbage I was eating before, so I hope to lose the rest that way.

I also realized that I’m not drinking enough water. In the last week I have probably only had half the amount I should. I’m really hoping this is the reason for my stall, because that means I am still burning fat but my body is hoarding water. I’ll be drinking the recommended amount today and tomorrow.

People on HCG talk about the “whoosh” factor. This is where your weight plateaus for a few days and then you lose several pounds in one big whoosh. I’m counting on this.

My morning weights:

Day 17 (Monday, 3/14)
144.2

Day 18 (Tuesday, 3/15)
143.6

Day 19 (Wednesday, 3/16)
143.6

Day 20 (Thursday, 3/17)
143.6

Day 21 (Friday, 3/18)
143.6

Overall mood: Exasperated. Annoyed. Disgruntled. Irritated. Irked. Miffed. Bedeviled. Perturbed. Ticked off. Agitated.

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]]> http://laurinevans.com/2011/03/18/hcg-diet-update-days-17/feed/ 3 HCG Diet Update: Days 10 – 16 http://laurinevans.com/2011/03/14/hcg-diet-update-days-10/ http://laurinevans.com/2011/03/14/hcg-diet-update-days-10/#comments Mon, 14 Mar 2011 16:09:57 +0000 Laurin http://laurinevans.com/?p=9544 I’ll be posting my daily progress under the title HCG Diet Update so you can blow right past it if you aren’t interested in whether this so-called “weight loss cure” works for me. My goal is to lose 28 pounds in 26 days and reach 132 pounds, what I weighed for years eating normally until [...]]]> I’ll be posting my daily progress under the title HCG Diet Update so you can blow right past it if you aren’t interested in whether this so-called “weight loss cure” works for me. My goal is to lose 28 pounds in 26 days and reach 132 pounds, what I weighed for years eating normally until I begin taking a migraine preventative medication in October of 2009. My husband and I are doing the diet together.

If I could sum up the past week in a word, it would be bored. As in exponentially greater boredom than previously recorded on this diet. I just miss eating a variety of food. The choices are fairly broad, but we haven’t invested in an HCG cookbook, and are just grilling our protein and steaming our veggies. I would recommend getting a cookbook if you are considering doing this.

I do have a new-found love of chard, however. Oprah was right. It’s similar to collard greens, but there is much more sweetness and a complexity to the flavor. We will definitely keep chard around.

Overall, this experience has reawakened in me a love of cooking. I really enjoy the process of making meals with just protein and vegetables. The lack of a bunch of ingredients and pots and pans to clean has made me appreciate the simplicity of the food and the joy of preparing it.

Jack and I both feel that everything has more taste now. When I can eat normally again (ONE WEEK FROM TODAY!) I plan to keep up with cooking every night and with actually cooking something for lunch, instead of getting fast food or eating what’s easiest – and not usually nutritionally sound.

The most exciting thing to happen this past week was my Big Fat Day of Cheating on Sunday. I started off the day with scarfing down a piece of the kids’ bacon. I looked it up. Only 27 calories, but over 6 grams of fat. Nice. Strangely, it wasn’t as tasty as I imagined it would be.

Later in the day we went with the kids and some friends to the Arcadia Rodeo. As expected, the food offerings were deep fried deliciousness and ice cream. They even had fried pickles, one of my absolute favorite foods, but we were strong and got absolutely nothing. Unless you count the beer. We each had a Michelob Ultra, not the end of the world, but it did give me a nasty headache. Thanks for nothing.

My final cheat came as we were leaving. Our friend was given some boiled peanuts by the guy who let us park in his yard. Arcadia folks are nice. By this time, I had been driven nearly insane by the scent of frying elephant ears and had to have something. I just ate a few, but they have a lot of fat and I was truly expecting to see weight gain this morning. No gain, but no loss either. So, a wasted day.

Also, when I’m wrong, I’m wrong. My baking soda and cornstarch deodorant failed me after a few days. Apparently, regular anti-perspirant and deodorant works by clogging up your sweat glands and this took a few days to go away. Remember that crystal deodorant I was snarking about? It’s totally awesome. I got a sample size when I was at Whole Foods the last time. I don’t know how it works, but it does. Here’s what I’m using.

My morning weights:

Day 10 (Monday, 3/7)
148.8

Day 11 (Tuesday, 3/8)
147.4

Day 12 (Wednesday, 3/9)
146.4

Day 13 (Thursday, 3/10)
146.2

Day 14 (Friday, 3/11)
145.6

Day 15 (Saturday, 3/12)
144.6

Day 16 (Sunday, 3/13)
144.2

Overall mood: Bummed that my weight loss slowed down this week, even though I was told it would. I like to be the star student. Harumphhh. Meanwhile, Jack has lost 23 pounds. He looks fantastic and as a special bonus for me, he has completely stopped snoring!

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]]> http://laurinevans.com/2011/03/14/hcg-diet-update-days-10/feed/ 1 Red Velvet Roundup http://laurinevans.com/2011/03/09/red-velvet-roundup/ http://laurinevans.com/2011/03/09/red-velvet-roundup/#comments Wed, 09 Mar 2011 18:28:08 +0000 Laurin http://laurinevans.com/?p=9495 I must be crazy to post pictures of desserts while I’m on a very low calorie diet, but I have big plans for the day I can slowly introduce some sugar back into my life. Nothing crazy, but I can’t live my life without cake, especially red velvet cake.

And red velvet is not just [...]]]> I must be crazy to post pictures of desserts while I’m on a very low calorie diet, but I have big plans for the day I can slowly introduce some sugar back into my life. Nothing crazy, but I can’t live my life without cake, especially red velvet cake.

And red velvet is not just for cakes anymore, it’s popping up in all sorts of other desserts and even pancakes. Here are some of my favorites.

Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies from Eat at Allie’s.

Red Velvet Heart Cake from i am baker.

Red Velvet Waffles from Cake Spy.

And, Heritage Red Velvet Cake from Sprinkle Bakes. A crumb coat with crumbs! So beautiful!

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]]> http://laurinevans.com/2011/03/09/red-velvet-roundup/feed/ 1 HCG Diet Update – Days 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 http://laurinevans.com/2011/03/07/hcg-diet-update-days-5-6/ http://laurinevans.com/2011/03/07/hcg-diet-update-days-5-6/#comments Mon, 07 Mar 2011 14:54:51 +0000 Laurin http://laurinevans.com/?p=9468 I’ll be posting my daily progress under the title HCG Diet Update so you can blow right past it if you aren’t interested in whether this so-called “weight loss cure” works for me. My goal is to lose 28 pounds in 26 days and reach 132 pounds, what I weighed for years eating normally until [...]]]> I’ll be posting my daily progress under the title HCG Diet Update so you can blow right past it if you aren’t interested in whether this so-called “weight loss cure” works for me. My goal is to lose 28 pounds in 26 days and reach 132 pounds, what I weighed for years eating normally until I begin taking a migraine preventative medication in October of 2009. My husband and I are doing the diet together.

The twins were home sick since last Tuesday with fever and colds, hence the late post on my progress. They went back to school this morning and somehow we managed to get all of their make-up work and their 100 minute reading logs done. That was fun.

The diet is going swell. Really. We are used to the eating restrictions, know what we are doing, and are losing weight exactly as promised.

I am still researching and trying to read every scrap of info on the Internet about HCG because it is so fascinating to me. Jack couldn’t care less. All he wants to know is what he can eat and how much of it. I’m like, There is science at work here, man, don’t you care? Nope.

I’ve discovered there is a whole sub-culture of HCG dieters. They are very active on message boards, blogs and You Tube. If I have a question about the protocol, I go to the  HCGDietInfo.com forum.

I’m not going to lie, I’m very bored with the food and have started trying different recipes just to put a different spin on things. One of our favorites is 95% lean ground sirloin simmered with tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. It’s delicious.

My mind is still blown by the lack of hunger. Also, after a bad day or so thinking about sugar cookies (not helped by reading the 25 decorated sugar cookie blogs I follow), my cravings are gone. I went to Whole Foods on Saturday and didn’t have the slightest twinge of desire when I walked through the bakery. HCG is some voodoo, y’all.

One of the reasons I went to Whole Foods was to get an oil-free face moisturizer and styling product for my hair. I have become paranoid about the personal products I’m using, particularly after I only went down half a pound the day after I used my usual Moroccan Oil in my hair. The forum gave me a bunch of ideas for approved hair products.I had also been using mineral oil on my body and just a little on my face. It was working okay, but not great.

Let me tell you, the women working in the vitamin and makeup section were APPALLED that I was using mineral oil for any purpose whatsoever. Mineral oil, being a petroleum product, is apparently one of the most loathed of all possible ingredients in the green world. So why do we use mineral oil for baby oil??? I finally settled on a styling creme with only the approved coconut oil and an oil-free Alba green tea face moisturizer.

Speaking of coconut oil, the HCG underground is all abuzz about this dude named Delmem, who came up with something called Chocolate Delight, a candy made with coconut oil, unsweetened cocoa and liquid chocolate-flavored Stevia. Delmem has other advice, too, but I need to investigate this chocolate thing first.

Apparently coconut oil is metabolized differently by the body, and is burned off as energy, not stored as fat. It is supposed to aid in getting your body to ketosis, where more fat is burned. Hmmm. Oil that burns fat? Of COURSE I’m going to try it.

I found everything I needed at Whole Foods and whipped up a batch last night. I have to say, other than the aftertaste of Stevia which might be because I used too much, it was one tablespoon of pure chocolaty joy, and coconut oil smells heavenly! Jack actually paid attention to this, because he couldn’t believe I was about to eat a tablespoon of pure fat and ruin all my hard work.

I also ate one macadamia nut, which is also supposed to help with ketosis, according to the People of the Forum. Well, the proof is in the scale because I was down .8 pounds Sunday morning. I had only lost half a pound the day before. Under strict protocol guidelines, this huge influx of fat from the coconut oil and the nut should have caused me to gain weight!

I’m not going to do anything crazy, like eat a bowl of Chocolate Delight every day, but it is nice to know I can get a chocolate fix that actually could help things.

These are my early morning weights:

Day 5 (Wednesday, 3/2)
152.5

Day 6 (Thursday, 3/3)
151.5

Day 7 (Friday, 3/4)
150.5

Day 8 (Saturday, 3/5)
150.0

Day 9 (Sunday, 3/6)
149.2 (Got a new scale with 2 decimal points!)

Overall mood: Drunk on Chocolate Delight and happy to be under 150 for the first time in a year!

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]]> http://laurinevans.com/2011/03/07/hcg-diet-update-days-5-6/feed/ 3 THE CUTENESS! http://laurinevans.com/2011/03/06/cuteness/ http://laurinevans.com/2011/03/06/cuteness/#comments Sun, 06 Mar 2011 19:14:12 +0000 Laurin http://laurinevans.com/?p=9479 My father emails me the best stuff. This teenager rescued an injured baby hummingbird, nursed him back to health and gave him flying lessons. Also, this is just the type of boy I would have been madly in love with back in the day.

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]]> My father emails me the best stuff. This teenager rescued an injured baby hummingbird, nursed him back to health and gave him flying lessons. Also, this is just the type of boy I would have been madly in love with back in the day.

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]]> http://laurinevans.com/2011/03/06/cuteness/feed/ 2 HCG Diet Update- Days 3 and 4 http://laurinevans.com/2011/03/02/hcg-diet-days-3-4/ http://laurinevans.com/2011/03/02/hcg-diet-days-3-4/#comments Wed, 02 Mar 2011 14:59:33 +0000 Laurin http://laurinevans.com/?p=9454 I’ll be posting my daily progress under the title HCG Diet Update so you can blow right past it if you aren’t interested in whether this so-called “weight loss cure” works for me. My goal is to lose 28 pounds in 26 days and reach 132 pounds, what I weighed for years eating normally until [...]]]> I’ll be posting my daily progress under the title HCG Diet Update so you can blow right past it if you aren’t interested in whether this so-called “weight loss cure” works for me. My goal is to lose 28 pounds in 26 days and reach 132 pounds, what I weighed for years eating normally until I begin taking a migraine preventative medication in October of 2009. My husband and I are doing the diet together.

After my headache went away Monday afternoon, I started to feel pretty good! It is so nice that I’m not hungry, but I miss my ritual snacking. I had some mild cravings for my beloved sugar cookies and cereal with milk, but they didn’t last long. For dinner Monday night we had the leftover turkey and tomatoes.

The Breadstick, My BFF

I’ve been eating an orange every morning to keep the headache away (hopefully) and the breadstick, then I just eat the protein and vegetables for lunch. I’ve also been eating the second breadstick in the afternoon simply because I miss eating something crunchy and I’m bored. It’s certainly not because I’m hungry.

Tuesday night we had steamed shrimp with lemon and asparagus. I was in bed before I realized I had completely forgotten to eat the second fruit of the day. Less than 500 calories for the win! Actually, I’m going to be diligent and not forget food again because eating less than 500 calories can slow your progress.

After using my regular hair care products on Tuesday afternoon I was curious about whether it would have an impact. Since the scale this morning showed I had lost another pound, right on schedule, I’m going to continue using the Deva Curl.

From now on, I won’t bore you with what I’m eating. It’s very simple. Two meals per day, lunch and dinner with 3.5 ounces of lean protein and 3.5 ounces of veggies, 1 breadstick, and 1 fruit. You can eat the 2 breadsticks and 2 fruits at other times for breakfast, snacks, or before bed. Only certain proteins, veggies and fruits are allowed.

I had a fun conversation with my brother on Tuesday in which he accused me of shooting up with speed to lose weight. Not true, little brother. He just likes to be a drama llama. I knew there would be skeptics about my diet on the range of Are you sure that’s safe? to I’m going to have you committed!

These are my early morning weights:

Day 3 (Monday, 2/28)
154.5

Day 4 (Tuesday, 3/1)
153.5

Overall mood: Happy and coasting with no hunger and no headaches. Also thrilled that my jeans fit much better and my stomach is flat.

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]]> http://laurinevans.com/2011/03/02/hcg-diet-days-3-4/feed/ 1 WANT! http://laurinevans.com/2011/03/01/want/ http://laurinevans.com/2011/03/01/want/#comments Tue, 01 Mar 2011 21:54:01 +0000 Laurin http://laurinevans.com/?p=9430 I’m still shooting in auto with my Canon Rebel, but I’m trying to learn. I love the photos it takes but the majority of my picture-taking happens with my iPhone. Obviously, what you can do with a phone camera is pretty limited, but I saw this wide angle/macro lens attachment on Photojojo and I WANT!

[...]]]> I’m still shooting in auto with my Canon Rebel, but I’m trying to learn. I love the photos it takes but the majority of my picture-taking happens with my iPhone. Obviously, what you can do with a phone camera is pretty limited, but I saw this wide angle/macro lens attachment on Photojojo and I WANT!


Just stick the simple detachable magnetic ring around the camera lens and it holds the lens in place.

Isn’t that cool? It’s only $20 and it’s on its way to my house!

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]]> http://laurinevans.com/2011/03/01/want/feed/ 1 HCG Diet – Days 1 and 2 http://laurinevans.com/2011/02/28/hcg-diet-update-days-1-2/ http://laurinevans.com/2011/02/28/hcg-diet-update-days-1-2/#comments Mon, 28 Feb 2011 20:39:50 +0000 Laurin http://laurinevans.com/?p=9440 I’ll be posting my daily progress under the title HCG Diet Update so you can blow right past it if you aren’t interested in whether this so-called “weight loss cure” works for me. My goal is to lose 28 pounds in 26 days and reach 132 pounds, what I weighed for years eating normally until [...]]]> I’ll be posting my daily progress under the title HCG Diet Update so you can blow right past it if you aren’t interested in whether this so-called “weight loss cure” works for me. My goal is to lose 28 pounds in 26 days and reach 132 pounds, what I weighed for years eating normally until I begin taking a migraine preventative medication in October of 2009. My husband and I are doing the diet together.

After bingeing like a fiend on Friday, I started the 500 calorie diet on Saturday. Jack started on Friday. Eating was a breeze because I had prepared all of Jack’s food for him on Friday and knew exactly what to expect. I had grilled several chicken breasts and separated them into 3.5 ounce portions so it would be easy to pack in his lunch or add to a salad for dinner.

The most difficult thing for me, by far, on my first day of dieting was giving up half and half in my coffee. You are only allowed 1 tablespoon of milk, so blech. I ate my breadstick and apple for breakfast/mid-morning snack and had the grilled chicken over 3.5 ounces of salad greens splashed with balsamic vinegar.

Three and a half ounces of salad greens is a surprising amount of lettuce, and I had to push myself to finish because I wasn’t hungry in the slightest. I also felt very full for a long time after I finished.

For dinner Saturday night I brined and roasted a Fresh Market turkey breast seasoned with just salt and pepper. It was delicious and I had plenty left over for lunches this week. I used my scale again and made 3.5 ounce packets of leftovers. We also had broccoli and asparagus. Once again I felt very full and had to work to finish. We had been told we wouldn’t be hungry because of the HCG, but it was still a surprise that such a small amount of food would be totally satisfying.

During the day I had the impulse to reach for something to eat several times, especially when I was making lunch and snacks for the kids. I realized that I wasn’t hungry, it was just habit. This habit was probably giving me a huge amount of extra calories every day before the diet.

Sunday lunch was sliced chicken over salad greens with balsamic and dinner was sauteed shrimp in lemon juice with sliced tomatoes, cucumber and celery.

We had also been warned to expect headaches, particularly if we had been big processed sugar eaters. Yeah. That happened. Jack had a mild headache on Friday and Saturday, but my headaches started Saturday afternoon and were pretty bad.

I actually took one of my migraine interruptors on both Saturday and Sunday. I woke up with a mild headache this morning, but it’s mostly gone. Hope the worst of that is behind me.

Update: It’s baaaaaaack. Please let this be the last day! I know my decorated sugar cookie obsession over the past couple of months is what I’m paying for and I’M SO SORRY OMG! Make it stop!

These are my early morning weights so far:

Laurin:

Morning of binge day:
160

Day 1
158 (weird, right?)

Day 2
157

Day 3 (Today)
154.5

Products update: Jack is using the shampoo and toothpaste, but is sticking with his regular deodorant. I guess time will tell if it affects his losses.

I’m using baby oil for moisturizing my body and cuticles. I’m also using my home-brewed deodorant, the toothpaste and the Carmex. I haven’t washed my hair since Friday because my Deva Curl products let me go so long with fresh hair. I’m going to wash my hair tomorrow and see if it has an impact on my weight loss. I’ll just have to suffer with frizzy hair if I’m not losing weight after using my regular stuff.

Overall mood: Wanting to punt kittens over these headaches, but really happy not being hungry and with the loss.

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