Flower Pin Overload

Confession. I have fallen in love with fabric flowers.  They are the first thing on my mind when I wake up, and the last thing I think about before I snooze for the night.  Well ok, maybe my adoration of fabric flowers isn't quite that unhealthy, but it definitely borders on obsession.  They are the perfect accessory (says the girl who doesn't know how to accessorize) for almost anything.  Have a bare bag? Pop on a bright wool rosette. Is your sweater a little boring?  Zhuzh it up with a hand embroidered flower trio. Thanks to some very helpful tutorials, I was able to make a few myself.

First, I came across the flower pin/brooch tutorial that guest blogger Elycia gave at She Breathes Deeply. So cute. I love the colors Elycia chose for her flower, and the patterned fabric reminded me of some flannel I bought last weekend. Here is the result of my first try. If you like it, go visit the tutorial and Elycia's blog.

I also made a couple of flower pins from this tutorial over at Jones Design Company. So fun, fast, and easy.

Time to go make more!

R1P2D24

It's the last day of VLCD (Very Low Calorie Diet)! As I've mentioned before, I am so excited that P3 allows a greater variety of foods, including nearly all fruits and veggies, fats (butter, EVOO, avocado), dairy (milk, cream, cheese), and extras like almonds. We are still not allowed any starch or sugar on P3, but everything else is fair game, so long as we are staying within a calorie range that meets our body's specific metabolic needs. My goal is to stay around 1600 calories each day, but Ross will likely need about 1800 calories to maintain his current weight loss. The goal of P3 will be to maintain our current weight within 2 lbs. for the next three weeks. Yes, losing more than 2 lbs. from our LDW (Last Dose Weight) could be just as detrimental to the stabilization process. This period of stabilization is absolutely critical as our hypothalamus resets and gets used to our new normal weight.

The stats from this morning...
Ross: 198.4 / -3.0 / -28.6 total (Congrats hubs!  You met your goal!!)
Kelly: 164.6 / -2.0 / -22.0 total (Whew!)

Today's Menu:

Lunch: 1 Whole Egg w/ 1/4 C Egg Whites, Tomatoes, Basil, Oranges

Dinner: Chicken, Broccoli, Baked Cinnamon Apples (not pictured)

R1P2D23

This morning's weigh-in sadly resulted in a couple of significant gains on the scale. Perhaps we indulged too liberally in the Chocolate Delight yesterday (probably only had 1-2 TB. each), or we are simply retaining water. Either way, we know we will have to get used to occasional fluctuations. I have to keep reminding myself that slight gains are completely normal and not necessarily a sign that we are doing anything wrong.

Here are the stats...
Ross: 201.4 / +1.2 / -25.6 total
Kelly: 166.6 / +0.8 / -20.0 total

Today's Menu:

Lunch: Leftover Chicken Curry with Tomato and Onion

Dinner: BBQ'd Shrimp with Marinated Spinach and Apples

R1P2D22

Happy November! Today was our first day off hCG, but we will continue on the 500 calories per day until November 4. Apparently it takes three days for all of the hCG to leave your body following the last dose, and it is essential to stay at 500 calories until then.

Here are today's numbers...

Ross: 200.2 / -1.0 / -26.8 total

Kelly: 165.8 / -1.0 / -20.8 total

Hmm... maybe there is some truth to the magical Chocolate Delight?

Today's Menu:

Lunch: 1 Whole Egg with 1/4 C Egg Whites, Salsa, Apple

Dinner:  Baja Ensalada (from Baja Fresh) with Romaine, Pico de Gallo and Charbroiled Chicken (no picture)

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Today's stats...

Ross: 201.2 / -1.0 / -25.8 total

Kelly: 166.8 / -0.4 / -19.8 total

Since tonight was Halloween, I decided to make an hCG protocol-friendly treat known as Chocolate Delight. I've waited until now to make this chocolate treat because I didn't want to compromise my weight loss in any way. Some hCGers eat Chocolate Delight every day throughout P2 and P3 without any gains... many of these people are convinced that the Chocolate Delight, which is made with coconut oil, actually helps you lose more weight. Still others hold fast to Dr. Simeons' recommendation to avoid all fats until P3. 

There are several Chocolate Delight recipes online, but this is what I did after tweaking the original recipe a bit.

Chocolate Delight

1 cup coconut oil, melted

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

8 packets Stevia

Light sprinkle of salt (optional)

Flavored Liquid Stevia, to taste (optional)

Mix all ingredients until well combined.  Pour into a pie tin and place in freezer for 30-60 minutes.  Remove Chocolate Delight from freezer and break into smaller pieces, using a knife if necessary.  Store in the fridge in a sealed container.

Today's Menu:

Lunch: Outback Steak (leftovers), Steamed Broccoli, Apples

Dinner: Chicken Curry with Onion and Tomato

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Shrimp, chicken and egg whites have become our staple proteins lately.  Dr. Simeons recommends that beef be eaten sparingly (because it is higher in calories than chicken or fish), and we have tried to adhere to that as much as possible. However, sometimes beef just can't be avoided... Like when the folks invite you and hubby to dinner at Outback.  Yum, yum, steak here we come!

This morning's stats...
Ross: 202.2 / -0.0 / -24.8 total
Kelly: 167.2 / -0.8 / -19.4 total

Today's Menu:

Lunch: Chicken-Spinach Roll Ups

Dinner: Steak, Steamed Broccoli (half portion)

R1P2D19

Another day, and we are still experiencing successes, though smaller than at first.  With just a couple of days left on P2, Ross and I still hope to lose another couple of pounds each.  Ross would like to get below 200 lbs., and I would be ecstatic to break 20 lbs. lost.

Today's stats...
Ross: 202.2 / -0.4 / -24.8
Kelly: 168.0 / -0.2 / -18.6

Today's Menu:

Lunch: Egg Whites, Tomato, Apples

Dinner: Shrimp Lettuce Wraps with Salsa (kind of pathetic looking)