I’d love to blame the fact that our current school application is not due until the end of January or the fact that we were so focused on this that last report card for my colossal screw up, but really, how lame would that be?  I’ve been extremely busy, that much is true, but honestly I can’t figure out how I let this happen.  Is some subconscious part of me refusing to admit that its time for middle school?  Did I just let my subconscious derail my child’s education?  Or has my penchant for waiting until the last minute finally gotten the best of me?  Or am I just overloaded and getting my priorities out of whack?  Because my children’s education is a top priority!

So now we are in begging mode.  One of the schools allows late applications based on availability and we’ve had a few friends with kids currently at the other school send emails to the Admissions Director on our behalf.  I’ll be repaying favors after he graduates high school at this rate.  But if he has better options as a result it will be worth it and I figure it’s just penance for procrastinating.  Now we get to stress out over the holidays to see what the admissions folks at both schools tell us when they get back from the holidays in January.  This will be a fun Christmas – I’m already producing double my normal stomach acid.  And, yes, I know – I have nobody to blame but myself.  What else is new?

HCG Diet Update: OK, so I’m one day short of 2 months since I finished Phase 1 of the HCG diet.  I was 130.8 on that day and this morning I was 131.6.  I’ve bounced back as high as 135 (for maybe a day), but for the most part I’ve stayed within a 3 pound range of my low.  I’m exercising again and back to feeling strong during my workouts (I was a little weak when I first started back).  So I’m going to call the diet a success.

My only regret is that I didn’t stay on it a little longer and lose the rest of the weight I wanted to get off – 5 more pounds would have made a huge difference.  My plan is to run in a half marathon this winter and if I still haven’t taken those last few pounds (well, body fat really) off by the time I complete the race, I’ll go back on the diet for a couple of weeks.

So that’s it on the HCG diet for the year unless anyone has any questions.  My latest obsession is education for my sons. The oldest is in his last year at his current school (5th grade) so we have to go through the stress of finding a new one for middle school.  And my youngest is showing signs of being freakishly smart so I think he may need a new school too.  I know these don’t sound like real problems, but I’ve seen how bad educational decisions can affect kids later in life – especially if they are not challenged enough.  So, coming soon will be a series of posts on adventures in choosing the right school – stay tuned….

Well, I’m at the top of my 2 pound range right now and not exactly sure why.  I’ve been running again and starting to feel stronger and extend my distances.  I’ve totally been restricting the carbohydrates from starch and I think that may actually be part of the problem.  Apparently you actually need more food when you are exercising, but I have this irrational fear of complex carbohydrates (not to mention simple carbohydrates).  If I had eaten like this in my 20s or even 30s I would have been a rail, but now I’m just maintaining – aging sucks!

So on the terribly neglected children front – my 10 year old son defended me when my husband commented that he did not think my diet was very healthy.  My son stated that he thought I looked very healthy.  I love being a boy mom!

On the good news side, after 8 days on the maintenance phase I’m still within a pound of my low weight point and I’ve only had to do one “steak day” (a steak day is one where you fast until dinner and then eat a huge steak slathered in butter and one apple).  According to the HCG Diet, you must endure a steak day if you go more than 2 pounds above the weight of your last day on Phase 1 of the diet.  Other than that, the maintenance phase has been relatively easy and I’ve even enjoyed a few glasses of wine.

So as of next Thursday, I will be finished with the maintenance phase of the HCG diet and I will begin slowly adding carbs back into my diet.  One more confession – I’m a little nervous about that.  By far the hardest dietary challenge for me is getting enough protein or at least the correct proportion of protein.  And it is no wonder given the typical American diet – hamburgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, pasta, pizza, – all relatively quick meals that usually involve more than a 2 to 1 ratio of starchy carbs to protein.  How did we Americans get into this mess?  I’m guessing the reason is generally financial, but in any event, I’m determined to change my habits and this time for good.

So I’m going to try to get a few posts in regarding packed lunches that don’t involve two slices of bread – hopefully for both my children and me.  Meanwhile, if you have any helpful suggestions – I’m all ears!

Well, I refuse to let this get the best of me.  Tomorrow morning I’m going to get up a little earlier (won’t be quite as hot) and get right back out there.  Possibly running is not the best place to start back since phase 2 still requires me to limit carbs from starch so if it doesn’t get easier soon, I may try yoga or weight lifting until I’m done.

And apparently hugging burns 30 calories in 30 minutes according to You are What You Eat on BBC America so I may give that a try too.  I’ll keep you posted.

The diet plan recommends that you start off slowly in adding fats back during phase 2 so I decided to start with butter/oil for today.  I’ve really missed eggs so this morning I had egg whites with sautéed tomatoes, onions and basil – it was heaven.  I’m excited about putting some oil on my salad for lunch and dinner too.  I can’t believe its come to this – I just typed that I’m excited about adding oil to my food.

Including the two days I stayed on the phase 1 diet without taking the HGC drops, I lost a total of 12 pounds.  I’m still not thrilled with my poochy tummy or the love handles, but I figure that will just have to be left to exercise.  The other great thing about phase 2 is I can start exercising again.  So my plan is to start running short distances again tomorrow (long distances tend to make my body cling onto fat) and then after I finish phase 2 of the diet, I’ll start lifting again.  I plan to tell my trainer that I don’t really want to lose much more weight, but it is her job to make me look good in a bikini through toning.  We’ll see if she laughs me out of the gym.

If I manage to hold my weight somewhat steady over the weekend (some fluctuation is predicted in the early part of phase 2), then I plan to treat myself to a new suit and pair of shoes for my big meetings on Tuesday.  Wish me luck!

So today I started the 2nd phase of the HCG diet which is basically the same as the first only no HCG drops.  I stick with this diet for today and tomorrow and then I’m on to the maintenance phase which I’m really looking forward to since it allows for a glass of wine at night – yippee!  All in all I’d say the diet hasn’t been that bad.  No migraines, apparently I’m in good health, and I’m down 11.6 pounds plus I learned to cook a few new dishes.

I’ll keep you posted on how the rest of phase 2 goes and then phase 3 as well.

• Not feeling overwhelming hunger or urge to cheat
• Needing a little more sleep, but still have the energy to get things done
• Hardest part is food prep rules & not drawing the ire of my husband.

On Day 7 my husband finally said something about my reduced calorie intake (not sure when he actually noticed) which was the event I’ve been dreading.  His comment was something along the lines of “You’re not eating much lately – are you on some starvation diet?” To which I replied “No” because I’m not – I’m eating and its healthy food too.  I made spaghetti and buffalo meat sauce last night for the family while I ate buffalo meat sauteed in onions, tomatoes and fresh basil – it was awesome!

I’m a little disappointed that no one has commented on my weight loss yet – am I surrounded by obliviousness or had I really let myself get that big???  At least my “fat” clothes are starting to get super baggy so we’ll see how long it takes to generate some awareness.  My plan right now is to stick with it for 20 days (or until I think I’ve lost enough fat) – I’ll keep you posted!

So there is no denying that I’m pretty skeptical about this diet.  Supposedly I will lose a pound a day for up to 40 days (I don’t need to lose that much so I’ll stop after 15 to 20 days).  I’m not allowed to work out for the first part of the diet (15 to 20 days) and I can only consume 500 calories a day.  But I’m taking a homeopathic supplement that is supposed to prevent my body from going into starvation mode and allow it to use up stored fat rather than cut into muscle.  Apparently my metabolism will actually increase as a result of this portion of the diet.  So here are my points of concern:

• I just started running again and now I have to stop for 20 days – not thrilled about that
• I’m a terrible calorie counter – what a pain in the butt!
• I have two young children and a husband that are going to be less than thrilled when I don’t eat what they eat for dinner
• Did I mention I have a husband that will be less than thrilled with the diet period? (he spends a lot of time making fun of people that go on accelerated weight loss diets)
• I have friends that will be annoyed by my increased high maintenance ordering practices at restaurants
• Supplement or no supplement, 500 calories a day sounds like its going to mess with my metabolism
• 20 days of this sounds like a long time with no fat or sugar and then another 20 day maintenance period with no sugar or starch – will I really keep the weight off?

I started the diet officially yesterday (although I started taking the supplement on Tuesday since you are supposed to start 2 days before the diet) and as of today I am in fact down a little over a pound and I actually don’t feel hungry.  I have a mild headache which is better than the migraine I was expecting (and may due more to the paint smell from son’s new bedroom – more on that later) and I’m feeling slightly jittery either from low blood sugar or the 2nd cup of coffee I had this morning (just because I’m allowed to have it).  But otherwise, I feel alright so we’ll see and I’ll keep you posted.

Yes, I know: first a blepharoplasty and now quick weight loss diet – how vain can I get?  Maybe I’m going through a female mid life crisis.  Feel free to leave a comment berating me for my stupidity (and vanity) – it will be great practice for when my husband starts harassing me.

When it comes to my oldest son’s academic record, we’ve been dealing with performance issues all year (see Earth Day Annoyance).  It seems like from the time they get home in the afternoon until almost time for bed all we deal with is homework – my kids are 7 and 9.  Part of the problem is that schools give a lot of homework these days, but part of the problem is that it takes my kids an awfully long time to buckle down and get whatever homework they have done.  It’s painful and the situation often generates tears (mostly my sons’ – mostly).

Anyway, my oldest son’s teachers have hinted since the beginning of the school year that his lack of focus in class may not be under his control. That sounded an awful lot like code for “we’re not allowed to tell you, but we think your son has ADD” to my husband and I so I recently decided to just get the issue out on the table.  I’m almost certain my son has ADD (both of them probably), but hell will freeze over before I start drugging my kids.

To be honest, I’m totally freaked out by how many people are on medication for ADD, anxiety, depression, you name it these days.  The whole thing is oh so Brave-New-World/1984 esqe to me.  I know and work with a lot of highly successful people who very obviously have ADD and are not taking medication for it.  So my approach with my sons is going to be how can we help them cope with ADD without medication.  This challenge has been eating away at me for months now and I think it’s time to get it out on the table so I’m going to be blogging about it a lot. …and I could really use your help.

If you have a child with ADD that you are treating without medication, I’d really appreciate some suggestions.  In turn, I’m going to be doing a lot of interviews and conducting a lot of research of my own which I will blog about here on my EWM site.  Thanks in advance for any ideas you can throw my way!