HCG Must Have Product Crio Bru

Im always on the lookout for new, healthy products. I come across a lot of interesting things but the ones that always catch my attention are the products that satisfy a craving in a healthy way, such as my relentless craving for chocolate and caffeine. Heres the thing: I LOVE chocolate, but its high in calories. I also love Diet Coke, but after the temporary rush of caffeine comes breakouts, headaches, and an energy crash. Ugh, so whats a over-caffeinated, chocoholic, health conscious girl supposed to do? Two words: Crio Bru.

What if I told you that there is a company that has mastered the science of brewing cocoa beans like you would brew coffee? Yeah, I know. Take a minute to let your head wrap around that concept, it took me a minute, too. No... Its not the same as hot chocolate, its much more healthy. Its even healthy enough to use with Phase 2 and 3 of the HCG Diet! Sound to good to be true? Read on, the health benefits of this intriguing cocoa concoction may surprise you.

Heres how it works

-Cocoa beans come from the center of a fruit.
 Depending on the country of origin, the cocoa
 beans have unique flavors.

-The great folks at Crio buy high quality cocoa
 beans from all over the world.

-They roast the beans in a special roaster, different beans from different countries are roasted for varying lengths of time.

-Once roasted, the beans are run through a special grinder that turns them into grounds much
 like coffee.

-At this point they are ready to be brewed in a french
 press or a coffee maker.

Does it taste like hot cocoa?
Nope, not quite. Now Ive personally never had coffee so its hard for me to compare the two, but what I do know is that Crio Bru is initially bitter. It was like very dark chocolate. It didnt taste bad, but the Crio team had me add a bit of Trulicious sweetener to compliment the taste. The sweetener really amplified the distinct flavors of each type of brew. Then they had me add creamer, even better! It was so fantastic.

 There are several different brews. I had the opportunity to sample nearly every flavor of the roasted grounds at the facility in Lindon, Utah. I was impressed with each one, but my favorites are the Maya and the Cavalla.




The Maya blend has cayenne and cinnamon so it creates an awesome warming sensation as you drink it. 








The Cavalla has flavor notes of coconut and cinnamon, the cinnamon is more subtle than the Maya and its absolutely delicious. 






What are the benefits?
Not only is Crio Bru  naturally Cholesterol free, gluten free, sugar free, sodium free AND fat free, but its Antioxidant rich because it contains premium cocoa beans.

The biggest difference I noticed after drinking Crio for two weeks was with my appetite. I start my day with a cup of Crio at 8 a.m. and I instantly feel full and satisfied. This full feeling lasts until about 11:30 a.m., even when I dont eat anything else for breakfast. This has been a lifesaver for me on the maintenance phase of the diet! Before I started drinking Crio Bru, I would get into the office and be immediately slammed with work, I wouldnt have time to eat breakfast. Then I end up starving and grumpy when it was time for lunch and this led me to overeating. Now that Ive added Crio to my routine, it fills me up for breakfast and holds me over until lunch. So no matter how busy I am at work, I dont have to worry about my appetite.

In addition to feeling fuller longer, I also had more energy. A lot of people are misled into thinking caffeine is the only way to get a drinkable energy boost, but thats false. Crio contains no caffeine, yet somehow it has improved my energy levels significantly. Thats because it contains theobromine. Theobromine helps increase energy naturally, with no jitters no crash like caffeine.

Is it allowed on the HCG Diet?
I have been using Crio Bru on Phase 3 of the HCG Diet. It has no added sugar, and its only 10 calories for six ounces so it doesnt pose a problem to my weight. I do add non-dairy creamer and Trulicious stevia to it, so for a six ounce cup its about 45 calories and incredibly tasty.

When it comes to using Crio on Phase 2 of the diet, it seems as though its the perfect fit. Because its free of sugar and fat, it would be a great way to start the morning. Add Trulicious, and leave out the creamer and it shouldnt affect your weight loss at all, plus youll love the way it keeps your appetite in check! That being said, like with anything  that isnt on the original protocol, test it out just to be sure it works for you. Some people are more sensitive to certain additions than others.

Where do I get Crio Bru?

Theres is a lot of excitement surrounding Crio Bru, so HCGDiet.com has been working with Crio Bru to bring this amazing product into the hands HCG Dieters who are looking for a low calorie beverage option. That being said. You can now find a sampler pack of Crio Bru on HCGDiet.coms website.
It has Crios most popular brews and it includes a Trulicious sweetener so you can decide which brew you like best before committing to a full bag.

Have you tried Crio Bru? What did you think of it?

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NUTRITIONAL KETOSIS MONTH 2 RESULTS

On July 9, 2012, I started eating in such a way as to be fueled by Nutritional Ketosis.  If you are new here and do not know what that means, look at the links at the bottom of this post to read more about it in detail.  The short version is this:  I am eating very high fat, moderate protein and very low carb.  For the first several weeks, I was testing my blood ketone levels with a hand held monitor.  I have stopped doing this because the strips are very expensive and I know that I am in the "zone" that I want to be.  Because I have not changed the way I am eating, and I continue to lose body fat, it is reasonable to assume that I am still in Nutritional Ketosis.  If I start to gain body fat or change the way I am eating, I will do more testing.

I have been posting my results each week, but, starting today, and for as long as I feel like it, I am going to post my results only once per month.  I am so close to my goal now that the progress is pretty slow.

I have lost enough body fat now that my clothes are getting baggy.  At my job, it is nice to wear clothes that are a little too big so that I can bend and reach, etc., without my clothes having to stretch, so I am going to continue wearing the bigger clothes there.  I must admit that it feels nice to have my clothes hanging off of me for a change!

Being in Nutritional Ketosis, I am still experiencing virtually no hunger, and for a person who has always starved on any kind of diet, this is wonderful and makes it worth eating this way for the rest of my life.  My energy level is good, even at work, when I go for several hours without feeling the need to eat anything.  Friday, I left the house and forgot my lunch, so I just took my break without eating and felt just fine.

Here are my charts:

In summary, in the past 2 months:

I lost 1/2" around my neck
I lost 1/2" around my bicep
I lost 1/4" around my bust
I lost 1-5/8" around my midriff
I lost 2-5/8" around my waist
I lost 2-1/8" around my navel
I lost 1-5/8" around my hips
I lost 5/8" around my thigh
I lost 3/8" around the calf
Total lost:  11-3/4"

I lost 9.8 pounds on the scale (lost 9.8 pounds of body fat and gained 0 pounds of lean mass).

I went down 4.5 percentage points on my body fat.

I went down 0.034 points on my waist-to-hip ratio.

I did not track my food this week, but I ate pretty much on plan.

This is my daily goal:

1539 calories

135g fat (79%)

54g protein (14%)

27g carbs (7%)

Here is my "body goal":

136 pounds scale weight

40.8 pounds body fat (30%)

95.2 pounds lean mass (70%)

11.875" neck

28" waist

39.125" hips

0.716 waist-to-hip ratio

To get there, I need to lose 4.2 pounds of body fat, gain 2.6 pounds of lean mass and lose 2-1/8" around my waist.

RELATED POSTS:
Nutritional Ketosis - Week 1 Results

Nutritional Ketosis - Week 2 Results
Nutritional Ketosis - Week 3 Results
Nutritional Ketosis - Week 4 Results
Nutritional Ketosis - Week 5 Results
Nutritional Ketosis - Week 6 Results
Nutritional Ketosis - Week 7 Results
Nutritional Ketosis - Week 8 Results  
Less Protein - More Fat - "The Optimal Diet"

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Happy Birthday To me!!

Today I turn 31!

It feels a bit weird, but no different than any other year.  Ive gotten spoiled already by  the kids today,  with a box of my favorite Seattles Best Chocolates, a Joby Gorillapod SLR Zoom, and a Quantaray QSX Ultra 4STM Tripod/monopod.  I also bought myself a new camera backpack, remote and a few minor things.  All photography goodies :) And I couldnt be happier!!

As per usual, here is my birthday song:



Barry played that for me on my last birthday, and I wrote about it last year in remembrance of him. It was really weird to wake up with James this morning, as it is the first birthday with him.  The last birthday I had with anyone was with Barry, so it screwed with my head a bit.

Since we are leaving in just 2.5 days, I wont be posting here before, so look for some pictures and a blog post when we get back.  Now Im off to enjoy the rest of my birthday, and put together my camera backpack that just arrived by UPS.

Please think of us on the 25th, that is the day we are spreading Barrys ashes.

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THE VIRGIN DIET DAY 2

Yesterday, I completed Day 2 of The Virgin Diet.

• The arthritis pain in my right hand has diminished slightly, as has the pain in my left foot.
• I was not hungry until time  to eat, and even then, it was very mild.
• I had energy and did not feel sleepy in the middle of the day.
• My blood sugar was 85 an hour and a half after eating.
• I did not have a great day in the bathroom.  Lots of activity, but mostly very loose.
• I slept through the night.
• I went to bed at 10:00 last night and woke up to the alarm this morning at 4:15 feeling refreshed and ready to start my day, and I was not starving when I woke up.
• I lost 0.8 pounds yesterday for a total loss of 1.4 pounds in 2 days.  To get back to my goal weight, I need to lose 10.4 more pounds.

Starting weight - 147.8
Current weight - 146.4
Goal weight - 136

Every time I start something new, I usually take all my measurements and keep detailed charts of my progress.  This time, I am going to try to be a little less intense about it.  I will weigh in the morning, and not take my measurements.  What I will do to track my body size is this:  I found a size 10 pair of shorts in my closet that I have not worn in a while because they are old and worn out looking.  But they will make a great low-tech measuring tool.  Right now, I can get them on, but I cannot button them.  If all goes as planned, by the time I reach my goal, they should be able to be buttoned and also be a little loose.

I normally eat like this:

135g fat (78%)
57g protein
28g carbs

Yesterday, I ate like this:

129g fat (59%)
133g protein
69g carbs

I am a little concerned about the amount of protein I am eating, but I am losing weight, so I will try not to worry about it unless I stop losing weight.

I had shakes for breakfast and lunch that were comprised of coconut milk, water, non-dairy protein powder, ground flax seed, raw kale, frozen strawberries and a few drops of Stevia.  I am totally used to the taste and I look forward to my shakes.

For dinner, I had a grilled pork chop with sea salt and garlic powder, and roasted asparagus with sea salt and a little bit of coconut oil, and two slices of bacon.

Giving up butter has been hard.  I used to put butter on everything, and now I am at a loss for what kind of healthy fat to add to my meat and veggies.  I thought about bacon grease, but it turned out that my husband THREW IT AWAY when we moved to our new house last week.  I asked him what he was thinking.  He does not know.  Sheesh.  So I fried up a couple of slices of bacon, ate the bacon and saved the grease for meat and veggie toppings.

Yesterday, I ate breakfast at 7 am, lunch at 1:30 pm and dinner at 7 pm.  I did not feel like snacking after dinner.

I drank 72 oz. of water, but never within an hour before eating or an hour after eating, in order to not dilute my stomach acid.

If you are interested in getting a short synopsis of how this plan works, you can listen to Jimmy Moore interviewing JJ Virgin by clicking here.

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Round 3 Week 2 Update

Im closing in on my second week of Round 3. I always like showing my progress on Fridays because it helps me stay focused and motivated through the weekend.

I started this round at 229.2 pounds after loading. I am currently 217.2 pounds on day 12 of Phase 2. That means Im down 12! :) I could not be happier! Take a look at my progress so far:

Not only have I lost 12 pounds, but Ive also lost 13.5 inches! I am hoping to keep going at this steady rate so I can reach my goal of losing 30 pounds before Thanksgiving! Hang in there everyone. Trust me, its so worth it. 

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NUTRITIONAL KETOSIS WEEK 2 RESULTS

Its been two weeks since I started my experiment with nutritional ketosis.  I have been eating higher fat and lower protein, and I have been keeping my carbs pretty low, too.

Last week, I posted that I started out this experiment with around an extra 22 pounds of body fat and that I was going to start testing my blood ketones and blood glucose.  I am starting out this week with only an extra 16.5 pounds of body fat.

I lost weight and inches again this week.  Its not fast, and there are some days that I lose nothing, but it seems the last 15-20 pounds never go away without a fight! Here are some of my charts:

In summary, in the past 2 weeks:

I lost 3/8" around my neck, 2-1/8" around my waist and 5/8" around my hips.

I lost 3.4 pounds on the scale (lost 5.3 pounds of body fat and gained 1.9 pounds of lean mass).

I went down 2.8 percentage points on my body fat.

I went down 0.040 points on my waist-to-hip ratio.

If you want to know exactly what I am eating, look here, and then you can click the page numbers at the bottom to see each individual day.

Here is the goal I set for each day:

1979 calories

187g fat (85%)

54g protein (11%)

20g carbs (4%)

Here is the average of what I actually ate last week:

1975 calories

186.2g fat (84.8%)

53.5g protein (10.8%)

21.4g carbs (4.3%)

I still experienced no hunger this past week, but to be honest, I was having trouble getting in all my fat.  Oh, I forced it down, but I did not like it.  In this coming week, I am going to keep protein and carbs the same, but Im going to cut out 10 grams of fat and see if I continue to do well.  So for the coming week, my food will look like this:

1889 calories

177g fat (84.3%)

54g protein (11.4%)

20g carbs (4.2%)

I finally got my ketone testing strips.  I tested my blood ketone levels every morning when I got up.  The desired range for nutritional ketosis is between 1.0 and 3.0.  On my first test day, mine was 3.1 and the next two days were both 2.1, so my average is 2.4.  Im very happy with these numbers.

I also tested my blood glucose three times per day these past three days - upon waking, 1.5 hours after breakfast and 1.5 hours after dinner (I am not eating lunch).  The highest it ever got, even after eating, was 91 and the lowest was 71.  My average for all these tests was 83.  A very good result.  Last summer when I was testing my blood glucose, it was not unusual for it to go over 100-110.  So I guess decreasing protein and carbs has resulted in lower blood sugar.

All in all, it was a good week, and Im going ahead with the experiment.  I only ordered 20 ketone strips because they are over $2 each.  My plan is to continue to test every day for the next few days, especially since I will be cutting down fat and I want to be sure that I stay in ketosis.  After a few days, I am going to only test every few days, just to check up on my ketosis.  I will continue to test my glucose three times per day for the rest of this week, because the strips are pretty cheap! 

RELATED POSTS:
Nutritional Ketosis - Week 1 Results

Testing Blood Ketones with Jimmy Moore 

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2 Week Challenge Day 1

Well I made it through day one of my simplified diet, only thirteen days to go! Im excited that so many of you are doing this challenge with me. Remember, today is the first day youll post your daily diary in comments section below. If you arent sure what to include, check out mine below!

Weekly weigh-in: 192.4 lbs

Food Journal
1 large Granny Smith apple
4 pieces of Xilo Gum
4.5 liters of water
2 Lemonade Diet detox caps
1 can lean, fat-free chicken
1 tsp. Louisiana hot sauce
1 Wasa cracker
1 c. broccoli
2 scoops Triumph Slim

Exercise: None, day off. :)

Accomplishment:
I did really well with drinking my water!
Area of improvement:
I didnt get in my second serving of veggies, I have a hard time doing that when I have class, but I think I can figure out a way to do it!

Hang in there everyone! We can do this! :)

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30 Days of Photo Fun Day 2

Today I am supposed to share a picture of my favorite shoes.  While I do have many shoes that I love wearing, my favorites right now being my sketchers, I will show a picture of my all time favorite ones to wear.  And I have a few of them.  I do need a couple more colors though!  Can I also say, I about had a meltdown trying to figure out how to watermark my photo.  I seriously almost cried.  Really.  But google helped, and with a wonderful tutorial I was able to do it.

Without further ado:

Though you cant see the colors, they are from Left to Right, black, red, grey and purple.  Most of them are from Target because I cant bear to pay almost $40 for one pair of chucks.  The purple ones are the All stars.

I really fail at cooking dinner on time, so I need to go feed the horde.  But before I do that, I wanted to share that I thought of Barry today while I was driving home from picking up our daughter from school.  It just struck me that it feels like yesterday that he died.  Almost like he just left to go to work and was back on the road.  It almost made me feel like I was living a double life.  Because it still feels like hes around, and though he isnt here physically, he was still "there".  I dont feel his presence much anymore, but once in awhile I know he checks in on us.  I still cant believe that Ive been on this widow journey for almost two years now.  Isnt it amazing how fast time flies?

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THE LEPTIN RESET DIET WEEK 2 RESULTS

I finished my second week of the Leptin Reset Diet.  I tracked my food five days this past week on Fitday.  Here are the averages of what I ate:

I take my full measurements every Sunday.  In the past week:

I gained a total of 4-1/2", which includes:
I gained 1/8" around my neck
I gained 1/8" around my bicep
I gained 1/4" around my bust
I gained 1/2" around my midriff

I gained 1" around my waist
I gained 5/8" around my navel
I gained 1/8" around my hips
I gained 1/2" around my thigh

I gained 1/8" around my calf

Since I started the Leptin Reset Diet 2 weeks ago, I have:

Gained 3.25" total, which includes:
Gained 0.125" around my neck

Gained 0.125" around my biceps
Gained 0.25" around my bust

Gained 0.25" around my midriff

Gained 0.375" around my waist

Gained 0.625" around my navel

Gained 0.375" around my hips

Gained 0.375" around my thighs
Gained 0.125" around my calves

In the past week, I have:

Gained 0.016 points onto my waist-to-height ratio

Gained 0.015 points onto my waist-to-hip ratio

Since I started the Leptin Reset Diet 2 weeks ago, I have: 

Gained 0.006 points onto my waist-to-height ratio

Gained 0.002 points onto my waist-to-hip ratio

In the past week, I have:

Gained 1.6 points onto my body fat percentage

Lost 1.6 points off my lean body mass percentage

Since I started the Leptin Reset Diet 2 weeks ago, I have: 

Gained 0.7 points onto my body fat percentage

Lost 0.7 points off my lean body mass percentage

In the past week, I have:

Gained 3.3 lbs. of body fat

Lost 0.5 lbs. of lean mass

Gained 2.8 lbs. on the scale

Since I started the Leptin Reset Diet 2 weeks ago, I have: 

Gained 1.4  lbs. of body fat

Lost 0.4 lbs. of lean mass

Lost 1.8 lbs. on the scale

Weeks completed: 2

Weeks to go: 6

**********

Obviously, I am not happy with these results, especially since the other people who are doing it are losing and I am gaining.  Of course, I am trying to figure it all out and see if there is something I am doing wrong.

First of all, I went into this knowing that I might not lose weight right away, but I really did not expect to gain this much.  

One of the things I read is this:  If a person is leptin sensitive, that person will have a normal appetite, regulated by his/her energy needs, but even if they eat more than they "need" one day, the body will deal with the extra food to burn it off without storing it as fat and gaining weight.  But if a person is leptin resistant, that person will not have a normal appetite, and they will constantly be driven to eat more than they need, and the body will deal with the extra food by storing it as fat and gaining weight.

So where does that leave me?  In the past several days, I have noticed that my appetite is decreasing, and Im not thinking about food in between meals.  But I am still eating an average of 2041 calories per day, which must just be plain too much food for my small, female self.

So here is what I am going to do in this next week:  Im going to drop my breakfast protein grams down to 40 - the first week it was 50 and the second week it was 45.  I will pay attention to make sure that I do not start feeling hungry again in between meals and after dinner just eating 40 grams of protein.

The other thing is that I will cut down fat around 25 grams and protein down just a couple of grams, so my day will look more like this:

1800 calories

140g fat (70%)

110g protein

25g total carbs

Im not happy about this, because it means more tracking, and not just eating what feels right.  For me, just eating what feels right is too much food.  My appetite is still too big for my size.  I guess Ill find out when I weigh in next week if this has been helpful or not.

Related post:

The Leptin Reset Diet
The Leptin Reset Diet - Week 1 Results

Read More..