Kashi has an instant hot cereal solution for me and I tried it tonight and it was delicious!

Another problem with my diet planning is that I cannot stand skim milk. I have to at least have 1%, or I won’t have any. Skim milk just isn’t creamy and rich enough for my tastes. I have found a solution to that, however – - using Fat Free Half and Half instead of skim milk. No fat – more taste. Perfect!

So, Kashi GOLean Creamy Truly Vanilla hot cereal with a splash of Fat Free Half and Half does the trick! OH OH! I also recently found a sugar substitute that is completely 100% organic and really does the job for me more than Splenda ever will! It’s called Stevia – and you can read all about Stevia right here. It’s a natural herb that is extremely sweet. In fact, this remarkable noncaloric herb, native to Paraguay, has been used as a sweetener and flavor enhancer for centuries.

The Kashi GoLean cereal has 7 whole grains plus protein and fiber – including Flax Seeds to provide you with just the right kind of fat you need in your diet (abundance of omega-3 fatty acids). (read about Flax Seeds here) – - Here’s the breakdown of the rest of the nutritional information in the Kashi hot cereal:

Remember, You must use the following CODES when placing your internet/website orders…

** 2 Half Gallons, normally $32.00 + $8.00 shipping, totaling $40.00 is NOW only $32.00! – CODE: SFLAH2

** 2 Gallons, normally $56.00 + $14.00 shipping, totaling $70.00 is NOW only $56.00! – CODE: SNOLLAG2

** The 4 gallon case, normally $112.00 + $20.00 shipping, totaling $132.00 is NOW $112.00! – CODE: ESACLAG4

NOTE: You must use the coupon code when placing your order on the website or you will not receive credit back for shipping.

Once again this is a very special offer just for you and your friends… Yep that’s right, You can forward this to all your friends and family but make sure all orders are placed here:

Egg Whites International

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!

Hmm. Maybe that idea has merit?

Anyways – I started the NutriSystemdiet program…. hmm… when.. oh yea – on Thursday August 3 – a week and two days ago. Combined with daily walking and doing stregth training on my Bowflex every other day… I have lost a solid 7lbs!

That’s 7 one-pound bags of sugar, man! I lost that! I’m thrilled and motivated enough to keep this up for at least another few weeks and see if I can’t just grab onto that target weight of mine once and for all!

I have to put a note in here of thanks to my new hubby – without whose support, I wouldn’t be doing this. He is SO encouraging (umm..sometimes annoying) and I probably wouldn’t have gotten into the daily treadmill habit if it weren’t for him and his encouragement (nagging). He knows how much I really want to drop these last 30 lbs – - he knows how much it bothers me.. and he also knows how much of a procrastinator I am… so he reminds me daily. He does wonderful things.. like today…. “Hey baby – how about I do those two loads of laundry… while you get on the treadmill? Deal?” He’s super!

I also am very happy with the NutriSystemprogram, so far. It’s extremely easy to stick to. I feel full.. I don’t feel like I’m starving. I eat 5 times a day – and the food is really quite good. I’m so pleased with it that I’m going to order another month’s worth when the time comes.

NutriSystem Nourish: The Revolutionary New Weight-Loss Program

I’m discovering that their food is actually pretty darn good – - it’s food that I would eat on a regular basis, even when I’m not dieting. So far, I’ve had:

- Spinach and Cheese raviolli with meat sauce – YUM!
- Pasta Parmesan with Broccoli – Pretty good!
- Blueberry bran muffins – These were so-so, but really – how good can a bran muffin really be?
- Caramel dessert bar – - now THIS was super!
- Chocolate shake – very good

So, I’m encouraged that this next month of trying this NutriSystem program isn’t going to be a total wash. I’m a super picky eater – - so I was a little worried that I wouldn’t be able to get this stuff down… but really, it’s very good so far!

I just finished the pasta parmesan w/ broccoli for lunch – - had it with a salad that was made from ingredients that I grew in my own garden: lettuce, cucumbers, grape tomatoes with garlic chives. All natural stuff that made a super salad after I rinsed all the dirt off.

My teenaged daughter is helping stay on track, too – - she’s taking daily walks with me. It’s nice time spent with her.. and helps get my excercise in for the day, too!

For some, this may not be appealling – however, with my lifestyle (especially these days) – my time available for cooking and preparing meals that fit within my diet plan and my daily goals for protein intake, fiber intake, carbs, etc just isn’t there at the moment! So I thought I’d give NutriSystem a try and see how I like it.

NutriSystem Nourish: The Revolutionary New Weight-Loss Program Review from Amazon.com: This is an excellent program. I haven’t had much discipline when it comes to what I eat and this is the only program I’ve tried that really works and did not leave me feeling cranky and deprived. I lost 20lbs without exercise in the first 2 months and am continuing to lose 2lbs a week. The weight loss has given me so much energy that now I can’t sit still so exercise fit itself into the plan without being forced. This program works if you love to cook (I don’t) and if you like convenience of prepackaged food (I do). I’m never hungry on this program because I eat 5x a day. The web site is informative and teaches proper portion size and a healthy mix of protein, carbs and fats. This book takes it the extra step to really explain what is behind the program so you can maintain the weight loss easily. I now know that my slow metabolism was due to blood sugar fluctuations. My metabolism is no longer slow and my blood pressure is textbook-perfect. Most importantly, I feel and look much better and my energy has increased 100%. Don’t wait, start the program today and feel better almost immediately. It really does work and it is very easy!!!

I ordered my first month of the program that is scheduled for delivery tomorrow and am looking foward to starting up and seeing how it goes! I’m kind of mixing this together with my normal Body for Life program – in particular the exercise and fitness program that I had so much success with earlier in the year.

See if I can’t get rid of those last pesky 25 – 30 lbs, hey?

5 calories a bottle. No sugar. No carbs.

Perfect! I’ve had four bottles of regular water, 2 cups of hot green tea and two bottles of my Crystal Light On The Go. I like to vary my liquids throughout the day so I don’t get bored.

Life’s little pleasures, ya know?

To sum up, here are just a few medical conditions in which drinking green tea is reputed to be helpful:

cancer
rheumatoid arthritis
high cholesterol levels
cariovascular disease
infection
impaired immune function

What makes green tea so special?

The secret of green tea lies in the fact it is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is a powerful anti-oxidant: besides inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, it kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. It has also been effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels, and inhibiting the abnormal formation of blood clots. The latter takes on added importance when you consider that thrombosis (the formation of abnormal blood clots) is the leading cause of heart attacks and stroke.

Since it is getting a little warm out here latey – today, I decided to make a jug of iced green tea. I filled an empty milk carton with cold wated… put approximately 12 herbal/organic green tea bags in (leaving the strings hanging out) – then put the milk jug cap back on. I set it outside in a sunny spot at noon, and brought it back inside at about 5pm.

Wala! Pour it over ice and you have a perfect refreshing iced green tea beverage. It’s good — and good FOR you!

Did I just say that??

I got my 5 Disc DVD set of
Carment Electra’s Strip Tease Aerobics and started doing it everyday. Today was my third day and I am DEFINITELY feeling the burn, man!

And strippers/dancers do this stuff for hours and hours a day? No WONDER they’re all so fit!

The routines are great fun – - if you can happen to get past the fact that Carmen Electra has NO butt to speak of! I’m learning some new dance moves that I can incorporate… somewhere… sometime.

Most fun? I’m getting into shape… using some muscle groups that I obviously haven’t been using in my cardio and weight training – - because it’s HURTING! Plus – - I’m putting these moves together to formulate a little surprise for my soon-to-be-hubby for our honeymoon at the end of June.

Va vava VOOM!

Today? I do the exact same thing – - except instead of spoonfuls of sugar, I use one packet of Splenda. My how times change when gravity starts playing games with your body, eh?

Eating grapefruit can benefit weight loss in many ways. They are low in calories, low in sodium, high in potassium and high in fat burning enzymes. These can benefit weight loss in different ways. The low calories means we can eat grapefruit freely without consuming too many calories. A low sodium intake helps flush away excess water weight caused from high sodium foods. And, the enzymes present in grapefruit help increase fat burning.

Another positive benefit of eating grapefruit is the high water content. Grapefruits are almost 90 percent water. Eating any fruit with a high water content helps boost water ingestion and research has shown that increasing water consumption can give more energy and help increase the metabolism. Many people are discovering the benefits of eating high water foods like grapefruit and many other fruits for help in losing weight.

They are completely 100% fat free. No lie. Only downfall is the carb count at 28g per brownie. For all you Weight Watchers folks out there – it’s a 2 Point brownie. I decided to try it out when I saw the boxes of it at my local health food store.

You mix the brownie mix with 2/3 cup fat free vanilla yogurt (my favorite comes from StoneyField Farms) – then you bake it at 350 for 30 minutes and that is it.

Rich. Chewy. Chocolatey. Fudgey. Goodness. Even my 14 year old daughter loves them!

Ingredients: Pure Sugar Cane, Dutch Cocoas, Cornstarch, Salt, Unbleached Wheat Flour, Egg Whites, Wheat Gluten, Baking Soda. Then the added no fat yogurt.

Too unbelievabley good to be true!