Day 55 – More Bad News About GMO Foods

 

First let me say the first day of C25K was a bit brutal and so far, so is day 2! I took a couple aspirin before going to bed and slept well. This morning doing the Power90 sweat circuit was a grunt, all the leg work requiring me to raise my knees (a lot!) was almost like going back to the first few days of the program. But that’s good, yes, because that means its really shaken things up.

I drank a big glass of juice (romaine, parsley, cuke, celery, yellow & purple bell peppers, carrots, onion, lemon and ginger) when I got home. So amazing, as I was drinking it felt like  all that goodness  was being soaked up by all my cells like little sponges. I could “feel” it refreshing my muscles! And I’m finishing that juice up right now for breakfast after my morning workout.

Now to the bad news:

In 2008, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine called for an immediate moratorium on all genetically modified foods. Here’s an excerpt:

With the precautionary principle in mind, because GM foods have not been properly tested for human consumption, and because there is ample evidence of probable harm, the AAEM asks:

• Physicians to educate their patients, the medical community, and the public to avoid GM foods when possible and provide educational materials concerning GM foods and health risks.

• Physicians to consider the possible role of GM foods in the disease processes of the patients they treat and to document any changes in patient health when changing from GM food to non-GM food.

• Our members, the medical community, and the independent scientific community to gather case studies potentially related to GM food consumption and health effects, begin epidemiological research to investigate the role of GM foods on human health, and conduct safe methods of determining the effect of GM foods on human health.

• For a moratorium on GM food, implementation of immediate long term independent safety testing, and labeling of GM foods, which is necessary for the health and safety of consumers

Here’s the full article. Now more than 2-years later, our Government still allows GMO foods to further permeate and dominate our crop production. Yet in July 2011, after a 20-years struggle, the US reversed its position and voted with the global CODEX to allow gmo foods to be labeled.

Samuel Ochieng, President Emeritus of Consumers International and CEO of the Kenyan Consumer Information Network said:

“While the agreement falls short of the consumer movement’s long-held demand for endorsement of mandatory GM food labelling, this is still a significant milestone for consumer rights. This guidance is extremely good news for the worlds’ consumers who want to know what is in the foods on their plates”.

I love edamame, I buy the big bags of 2-serving packets from Sam’s Club freezer section. I’ve got 1.5 bags in my freezer now awaiting my juice fest to be over. Now, after what I’ve read about GMO soy causing infertility and a host of other problems, I’m throwing it out.

I found a somewhat local (SC) farm called Wanamakers that sells a couple different varieties of organic edamame. I’m going to get some!

 

Day 43 – Anchors, a-weigh!!

Yep, its Thursday and that means its weight & measurement day. As you can see from my progress page I’m now down 21# and more than 25″ WOW!!

I’ve added stationary bike and walking to my daily routine on top of my BeachBody Power90 workouts. I gotta love Tony Horton – 25″ in 43 days is amazing, satisfying, motivating, c’mon help me with more adjectives!

The juicing got me going, got me feeling the weight loss and energy to get myself moving.  I’m still loving the juicing and will continue to incorporate juicing into my lifestyle the rest of my life. But the BIG transformation comes from exercising. there’s just absolutely no getting around it.

I’m parking in the last row, farthest from the door when I go shopping or running errands. Soon I will be bicycling into town to run errands. Man, won’t that save gas!

On a sad note, the kale is now all gone, remember the picture of the kale I took from Day 35? I juiced the last of it today, so that sink full lasted 8 days.

I'll be juicing the stems, too

Went to the grocery store and didn’t have the heart to buy kale, so I bought a couple pounds of mustard greens. I feel about them the way I feel about kale (yuck) but they looked so very fresh and green. that I’ll try ’em.

I also picked up more ginger, but somehow it didn’t make it through the checkout process and then home. Not sure what happened, but it was slow at the self checkout and the attendant came over to help me because so much of what I had was produce and not everything was marked with their codes. It might have fallen out of the cart. I’ll have to pick some up today as I really like the subtle little something it brings to the mix.

Day 33 – Just Feeling Blue

Feeling like a Fish out of Water

Okay, so every day cannot be all hearts & flowers.

I woke up just feeling a half a bubble off plumb. I had to really force myself to do my Power 90 Sculpt routine strength training exercises this morning and immediately went to lay on the couch to watch the news. No energy today and my muscles feel like they’d like to go somewhere on vacation rather than carry my sorry ass around.

Waited for the dew to dry on the yard and mowed – on the steep parts I fell twice and once my feet almost went under the mower – not good at all. By the time I was done, I felt like I’d run a marathon and been beat with a bag of nickels. I inhaled about 16oz iced mint & thyme tea but still felt hot so I limped into a cool shower – that helped, but now, 2 1/2 hrs later, my face still feels hot.

I think it is just one of those days.

Then I remembered, I’ve not had my juice this morning. Not only that but it is almost 3:30 (!!) Excuse me…

Okay I’m back. Grabbed some veggies and made some juice. Put my feet up and

Kale, spinach, red banana peppers, apple,cuke, lemon,ginger, celery & carrots. This makes about 32 oz juice

watched judge Judy – love her! Shortly after, my friend SusieD came over to pick some kale. I sent her home with a big bagful and a bunch of yellow and red banana peppers, too. Yep, I’m feeling much better now.

What is truly remarkable is I forgot to “eat.” Who me? That’s never happened before. Changes are taking place, my friends, major changes, good changes!

Day 31 – Its all dowhill from here!

I was amazed before I was half-way through! I’ve been consistent with my Tony Horton Beach Body Power 90 workouts. Herb (who loves me no matter what) told me I have “sides” now. I’m fitting into pants I’d thought I would never be able to wear again. At the rate I’m going, these new denim & khaki friends will be just a memory in a couple weeks! A good memory!

Loving this juicing thing, so easy, not much to think about, easy to clean up after, only run the dishwasher once a week, mostly to give the juicer and blender a super good washing/sanitizing, other than that just knife, cutting board and glasses!

What really has me tickled pink is I’m not feeling at all deprived or that white-knuckle-tough-it-out thing. This is something I can see myself doing for the rest of my life – not juicing exclusively, but daily/every other day for sure.

Still working on making the exercise a real part of my lifestyle. I’m building up my strength to make cycling a regular part of my routine. For now, just the exercise bike, but soon to take my real bike on errands into town. We live in the western NC foothills, so going up & down are going to be the real challenge with that – but I’ve got my eye on the prize (a better me!)

 

 

 

Day 29 – Half way through!

Yikes ! I burned my pinky & ring finger on my left hand with boiling water this morning. Typing this with one hand – not fun – its throbbing.

Anyway – I’m halfway done with this phase of juicing and I feel great. I did completely blow it last night, but I feel NO remorse or regret as I have in the past with other weight loss programs – that is a HUGE biggie for me.

Herb & I had dinner with my best friend from high school. She & her hubby were in Asheville visiting her son and daughter-in-law and her newest grandbaby. Annie is the kind of friend where though we don’t see or talk to each other for years, when we get together, we pick up the conversation as though we spoke just yesterday – so comfortable and warm.

We ate at Bouchonand it was perfect weather so we ate al fresco in the back sort of grotto area.

Herb, Dick, Anne & I at Bouchon

Started with escargot, country style pate’, and scallops gratinnée. I had 1 escargot and 2 bites of each appetizer. Then Herb got the salmon special and I got chicken cordon bleu; they make it with prosciutto & gruyere    – yumm! so I had 1 bite of Herb’s fish and gave him about 1/3 of mine. Just water with lime to drink for me.

Then we went up stairs to a little outdoor area called Lexington Square between Bouchon and their sister restautant, Creperie Bouchon. Anne got Crepe Suzette with gran marnier sauce and Dick & I shared a Crepe Galen filled with Nutella and berries with homemade whipped cream. I only took a few bites but oooo-la-la was it good!

A little combo was playing a kind of sweet ragtime-style music and we chatted until well after the sun went down. I didn’t want the evening to end, it was so good to see Anne again. But they will be back in December and they’ll come over for dinner to enjoy some of Herb’s cooking and so her son, the chef, can see Herb’s mushroom set up.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself and while this was certainly not juice, I don’t feel like I went way overboard. I didn’t feel stuffed or bloated. Frankly, I am pleased that I didn’t get an upset stomach after eating all that rich food after not eating anything like that in almost a month!

But it did effect my measuring day, today, because when I weighed myself yesterday I was a pound lighter than today. Back on the juicing wagon and staying steady with Tony Horton’s Beach Body Power 90 exercising. I’ve also stepped up my bike exercise this week, going from 100 pedals to setting the timer for 5 minutes.

I can feel my body getting stronger. Not sure how to describe it, but like my body is flowing more with the exercises rather than fighting it (Yeaaa – another VICTORY!) The exercise is definitely helping with the inches; check out my progress here. 

Last night I comfortably wore a favorite pair of dress jeans I’d not been able to get into at all when I started this change. Beyond the measurements and weighing, zipping up a pair of pants comfortably is a really, really great feeling.

Day 2

I survived Day One  woo-hoo!

And when I weighted myself this morning I was down 2 pounds!

Now I’m pleased with that, yet I’m keeping it in perspective – most any diet will cough up those first few water pounds – but I’m in this for the long haul – not a bad start, though.

Dinner - celery, cucumber, lemon, apple, carrots, kale and not pictured spinach & ginger

Yesterday wasn’t as bad as I’d thought and so far today is okay, too. The juice is really keeping my body informed that its getting its fuel. It was a little weird being in the grocery store to stock up on celery, carrots, lemons, apples, pears and beets.  Just thinking of how I don’t need to bother even going down any of those other aisles – everything I need is in the produce department.

Hated buying beets, we grew a lot this season and pickled most of them up. I’m going to scour the west end of the garden and see if any are hiding between the kale and the sunflowers.  I’m also going to gather some cabbages, mint and blueberries. Pears are on their way and our friend’s orchard is putting out the peaches – so that’ll help with the grocery bill. I’m going to keep track of that, too and see if I spend more for all fruits & veggies or for the stuff I have been buying.

I had my version of Mean Green Juice this morning – ah – but for lunch I had my big beautiful orange Kellogs Breakfast tomato, two Early Girls and a handful of the White Cherry tomatoes. Sliced with just a tiny drizzle of olive oil, red wine vinegar and salt & pepper. What a treat to do a taste test! The KB was soooo good and I must say after being able to sample them all together the red Early Girls were #1, followed very closely by the KB and the White Cherry just didn’t stack up. So while the White Cherry was still wayyyy better than any commercial tomatoes, because the output was just mediocre I don’t believe I will be growing them next year. So even thought lunch was not juice, I don’t feel I fell off the wagon because those luscious tomatoes were perfectly juicy!

Final note for today – As all of us professional weight losers know, diet alone is not sufficient, so I got my exercise in this morning. I walked Shelby to the end of the street and back – about 10 minutes, weeded in the lily pond garden for about 15 minutes and did the Tony Horton Power 90 Sculpt (weight) routine about 25 minutes. He’s promised me a Beach Body in 90 days so – yippeeeeeeeeee!

Girlfriends are doin’ it for themselves – YEA!