30 days to 16 lbs skinnier, that’s pretty good!  I have had a blast getting through this challenge and blogging about it has helped tremendously.  I did it to challenge myself to do something that appeared “Hard” in my mind.  Hard because addiction is hard to overcome due to it having so many components to it that need to be addressed…the mind, the body, the soul, and the emotions.  But success depends solely on the mind and whether we let negative thoughts rule our emotions or positive thoughts.  I decided it was time to let positivity rule and it feels good!  I’m going to continue with another 30-day to Skinny challenge and lose those last 21 lbs to get back to my natural weight.  I hope I will stay there, but I won’t beat myself up if I fluctuate between 125 and 135, that’s good enough for me for a 5’8” frame! ~;o)
Good night World…I’m outta here!
~B

Yeah!  This was my last day for fasting with the Master Cleanse and I am thrilled!  I actually feel really good today in spite of feeling terrible the last four days.  I suffered through the most excruciating heartburn, which is such a mystery since my stomach was empty of food and has been for 6 days (when fasting, it actually takes 3-4 days for your system to empty of food so my first 3 days don’t count).  But today I only had a slight episode of heartburn and my energy is coming back. I felt really light headed and low energy the last four days as well.
So to come off of my fast, I will drink lots of water (every day) and vegetable broth the first day; vegetable broth and fresh squeezed orange juice the second day; vegetable broth, organic vegetable puree soup and oranges the rest of the week and the second week I will get back to my vegan salads.  And the third week I’ll be back on a normal Vegan diet.
I have lost 16 pounds so far, 4 pounds short of my goal, but that’s all right, I’m going to make up for it just in choosing a better healthier vegan lifestyle.  I’ll get to fit into my birthday dress I’ve been waiting to wear for 3 birthdays now!  Whoohoo I did it!!! ~;o)

Good night World!

~B

Life is good!  I can understand that life just gets too dang hard for some folks(in their mind) and they decide to take their own lives, but if they could have just had a little more courage and patience, it would have eventually turned around for them and they would too be saying, “Life is good”.  With the right attitude and positive outlook, any circumstance has a good side to it.  I have a passion for life!  I love everything about it, the pain and the pleasure.  The pain is necessary to show contrast to pleasure so that we can appreciate true joy.  It’s the appreciation of joy that is the pleasure.  Identify your top passions and pursue them.  It will change your life for the better and make it oh so sweet.  I created a vision board or (dream board) to represent my passions and hung it near my treadmill.  So as I work hard at exercising my body in the mornings, I get to fill my mind and spirit envisioning the people, places and things that I’m passionate about.  It sure makes my workouts go by faster.  This weight loss challenge is a gift to myself so that I can be healthy enough to enjoy my life…because it is good. ~;o)

Good night World!
~B

As I age and grow in spirit, the more I want to do yoga than kickboxing! Yoga is such a peaceful and gentle way to stretch the body and invigorate the heart and lungs.  I love to get up at 6:15a in the morning while it’s still dark and I’m still sleepy and wake up gently doing yoga poses.  I get quite a workout of all of my muscles and it’s easy on my joints.  Yoga is a great accompaniment to my 30 Days to Skinny weight loss challenge, it’s like a treat for all of my hard work to be able to breathe deeply and say grace as I pose. My favorite DVD to use is QuickFix Power Yoga.  No workout DVDs beat The QuickFix series for the best of the best for home exercise.  I wish the company that produced them would do more but they told me they do not have plans for new ones, so sad.  http://www.inspiredcorp.com/quick-fix.htm

Good night World!
~B

Now juice fasting is another detoxification I would like to get through for at least 7 days if not 10 days. I bought a beautiful new juicer and no matter what they say in the commercials, it still SUCKS to clean it! But the juice is so fresh and tasty it almost makes the clean up worth it. As for juicing as a fast, I cannot seem to get enough satisfaction or hunger suppressant (like with The Master Cleanser) to get past the second day of doing it. The juice seems to make me hungry faster and cleaning the juicer 3-4 times a day is just too much. If there were a juice bar near my home I would so be there! ~;o)) Now The Tree Of Life Rejuvenation Center has three juice fasting programs, one is a 10-day, a 17-day and a 24-day package. I would love to go back there some time and do their 10 day fast when I can take that much time off in a row. While I was there I met some people who were doing the juice fast and I noticed that it was mostly green drinks. You can of course take as many wheat grass shots as you like during the day. http://www.treeoflife.nu/detoxification But anyway, here is what I found on juice fasting:

Fasting is the single greatest natural healing therapy. It is nature’s ancient, universal “remedy” for many problems. Animals instinctively fast when ill. When I first discovered fasting, 15 years ago, I felt as if it had saved my life and transformed my illnesses into health. My stagnant energies began flowing, and I became more creative and vitally alive. I still find fasting both a useful personal tool and an important therapy for many medical and life problems. http://www.healthy.net/scr/article.asp?ID=1996 There are several kinds of fasts, from those for religious reasons that fast until sundown to those who take nothing but water for long periods. If the fasting is for health purposes, it makes sense to support your body’s needs while you reduce or remove some necessary elements from your diet. The basic elements that we need to remove from our diet for the sake of our health are cooked food and animal products. This includes the denatured packaged products such as white flour, refined sugar etc. and all animal products such as red meat, poultry, fish and eggs. The only animal product that is usually allowed is a little honey for sweetening purposes. The best single method to accomplish these ends is to juice fast… The prohibited foods include all animal flesh of any kind, including fish, poultry, eggs and dairy products. The only exception for some is the inclusion of a tablespoon of honey once a day for sweetening. A strict juice fast is sometimes necessary until a good recovery is established. This may take from several days to three weeks or more. Almost always, there is immediate evidence of the success of the fast. The patient will know the next day, the family will know in two or three days and the doctor may see measurable results within a week or so. http://www.juicefasting.org/ Different people have different reasons to perform juice fasting. Major reasons to perform juice fasting are spiritual or religious reasons, weight loss, detoxification or to overcome an addiction. In other words it can be said that juice fasting is well accepted as an alternative healing therapy. Besides detoxifying your body juice fasting also provides your body with essential enzymes, vitamins and minerals. When you are completely on juice diet then it is the source of energy required and do not exert pressure on the digestive system. Juice fasting gives rest to your vital organs and detoxify your body which is essential for proper healing and rejuvenation. There are certain things you need to remember while juice fasting, some of the important points are listed below: One of the most important things is to choose fresh organic vegetables and fruits for preparation of juices. Non-organic vegetables and fruits contain high level of toxins such as fungicides, herbicides and pesticides. Hence non-organic foods are not suitable for the purpose of detoxification as it will add more toxins to your body. In case you are unable to find organic foods then health-experts suggest peel-off the skin of fruits and vegetables. According to experts suggestion it is better to wash your foods with baking soda or non-toxic produce cleaner. Skins of organically grown foods can be used for the preparation of juice. But foods like oranges, pineapples, melons, kiwi fruits, papaya, etc. it is better to remove the skin. Certain fruit and vegetable parts you should avoid for the preparation of juice. These avoidable parts includes pits of fruits like cherries, apricots and peaches, tops of root vegetables like beet root, rhubarb or carrots, apple seeds, citrus peels and tough skins like that of banana, avocados and plantain. It is advisable for pregnant women and people suffering form chronic health problems like asthma, diabetes, low blood sugar, irritable bowel syndrome, epilepsy, colitis or kidney problems not to perform juice fasting. People under prescribed medications should perform juice fasting under strict supervision of physician. It is better to avoid grapefruit and pomegranate juice in case you are on prescribed medication. You might experience severe headaches in case you consume high levels of caffeine. Hence it is advisable to gradually reduce your caffeine consumption at least 2 weeks prior to the commencement of juice fasting. Most commonly observed side-effects of juice fasting are constipation, fatigue, increased bad breathe and body odor. Sometimes you might observe skin out-breaks during juice fasting. This happens because your skin is most effective organ for toxin elimination. These side effects are temporary and disappears with the completion of juice fasting. http://fasting.ygoy.com/2008/05/20/8-points-to-remember-while-you-juice-fast/

Good night World!

~B

Good night World!
~B

~B

So what about Calorie Restriction diets?  It supposedly prolongs life and there seems to be research to back that up but plenty of critics as well.  Here’s what I’ve found:

Since the 1930s extensive scientific research has shown that calorie restricted (CR) diets improve health and extend lifespans of nearly every species tested, including worms, spiders, rodents, dogs, cows and monkeys. We believe it is likely that people who carefully adopt a CR diet will see similar results. http://www.calorierestriction.org/
But just because a diet works in animals doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for people. And even if a limited calorie diet was found to extend your life, would you be willing to stick to it?
Scientists have their doubts about the viability of the calorie restriction diet in a Western culture where overweight and obesity seem to be the norm. Still, calorie restriction research may give doctors clues about the aging process and how its effects may be slowed… Short trials of calorie restriction diets in people have shown some benefit. People undergoing calorie restriction, whether through a restricted diet only or through a combination of diet and exercise, typically have seen positive changes…If you’re overweight or obese, calorie restriction may be one strategy you can consider to help you achieve a healthy weight. Discuss this with your doctor. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/anti-aging/HQ00233
Calorie Restriction Research project: Current investigators:
Luigi Fontana, M.D., Ph.D. (http://geriatrics.im.wustl.edu/faculty/fontana.html).
Principal Investigator
Dr. Fontana has gained special insights on human health from his experience as a practicing physician and as a researcher in metabolism. His passion is the science of aging. Dr. Fontana has already made medical history with the first phase of the project by showing that calorie restriction does indeed have age-slowing effects in humans.
The results have been reported worldwide in the medical literature:
Long-term calorie restriction is highly effective in reducing the risk for atherosclerosis in humans. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the U. S. A. 2004 Apr 7; 101(17):6659-63. 
Fontana L, Meyer TE, Klein S, Holloszy JO. PMID: 15096581
The group from the Calorie Restriction Society showed virtually no evidence of risk for atherosclerosis. Many evaluative measures such as total cholesterol, LDL, triglycerides, insulin, and high sensitivity C-reactive protein were significantly lower in the CR group, while the cardio-protective HDL was higher. Our carotid artery wall thickness, a diagnostic indicator for coronary artery disease, was 40% less than that of the controls, and we showed no evidence of plaque accumulation.
Long-term caloric restriction ameliorates the decline in diastolic function in humans. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2006 Jan 17;47(2):398-402. 
Meyer TE, Kovacs SJ, Ehsani AA, Klein S, Holloszy JO, Fontana L. PMID: 16412867
Decline in the heart’s diastolic function occurs with age. The results of this study showed that the diastolic function of our CR cohort resembled that found in people about 15 years younger.
Effect of long-term calorie restriction with adequate protein and micronutrients on thyroid hormones. 
J Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2006 Aug;91(8):3232-5. Epub 2006 May 23. 
Fontana L, Klein S, Holloszy JO, Premachandra BN. PMID: 16720655
“Thyroid hormones influence cell respiration, free radical production and energy homeostasis. Data from long-lived rodent studies shows that CR decreases serum concentrations of T3, the hormone that mediates most of the functions of the thyroid gland.”
This study showed that the serum level of the thyroid hormone, triiodothyronine (T3) may be used as a human aging indicator.
Consistent with the studies of calorie-restricted animals, the T3 hormone of our calorie-restricted group was found to be lower than the control groups.
Aging, adiposity, and calorie restriction. JAMA – Journal of the American Medical Association. 2007 Mar 7;297(9):986-94. Review. 
Fontana L, Klein S. PMID: 17341713
Here, Drs. Fontana and Klein used observations of our group as well as other studies to set parameters for healthy calorie restriction – important for anyone who wishes to practice the lifestyle.
Long-term effects of calorie or protein restriction on serum IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 concentration in humans.
Aging Cell. 2008 Oct;7(5):681-7. 
Fontana L, Weiss EP, Villareal DT, Klein S, Holloszy JO. PMID: 18843793
… [O]ur data provide evidence that protein intake is a key determinant of circulating IGF-1 levels in humans, and suggest that reduced protein intake may become an important component of anticancer and anti-aging dietary interventions. http://www.calorierestriction.org/ResearchOnAging

Good night World!

~B

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

–Reinhold Niebuhr

When you deprive yourself of food like I am with the Master Cleanse, you need prayer! ~;o)

Good night World!

~B