VLCD 3

I'm doing great so far. Had weight loss again this morning so I'm starting to get a little excited. I think I need a week behind me of continued success to begin to have confidence in the HCG and what it purportedly can do. Even though my husband and some of his acquaintances are all very successful here...I'm a little slow to embrace this wholly. It's just me.

I made a batch of fresh asparagus with salt and pepper to which tilapia was placed on top with lemon juice and oregano. I baked it for 25 minutes in foil and it was pretty good. I switched out my fruit at the end of the day from 1/2 grapefruit to an apple because I only totalled 408 calories for the day. I need to be as close to 500 I can get. Heh. Never thought I'd be having trouble getting enough calories.

Day of the Grasshopper Looms

Wall Street Journal
by Stephanie SimonMonday, March 29, 2010

Western Farmers, Ranchers Worry an Expected Infestation Could Ravage Crops, Cattle
Farmers and ranchers across the West are bracing for a grasshopper infestation that could devastate millions of acres of crops and land used for grazing.

Over the coming weeks, federal officials say, grasshoppers will likely hatch in bigger numbers than any year since 1985. Hungry swarms caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage that year when they devoured corn, barley, alfalfa, beets -- even fence posts and the paint off the sides of barns.

A federal survey of 17 states taken last fall found critically high numbers of adult grasshoppers in parts of Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming. Each mature female lays hundreds of eggs. So "the population could be very, very high this year," said Charles Brown, who manages grasshopper suppression for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Ryan Fieldgrove is dreading the influx.

A rancher near Buffalo, Wyo., Mr. Fieldgrove was enjoying a banner year last summer when, seemingly out of nowhere, crawling carpets of hoppers marched onto his rangeland -- a harbinger of this year's infestation. In three weeks, they had eaten every blade of tender, nutritious grass on his 10,000 acres. They also ate his wife's lilac bushes. "They took it all," Mr. Fieldgrove said.

Unable to find enough grass, Mr. Fieldgrove's 200 young calves began to lose weight. He ended up selling them at auction several weeks earlier -- and 60 pounds per calf lighter -- than planned. And he had to import hay to feed the mother cows he kept on his ranch for the winter.
The grasshoppers cost Mr. Fieldgrove about $30,000 in profit, he said -- and local agricultural officials are warning him it could be worse this year.

Grasshoppers, which typically thrive in the west at densities of about eight mature insects per square yard, are a healthy part of the ecosystem -- and food for birds such as the sage grouse. But last fall, surveys found 15 per square yard in hot spots, and those numbers are expected to rise this summer. Peak infestation areas can easily hit 60 or more hungry hoppers per square yard -- a population so dense that they swarm over every surface on passing cars, cover country roads like a rug and lie so thick on grassy patches.

To try to get ahead of the problem, Wyoming has allocated $2.7 million for suppression efforts, including aerial spraying of the pesticide Dimilin, which is fatal to maturing grasshoppers. But Wyoming's congressional delegation -- concerned that's not nearly enough -- has demanded federal help.

"It does not appear as though the USDA has any sense of urgency in the face of this pending plague," the delegation wrote in a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack last month.
The Wall Street Journal

Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal this month weighed in as well, writing a public letter urging county, state and federal officials to join forces to prevent "economic and ecological damage." The forecast, he said, suggests an infestation "with disastrous implications."

Mr. Brown, of the USDA, said the department is aware of the severity of the problem but used up nearly all its $5.6 million grasshopper budget last fall counting the insect population -- an annual task -- and has no money to spray swaths of federally-owned range and grassland. He said the department is looking at ways to boost funding.

If the infestation reaches the level of the 1985 outbreak, he said, federal suppression efforts could cost $40 million.

Private landowners also face a hefty tab. Some have already ordered aerial sprays, at a cost of about $10 an acre, on land they consider most vulnerable.

They're also hoping for help from Mother Nature. A cold, damp spell in late May or June could wipe out a good number of the baby grasshoppers, known as nymphs. But if the weather is warm and dry, "I don't think we'll grow a crop in this part of the country," said Pete Lumsden, a farmer in Loring, Montana.

Many of the most destructive grasshopper species have poetic-sounding names: There's the whitewhiskered grasshopper and the threebanded, spottedwinged, redshanked and bigheaded varieties as well. They feed voraciously, eating about half their body weight in foliage each day.
Grasshopper infestations tend to be cyclical; the numbers mount rapidly for two or three years and then plunge back to normal when the insects run out of food or a disease spreads through overcrowded swarms. Last year was fairly bad in several Western states, so this summer could well be the crest, after which the numbers will fall, entomologists said.

That's little comfort to Mr. Lumsden, who hopes to harvest 2,200 acres of spring wheat and barley this year -- if the grasshoppers don't get it first. "It's so very vulnerable," he said.

My 2 cents: Dimilin in our food/water/soil...look out if you breath this, get it on your skin, or in your eyes. If this is as bad as this article tells it, our organic foods are lost with the rest. Think market prices are high now?

VCLD 2

I have lost 8.9% of my goal as of this morning. So I am encouraged. I hope to be encouraged when I step on the scale tomorrow also.

I'm a little more empty compared to yesterday, but it feels perfectly normal. I hope to get closer to my calorie allowance this time so I don't screw up the results. Yesterday I took in 464 calories. Just couldn't eat anymore food. I think it must be a combination of the effect of the HCG, and the fact that I was still stuffed from loading the first two days of the diet.

Preparing food is a bit of a cluster for me yet. I'm not too keen on eating meats everyday. I am allowing chicken, but no beef, and lots of fish. It seems like it takes a lot of veggies to make this all add up to 500. I must say, I purchased the chicken at Whole Foods and made sure it was grain fed, etc. Man is it good. Flavorful and tender.

VLCD 1

This is my first day of Very Low Calorie Day = 500 cl/day. I only did 464 calories. I was SO full. Did not feel hungry at all after the weekend of binging.

Tomorrow is my first day of expected weight loss. I am a little nervous. If I don't go down I will be mortified.

Hubby says it will all work out. :P

HCG - Day 2

Blech. I am SO sick of stuffing myself full of high fat foods. This is the second and last 'loading' day. I don't think I'll have a bit of trouble sticking to my first Very Low Calorie Day [VLCD] tomorrow. Not at all. All I can say is when I step on that scale Tuesday morning, I had BETTER have lost some weight.

Tomorrow for lunch [first time I can eat for the day] is 3.5 oz of shrimp scampini, 3.5 oz of grilled fresh asaragus, 3.5 oz of fresh spinach with 1 large tomato. I made a dressing with lemon juice + apple cider vinegrette + stevia. Snack will be 6 large strawberries with stevia. Dinner will be um....something with chicken. I forget.

Looking forward to where I'll be at this time next week. :>

Still bummed about having to toss out my broccoli sprouts.

HCG - Day 1

Hcg and B-12 and Silver Colloidal arrived yesterday. I sit here with the first dose under my tongue as I type this. No real flavor. Maybe a touch citrus if you had to define it. The hcg dosage is very low, the B-12 is cool, and the colloidal is a healthy preservative.

So the first two days are 'loading' days, which means eat all day long foods with high fat content to load and prepare my body to begin to kick in releasing all those not normal fats when I begin the very low calorie days [VLCD] -- 500 cl/day. Actually, I'm kinda freaked out about eating high fats. I may have some weight to lose, but I mostly eat the good fats. Like the ones found in avocados, coconut oil, etc.

I'm going to use the online Calorie Counter to do my tracking. They have some great analysis charts, and since I'm a visual person, that should make my boat float.

My one regret....I still have broccoli sprouts I haven't eaten yet. I wonder if you can freeze them? :/

Bees in Trouble - and so are we

Please do not anyone tell me our foods are not laced with dangerous chemicals. These poor bees. I have seen shows on this, and it is so sad for the owners of these bee farms. They LOVE their bees and when they arrive at their destination - the majority of them are dead. Just awful...

"Your item was processed through and left our NASHUA, NH 03063 facility on March 24, 2010. The item is currently in transit to the destination."

Yes. It's true. I am going to do the hcg diet. Stuff is on the way, and I am sitting on the edge of my chair waiting for this to arrive. I will start immediately. I am that psyched.

Trust me. Initially I was like no...way...ever. That is until my husband lost 47 lbs, his co-workers are losing like mad, and now my SIL is doing it! But the thing that really made me do a 180 is when I asked my doctor about this nonsense. He stood up, unbuckled his belt [I was a little worried here], pull out the waistline of his suit pants, and proclaimed "16 lbs in a month -- it works". Okay. Got me.

Stay tuned..... :D

Here we go. Easy peasy. One pink grapefruit and two oranges. Just juice em. And then drink em. [I also added brewers yeast.]

Dont' be fooled by the Savannah bourbon snifter...this is my breakfast -- and it definately does not have bourbon in it! But what it does have in it is 100 times more awesome. See what you think:

1-1/2 c almond milk
2 T coconut oil
2 T HEAPING cacao
a few leftover cacao nibs I had sitting around :>
a decent squirt of agave
and, believe it or not, aI dollop of brewer's yeast

Num. Num. Num.

These are my broccoli seeds that are just starting the sprouting process! Aren't they C-U-T-E?! :D I don't mind that the sprayer head is bunching them up. They will grow....because they're alive! They're alive! Bwahhahaha....






Six days later.....here they are! Even cuter! Broccoli sprouts are an awesome live food. Check this out: Nutritional info: Vitamins A, B, C, E and K Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc Carotene, Chlorophyll Amino Acids Trace Elements Antioxidants Protein: 35%. I eat this by the finger full. I eat them on top of my almond buttered bread. I swear that, although it's not like a caffeine rush or anything, my energy stays steady. Which for someone that has adrenal issues, is cool beans!

Can you still benefit from canned or bottled green tea?

All teas need to be freshly steeped in order for you to receive the most benefits from them. In addition, the steeping process itself is very important, and different steeping methods have been compared in research studies investigating the health benefits of green tea.

Much of the research on green tea has focused on its polyphenol content. Many different kinds of polyphenols are found in green tea, and these polyphenols will become increasingly present in the tea water the longer a tea is steeped. (This principle holds true for green tea, white tea, black tea, and oolong tea.) Catechins, theaflavins, and thearubigins are among the best studied of the green tea polyphenols that are known to increase in the tea water as steeping times increase.

Given an equal amount of steeping time, loose leaf teas do a better job of passing on their polyphenol content than bagged teas because loose leaf teas expose their whole leaves to the steeping water during the entire steeping time. Bagged teas, by contrast, may float on top of the steeping water and expose less of the tea leaves directly to the water. (You can improve this situation by allowing the tea bag to bob down into the water from time to time during the steeping process.)

When you brew tea yourself, you can control this steeping process in a way that will maximize the polyphenol content of your tea. When you buy a bottled tea, however, you may or may not get a tea that has been carefully brewed. In addition, you are likely to get a tea that includes other ingredients and is not simply 100% brewed tea.

In 2005, the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University issued a report showing that many bottled teas contained polyphenol content 10 to 100 times lower than freshly and carefully brewed teas. Differences between bottled tea and freshly brewed tea were attributed to steeping process, amount of actual tea found in the bottled products, and presence of non-tea ingredients in the bottled teas, including sugar. In addition, bottled tea companies were sometimes found to use powdered rather than brewed tea in their products.

If you do choose to make bottled tea a regular part of your diet, be sure to find a manufacturer who produces a high-quality bottled beverage. You can find unsweetened, organic green teas in bottled form in some natural foods stores and on the Internet; these teas will provide you with health benefits closer to those offered by freshly and carefully steeped tea.

-- George Mateljan

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Avocados

Did you know that the fats in avocados are actually good for you? If you have been confused about whether you should eat avocados because of their high fat content, let us help you put this issue to rest. Yes, avocados are high in fat, but their monounsaturated fats, like those found in olive oil, are heart-healthy and can actually help reduce blood cholesterol levels. Plus, research has shown that people on a calorie-restricted diet can enjoy avocados and still reach their weight loss goals. In fact, the American Heart Association encourages substituting the monounsaturated fats found in avocados, nuts and olive oil for many of the fats more commonly used by consumers. Researchers are also finding that some of the phytonutrients (phyto = plant) found in avocados may also help reduce cholesterol levels. So, remember that all fats are not created equal, and enjoy the delicious taste of avocados and their heart-healthy monounsaturated fats.

-- George Mateljan

The Treadmill Vid

This Too Shall Pass

World's Largest House of Cards

Lentil Sprouts!

Yeah baby. Day 1. Sprouts away!

Day 3. Look at these little buggers! Definately LIVE food. And these are really good on toast with something sticky to keep em from rolling off -- like...um.. almond butter! Ah.Yeah.Baby! I'm about to use some of these mixed with an avocado to make a spread for crackers. I'll post how that turns out. :D

How to purchase fresh nutrient-rich vegetables while still staying on my relatively restricted budget

Here are some suggestions for how to reduce the costs associated with purchasing nutrient-rich vegetables:

Since the price of vegetables varies depending on the area in which you live, I would suggest that you see which vegetables are less expensive in your local market, and then look in the World's Healthiest Foods book or website to check the nutritional value of those vegetables. If the vegetable(s) in question are not featured in the book or website, you can also look them up on the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference located at http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/, which is free and easy to use.

When vegetables are in season, they are usually less expensive and can also be counted on to taste better. This seasonal aspect of vegetables can be confusing, however, since most grocery stores are filled year-round with vegetables that are not truly seasonal.

That is why looking for local farmers' markets near your home is a great way to buy vegetables seasonally. Vegetables sold at these kinds of markets are very likely to have been grown within driving distance of your home. This usually guarantees that they are fresher, and because of the reduced transportation costs, they are usually less expensive. Many farmers' markets also have organic vegetables available. If you live in a more rural area and have access to transportation, you could also check to see if there are any local farms that have farm stands.

Finally, if you cannot find fresh vegetables that fit your budget, you should consider purchasing frozen vegetables. Frozen organic vegetables are getting easier and easier to find, and there are a surprising number of nutrients that stay fairly stable during the freezing process. While not as good as fresh vegetables, the frozen variety are far better from a nutritional standpoint than most people expect, and, particularly when organic, can make a very nourishing alternative.

-- George Mateljan

Major Air Guitar Here...

Paste this link in your browser:

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1610699488?bctid=31812464001

Hearty Green Soup

Okay. Does this look gross to you? Well, typically it wouldn't have ANYTHING on the top of the soup, but since the recipe called for 1/2 c of tomatoes, I just threw the leftovers on top. Plus, I had some mung beans I needed to use up. And man oh man is this good. Surprised? Me kinda too.

Here it is:

1 avocado

1/2 c tom, chopped

Blend these two items together. Add some H2O if you need to. I definitely needed to; about a cup's worth. Then add,

2 romaine leaves, minced. [Minced? Bah. I chopped em.]

1/4 c parsley

1 T green powder - out so omitted

1/2 stalk celery, chopped

pinch of sea salt

squeeze of fresh lemon juice. [Only had the organic jar kind, so I 'squeezed' some out of it.]

This is a do OVAH! You'll love this if you love avocados, for sure! :D

Pink Five

Pink Five

Garlic! Bring it on!

Did you know that the unique sulfur compounds found in garlic promote antioxidant activity and function as powerful antibacterial and antiviral agents? These compounds, such as allicin, help reduce blood pressure, decrease LDL cholesterol and join forces with the vitamin C present in garlic to help kill harmful microbes and protect against colon cancer (1 oz of garlic contains 15% of the daily value for vitamin C). Along with its potent sulfur-compounds, that one ounce of garlic also delivers 18% DV for vitamin B6 and 24% DV for manganese. And if you are concerned about the carcinogenic chemicals that can result from cooking meat at high temperatures, add some garlic to your meal to help protect against these harmful compounds.