Progress

Last weekend, Tom and I attended the Hyperthrive Super Longevity Tour in Seattle. This was our 9th anniversary date. :) Wow! It's hard to believe it's been that long. We listened to David Wolfe speak on nutrition. It was like getting a drink of water with a fire hose. We heard Robyn Openshaw (Green Smoothie Girl) tell her story, a mother of 4 determined to keep her kids strong & healthy, in spite of the mountain of official misinformation there is to sort through. Very compelling. She has a blog site & speaks especially to young mothers who want their families to eat healthier food, but don't know how to make it happen. She refers to them as the most powerful people on the planet. She's right. We also learned about a SunWarrior Product for highly assimilable vegetable protein that I am currently testing my body's response to. Lunch on Saturday was wonderful, and for the first time in years, I didn't have a mild to significant negative dietary response. The restaurant name..."Thrive" serving 100% raw plant food cuisine. It was delicious! I learned about several new things that can be added to my food storage that are raw, digestible and delicious. The chia bowl is a bowl of chia seeds soaked in water, they gel up rather quickly. In the gelatin-like chia bowl were strawberries, bananas and dates. Served with small glass of almond milk on the side. Chia seeds are high in omega-3 fatty acids. The main course was angel hair zucchini with raw marinara sauce on top. S-o-o-o-o good! Tom had a bowl of raw chili, with a raw chocolate shake. Today is my 7th day eating 100% raw plant food. It feels really good. I don't know where this will lead, but for now, it feels right. Yoga sessions this week have been great. I was able to touch my head to my knees for the first time in Rabbit Pose, twice! ...and I'm wearing size 10 jeans. They've been waiting in the closet since November, calling my name. Rings are loose to the point of falling off my fingers. The doctor who monitors these changes for me measured a 10 pound loss of fat since December, with only 8.5 net weight loss. I gained muscle. Cool.

Asparagus Salad

I'm still eating raw foods for the majority of my diet. I feel so much better than when I eat cooked foods. Even if they're both a vegetable, the raw version has more nutritional value. My body knows the difference. With greatly increased raw food in my diet, I find that I need less sleep. I am ready to get up and get moving in the mornings. I am more alert during the day. Flexibility comes easier. A new recipe for Raw Asparagus Salad that we really like is... 1 bag Costco Asparagus (2.5lb) fresh lemon juice 3T sea salt 1T Apple Cider Vinegar 1T Medium Zucchini 1-2 chopped 3T Olive Oil makes about 4-5 pints of salad . Wash Asparagus, then cut 3-4 inches of the tender ends into 1/2 inch pieces, place in large mixing bowl. Cut the remainder into 2 inch segments and chop in your food processor. Add to the chopped Asparagus. You may add some Parsley or Cilantro here depending on your taste buds...keep the pepper out of mine. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Serve as is or on a bed of baby greens. Option, add finely chopped red peppers for a splash of color. Put leftovers into 8oz or 16oz glass canning jars & store in the fridge for lunch tomorrow. (Toss the plastic food containers to avoid the transfer of xenoestrogens etc. into your food.) My official food taster, Tom, likes this recipe. "Very Tasty!" He asked to have it for lunch tomorrow. Since January 1st, Tom is down 10 pounds. Cool! Change #2 Increase Raw food to 70% of diet. Switch to early morning Hot Yoga. Studio Yoga 4-5x week. Home Yoga 2-3x week.

Raw food- who knew it could be so good!

I began the day with my usual 'Greens & Eggs Raw Shake". My version of Dr. Seuss's Green Eggs & Ham. :) ( 260-275 cal ) I find that I do better with higher fat & low carb ratio on a low calorie diet - 1000-1200 daily intake.

1 scoop Green Vibrance (50 cal = 10 servings raw veggies)
2-3 c filtered water
1 scoop grapefruit fiber (10 cal)
1t cinnamon
stevia to taste
2T raw grated ginger (I really like the kick from raw ginger- great anti inflammatory)
2t MSM
1t chlorella powder

blend on high for 1-2 min.
add 2 raw organic, free range eggs (140 cal)
1/2 T flax seed oil (60 cal)

blend on low for 20 seconds: egg proteins and oils are fragile, to avoid altering them, mix minimally

Pour into large glass & drink immediately.

Lunch was Zucchini Pasta with Marinara Sauce & kippered herring

1c Marinara Sauce

1 ripe tomato, chopped, about 1/2 c
1/2 c sun-dried tomatoes (soaked or oil packed)
1/2 bell pepper, chopped, about 1/2 c
2T extra-virgin olive oil
1T minced fresh basil, or 1t dried
1t dried Oregano
1/2 t crushed garlic, or 1T if you love garlic and feed this to your sweetheart too
1t sea salt
dash pepper
dash cayenne

Combine all ingredients in a food processor with an s-blade, and process.

Cut zucchini into thin noodles using a vegetable spiral slicer. Or, use a vegetable peeler to create 'fettuccine'. You can also create shoot 'noodles' with a salad shooter.

Put zucchini noodles on a plate & cover with Marinara sauce. Garnish with chopped olives & parsley.

Open a tin of kippered herring & serve on the side. Eat a fresh apple for dessert.

I felt so-o-o good after this meal!

snack was

Not tuna Pate - 6-8 servings - a snack is 1/4 c.

2 c soaked raw sunflower seeds
1 c soaked raw almonds
1/2 c water
1/4 c fresh lemon juice - I added 1/2 c
1/3 c minced celery
1/4 c red onion
1/4 c minced fresh parsley
3/4 t sea salt

Process sunflower seeds, almonds, lemon juice & water into a paste. transfer to a small mixing bowl & stir in other ingredients. Store in a sealed container in the fridge. It will keep foe several days. I added curry to one batch & it tasted great.

Dinner was Curried Basa & Zucchini noodles with a Raw Vegan Chocolate Mousse.

Steam the basa fish slowly add curry, garlic & sea salt. Serve over raw zucchini noodles.

1/2 c pitted dates, soaked
1/2 c agave nectar
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 c mashed avocados
3/4 c unsweetened cocoa or carob powder
1/2 c water

Process dates & agave in food processor until smooth. Add the rest & process until creamy.
Incredibly rich, to be eaten in small quantities. You would never know the avocados were there if you didn't see them go in...

Garnish with shredded coconut and/or walnuts.

Tom hates avocados, but he loved this dessert.

100 day health challenge

In July 2010, I visited relatives in Utah in connection with a family reunion for descendants of Emma Bravandt Jeppesen's oldest son, Peter.

There are a lot of very heavy people in my family. It can be discouraging, because I know that family tendencies towards weight gain are often inherited. My cousin had recently lost a great deal of weight, and kept it off for a while. I decided that if someone who shared my genetics found something that worked, I wanted to check it out. So, I did. By November, I had lost 3 sizes. I haven't been this thin since before Ben was born. Size 12 feels really good. I loved cleaning out my closet, several times.... :)

In November, brought several challenges which added more chaos to my life.

Chaos + weight loss = fat chance!

Weight loss ground to a halt, but, I was able to maintain the weight loss. This plateau has lasted for 4 months.

Today, I begin again, my 100 day health challenge.

Goal: Incorporate new & existing knowledge into my life to reach a new level of well being. How close can I get to my goal weight/optimum health in the next 100 days?

My body is a temple. The Word of Wisdom tells us to avoid alcohol, coffee & tobacco. In modern times, we also understand the dangers of drug use/ abuse. Pharmaceuticals even 'properly prescribed' have their side effects, and are to be avoided whenever possible. The Word of Wisdom was given as a minimum standard to the 'weakest of the saints'. At this point in my life, I am making a conscious effort to not be classified as one of "the weakest of the saints". I want to live a higher standard. I want the blessings that will come from learning about a higher health standard and living it.

During the next 100 days, I will share what I am learning and experiencing on my blog.

A recently released documentary called "Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 days, chronicles six Americans with diabetes who switch to a diet consisting entirely of vegan, organic, live, raw foods in order to reverse diabetes naturally. The participants are challenged to give up meat, dairy, sugar, alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, soda, junk food, fast food, processed food, packaged food, and even cooked food...for 30 days. The results are amazing."

There is some very useful information in this DVD. The most inspiring for me was a young man, type 1 diabetic, who at diagnosis had tested with a blood sugar of 1200. After 30 days of following this strict protocol, he no longer needed insulin, or any other diabetic medications. Pure food is powerful!

We all know that change can be difficult. This experience of 6 people living for 30 days at a retreat in the dessert, it clearly wasn't easy for them, but they wanted change. They really wanted it!, so they were willing to do it. It reminded me of a detox center for alcohol & drug addicts. Being removed from their social (food) environment while cleaning the body, clearing the mind and learning new habits helped to ensure the success of the program for them.

I'm not diabetic, never have been, but it does run in my family......

If eating pure, raw food can help a body heal from type 1 diabetes, it's a logical conclusion that it can help keep you from developing it in the first place. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

www.rawfor30days.com

I found this dvd at my local library and checked it out. This web site has more information and film clips.

Change #1: eat at least 51% raw food every day. I bought a food processor to help me create more palatable foods/ meals in their raw form. I also checked out books & DVDs from the library and discovered a few great recipes for raw cuisine.

Jesse Nephi DuRette - the transfer

Today, I opened a package with a gift from my mother. It included a book; volume 2 of,


The Transfer; In the Performance of Duty

The Legacy Continues

Compiled & Edited by Susan E. Woods. Published 2010.

This book contains the stories of 64 missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, who died while serving a mission.

On page 94, is the story of Elder Jesse Nephi DuRette, my older brother.

It's been 32 years, and reviewing the details of his life and the circumstances of his death, still bring tender emotion to my eyes & heart.

His missionary name tag from the Florida, Tallahassee Mission is displayed next to mine from Lima, Peru. They are both in the corner of a Nativity Display that I keep up year round. The Nativity brings it all into focus.

Before he left on his mission, he gave things to family members to keep while he was gone. The gift he gave to me was an old wooden mantle clock. It needed a key to wind it up, but I didn't have one until my sweetheart, Tom took it down to a clock shop, had it cleaned and acquired a key. Now the old clock runs. :) I treasure this personal gift from him.

While he was on his mission, Jesse sent me a copy of his language training manual, a little booklet entitled "How to Speak Southern". Many years later, when I married Tom, my children had a hard time understanding some of the family lingo from the Hachtel side. The format of this booklet inspired our own personal language training manual, or phrase dictionary, called " Hachtelisms", which later grew to include Roberson/DuRette family phrases as well.


On my mother's birthday, Oct 7th,1978, Jesse was riding a bike and was hit by a car running a stop light. He never regained consciousness. I was attending BYU at the time, and flew down to join my mother and brother Jeff at the hospital, in Mobile, Alabama. Before I left Provo, a very well meaning individual promised me that the Lord wouldn't allow my brother to die because he was a missionary. The spirit told me that his words weren't true. At that time, I knew that my brother would die.

I remember walking into the room where he lay connected to life support, and approaching the bed. I didn't feel his spirit there, he had already gone.
After a few days, his beard stopped growing, evidence that his body had already given up the ghost, and that his heart was still pumping only due to the marvels of modern medicine. His official death date is October 12th, 1978.

Jesse is buried in an old pioneer cemetery surrounded by family members. Among them are my two younger sisters, Tina & Joyce, a great niece Lillian, and my father David W. Sr. DuRette
I love to visit that place. There is very peaceful spirit there. The veil is thin.

During the time that Jesse lay in the hospital bed, my sister's one-year old son suffered an accident that left him severely burned. For some time, we didn't know if he would live or die either. It was a very difficult time for our family. My nephew did survive, but is permanently disabled because of his burns.

While in Mobile, we attended the baptism of a woman Jesse had been teaching.

We later learned that when the impaired driver of the car that hit him, realized what he had done, he killed himself. Since Jesse was never released from his mission, I have always wondered if Jesse was assigned to teach this man when he arrived on the other side.

I miss my brother. Many family members have loved and cared for me, and I for them. But Jesse understood me as well. This added a welcome dimension to our relationship. I really miss him and our conversations.

Remembering those who have died can bring tears to my eyes. The older I get, the more I look forward to the reunion that will allow all of us to enjoy each other's company once again. But, not too soon, there's still so much that needs to be done here.

weight-loss update

It's been a while since I blogged. So much going on. I visited Utah for a family reunion in July. Conversations there sparked my interest in renewing efforts to lose weight. By November, I had lost enough weight to require a change in wardrobe. 3 sizes down. Wow. Since then, I have been maintaining this weight loss through some very challenging life events. I'm getting ready to start loosing again. More on this later.

Weight Loss update #2: Slow and Steady Wins the Race

OK, it's been 8 weeks. It was a little discouraging to get a reliable scale that didn't offer a new option everytime I got on it. (Even 10 seconds apart) I think I actually 'gained weight' that first week with the new scale. But, I have adjusted to honest readings & accuracy... Total weight loss is 13.8 pounds. An average of 1.7 lbs/week. My clothes fit better, I feel better, I move better. These results aren't amazingly fast, but they are... slow...and... steady... :) In fact, I think that's my new motto...

Slow and Steady, Take it Slow and Steady...

My 5th grade classes performed a musical this year called 'Bebop with Aesop'. It includes 5 of Aesop's Fables complete with dialogue and songs. Here are the words to the song that goes with the Tortoise and the Hare.

Slow and steady

Slow and steady, take it slow and steady.
Slow and steady, take it slow and steady.
It you want to win the race, then try and watch your pace.
It’s better if you take it slow.
If you’re caught up in the crush,
There’s no need to rush
‘cause steady is the way to go!

Take one step and keep that focus in your eyes.
Step by step, you’ll find you’re gonna win that prize!

Slow and steady, take it slow and steady.
Slow and steady, take it slow and steady.
Take it one step at a time, you’ll cross the finish line
With no one breathin’ down your back.
‘Cause it’s really such a breeze when you move with ease,
You’ll be the leader of the pack.

Haste makes waste, that’s one thing we can guarantee
You’ll do fine, that finish line is plain --- to see.

Slow and steady, take it slow and steady.
Slow and steady, take it slow and steady.
We have one thing left to say before we leave today.
Take it at your own pace ‘cause slow and steady,
You’ll be ready, slow and steady,
grab the confetti, slow and steady,
Wins—the—race.
Slow and steady wins the race!

The tune is pretty catchy, if I was better at blogging, I could embed it for you, but alas, I excel at other things. To hear how the music goes with the words, click on this link and forward the cursor to the 9 minute mark.

https://www.popplersmusic.com/store/index.asp?dept_Id=978&ppf_ProductId=7496

Below is a link to an old Disney version of the Tortoise and the Hare. Great advise for all of us. By small and simple things are great things brought to pass.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YubN1MPVN-4

I exercise at least 30 minutes/day. Sometimes 2-2.5 hours in a day if you count my 90 minute Hot Yoga class in the afternoon after 30-60 minutes on the treadmill in the morning. I have been averaging between 26-35 exercise points/week.
After a week like that, sleep comes easily. On Friday I was so exhausted, I slept for 10 hours!

At this rate, I'll see my final results sometime in the fall of 2010.

Update...Tom decided that he liked Hot Yoga enough to join the club with me. It's really helping his back! They say it's like being your own chiropractor.

Best of luck to all of you!