In our on-going attempt to eat healthy we now make bread, lots of bread.

Think bread-maker on crack.

When we bake bread we make 4 loaves at a time. This activity saves tons of mess and cleanup because when you use a bread-maker you can only do 1 loaf at a time and have to clean up the whole shebang after each effort.

See? Smart huh?

I don’t know how much you know about bread but it’s really not an exact science. Bread is not hard to make, it just flies in the face of everything you’ve been taught about following recipes.

When we first came up with this brilliant plan (motivated as much by $5 loaves of “organic” bread as it was by the whole eating healthy, 100 mile diet thing) we discovered that there are many, many, many ways to make bread without a bread maker. And as many ways as there are (that’s a questionably constructed sentence isn’t it? there are people on the internet with an instructional video.

We followed several of those peeps but they were rarely making whole wheat bread and guess what? There’s a big difference between the whole wheat and the bleached to shit, no nutrients left in it, nasty white nonesense that most people seem to be using. To which I would kindly suggest that they just buy Wonder Bread. It’s just as crappy for you as that white junk you’re making but at least they add a few minerals to their formula.

But, I digress.

Ironically, the very best bread recipe for whole wheat bread came from the side of the bloody whole wheat flour bag. Go figure.

So, after several hit and misses from internet bread-making self-styled gurus, that the kids were required to choked down, we have now hit on a winner!

I’d re-print the recipe for you here but I used up all the whole wheat flour and threw out the bag. You’re now going to have to wait for the new “home-grown recipe” section of my blog or go out and get a bag of whole wheat flour

The image above is Shaye kissing the biggest loaf we’ve made so far. Now we know how commercial bread gets it’s shape! You just put in wayyyy too much bread batter so that when it bakes it goes over the edges of the pan. Who knew?

When you drop weight fast with a program like Isagenix it’s a bit of a shock.

You wake up in the morning, expecting to see the you you’re used to then BAMB! there’s this skinnier version of you staring back from the bathroom mirror.

It’s cool in a way because you don’t have time to be hyper-critical of how you look. You know the game right?

“If I lose 20lbs I’ll be happy”.  Then you drop the 20 through massive hard-work and sacrifice and you manage to find something else to be unhappy about.

“Oh look, now that I’ve lost some weight I have knee wrinkles”. (or a chin wattle, or extra elbow skin or, the mack-daddy of all women’s weight loss complaints…wait for it…swinging, saggy arm fat!)

So far, I haven’t done that. I made a promise to myself when I was 166lbs that when I lost 20lbs I would marvel at my new bod and be happy with myself. I’d cut myself some slack and be proud that I had finally made the effort to do something about the way I looked.

And guess what? It’s working! I AM happy. I AM proud. I AM 25lbs lighter than I was 7 weeks ago. That’s a shit-load of weight! That’s beginning Biggest Loser weight loss on an end-of-show Biggest Loser frame!

So suck it little voice inside my head that used to stand in the way. You’re an asshole anyway and I’m not listening to your nonsense anymore.

I’m heading out to yoga now to train the little voice some more. I think that the whip and chair that I’ve been using to get that lil voice in line has worked wonders. I also think that training said lil voice is the key to success in all things you do.

If you want to learn more about how I dropped the tonnage read some of the dieting (yuck) posts on this site and please feel free to email me or leave a comment. I’m pretty good at responding!

Ok, here it is Day 30 on the Isagenix cleanse and I’ve lost 18 lbs and I don’t even know how many inches (mostly because I’ve been so chuffed about the poundage lost that I don’t really care about inches. Although it must be significant because all my size 10 clothes fit now.)
If you’re thinking about trying the cleanse but haven’t pulled the trigger yet I would highly suggest it.
Here’s a quick list of some of the benefits that I have noticed this month:
1. everyone I see comments on the fact that the whites of my eyes are super bright white. (weird but a telling sign of good health)
2. Oh yah, I’ve lost 18lbs!
3. All my gorgeous, expensive clothes that haven’t fit in 18 months now fit and are a bit loose!
4. I have been able to do 18 straight days of yoga and feel really zen and happy.
5. I’m not yelling at my kids.
6. I’m not thinking about how fat I am, freeing my mind to think about more important things like how to get silly putty out of a fleece jacket.
7. My productivity has gone through the roof.
8. So has my creativity.
9. I plan my meals and cook very healthy dinners with my kids.
10. I look so friggin’ hot right now that a guy that I used to like (and who sent me the “I’m kinda seeing someone now” text even though we had been flirting for quite some time. Guess I wasn’t the only one) dropped his jaw in the schoolyard the other day (yes, I pick up at school, so what of it?! Don’t mock me!
11. My hair is bloody fantastic!
12. Did I mention I lost 18lbs?

Ok, enough with what it did for me. Here’s the deal, I make absolutely no claims that Isagenix will work for everyone. It has done wonderful things for me but, then again, I am diligent and committed. People who aren’t will not get the same results.
If you want to try it or read more about it click on the link on the right side of my blog and it will take you to my Isa home page.
I’m going to post some photos on here in the next few days (once I figure out how to post from the iphone

click for full sized image

Ok, I realize that the focus of the blog, to date, has been dieting but you write what you know and, right now, that’s what I know.

Tell the truth, when you see a friend you haven’t seen in a while and she’s lost weight what is the very first thing that pops into your head? Try not to bullshit here because it’s an important point.

I bet you think “I’m not happy for you, you skinny bitch!” But your mouth says “Wow, you look great! You’ve lost so much weight!”

God, you’re such a liar!

Truth be told, that is definitely me. It gets worse if she says something stupid like “Oh, I’ve just been watching what I eat and exercising.” when really, you know, that she’s been at Weight Watchers or on The Zone or whatever.

I have the same reaction when someone tells me their going on vacation or buying a new house. I’m jealous. I admit it. I’m “man” enough to own that.

It’s brutal though, this mind of mine. I know it’s a self-confidence thing to be jealous of someone who loses weight or buys a new home or goes on vacation. I’m just judging what I perceive to be my own failings. But hell, it’s just so much easier to blame her.

Enjoy your day today and try not be a bitch, at least on the outside.