Archive for March, 2010

“I have spent all my adulthood overweight and miserable. My weight went from 135 to 280 during that time. Most of the time I had skewed ideas that I was either too fat (when I weighed 135) and not that fat (when I weighed 280). My perception was always off. But I did know that I just didn’t feel good.

I have been on Weight Watchers, the soup diet, hard boiled egg diet, Chinese tea, and every diet that came in magazines. I finally found that Atkins worked for me–three times! Funny that I would go off after several months and the weight would come back on, with its 30.-lb. friend! I realized that if I kept dieting that way I would completely ruin my health. I was so afraid to start another diet, so I decided to never diet again and just accept myself as I was.

I remarried at 210 lbs. and within 3 years had put on 70 lbs. with careless eating, primarily fast food. Then my DH was diagnosed with cancer (digestive related) and I found GreenSmoothieGirl.com. It was an answer to prayer because this is a LIFESTYLE–not a diet. In the last 9 mos. I have lost 40 lbs., my skin glows, I am nearly off the medications I was taking for high blood pressure, arthritic aches and pains, and mucus. My wrinkles also are going away!

I will NEVER diet again because I can eat everything I want and truly enjoy it (even chocolate). I am never hungry because I have God’s fast food with me all the time (fruits). I have found that the more raw I eat, the faster I lose weight. I am no longer fanatical about it and believe that my body will end up the weight I am supposed to be, not the way society says it should be. I just wish I had been able to learn this earlier in life.

Sorry about the long blog, but I feel that finding GreenSmoothieGirl.com and Robyn’s blog has saved my life! Thanks, Robyn and every one else!”

–Karen L.

Well, my friends, I’m off to Anaheim for the Natural Products Expo, to see what’s new and cool in raw, whole foods and natural healing.

While I’m gone, it’s time for another round of . . . are you excited? . . . I am! . . .

GREEN SMOOTHIE TESTIMONIALS.

I’ll do just a few days’ worth. Enough for a morale boost. Not so much that you’re bored. (I get excited about green smoothies again every time I read what y’all have sent me! So check in here every day.)

If you’re new and want to contribute your testimonial, write us at support123 [at] greensmoothiegirl.com with whatever part of your name you’re willing to have publicized on this blog.

Here’s a good one I received from Eddie:

“I started doing smoothies twice a day (breakfast and lunch), July 14, 2008. At the time, I had no idea what to expect, as I was just trying this on a whim. After about two weeks, I noticed I lost about 5 pounds. I decided to continue this process, and switching up my dinners to be cooked, mostly vegetarian. Another 2-3 weeks passed by and I lost another 5 pounds. Something was working… I suspect it was the combination of green smoothies and going mostly vegetarian.

Well, along my journey, I started seeing books about raw food and 80-10-10, and just a whole bunch of information. I decided to try doing raw, and for the most part I have been able to maintain about 90-95% raw since I started doing this. Every week that passed I noticed I kept losing 2.5 pounds a week, for an eventual total loss so far of about 47 pounds. About 3 months into my journey, I read 80-10-10 Diet by Douglas Graham, and have implemented a lot of his concepts in my daily routines, so most of my daily intake consists of fruits and vegetables, with very small amounts of nuts/seeds. I noticed that with gourmet raw using high content fat (ie. nuts and seeds), I would do alright but I truly thrived doing 80-10-10.

As far as exercise goes, even before I started smoothies, I was doing twice a week at the gym doing a cycle/spin class, and I would occasionally do some light weights at home. I have noticed that my cycle/spin classes, I have been able to maintain extreme high energy levels and not gas out when on 80-10-10. I also noticed that when doing raw-gourmet (with higher fat), that I would not be as energized. Another thing I should note, my muscle recovery times have improved dramatically with 80-10-10– gone are the days of recovery, instead my muscle recovery occurs in about 15-20 hours, ready to hit up more exercise the next day.

I used to have a sinus headache about once a week. Those are all gone. I sleep much better, and noticed that I can go on my day with less sleep and still have a ton of energy. My daily diet still consists of two smoothies a day (one breakfast and one lunch) and my typical dinner meal varies, but it is typically in line with 80-10-10. It took me about 6 months to lose nearly 50 pounds, but the whole process was pretty easy. It is just a matter of committing your mind, and making great habits and breaking the bad ones.”

–Eddie Yee

Here’s Utah Valley Magazine’s 50 Most Fabulous, the Mar./Apr. edition just out:

http://blog.uvmag.com/marchapril10/fab50.html

(And the way you can flip pages in this program is so cool.)

Anyway, I don’t know if I really qualify as fabulous, but it is fun to be in that magazine. Also check out my friend Kathy Headlee Miner, who founded Mothers Without Borders and my former Brigham Young University student, Ryan Di Lello, a So You Think You Can Dance finalist, both of whom made this list.

I’m teaching a class organized by Leslie Smoot, in two days, Friday, March 5. It’s 9:30 – 11:00 at Schneitter’s Restaurant in the Zermatt Resort in Midway, Utah.

I’m covering Steps 2 and 3 of 12 Steps to Whole Foods, and we’ll have some teasers from two other chapters too! Lots of tasting–come hungry for lunch!

Call Leslie (801) 550-1881 to pre-register for $12, or pay $15 at the door.

Directions from Salt Lake City: Take I-80 east through Parley’s canyon and up to the Park City area. Take Hwy 40 (Heber exit) to the right. Follow Hwy 40 past Jordenelle Reservoir and take a right onto River Road. (There is a stop light). Continue to Burgi lane to the round about and take the second right. When you come to a stop sign make a left onto Homestead Drive. Zermatt is located a half mile on the right.

From Provo, take University Avenue North about 6.9 miles (it changes into Provo Canyon Road ). Take Provo Canyon Road (it changes into US-189) about 16 miles. Turn left onto Charleston Road (Highway 113) and go 4 miles to Midway. Turn West or left onto Main Street turn right at the stop sign onto 200 West .2 miles follow the green directional signs for approximately 1.1 miles. The road will turn into Homestead Drive at the top of the hill continue to follow for approximately 1 mile to the Zermatt entrance (on the left).

My friends, the past month has been one of the most stressful periods in memory. Not “too-much-work” stress (the kind you can dig your way out of) but just “life-circumstances” stress (the kind you can’t usually solve–you just have to slog through it).

You know what I’m talking about. You’ve been through stuff too, huh.

So the very worst thing you can do is eat SUGAR. You burn out your adrenal glands quickly that way. (The vast majority of us have stressed, overworked, even partially destroyed adrenal glands. And you really need those puppies to keep your mood stable through trials.)

So guess what we want when we’re stressed? Comfort. Sugar.

Vicious cycle.

This winter, the “liquid coconut macaroon” has been such a godsend. I discovered this healthy hot cocoa that is so nutritious, at the beginning of the winter. My kids loved it so much, and I loved it AND its superfood ingredients so much, that I put it here in the store:

Healthy Hot Cocoa

All I knew when I first ordered it was that it had no refined sugar (just low-glycemic unrefined coconut palm sugar) and non-dutched cocoa. I was ecstatic, though, when I got it, that it also contains four different types of mushrooms that are used as superfood medicine in China for immune system repair, cancer treatment/prevention, and much more.

If I feel the need for a treat, I make a mug of cocoa. The coconut milk powder is low in calories, delicious, and high in lauric acid and other compounds that are anti-microbial, anti-fungal, anti-viral, and anti-bacterial. The cocoa contains the mushrooms and chocolate. The whole mug is about 100 calories.

I seriously love this stuff and just went to make myself a mug, writing this–it’s been my treat almost every day. Not just because it’s yummy and healthy, and not only because it’s chocolate (which has chemical properties women sometimes downright NEED), but also because there’s something very comforting about a mug of something hot.

I am blessed to report that through some difficult times this winter, I have still never gotten sick. There was one day I felt about 50% and didn’t go to the gym, but otherwise, that’s it.

Stress we cannot always control. But what do you do to remedy it? Yoga is another way I’ve gotten through the past 18 months–also prayer, time with good friends, and “me” time doing things I love (tennis, skiing). Melatonin before bed so my racing brain doesn’t keep me awake. Essential oils like peppermint. (The DoTerra people will probably pipe up making recommendations–the first one to read this, go ahead and I’ll approve it!)

Tell us your ideas. What natural things do you do, when you’re stressed? Let’s avoid “solutions” like Zoloft and Xanax that just cause other problems.