Happy Easter! And E+ winner announced

Mike and I are having a wonderful Easter.  As is our habit, whenever we are at home for any holiday, we celebrate with a leisurely brunch.

This morning started off a little later than usual.  Mike actually got to sleep in because I woke up early enough to feed the cats before they woke the whole house up.  While Mike was still sleeping, I quietly sat on the sofa and enjoyed the sunrise. Beautiful on this clear Easter Sunday.

And within minutes of waking, Mike started the morning ritual. 1 ounce of Ionix Supreme and 3 sprays of Isamune each.  10-15 minutes later we enjoyed a shaker full of Mars Venus Cleanse. 1 scoop in 8 ounces of water. This cleanse tastes like lemonade and is meant to assist with digestion.  Normally this would be followed in about 10-15 minutes with a shake, Mars for Mike and Venus for me, but this morning we skipped the shake to get right to brunch. We were running late after all, and this was meant to be a leisurely brunch.

First course was Chocolate Orange Swirl Bread – Low Carb and Gluten-Free, from All Day I Dream About Food.  This was an amazing start to our brunch. Even though I messed up while mixing it, and forgot to add the protein powder, it still tasted wonderful. I will try it again and next time I will make sure to follow the recipe more carefully.  We had this with a nice cup of homemade cappuccino. Yummy and very filling.

Second course was a frittata made with smoked salmon, grilled asparagus and ricotta. I made this recipe up and it turned out wonderful. Recipe below.

And the last course was baked grapefruit. There are many recipes for this available online, but I have simplified it greatly.  I simply slice the grapefruit in half, separate the sections, sprinkle with brown sugar and bake in a 350F oven for 10-15 minutes. Warming the grapefruit really brings out the flavors, especially the grapefruit underlying pepperiness.

This all took about 4 hours.  I did say leisurely brunch and I meant it. In between courses we played with the cats, cleaned up the house and played on the Internet.  Well I played on the Internet, Mike played Skyrim.

By all accounts, a wonderful Easter brunch.

Smoked Salmon, Asparagus and Ricotta Frittata
6 eggs
3/4 cup ricotta
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1 medium shallot, minced
1/4 pound lightly cooked asparagus. Should be tender, but not soft.
4 oz smoked salmon. We used Echo Falls Cracked Pepper
2 green onions,
Mix until smooth.

Preheat oven to 375F
Mix eggs, ricotta and Parmesan cheese until well blended and smooth.
In a large, oven safe, pan, saute shallot in olive oil until tender and starting to caramelize.
Add the remaining ingredients to the pan and stir to combine. Cook on the stove top until just starting to set and then transfer to the oven.
Bake until set. 10-15 minutes. Keep an eye on it though, since not all ovens are calibrated the same. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Oh, and the winner of the E+ 6 pack is Charity Eivers.  She correctly guessed that Mike and I lost a combined 16 pounds during the first 4 days of our Isagenix 9 day program.  Charity was the only person to guess correctly.  She saved you from watching a video post of me drawing the winning name out of a hat I bought in AZ while on vacation earlier this month.  I'll have to come up with a new reason to do a drawing.

The first 4 days of the Isagenix 9 day program consist of 2 shake days followed by 2 cleanse days. Mike and I had a phenomenal first 4 days.  Mike released 7.4 pounds and I released 8.8 pounds.  The total, 16.2 pounds.  And as promised, we rounded this to the nearest whole number to make guessing easier.  So 16 pounds it is.

If you would like to learn more about Isagenix products, like the 9 day program, send us a message at mikenkelly.isagenix@gmail.com.

*The weight-loss testimonials presented apply only to the individuals depicted, cannot be guaranteed, and should not be considered typical. A 2008 university study showed a statistically significant weight loss of 3.2kg during the 9-Day Nutritional Cleansing Program.

Give it just 4 days - plus e+ giveaway

Mike and I have officially been back from vacation since waking up Monday morning and we have not wasted any time in getting back on the gluten free and healthy eating bandwagon.  Happily we can already see and feel the difference in just 4 days.

We started our week with day 1 of a 9 day Isagenix program as an accelerated start to a 30 day program.  What is a 9 day Isagenix program?  Well first of all, it's 11 days worth of Isagenix products.  No, I don't know why they don't call it an 11 day program.  The 11 days consist of 7 shake days and 4 cleanse days.

Here is a link for a description of the 9 day program, shake days and cleanse days.
http://mloux.isagenix.com/us/en/file.ashx?id=0a0498da-0509-41c6-a71f-e729e08aa588

Our shakes days are a little different from the document because we have modified them for our needs and lifestyle.  No program will work if you can't make it fit your needs and goals. We follow the basics, but add additional snacks and enjoy our main meal for dinner instead of lunch because we like to eat together. Our cleanse days are a little different as well because we've incorporate a little something just about every hour, following a special cleanse schedule designed by Kjersti Cote, the daughter of Isagenix founder, John Anderson.

As of this morning, we've completed 2 shake days and 2 cleanse days. We are feeling great, less bloated and more energetic. We eagerly stepped on the scales and were blown away by our results.  Now, I have to say that scales are not a very good measure of progress when you are on a mission to get healthy.  Inches lost are a much better indicator of progress because fat loss and muscle gain might cancel each other out, but a pound of muscle is much more compact than a pound of fat. Having said that, unfortunately we don't have time to measure on a Friday morning. Though the inches released are obvious in how our clothes are fitting, the scale will have to suffice for today.

How awesome were our results???  I'm not going to tell you, but if you can guess you could win a 6 pack of e+. A $24 value.

For a chance to win leave a comment with how many pounds you think Mike and I (combined) released over the last 4 days.  I've rounded the number to the nearest whole number to make it easier to guess.  That way you don't have to worry about fractions of a pound. If you guess the number correctly you will be entered into a drawing.  You must be a resident of the US or Canada to win. 1 winner only. If no one guesses correctly, the closest number, without going over, will be used for the drawing. And please consider following our blog.

Information on e+ can be found at this link. http://www.mloux.isagenix.com/us/en/sharetheshot.html

Drawing will be on Sunday at noon EDT.  Winner will be announced on the blog, along with our 4 day results, shortly after.

*The weight-loss testimonials presented apply only to the individuals depicted, cannot be guaranteed, and should not be considered typical. A 2008 university study showed a statistically significant weight loss of 3.2kg during the 9-Day Nutritional Cleansing Program.

Off the wagon - 1 week quickly becomes 3 weeks

I think everyone has been there.  You start a new "good for you" habit and everything is great for a while and then slowly, or maybe not so slowly, you fall out of your good habits and back into your old habits.  I've read a lot of research that says it takes 21 days to form a new habit, some say 45 days and others 90 days.  Maybe it depends on the person?  I am not sure how long it really takes, but I am leaning more towards 90 days after this experience.

Mike and I were gluten free for 30 days and it was wonderful.  We felt great, lost weight, were experiencing many wonderful side effects and best of all, it was easy.  You never hear about good side effects from medications, but there were plenty of welcome side effects with going gluten free.  Read some of our previous posts if you want to get a better idea about the types of changes we experienced.

Still, we didn't stick to it after the initial 30 days.  WHY?

Well.....we thought we would go back to our old ways of eating for 1 week to see if we would notice the reverse effects.  Would we go back to feeling the way we felt before our 30 day gluten free challenge?  Or would there be no change?

The answer to that question is that we felt worse faster once we re-added the gluten than we felt better when we eliminated it.  That's a mouthful.  Essentially, it took 3-4 days of being gluten free before we noticed significant beneficial changes and this was likely due to detoxing from wheat and gluten.  But when we re-added gluten the negative effects were noticeable the very same day.  I am not sure if the onset of the ickies was actually faster, or if our sensitivity to not feeling as well was heightened because feeling really good was so fresh in our minds.  I am guessing more of the later.

That 1 week morphed into just shy of 3 weeks.  You see, we had 9 days between the gluten free challenge ending on March 5 and our Arizona vacation beginning and we didn't want to have to worry about gluten on vacation so....  I bet you can guess where this is going.  Yes, that's right.  We decided to extend the gluten free for all until the end of our vacation on March 23. In hindsight, BAD IDEA!

What were we thinking?  Well obviously eating gluten free wasn't and isn't a habit yet.  We easily slipped back into our old ways of eating, and even with the bloating and discomfort we just kept enjoying the scones and the tortillas, etc.  We didn't necessarily eat badly. No junk food was consumed and all the food we did eat was prepared from easily pronounceable, fresh (local when possible) ingredients. We did however eat larger portions than normal and we did not attempt to avoid gluten.  On some occasions the choices we did make were gluten free, but that was because those foods are natural gluten free, not because we were trying to avoid gluten.

Getting back from vacation, bloated, feeling gassy and with our pants snug around the waist helped us realize that we have had enough of flirting with a healthy lifestyle.

Back on the wagon!


I'll see if I can get Mike so share some of the amazing pictures he took with his Samsung Galazy SIII. Arizona is beautiful.  And Mike's dad is the most gracious host, taking us to many amazing locations.  We had a lot of fun.  Next year I think we need to check out the Sky Walk.

Mike, here.  I shared all of my photos on Facebook.  Here are public links to the albums.  Enjoy! 

• Grand Canyon
• Montezuma Well
• Verde Canyon Railroad

MIA - temporarily, but we are back

Sorry for being absent for so long.  Work and vacation kept us from posting much over the last few weeks, but we are baaaaaacccckkkk!

Lots of changes coming for the rest of the year.  We will be revamping all aspects of ours lives and sharing along the way; what works, what doesn't, and any tips and tricks we learn along the way. So stay tuned.  We will soon be having lots of fun!

Post 30 day GF challenge revelation

Well, Mike and I decided to add some gluten back in for a week to see if we would  notice the difference going backwards.  A reverse experiment.

For the last few days I have been cranky.  Not my normal, bubbly self.  I have been more easily upset and work has just been more challenging than necessary. Mike's tales of work have been similar, though his moods have been better than mine.

Ummm....What's going on here???

At first I was willing to chalk it up to life being life. And it took until today for me to realize that all this coincided pretty much with Sunday brunch, a gluten and wheat extravaganza of delicious proportions. The more I think about it, and the more I look back to the events of the last week, the more I am starting to think that all the bad stuff (moods, anxiety, stress, cravings, disinterest in eating well) can be linked to gluten being back in our lives. Ok, work is stressful, but not more so than it was last week or the week before.  And life is life, but not in a significantly different way than it was before. So I really have to believe that there might be something to this.

At first we only had small amounts, and a lot of time in between each gluten/wheat containing food, but since Sunday we have had a rather heavy does of gluten with at least 1 meal per day.  And coincidentally or not, that is also when I started getting grumpy.  I don't think it is a coincidence!

Of course I would come to this realization today, on our anniversary, which I decided to celebrate by making homemade pizza on a wheat crust.  We ate it anyway and it was good. Maybe even really good. But it wasn't great.  It wasn't better than the gluten free pizzas of the previous month.  Different, but not better. And this surprised me a lot.  I was expecting nirvana.  I make damn good pizza crust.  And this one was pretty much my usual crust, but it just wasn't that great :(

While eating our pizza, Mike and I discussed how we were feeling, and had been feeling over the last few days.  Mike admitted that he had not been feeling that great.  Upset stomach, gas and even a little heartburn.  I had the symptoms I mentioned above plus a few additional physical symptoms that were rather mild, but not insignificant; loose stools, smelly gas and mild heartburn.

Light bulb moments can happen at any time and I seriously think this was a light bulb moment.  Even though we were initially skeptical that gluten/wheat was an issue for us, we both now feel it is very clear that gluten/wheat affects us in a negative way.

What to do now?? Well....back to gluten free for starters.

But that won't be enough.  When we went gluten free for the 30 day challenge we found ourselves eating a little less healthy than we had been prior.  Many of the gluten free products available on the market are very high in starch, which causes high blood sugar levels and has an insulin roller coaster effect.  NOT healthy.  I will use the excuse that we were in the experimentation phase and just checking out what was available.  Moving forward we will shy away from these products, except for on special occasions.  I had also been baking a lot, something I didn't do prior to the GF challenge, and therefore eating more baked goods, many of them made with GF flours that were relatively high in starch.  Seeing a trend now.

You see where this is going, I am sure. Eating all this extra food was filling and we found ourselves cutting back on truly healthy, and naturally gluten free, foods such as fruits and vegetables. No wonder so many people who go gluten free gain weight.  It can be a dangerous expedition full of health pitfalls.

So, out with the GF products and in with fruits and veggies.  Out with the GF alternatives and in with naturally GF whole grains, like quinoa. Out with the high starch baked goods and in with lean protein and healthy fats.  And of course, more Isagenix!  Especially the cleanse.  We need to release these toxins post haste.

I look forward to being able to blog about how much better I am feeling, again, in just a few days!

30 days gluten free, come and gone

So, somehow we forgot to post about our 30 day, gluten free challenge experience.  I am guessing it had a lot to do with being very busy with work and just letting life get in the way.

The 30th day was Feb. 26, 2013 and I have to say that overall the gluten free challenge was a great success.  Both Mike and I noticed subtle differences in how we felt (better sleep, better bowel movements, less puffy, more energy) and just as importantly other people noticed the difference in how we looked (smaller bellies).

The 30 days were not without their challenges. There was a pizza party to attend and we had to find GF substitutions for our favorite staples; pancakes, pizza and sandwiches, but all in all it was fairly easy.  Much easier than either of us had anticipated. We did find some delicious GF recipes for all 3 of our wheat weaknesses and somehow, somewhere along the way our obsession for these foods diminished.  Recipes have been posted on the blog and can be linked to fairly easily by clicking on the recipes link above.

Since the end of the challenge we have incorporated some gluten back into our diets, or more accurately we haven't been as careful to avoid it, and it has been obvious in how we feel, if not in how we look (yet). Neither of us is feeling terrible. We didn't have the cramping and other issues commonly reported by gluten free people with true gluten intolerance who eat gluten. But neither of us is feeling quite right either.  There is just something that is a little off (bowel movements for me).

The conclusion.  Is a gluten free diet right for us?  YES, yes we do believe it is.  While we are not going to be fanatical about avoiding gluten, say should we be invited to have a meal at a friend's home (because we really don't want people to stop inviting us to dinner just because they don't know how to accommodate out gluten free lifestyle), we will be gluten free at home and as much as possible when dining out.

Some of the benefits we have personally experienced;

• fewer/no cravings after just a couple of days (May take longer for some people. We were lucky!)
• better sleep
• inches lost, especially around the waist and belly
• better bowel movements
• more energy
• better moods
• more mental clarity
• increased libido
• I don't have dandruff anymore. Mike never had dandruff.
• less menstrual cramping. 

Back to not being fanatical.  Tomorrow we have been invited to brunch. On the menu, breakfast pizza, coffee cake and whatever we decide to bring. Leaning towards some type of fruit, but it will depend on what looks good at the grocery store.  So tomorrow we will be eating wheat for one meal and we are going to enjoy it. 

The future....incorporating more produce.