Post Post-Thanksgiving Shakeology Cleanse Post

I saw some positive gains here... well, let me say, losses and gains.  I don't have a scale, don't plan on using measuring tape even though some may really may like doing so.  I definitely lost a few pounds and could see definite improvement in many areas.  I can the sides of my abs (pre-six pack) and a thinner jaw/chin.  Looks like I am also down a belt size.  Can't wait to see a blood test next year.  I have gained a lot of knowledge about hunger and nutrition and how a body can be satisfied with so little.

My vet told me once that the problem with my dog eating her poo was that certain nutrients weren't being absorbed in digestion and she was now seeking it and any other unprocessed items there.  Shakeology is nutrient dense.  It's so dense that there was no hunger during 3 days of these 5 eating times.  But, what do people not getting those essential nutrients do?  Some may skip breakfast or eat a large one.  They may flip that scenario around for dinner.  They may eat crap all day.  My son mentioned to me today that he sometimes eats because he is bored.  So, if you aren't getting the nutrients... you are doing what my dog does -- searching for nutrition and eating crap to fill the void.

My assessment?  I'm sick of eating crap for no reason.  Meals should mean something.  Eat to live, don't live to eat.

Post-Thanksgiving Shakeology Cleanse: Day 3

Slept amazingly well again.  The 3 day cleanse may be a perfect thing for insomniacs.  Woke up about 15 minutes until 6, made our green tea and Shakeology mixes.  I also took a long look in the mirror.  A little leaner in the face and mid-section but also a lot more energy.

Wife had a banana and I had an apple as our 9am snack.  Just in time to get ready for some football.

We returned from running some errands (after deciding the football game wasn't going to go our way) just in time for lunch at noon.  She had a chocolate and I again went with greenberry for our Shakeology mixes.  The reason I decided to change things up around lunch was I felt that I needed to break up the chocolate taste as... I really haven't had a craving for chocolate since taking Shakeology.  We both topped it off with our green tea.  We then took the dogs for a walk.

At 3pm we had our final chocolate Shakeology mixes of the cleanse cycle.  Left out a piece of ice to see if it helped or hurt the taste but found it didn't affect it much.  Also had our half-serving of almonds.  Decided to watch a little television.

I love the way that I am excited about our final meal of the night.  I can't really describe it.  Well, I can (it's the same spinach, romaine and chicken breast salad mentioned previously) but what I mean is the anticipation.  I even told my wife that I would be happy having that with her for dinner here and there because it just leaves you feeling satisfied.

All our water is gulped and, yes, the need to pee is strong.  One of us spent more time in the bathroom than the other one and figured that we really had that much more junk in our system to 'cleanse.'  Tomorrow should be an exciting morning.  Back to putting bananas and peanut butter in my shakes.  But I really love how I am feeling right now.  A summation will follow tomorrow.

Post-Thanksgiving Shakeology Cleanse: Day 2

Today we slept in.  In fact all of the day before we just stayed around the house to minimize issues with needing to run off to the bathroom or not have to adjust our eating for the people around us.  Noticed a few slight differences in the mirror around chin and abs but both of us felt noticably lighter.

We had breakfast at 8am.  Our green tea followed out chocolate Shakology mix.  Headaches persisted but wasn't debilitating (well, for me) but hers gradually went away.  We decided to run some errands and move about a bit.  Took the dogs to get shots and then went shopping.

At 11am, we had our snacks -- her a banana and I an apple.  We then headed off to run a few more errands and a little more shopping.  It was around this time that my headache went away just before returning to make lunch.

Due to our late rise and an inevitable later dinner, we decided to cut 30 minutes out here and eat lunch at 1:30pm.  Since it is the lightest of the meals, it would be the easiest to cut back.  She had her chocolate Shakeology and I opted for greenberry (made the same way.)  We followed this with our green tea.  We stayed in from here on out watching television.

At 4:30pm, we had our next Shakeology and both opted for chocolate.  We chased that with 14 raw unsalted almonds each (about half a serving.)

Stomachs began to growl again by 7:30pm (but that had been absent for quite some time.)  Again went with the same dinner but decided to bake the chicken instead of grilling to see the difference.  Still an amazing meal that I can look forward to each evening.  I am starting to think that the cleanse subconsciously has you looking forward to a salad every night.  I can't think of any better way to train a brain to re-think dessert.  I have also learned to try to drink my gallon of water earlier in the day than later as it can seem overwhelming if you forget.

Overall, a great day.  More energy than Day 1 and it made us confident that we can accomplish some regular activities at the same time.  Some, but not all activities.  At this time, both of us are free of headaches, full and feeling pretty darn good about ourselves.  We are eagerly anticipating Day 3.

Post-Thanksgiving Shakeology Cleanse: Day 1

I had read about the Shakeology cleanse about a month ago.  To put all my cards on the table, I love the way I feel taking Shakeology once every morning for breakfast and have noticed many positive changes.  But the idea of taking it 3 times a day and limiting my calories seemed absolutely nutty.  I am a person that loves to study nutrition.  In fact, I have a nutrition guide with calories and information for most items sitting near the kitchen as we speak.  So, I had to look into this.  Neither of us weighed in or measured anything beforehand as we really are looking at this as a health change and clease --not a diet.

My wife started taking Shakeology every morning as well and she agreed that trying this 3-day challenge after Thanksgiving while we were both off of work would be best.  I couldn't agree more.  So let's explain today -- day 1.

We woke up at 5:45am and started making our green tea.  Followed that with our chocolate Shakeology.  We mixed the 2 scoops together with 16 ounces of water and 22 ice cubes -- dividing the contents equally.  Not having the almond milk and strawberries that we were used to was a major change but we believe that our taste buds have made improvements over the last month or so while using the product.  We also bought gallon jugs of water each for us to finish every day.

At 9am we each had a piece of fruit.  I went with an apple and she went with a banana.  The hardest part was here as you are functioning for another 3 hours on just a piece of fruit but it keeps you anticipating the next meal.  A little stomach growling isn't bad, right?

We mixed our next batch of Shakeology at noon, the same way, in our wonderful Vitamix.  We followed that with our green tea.  Now, to clarify the tea, we have been adding Stevia which is also a component in Shakeology, so we felt that wasn't cheating.  Around this time, the wife started getting headaches.  Persistent and located in the front and back of the head but she endured.

At 3pm, we had our next Shakeology mix.  We also took the advice of another person that he replaced his snacks with half servings of raw unsalted almonds.  It comes out to about 14 of them.  Getting to chew the almonds added a little satisfaction as you feel you are biting into something.

For our final meal of the day at 6pm, we grilled up 4 ounce chicken breasts (one seasoned with salt and pepper while the other included garlic, paprika and cayenne pepper.)  We placed that on a bed of 2 cups of spinach and 1 cup of romaine lettuce with 2 tablespoons of dressing (light honey mustard and the other light caesar.)  I can honestly say that this was the most satisfying meal of the day.

We both slept extremely well that night, but her headaches followed her to bed.  Mine started gradually before bed at 8:30pm.  But at no time were we hungry.  This is a shocking fact that really says a lot for what Shakology does as an appetite suppressant.  Pretty amazing.  I can also note that we were both extremely emotional... don't know if that had to do with what we were watching on television all day or if it is a side affect.  We were pretty much couch potatoes all day.  Day 2 should be pretty intriguing but I'm expecting some struggles as I have heard some similar notes.

A Time To Put Things Away

You have to figure that there is a point in time that typewriter manufacturers either transitioned to a new line of business or closed up shop.  Knowing when you are fighting against the tide is important.  It's also important to know when the water is muddy, rising or throwing you against the cliffs.

The experiment is over.  On June 1 of this year, we initiated the Muze News project.  What we didn't tell you were the underlying motivations for the site.  It seems that the time was not right for a news aggregation site that avoided gossip, side-stepped conjecture and went right for release information.  You see, when an album comes out, there is a little dance between the artist, label and press.  First, a mention of the artist wanting to record a new album, work with a producer or finds inspiration in (insert event).  Second, articles pop up about the act in the studio, going into the studio, writing songs or a tour is announced.  Third, a month or season is floated to the press about the album (like "hopes to release the as-yet untitled album early in 2013".)  Fourth, a song is debuted, a single is selected or video is filmed.  Fifth, a single is released.  Sixth, the new single is performed on one or several TV shows or radio shows with interviews.  Seventh, a second single is mentioned with a release date.  Eighth, the album is given a name and a month is mentioned for the release.  Ninth, the album release date is released.  This kind of keeps going on through each single being released abut the album comes out.  Often, it can be jostled.  But, notice that just up to that point, there were 9 different ways to mention the artist's new album before it even came out.  We just cut to the chase:  New single coming out (insert date), new album (insert date) and new video (insert date.)  The more mentions an artist has in the press, the more interest you have in their product when finally released.

Now, we did also mention artists passing away and there is a good reason.  It often goes unreported.  As often the release dates sometimes get lost in the babble out there.  Why do I say babble?  When an artist calls another artist out, slaps another artist, flips off a crowd, moons a crowd, gets arrested or countless other things that do not relate but get them mentioned in the news.  We hoped to prove the populace was ready for something other than the TMZ style of reporting music information.  Seems to be a wrong assumption.

Much thanks to all those who have supported this project, have been visiting the site and have let others know about it.  The way we interact is as important as the way we get our news.  As with the typewriter manufacturers, one needs to know when to look for the exit.  Because, there is bound to be a word processor or a computer just a few generations away that can do the job more effectively.