Once More, She Rises ...

 Hello, world, once again I return.  I return to sing the praise of Herbalife products -- for real -- for lo I hath fallen off the wagon and I do pay a HEAVY price.  I mean, dudes, I was too thin anyway, right??

Hahahaha!  As if.  But yes, I have come before you after having taken a holiday from Herbalife.  We didn't mean to, but our refrigerator is slightly broken, and the way we like our shakes -- with frozen bananas and other fruits -- was not happening.

Beloved refridgerator died completely some months back.  A few days later it healed itself, kind of.  However, at this point everything, a considerable amount of everything, had already gone off, or worse.  We haven't been in a financial position to fix fridges, so we fell out of the habit of the eating the best food that ever came out of a lab, or something like that!  Seriously!  Well, it is!!  Those people have put 30 years of research into high tech nutrition, and it made me blossom like a flower at 60 -- now I feel more like -- sigh -- a ragweed.

Sometimes you HAVE to take a break.  I am not one of those boosters who claim "every day for the rest of your life" because you will probably not want to do that.  People sometimes don't want the sweet stuff.  Sometimes I need to have food, glorious food, the best food -- and we know how to make that happen in our own lives somehow, so we are fortunate indeed!

However, I'm not here to speak of the flavorful, but of the powerful.  Oh let me tell you what has happened to my body during the time I have been without my beloved Herbalife.

I had lost 35 pounds but I gained 10 back -- partially because I couldn't get thyroid meds for that a while and my metabolism was showing signs of slowing -- and my hair became its former thin self.  I was so fluffy!  It's not fair!  But I know what I need to do.   I have seen the light.  Back to the Herbalife program with me, full tilt boogie!

I did spend 18 months on the product, 6 months off -- I am a walking talking living breathing experiment, and this body says that this stuff is the real deal, and there are people all over this country who could benefit tremendously physically if they would have one shake a day.  One shake a day -- that's all I did, and my entire body completely changed.  Well, I also took a few of their supplements, but nothing outrageous, nothing at all compared to most regenerative programs.

I've notced that people on the Herbalife regimen can have a problem sticking with it -- people freak out when their fave foods are denied.  I'm learning this -- I never realized how much difficulty the strongest women have in doing something "diet" like on a regular basis.  But after my experiences, I would tell every human I know to knock one back at least once a day for your body's sake -- what can happen is semi-miraculous, and I can't get back there fast enough.

I didn't have a super-gigantic weight problem (well, it was for ME),  but I still didn't feel up to drinking two shakes a day --  I just wasn't that hungry.  Everybody's different, and certain people could use the supplementation of two shakes -- they slam down hunger and bring on the stamina for sure!!  The two shake a day approach also works for people who are SERIOUS about weight loss and determined to stay on course -- of course it's important to find a product that works for your body, and that you can tolerate.

It's also a good thing just to DO IT WHEN YOU CAN.  You seriously will not believe the changes that will occur in your body if you give it a chance.  I've seen a close friend, seriously overweight, shed pounds like water in weeks -- effortlessly.  It isn't that way for everybody, but that's what happened to me, let me remind you.  I lost 35 pounds in 6 months.

Also, I don't have many cravings right now.  Bipolar disorder, they say, is odd in that peoples' appetites are influenced.  I know that's true! I'm in a mood where it is difficult to eat.  Two weeks ago I was ravenous.  I never know.

But anyway, I miss my Herbalife, and we are getting back together again.  I just thought I'd let you know!  The romance is still on, the passions burn high!  It's just the best stuff.

Love, Julie

A small gift for you -- a copy of a watercolor done by my mate, Patrick Gavin Duffy.  This work is called "Yosemite -- The Finger" and is a painting of a wonderful swimming hole in the High Country up in back of Yosemite National Park.

This has absolutely nothing to do with Herbalife, except that we take our products in packets to the High Country to augment our camping diets!  Yes, we're back on THAT again -- but not tonight, my dears, not tonight.  I hope you enjoy Patrick's paintings, as I will be slipping them into this blog.

FYI:  We don't consider this site a finished product -- just so you know.  I simply couldn't stand the other one a minute longer, and at least we've begun.  There's still quite a bit of work to do, but I am quite simply too sleepy!

I hope -- god and the brain weasels be willing -- to be able to chat with you much more frequently again.  The next step will be linking this blog to our little internet store, so that you can see what this Herbalife thing is all about.  In the meantime, babies, in between time -- go to www.herbalife.com and check it out.  

If you find yourself interested, please come back and talk to me about it -- whether it's for dietary reasons or to pick up an additional income stream -- it's VERY useful as an income stream in this economy.  I won't like and say I've made a zillion dollars, but I've been a sick puppy, so I'm going to just start all over again.

She's Back! Ready to Talk About Relapses?

Well hello everybody, it's me -- once again back from the brink.  I warned you when I began this blog that my problem with depression (Bipolar Disorder) would interfere with my communications to you, and to my regret -- my true regret -- it has.  I am so sorry -- but the clouds are lifting and I believe that the worst is over.  Without Herbalife I cannot imagine having lived through the last year.

Depressed people don't eat -- or they eat too too much.  If you have anyone in your life that is going through hard times -- and so very many of us are -- Herbalife offers solutions that are inexpensive and easy to find.  Don't let anyone try to tell you that our meal replacements are expensive -- if you think paying about $1.75 for a meal that is utterly restorative, uh -- you might want to re-think that!

I amuse myself (for I am beyond embarrassment) by telling people that when I started on Herbalife last year, I was in a total, all-out bed-ridden depression.  My only form of exercise was rolling from one side of my bed to the other!! hahahaha!  And I will tell you further that I rolled through 3 pairs of flannel pajama bottoms in that horrible winter when I lost my life savings and fell into the pit of despair.

Enter Herbalife -- 5 weeks later I'd lost 15 pounds and at least could go out of the house without feeling I needed and WANTED a burqua!  Some of you know how this is. 5 months later I'd lost 35 pounds, as some of you know.  But I've suffered a relapse YES SUFFERED A RELAPSE and as this is an honest blog, it is confessional time!

What happened?  How could I go backwards?

I didn't have my miracle products -- it's as simple as that.  I had adapted to a diet of Formula One shakes with extra protein powder, the addictive candy/protein bars -- which feel like sin but do the body good as they have 10 protein grams and only 4 grams of sugar -- and my favorite energy treat: a combo of HL energy drink LiftOff, their electrolyte balancing, energizing drink H30 Fitness Drink, and finally either the Mango Peach or the Wildberry Beverage Mix, which has 15 protein grams!

Now this little recipe is mine -- I like combining things, and I found that this particular combo satisfies me on many levels -- I take some dehydrating meds and the H30 really helps me with that.  The Beverage Mixes are tasty and so easy to knock back, as a client said. Finally, I don't drink coffee but I DO like an extra boost,
and that's what the LiftOff  provides.  Be careful though -- two tablets in a day keeps me awake longer than I should be.

You should be aware that each of these is meant stand on its own, but I find the combination delightful, refreshing and energizing.  It also helps me fulfill my protein requirements -- most women need about 75-100 protein grams a day to maintain lean muscle mass.  We'll talk about that another day!

When I relapsed and gained back oh sheesh about 15 pounds -- I did not have my products.  I had the shakes, which are great, but on my own I just don't get the protein I need, and my sweetie likes to bring me pastries and all the wrong foods to cheer me up.  Men don't get it -- most women don't want to be fattened up like the prize pig at the county fair, oh no we don't.

I was off the program for several weeks -- we were having a very hard time financially and I couldn't even afford my own stuff!  We didn't have heat, can you believe it -- the recession has bitten us in the backside, I can tell you that! No heat in this house for two years!  Ah well, better days are at hand.  I have crawled out of my bedroom to find that life is really rather glorious after all.

Anyway, I'm back on track, and despite my fear of the scale, I can tell I'm going down again.  It happens -- don't lose heart.  So many people that have tried Herbalife freak out after a month or two and don't let it work its magic, which makes me sad.  Herbalife rocks -- 30 years in the best laboratories working on ways to make nutrition work on a molecular, cellular way.  They've achieved near-miracles, and I cheerfully invite you to join me on this path to better health!  I lost mine at age 17 -- I don't suppose you would believe me if I told you that at age 62 (sigh, yes, it's true) I feel better than I felt in my 20's, but it is absolutely true.

So -- if Herbalife can help me, one of the sickliest people (from birth) (mommy smoked & drank but she didn't know any better) -- I believe it can help you too, whether your goal is to lose weight or to gain it -- or simply TO FEEL BETTER.

My heartfelt advice to anyone who wants to feel more healthy is to investigate these products and drink a shake a day for the rest of your life.  In one year I have 60% less gray in my hair -- that's impressive.  My sweetheart was brought back from the brink of death and rejuvenated.  This company and its products are not just about weight loss -- they are about global well-being!  Herbalife is now in almost 75 countries -- which, considering import & export laws, is absolutely mindblowing.

Next blog -- I'll stop now as I've gone on long enough -- will be about a lovely new client that found us on the Yellow Pages online -- he was introduced to HL in RUSSIA, tried it -- whoops, I'm giving away my story already.  I'll stop now and bid you a pleasant evening.  If you want to check out our site, it's at http://herbal-nutrition.net/julieandpatrick --

Happy Trails for now! And thanks to twitter client "amomslove" for giving our site a shout-out today through feedjit!

julie and patrick

Return of the Adventure Paks!

Hello again!  Remember last year when Patrick and I got all excited about our "Survival Paks" -- we specifically had them in mind for Burning Man, but it became very clear to us that these things -- there's soup available this year to add to the mix -- would be useful for so many different sorts of summery activities.  Perfect for camping & backpacking & climbing & biking and anyplace where one wants high quality high protein foods that taste good!

Why did I put that first? because I am me, and I like the things I eat to taste good, even if they ARE slimming), that are light-weight low-waste, and that range from energy drinks to protein beverages, meal replacement shakes that also are available lactose-free, the most delicious protein bars I have EVER tasted ever, creamy chicken soup, soy nuts (although to be honest you could make those yourself quite easily!), effervescent immune strengthening fizzy tabs -- the basics are all covered in our Adventure Paks!

Certainly, other things can be added, but it is a really good thing to know that you are getting absolutely first rate concentrated foods, the kinds that have been crafted to give your body the finest nutrition for such circumstances that I believe is available.  Thirty years in the laboratories, ladies and gentlemen -- and that wasn't to find the perfect sort of puffery to tempt people with.  Herbalife, with the intention of a firm that intends to be the best in its class no holds barred -- has no competition in the world of highly concentrated foods, diet foods for lack of a better term.

They are simply perfect to take on all varieties of life's adventures, and we are bringing them back!  We've bought muslin bags and I am impatiently waiting for Patrick to make the design happen so that we can put the "Julie and Patrick's Adventure Paks" online on a site with a shopping cart so we can make these things available.  We really really think you will love them.

We are gradually clearing our heads and emerging from the disasters of our lives in the last years.  Limping slowly, I admit it, but that's the way it works sometimes when you are in a constant state of fear re your house and your ability to keep it or even make a living at all.  Things sometimes work out, though -- and so we are still here, still at it, hopefully stronger than ever.

We both think that having these Adventure Paks available is a great way to make these products known to the public.  Most people have heard the word "Herbalife" but have some opinion or other about network marketing (like Avon, etc.) that acts as an unconscious barrier to these terrific products which I am so besotted with.  Few people comprehend the level of actual cellular nutrition provided by these various powders and bars!  Just add water!  I would say that they are "space age" but that seems an archaic term now, almost fifties.  Targeted cellular nutrition, in each and every bite.



I've shaken Jimmy Carter's hand --but I have never had the opportunity to hear a President of the United States, a POTUS, speak in person before, not ever!  So there he was,  MY President -- perhaps my favorite President, we shall see.  He's up there, that is for certain -- he and Mrs. Clinton -- what a team.  Patrick and I had the great honor of volunteering at an event attended by President Obama and our "subcompact" Senator Barbara Boxer (that's what the Prez called her; it was so cute -- something like "a subcompact Senator with inexhaustible energy"). 

What an incredible event -- we had the thrill of helping people (like ourselves, actually) that have ADA problems, or who were elderly, in crutches, or fragile.  We manned the elevator at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco when the President came to town.  These lovely people were gathered and brought to our station, I escorted them down the elevator to the Terrace Level to their check-in point, and then ran up the back stairs back to Patrick, who was chatting up the next batch of guests.  It was a blast!  I think we truly had more fun than anyone there!

We met the most extraordinary people -- I met a woman who quietly counsels the President about education, not wanting anyone to know her special role.  Her friend told me, and with that knowledge I drank in the presence of that beautiful woman, a real product of the Civil Right's movement, quoth Patrick, smarter than hell and wiser than oh just anything -- what a pleasure and a privilege it was to meet her!  I am usually ultra shy and don't put myself in this sort of position, but when I do I throw myself in with a vengeance, to make up for lost time!

We took protein bars along, but did not think to bring LiftOff which would have been A HUGE help -- as it's just easy to tuck away and have when you need a -- lift.

Ha, didn't see that coming, did you?  Oh --  you did, of course you did!  But we could have handed out some to our team -- people could have used the boost.  I was running.  I felt needed.  It was awesome and I loved it, every minute of it.  Only when we shared a citrus protein bar with a woman we'd just met (she really liked it, and is a woman of most discerning taste, I can tell you that absolutely!) did I remember to wish I'd brought business cards, LiftOff, little hand-outs -- but my mind was not on business that night - it was on serving my President and my Senator in any small way that I could.

Because of spinal problems I wore a back brace for that occasion; because I still think I am a kid I ran upstairs and whooshed around corners, meeting lovely people and escorting them down elevators for three hours.  Afterward I noticed my shrieking back -- I'd been having too much fun to pay the slightest attention earlier and Patrick, who looks out for me in ways too many to mention and too precious to convey, found me a chair.  A chair in a place where all our elderly and disabled friends were sitting!  And, as it turned out, one of the BEST seats in the house -- and some had paid quite a bit for their seating!  Goes to show you never can tell!

Given that I could NOT stand, I was grateful; when one is in extremis one wishes to sit.  One at that point remembers how many decades one has been alive, and laughs to oneself to realize that if you laid out my age and laundry list of conditions I'd be considered disabled, but thanks to Herbalife I've found my body again.

It was hiding under 35 pounds of excess baggage.

I should stop, no, really, I should!  So the news is -- Adventure Paks on the way; the only thing between you and those handy items are whether Patrick gets his act together, design-wise.

PATRICK!!  YOO HOO!! C'MON --!! 

Hey y'all I wanted you to know right away that when I mentioned to Patrick that I had informed the world that our project DEPENDS ON HIM -- even though I'm sure we have a rather small audience -- it was enough to get him going off to the art supply store for the silk-screening materials.

So we shall see you soon with good news, I believe!

Springtime!

It has been such a great relief to have the Herbalife products I need back on my shelf, and to feel my puffy body losing fluids and getting back to normal again.  I find this all so fascinating, and of course I don't recommend that a person only live on Herbalife!  Lest I forget to mention this, real food is also a great idea! 

When one is going on the Herbalife weight loss plan, the recommendation is that you use two shakes as a meal replacement (with extra protein powder -- that makes ALL the difference) and then enjoy a healthy, colorful and varied meal, preferably at lunchtime.  Eating later at night is harder on the metabolism.

When you've reached your optimal weight, you can then go on a more normal regime, but keep that one Herbalife shake as a meal replacement, and you should be able to keep a stable weight.  I will say that once we got into the shakes we found them completely pleasurable to drink, and so easy to make that they satisfy us completely.

I've always known protein was important, but I never realized until this last year what a profound difference it made, and how necessary it was in terms of DAILY intake.  If you don't get the protein you need on a consistent basis, you start to crave sugar and carbohydrates, and the weight just piles on -- again.  In my 6 weeks without my favorite protein bars and drinks, I gained five pounds at least.  I'm got them on the run, and I must make sure I have my products on hand!

I never imagined that anything like this could work, and work so well.  I encourage anybody reading this who has difficulties maintaining their proper weight to consider the advantages of Herbalife -- the place where Science meets Nutrition, and they dance together!

Terrible Things That Happened to My Poor Body Without --

The Terrible Things That Happened to My Poor Body Without

Herbalife Bars & Beverages, Part 2

Hello again! 

I have just whipped myself up a shaker full of my other favorite in-between protein snack/energy booster.  I errr "made this up myself" although I'd have to say I'm pretty sure others have thought of this idea before.

Whazzat, you say?  Well!  The other two items in my longed-for Herbalife package that arrived at our house that day were a few boxes of "Tropical-Fruit Force Liftoff"!! 


This fizzy energy drink comes in several different and very refreshing flavors -- but this one is my particular favorite.  1 calorie, 1 carb -- but plenty of vitamins and a good balance of natural stimulants.  By itself it's terrific and gives you a real boost, but my special trick is to have it together with Herbalife's "Beverage Mix" -- sounds pretty generic, doesn't it? -- which is a low calorie protein snack (15 protein grams per serving, 70 calories, no fat) that blends fabulously with the Tropical Lift-Off.


There are two flavors of the beverage drink -- Wild Berry and Peach Mango.  I love them both equally, and I love them both especially WITH my LiftOff and crushed ice oh yum.  In fact, excuse me while I go and mix myself up a one of those to drink.  BRB.

All righty, I'm back.  I find these things so satisfying that I cannot imagine drinking sugary sodas when I can do this.  Funny thing -- when I first joined Herbalife a year ago, I jumped right in at the Supervisor level and received a bunch of products I wasn't at all familiar with. Of all of them, those Beverage Packs confused me the most.  I didn't even bother opening one of them for months -- it took an imaginative friend to show me what to do with them, and I've been hooked ever since.


Result being -- without trying, I've added 50 protein grams daily to my diet -- two drinks and two bars -- and then the shake for 30 grams -- my requirement is around 100 protein grams -- so that's perfect.  And it felt perfect.  I didn't know HOW perfect until I ran out of the bars and the drinks and after about 4 weeks I noticed the new squishy me, and in 6 weeks I knew I had to get that stuff back in my body no matter what.


It just is easier for me this way.  I never got sufficient quantities of protein -- not for ages.  I would get hungry and carb out.  But a year on these Herbalife products has shown me that with the right amount of protein in my system the fat literally converts itself to lean muscle mass, right in front of my eyes.  And that, my friends, is a good, good thing!