Thursday, June 17, 2010

I'M BACK - WITH PICTURES









Hello everyone,

I'm back! - both from a short blogging hiatus as well as a recent and superb two week vacation with Michele at our cosy pied-a-terre in the village of Cassis in the South of France. More on that later......
First and foremost I'm pleased to report that the weight continues to stay off and I appear to have stabilized at around 180 lbs. which feels great. This is especially gratifying as I must confess to a less than slavish adherence to the full Isagenix regime now that the 30 day program has finished. On the plus side I believe that a key positive outcome of the 30 day program has been a material and continued recalibration of my eating choices and habits. For example high carb. items such as bread, potatoes or corn rarely appear on my menu anymore and have instead been replaced by cous cous more fresh veggies and lots of summer sweet tomatoes. Coffee, the occasional beer and wine are back on the list - I didn't join a monastery after all - and are being enjoyed in moderation. I continue to churn out Isagenix shakes for breakfast and lunch with frozen fruits and berries that turn them into cool and delicious summer smoothies - yum! I have also interspersed a couple of full cleanse days into the mix since completing the program as it feels good to get those internal bits rinsed, buffed and polished and any errant pounds summarily dealt with. In discussing the Isagenix program with busy friends who have also embarked on the program, a common and oft repeated benefit seems to be the satisfaction at having found a nutritious and great-tasting breakfast solution in the protein rich Isa-Shakes. Prior to that it was a quick cup of coffee and perhaps a muffin or similar - all repeated at mid-morning - and all bereft of any meaningful nutritional benefit. Now it's a tasty and nutritious start to the day which carries through the morning - and can be repeated at lunch - or not depending on your day. Without sounding like too much of a nutrition-nazi the point is that our habits have changed for the better and our bodies are benefiting - and it feels good.

Now to France. I debated whether to take some Isagenix products with me such as protein bars or shakes or accelerator capsules or whatever but in the end said "the hell with it, I'm on vacation and will make healthy choices while I'm there". And that's what I did. Every Wednesday and Friday is market day in Cassis and the profusion of fresh fruit and veggies is just awe inspiring. Michele and I would load up on fresh produce - and amazing flowers - then would stroll down to the port to see what success the fishermen had enjoyed. Inevitably there would be a selection of fish fresh out of the Mediterranean which would be cleaned and scaled on the spot to be enjoyed later that evening with a chilled glass - or two - of the local rose and the fresh veggies etc. O.K. I confess to enjoying the local breads and cheeses - I was in France after all - but the extraordinary thing is that I only added 3 lbs. over the two week period I was there which has now pretty much disappeared. All in all a fabulous holiday with no negative fallout - except for the mischief visited upon my Visa card - but that's another story!!
I have attached some photos of the Cassis market for your viewing pleasure and to give you some idea of the luminescent light that made the region such a popular destination for the artists of yore. If you would like to see a larger image, simply click on the photo.
Cheers and be well.
Ashley