Day 8: I Stayed Away from the Fridge! And the TV!

Today is Day 8 of my Isagenix 30-Day Program. I knew my first weekend on the program would be tough, which it was. In the past, the weekend was when I really did the majority of my over-eating. I would go out for breakfast and/or lunch, gorge myself to the limit and then waddle around from refrigerator to TV; back and forth all weekend long. But, by losing some weight already, I’ve gotten a good jump on it and Isagenix has given me the confidence to extricate myself from my old ways.

On Saturday I did three shakes and on Sunday I did eat some food, pretty much for the first time all week. My fiancée, who is really being super supportive, made some great low-fat tuna burgers. I had two small burgers without bread, some sliced tomatoes and an apple. I also had some salsa to add a little zip to the burgers. Overall, I figure the meal was about 350 calories and it tasted great. I went to bed happy and slept well once again. I also did two one-hour walks down to Fisherman’s Wharf with the dogs.

Today I’m doing the three shakes again (One of them will have a banana in it) and tomorrow I’ll do another 2-day cleanse. This will be a big test because I have to go to Sacramento for my job and there will be a lot of food temptations to avoid. But, I know I can do it because I feel great and this program is really working.

I got an e-mail yesterday about a fellow Isagenix Program member who is doing a daily journal blog about his experiences with the program. His name is Zach and his blog is: http://zach4life.livejournal.com/. I look forward to reading his journal to help me. Knowing someone is in the same boat as I am will undoubtedly be an inspiration. Zach’s goal is to lose 180 lbs. by June 30th. Wow! That’s an amazing goal, but I wish him the best of luck. With Isagenix, I’m beginning to believe that anything is possible!

Market Research Predicates Our Future

I never realized how huge and widespread the market research industry is. Angelina and I have been doing a lot of focus groups and testing products throughout the Bay Area lately. The best thing about it is that they usually pay very well. Market research companies spend a lot of time, money and effort to gather data on what people like and dislike and why. Trends in food, clothing, technology, music, movies, books, medicine and more – market research companies set the tone for what we’ll be wearing, eating and doing to entertain ourselves in the future.

Losing Your Hair? Don't Despair!

Luckily, I haven’t lost my hair at the ripe middle age of 48. Some folks aren’t as fortunate. That’s why Hair Replacement technology is something they should be happy to know is very advanced and quite affordable. I have several friends who are losing their hair. I’m not going to mention their names but they know who they are. When you get into your late 40’s and early 50’s, pattern baldness is another on of the unfortunate things you have to look forward to. You figure the carpets in your home start to go after a few years, so it just makes sense that your hair is going to start falling out eventually. Fear not, baldies – Hair Replacement has come a long way, baby!

If You Don't Have Powell Furniture, You're Missing Out!

The first Powell furniture was introduced into the furniture market in 1968 and has developed into the one of the best brands of furniture that you’ll find anywhere on the planet. Powell offers a tremendous selection of amazing products that are ideal for people who want the very best at great prices. Powell furniture is really wonderful, high-quality furniture that will last a lifetime. For some of the finest furniture in the entire world, the name to always remember is Powell. Put it in your home and just enjoy, baby! That’s what life is all about anyway, isn’t it?

Isagenix Day Six: Feeling Stronger Every Day

It’s early on Day Six of My Isagenix 30-day Program. Yesterday when I was out walking my dogs, I heard the song by Chicago called “Feeling Stronger Every Day.” I couldn’t relate more. The energy you get from this program is absolutely unbelievable and I truly am feeling strength and vigor I didn’t have before. Things that I’ve been putting off, like washing my car, doing laundry, writing letters and thank you cards, working out and fixing things in the house – now I’m doing them because I’ve got this new surge of energy thanks to Isagenix.

Isagenix is so much more than a weight loss solution. It’s a nutritional and cleansing plan that puts things into your body that you’re probably not getting if you’re living the way most people on the rest of the planet do. I’m really beginning to get excited about this program – in five full days I’ve lost just over 8 pounds!

At this rate, I’ll be down at least 50 by the time I’ve completed the 90-day program. But, I’m not going to rush it or let my expectations get too high. The way I look at it is, it took me a long time to gain all this luggage, so if it takes a while to get rid of it, that’s just fine. I’ve decided to do a more accelerated version of the Isagenix Program – I’m doing the 9-day Program and drinking 3 shakes a day rather than eating a 400-600 calorie meal, at least for the first 10 days – and so far the results are amazing. I eat a few snacks every day, mostly organic, unsalted almonds and organic apple slices, and I’m never hungry.

I thought I’d be stressed out trying to make so many changes overnight (I stopped drinking alcohol, I quit smoking recently and now I’m not eating the fat-filled diet I used to enjoy), but so far it’s been surprisingly easy.

Napa Schools Pull the Trigger on Tigger

Our public schools are turning our children into zombies with drugs like Ritalin. They’re taking away their creativity and incentive to learn by dumbing classes down to the lowest common denominator. And for a long time now they’ve been telling them what to wear.
Some schools prohibit kids from wearing gang colors. Others ban short skirts. Bandanas, beanies, sunglasses, baseball hats, wristbands and even certain jewelry have been prohibited from certain schools throughout the country. But 14-year-old Toni Kay Scott’s parents say they were completely taken by surprise when told that their daughter’s school outlawed Tigger on a pair of socks.
For attending class at a Napa middle school wearing socks displaying the Winnie the Pooh character -- in violation of the school's solid-colors-only, no-pictures, no-logos dress code -- the seventh-grader was sent to the principal's office, and then in a detention program called Students With Attitude Problems.
Toni Kay, now an eighth-grade honors student, said that she's been cited more than a dozen times and sent home from school twice, for such infractions as wearing a polo shirt with the manufacturer's butterfly logo, a pair of pink tennis shoes and a shirt with the insignia of the anti-drug program D.A.R.E.
The incident has caused an avalanche of controversy and Napa Valley Unified School District, which approved the code, is now in court over the whole affair.
The school's "unconstitutionally vague, overbroad and restrictive uniform dress code policy'' flouts state law, violates freedom of expression, and wastes teachers' and students' time and attention that would be better spent on education, the American Civil Liberties Union said in a suit filed Monday on behalf of six students and their parents.
The school policy, in effect for more than a decade, requires students' clothes and backpacks to be entirely solid colors: The only colors permitted are blue, white, green, yellow, khaki, gray, brown and black. The only acceptable fabrics are cotton twill, chino and corduroy. No jeans or "denim-looking'' clothes allowed. No pictures, words, symbols or patterns, except the school logo. And definitely no Tigger. Or Mickey. Or Goofy, for that matter.
I think this is ridiculous. I can see the thinking behind banning clothing emblazoned with logos or messages that may be interpreted as being gang-related, religiously offensive or obscene. But, how can a cartoon tiger be considered offensive by any stretch of the imagination? Is there a subversive band of thugs out there called the Tiggers that we’re not aware of? Are they rumbling after school with the Spongebob Squarepants mob? Are they hijacking tricycles with the Rugrats crew?
This is another prime example of people in power making stupid decisions and then letting the courts do the dirty work. This is going to end up costing the Napa Valley Unified School District a lot of money in legal fees, and guess who pays for that? As they say: Those who can’t…teach. And those who can’t teach become school administrators and make up really stupid rules like this one.

Day 4: Isa Loving This!

I’m going into Day Four of my Isagenix 30-Day IsaCleanse Program and I have lost a total of 6.5 pounds in just three days! Yesterday was the first of my cleansing days. It was surprisingly easy! Four times during the course of the day, I drank a half-cup of a drink called Cleanse for Life, mixed with 8 ounces of cold purified water. I was worried that this liquid that looks kind of like apple cider would taste bad. But, it was surprisingly good. Then, I took my Ionix Supreme, one caplet of IsaFlush! and two Natural Accelerator Capsules. The IsaFlush! is used to move things through your system. And the Natural Accelerator Capsules speed up your metabolism so that you burn food more efficiently. Today I’m doing another cleanse day, and then I’m back to the shakes tomorrow. Sometimes I guess people get headaches during their cleansing days, but I felt fine. I drank a ton of water and hit the john like a racehorse all day, but I didn’t mind. I figure that’s all the toxins that have built up in my body over 48 years making their way to the exit. Today I do notice that my head is itching a little bit, which I imagine might be toxins coming out through my scalp. Hey, if they want to come out through my eyeballs, that’s fine with me! Good riddance. Another thing I’ve noticed is improved sleep. In just three days, my nights have improved 100%! I am waking up less often, my fiancée says my snoring has cut way down, and my dreams aren’t as weird as they were before when I was waking up all night. I also have energy like I’ve never had. My dogs Shelly and Ratdog are going to benefit from Isagenix, because I am now taking them on long walks down to the Presidio and Fisherman’s Wharf. Before, I would walk them to Fillmore Street and back, a total of about 8 blocks. Now I’m walking at least three miles, a 1 hour and fifteen minute brisk jaunt through beautiful San Francisco. I am so enthused about Isagenix that I now have my very own Isagenix web site. I have also entered the Isa Body Challenge, which I will write about more in a future posting. My counselor is John Ettema and he is great. If anyone has any questions about this program, you should probably call John, because obviously I’m still a rookie. His phone number is: (408) 813-1325. He’s really helpful and won’t try to hard sell you. Stay tuned.

I'm Officially Quitting the Cancer Game

One of the things that I did prior to embarking on my Isagenix program was to quit smoking cigarettes. It wasn't like I was ever a chronic smoker (maybe 3-5 cancer sticks per week), but it's a bad habit and I'm happy to be rid of it. After a while, it got so I didn't even know why I kept doing it. My mouth felt like an ash tray and my breath smelled like burnt burlap (according to my lovely fiancee). I wasn't even getting any pleasure out of it anymore. It's been three weeks since I've had a puff, and I feel great! My brother had a pretty serious heart attack a few years back and even though he's in great shape and not overweight, he smoked for quite a while. The main artery to his heart was completely clogged! The doctors determined that tobacco consumption was the main cause of his heart attack. After that incident, I stopped for about a year, but after a while I started up again. I'm so happy and hopeful to be on the path away from cigarettes and I feel better as a result. For all my readers who are still smoking, try to quit. It's tough the first few days, but after that it gets much easier.

This Week's Restaurant Review: Perry's in SF

(Now that I'm on Isagenix, I am not eating out at restaurants -- at least for the next 90 days. But, because I'm getting paid to write these reviews (visit www.bayareacritic.com) I still have to write one a week. Luckily, I have a reservoir of places I've been to recently but have yet to review.)

Places like Perry’s are great as long as you’re not expecting high-end cuisine. If you’re in the mood for good basic, well-made, fresh food, then Perry's is a smart pick. Perry’s offers traditional things served in an informal atmosphere. We’re talking hamburgers, steaks, fish and chips, grilled fish, fried chicken and prime rib sandwiches. Perry's is also well-known known for their Lobster Madness on Wednesday and Saturday nights. For less than $20, you get a one-and a-quarter pound Maine lobster with accompaniments starting at 5 pm. It’s a great deal for a good-sized crustacean, but I would suggest you get there early, because the deal runs out when the lobsters are gone, usually by 8 pm. Perry’s is a San Francisco legend that goes back many decades. Lots of SF’s celebrities, bluebloods and natives go there religiously. The bar itself is a microcosm of the city. Deals go down, relationships are started and people do all kinds of business seated along the old oak bar at Perry’s. The bartenders are all characters in their own right and seasoned veterans of this whole scene. Watching them work the patrons while mixing great drinks at lightning speed is a form of entertainment all its own. The crowd is a mixture of young college kids, grizzled old timers, suits, people watchers and tourists. Weekend brunchers flock to Perry’s to sip Bloody Marys and munch breakfast items, sandwiches and salads at one of the four coveted outdoor tables. For those who want to get out of the sun (or fog), there’s a large bar/dining room featuring sports memorabilia and magazine racks that hang on dark wooden walls. Two of the more popular items on Perry’s menu include tiny burger "slyders" and Reuben sandwiches. I’ve also had their grilled ahi sandwich and the fish-of-the-day. Everything at Perry’s is solid and the portions are generous. Perry’s is open every day at 9 am and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Their address is: 1944 Union Street in San Francisco. Call them for reservations at: (415) 922-9022.

DRIVERS BEWARE!! SF is one big bumper car ride

What is it with drivers in this city? People get behind the wheels of their vehicles and instantly transform into demonically possessed crazies. I have driven in Boston (which is bad), New York (which is worse), L.A. and Chicago, but San Francisco is by far the worst place to drive a car in the United States. People tailgate, cut each other off, scream, shout and make obscene gestures, run stoplights and stop signs, speed in school zones and have absolutely no patience with pedestrians. It’s a constant peeve of mine, because it’s a societal problem that goes way beyond on how we drive. It has to do with how we treat our fellow man; how we relate to others in our community, and much more. It has to do with respect, compassion, courtesy and things like that. It has to do with treating other human beings with a modicum of kindness once in a while. This recent incident that happened here in town illustrates precisely what I’m talking about. This kind of thing happens every day here:
A man allegedly ran down and killed a pedestrian in the Mission District yesterday after the two got into an argument, police said. The suspect attempted to get away after the incident but was caught by police, said Sgt. Neville Gittens. The incident occurred around 2 a.m. when the suspect, whose name has not been released, was driving southbound on Valencia Street and attempted to make a left turn eastbound onto 16th Street, Gittens said.
Gittens said that the victim and his friend were crossing the street when words were exchanged, and the suspect stopped his car and got out. More words were exchanged and the suspect got back into his vehicle.
The suspect began driving toward the two pedestrians, Gittens said, at which point the victim began punching the car. The pedestrians took off walking northbound on Valencia Street, Gittens said, but the suspect drove his car up onto the sidewalk and hit the victim with the vehicle, throwing his body into the air.
The suspect drove away but tried to park nearby, Gittens said. Police set up a perimeter of the area and were able to detain the man, he said.
The incident is being investigated by the department's homicide division, Gittens said. The suspect's name will be released when he is formally booked on criminal charges, he said.