Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Sorry it took so long to get this this blog out to you but it has been a busy weekend. First we actually kind of cheated and quit a night early. Well OK Julie quit at lunch. She didn’t think I would find the damn Wendy’s bag in her car. WTF?? She broke and went straight to fast food. {Editor’s Note: Um, I was sick....nearly on my death bed and I needed some carbs. I was good. I had a grilled chicken salad with tomato, lettuce and no mayo! So, excuuuuuse me for having a little bread a few hours early}

On Wednesday night we went to hang with the Business Leaders of Charlotte (BLOC) after hours get together. Great time. We first stopped at Mac’s Speed shop and had some fantastic Natty Greene’s Pale Ale. Do you think it was good? Man, what are you talking about? It was FAN-DAMN-TASTIC. Probably one of the best beers I have ever put into my mouth. Did I mention how cold it was? There was frost on the side of the glass. Now that is a damn cold beer, as we would call it in the South.

I ended the cleanse down 17 LBS. That is a lot to say the least. But when you begin as a fat ass it isn’t hard to lose weight that quickly on a detox like that. All my clothes fit much better and I can bend down to tie my shoes without cutting all the circulation off to my legs and squeezing my lungs to the point of passing out from lack of oxygen. Jules ended down 6 LBS and looks and feels great. The crazy thing is I gained back like 3 in the first weekend and Jules is still losing a pound a day. Must be because of my old ass. I am going to continue though with the Visalis 90 Day challenge starting after the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is my favorite day of the year and the biggest bash I throw down. Been having it since 1987 (ok yes I am an old dude) and I cook and cook and cook for this thing. So not going to be easy to maintain any kind of a diet during this week.

On Saturday we took the girls out looking for a rug or something and I made a HUGE mistake. A little advice DON’T EAT HOT WINGS FRESH OFF OF A DETOX/CLEANSE DIET. That’s right--have you guys ever seen the wedding dress scene in Brides Maids? OH YEA it was BAD. We were going out with our friends. Had a great evening planned and even got a driver to drive us around. We were headed to a winery after picking up our friends and I had to stop back by the house because I wasn’t going to make it. We went on to the Charlotte restaurant week to try out 131 Main (there will be a blog about this in the next day or so) and as much of a phobia as I have in public toilets I had no choice. I will spare you the details and the shear terror I had but I was in bad shape. After that everything was fine. {Editor's Notes: We had to skip the winery over this ordeal. I couldn't even look at those wings without my stomach turning so I knew he was going to have issues. Needless to say, I wasn't much sympathetic to his issues.}

Stay tuned for some measuring of my fat to see how many inches I lost and I want to introduce you to Visalis for the 90 day challenge. I am working on a routine for the next 90 days to see if I can continue to take the pounds off.

Side note: Jules had to bring up that she wore the pants in this family. Well I just want to say it is because mine will not stay UP YEAAA BABY. {Editor's eye roll}

Thanks for stopping by and stay tuned as there is much more to come.

Monday, January 30, 2012



A light pasta dish that is sure to win over your friends! Shrimp, kalamata olives, fresh herbs and white wine add an excellent flavor to this pasta dish! Rusty suggests this one for the guys to use for a romantic evening ALONE with your significant other.



Thursday, January 26, 2012


A shrimp appetizer that is sure to please everyone! Many of you have been waiting on this one so we'd love to hear your comments, especially if you try to make it! We will be making this one for our Super Bowl Party. Enjoy!

Monday, January 23, 2012

I must admit that things have gotten much better since we have been able to eat meat. I am however missing bread, pasta, beans, regular rice, red meat, BBQ, french fries, wings, cheese sticks, fried chicken, chili, pizza dip, ranch dressing, did I mention wings, pepperoni, hamburger, olives, carbonated drinks, mashed potatoes, fried chicken biscuits, hot sauce, ribs, tacos, burritos, chips and salsa, oh and wings, bread sticks, ice cream, chocolate covered pretzels, sausages, salami, corn, tuna salad, jambalaya, hot dogs, meat loaf, meat balls, and don’t let me forget wings, beer and wine.

We are not quite as ill as we once were I think. We are still sleeping well and I have lost a total of 15 LBS so far. The sad thing is I am still a fat ass but I am going to keep going after this detox is over. No rash this year so I am guessing I wasn’t as toxic as I was last year.

Jules has lost 6 LBS and that is great for her. {Editor’s Note: I am loving it. My pants fit and I feel better. I’m excited now to start growing some muscle} I can’t wait to continue with Visalus and keep losing weight and getting healthy, however, I am going to splurge a bit this weekend especially with the “SAUCE” ...that is the alcohol “SAUCE”.

Jules is making a shake now and I have no idea what in the hell she just threw in there but it was jumping around like a bone fragment from a hand that she is trying to dispose of after a murder. Oh my god she just let me taste it and I am now sure it was a hand. It was damn horrible. The taste is still in my mouth. {Editor’s note: It was strawberry kiwi. I do admit, it wasn’t very good and I can’t get the taste out of my mouth either}

Still not a lot of compliments, which is crazy to me. I mean damn, 15 LBS is a lot but not many people seem to be noticing. I guess that just goes to show how fat I really was. If anything it makes me more determined to get this weight off. {Editor’s note: My noticing apparently doesn’t count. It is very noticeable to me but maybe it’s because I see him every day. He’s done a great job but I think we’ll see more progress when the exercise comes into play next week. Stay tuned for THAT video....should be a hoot!}

Thanks again for stopping by Any Ol’ Thing and stay tuned for some cool shit to come. Till next time,

Rusty

Flying Fox is a small vineyard in Afton, VA that we visited on a recent trip to the Wintergreen Resort area. We discovered this place a year ago when we met a couple at another winery and they brought us to this one. Now it is a place that we stop every time we head up that way! We love their Viognier which is Virginia's answer to a Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a grape that grows well in Virginia.
Check them out at www.flyingfoxvineyard.com
Also check out Wintergreen Winery, a stop we usually add to the tour when we go to Flying Fox!

Thursday, January 19, 2012


Well, we were finally able to get some meat into our bellies. I really thought I was going to crack and kill someone. It was probably the best damn chicken I have ever had. I made Julie's with a Trader Joe’s South African Smoke seasoning blend and damn it was good. I just blackened mine but that is how I love my Chicken. Monday night we did some Salmon and I would say it was almost orgasmic. Going that long without meat is a BITCH period. I was actually told by a friend and client via an email exchange to ‘go eat some damn meat to fix my grumpy ass”.

[caption id="attachment_339" align="alignleft" width="267" caption="Chicken at our house---bored."][/caption]The rest of the week has been pretty laid back now that we can add something else to the diet. I am still losing weight. I am down 14 Lbs. Kind of disapointed in myself for how much I actually weighed at the beginning of this. I don’t think I am going to make it to the weight I finished at last year but I still feel great and I will keep going with Visaliswhen I am done with this Detox Cleanse. {Editor's Note: I've been pretty bored with this week. Now that we can eat meat, all the interesting cooking that Rusty used to do went away. All he does is cook chicken and salmon on the grill and saute some veggies to go with it. I think these days are the days I'm going to get grumpy!}

Been just mostly cooking Chicken and Salmon and sauteing veggies. I am still staying away from brown rice. I would rather eat the maid’s shit in a chocolate pie than brown rice. Grilled Chicken Salads for lunch every day and I am in love with them. But again anything tastes better with MEAT. {Editor's note: Now you see what I mean! Ugh. I'm not so interested in chicken salads. I actually ate mine today without meat.}

Craving wine and beer pretty bad. My food cravings have subsided a good bit which is what this thing is all about. I am not a big sweet eater but for some reason I am craving some cake today. Jules NEEDS a damn wendy’s grilled chicken sandwich. Oh and the Hardee’s chicken fingers in Franks hot sauce. That sounds pretty good to me as well. Can you tell we have been watching TV because there is NOTHING but food comercials on. {Editor's Note: Yes, I want that chicken sandwich but I don't want it grilled, I want it breaded and deep FRIED, baby!}

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="180" caption="And here it is...The Asiago Ranch Chicken Club"]And here it is...The Asiago Ranch Chicken Club[/caption]

We have been posting some videos so please go check them out. The Jambalaya recipe is fantastic and Wintergreen Winery is a great place to visit. THis damn thing is going to be over on Wednesday and we are going to have some wine and I CAN”T WAIT.

Thanks for stopping by Any Ol' Thing and we hope to see you soon.

Early fall we went on a trip to Wintergreen, VA.  It is one of our favorite places to go on the east coast.  There are many wineries in the area and we visited a few.  Wintergreen winery is located at the bottom of the mountain and surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery up there.  Please join us for a view of the winery and we hope some day you will go up and enjoy the experience as we have.

Thanks for stopping by Any Ol' Thing.
 
 
 
 

Wednesday, January 18, 2012


This is an awesome version of Jambalaya with a lot of flavor and a nice touch of heat! We love to make a big pot of this and eat it again the next day. It gets even better as it sets overnight. Try it out and let us know what you think!
Click here to get the recipe!
 
 
 

Monday, January 16, 2012

Monday is MEAT day. We are so excited. We actually have another section we can visit in the grocery store! I can’t wait until lunch. Just having something else to add to our selection is really what it is all about. I could maybe go a bit longer without any meat but I can’t stand having my hands tied as far as what I can cook with. {Editor’s note: He doesn’t need to go any longer. Without meat, he’s seriously grumpy.}

So Saturday was awful. I came real close to breaking. I mean I was just PISSED. Not to mention the fantastic winery pics our friends were sending us to let us know just how much we were MISSING OUT ON!! Oh and they even sent us a pic from the deck of OUR lake pad. What is up with that? Can we say “TAUNTING”. Thanks Rick and Gayleen we love you two. We actually almost started eating meat on Sunday instead of Monday because I just could not take anymore. Then I decided that we had made it this far why in the hell should we stop now. Poor Jules has to deal with my ass and has done a great job. On top of that she offered to cook and that didn’t turn out so well either. {Editor’s note: I forgot about the rice pasta sitting in the water (it has to set in water for 20 minutes to cook) and it got seriously mushy.} So for dinner I just ate some carrots and that sucked beyond what you could imagine. This year was much tougher than last year for some reason and I am not sure I will put myself through the same torture next year. I know I am not supposed to make decisions like this while in the moment but this is just how I feel. {Editors note: on the contrary, I think this year is easier. I’m not sure why he and I are on different sides of the diet this year. Interesting how this year is so much different for each of us}

I do feel great, however, and am excited about some chicken and salmon today. I am down 13 lbs and have lost a bit from my waist, hips, and chest. My head is still fat but I have always been big headed LOL. My ass is going away which is the one thing I wish would stay so my damn pants would stay up. I look like one of those young kids with my drawers hanging out. Jules is down at least 3 to 4 and people are commenting. That is the few that we have seen as none of our friends want anything to do with us because we can only eat veggies, drink water, and are pissed off at the world because of it. {Editor’s note: For us, I will say it is hard to not be around people during all of this. We’ve already scheduled evenings with people for several days following the cleanse just to make up for lost time!}

Last night I made some homemade tomato soup again. This time it tasted much like last years. It was fantastic and no smart ass comments from Jules’s mouth. Just wanted to mention that we have had a fridge full of beer during all of this. {Editor’s note: And it is FULL! More so than normal for some reason. Barely room for the Veggies!} Last year I emptied the fridge for the most part but not this year and it has been tough. We got home yesterday and Jules opens the fridge and says “thinking about having a beer”. WTF man. Then she opened up the freezer and all I heard were those beer glasses jingling around in there. Can you imagine how wonderful it would have been to poor a fantastic and cold beer into a frosty mug and sit and watch a little football AHHHHH!! Well I will no longer touch on that subject as it is way too painful.

We went to a cool health food store that we did a bit of filming for. Make sure you check it out they had some interesting cool food there. They also had a lot of dispense your own snacks, herbs and soaps and oils. A smoothie shop inside too. Check out Healthy Home Market. Watch our short video of the place too!


Cravings for the weekend BEER, BEER, BEER, WINE, WINE, WINE and wings and chili. Oh and FRIENDS! {Editor's note: My cravings are for breakfast. Biscuits, eggs, sausage. Mmmm.}

Thanks for stopping by Any Ol’ Thing.

See you soon

Sunday, January 15, 2012


We thought we'd take a moment to share a clip from a little planning session we had tonight. We were trying to find some audio clips that we can use in our video blog. Enjoy!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Saturday, January 14, 2012




A hip place to stay in Charlotte for the forward thinking traveler, aLoft Epicenter offers reasonable pricing and everything you need for an uptown stay. Strategically located in uptown Charlotte, this was a great option for us after a day of tailgating and watching a Panthers game. Besides all of the activities in the epicenter, such as piano bars, restaurants and shopping, there are many restaurants and bars within walking distance of the aLoft as well.

www.aloftcharlotteuptown.com

210 East Trade Street,
Charlotte, NC 28202
(704) 333-1999

Friday, January 13, 2012

Well, I am down 11 lbs so far on the standard process cleanse which is the good news. I didn’t sleep very well last night so I am extra tired. It is bad enough to not have much protein and carbs but add no sleep and man it is a tough day. Still a bit up and down. Plus I want a damn glass of wine or a fantastic beer from a keg. Jules is not having as tough of a time but she is not quite the happy little camper she thinks she is either. She has lost about 3 to 4 pounds and you can tell it in her face. She says her pants are fitting much better and that is always a good thing. {Editor’s note: that dreaded bra fat that every woman hates is nearly gone too. I’m pretty excited about my 3-4 pounds. It’s put me back to where I wanted to be} I had to break the belt back out for mine. I mean, over December I was the most uncomfortable I have been since last year. My pants were cutting into my waist and just to bend over and tie my shoes was a chore. Dropping 11 fixed all that. I still have many more to go and we have many more days as we are not even half way through.

Do any of you have any idea how many food commercials are on TV? A shit load especially pizza. Right now we are watching Chef Ramsay’s kitchen nightmares and he is in a damn BBQ restaurant. I don’t have any idea why I am doing this especially when I can’t even eat any meat yet.

Jules and I are going to reward ourselves with a dinner at 131 main in Dilworth during restaurant week. She chose the place and booked it today. She read the menu to me and I asked her if any of it sounded good and her response was “it all sounds damn good to me especially during this cleanse”. Funny stuff. Julie also woke up last night after a “CHICKEN EATING” night mare. Any other time it would be a fantastic dream however under these circumstances it would be a nightmare to dream about eating some wonderful chicken. {Editor’s note: It was the best chicken leg I’d ever gnawed on. I remember picking pieces off, holding them up to look at them and then rolling them around in my mouth to get the full taste. ha! Monday Meat day can’t come soon enough!}

Tonight we ate a portobello mushroom with sauteed brussel sprouts. I took a spoon and skimmed off the gills of the mushroom and removed the stem. I brushed some olive oil on the mushrooms, sprinkled some sea salt on them and put the mushrooms in the oven for a bit. I then chopped up some tomato, adding olive oil, fresh parsley, red wind vinegar, minced garlic, salt and pepper. I let that stand for a little bit and put the mushrooms on a cooking pan stem side up, filled them with the tomatoes and cooked them in the over for a few minutes. Served with some brussels and it was a wonderful meal. {Editor's note: AMAZING! I've been waiting on the portobello mushroom meal and this was super good!}
[caption id="attachment_200" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Portobello Mushroom and Brussel Sprouts"]Portobello Mushroom and Brussel Sprouts[/caption]

Cravings today: beer, wings, french fries (which I really don’t need to eat much of) and mostly wine. I am ready for a damn glass of wine.
{Editor’s cravings: Buffalo Chicken panini from Zi Pi in Albemarle. I had to watch two of my colleagues eat this dish today and it looked so good.}

Not many compliments today but I do feel much better. Thanks for reading and even more thanks for visiting Any Ol’ Thing. Got to go make me a shake.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012



We recently took a quick trip to Asheville, NC to hang out with our friends Amy and Rob Phillips. This trip has become a bit of a tradition with Rob and I. We had a great time that night, maybe a little too much and we were feeling it the next day. We took a nice walk down Lexington Ave where we found a great little restaurant simply called Boca. Not only do they have one of "Asheville's Best Chefs", but they were also voted one of "Asheville's Best New Restaurants". It's a small restaurant inside that serves brunch, lunch and dinner.
They had a very exciting lunch menu full of freshly prepared items. For an appetizer, we shared the soup of the day which was a tomato chorizo soup with kale which was one of the best soups either of us have ever had. It was also great for what was ailing us from the night before. We followed that with the Baja Fish Tacos and a Cuban Pork Sandwich, both very delicious. We were both impressed with the friendly staff, full bar and the large outdoor patio. We can't say enough about our servers as they were both fantastic.
Check them out next time you're in town! www.bocaasheville.com

Tuesday, January 10, 2012



AHHHHH!! I am feeling pretty damn good tonight. Not sure why. Maybe it was the tomato soup. Last year on day 5 we were dealing with a snow storm and I was on my last leg. That was the day I started cooking more for us. I just broke down because I couldn’t cook chili which is my favorite during snow (as if we get a lot of it). I jumped into the kitchen and put my adequate skills to work. I have a friend we used to call the soup Nazi when I worked in a restaurant and I just did what he used to do and put some stuff together and made a tomato soup. Last year Jules said it was the best tomato soup she had ever had. Well this year I did the same. I came home and decided that tomato soup was my turning point last year so I was going to do it again this year. Man it kicked ass too. Well, Jules looked at me and said “what did you put in here different to make it taste funny”. I know what you are thinking, WTF, cause that was my initial thought as well. I mean I slave over a hot stove all night so that when my woman comes home I can make her happy and I get “it tastes funny”. I guess that is payback for the many times throughout history a man said the same silly shit to his lady. But you have to love Jules for the fact that she doesn’t hold anything back. No sugar coating anything up in this crib. Well she can kiss my A$$ because that soup was rockin’. {editor’s note: I explained quickly that “a funny taste” doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing. The soup was great!}

I said yesterday I was done with the brown rice and I wasn’t kidding. God bless the person that decided to find products to help people that can’t process gluten. We have found Organic Brown rice noodles. That’s right your heard me correctly, and it is good. OK the regular pasta is better, but for a substitute it’s good and I’ll take anything to get away from the taste brown rice. I added the macaroni noodles to the soup and it was like heaven in a bowl let me tell you.

Jules is working my sciatic and funny bone nerve. Don’t let her full you on here. She acts like she has just been a damn bundle of joy and that is just not the case. I am about to take her out if she doesn’t check her attitude at the door. It is understandable for the most part. I am still a little moody but today has been the best so far. {editor’s note: All I know is that I have felt pretty happy the last five days with the exception of a few hours one day. I will say, this time around, it seems easier. I don’t have nearly the cravings I had last year on the cleanse.}

Compliments I have received have been, “Your boobs are smaller”. Yea I know, right? Who in the hell do you think would give me that compliment? That’s right my little bundle of joy over here. {editor’s note: Someone has to comment on the changes taking place. Besides, man boobs are sexy, right?} Pretty sure no man wants to hear that his boobs are smaller. I didn’t even know I had any as far as that is concerned. I mean when you lose weight it is crazy the shit people will say to you thinking it is a compliment when all the time you are thinking ‘what? I had man tits or something?’ Next was one of my customers who saw the video of us measuring and he said ‘man when did you guys film that you sure as hell don’t look that big anymore’. I said Friday and he said ‘WHAT!! you looked all blown up man’. Funny how no one says anything to you while you are fat as hell. They all wait until you are losing to let you know what they really think. I sure hope all these people would tell me if I had a booger hanging out of my nose.

Cravings: not many today. went by a BBQ joint and longed for the pig. GOD BLESS THE PIG. Krispy Kreme donuts were mentioned today and I am not even a big sweet eater{editor’s note: This was a craving of Jules due to a Krispy Kreme school sale. Was the first long term craving I’ve had}. Oh and a sausage biscuit. not sure why but I love me a damn bisquit.

Thanks again for reading and stay tuned as we are going to have some videos coming out on Any Ol’ Thing.

I am off to the deep sleep and vivid dreams. Until tomorrow!



A Jules Addendum:
I bought some Kale the other day and figured I’d try out some Kale chips for an afternoon snack. I used to come home from work nearly every day wanting chips or some other crunchy snack so this was the next best thing since I was out of sweet potatoes. Here’s the recipe I came up with. They were pretty tasty!

Kale Chips:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Cut off individual leaves of Kale from a fresh bunch
Place leaves in a large ziploc bag with the following:
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2t Italian Seasoning
salt and pepper as desired.
Close the bag and shake it to coat the leaves
Lay the leaves on a baking sheet and bake for approximately 10 minutes.
Check them often so they don’t burn.
Once they’re crunchy, they’re ready to eat! Sprinkle with your favorite vinegar for an extra flavor.

Monday, January 9, 2012

So I am down six pounds. Kind of shows just how fat my ass was to lose that much weight in just three days with no exercise. Today, I am the grumpy one. I go through phases and am a bit moody.{note from the editor: phases? They must be long phases then} I am kind of tired and the cravings come and go. I have decided that everything would be better with some damn meat in it. I spent a year and a half once not eating meat, however I ate seafood. This is hard man, I mean hard. If I could even just eat some damn beans I would be happy. Oh and I am done with BROWN RICE. I mean I can’t stand the taste of it anymore. I think that is what I dreaded the most beginning this thing. I could still taste the brown rice from last year. What the hell is wrong with WHITE RICE. I guess I need to look that up because I am struggling already and we have a long way to go. In some ways it seems easier and in others it seems tougher but we can’t put our finger on which is easier or which is tougher. {editor note: Jules has not had any problems with the rice. She has actually been quite pleasant about the food. Very little cravings and no complaining from her. Not sure where this WE is coming from.}

This is only day four and I think the first five days last year were the worst. Jules just looked at me and asked if because we did the cleanse last year our bodies don’t need to cleanse again this year LOL. I think she is having a tough time as well. She doesn’t seem to be losing any weight but she didn’t last year either. That just means that she wasn’t that overweight. {editor note: “that” overweight?}

We miss our friends.
Julie had a good friend come to town and say she wanted to hang out but we have not heard a thing from her since Julie told her we were only drinking water and eating vegetables. That is some funny shit. I am pretty sure we would have had a better response if we had the plague. Otherwise, we are staying close to home as it is way too tempting to be out there hanging with you beer drinking meat eaters.

I am sleeping pretty good though. I think it is about time for the really vivid dreams. That is one of the pretty kick ass things about the cleanse. The dreams ROCK. Also I can already tell that my jeans are fitting better. Jules said my face is already starting to get skinnier. So same as last year I am losing weight in my face, head and ass. The gut always seems to be last.

The meals

    Today we did a shake, then a salad for lunch and then cabbage rolls for dinner. The cabbage rolls would have been fantastic had it not been for the brown rice. Jules had a couple of helpings (might have something to do with the lack of weight loss LOL) so that meant she loved it. She is also tired of hearing me bitch about the brown rice as I am sure you are but I am SICK of it. I sure hope I don’t have vivid dreams about brown rice cause that would suck. {editor note: I asked Rusty if we were allowed to have two cabbage rolls on the diet and he replied yes. He was the one that measured the rice so I took his word on that one and the book clearly states that we can eat as many veges as we want.}
    [caption id="attachment_160" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Cabbage Roll Guts"]Cabbage Roll Guts[/caption]
    [caption id="attachment_161" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Cabbage Roll and Brussel Sprouts"]Cabbage Roll and Brussel Sprouts[/caption]

    Cravings for the Day:

      Chili Dog with mustard and onions. A cold Pepsi. Doritos would be nice as well. I would love one of our Taco Salads as well. Cheese, Cheese, Cheese. Oh how I would love to sprinkle some cheese on my salad. I have just decided that I like food too damn much to be doing this to myself but the reward at the end is worth it or at least that is what I am telling myself.

      Thanks for reading and I forgot to tell you that Jules was on my sciatic nerve earlier but I still love her. {editors note: ditto on the nerve and double ditto on the love}

      Recipes coming soon! We had to try them out once before we posted them for sure. Should have one up by the weekend.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

WE’RE BACK!!!! 2011 started out wonderfully with our first Standard Process cleanse, however we were unable to keep up the good work and gained all the weight back we lost as well as continued to eat terribly. Sometimes things happen in your life that derails you from goals set. Well, 2012 is here and we are going at it again. I don’t mind failing but I will not tolerate myself quitting, so here we go.

Yesterday was day two and it didn’t seem so tough. We woke up ready to get the day going. We started with a shake and decided that while on the cleanse we could fill up our time with getting our house, building, and lives in better order for the new year. It was a beautiful day so we decided to get outside and go through our storage building to start the purge along with our cleanse. One thing I failed to consider is that while cleansing, especially in the first few days, there are not any carbs to help with energy so I completely wore my ass out. I was beat to say the least and starving my ass off by the end of the day. We had a large salad for lunch with a tomato vinaigrette and then we did a stir fry for dinner. Jules loved the stir fry and I will admit it was good, but after eating it so much last year, I was done with stir fry. A shake night cap and then to bed.
[caption id="attachment_147" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Stir Fry"]Stir Fry[/caption]

Woke up this morning craving CHICKEN FRIED CHICKEN with the white gravy and mashed potatoes. Well guess what’s NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!! I have no idea why I was craving CFC but I could almost smell it. So, I started with a shake and was pretty pissy to say the least this morning. Jules woke up in a great mood and ready to go. Didn’t last long as she turned on me and I had no idea who in the hell I was hanging out with. We went to Ruby Tuesday’s to eat the Salad Bar while Olivia ate Grilled Chicken. I despised that child for a moment as she ate her grilled chicken and mashed potatoes in pure bliss. Jules and I grudgingly gnawed on raw greens and vegetables but we knew that in the end it was all going to be worth it. After some shopping at Trader Joe’s Jules and Olivia passed out in the car as we drove home. As I said this was a tough day for Jules.

Tonight we discovered LENTILS!! How damn wonderful they are. WOW I wish I knew about them last year and maybe I wouldn’t be so tired of stir fry. Tonight I cooked up some Mexican lentil chili and it was fantastic. I can’t wait to have it again. We will be posting a recipe for this on a later date. It is one in which I use for black beans but I just substituted Lentils and added some mushrooms that worked surprisingly well.
[caption id="attachment_149" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Lentil Chili"]Lentil Chili[/caption]

Not sure what tomorrow will bring but we will continue to muscle through this until the end. Thanks for following us and thanks even more for stopping by Any Ol’ Thing. We are going to have some fun this year for sure.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

We spent the eve of day one at Trader Joe's because they have a great selection of fresh and organic fruits and vegetables. We got enough food to fill our fridge for a few days anyway. Then, we had to spend some time cutting up all that food!
[caption id="attachment_138" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Trader Joe's Shopping Loot"]Trader Joe's Shopping Loot[/caption]

After a visit to Trader Joe's, we bellied up to the bar at Hickory Tavern to eat all the fattening appetizers they had including sliders, chips and salsa, crab dip and wings. Oh, and some beer. We knew it was going to be a while before we could indulge so we went for it. They were small portions though so we didn’t actually eat as much as it sounds like.

[caption id="attachment_137" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Hickory Tavern Pre Cleanse"]Hickory Tavern Pre Cleanse[/caption]

Our first day was a little more rough for me than I thought it would be. I was very tired all day and would have gone to bed at 7 if I didn’t have a kiddo and a Rusty looking at me like I was crazy. We ate the norm, shake in the morning, pills, salad for lunch, more pills and then for dinner we tried something new. We discovered some other cleansers online using rice pasta by tinkyada so we drove to the nearest Lowes Foods (which seems to be the only store in the Charlotte area that carries it) and made a little marinara to go with it. Our marinara was made from some jarred tomatoes, courtesy of Rusty’s Mom, onions, oregano, mushrooms, garlic, salt and pepper. We are going to perfect it on a later day and post the true recipe as it was quite good.

We did end up sleeping early. We tried to watch a movie and couldn’t finish it. One thing about the cleanse is that it does make you tired in the evenings. In another day or so, we look forward to having more energy through the day.

Our goals this year are:
Rusty wants to lose 15 pounds and drop his cholesterol
Julie wants to lose 10 pounds and fit into her favorite jeans. Long term Lower BP would be good too.
After the cleanse is over, we want to start a 90 day Body by Vi Challenge (More on that soon)

Julie
Weight: 150
Height: 5’8”
Chest: 40 ¼”
Hips: 41 ½”
Waist: 36 ½”
Head: 22 ½”


Rusty
Weight: 225
Height: 5’10”
Chest: 47 ½”
Hips: 47”
Waist: 48”
Head: 24”


We have recently ventured on our second annual Standard Process Cleanse.  It is a 21 day purification program that helps you get to and maintain a healthy weight.  With a diet heavy in fruits and vegetables, this cleanse helps remove toxins from your body which can contribute to fatigue, weight gain, digestive problems and even a stuffy head.  The Standard Process cleanse stimulates detoxification specifically in the liver, kidneys and the intestines.

Find the full informational booklet about the cleanse here.

We were introduced to this cleanse by James Whittle of Blue Ridge Acupuncture Clinic in Asheville, NC.  He is also the owner of living-qi.com/


Last year being our first year, our results included:

Julie went off blood pressure medication due to natural low blood pressure.
Rusty lost 15 pounds
We both had an overall feeling of energy and alertness
The most wonderful sleep and dreams that we’ve ever had

The results are dramatic, however, the 21 days can be a bit tough.  Our basic schedule looks like this:

Days 1-10 Food Schedule:


  • You can eat an unlimited amount of vegetables from the list of nearly 50 fresh vegetables and greens they include in the plan book.   It is recommended you use organic as much as possible and remember that a serving is approximately ½ C.

  • You should eat twice as many vegetables as you eat fruits.  Your fruits should be fresh or frozen only and be organic whenever possible.

  • Each day, you can also have ½ C of cooked rice or up to 1 C of lentils

  • Drink a minimum of 8 glasses of water per day and limit use of Olive oil to 4-7 teaspoons per day.



Days 11-21 Food Schedule:


  • Eat the same as days 1-10, however, now you can eat meats, including deep sea fish (such as Salmon, Cod or Sea Bass) as well as free range, hormone free, organic chicken.  You are allowed 2-4, 3 oz servings per day with half of those being fish.



Days 1-7 Supplement Schedule:


  • 2-3 Standard Process shakes per day(these are full of protein and can be mixed with your favorite fruits)

  • 7 Standard Process Cleanse capsules 3 times per day

  • 3 Gastro-Fiber capsules 3 times per day



Days 8-21 Supplement Schedule


  • 2-3 SP shakes per day

  • 3 Gastro-Fiber capsules 3 times per day

  • 5 Standard Process Green Food capsules 2 times per day



That’s right, you didn’t see any alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, nuts, seeds, dairy, grains (except for rice) or any processed foods included here!  That brings us to the top three things we usually miss on this diet: cheese, bread and beer!!

So, here we go!  Follow us over the next 21 days to see how we handle this journey.