Hotel Keikyu Aburatsubo Kanchoso Onsen and Maguro Donburi - New Year's Eve Day

It's New Year's Eve Day here and today Mama, Papa and I went to the onsen (hot spring) at the Hotel Keikyu Aburatsubo Kanchoso located at:  1152 Misakimachi Koajiro, Miura, Kanagawa Prefecture 238-0225, Japan 

(Trip Advisor: http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Hotel_Review-g1021284-d1049840-Reviews-Hotel_Keikyu_Aburatsubo_anchoso-Miura_Kanagawa_Prefecture_Kanto.html) 

The Men's Side of the outdoor onsen.  海洋泉「油壺の湯」 （海水を使用したお風呂）

A very reasonable hotel, restaurant and onsen about 30 minutes drive from Mama's house.  Mama, Papa, Jun, Ake and I all went last year and stayed overnight which was great because you can go back and forth from the room to the onsen and soak in the onsen all night long and to be in the hot spring water under the full moon looking at the ocean is just spectacular.  

The view is great from the onsen.  客室から望むマリーナ

However, being so close, it didn't really make sense to stay overnight.  Besides, it's New Year's Eve and I'd rather be home so we can go to the shrine at midnight as usual.

There are segregated men's and women's onsen, both with large outdoor soaking pools that look out over the ocean.  Papa and I soaked for about an hour and a half before meeting up with Mama in the dining room for lunch.

The dining room also looks out over the ocean and you can pick some fresh seafoods out of the tanks like crab, awabi (abalone), sazae (large snail), ise ebi (Japanese Spiny Lobster), ika (cuttlefish) and assorted fish.

(video of the huge crab!!  OMG!!)

Papa and I ordered the Maguro-Don or Maguro Bowl.  It is the freshest tuna sashimi beautifully arranged over sushi rice with a bit of a soy-based sauce and then garnished with smooth riced boiled egg yolk and spicy wasabi.  It also comes with a vegetable miso soup, potato salad, pickles and sauteed gobo.  Soooo delicious!  I don't really each sashimi or sushi in the US but in Japan, the fish is SO fresh and it just tastes different - worlds apart from US sashimi or sushi.

 Mama ordered the Zaru Soba and Tempura Shrimp and Vegetable Set which is also another favorite of mine - and since Mama eats a couple of bites and is full, I always end up having to finish her order...

The food was just amazingly delicious, and certainly the soaking in the relaxing environment of the onsen made it taste that much better.  The Maguro Don was amazing!!  Truly a different taste experience than any maguro I have had in the US...!!!  温泉の後美味しいまぐろ丼!!!

After lunch we went shopping for goodies, sake, nigori sake and  picked up the osecho ryori jubako Mama ordered for tomorrow. Yum!!!

I think I'll take a nap before the New Year walk to the shrine!!!

A Day's Delay

3:18 PM American Airline's Admiral's Lounge at JFK Airport, NYC:

So I had to reschedule my flight from yesterday to today.  I arrived at the airport a bit late due to traffic congestion, an accident and construction.  Even though I arrived at the terminal almost 2 hours before my flight, by the time I stood in line to get to the check-in counter, it was about 30 minutes.  Then the agent had to go talk to the supervisor who had determined that no baggage could be checked on my flight less than two hours prior to take-off.  The agent then came back and told me that I could make the flight but that I could not check or take my luggage.  Seriously!!

I then asked if I could check my baggage on the following day's flight and just get on my flight as scheduled.  Another big fat 'No'.

I then asked to change my ticket for the next day's flight and was informed that I would have to take my self and my luggage back to the JFK AirTrain and go from American Airlines' Terminal 8 (where I was) to Terminal 1 where Japan Airlines (JAL) is located.

The problem, she explained, was that while American Airlines actually provided the service for JAL, since it was purchased as a JAL ticket, JAL would have to re-issue the ticket.

I think the smoke pouring out my ears gave her cause to pause and she went back to the supervisor who gave her permission to re-issue the ticket to me at the American Airlines counter.

Once I had the new ticket, the agent helpfully informed me that the baggage check-in for my new flight started at 3:30 AM.  Right.

I then went through a number of area hotels before I was able to book a room via my iPhone at the Hilton JFK Airport .25 miles away.

My reservation confirmed, I went out to the taxi stand and grabbed a taxi to go the .25 miles to the hotel since the hotel shuttle had stopped running for the night.

My cab driver, a very young (20s?) southasian youth with earbuds hanging out of his ears found that he was unable to lift my luggage into the trunk of the cab.  I threw both suitcases into the trunk and we were off - or so I thought.  He then asked me for the address to the hotel.  Once again, a bit of smoke apparently poured out from my ears...  I pulled up google maps and directed him to the hotel.

Once I arrived at the hotel, the night smoothed out and was fine.  My reservation was fine, the room was great, I had WiFi and a couple of fresh juices from the snack counter and caught on my email and Facebook before going to sleep.

Today, I got up and was out the door and at JFK to check-in my luggage by 10 AM.  With my boarding pass secured, my luggage checked; I decided to head into Midtown to grab lunch and pick up a couple odds and ends for my Mom that I didn't get to at home.

I took the AirTrain to Jamaica Station, ten hopped a short ride on the 6 and ride on the E to get to Grand Central Station.

Once there, I made a quick Grand Central Apple Store stop and then headed to the Bobbi Brown Pop-Up Store where I picked up 2 pressed powder foundations in #6 for my Mom and 2 pressed powder foundations fin #5 for my sister-in-law.  I only mention what I picked up because the two clerks, one male and one female; were curious as to my purchases.

At the check-out, the male clerk couldn't contain himself and so he asked me, "So ~ who do you work for?"  When I asked him what he meant, he responded with, "...well you must be either a make-up artist or a personal assistant for a celebrity; and I'm guessing personal assistant.  Who's the celebrity?"

Well, I said, "...the celebrity is Shizuko Matsuzawa - my mother, who is a celebrity in her own mind; and I am just picking up last minute gifts for her since I am on my way to see her for New Year in Japan."

We all had a good laugh and I was on my way.

I took the E to the next stop and grabbed a large Apple n' Greens Jamba Juice and then made my way back to JFK by 3:00.

So now, I have my boarding pass, my currency changed and I am すでに日本語で考える (already starting to think in Japanese)

My iPad Mini, my iPhone and my Nike FuelBand are all charged up so I will sign off for now and my next post will be from Japan!!!

また後で Until Later!!

15 Pounds Lost in 43 Days

I have had a lot of people ask me just 'how' I lost 15 lbs in 43 days and so this post is just a bit of information for those of you who want to know exactly what my process was during the past 43 days.  It truly was an easy fit into my life and if you like the taste of the veg/fruit smoothie, it will probably work for you too.  In the same period, Ed lost over 20 lbs doing the same thing.  Again - this is just what I did for the past 43 days - definitely consult a doctor before you do anything like this and if you have young children or seniors who want to do this - it is NOT a good idea for them to do so according to my favorite doctor.

First, I saw the documentary "Hungry for Change" (http://www.hungryforchange.tv/) and it talked about  some of the tricks that the diet, weightless and food industry plays on us, and it comes from the same duo that brought us Food Matters in 2008, James Colquhoun and Laurentine ten Bosch - a documentary that looks at how food can improve or harm our health. It was interesting but, to be honest, perhaps a bit biased.  In it, however, Joe Cross was mentioned and how he lost 100+ pounds, got off medication and got healthier through a juice fast.  That piqued my interest.

I then saw the documentary by Joe Cross called "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" (http://www.fatsickandnearlydead.com/) and it was my inspiration to try a 5-7 day juice fast to see if it would help me to lose about 15-20 pounds.  I immediately went out and bought a Breville Juicer (which was used in the film) and 2 super blender/smoothie blenders, the NutriBullet and the Ninja Pro Blender.

I tried the juice that Joe Cross drank in the movie, 'The Green Machine' and for that, you need the Breville Juicer - or any juicer that pulverizes fruit and veg and extracts the juice.  The Green Machine juice was not bad tasting but it isn't something I could drink for every meal and the thought of a pure, filtered, liquid juice diet was not appealing.  

Aside from my own personal preferences, I also read a lot of testimony on the web where pure juice fasts/diets had the unpleasant side effect of causing constipation in many people because a pure liquid juice diet does not provide anything in the way of fiber.  I've never had those issues and I wasn't going to start encouraging them now just to lose 15-20 pounds.

The NutriBullet blender recipe book offered a very simple formula for making what they called a fruit/veg smoothie.  The recipe is simple:  50% of baby spinach or spring mix greens with 50% fruit of any kind, blitzed into a smoothie - skins and all - sans seeds, of course.

(A number of fruit seeds - apples, stone fruits - are not good for you.  Please read the 'Apple Note' found at the bottom of the page at:  http://patrickchadd.blogspot.com/2012/11/my-favorite-juice-recipe.html)

Anyway, the 50/50 formula was easy to remember and very tasty to my palate.  My favorite is blending together 50% baby spinach leaves (or spring mix greens) and a 50% mix of cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelon.  From time to time I add strawberries or pineapple to the mix as well.  I do remove the rinds of the melons and pineapple.

Here are the differences in the Joe Cross 'juice' and my 'juice' - Joe's is true, smooth, watery juice.  Mine is a thicker, chunkier, fiber-full smoothie - I adjust the thickness with water.

Juice Differences: http://patrickchadd.blogspot.com/2012/11/my-favorite-juice-recipe.html

So when I say 'juice' or 'fruit/veg smoothie', I am talking about the same thing - a blended mixture of greens and fruits, skins on; not just extracted juice.

So, now for my own personal process:

Through my whole process, I decided that I was NOT going to give up my daily Dunkin' Donuts XL Turbo Hot Coffee with Cream and Sugar.  Most days, I have 2 or 3 of these coffees.

Other than the coffee exception, here is what I did:

Day 1 - Day 7:  Just drank veg/fruit smoothies.  I drank 2 or 3 a night for dinner and some days when I was hungry I had them for lunch and a snack.  My snack drink was often just some apples (skin on) and water blitzed into a apple-saucy smoothie.

Day 7 - Day 21:  At least 3 to 4 days of the week, I had 2-3 large glasses of the veg/fruit smoothie for dinner.  I augmented this every day with fresh cucumbers and tomatoes sprinkled with seasoned salt made up of salt, pepper and garlic powder.  I also made fresh roasted sweet petite bell peppers or sauteed mushrooms cooked in a bit of olive oil and their own juices.

For the other days of the week, I grilled skinless, boneless chicken, salmon or steak and had 12 - 16 ounces of protein with my fruit/veg smoothie.  

Day 21 - Day 43:  I continued with the veg/fruit smoothie and grilled protein just as I had for Day 7 - Day 21: but a couple of nights, I added in some white rice, white bread or potatoes and other carbs which I did not have for the first portion of the fast/transition. A carb-free lifestyle is not something I can do or aspire to - it's not healthy. I specify white rice because that's what I grew up on, that's what I like and what I always eat.  If you want to replace this with quinoa, farro, brown rice - it should be fine. I am not a proponent of the "white food is bad" movement and I frankly like way too much of the bad white foods.

Holidays and Restaurants:  

Not really thinking, I started in the full glory of the Thanksgiving/Hanukkah/Christmas/New Year's holidays and so attended many holiday parties and dinners given by a variety of people from work and home.  I can happily say that at each of those events, I ate my fill of what I wanted and liked from soup, to appetizers, to main dishes, carbs and sweets.  In spite of that, I still kept losing weight, and I think it is because I incorporated a daily veg/fruit smoothie on most days.

Right before an event, I would have a glass or two of juice and on the days in between events, I also had a glass or two of juice.

I actually like the taste of the juice and I crave that pretty much every day so it has been an easy adjustment to make.

What will be interesting is this next two weeks in Japan with my family.  I left the US at 187 lbs.  I won't be getting on a scale until I get home on the 12th of January, 2013.  I think I am bound to gain some weight because there is SOOOOO much yummy food in Japan I can't get in the US that I usually pig out when I am there.

My Favorite Juice Recipe

Since I have been asked by a few people what my favorite juice recipe is, I decided to create a post about it.  It isn't Joe Cross' 'Green Machine' juice, although that is good too; I don't think I could drink that every day, all day.  My blend is a bit sweeter, based on the NutriBullet formula of half fruit, half veg.  If you like the taste of melon, this is a good standby and you can of course vary it with more veg or different fruits like strawberry and pineapple - both can also be added to the basic mixture here and it's also very good.  If you like a bit of spice, add a small knob of ginger - and with fresh ginger, less is more.  Add it in SMALL amounts.

I make this in the Ninja blender because I like my drink a bit thick and with micro-pureed bits.  I find the fiber really makes me feel full and the added benefit is that you don't get any of the constipation issues that drinking pure, filtered fiber-less juice can give you.

Basic Recipe Ingredients

MELON MACHINE BASIC RECIPE 

1 Quart of Watermelon

1 Quart of Honeydew

1 Quart of Cantaloupe

1Quart of packed Spinach leaves (or 50/50 Spinach & Spring Mix Blend)

2 Apples

Water or ice as needed to blend to desired consistency

*Ginger, 1/2 to 1 inch peeled piece (optional)

If the ingredients are kept ice cold, it will not need any chilling.

PROCESS: 

Note:  The order of the ingredients doesn't matter except for the lighter spinach which needs to be added somewhere in the middle.

1.  Add Watermelon to Ninja Blender and process smooth.

2.  Add Honeydew and process smooth.

So now it should look something like this.  

3.  Pack Spinach leaves tightly into 1 quart container - about half of a large container of Spinach leaves.  

4.  Add Spinach to blender and top with heavier Cantaloupe pieces.

5.  Core the two apples - Do Not pulverize or blend the apple seeds as apple seeds contain amygdalin which degrades into hydrogen cyanide (HCN) when metabolized.  (See APPLE NOTE below)  Once you core the apples, add to the blender and blend until smooth.  Apples added to juice mixtures help to emulsify and thicken the mixture and adds a nice smoothness to the final juice.

6.  And voilà ~ your juice is finished and ready to drink.

7.  I usually have 2 large glasses of this for a meal and it really is delicious and refreshing - as well as filling!  If I am extra hungry, I just have another glass.

APPLE NOTE:  

Yes, in fact, if you eat enough apple seeds or cherry pits, you could die.  Unlikely, but definitely possible.

 Apple seeds contain amygdalin, a cyanide and sugar compound that degrades into hydrogen cyanide (HCN) when metabolized.     

Cherry pits, and seeds from related fruits, including peaches, plums, almonds, pears, and apricots, contain cyanogenic glycosides. The larger stone fruits contain potentially harmful amounts but their pits are usually very hard and tough so it's unlikely that you'd actually be able to eat it.

Your body can detoxify small quantities of cyanide compounds. If you accidentally eat a cherry pit in a pie or swallow an apple seed or two, you'll be fine. Actually, if you swallow several seeds whole, you would absorb a minimal amount of the toxic compounds. Chewing the seeds makes them much more hazardous to your health. Children and pets are much more likely to suffer poisoning from eating the seeds than adults.

16 Days of Juicing & Light Protein - Progress Report

So as you can see from my daily weigh-ins, I am down from 201.4 to 194.2 in the past 15-16 days for a grand total in 15-16 days of 7 lbs. LOST.

My diet has consisted of my regular EXTRA LARGE Dunkin' Donuts coffee with cream and sugar in the morning, (which I am not giving up) and then a small blended fruit and veg smoothie are work via the NutriBullet mixer and usually 1/2 spring greens and spinach blended with a bit of water and fresh apple, strawberry and some other fresh fruit.

Then dinner is a chunky smoothie made of a quart of cantaloupe, a quart of honeydew, a quart of strawberries and watermelon as well as 2 cups of spinach and a small knob of peeled ginger.

To help us stay on track, we did have a regular Thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving with all the trimmings (Thanks John & Lisa!) and 3 times in the 15-16 days, we had a bit of grilled salmon (grilled with salt and pepper), grilled chicken and some grilled lamb.

The juice blend I make actually helps me to stay awake and alert all day and it seems I already sleep better too!  Because we blitz the whole fruit and veg, we have plenty of fiber and I'm not hungry 5 minutes after drinking 2 large cups of juice.  So no constipation (a common pure straight juice juicing side effect), no hunger pangs and I feel overall better.

I think I'll keep on it for another week and see how I do ~ stay tuned!!

The First 'Official' Three Days of Juicing

So it's Sunday afternoon and we are into Day 3 of the 'official' juice fast.  I am happy to report that neither of us is hungry, feels ill in any way or is cranky from 3 days of just juice.  I should qualify that we aren't drinking strictly just the 'green machine' juice as demonstrated in Joe Cross' "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" documentary.  We are making and drinking varied juice mixtures of approximately 50% fruits to 50% vegetables - and we are pulverizing the whole fruits and veg so that we get the extra added benefits of fiber and nutrition from consuming the entire fruit and veg.  So when I talk about juice in this blog, it really is more of a fruit and veg smoothie in our case as opposed to just the extracted juice.

We actually started a few days before the official start day of Friday, November 16, 2012 by creating and consuming a juice every night with dinner.  Because the juice was filling, we had about 2.5 cups of juice each first before sitting down to our normal dinner and since we had consumed the juice beforehand, we ended up eating about half of our dinner before we were full.  Then, amazingly enough, we felt full through the evening and well into the next morning.  I attribute this to the fact that we consumed a fruit/veg smoothie containing all the fiber of the fruit/veg used as opposed to just the juice.

I should also mention at this point that we also agreed that if either one of us started craving some meat or protein during this period, that we would be free to have a lean protein of some sort be it chicken or pork or beef for dinner to slake the craving and then continue on with the juicing.  I believe that anyone undertaking this type of endeavor can easily be derailed if it starts to feel too restrictive.  Perhaps a departure from Joe Cross' mentality but neither of us is morbidly obese and the goal is to be able to reach our respective desired weight goals and then to maintain the loss through incorporating juicing, a better diet and exercise.  It isn't just about how much weight can be lost or how fast it can be lost.  So no, we are not juicing on Thanksgiving Day.  I do have to say that with juicing, I am not really hungry so I'm not really worried that I'll turn into some out-of-control gluttonous maniac when I do decide to have a bite of food. I'll enjoy all the Thanksgiving goodies I like in moderation and then back to juicing on Black Friday.

With dinner the on the day that the Breville juicer arrived, we made the traditional Joe Cross 'Mean Green Juice' which is mostly veg with a green apple and a knob ginger for sweetness and punch.  A word of warning - try just a small knob of ginger for your first batch, I plopped in a one inch knob and it was plenty ginger-spicy!  Not bad for us but probably too spicy for most people.  The juicer worked perfectly and we had a smooth green juice with a slightly foamy head.  It was pretty good - less sweet than the 50/50 mixture trials we'd made before, but no less palatable.  All the juices were very good and very drinkable.  The only negatives (if you can call them negatives) are that they aren't the most visually appealing and they can smell a bit grassy - even if they don't taste that way.

If you have followed this portion of my blog from the beginning, you'll see that I purchased 3 different 'juicers'.  The NutriBullet, the Ninja Blender and a Breville Juicer  (The Breville JE98XL Juice Fountain Plus 850-Watt Juice Extractor).

Here are the differences in what they create:

The NutriBullet Smoothie

The NutriBullet - the NutriBullet (above) creates a smooth, emulsified mixture that has a creamy consistency like a milkshake - or smoothie.  No chunks, lumps, bumps - just creamy smooth, thick smoothies.

The Ninja Chunky-Smoothie

The Ninja Blender - the Ninja Blender (above) creates a chunky, less-emulsified mixture that has a creamy consistency with a lot of microbits of the fruit and veg.  We use minimal water to blend so it's thick and has the consistency of thick grits or farina.  It is very filling.

The Breville Smooth, Liquid Juice

The Breville Juicer - the Breville juicer (above) creates a smooth, completely liquid mixture that has the consistency of water or traditional extracted juice - no pulp, no solids.  

Here are a few favorite recipes from the first three days of the juice fast:

1.  Spinach, Beet Green, Cantaloupe and Watermelon - Ninja Blender

This mixture is very refreshing and lightly melony-sweet.

• 1/2 7 oz. package of 50/50 spinach and beet greens (or 50/50 spinach and spring mix)
• 1 quart of pre-cut cantaloupe
• 1 quart of pre-cut watermelon
• 1/3 - 1/2 cup water (or to taste for desired consistency)

Put all ingredients into the Ninja Blender and pulse to desired consistency.

2.  Spinach, Spring Mix Green, Strawberry and Apple - Ninja Blender

This mixture is also very refreshing and lightly tart-sweet.

• 1/2 7 oz. package of 50/50 spinach and spring mix)
• 1 quart of pre-cut strawberry
• 1 Granny Smith apple, quartered and seeded - skin on. (apple seeds are not edible and can produce cyanide - do not blend or pulverize) 
• 1 Honey Crsip Apple, quartered and seeded - skin on  (apple seeds are not edible and can produce cyanide - do not blend or pulverize) 
• 1/3 - 1/2 cup water (or to taste for desired juice consistency)

Put all ingredients into the Ninja Blender and pulse to desired consistency.


3.  Gazpacho - Ninja Blender

This mixture is savory and much like a traditional gazpacho in flavor.

• 6 Tomatoes, quartered
• 1 large English Cucumber (if using a waxy cucumber, peel)
• 2 stalks Celery
• 1 Red Bell Pepper 
• 1/4 small Red Onion - or to taste
• 1 Lime, peeled not seeded - or a splash of Sherry or Balsamic Vinegar
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup water or all-natural Bloody Mary mix
• Parsley - optional and to taste - we liked it better without. *(see note)
• Salt, Pepper & Garlic Powder (or Goya Adobo Seasoning) to taste

Put all ingredients into the Ninja Blender and pulse to desired consistency.

*NOTE:  The original recipe we tried used 2 cups of parsley, tops and stems.  It tasted good but it was closer in taste to Tabbouleh as opposed to Gazpacho due to the amount of parsley.

The red onion should also be used sparingly because it can overpower the mixture.

You can definitely use both lime and vinegar in the mixture if you like, but keep the final acidity of the drink in mind and perhaps use the lime in the blender then finish with a splash of vinegar on the finished drink before consuming.

Of course - the most important bit of this all is that I have lost 5+ pounds and Ed had lost 7+ pounds.

'Green Machine' Trial

Since the Breville Juicer arrived today, I decided that it was a great time to try the actual 'Green Machine' recipe used by Joe Cross in the "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead" documentary.  Joe drank it for 60 days and lost 100 lbs.  More importantly, I was dying to know how it tasted - because as you know, for me - taste is ultimately the difference between success and failure in this endeavor.

The recipe is simply what you see above in the first picture for this post:

• 6 Kale Leaves
• 1 Cucumber
• 4 Celery Stalks
• 2 Green Apples
• 1/2 Lemon
• 1 piece of ginger

All of this gets put through the juicer - cut up, but unpeeled, unseeded. I forgot the kale so I substituted with 6 Romaine leaves.

The Breville juicer is a pretty piece of appliance to be sure and it looks impressive and there is even an ad for Joe Cross' documentary on it in sticker form - OMG!!  Make sure you REMOVE the sticker before using...

Anyhoo ~ I added all the ingredients into the wide mouthed chute - cut into halves or chunks but not peeled or seeded.  It's a bit loud but literally as fast as I could put them down the feed chute, the produce was blasted into pure, silky liquid form with a slight froth on top.

Vibrant green and actually very pretty - pure smooth watery, juicy liquid - unlike the pulverized smoothie mixture of the NutriBullet or the stone-ground look of the Ninja blender.

The recipe makes about four cups and so I poured two 16 oz.glasses of the classic 'Green Machine' and we clinked glasses and gave it a taste.  Now for the review:

It is very smooth and it is pure extracted juice - no pulp, fiber, or tiny un-blended bits - perfectly smooth juice the consistency of water almost.

The taste is not overly sweet - it is a predominantly a citrusy, veggie-like taste - but not unpleasant at all.  I hesitate to describe it as 'grassy' because that description has such a negative, off-putting description for most people.  I could taste the sweet-tart of the apples, the bright flavor of the lemon and definitely the spiciness of the ginger - I put in too big of a chunk of ginger and it was spicier than I anticipated.  Not bad for me but some might find it overpowering.  In any case, it went down smoothly and I have to say, I liked it - I could drink it regularly with no complaints at all.

Once I cleaned up the juicer - which was the biggest job in all of this - I dried it and put it back together quickly, ready to use tomorrow.  This is a very cool and powerful juicer, but definitely an appliance for the home because of the cleanup.

The NutriBullet is perfect for the office since it is the easiest and quickest cleanup and the Ninja blender could be used in either place because it also is a very easy cleanup - but it does not blend the veg/fruit mixture smooth like a lump and chunk-free smoothie.  The NutriBullet does that perfectly.

I also downloaded a FREE app for my iPhone called the Weight Recorder: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/weight-recorder/id416294111?mt=8 so that I can track my weight during the whole process - you enter your data (height, current weight, goal weight etc.,)  and then start adding your weigh-in weights and it creates a graph for you and tracks your progress to your goal.

The countdown to 

Friday, November 13, 2012 

has begun!!!