Day 5 Sunday

The rest of DAY 5

Sunday

Okay, this was a very difficult day but, I think I made some good choices in sticking with the detox diet. After I posted to the blog yesterday, my girlfriend and I went out for a late brunch. We went to my favorite place for pancakes and scones, Hi-Spot in Madrona. BTW, the lemon current scone is the best!

I ordered the steel cut oatmeal with raisins and a cup of hot herbal tea. This was a good choice because this meal was gluten and wheat free and the raisins counted as a serving of fruit.

As I watched my girlfriend nibble on the lemon current scone and take a stab at clearing her plate full of roasted potatoes and a salmon omelet, I had a private moment of blissful accomplishment. I resisted not only the scone but I made a great choice for brunch and enjoyed my bowl of steel cut oatmeal knowing that I was one day closer to my goal.

We stopped by Costco (again???) and this time there was no sampling of goodies and treats.

At 5:30 PM, I drank 12 oz of the Green Smoothie. Now that I have most of my tastes buds back, I am sorry say that the smoothie tastes really bad. What the heck am I drinking?! bad. I drank it anyway. I just downed it and chased it with a full cup of water. I then followed it up with a bowl of kiwi, strawberries, rice cereal and unsweetened apple sauce. It was just something I threw together to cut the edge off my hunger.

About an hour later, my niece and I played the Michael Jackson Experience game. We had a blast and I broke into a serious sweat. This game provides a workout for sure.

At 7:30 PM, the game playing was over and I took my meds and vitamins with water and cashews and I settled in for the rest of the night.

All in all, I probably didn't consume enough calories and those calories I did get would not have sustained a 5 year old but, I think I am about done with this part of the detox. I have two days left, and I am going to make it count. No more Green Smoothie. Tomorrow, lets move on to fruit filled smoothies that don't taste like you are eating dirt and grass.

Day 2, 3 and parts of 4

Ok so, I have not been keeping up with the blog. But this time it is not due to laziness. I am still sick folks. I am not as sick as I was before however, sleep is definitely my best friend right now.

Day 2 Friday

I woke up early to take my parents to the airport. I popped my meds and ate a handful of cashews. After dropping my parents at the airport, I ran errands and headed home. My intention was to start back at the gym but, I was feeling a bit under the weather still so, after I had about 18 oz of water and 10 oz of Green Smoothie, I got back in the bed.

8 hours later, I got up. I decide to have an apple (very large Organic Cameo Apple) and Sunflower butter (about 1 TBSP). I washed it all down with 4 oz of Green Smoothie.

Throughout the rest of my evening, I danced a little to Justin Timberlake, Janet Jackson and Slum Village. After an hour of that tomfoolery, I sat down for a nice warm bowl of Millet and Black Bean with Vegetables. (The recipe is posted in the previous post)

I ended my evening with a little Internet TV watching and bedtime at 10:30 PM.

Day 3 Saturday

Today I got off to a not so good start but, I figured I needed the protein so, I had a boiled egg. I know I know I know, I said no eggs but, I needed something to hold me for a couple of hours because I was headed to Costco, Target and PCC. That trip would take about 2 hours to complete and I needed a little more than some cashews and the Green Smoothie, which I had run out of...so I proceeded with my day.

6:30 AM 18 oz of water, vitamins and meds, 10 cashews, 1 boiled cage-free, hormone-free, certified humane, organic egg.

7:30 AM 15 minutes of stretching and 24 push ups

8:30 AM Cleaned Kitchen and bathroom (This counts as exercise folks)

9:00 AM Left house for Target.

Now while at Target, I decided to pickup The Michael Jackson Experience for the Wii. I also purchased Zumba for the Wii and some new sheets (100% Organic) to bring in the new year. But I am sure that you didn't want to know that.

9:30 AM Headed to Costco to get gas. $50 for a tank of gas. WTW??? Why is gas so high? There hasn't been oil spill, there is no off-shore crisis, we are in abundance so, what gives? Sigh

Then I head to into Costco. I tell ya there is always going to be something that will get you off track. I thought I was going earlier enough to avoid all the little eats and treats that they hand out to you as you are passing an end cap. But, no...they start bright and early. So, I picked up two containers of Organic Apples and one container of Strawberries. I also, picked up a bag of Sweet Chili Rice Chips. I know that it is a snack. But really it's not that bad. They are made of rice. So, that actually passes the muster with the detox rules. Ok so here is where I messed up. As I was passing the frozen fish aisle, I came upon the bakery where a wonderful woman was passing out cheesecake samples. So, I had one, without even thinking. It was like I had forgotten that I was on a detox. Oh this was not about will power. This was sort of an outer-body experience. I just walked over and took it and put the cool creamy cheesecake in my mouth. Then I after I swallowed, I realized...I had cheated on my detox rules. I would have to redeem myself.

10:30 AM I am out of Costco and on my way to PCC to get my 3 gallons of filtered water (Filtered water is a must when detoxing).

11:00 AM I arrive at home and fixed another Green Smoothie but, this time I added 2 scoops of Designer Whey Protein, Vanilla (purchased from TJ for $9.99). I figured I would get a little protein in my diet. Now technically, Whey is a milk product. But it doesn't count as dairy. This is a very gray area. I probably should have had, 3 oz of beans or a piece of white fish but I was going for the ease since I am still sick.

12:00 PM I got right back into that bed.

5:30 PM I got up to eat a snack. 10 Sweet Chili Rice Chips and 1 very large Cameo Apples (my favorite) and 1 TBSP of Sunflower Butter ($3.99 at Trader Joes).

6:30 PM I broke open the Michael Jackson Experience Wii game and went to town. I rocked it! I love this game. I got my sweat on and had a lot of fun while doing it. After 6 songs, I switched to the Zumba game. LOVE IT! It is basically the Zumba workout. The music is exactly the same. So, I managed to get a decent workout in without going to the gym or taking a walk in the bitter cold.

7:45 PM I was a little off schedule. Partly because I was so darn tired from playing the game that all I could do was drink water and sit on the floor while watching DYI's Renovation Realities.
I heated another bowl of Millet and Black Beans with Vegetables and had about 10 more Sweet Chili Rice Chips and 18 oz of water. Oh and my meds and vitamins.

So now this brings me to:

Day 4 Sunday

6:30 AM I take my meds with 18 oz of water and a handful of Cashews.

7:00 AM Light Stretching and 12 push ups

8:30 AM 8 oz of Green Smoothie and 10 oz of water.

I will tell you that so far, I have lost 2 lbs. Not bad for 4 days. I would say it is water weight but, I take a diuretic so, I am pretty dry already. So I am going to say that I have officially lost 2 lbs in 4 days. I will keep you posted.


I will post for the rest of the day later this evening.

Happy New Year!!!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday. I spent mine with Dennis. It is always nice to spend time alone with the hubby.

Not too much is going on with me

I have been battling a cold for the last 20 days and now I have about had it with being sick. So, now is the time for me to boost my immune system and work on losing some of the weight I gained last year. It wasn't much of gain but, I really need to get my sexy back, especially in the right places.
I have a tried and true purifying cleanse that will do just that. And I am all too willing to share.

Everyday, I will post what I did that day. Today, being the second day of my cleanse well, I have gotten off to a late start because I have been sick. Please forgive the delay. But today, I will post yesterday and today. I will be honest about my progress and my pitfalls. I will let you know if something taste bad or good or if the recipe turns out to be not the best and "make your own risk." But all in all, I will give you the full Monty on what I am doing.

Day 1 Thursday

5:30 AM Woke up to my alarm

6:00 AM Ate 5 Roasted Unsalted Cashews and drank 18 oz of water with Multivitamin and Meds

7:00 AM 21 Push ups and 15 minutes of stretching

7:30 AM Ate 5 Roasted Unsalted Cashews and went grocery shopping at the local natural food store

8:30 AM Returned home to prep all veggies and fruit for the the next 3 days and made the 1st meal of the day, Green Smoothie. Ok so this was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. It is actually a little sweet. Of course, I love the taste of vegetables so if you find this to be too much for you add some frozen berries to the blender.

9:30 AM Was able to get my Dad and Mom to drink 3 oz of the smoothie. They said it wasn't terrible so, this recipe I am keeping.

10:30 AM Stretched for 15 minutes.

11:00 AM Drank 8 oz of the Green Smoothie

6:00 PM Drank 18 oz of water with my medication and vitamins. Fixed dinner

6:30 PM Sat down to 1.5 cups of Millet Bowl with Black Beans and Vegetables

7:30 PM Cleaned kitchen and popped a Godiva Caramel in my mouth. Oh that was so good. I chewed it like it was the last bit of sugar in life. The only good thing about this cheat was; it was covered in dark chocolate.

8:30 PM 10 Push-Ups and 15 minutes of stretching

10:30 PM Drank 10 oz of water and in the bed.

Recipes for the day:

Green Smoothie

What you need:
Blender
Cutting board
Knife or scissors

3.5 oz (1 cup) of Collard Greens and Black Kale (the flat leaf, not the curly leaf), firmly packed. stems removed and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup loosely packed Mint leaves (you can use parsley but I like the taste of Mint leaves better)
1 large Organic Granny Smith Apple, cored and chopped, Please leave the skin on.
1 large ripe Banana, coarsely chopped
2 1/2 cup of water (filtered)

Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth. If its a little thick add more water.

In this batch:
113 calories, 0g fat, 28 g carbs

Millet Bowl with Black Beans and Vegetables

What you need:
Knife
Cutting board
Small Sauce pan
Steamer
Thongs

Millet:
1/4 cup of millet (it is either in the rice aisle or food bin aisle)
1 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed (I prefer Eden because the cans are BPA free and the beans are organic)
2 Tablespoons mined fresh ginger. (Fresh ginger is easy to deal with. Just cut of the skin and grate instead of trying to chop it. Use fresh always. It has better flavor and its better for you).
Kosher Salt
1 cup or filtered water

Vegetables:
4 Shiitake mushrooms (2 oz) sliced)
1 medium organic carrot, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch thick rounds
2 baby bok choy, halved (if you cannot find baby bok choy, adult bok choy is fine. Its just not as sweet).
1/2 cup thinly sliced or shredded red cabbage
1 scallion (green onion, I prefer red scallions), thinly sliced
Fresh ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons toasted sunflower seeds.

Dressing:
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
2 TBSP apple cider vinegar

1. Place millet, black beans, and ginger in small sauce pan. Add 1/2 tsp salt and water. Bring to boil, stir once or twice, then reduce heat and simmer, covered for 25 minutes. Allow to rest for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
2. Steam shiitakes in a steamer over boiling water, covered, for 3 minutes. Add carrots and bok choy and steam for 4 to 6 minutes. Remove steamer from heat.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together oil and vinegar to make dressing. Season with a dash of salt.
4. Transfer millet and beans to bowl and garnish with steamed vegetables and remaining cabbage and scallions. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour a little of the dressing over top and sprinkle with sunflower seeds.

If you need to add a little protein to the dish: 3 oz of Hormone free, organic chicken or turkey is fine or any white fish.

FOODS TO AVOID

Sugar
Dairy
Peanut Products
Fruit Juices
Soy
Corn
Eggs
Wheat/gluten
Caffeine
Alcohol
Processed foods or beverages


Ok I am running out of steam. So I will post what I have eaten today...later on tonight. This should get you started. if you would like a grocery list just email me and I will send you the list ASAP.
lillianhill@hotmail.com

Happy Walking! The Heart Walk is Saturday!

I know it has been a while since I last posted even a peep. That is largely do to my laziness and well more laziness lol. But, I am determined to stay on top of things this time...until I get completely lazy again.

Since I last posted, my EF has gone up to 47.5%. The doctor will not say 50% because he is being conservative. I don't mind. I know in my heart the EF is 50% (in my Heart, get it...ohhh I just love dry humor).

This is wonderful news folks! This means that I am cleared to, well, not sure what this means, cause I am still on a butt load of medication and I still don't have the energy I use to have before all of this started and I am still on a low-sodium, low-fat, little bit of sugar, 3 mile a day walk diet.

So, what does it mean???

It means...I am less likely to die of sudden death if my heart skips a beat. But don't misunderstand, this is GREAT NEWS!

I can do more. In fact, I am doing more. I have started to workout a little harder. I am now lifting weights, attending dance classes and standing in front of the TV once a week, wondering how in the heck the folks on the Insanity video can work that hard without falling out.

I am volunteering in the community (Creatives4Community (Eddie's brain child)) and I am taking acting classes and baking and cooking once a week. Lets just say, I am keeping busy.

Saturday

The Heart Walk for the Heart Association

I am walking 3 .5 miles. I have been a little shy about asking for $upport but as I was reminded a couple of days ago, if you don't ask, you will not receive $upport.

So

I NEED SOME FOLKS TO $UPPORT ME

Donate at least $25.00 on my Heart Walk page before the end of tomorrow.

If you donate at least $100, I will send a baker's dozen of my fabulous chocolate chip cookies to your doorstep by next week, more like by Friday.

Thank you so much Cousin Stephanie and Cousin Judi for $upporting me!

http://pugetsoundheartwalk.org/

Thank you so your support in advance :)

Happy Anniversary

These last couple of months have been interesting to say the least. Summer has finally arrived in Seattle although once every three days, there is rain. Not full-blow, stormy weather, like it is across the rest of the country but marine mist, if you will. Sort of a cool front mixed with a rainy behind.
Lets talk turkey about my heart. As of last month, my numbers, well my EF percentages, we not impressive. I would have to say this is largely my fault. I started decreasing my meds on my own, without doctor's consent. Now my numbers were not horrible. I did receive a slight increase, "marginal increase" my doctor's words, in my EF. I did not make him aware of my resistance to medical authority. I thought it would create a less than pleasant visit. So I kept that bit of information to myself.
Now since then, I started acupuncture and massage therapy. I love it. It's $35 a session. Now who could pass that up. So far, my shoulder feels better, my tummy is not as troubled and I am more at ease. It is difficult to know if this "feeling better" is due to Chinese medicine however, I am going with it. I feel better, particularly after my appointments, and even if it is the placebo effect, I gladly welcome it to my weekly routine of medical treatment.

Happy Anniversary to Me!!!

I have passed the one year mark since this wonderful condition yanked me from my life. Oh no, I am not bitter or angry, just longing for the life I had before.
The independence. The baking. The community involvement. The parties. The people. The friends. My husband. The house in DC. Summers in DC. Black folks. Catering events. Back deck BBQs. Laurol Plaza. Rosa Mexicana. Busboys and Poets. Oh the list could go on and on.

But being here in Seattle has grown on me. I have a lake view that wakes me up every morning. I walk 3 miles everyday on the lake. There is a great organic market very close the house. Seattle has Pikes Market (produce is wonderful) and some of the best Salmon in the States. It's 2 and a half hours away from Vancouver BC and 2 hours from tax free shopping in Oregon. There is a rain forest and three mountains to climb and ski on. The flight to San Fran is only 2 hours and not too expensive to fly. My parents, brother and niece are here. I have some family in the area. And...there are more black folks here than I thought.

So I am happy to say...Seattle may just be my next home, home. I will keep you posted.

30-Minute Workout, No Gym Required - Health.com

30-Minute Workout, No Gym Required - Health.com

Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers (ARB) - drug class, medical uses, medication side effects, and drug interactions by MedicineNet.com

Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers (ARB) - drug class, medical uses, medication side effects, and drug interactions by MedicineNet.com

I KNOW IT'S BEEN FOREVER SINCE I...

Hey Folks

Just wanted to give an update on what has been going on with me:

Had my Echo on Tuesday and my EF is now between 35-40%. Things are looking good. Thank you for all of your prayers and well wishes. I appreciate all the love.

Well I snuck out of Seattle for a few weeks.

My first stop was Dallas, TX (thumbs up to Mom for escorting me via Alaska Airlines) to see my Hubby's sister receive her PhD from University of Texas. We are so very proud of her.

My Mom met Hubby's Mother for the first time and they hit it off. This was a relief. Now I feel like my family is coming together (now all we have to do is, get Papa Bear to meet Hubby's Mom).

It was good to see my Brother(s)-in-Law, Lance and Darvey and my Sister(s)-in-Law, Delawina and Karen. They sure do know how to throw a cookout. Special shout out to my new Sis Karen for hooking my up with low-sodium dishes.

While in Dallas, I got to see one of my childhood friends, Terri and to also meet her children. What a handsome family they are. Her children are so smart and well behaved.

I also got to visit my 80 something year old Aunt Mary Louise. We call her Mady. What's interesting enough, I thought her name was just Mady but, it turns out that she doesn't like Mary Louise and her brother named her Mady when she was just a toddler and it stuck. How cute. I also found out that my Grandmother, Lillian, was a sassy so-and-so. Her stage name was Lorraine. Who knew. She was also a beautiful woman, standing at 5 foot 8, who sang in night clubs on the south side of Chicago.

I found out so many things about my Mother's side of the family. There are stories to be written.

From Dallas, my Hubby and I flew into Washington DC. Wow. I finally made it back home before a year was up. But home is not home any longer. Since July 2009, we have moved from DC to Mt. Vernon, VA. It was not really real until I walked in the house and saw all of my furniture and my things still in boxes. Yup! We had moved.

Mt. Vernon is not a bad place to live. It's just a little far from everything I grew to love, in DC. You see, when I moved to DC, I was dead set on living in DC. Not in Maryland or Virginia but in DC. How things change and do not remain the same.

My first few days in Mt. Vernon were, well, I don't really remember lol. I was sleep most of the time.

Friday, Hubby and I headed into the city to spend the weekend at the DuPont Hotel (I highly recommend). We had a blast. Friday night we went to a concert at the Kennedy Center and returned to the hotel for a fabulous dinner. Saturday we woke up and went on a little walk to George Town but not before we stopped and enjoyed the All Women Brazilian Drum Band performing in the park. After our nice walk through the neighborhood, we headed over to Eatonville to have a late breakfast with Brian (the best Manager in the world).

Hubby went to purchase a guitar in Tyson's and I chilled out in the hotel room and got dressed for church. That's right, I went to church. I love Alfred Street. Saturday night service was on point. My Hubby and I, both, received messages that night. We truly received our blessings.

After church, we headed over to my cousin's house to meet her new son. Stephanie is a wonderful Mommy! And of course Jeff is a great Dad too (don't want to leave him out). And Baby "Hank" is such a sweet baby boy. I am so happy they decided to have children.

But what was the surprise of the night, a few of Stephanie's friends had new babies as well. I missed so much being away.

After spending some time with the family, Hubby and I headed over to Mo' and Ashton's (friend-family) to say hello. Hello turned into an hour or so. Then we headed over to Lina's Roof Top Birthday Bash. That woman knows how to throw a PARTY!.

I was so exhausted when we got back to the hotel, I didn't know what to do. So the next morning we slept in. Thank goodness we didn't plan anything for the morning. Now Olivia did make a guest appearance at the hotel to see me and that made my morning.

After that we had breakfast at Circa...yummy yummy and headed back to VA.

My Sis Lori and my Niece Logan, Carol and her new family stopped by to say hello. It was wonderful to see them. Especially Miss Logan because it was her birthday!!! Hello 13. It was the first time I met Carol's new family. Dee and Veronica are pretty special folk.

You would think that the night was over but nope! We headed over to Andrea's house to see how big Brynn (she was one when I left) had gotten and oh my she has teeth, walks, talks and everything. Ron and Andrea got married (in Maui) while I was gone and now they are looking to expand their little family again.

I slept for a few days after that. Cardiomyopathy will do that to you.

Wednesday, we had a meeting with our lawyer, Johnnie Bond. To me, he is more of a friend but he is handling business. We talked about what got me in this mess (heart failure) in the first place (I still think that 50% of my condition is stress related and it relates to having bad contractors and a bad loan from Well's Fargo). Anywoooo, discussing the case really didn't bother me as much as I had anticipated. I guess I am handling my stress well.

After getting his bill (remember I said he was handling business) $70K+, we went for some drinks and grub at Lauriol Plaza. We met and ate with my baby sis, Camille and my sexy friend Troy. Good food, good drink and great weather! I love DC in the summer.

Friday, I had lunch with an amazing woman, Mimi. She has Cardiomyopathy as well and she is my SHERO. She has had this annoying condition for 9 years. Two children later, a job she loves and a body of a 25 year old, she still is managing her condition seemingly with ease. I am sure she has her ups and downs like we all do but she is amazing.

Saturday, we made it to a couple of house parties and ended the weekend at Shayla and Jarvis's house in Alexandria,VA. They moved from the neighborhood in DC back in May. At least when I go back to VA permanently, I will have some friends in the area.

Monday morning we arrived to the airport without incident. Alaska Airlines flight 1. Brand New Plane. Who knew there was a new plane smell. It is actually almost like a new car smell. Everything was clean and new. The stewardess actually gave us an entire row by ourselves so I could stretch out and sleep. I rate Alaska Airlines number 1. Please fly them often so I my airfare can go down. lol.

We arrived in Seattle 5 hours and 10 minutes later. What a long ride. I will have to tell you, I do not look forward to flying in another plane at all. But, Alaska Airlines and my Hubby made it at least bearable.

That concludes my trip. I think I have left out a couple of things like the fact that I had way too much sugar and salt while I was there and I didn't exercise as much as I should have and I did not get enough sleep and I didn't wear my life vest the entire time but hey...I was on vacation.

And my EF is higher, marginally, but never the less, HIGHER.

BTW

I am going to need some help. I am starting a foundation or association for Cardiomyopathy for Women. If anyone has any info or ideas please do not hesitate to contact me via email: lillianhill@gmail.com