The experience they had last summer was life-changing to say the least. Her eyes light up every time she speaks of their summer in Guatemala and as expected - they’re heading back there this summer. They only went for one week last summer and this year they’ll be staying an additional week in order to do some more exploring of the country. In fact, this year they will be staying with a host family to get even more immersed into the culture. They have three children, two went with them last year and all three are going this year. The two older kids are in grade school and they have been learning Spanish since kindergarten and are way ahead of their parents. They are taking their youngest child - who is four years old.

The organization they are volunteering for is called From Houses to Homes (FHTH). It was founded in 2004 with the intension of improving the lives of those living in rural Guatemala. Most of the poor live in cornstalk homes with a dirt floor. The volunteers are responsible for raising funds to build the concrete block homes. FHTH assemblies teams of three adults to provide the labor to build the homes. It takes approximately $1500 in materials to build one home. Kate’s family, through the generosity of their friends and family, raised enough money to build 6 homes last summer.

They are looking to raise money to build even more houses this summer. In addition to building homes - funds can be put toward building bunk beds ($250 for the beds, mattresses, sheets, pillows & blankets); stoves ($150 buys a stove); and school supplies ($40 - $80 tuition and supplies for one year $40 for grade school and $80 for junior/senior high school).

There is also a great need for used, operable laptops.

For information or to send a donation, here’s the address:

Foe Collins, Executive Director
From Houses to Homes-Guatemala, INC
X-12 Farmhouse Lane
Morristown, NJ 07960
(973) 538-3987

You can also make tax deductible donations online at the FHTH website. If you’d like to make a donation specifically for Kate’s family add “Viola Family” in the memo line or comment box! Here’s the video they made describing their experience last summer - I hope you’ll be inspired too!
Thanks,

Lizzie

1. No caffeine in my coffee - I can live with this, but…
2. No milk, creamer, any type of “lightening” agent in my coffee - I can’t live like this. I use the Wal-mart brand sugar-free creamer and I’ve found that I MUST continue this practice
3. Only diet Ginger Ale or 7-up to drink - again, I NEED my diet lemon flavored Snapple - I don’t see the problem with this.
4. Only fruit is melon and strawberries - not a big fan of either, I believe I will expand my list of fruits to include others, just not sure which, yet
5. I understand why I cannot have bread, rice - other carbs…. but, I believe I will need to include rice cakes. I will use rice cakes made from brown rice. I have found that I need some foods that I can eat with my hands. My life is a constant emergency and even if it’s not a great idea - I HAVE to eat while I drive sometimes. A fork is far more dangerous in a car than a cell phone (my personal opinion)
That’s my modified weight loss plan today. I will probably be adding to my modifications as they come up, but to be realistic about my future weight loss efforts - I need a little room for reality.

1. After many, many years waiting - my divorce finally became final in February 07 (but not before my now dead-ex-husband decided to get remarried under a false identity)
2. My father was diagnosed with bladder cancer; had surgery to remove and rebuild a bladder; receives a clean bill of health
3. My ex-husband died of a heroin overdose (fingerprints had to be used to identify the body due to the assumed name)
4. I married the Emperor Pixelhead (my father performed the ceremony)
5. My youngest son (17) ends up in a “program” due to poor behavior
6. My father’s cancer returns and is extremely aggressive
7. We decided to buy a house where my parents can move in with us
8. My father dies
9. We purchase the house and move in immediately after my father’s funeral
10. My son moves back home in two days

The main reason I had not been able to follow the Ultra Lite plan was due to moving. For at least a week, I was basically without a kitchen and with EVERYTHING needed to be prepared - it became impossible.

I still feel like I’m trying to recover from all of the events of the past year. I hope to be back to active blogging and a healthful lifestyle soon.

I started doing some research about the beloved banana to see if I could find any information that would support the claim that the are not healthy. It was very difficult - everywhere I looked held the banana in high regards, stating all the benefits of the banana including it as an excellent source of potassium and fiber.

I remembered that the origination of this particular health plan - Ultra Lite was in New Zealand. I found an article that has shed some light on the poor banana and other fruits now banned from my life - An Apple a day… is that bad for you?

Honestly, I don’t anticipate bananas and other fruits always being forbidden fruit - I suspect the first stage of this diet is about seriously limiting sugars; detoxifying my body; and teaching me a new way to eat and think about food.

I am trying to keep it real and act as if this is a lifestyle and not a diet - which exactly what I want it to be.

So, I can have 2oz of protein for breakfast and lunch; 5 carbs for breakfast and 10 carbs for lunch; 4oz of protein for dinner and 5 carbs. The list of proteins and carbs are small - especially the accepted fruit. I never knew apples, oranges and bananas were bad! They must have a lot of carbs in them. The only fruits on the list are cantaloupe, honey dew, watermelon and strawberries - and 100gm has 4 carbs. The veggie and protein lists are short lists too.

This is what I had to eat day 1 & 2:

Breakfast - 100gm of cantaloupe & 1oz of reduced fat cheddar cheese for day 1; 1 egg with 1/2 oz reduced fat cheddar and 100gm of cantaloupe day 2

Lunch - 100gm lettuce, 30gm mushrooms; 15gm onions; 30gm cucumber and 60gm tuna - 50gm almonds & Dannon carb control yogurt.

Dinner - 4oz salmon, zucchini and onions.

I’m drinking 8 glasses of water a day; taking potassium & magnesium supplements; walking 30 minutes a day; and starting day 3 (today) testing my urine for ketones (I’m happy to report I’m in the correct zone).

I planned out my menu for today last night - which is very helpful to me.

Onward and downward!

The pressure of knowing that I’ll be starting this very structured and restrictive program in one week has triggered all my feelings of being trapped and I’m really nervous about this too.

The binging continues.

I assume that not too many studies on the effectiveness of weight loss supplements have been completed yet – but, there are tons of these types of products on the market – all claiming that they will enhance your rate of weight loss exponentially. How can I know if they actually work? And, then even if they don’t necessarily make a significant difference in the rate or amount of weight loss – but they make a big difference psychologically – isn’t that just as important when trying to lose weight? The psychology of weight loss plays a considerable role in how successful the diet will be.

This is my next quest - find a well-balanced dietary supplement that could help with my weight loss. I think it’s possible and I must do my due diligence to find the right supplement. A friend of mine has a site that offers all types of natural health supplements - I will start my search there. Any suggestions or recommendations are welcomed and appreciated.

Basically, chelation therapy is used to detoxify the body and rid it of poisonous metals. It is thought to be effective for conditions and diseases such as cardiovascular disease, peripheral artery disease, coronary artery disease, carotid artery blockage, diabetes and more. It is done by using a man-made amino acid called EDTA that is infused into the veins. EDTA binds to the calcium build up on the arteries and should be removed with regular treatments. The remaining elements in the arteries would break up on their own and the nasty plaque goes away – leaving me with clean and clear arteries.

Since heart disease runs in my family, I’ve heard that this type of therapy can be used as a preventative measure against heart disease. There has been some skepticism on chelation therapy, but overall it appears to be a step in the right direction.

Perhaps this is how I got into this situation - poor diet, eating in the car, eating mostly processed foods, etc. But, it still concerns me. How will this diet and new lifestyle fit into my busy, crazy life?