Lose Weight With "The Mother"

I have been drinking this mixture for over a month now.  I say give it a shot and reap the benefits.

Good Luck!

Kombucha: How to Grow a SCOBY!

Did you come here looking for directions on how to brew some of your Kombucha.  Just follow the directions below and you may exactly what you need to save money and enjoy some great tea.

1.  First thing you need to do is head to your local supermarket.  Make sure it has a Organic section because that is where you may find some GT Original, Raw Kombucha.

2.  Drink about half the jar.  Yes, this is a win, win situation for all.

3.  Brew about 2 cups of black or green tea.  Make sure it is caffeinated.  Your SCOBY is going to need the caffeine, mix about 1/4 cup of organic sugar with the tea.

4.  Make sure you allow the tea to cool to room temperature.  Too much heat will kill all the bacteria needed to create the Kombucha Culture.

5.  After the tea has cooled, mix with the remaining Kombucha left in the bottle that you bought.

6.  Cover the container with a coffee filter, or an old t-shirt.  Secure it in place with a rubber band.  This will allow the mixture to breath, and not allow any bugs into the drink.

7.  Place it somewhere where it wont be disturbed and out of direct sunlight.  Leave it be for about 2 weeks. 

8.  After approximately 10 to 14 days you will see the SCOBY start to form on top of the tea.  Now, you have a SCOBY and its time to start making your own KOMBUCHA!

Congratulations.  You have created a Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast!

Check back for instructions on brewing KOMBUCHA!  

My Path To Weighlessness!

I'm not even sure if that is even a word.  "Weightlessness"?  Let me start in the beginning again.  I know that I have had this blog for quite some time now.  It seems that I have not been very active online as of late.  But, I am hoping to spend at least a little bit of time each week over the next few months writing about me.  I want to re-begin my journey to being healthy. 

Healthy?  That is a word that may cause some people to cringe.  Not me.  You see a few months ago I had a Dr visit and it was not good to say the least.  I was weighing 305 pounds.  I had a A1C of 6.3.  My Glucose was high.  My fasting blood sugar was 115.  He diagnosed me as Obese, and pre-diabetes.  I had to start making changes in my life.  Not even sure where to begin. 

It took about a month before I would even think about it.  Actually almost 2 months.  I joined the local gym and started working out.  But, at the same time I was eating very bad.  I haven't begun giving up fried food yet.  What have I learned over the last few weeks is that there is only one sure way to lose weight.  It is Calories in must be less than Calories out. 

Please keep checking back for more info.  This blog is going to be full of tips and weekly, sometimes daily updates on my journey to weightlessness.  If you have tips or hints please post them here for everyone to see and read. 

Tough Mudder: Should I do it?

Acute Renal Failure: What Are The Symptoms?

There are many causes to Kidney Diseases. They range from Diabetes to Cirrhosis of the Liver. More This post is about the later. The proper medical term for this condition is Hepatorenal Syndrome. This is caused by Acute Liver Failure, Alcohol Hepatitis or Cirrhosis of the liver. Below you will learn the symptoms that go along with this disease or condition. The end result is most commonly death.

Conditions that arise from this type of condition include blood pressure that rapidly decreases every time the patient moves or shifts. Changes in their mental states, confusion or delirium. The patient may exhibit signs of dementia. Muscle jerks or twitches. Dark colored urine that goes along with the patient not producing any urine. This can cause swelling in the face and extremities. Yellow skin or Jaundice. I believe this to be an early sign of liver failure.

Courtesy of Healthtap.com 

Now on to my personal experience with this whole thing. My stepdaughter's father is going through this right now. I am not sure how much longer he has to live. The man is in Hospice as I am typing this. I have noticed that his urine is either not their or just blood. His hands are starting to swell, and he has shown some twitching. Not to mention thirst. These are all signs of Acute Renal Failure End Stage.

From what I have learned from reading different sources on the net, the time frame of life for this is very unpredictable. It could be from days to weeks. Its too hard to tell because all patients are different. Some doctors tell you that kidney failure is the least painful way to die. Not sure about this, because at Hospice they wont let him eat or drink. It seems to me that is just a way to speed the process along. The nurse did mention that they do not want him to aspirate. This is all new ground for me, if anyone knows more, please comment.

Here is to hoping that this process goes along with the man having the least amount of pain possible. I want nothing more that that for my stepdaughter. There is enough stress on her and him at the moment. So, in closing if you know that your suffering from liver failure or kidney disease, please do something about it. You need to see and work with your doctor to have the possibility of a transplant. Check back for more as time goes by.

Blood Antibodies: Are They Good For You

Lets start this post at the beginning of my experience with blood antibodies.  I am not talking about actual experience, but what made me want to write this article.  My wife has been sick the last few weeks.  What I mean is that her heart has been racing with any activity at all.  She is normally very active, but the last week or two, that all changed.  Continue reading to find out if antibodies in blood is good or not. 

I know that this blog is supposed to be about me and my journey to a healthy living system.  But, lately things in my life have been putting quite a bit of stress on me.  You see my mother had Quadruple Bypass Surgery about 3 years ago.  The other day she ended up in the hospital with trouble breathing.  This could all be attributed to her heart.  Then to make matters even worse, they found some thing on her lungs.  This could be nothing, or it could be cancer.  I am hoping that they found it quick enough and can stop this before it becomes bad.  

Well, back to my wife.  She decided to go see the doctor.  This is after a bunch of nagging by myself and a few friends.  The doctor ordered blood work.  Not a bad thing, because her symptoms were showing that she may have a thyroid problem.  Fast forward, today the doctors office called, informed her that she needs to go to the emergency room for some additional testing.  Then we found out that she is severely anemic and needs a blood transfusion.  This is a common procedure, but she has antibodies in her blood that is making it a bit troublesome for the local blood bank. 

What are blood antibodies?  This is the question that I typed into Google.  It came back with some interesting information.  Antibodies can be good or bad.  You get the from blood transfusions or diseases.  They are designed to help fight off different diseases.  At times they can turn on you, and attack your red blood cells.  The later is bad.  I am not sure what type she has, I am just hoping that all is well and she will recover from this over the next few days.  

I will be writing more on the subject of antibodies and blood transfusions.  Its late and I really need to get to bed so I can visit my employer in the morning.  So its good night for now.   

Time To Get Back To Work

How many of you guys reading this have found yourself on the wrong side of the slippery slope?  Its happening to me right now.  I have lost over 40 pounds in just a few months.  The problem is that I have lost all motivation and ambition to keep it going.  Now is the time to get back to work.

I know how to do it, just got to do it now.  I believe that I will be following a plan get back on track. If your really interested in going on this journey with me, then keep reading because this is how I am going to lose 3 to 5 pounds per week for the next few months.

First Week!

This will prove to be the hardest of all the weeks.  I have to find the motivation to eliminate many of the foods that I have become accustomed to again.  Gaining motivation to lose weight seems to me the biggest hurdle to overcome.  Maybe with the ReFuel Group Fitness Facility opening up in Newark next month will help.

Well its down to 1500 calories and getting back to working out, starting tomorrow.  Wish me luck on my weigh in, its all for the maintenance challenge.

I will be back to update you all on my success!

Check Back Every day for tips and some motivation.