good luck deluxe

I’m more of a carb lover than a protein fiend, so I drink protein shakes and eat protein-balanced snacks like ZonePerfect bars to up my protein intake. I love the taste of Naked Juice’s 38g protein smoothies, but the carbs in that product are a little on the high side; and it’s from whey (milk) and soy protein.

Soy is notorious for being detrimental to the thyroid gland, so I try to steer clear of it most of the time. ZonePerfect bars are also made with soy nuggets. So what’s a girl to do?

I recently happened upon the product pictured above. It’s my ideal protein boost! And did I mention that Naturade’s Veg Protein Booster has only FOUR grams of carbs?! I’m over the moon in love with this stuff.

This Naturade Veg product is made with vegetable protein (non-soy), and contains extra amino acids for the full protein spectrum.

The best part? It dissolves fast with NO grit, and it tastes like nothing. I mix it into carrot juice (sorry, but I like it!), which only contains 13g of carbs per glass. It makes me feel nice and satisfied, but not bloated or stuffed. Doesn’t this sound great?

Although there is a small advisory on the label advising not to use it for weight loss, I certainly am! And I have lost weight already - four pounds in two weeks! All by adding a little extra protein to my diet. There are 24g of protein in one serving.

Here’s a little more info from the product manufacturer:

“Veg adds protein to sauces, cereals, casseroles, and smoothies. It is an important product for people who exclude meat and dairy from their usual diet but whose system doesnt tolerate soy.

This unique blend of high-quality protein from pea, rice, potato, barley and spirulina provides a balanced supply of amino acids. Methionine and lysine are added to match the amino acid profile of animal protein.

This all-natural product has absolutely no animal, egg or dairy derivatives. Protein supplies the amino acids your body needs to support the growth of all blood cells, muscle and other tissues. In addition, protein is needed to produce hormones such as insulin, antibodies to fight disease and the enzymes that are essential for digestion.

Naturade Soy-Free Veg is fortified with 100% of the daily value of Vitamin B12, plus 8 mg of Iron and 150 mg of Calcium per serving.”

Since I usually go semi-vegetarian during the summer, I think I’ve found a new friend. Bikini season, look out!

Since my readers have me working like a slave punching out these posts all hunched over my PC, I think it’s high-time I get a lumbar extender to straighten me out.

I would imagine that this neat-o tool would be ideal for anyone who spends a lot of time at a desk without proper back support; people who do a lot of bending and lifting; and just anyone with poor posture, period. Does this describe this you or someone you know?

Then listen up:

“Improve your posture, relieve back pain. Lumbar Extender stretches your back easily, safely, affordably. Rigid muscles, overstretching, poor spinal alignment are just a few of the culprits that can wreak havoc on your back. Fight back with the Lumbar Extender.

Simply place this curved, multi-level back stretching device on the floor, recline onto its arched surface, and center your spine in the cradle.

Just a few minutes a day in the Lumbar Extender can help shift muscles. You may not only better your posture and flexibility, but also reduce back pain and strain. Get “back” on track!”

The Lumbar Extender is the lazy (wo)man’s yoga!

Couldn’t your back benefit from this?

As a spinoff of my deluxe massage chair post, I realized the Good Luck Deluxe blog would be remiss to not do a feature on Rolfing.

No, it’s not an adolescent term for heaving. In fact, quite the opposite!

Rolfing describes a series of integrated, therapeutic body improvement techniques to bring the human body back into structural alignment. The term is named after
Dr. Ida P. Rolf, who discovered and utilized the technique. The Rolf Institute of Structural Integration is the absolute authority on this technique.

I have not been Rolfed yet, but I would like to at some point. No, I intend to. It just seems…well, a bit intense.

Hey, I’m never one to cry for my mama when I get a deep tissue massage and end up all black and blue. But Rolfing just takes it to a whole other level, and I’m not sure I’m quite ready for that yet.

I have seen some unbelievable before and after pics of folks who started off with the postures of snapping turtles and hunchbacks and ended up looking like Superman and Wonder Woman after their Rolfing series. It really is an interesting process, and I’m grateful such a thing exists.

Rolfing is worlds away from your standard quack chiropractic wanna-be doctors. With Rolfing, the results are tangible and absolutely remarkable. Google it for yourself and see.

I would have it done, not only because I have carefully researched it, but because the results are more concrete than what some chiropractors tend to offer. “You’ll need to come back for 175 more visits, then we’ll do more X-rays and decide on a real course of action.” Yeah, OK.

I have met people who have had varying pain reactions to being Rolfed. Some say it hurts like the devil, and others have told me it’s mildly uncomfortable. All I have met have said it was worth the money and time.

At some point I’ll suck it up and just sign up for my Rolfing series. But for now, I’m too chicken. Bock bock bock.

As is probably evident by now, I am not into self-deprivation. I truly believe in striving for balance in everything in life.

Self-indulgence AND charity. Spending AND saving. Pampering AND self-discipline. You get my drift.

I have done every nutritional discipline on the face of the earth. I have been
an Atkins groupie, a serious Zone dieter, totally vegan for a year, a vegetarian,
a low-fat freak, on a high-fiber diet, etc.

Extremes just don’t work. They just don’t. All it takes is to have one really rotten day, and that “no carb” mess gets thrown out the window!

I eat the things I enjoy and crave, and I offset the naughtier stuff with various nutritional supplements. I can eat my occasional cupcake or brownie and not gain weight by doing this.

Now is a good time for my disclaimer: I am NOT a doctor, nor am I affiliated with the product manufacturer. Do with this information what you will. I am simply sharing what works for me. No one is twisting your arm to try anything, so if you don’t think this is for you, please kindly skip it.

I have been taking Insulow (also known as Glucorell) for years. It’s the only thing that helps me to keep my weight in check while I eat the yummy things I love. In a nutshell, Insulow is one of the most potent forms of alpha-lipoic acid (a natural antioxidant) available.

UPDATE: I’ve updated this post to clarify that Insulow is another name for Glucorell made by the same company. Insulow is the same as Glucorell; only the name is different, which indicates that it is marketed by the company as the best option for diabetics and for lowering insulin.

Tell your diabetic friends and family members about this. Send them a link to this article!

When taken 10 minutes before high-carb meals, Insulow shuttles the sugar into your muscles instead of floating in your bloodstream, which can lead to diabetes and excess fat. I love this stuff!

Keep in mind that I have been taking Insulow for several years and have lived to tell about it. I keep packets of Insulow at home and in my handbag. So there’s never any excuse not to take it.

Now, it may not make you lose weight, but in my case, it has prevented me from gaining weight. And I have most certainly eaten my share of bread pudding and
sweet potato pie over the years.

I am admittedly still nowhere near perfect or ideal with my eating habits, but I do what I can, and I’m fine with that.

If I’m not in the mood to take Insulow, I’ll balance a day of gluttony with eating really clean the next day. But most times, I’m on that Insulow like white on rice! I have a glucose monitor, and I can attest that Insulow lowers my blood sugar. I take one capsule per every 30-40 grams of carbs I am about to consume.

If your hands or feet tingle after you eat carbs, sweets, alcohol, and even caffeine, it could be a sign of pre-diabetes and nerve damage. Any food or beverage that overstimulates your pancreas can cause this.

Get relief from your high-blood sugar symptoms!

Order Insulow NOW by clicking on the picture or link above. You’ll see for yourself that I am speaking TRUTH!

My Sunday ritual is to read the newspaper in bed, and have my orange juice, coffee, and cinnamon rolls on hand and get out of bed way late in the day. Shameful, I know.
I should be at church.

This morning I had a REAL hankering for something sweet from Starbucks, but for the life of me, I could NOT get my body out of bed. I’m shamelessly still here.

What I did have on hand, however, was a ZonePerfect bar. Zone bars are the ONLY protein-oriented bar I will eat, because they are crispy and crunchy. I need that crunch. So how fitting for me to have a ZonePerfect Chocolate Coconut Crunch bar right next to my bed.

Click this pic to order Zone bars:

I’m supposed to be eating better - less sugar and bad carbs. I made a big pan of
arroz con pollo (rice with chicken; though I used brown rice) last night to get me off to a good, healthy start. This morning I was supposed to be happy with my Zone bar choice, and happily forego the ritualistic cinnamon rolls and juice.

I deliberated on “Zone bar vs. Cinnamon roll” for several hours this morning. I was like let’s see, if I eat the bar, I can’t justify going out and purchasing sweets from Starbucks. But if I just head straight to Starbucks, I can chalk it up as an “I’ll start tomorrow” or “Today is not about willpower” day.

I must say, the Zone bar is pretty tasty! Not mighty tasty, but surprisingly good.
The ingredients include macadamia nuts and coconut, so it has some texture to it.
And it’s sweet.

But I still want that cinnamon roll. Or two. With pecans. And a Breve Latte.

Note: Concerned about sugar and carbs, or are you or someone you know diabetic? You’ve got to try Insulow. Click here to read my review of this awesome carb and sugar-reducing product that WORKS. Insulow is how I can eat all of these delicious sweets without guilt. I have taken Insulow for years and love it!

I’ve been torn about whether or not I should plunk down my hard-earned cash to try this new, raved about liquid supplement called Panacea. Have you heard of it?

This product is supposed to contain virtually EVERY needed nutrient and sub-nutrient for the human body in a carbon-based form that the body can readily and quickly assimilate. Phenomenal results have been documented.

But the question is, will it give ME phenomenal results?

Panacea has been touted as being BEYOND those other liquid vitamins like that Liquid Silver product and all of that other colloidal mineral crap. Carbon-based nutrients are supposed to be on a distinctively different, elite level of nutrition than colloidal supplements.

I have yet to try Panacea, though I’m sure the product junkie in me will force me to purchase it in the near future.

I’m a HUGE health nut and have been all for taking high-end vitamins for optimal nutrition since I was a youngster, but this new Panacea product seems to take it to a whole other stratum. I’d be lying if I said I’m not the least bit curious about it.

I’m willing to try it; but if I don’t morph into a cross between The Incredible Hulk, Popeye, and Cleopatra - with beauty that knocks men off of their feet from a mere glance from me - I’m sending this product back. It better do what it purports to do, and I’m not kidding.

Per the company’s web site:

“Panacea is a new liquid supplement that is a 100% Organic microcomplexed Multivitamin, Mineral, Superfood. Panacea is the most comprehensive Multivitamin, Mineral, Herbal Complex and Superfood ever developed. Panacea in comprised of several critical categories that support healthy cholesterol levels, regulate blood sugar, cleanse the body and more. These categories are:

Vitamins and Nutrients

Macro Minerals

Yeast, Parasite Detoxifier & Autoimmune Recovery MatrixTM

Blood, Brain/Allergy/Neuro Cellular & Intestinal Detoxifier MatrixTM

Amino Acid MatrixTM - “Building Blocks” of Protein

Antioxidant Rich Fruit Orchard MatrixTM

Pure Plant Digestive Enzymes, Probiotic & Intestinal Dysbiosis MatrixTM

Herbal Brain/Neuro/Memory/Clarity, Mood, Stress, Energy & Vitality MatrixTM

Antioxidant Rich Vegetable Garden, Optimum Seed, Sprout & Fiber MatrixTM

Antioxidant Rich Fruit Orchard MatrixTM

Full Spectrum 70 +, 100% Organic Trace Mineral MatrixTM

If there are any takers, try it and comment here to give us the scoop!