After a long haitus from the protein shake, I'm back in action.

I've implemented protein shakes into my daily routine again, but this time I stick mostly to the whey and no sugar protein shakes. I realize now I'm drinking them to ADD nutrition to my daily routine rather than to take nutrition away.

Anyway, I've done something rather clever with my most recent batch. I buy a bag of sugar-free nut clusters and toss several into the mix when I make up a batch of the shake. It adds a sort of "snickers" texture to the drink, and is quite tasty. I just have to make sure not to put too many in, or else I lose control of my regular BMs!

Anyway, my health links this month are quick and simple. So simple, it's painful: Primal nutrition and omega 3 benefits. There you go.

Today is a sad, happy day. I'm saying goodbye to the weight loss shake.

Why? Not because I'm done losing weight. I've still got plenty of weight to lose. I'm giving up the weight loss shake because I found a more....exciting way to lose weight.

Don't get me wrong. I still love the weight loss shake. I've had a long running affair with those little protein powders packed with the best antioxidant goodness for a good portion of my life. But as Einstein once said (paraphrasing!) "The definition of crazy is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting change."

I'm not dropping all my old habits. I still take the damage control master formula. And I still go to the gym to workout (not just to look at guys with washboard abs, I'm not that fallow!). But now I'm eating real foods.

Real foods (gasp!)?! Yes, whole foods. Actual raw veggies. Meats, eggs, milk, even some fruits like blueberries. I'm facing the world of food dead on. I feel it's part of growing up, knowing food, knowing what to do in the kitchen, and that's what this ultimately boils down to...

Weight loss shakes were an easy fix. They are the college dorm way of losing weight. For the person to lazy to do meal planning and cooking, the weight loss shake was something to slurp down between make out sessions with the boyfriend, and long nights of writing term papers. Simply put: It was juvenile.

Every day I'm becoming more of a woman and less of the college girl from years past. Working for a living, balancing my budget. And now meal planning and cooking are all part of growing up and growing wise. And that means the weight loss shake has to stay behind. So, good buy weight loss shake, and phone gossip, and borrowing money from dad, and getting plastered on Thursdays and Saturdays. I'm older now, and I use my kitchen.

I never realized how much of a difference a blender could make in the protein shake business until I got a new one!

I asked for a new blender for my birthday because the old one was making funny chemical burning smells whenever I used it (not good).

My dad bought me what he calls a "motor boat." It's not a typical blender you'd make mahrgarettas with. There's no pictcher in which to pour ingredients. Instead, it is basically just a large drill with a blending tool on the end. It came with a few attachments like a whisk and a blending cup, but basically, it's just a drill.

Fortunatelly, it's a powerful drill.

I've been whipping my protein shakes up to frothy delight for the last few days and they've never tasted better!

On a more somber note, I've been spreading the word about orthorexia nervosa. It's an eating disorder, and it's not pretty. Also, if you're into finding people, I found a great site for doing it!