Hello everyone!

I'm gonna use this journal to descibe new raw recipes I like (I experiment a lot), and other raw news I have.

This past week, I have been working a lot in heavy snowfall (I am a mail-deliverer). When one runs up and down 5000 stairs a day, some pure raw energy definately comes in handy. I have a feeling a lot of people here are health-conscious and therefore concerned about fitness to some degree... So I will share my tips and if you have any recommendations, pls do tell!

A really good energy bar: (makes about 3)
10 organic dried figs
100g ground almonds (soak them the night before to make them extra special)
cinnamon

I cut the figs up into small bits so my blender handles them better, and then mix with the almonds and lots of cinnamon. Form into bars, and there you have it! Beats granola anyday, I promise.

I find that magnesium also helps give me a good kick when I am working, and as many of you probably already know, raw cacao is loaded with the stuff. I'm sensitive to raw chocolate, as I hear many are, but I eat about 30-40 grams of it when I am about to go deliver mail and running up stairs for 6 hours sucks the energy up, so I don't suffer any insomnia or side-effects in that way. (I am also the only mailman who jogs 30 minutes home from work after a @#$%& and still has energy to clean/cook/study and spend time with my friends after a shift). Not sure that I would eat cacao on a "relaxing" day though.

So, I think that is a good first post.
I hope to make some raw friends online because I don't have a single one here in Sweden.
I will add photos soon!
Much love to you all,
xxpeisi

Hi there...welcome to the raw community and congrats on going raw....going raw for me has been a unique amazing and very tough journey....but i know it will be amazing for you as well.....seems like you have a very active job and keeps you in shape that is great!!!! so you will find so much more energy in your body now that you are eating raw....the raw bar sounds good...i stay away from nuts but that is an awesome receipe!!!
keep up the good work and we are all here for you....take care
love sachelle
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Welcome! So glad you've joined the community. It's a great circle of friends who all help and support each other. Thanks for the recipie.

xoxo,
Starfruit

hey-what a perfect job...tons of exercise and then u being a raw foodist ontop of it spells pretty cool.i envy you cause of your job. i always try to get exercise jobs when i was working.cool!! and welcome!! taylor

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I am gonna try to document my transition to raw food with some photos:

(If this doesn't work, bear with me)



Believe it or not, this was me in the summer of 2003. I was 96 kilos for my 174 cm height. I was sick all the time, had bad skin as you can see, oily oily hair even though I showered every day. The excess fat and toxins were literally killing me. If I had continuted living like this, I am sure I would be gone today. At age 19, I was depressed, had severe kidney problems (I only have one kidney which is very weak, so it prevents me from eating lots of protein- the doctors recommended I eat sugary foods to get minimum daily calories instead, and look what happened. Think I got a bit too addicted to the sugar, and yet I only ate 1700 calories a day and STILL ballooned. Go fig.)

So I decided one day to STOP. I starting running and exercising vigorously, even though I was extremely fatigued. I forced myself out of bed every morning to run for one hour- and with my frame, it wasn't easy. Basically like a boot camp, but I was the only person forcing myself to do it. I started eating half raw, half cooked foods.



This photo was taken 3 months later in November. I got dread extensions, and you can't tell too much from the photo, but I had lost about 15 kilos. At 80 kilos, I was still quite big, but I was moving in the right direction.



This photo, I took in early February. I was 68 kilos. This photo was taken literally the day before I went raw. I think it is interesting to see how tired I look in my eyes in this photo before going raw in comparison to afterwards:


The camera used to take this pic is kind of @#$%&, but I promise the photo is uneditted.



I show this picture to demonstrate what raw does for the skin. Beside me is one of my best friends. She CAKES on the foundation and make-up. I don't wear any because I feel like it clogs my pores. I am lucky to have light unblemished skin, so it is not necessary. But even though she wears so much make up, I still feel like my skin has a nice 'glow' to it. Should I be thanking the cucumbers?

BEING RAW KICKS ASS!

Wow good for you. What an amazing transition. How long did it take you to loose all the weight you wanted to?

xoxo,
Starfruit

hey Peisinoe! what a difference.i am like starfruit.how long did it take u and u look really wonderful.i was 245 in oct.and now i am 178.i still have a ways to go.any tips on how u lost?i seem to be at a standstill right now.my skin is lovely now and i have never had fingernails and now they are longer and actually hard. a first. i guess i just needed vitamins.good job.u look so pretty.hugs taylor

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Well, In 2003, it took me 8 months to get from 96 kilos to 56-57. I started eating cooked foods again though, and went back up to 65 kilos (which is normal for my height) and stayed there for almost 2 years and I became very fatigued again, so I got more information on being raw 'properly', and have been 95% for the past few months.

In the first week of going raw the 2nd time, 5 kilos disappeared off me. It was great!! I train an awful lot but even with the exercise and eating a restrictive-calorie diet, the kilos weren't coming off. Once switching to raw, I could eat all the nuts, fruits, smoothies and nut-butters/dressings that I wanted on salads and I am still slim. My weight fluctuates between 53-56 kilos, which is fine by me!! Much better than 96. I lost basically an entire person from my body. It has inspired so many of my family and friends to include more fruits and veggies in their diet, and that makes me glad too. Sometimes it can be hard to stay motivated when you aren't sure that you can actually lose the weight and you have never seen anyone else do it.

Some tips for you taylor: I try to do as much cardio as possible. Walks, running, cycling, swimming. I fit in at least 5 hours a week on top of the workout I get at my job. I also train weights 2 times a week, I try for 3 but it usually ends up being twice. This aids in running up stairs without hurting my knees and i work my arms and back because my other training doesn't focus much on these muscle groups. I also do yoga in my spare time, but I have been neglecting that a lot lately. I am going to make more time in my schedule for it though because flexibility is awesome.
-A good bonus to walking or cycling outside is that you also get vitamin D from the sun.

I am a university student so I don't have much extra time to fit in aerobics or things like that. When I lift weights, I usually do 40 minutes of weights and 20 minutes of running (on the treadmill if it is snowy outside.) I do most of my training in the morning before or immediately after work when I feel I have heaps of energy. Then, once I have run around all day, I can ground myself and focus better on my studies and chill out at home or take a tea with some friends.

Yea, thinking about it now, I have gotta say that my life is pretty awesome.
i can't even think of anything more I could do with myself/for myself that could make me happier.

And to think,
I could be one of those overweight zombies at mcdonalds, killing myself with overprocessed meat and hormone-cheese.

*phew*

xoxopeisi -twirling fire-

Thanks so much for your story. Sounds like you are oding so well. What are you studying at school?

xoxo,
Starfruit

well-u look like a model.what a difference-u look very healthy.good for u and thanks for the tips.today-i will be inside alot tending my little grandson.we will be playing lego starwars for hours.ooh!! too fun.u gals are amazing.getting your schooling and doing so many neat things.good story.thanks for sharing.hugs taylor

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Aww taylor, thanks! Your kind words make me smile. You are a doll!

Starfruit- I am studying dentistry. I would like to become a specialist in orthodontics. Where are you from, by the way? I like your signature photo

WOW

What an amazing journey!!

congrats!!!

I am so happy for you and just wish your story could be heard by mainstream!!!

What is your typical food intake?

I am VERY active as well, but I think I am eating WAYY too much!!

Even on 100% raw I consume over 2000 calories EASILY!!!

I've put on about 12 pounds - all around the middle!!! DAMB!!

I gotta slim down to pick up my running time and to look GREAT in a BIKINI!!!

The pic below is me in 04 - VEGAN and cooked ....ya take me back there on RAW

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Hey Rawrnr-
my typical day of food:

I wake up and have a fruit smoothie. I try to include 3 fruits, unless I am having a very lethargic day at home on a sunday or so, then I have two fruits. Also depending on how much I know I will be running around, I put 1/3 cup- 3/4 cup soaked sesame seeds in with my smoothie to make it chewie.

My favourite smoothie is banana-mango-half an orange, 7 or 8 green grapes and some sesame seeds. That gives me awesome energy. If I need a snack, it is some raw chocolate (empress by shazzie is my favourite)

For lunch, I have an apple with almond butter, or a huge chunk of the fig almond bar I make with another fruit, or a raw veggie "burger" recipe I got from detoxyourworld.com. Where I work, they have huge fruit platters for the postal workers, so i nibble often on their dates and grapes and apples. They have the freshest dates at work and I can't find them better anywhere else.

After I get home from work/the gym/class, around 4:30 in the afternoon,especially in the winter time I like to have a large mug of tea. I sweeten it with honey because of my sugar sensitivity, and I add some of the fattest cream I can buy (don't tell the vegans :s ). This is my only unraw pleasure and some days I don't feel the need to drink it at all, but I let myself have it if I want to.

My philosophy is that I live the raw lifestyle- not to exclude foods, but to eat predominantly foods that make me feel good. And the warming effects of the tea are lovely and I don't think it hinders my heath or toxifies me in any way by body can't easily cope with. If and when I am ready to let go of tea, I will. But I put no stress on myself.

For supper, I am rarely very hungry, so this is where I include all my veggies because they are light. I have about 4 cups of different salads- spinach, lettuce, cabbage, ruccola, etc... I have been known to buy a bag of raw mixed salad, rinse it all with water, and nibble on it while watching tv like potato-chips. I also munch on a few sun dried tomatoes, olives, raw pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, a brazil nut for selenium, some diced peppers and cucumber with the skin, and I wash it down with a mineral water if I have any around.

If for some reason I am hungrier, I break open the almond butter and celery, or some walnuts and an extra fruit, a pear or something. My personal preference is to stay away from sweeter fruits in the evening so I sleep better.

I hear a lot about this 80-10-10 diet, but I seem to be follwing more of a 50-40-10 diet. I love the fats (40). I can't eat more than one banana a day because of the sucrose. I get about 1700 calories a day or sometimes 2000 if I feel I need it. I am not gaining weight though, probably because I burn at least 1400 calories in exercise alone a day. I also work at removing the stress from my life as much as possible, as I believe stress adds to weight gain or keeping the weight on. I associate weight with misery. I became fat because I was in pain all the time, I was depressed and I didn't feel like I was worth good health. I did not enjoy life, and I was too afriad/unsure of what to do to help myself. But when I look at myself now, I can see the quality of my life appearing in the condition of my skin and the fitness I have earned.

I am interested in what you are eating to gain weight around the middle? Perhaps you are getting bloated from fruits? Please do tell me what your typical day of eating looks like!

Sorry for the long rant. I get carried away sometimes.
much love,
xoxopeisi


"I'm beginning to see the light.
Here comes two of you;
Which one will you choose?"
...-The Velvet Underground

Peisi you sure did a turn around..I love seeing transformations from sad to raw foods..they are always so dramatic.

You are a beautiful girl..good for you for pulling yourself up to a healhy lifestyle!

Love,
Prism



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/04/2007 02:27AM by Prism.

Hey again!!

Prism- thanks for the kind words!! Is there anywhere I can view your transformation too?

So, last night I went out to celebrate my husbands birthday, and I had a taste of baileys- haven't had that in a long time as I don't drink alcohol. Let's just say, I cannot hold my liquor and one shot was enough for me! Still 95% raw though, as always. For lunch today, I made my favourite raw "burger", with blended ground cashews, sundried tomatoes, yellow pepper, basil, pizza spices and paprika and I used two big thick lettuce leaves as the "bun". I bought some new cactus flavoured mineral water, and it is pretty good too! I am out of organic raw chocolate and I was going to make a new order, but I saw that the shipping fees are insane, so I am emailing the site asking why a parcel less than 1 Kg costs 12 pounds sterling to send from England to Sweden. (I have bought many times from ebay, and a small parcel should only cost 3 pounds, max 4). I hope that the company I shop from can explain this so I can have my chocolate!! My personal favourite is Empress, by shazzie, made with purple corn and real gold

Cos I am a princess. :p

What else, mmm.... Both my mom and aunt have decided to try going 50% raw because I have inspired them! I am glad, because they are both very obese and they should take care of themselves before they end up dying. My mom has already had to have her gallbladder removed and they both have so many physical "illnesses" that I am positive would disappear if they included more fruits and veggies and got rid of all the white bread, sugar, processed meats and saturated fats. We'll see though. To each his own, yes?

Did some extra cycling on Friday to and from work and I am going to do the same on Monday. People I work with are always so surprised that I not only run around up and down at work without getting tired, but now I am cycling for 45 minutes to and from work as well. The energy I have is always so unreal.

Well, I am going to enjoy the rest of my weekend now!
Take care everyone!
pusshej
xxpeisi

Wow..that's great, you are an inspiration. I should post my before raw and while on raw pics. I still have to stabilize my raw food intake, and quit any cooked foods. I'll get there. I tried posting a pic on the picture thread..you can see me there..if you click the link I posted.

I need to go thru my photo albums..and I'll look for one of me just before I went raw and one when I got to size 12..now I'm 30 lbs. heavier..and need to lose that plus the last 20 lbs. Ugg..50 lbs to lose!

I can do it, I can do it, I can do it..hahahaha..

Love,
Prism

Hello there...sounds like youa re still doing an amazing job keep up the good work!!
love sachelle
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Hello again!
Still eating raw and loving it. Ate some mache salad today with lemon-cucumbers and spicy sun-dried tomatoes And I am about to make some more of my fig-almond bar, mmmm!

Kind of had a bad experience with detoxyourworld.com that I feel like sharing to get it off my chest. I work for the post office, and I know quite a bit about, well... postage. So it struck me a bit odd that the postage I should pay to order 12 of shazzie's chocolate bars was 12 GBP, when each bar only weighs 65g. I emailed detoxyourworld to ask about this, and the following is the dialogue we had:

ME*******
message: Hello,
My name is "Peisi" and I live in Göteborg, Sweden. I order quite a lot of
things overseas, and I was wondering why a parcel weighing less than a kilo
(12 of shazzies bars), costs 12 pounds sterling in shipping? It seems a bit much. Is there any other shipping method you could use- as I would very much like to
buy these bars regularly, but I think the shipping is too high.

Thank you,
Peisi

RESPONSE********
Hi

The bars weigh more than 1kg

The postage Royal Mail

Is 7.00 plus 3.50 international signed for.

So no the postage is not to much

Love

Denise
x

ME**********

Hello again,

I don't understand how 12 bars that weigh 65 grams can be more than 780 g, which is not a kilo. A kilo is 1000g. The plastic wrapping of the bars and the white box they were sent to me in last time wouldn't even push this over 1 kg. Please explain to me what makes the parcel heavier? Also, the costs you gave me only equal up to 10.50 pounds, but when I try to order, it says 12.

I would really like to order 12 of your bars, but the postage costs have me confused. It somehow was less expensive for me to ship a 450 g jar of almond butter as well as 3 bars (it cost 9 pounds). This I can understand this because the jar was heavier, but paying one pound for shipping on top of every 65 gram bar seems unreasonable to me.

10.50 sounds right but that is not what it says I should pay on the site, I have attached a photo to show you. I hope you can help me fix this so that I can order these yummy bars today. I have no problem with paying 10.50, but as it is now, this is not the case when I try to purchase them.

Thanks for the help,
Peisi

RESPONSE*******

Hi

I do understand your comments, however I have just weighed 12 bars with the wrapping and they where 1.4k.

If £1.50 means that much to you I will refund it to you when you place the order. Please mark on your order “see denise”.

Love

Denise
x

ME********
Hi,

thanks! I just don't like to pay more for things than they cost.
Starving student, you know.

I paid with paypal and sent the order today,

thanks again,
Peisi



Does anyone think that this Lady, Denise, was trying to make me feel bad because I didn't want to pay more postage than was necessary? I almost opted not to buy them because of this treatment. I don't know. Maybe I am being a bit too sensitive, but I think there is something a bit fishy about not being able to account for all the charges on a product, or explaining how something weighs twice as much as it should.
-I am definately going to weigh this product at the scales I have at work to check, and I am going to talk with my boss as well, to find about if this is legal- to be charging more than they should for postage.

I don't know. I don't have a good feeling. Denise might have been trying to be helpful by refunding my 1.50 GBP, but I picked up a bit of sarcasm and negativity with this correspondance, and I have to ask myself: Do I really want to continue to buy a product from someone who is casting this type of energy towards me?

What do you guys think? Am I being a cheap baby?

Much love to you all anyway,
xxyour unrich swedish miss,
xxpeisi

well-i think u had reason to question the weigh...and ask and i think u should not worry about what she thinks but what u know is right or wrong and accept whatever she offers.i mean...if she made u feel bad.u have a right to not buy those bars anymore.i would weigh them if you do.you know like i read say a bag of apple s in the store that says it weighs 5 pounds-well-u should weigh them all.some weigh more than 5 pounds and u could get a better buy with bags weighing more than 5 pounds.well-i would not worry.if anything -u let them know u are aware of the wrong poundage and are weighing.so maybe they can watch what they send u.maybe they are making bars a slight bit smaller-thinking no one would notice.we take so much for granted.like if it says it weighs s certain amount?we just trust this.i know for so long i would just assume coffee was in 39 oz. cans-then one day i saw coffee a bit cheaper and could not get over it.it was 34 oz.so i think u were right-a student trying to get thru and noticing something wrong. good for you!! hugs taylor

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Today's Mental Note:

One banana and two kiwis do NOT make a good smoothie.
I think the acid ate my throat.
*cough cough*

That is all.


xxpeisi

dear peisi-how are u gal??well-thanks for the warning about the banana's and the kiwi together.does sound like it should be good though huh?what did u decide to do about the bars??well-u sure are amazing.what made u decide to change to raw and loose your weight??have a great day-hugs taylor

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Hey Taylor!

I am doing really well! Walked for about an hour this morning to get to the gym, and then ran 30 mins and lifted some weights. Tomorrow morning will be Yoga and then class.

I did buy the bars, but I haven't got the refund for them yet. They should arrive in the mail tomorrow or the next day, so we will see. Although I have been hearing a lot of negative talk about raw chocolate in general, and how even "raw" chocolate producers cannot guarantee that it is in fact raw, due to the fermenting of the beans. So perhaps it is time to move on from chocolate after this last purchase?

I might try the banana-kiwi smoothie again, but with a banana, and avocado and just one kiwi. Maybe the fat in the avocado will take away from the acid in the kiwi?

I decided to change to raw for two reasons:
1) I suffer kidney problems and cannot have a diet high in protein, so I wanted to eat in a way that would ease my kidney problems.
2)to lose weight and get rid of my food addictions. I am a comfort eater, but now I have changed my definition of comfortable.

Last night, however, I ate at my husbands parents and ate a cooked meal. It made me throw up- we had pork in a rich peppar sauce, very cheesy potat au gratin, bread and a semla for desert (an eclair I believe in English). Very fatty, extremely huge portions, and I tried to eat the same everyone else did, but it made me so sick. I could probably have handled the meat with a salad, or the potatoes with a salad, but both potatoes and meat with no salad ruined my insides. Today I am farty and my stomach is grumbling a lot as well. I am just not cut out for the standard diet I suppose.

What made you decide to become raw, taylor? How did you get exposed to the idea?

much love from sverige,
xxpeisi

well-i had health problems also.for about 2 yrs. i was so sick-i could barely walk. i bloated up to 245(now i am at 180-i was 175 but the vacation food fest i did to myself cause yes!! i am a comfort food gal too).the dr.s thought i had cancer.i was on high cholrestrol meds and also had high blood pressure and also pre-diabetic.plus on pain killers for arthritis.i use to be a vegetarian inthe hipy era and also vegan.i went back to that in oct. of 2006.i was told by the dr. no salt,no sugar and low fat.i went back to vegetarian-then the next month vegan.now in jan.raw. i lost 70 pounds since oct 18th of 06.well-now back to 65 pounds.agh.anyway. my goal is 150 maybe less. when u get old-everything tends to sag-and shrivel.so i have to not worry about ideal weight but what i look like to myself.anyway-that is it. i sure would take the discount they offer u gal.they have all kinds of tricky ways to maybe not raise the price of things and all along-they have taken a bit of the bar away and hoping no one would notice.boy-i hear ya on the eating thing like at your in-laws.i am trying to do the same.get better health and control my weight and eating issues.hug s and thank u for sharing your story with me.oh iam off all medications and now i walk 5 miles and more and i kickbox.i feel way better.taylor

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Oh man isn't it crazy how one cooked meal can effect you so negitivley. It always suprises me. Ugh that just happened to me today .well you are doing great and you are so beautiful. OH an d i don't hink you are crazy at all about the bar thing .Way to question them.

xoxo,
Starfruit

well -it sounds like u are getting over the food from the in-laws.agh. i gained 5 pounds from a couple of days of vacation.agh.so i am not doing anymore eating of bad stuff.i wish it was warmer here. it is soo cold all the time. i am hoping for a warm spring.but it always rains and rains and rains some more.our summer usually starts around mid-july.what is the weather like where u are peisi?seems u are doing very well. everyone seems to get so much exercise. so amazing.hugs taylor

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hey there....i know the cooked food is the devil haha..it gets you every time...one big sin lol ....anyways i went through that today and i had been doing so good raw for a while now...nothing like you though...anyways keep up the great work and i hope you feel better after the cook!! sounds like you are doing well
take care
love sachelle
xoxoxoxoxoxox

hey gal-how are u today??busy,i'll bet with your working and exercise and hubby and schooling.a busy gal.hugs and have a great day.taylor

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Hello again guys!

Taylor- I think it is ok to gain 5 pounds while on vacation. It will come off again once you set into your regular routing

Starfruit- I saw your pictures that you have posted! You have such nice ivory skin! Very beautiful

Sachelle- Yes, I really did do too much on the cooked food that evening, but I did get sick so only maybe a portion of it stayed in my tummy. The next day, I felt very tired and extremely hungry, so I made a very (disgusting) healthy green juice to get some vitamins back in me. I think I am getting back to normal now. Some yoga always helps.

I decided to fit yoga back into my very busy schedule, and go twice a week on tuesdays and thursdays. Maybe practice a bit at home on sundays. I went to the gym today with an overweight friend, and I couldn't believe how much she ate, only in the morning before yoga! She had cereal with milk, and a sesame bun with ham and cheese, tomatoes and a drink, and it wasn't even 10 yet. I think the most I eat in the mornings is max. 4 fruits if I am very hungry, and some sesame seeds. Even when I wasn't raw, I couldn't eat a lot in the morning. My tummy is still sleeping then!

The bars should come in the mail. Let's hope they didn't cook them before sending as a form of revenge for my questioning them. :p Still haven't got the refund yet though.

Now I am getting hungry, so time for some lunch!
Take care everyone!
kisses from a swedish missus
xxpeisi

HI there.....hmm overdueing it...i overdid it on cooked yesterday...and i even ate less kcals then most people consume in a day and it was vegan...so i guess it was okay i am trying not to beat myself up over it anymore...but last night i was sooooo soooo sick i couldn't sleep my tummy really hurt blah....anyways i like yoga but i am one to get bored fast if we aren't swinging around or jumping and moving haha....i missed my dance classes this week because of the overnight work...and it was sad because i just had the regular gym routine anyways....a lot of people eat in themorning....they actually recommend eating more in the morning and lighter for lunch and dinner because it gives you energy and your body burns it.....but i usually don't get hungry till around 1 or 2 or sometimes 4 or 6...so it all depends on how i feel too i am with you....hmm hopefully you will receive the refund...even though it is a small amount the fact is the owner/manager replied that she would be giving you the refund and she needs to follow through on her word
well keep us posted on how the situation with the bars go..
take care
love sachelle
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

lol-too funny peisi!!cooked bars for revenge. hee hee! that got me tickled.well-i lost 2 pounds-thank goodness i did not go on vacation for a week.i probably would of gained all my lost weight back.so now instead of 175-i am back at 178 again.so need to go easy.it is hard isn't it??to loose weight and be on this. i am going to a potluck on sat.i made cookies-out of nuts.and a pie crust-out of nuts.agh.i will not eat all day but that evening i will take one sliver of the pie i am making to just taste it.boy-u young gals exercise so much it make smy head swim.ok-i need to go for another walk.need to keep moving.thanks for the inspiring me.hugs and take care-taylor

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