What I'm Thankful For...

I am of course thankful for my family and loved ones, for the comforts of a warm and dry house (and grateful to my husband who was able to put a new roof on the back room when it started leaking last week).

This past year my health has improved tremendously and I feel younger now at 49 than I was 20 years ago. So a big thanks to Isagenix for that.  GOOD NEWS! I lost 90lbs as of Tuesday and weighed myself again this am (post Thanksgiving) and maintained so I am determined NOT to see that scale go up again - I need to reach my 100lb goal!

So beyond those basic things I am most grateful for... here is my top 10 list:

1. $10/month at Planet Fitness (no contract - can't beat that -- today I stayed 1 hour on the elliptical machine and skipped the weights so I could watch the lost footage of the Atlanta Housewives :-) 
2. Black Champion brand yoga pants from Target - they look good at the gym and are comfortable and stylish enough to wear around town (stretchy so still fit as I lose weight) and under $20
3. Friends who thank me (sometimes with tears in their eyes) for introducing them to Isagenix - it solidifies my decision to keep sharing this with people
4. DVRs - there are shows I really like to watch and rarely get to see them in real time so the DVR comes to the rescue and I can watch my shows later and fast forward through the commercials
5. Internet - although sometimes a big time-waster, it has allowed me to connect with old friends and make new ones across the miles. A college roommate just found me on FaceBook - she is a specialty costumer in Hollywood. Because of the Internet I got to see her resume and all the movies she has worked on - pretty cool.
6. This may sound crazy but I am really thankful for good clean filtered water to drink everyday that comes from my own well!
7. I am thankful that my kids are getting more self-sufficient and allowing me more time- freedom. It was a hard adjustment to have kids at age 38 and 40 because I had led such an independent life.
8. I know I already said I was thankful for family and loved ones but my mom deserves an extra shout-out - she is the best role model I could ask for and I am eternally grateful for her love and support!
9. My Isagenix Citibank VISA card is convenient and has come in handy to pay for things that I wouldn't necessarily be able to justify. The company loads the card each Monday as commissions are earned and an email shows up in my inbox to notify me.
10. Finally, I am grateful to have the opportunity to earn an unlimited stream of additional income while working from home at my own pace while helping other people get healthy! I can't really call it "work."

13 Month Progress: 85 pounds and 86.6 inches

I have to take a new photo - this is from last month!

This month FLEW by!! I lost a few pounds but have basically been hovering from 80-89lbs lost.  Although I've been working out religiously 3x per week (strength training and cardio) I have only lost 1 inch (from the locations where I am measuring). 

My body is comfortable here but maybe it doesn't realize that I'm not stopping here - I have other plans. I have to keep remembering that it's been a long 22 years since my body has been this size.  

So it seems that all this working out would lead to pounds/inches LOST, right? I would think so.  I have to assume it's the non-Isagenix food I'm eating. 

I know I have gotten off track a little with grabbing chips (even healthier cracker versions) because it's about 150 calories for 12 chips and I usually have more than that. Plus a few Sunday nights that I just went crazy on carbs (English muffins, bread, bagels - stuff I never crave all week). I definitely have to be more mindful of what I'm snacking on.  The IsaDelight chocolates are a LIFESAVER - they are the ONLY chocolate I can eat one of and be satisfied -really!

I have ordered the Accelerators again (didn't have them for a while but in the past it didn't seem to tilt the scale either way but other people swear by them and I did use them religiously in the beginning) plus I am going to use the IsaPro more regularly. I do sprinkle some in my shakes everyday but now I am going to always do 1 scoop IsaLean and 1 scoop IsaPro (the extra protein is supposed to help stubborn weight loss - hello).  I've also heard lots of people say they use the IsaCalcium (I have some of that but don't love the taste - a little too sweet). I will figure out a way to incorporate it.  From what I've learned, there is some nutritional component that people find that gives them that extra boost. For my last plateau it was the IsaOmegas. I still take them. 

Will I STOP TAKING ISAGENIX because I am not losing weight?  Absolutely not - if I stop what has worked it's obvious what would happen. TEMPORARY EFFORTS GET TEMPORARY RESULTS no matter what you do.  I will always have to be mindful of what I eat - especially when I get to my goal weight. The great thing is that I have a low calorie - but super nutritious - food with Isagenix.  Your body doesn't mind fewer calories as long as it's getting the nutrition it wants.

Headache on Isagenix Cleanse

I can count on two fingers the number of headaches I ever have in any given year so I guess I am lucky because lots of my friends/relatives complain of headaches. So when I started using Isagenix it was no different - not one headache.

Of course everyone is different but 90% of everyone I've coached through cleansing has been fine. Some have extra energy from the B vitamins (like me), some are more tired as their body is working hard to cleanse and some do have headaches during the Isagenix cleanse.

A friend of a friend is doing her first cleanse today and I heard she has a headache... so it prompted me to write this blog about Isagenix Cleanse Symptoms. The body is releasing toxins at a much quicker rate than normal and is going through withdrawal (especially if you had a diet which included caffeine, sugar). As with any addictive substance when you stop putting it in your body, your body reacts in ways that aren't always positive.  I don't think anyone has every had headaches when they stopped eating broccoli (haha).  Unfortunately, the more junk that's in your body, the worse you may feel.  The good news is that any unpleasantness should pass within a few days and your body will thank you in the long run.

Famous People Taking Isagenix - Ashley Abbott from Young and the Restless

Our society is very interested in what "famous" people are doing - I am one of those people. I love reality so I guess that's why.  I have blogged in the past about famous people who are doing Isagenix so I started a separate label to categorize them all.

The latest is soap opera vet Eileen Davidson, best known for playing Ashley Abbott on The Young and the Restless.  She is quoted in an interview saying she uses the Isagenix IsaLean shakes.

LINK to article. Note: sometimes this link doesn't work - not sure why.

I get more validation of the products from my own results and the results of the hundreds of other people I've met in person and on line through Isagenix but it's always fun to see someone famous using it.

Can You Eat Just One Chip or One Cookie??

Most of us know what it feels like to fall under the spell of food - when one cookie turns into ten or a handful of chips leads to an empty bag.  It's hard to understand why we can't seem to stop eating - even when we know better. When we want so badly to say "no," why do we continue to reach for food?

We wonder why we have no willpower and blame ourselves for having no self control and being undisciplined.  The End of Overeating by David Kessler (former Commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration who also served as the Dean of the medical schools at Yale and the University of California) explains why.

Before you think to yourself that this is another way for people to avoid personal responsibility, let me tell you that this book is well documented and explains how certain foods actually override our conscious will and drive us to continue to consume them. This is a biological phenomenon that mimics alcohol or tobacco addiction. Most people are addicted to sugar, fat, and salt or any combination of two. 

It also explains why, even after months and years later we can have food relapses. Careful monitoring of the consumption of sugar/fat/salty foods is a life-long commitment.  It's no wonder that there aren't people complaining that they are compulsively eating string beans.

When I gave up sugar two years ago another (junk) food took its place - chips. You don't think of them as having sugar, but the simple sugars in the potato covered with fat and topped with salt are a deadly chemical combination that triggers an insatiable desire to consume all of the potato chips. The same thing happens with tortilla chips or bread. You can't even tell when you are satiated, because the combination of the fat, sugar, and salt overrides the ability for the body to create satiety signals to get you to stop eating. Soooo true - for me anyway, after eating chip I don't have a feeling of fullness or being satiated that I do when I have my shake.

This book opened my eyes to the powerful effect certain foods can have on my brain and that I need to be forever mindful when consuming them. What I have now that I didn't have then was a complete source of nutrition that satisfies my body and gives my willpower a fighting chance.