Saturday, May 22, 2010

Prevention Magazine - Metabolism Boosters... need to break this plateau!

So I weigh myself on Saturday mornings and I am still STUCK at 71lbs.  I am not panicked but DO want to continue the weight loss to reach my goal of 100lbs!!

I saw a TODAY SHOW segment this week with Al Roker and someone from Prevention magazine spoke about 10 Diet Blunders that Slow Metabolism (especially for us older women as our metabolism naturally slows down as we age).

There is a link to watch this segment above or here is the list and you can also find more info on each item on the magazine's web site.  I reviewed each item to see how I am faring...

These are Prevention Magazine's list that SLOWS METABOLISM:
1. You don't eat enough - not a problem with Isagenix, it is NOT an ultra-low calorie diet
2. You avoid caffeine - I do avoid caffeine (the founder John Anderson has some research on this plus coffee is highly acidic) but I have stopped taking the Accelerator and that is a natural metabolism booster with green tea - much better and does have a tiny bit of caffeine*
3. Your carbs are white - I have already eliminated most white carbs
4. Your water is room temperature - I ALWAYS drink iced water, love it
5. Your food is covered with pesticides - YES! they've recognized a MAJOR cause of stubborn fat - they explain that Canadian researchers report that dieters with the most pollutants from pesticides (which are stored in fat cells) experience a greater than normal dip in metabolism as they lose weight and that pesticides can trigger weight gain. Isagenix is WAY ahead on all this, enter their Cleanse for Life.*
6. Your meal lacks protein - got that covered with the superior whey protein in the IsaLean shakes
7. Your diet needs to pump iron - my diet has iron so I am fine with this - let's also add to that resistance training (not doing that yet)*
8. You're missing this crucial vitamin - Vit D - I am already taking 1000iu each day
9. You've had one tipple too many - don't drink alcohol so that's not an issue
10. You're not getting enough dairy - they are talking about calcium, I've been trying to incorporate IsaCal into shakes (this strawberry powder is a little too sweet for me)*

*My action steps to bust this plateau:

  • start taking the Accelerators again (I did in the beginning but stopped), I already ordered them
  • I am due for another 2-day cleanse so my body has the chance to really release toxins from my fat (then the fat loss follows)
  • I will more consistently take the IsaCalcium
  • I will "pump iron"/add the weights for my upper body
  • plus, I recently spoke to Larry Fuchs Jr - the first person in the Isagenix 200lb club (he's kept it off for 6 years). I sought his advice and, too much to detail now, but is a very caring person and I appreciated the time he spent talking with me

Monday, May 17, 2010

7 Month Progress: 71 lbs and 66.5 inches

I have remained almost exactly the same this past month.  This puts me a little off-schedule to lose 100 pounds by August 17 but I haven't been this weight in about 20 years so I can understand the need for my body to just take a break.  I now look at food differently - as nutrition vs. a "fix" to cure stress, boredom, saddness, etc.  This book I bought (see last entry) is helping with the emotions behind eating (I'm halfway through and will report on it once I finish reading).

The great news this month is that I used my Isagenix VISA card to pay for a trip to NYC to see Wicked with my daughter. It was her birthday present and something we were both looking forward to (I wouldn't have been able to justify this expense without this extra stream of income).  I have not only helped myself get healthier but helped many other people and that is deeply gratifying. But the fact that the company compensates me to do this is icing on the cake! If everyone got paid each time we recommended something (a play, a restaurant, a new movie - we'd all be rich)!

As everyone already knows, Wicked is a mega-hit musical so make plans to see it if you haven't already.  But if you are ever in the city on a Saturday you MUST get tickets to attend the Wicked - Behind the Emerald Curtain tour (10am each Sat, LINK). It was GREAT - Sean McCourt and Anthony Galde are both veterans of the theatre and of Wicked and gave a very entertaining and insightful view of what goes in to making a show (doesn't matter if you've seen Wicked) - this is a look behind the curtain at all the other talents involved in putting on shows.   We are on our way to the theatre in this photo - luckily for the driver of this bike, I am 71 pounds lighter because of Isagenix!!

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Oprah's Dieting Breakthrough (aired May 12, 2010)

I HAD to watch this show when Oprah claimed in the promos that is was a miracle for people struggling with weight.  The main idea is to STOP dieting. People who eat when they are  hungry, sad, bored, anxious beat themselves up for not having the willpower. Emotional pain, anxiety and other uncomfortable feelings are soothed with food.  However, the food is a temporary drug and the feelings haven't gone away so there is a double-bad feeling which includes the guilt/regret of eating too much of the wrong foods.   

The author of Women, Food and God wrote a book that Oprah believes has helped her and will help others. People need to get to the root of why they are using food to suppress feelings. This is something I've done all my life (I remember a particularly stressful job at Premier Cruises when I would go to the vending maching and get huge chocolate muffins when things got too crazy). 

According to Oprah, the "God" part is not necessarily religious but has to do with a "disonnection from center of self" (God) as the reason for all problems.
What does STOP DIETING mean?  It means to eat to feed the body nutrition, not just "food" and think about food differently - thankfully that's what Isagenix is teaching me to do. The Isagenix food is pure nutrition - feeding my body the best food on earth (the basis of what eating is about)!  I also eat store bought food and I look at that in a different way now - again, more for nutritional value.

There is another key to all this... I truely believed that I had NO willpower, until I realized that it was certain foods (that had no nutritional value) that had the power over ME.  Put good food in your body and it won't crave junk food. CLEANSE to get rid of the toxins that your body is holding on to.  Listen to Dr Nicole Kafka (an attending surgeon at both Beth Israel Medical Center and Lennox Hill Hospital in New York City), she simply explains why cleansing is the key!

Thursday, May 6, 2010

President's Panel - Chemicals Cause Cancer!!!!

Hopefully everyone reading this already knew or at least suspected that many of the cancers people are getting are from exposure to chemicals.

From today's New York Times... "the President's Cancer Panel has joined ranks with the organic food movement and declared: chemicals threaten our bodies."  Read this groundbreaking news...

41% of people will get cancer in their lives (almost half of us). Our liver is desinged to filter out toxins and impurities but has a difficult time with the onslaught of chemicals we are exposed to everyday (increasing dramatically over the past 50 years). 

Stop eating for a day (or two) and give your body the chance to cleanse itself (Isagenix is not a colon cleanse, and you won't be starving your body).  The Isagenix Cleanse for Life helps to support your body to rid itself of harmful impurities while nourishing it with 27 vital nutrients, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Plus, the IsaDelight dark chocolates are part of the cleanse day - can't beat that.

I told you this stuff isn't "diet" food - it's super nutrition.  Everyone should give their body the chance to cleanse! Toxins are also believed to be the reason why people have stubborn fat (see prior post on that from the Dr Oz show).  Thank you to John Anderson, the "mineral man" and true visionary, who developed this product!

Link to short video on Cleanse For Life

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Confession, my weight loss streak has been broken...

I was able to lose weight EVERY week for 6 months but the streak is broken (I guess it was bound to happen). I had lost another 2lbs last week and gained them this week so still down 71lbs (but was down 73).

I had already recognized that I needed to add exercise regularly in order to get to my goal of 100lbs. So this week my daughter and I started a "fat free yoga" CD workout every morning. We really like it and are going to stick with that! In addition I'll do more walking (which I love but find it hard to schedule in the time).

So what went wrong this week? I definitely know I ate a few times past the point of being full at dinner (because I liked the taste).  Not eating "bad" foods, just a little too much.  Most people will admit that they just eat too much (just not getting that feeling of being satisfied). The good thing is that the shakes actually satisfy me nutritionally so there are no real cravings for food like before. 

I also think I need to keep up with the water (which I love and am religious about) but have lately been not as thoughtful about it.  Am I worried about this? Absolutely not - this is life, there will be ups and downs...but now I have a proven way to handle it.