Sunday, December 26, 2010

Milestone approaching...

My 50th birthday is fast approaching - Feb. 1st.  I AM going to reach my goal of losing 100lbs by this milestone, then I still have an additional goal of 20-25 more lbs to go!  Posting it here brings me that much closer to accomplishing it (the reason I started this blog) because putting something in writing/saying it out loud/committing to it makes it more likely to happen - "what you think about you bring about."

Yesterday was Christmas and I didn't have a shake all day (we had a special "waffle Santa" breakfast) - how did I feel at the end of the day? Yuk, my body was not smiling inside.  Luckily today is a new day and I have everything I need to continue on... 

I have the New Year's Resolution "Solution" with Isagenix but I need to commit to a few other things...
1. going to bed no later than 11:30pm to ensure I am getting at least 7 hrs of sleep (as simple as this sounds in comparison to eating healthy, it's the hardest for me)
2. getting at least 8 of my 20oz water bottles each day - this is close to my body weight in ounces (relatively easy for me, I always get at least 1/2 my body weight in ounces but want to get more)
3. watching my snacks (make them more frequent and lower in calories)

Other things I am trying are mixing IsaPro with the regular shake and taking the IsaPro with IsaCalcium at night before (the later is not something I've been able to do - don't like the taste of the strawberry taste of the calcium, too sweet) but that has been reported to be a boost in stubborn fat loss.

I am also going to do the Peak 8 workout - I heard about this from a few places and my friend Dale's son (a personal trainer) told us about it. It's only 20 minutes 3x per week but it will get you in top shape - click above to view a video that makes it easy to understand.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Weight Watchers practically invented accountability... but Isagenix has personalized it

I had a few more thoughts on Weight Watchers - in my last post I talked about why it didn't work for me and why it really wasn't a sound nutrition-based weight loss plan.

Today I started thinking about what I believe to be the BEST thing that WW has done over the years that has proven successful:

She doesn't look like anyone I ever saw at a WW meeting.


Accountability - WW invented the concept of people going to weekly meetings to weigh in. While it embarrasses some people (thankfully I always had non-judgmental WW counselors), it works to keep people on track! WW also made a point of applauding those who got results and supporting those who needed extra encouragement. The meetings, more than the points, I feel is what has made WW the most popular weight loss plan.  I also did the WW plan online as others do but that also has it's own built-in accountability.

It's probably no coincidence that one of the reasons people love Isagenix is because there is so much accountability and support. It is purposely NOT sold at retail because people do best when they are helped by someone who wants them to succeed (like WW). Personally I was accountable to Dr J (my "coach") then I got tremendous support from his parents, Dale and others I met when I went to some local meetings. I was applauded at meetings for losing weight (who doesn't like that) then of course I won 2nd place in the IsaBody Challenge. Right now I find a lot of support and encouragement from Isagenix people all across the country... I am friends with many on FaceBook, belong to the FB IsaBody Accountability Group and enjoy Jean Faber's Call for Hope each Wed. 9:30pm 218-862-1300 Access Code 98421. Jean has lost over 200lbs and came in 1st in the IsaBody Challenge for women age 50+. 

There is a lot of personal accountability and support within the Isagenix community IF you choose it. There are people who've suffered personal loss and tragedies that led to weight gain, others who are athletes trying to perfect their bodies, others who are emotional eaters like me - there are many tribes of Isagenix people out there who connect and support each other.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Weight Watchers Changes Point System

I have been on the Weight Watchers system many times in my past and it did work temporarily but all the fat free WW muffins, desserts and fat free cool whip just kept me addicted to sweets. And now I know that all the chemicals and preservatives in all that processed food were not doing my body any good.  Plus, in my opinion as a professional dieter, I have seen that cleansing is the missing link in the weight loss mystery!

Anyone who has been on WW (and who hasn't) knows that things like almonds and olive oil (extremely healthy) are not encouraged because the points are too high (due to the fat). The world of WW is basically lots of artificial sweeteners and with high points for fats like nuts and olive oil.

So news that they have updated their point system to address this was encouraging. An article in today's NYT talks about the changes, they are "based on scientific findings about how the body processes different foods," in other words, processed, fake foods are not as good and therefore are higher in points.

On the old point system, they would consider a large apple (2 points) = to an Oreo(R) pak (2 points).  Under the new point system the apple is 0 points and the cookies are 3 points.

No wonder a lot of people embraced the WW program (including me) - we could eat lots of sugar free pudding with fat free whipped cream, cookies and muffins and think we were in diet heaven.Yes, we lost weight but did it teach us to eat healthy food?  It sure tasted good but had little or NO NUTRITIONAL value.


WW now acknowledges that the type of food you eat will affect energy and feelings of hunger and fullness.  

I have to admit when I was on WW that I thought eating their muffins, cakes, frozen dinners and snacks was too good to be true, I think they have addressed some of this now with the point changes although they still produce lots of processed foods.