Back again?

 Here we are....almost 10 years from when I started this blog. Why am I back? What happened?

Life and reality happened. As much as I loved the Isagenix system and firmly believe it could have "fixed" my weight issues way back then.....the truth is it simply wasn't sustainable and affordable for our family.  I developed an intolerance to the taste of the cleanse products and could not justify spending money on a product that I could not take. I honestly tried all kinds of methods to get over my dislike. They offered a liquid form, I tried plugging my nose and just bolting that back, followed immediately by a glass of water to cleanse the pallet. Eventually I just gave up. 

And of course, time and life moved on and the pounds I lost crept back on. Over the past 10 years I've been fairly good at maintaining my weight. I go up 10 lbs and back down 10 lbs, year to year. I found an exercise program that works for me - Water Aerobics! I love the water and in Guam's heat, there is no better place to work out! 

Sadly with the pandemic, pools have been closed for well over a year now. But, I do live on a tropical island where it is summer year round. And we are surrounded by the ocean! So I braved my fear of squishy things in the sand and began going to Matapang beach to continue my water exercises. I've made friends with the fish and thoroughly enjoy the salt water's effects on my skin. You would think it would be drying, but honestly, after a year of 3-4 times a week hour long swims, my skin feels amazing! 

But alas I still need to lose weight. My muscles are quite toned and friends say my butt doesn't jiggle when I walk. My knees are not nearly as sore as they used to be. I still have issues with sciatica pain in both hips and I can retain water if I am not careful about salt intake and moving! 

This past week I decided to revisit one of the weight loss programs I tried a few years back. Noom. It's an online motivational app that analyzes the why's of what you eat and why you eat and gives you some tools to help keep you focused. When I tried it before, I lost about 10 lbs (that same 10 I keep losing and gaining...) but again, it cost money and just wasn't really something I felt I needed to keep paying for to keep me focused. 

Well, as these things do, a 90% off for the year offer came up in my inbox, and thinking I needed another boost in the right direction I decided to go for it. It came with a 2 week free trial and I'm nearing the end of the 2nd week. Honestly, that first week I barely opened the app. As soon as I hit that food logging aspect I balked. 

So here's where I decided to revisit this blog. I love to write. I'm good at it. I need to do it more. And I do find that when I write out my feelings/issues/anxieties then I deal with them better. My issue with food logging stems from two things. It takes time (silly excuse I know, we waste time daily and I could figure this one out). It's complicated. Not all foods I eat can be found on the lists. Inputting each item and amount and calculating the calories? I just am not going to do that. I know this about myself. 

But here's where Noom is different than most diets. It categorizes foods as green, yellow, or red. And it's not to say that one color is better than the other (though green does imply a better choice in foods). What it suggests is that you eat more foods in the green category than the red category.  The colors are all based on caloric density. So red foods are more dense in calories. meaning you can eat less of that food for the same amount of calories you can eat much more of in the other categories. 

I don't like that Isagenix shakes are put in the red category because my brain still sees red foods as "bad" foods. I think that may have been one reason I quit Noom before besides the cost. Oh, yeah, I'm still drinking my Isagenix shakes. I admit, that I love them and as soon as I could I got myself back in the system and I only order those now. One canister a month. Because I don't take them every day this works for me and gives me my quick morning breakfast I need when I really don't want to take the time to prepare food. 

So in order to make this work for me there are a few things I plan on doing. First of all, I will quit stressing about the food logging and just do the best I can. Yesterday I made homemade French dip and when logging it in, the calories listed was 691! But it put it as a yellow food. Now honestly I think that if I broke down the sandwich and logged it in by individual components then the calorie count would be much less. But you know what? I'm not supposed to be stressing over calories! I just need to be making the habits to trying to eat more healthy and to move more and to drink more water. Eat less sugar. Don't stress over food! 

Drinking water and moving more are my other two goals. I've definitely gotten lax in these areas but I can fix it! 

So here's to a new beginning. Cheers.

25 lbs? Are you there?

Well, it's been another month. A slow month. I'd like to refer to it as a maintenance month. Makes me feel better.

I had so hoped to lose a steady 10 lbs per month  on this journey. The goal seems so far away as it is and the desire to reach it as fast as possible is strong. But there is also an underlying goal to make it stick this time. No more rebounds, you know?

So I try to remain positive and keep the focus. That ticker tape at the top has been inching along .2lbs at a time.  When entering today's weight I saw that I'm only .2 lbs shy of a personal goal I had going to hit 25lbs total weight loss. Almost there.

I know I can do it. There are certain things I resist doing that if only I could make myself do, then success will be easier. I have all the head knowledge to lose weight. I know about food intake and energy output and the correlation between the two. I understand about healthy foods and foods that are not healthy. About the dangers of junk food and eating for the sake of eating. I admit to being an emotional eater.

Now comes the time to start dealing with these things. One thing I have really resisted is the dreaded food journal. Too me, it always seems to put the focus on food. And makes me acutely aware of food and makes me want to cram it into my mouth. Or seek out things I know are bad for me. However, I need to get over these thoughts and just focus on living and eating naturally. So I did it. I wrote down my food journal for the day. Including where I was on the hunger scale (though I still have to really work on that one and figure out exactly what my hunger cues are). And any emotions behind what I ate.

So the first step is taken. I am reminded that it takes baby steps to move in this losing weight business. And to focus on the positives.

Not sure what to think

Something interesting happened this week and I'm not sure how to react or respond. One of the things I love about Isagenix is the support I get through a private facebook group. I even find myself giving encouragement to other "cleansers" and that helps to encourage me as well.

Recently a man named "T" joined the group (in the interest of not raising waves I will not give his real name). He claims to be a naturopathic doctor or at least a very knowledgeable person in the area of holistic medicine. Well that excited me. I love to pick the brains of people who have spent years researching health issues and natural medicines. He had his own private facebook group that talked about natural medicines and healing and so several of us from the Isagenix group joined his group.

Lots of great information there and I was really happy to be part of a knowledgeable crowd of people. One thing that T posted on the Isagenix group, was that he had lost 7.7 lbs in his first 3 days of his 30 day cleanse. I commented "why is it always the men that lose weight so easily?" and was given a response that men have more lean muscle mass and that tends to help them lose the weight easier. My husband has proven that to me. He can go a day without eating and lose weight. I go a day without eating and my body thinks it's in starvation mode and anything I do eat the next day gets immediately stored as fat and I gain weight.

Well, a few days later T announces on his private board that he has quit Isagenix because it almost put him in a hypoglycemic coma - his blood sugars went way too low. So I posted "did you follow the program properly and eat all your snacks in a timely manner?" Valid question. He had already admitted to us on our group that he had forgotten to have his evening shake and it was after 8pm and he didn't feel hungry so wanted to skip it. So by his own words, he was admitting to not following the program properly. Well, on his private board he took insult to my question.

Now I don't know this man. I will never meet him in person. He is just a name on a facebook page. So why do I feel so intimidated by his comment? Why do I feel that I have done something wrong? I really need to get over this! I know one reason is because I get defensive. I want to defend all my fellow cleansers who are also there, saying how wonderful the program is and sorry his body reacted wrong to it. He claims to have over 2000 followers. Well, if 2000 people believe him that Isagenix is terrible for you and will put you into a hypoglycemic coma.....and it denies even one person a chance to make a change in their life that may be their only hope (as I feel it is with me), then I guess it puts me in a fighting mood!

I'm on my 3rd month now of cleansing. Just finishing up  back to back deep cleanse days. I have no headache. I don't feel dizzy. My tummy did rumble a while ago and so I ate an IsaDelight and drank more water. This morning I weighed in and had lost 2 more lbs. I hope to lose another 2 by tomorrow's weigh in. I will have reached my personal goal I set at the beginning of this week to be down 20lbs from when I started.  Yesterday I thanked Chanci for introducing me to this program. I firmly believe it is the answer to my prayers and will be the catalyst for returning me to the healthy body God intended for me to have.

And I won't let the naysayers like T rain on my parade.

Over that plateau

Finally broke that plateau and lost another pound or two. Officially down 16.4 lbs. I was trying to get past 15 lbs lost. Each step is such an accomplishment. When I see that number on the scale I want to do a little jig for joy.

I haven't been nearly as consistent with the "program" this week. Breakfast is easy. I love having a shake for breakfast. Prior to this, one of my favorite breakfasts was Carnation Instant Breakfast - chocolate flavored, of course. There were two days at least that I didn't get my lunch until well after 3pm. Not so good. I had various projects I was working on that kept me busy so not eating wasn't an issue. Until my stomach started to rumble and complain loud enough for the neighbors to hear.

I tried one more effort with the cleanse for life on Tuesday. I tried mixing one scoop in my  hot ionix drink. Made my hot apple cider taste more fruity, but it was palatable. Until I thought of mixing up another batch...then I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

However, good news is my next order just came in. It includes the Mars Venus cleanse drink - which is a daily cleanse drink. Promises to be lemon flavored but we shall see. I wonder how it would taste mixed in the morning shake? I also got the protein powder. I'm going to try to up my protein intake and see if that helps burn more fat. Supposedly that is what I'm told can happen. And I got the liquid cleanse for life to try. Just one bottle. If I make it through the bottle I'll order more.

Had an issue with my guts and am still unsure what is causing it. I did stop taking the Flush capsules as I didn't feel I needed any extra help. But then I was reading some of the ingredients in the flush and after 3 weeks of "issues" I thought I better try the flush again. Took one in the morning and at night for two days now and I think I'm better. So will continue that regime for this next week to see.

Next goal 20lbs total loss. Would love to report back next week with the good news......

Still Here!

No I have not fallen off the Isagenix wagon, nor quit the program. I have fallen off the blogging bandwagon though! Life just got busy. Tax season you know. I'm such a procrastinator that I've been spending the last month getting my books in order so that I can do a marathon tax day and get that yucky business taken care of. And phew, it is done!

So now I can get back to my LIFE! First of all, after finishing my first 30 day cleanse I was down a whopping 12 lbs. My first day after the cleanse I indulged in a few things. Like a cup of coffee! We get beans from Peet's coffee in our mail every two weeks. I had to cut our order in half since I wasn't drinking coffee any more. But they arrive within a week of roasting so are fresh and delicious when we grind them ourselves and make the coffee in a French press. Best way to make coffee. Anyway, I really, really enjoyed that cup!

I also had a taste of McD french fries and their new Chicken bites (almost like KFC's popcorn chicken). And you know what? It really didn't taste that great. I only ate about 10 fries and 5 little pieces of chicken. Probably equivalent of two McNuggets but better quality chicken. It is interesting that foods that I used to love just didn't quite do it.

Anyway, back on the program for the next 30 days. I think I'm on day 25 or so now. And so far only lost another 3 lbs. Okay 3.2 to be exact. So not as good as the first round. One of my biggest problems has been the cleanse drink. I developed a total intolerance for it. Taste/stomach wise. No matter how I tried I could not get this stuff down. On a deep cleanse day I was maybe able to get 3 out of the 4 cleanse drinks done. The one I did this week I only managed 2. I tried diluting it more. I tried making it stronger. I even went so far as to try to put the powder into little gel caps and swallow them so that I didn't taste them. That was a big mistake. It took 12 gel caps to make one dose and took my 1/2 hour to get them down. And by then I was ready to throw it all up again. (I didn't though). But then I felt queasy all day. Only thing that seemed to help was to nibble on an IsaDelight (I love my chocolate!). Based on my weight loss I am convinced that the deep cleanse days are the key to the faster weight loss. Slow and steady is okay, but faster is better in my books!

So my next order I am going to try the liquid cleanse instead of the powder. And Chanci suggested I try the Mars Venus Cleanse, which is a daily cleanse drink that sounds like it tastes like lemonade. As long as it doesn't have that berry taste I'll be okay. I think one of the greatest things about this program is the instant support I get. I can email or message Chanci and she responds usually within the hour. Pretty good considering she lives on the other side of the world. And there is enough info on the website that I can usually find the answer to my question myself.

And I really need to get some pictures up so I can see the change in me. It is hard when you live with yourself everyday to notice any difference. I do feel pants are a bit looser. My butt is getting smaller I think. And I need to up the exercise. I'm planning on getting some ankle and wrist weights or other resistance things to use when doing the water aerobics. And I still need to move the exercise bike into my room to use as well.

Finally I'm making this promise to myself to blog daily. It really helps to keep me focused. Tune in.

DAY 30!!

And the final weight is......<drumroll>.....12 lbs!!

Unfortunately I can't tell you how many inches I lost as I have misplaced the paper that had my initial measurements on and I haven't been able to locate it. But I do have the new numbers recorded and so will start my next 30 days with those numbers to see where I will be at the end of them!

Because I'm definitely continuing. This was worth it. It was tough. I know the things I need to improve on. It was like that first 30 days was a trial run for me to see if this was a program I could stick with. And Isagenix has won out. I can do this again. And again. Until I reach my goal.

I did start the Ageless Essentials that I got with my new autoship order, yesterday so that will put me a bit off at the end of the month, but as long as the shipping is as good as it has been, then it should be no problem. I cheaped out when I did my first order as I have vitamins from another company I never ever take. But by following the routine of Isagenix for the last 30 days I think I have finally developed the habit of taking my "pills" at the right time. They say it takes 21 days to form a habit. Hopefully that is true.

Anyway, the vitamins really do seem to give me more energy. At least I think so. It is probably too early to really tell.

Well, it's time for my evening shake. Today was a good day. We had our monthly birthday potluck at water aerobics today and I brought a spinach salad with almonds, cranberries, onions, and shredded carrots. I made up my own dressing with olive oil, red wine vinegar, strawberry/applesauce, garlic and pepper. Oh and a bit of coconut sugar in it too. The jar I used has recipes for various homemade dressings (Pampered Chef item) and though I made up my own, I was looking at the proportions for the oil and vinegar and saw that most of them had over 1/2 cup of oil! I used maybe two Tablespoons in a total 1/2 cup of dressing. Oh and the strawberry/applesauce was organic. Though just cause it says organic on the bottle, how much should we believe that?

I ate mostly salads, one piece of chicken, some fruits, and a bit of pasta and rice (couscous really I think), and a slice of Herta's bread. My one indulgence.

Brought home deserts for the family and only had a small piece of Casava (tapioca and coconut cake) later for my afternoon snack.

Day 29: 2nd Deep Cleanse day

The secret to cleansing days is to keep yourself busy and thus distracted from eating. I spent today working on inventory bills and invoices for our dive shop. An accounting nightmare I had been putting off for several months. But it's getting close to tax time so I need to get these things done or I'll really be screaming on April 15th.

To be honest the next three weeks will be my most stressful time as I do the taxes for our two companies. I'm hoping the Isagenix will keep me focused and calm and I will have the energy and brain power to handle what needs to be done.

As far as today though, I did okay. I had two Milk Chocolate Isa Delights for snacks. Had a good work out at water aerobics. Drank my cleanse drinks, though I was late drinking my third one (almost 7pm) and I was tired and ready for bed by 9pm so didn't want to drink the last one and just went to bed. Since it was Day 2 of a 2 day deep cleanse I don't think missing one dose will make or break the deal.

Drum roll please for tomorrow's weigh in...........(tune in tomorrow).