Isagenix Day's 8 & 9

I have done well overall, although I think this late shift hasn't been the best for me because of the fact that I eat 'lunch" at 4:00 pm and then my last shake after 8:00 pm, and it's just too late to be eating anything.  The day after my cleanse I had gained back a pound and that is still holding steady 2 mornings later.  This is now the morning of day 10.  I DO feel good about my progress although I'd rather see the scale move downwards some more.  But, I just have to stick with it and it will come.  And, I plan on sticking with it.  Today is my last day on the late shift at work and I can get some semblance of normalcy back into my schedule.

What a ride this whole weight loss journey has been.  If I were to look back and read from the beginning I would need to also take into consideration the weeks and months where I struggled and waited and wanted so badly to be where I am even now.  It's important to keep it all in to perspective because other than the very first initial months after surgery, none of this has been easy.  And I think I need to realize that it probably never will be because as I have already learned, maintaining my weight and staying consistent aren't easy.  But, I can't stop until I am in a healthier range, so I will continue Isagenix because it has worked for me to reverse the process and I can't say anything else has in the last few months.

One thing I have noticed though, is my sleeve restriction seems to be more obvious after the past 9 days.  I get full faster than I had been.  I am glad for that!!

The End of the Cleanse

Whew...it was a long day today, but I am finally finishing up day 2 of my cleanse.  Everyone said it would be easier on the 2nd day, but honestly, I think it was easier yesterday.  Anyway, I was a success!  Tomorrow I get real food.  YAY!  I will still have my 2 shakes and a meal in the evening, or maybe I will eat lunch since I am on the late shift and then just have a shake for dinner.  That might be the way to go.


Something occurred to me this morning that I thought was a good thing to add to my journal here.  This is actually the first "diet" I have been on since having weight loss surgery 14 months ago.  And, I have been on a lot of diets in my life.  In the last 20+ years, every diet was with the realization that I had 50-60 maybe even 100+ pounds to lose.  And, I would lose 10-15 pounds and feel really good, and even stick with it until I lost 40-50 pounds a few times, but the finish line always still seemed so far away and the course very long to get there.  And after 2-5 months, something would happen, I'd go off track and with my "all-or-nothing" attitude I would pack those pounds right back on and even gain a few extra in some cases.  It's a very demoralizing feeling. 


So, this is whole new territory I am in here.  I am trying to lose around 34 pounds, of which, 9 pounds I have already lost.  Never in my dieting life that I can remember have I had such a small amount to lose to get to the goal I want to be at.  Never!  Never have I been able to see the finish line as a very possible reality!  I can do this.  I CAN DO THIS!!  And, I might add, losing 9 pounds now, is a lot different than losing 9 pounds before.  When I was caring around 250 pounds, a 9 pound loss would have been great, but not noticeable, I would probably need to lose an additional 9 to even notice my clothes fitting differently.  Nine pounds now is a much bigger deal, and honestly, a little harder to lose.  I am sure the next 9 pounds will be more of a challenge, but I know I can do it.  I can see what I need to do and now have a pretty solid tool to help me get there.


Isagenix has worked out to be a lot better than I thought it would be.  Would I have been able to lose 100+ pounds with it a year ago?  I don't know...I tend to think I wouldn't have been able to.  I do not regret my surgery, I think it saved my life.  But now I have the ability to use it along with good nutrition, self discipline and determination to get me to my goal.  I am not setting a time limit, I'm not going to be fanatical, but I do want to succeed.  So I will!

THE CLEANSE -Isagenix

I meant to update over the weekend, but never did get around to it.  I followed the program pretty well and have been trying to make it work for me.  Yesterday was my first day doing the cleanse.  I admit to being afraid that I couldn't do it.  I am always so afraid of failure.  But I made it through and it really wasn't all that bad.  Currently I am beginning my 2nd cleanse day and as of this morning, here are my current results:
Weight:  lost 9.2 lbs
measurements:
Neck:  .25"
Chest:  1"
Diaphragm:  2.5"
Waist:   .5'
Abdomen:  1"
Bum: no change
Upper Arm:  .75, .5
Upper Thigh:  .25, .25
Upper Knee:  1, 1
Calf:  .25, .25
Total Inches:  10" (I think?)

According to these results, I have 13 more pounds to get to the lowest weight I was since my surgery of 167 and 25 to get to my goal weight of 155.  Suddenly, this all seems very doable.  I hope I can continue on, staying motivated with Isagenix to get me to that goal.

At the moment I am partaking of a cleanse diluted in hot water and listening to the rain fall outside on this cold January morning.  I am working the late shift this week, so don't go into work until 11:00AM so it may be making this process a little easier for me because I can get through 2 of the cleanses before I leave for work.  I think the next time I do a cleanse I am going to try the one where part of it happens overnight instead of 2 full waking days.  We will see though.

For now, I just have to get through today!

Day 3 Isagenix

Yesterday went very well all considering.  I had my 2 shakes and my 2 snacks and sensible dinner.  That sounds like a commercial for a weight loss plan if anything ever did!  But, I did it.  Snacking was at minimum later in the evening so that is a bonus.  I think this product leaves me pretty full overall.  I am not sure if it is because I have a small stomach to begin with or just the fact that it's doing what it's supposed to be doing, but I like it.

One thing I am not particularly fond of,  I have decided, is the Ionix Supreme.  It isn't that it doesn't taste good, because that's not really the issue, but it's the fact that it won't dissolve very well in water when I try to drink it.  I probably should have just got it in liquid form instead, but the idea of having tea sounded so good.  I think the problem is, I thought I could have HOT tea and not just warm tea, and I think I read somewhere that it shouldn't be hot.  I need to research that some more.  But on day 4, I am having it mixed into my shake instead, and then it won't matter how it's consumed.

Okay, now for the exciting news..I am still losing weight!  This morning I came in at 182.8 lbs.  That's 6.2 pounds lost in only 3 days!  The bigger plus to this is that I am getting closer to the 170's.  I really, really want to get back to where I was when I started this regain of weight last summer, so my hope is this will get me headed in that direction.  I still plan on doing my cleanse on Monday and Tuesday.  I sort of wish I had done it yesterday, but it's ok.  As long as I do it during this process, I will be fine.

Isagenix Day 2

Yesterday I completed Day 2 on my adventures with Isagenix.  Once again I faced the evening struggles of wanting to snack and I did break down and nibble on a few raw almonds and some carrot and celery sticks.  Not the worst way to go if I had to break down.  While I wish I could be steady and steadfast and not ever give into those impulses, I also can't attack things with my normal "all or nothing" attitude, because when I choose nothing, I usually give up!

I have discovered that I am really enjoying the shakes.  Anyway, at lunch yesterday I made one with 1 scoop of strawberry and 1 scoop of vanilla and it was quite refreshing and delicious.  I mixed in a little more ice and it was quite thick like a Wendy's Frosty.   For breakfast I had a complete chocolate one, with 2 scoops of chocolate instead of the 1/2 vanilla, and it was fine as well.  Not too chocolatey.

The most amazing part of it all is that when I got on the scale this morning, my weight was 184!  That's a 5 pound loss already!!  Yes, I get the whole water weight loss that is to be expected, but this makes me feel really good!

On day 3, I am supposed to do a cleanse day, but I don't think I am ready for that with the weekend ahead.  Honestly, I am scared of the weekend in general because my husband and I usually go out to eat at least once.  But, I have decided this can be ok because as long as the shakes are what I have for the other 2 meals, I should be fine.  So, I am going to stick with my plan of doing the cleanse Monday and Tuesday of next week.

Ok, Day 3 is about to begin...

Thoughts on Day 1

This is just a quick entry since I am drinking my first shake of day 2 and was reflecting on how my first day went.  Admittedly I was overwhelmed at the beginning of the day.  I wanted to make sure I was doing things right and didn't want to make any missteps.  The end of the day was probably the hardest part for me and all of that is because I struggle with being an evening snacker.  I am not in the least hungry when I do this, it's just the way my brain is wired to keep eating and eating, always thinking about the next thing I could eat and if I should go and get it.  And then, if I'm not careful, I act on the impulse mindlessly.  So, last night, after I ate my sensible dinner of salmon, salad and a small amount of rice, I kept feeling that impulse to look for a snack.   I am happy to say that I avoided it and drank some water instead, but those feelings are very frustrating.  If I am not mindful, I can easily plow through a bunch of extra calories that are not necessary.

So, one day down!

And I know I am not supposed to weigh every day, but I do this anyway....186.4...I am down 2.6 lbs!  Yes, I know its water weight...but I am still happy to see it less than it was yesterday morning!!

So, now I am drinking my morning shake and then need to jump in the shower.  I have an early start today because I have a dental appointment early this morning.  We will see how that all goes for later today and going back to work.

Isagenix Day 1

Well, here I am.  It was kind of daunting when I took everything out of the big box that arrived last evening with my Isagenix products.  I probably should have taken a picture of it all.  I read through all the materials and feel like I have a pretty good grasp of what I am supposed to be doing.

This morning I got myself out of bed with the intention to exercise and at least walk 20 minutes on the treadmill.  It was so cold in my house though (thank you winter) that I just never got out of the fuzzy robe until time to get in the shower and get ready for work.  As I write this, it is just past noon, so I am only 1/2 way through my day.  But here is how it's going so far:

I started out with a product called Ionix Supreme.  It's basically a shot size drink of some concoction that the brochure says does this:  Ionix Supreme is a nutrient-rich herbal tonic infused with natural vitamins, minerals and plant-based Adaptogens– perfect for combating the effects of stress and fatigue. Ionix is a powerful asset for building endurance and improving overall personal performance.  Sounds good to me.  I opted to pour it into warm water and drink it like a tea this morning.  I am trying to wean myself away from caffeinated drinks, so my hopes is that if it is taken this way it can give me that warm drink in the morning I enjoy.

After that I waited about 20 minutes and mixed my shake up.  I mixed one scoop of vanilla with one scoop of chocolate.  It was pretty good.  I mixed it up with some ice in my nutribullet, so it was nice and thick like an icy shake.  (of course, that means it was also super cold and contributed to my chill).  It was actually pretty good, and that's saying a lot because I spent 6 weeks dealing with sweet protein shakes after my WLS a year ago and I didn't want to drink another one.  This tastes different, however, so I was pleasantly surprised.  I also took a Natural Accelerator capsule.  According to the literature this product:  is a weight loss product which is designed to increase metabolism and fat loss, without containing stimulants or added chemicals which can lead to unpleasant side effects.  Ok, we'll see how that goes.

I can't say that I felt anything after these products other than full.  I did drink the shake pretty quickly and I had also drank about 20 oz of water as well as the "tea" so my little tummy was pretty full.

Last evening I had taken my measurements, so that awful business was already done, and I also weighed myself this morning first thing.  Let's just say....I wasn't happy with myself.  But, new beginnings...again...right?  Anyway, the scale read 189.  Not quite 190..right?  I can do this!!

So, I am supposed to insert a snack mid morning.  I really had no idea what that should entail and with all the research I have done in the past week or so, there was a lot of conflicting information.  I nibbled on a few raw almonds and then resorted back to the "snacks" they provide.  Honestly, I wasn't sure if that was supposed to be saved for cleanse days, or used now and it dawned on me that they probably would like me to use their products for snacks so I run out too fast and have to buy more.  I decided that on lunch I would reach out to my coach and see what she recommends.

I made it to lunchtime and had my 2nd shake.  Because I don't have a nutribullet here at work, I just used the shaker cup they provided in my shipment.  I added some ice to about 8 oz of water and shook it up.  I was surprised that it actually thickened up really nicely.  I am glad of that because I am not a fan of watery protein shakes.  I also messaged my coach and she told me to incorporate "real food" snacks and save the product ones for cleanse days.  Sounds good to me!

The rest of my day should consist of one more snack.  (almonds it is) and then tonight I plan on cooking up some salmon with a salad and maybe some sort of whole grain or something of the like.  I am also supposed to take one more Natural Accelerator today and then before bed I should take something called IsaFlush, which does about what it says...help with digestion.  Oh, and drink lots of water.

These shake days are supposed to continue for a couple days and then I do 2 cleanse days.  Because of my schedule the rest of this week and weekend, I am opting to continue the shake days until Monday so I will probably tune back in then with an update, unless I really feel like I need to talk about this some more.  It could happen!

The main thing is...it hasn't been terrible.  Hopefully I will feel the same way tomorrow!

Isagenix

A couple of years ago, a friend from back home reached out to me via facebook to tell me about a product she had been using that she felt might be a good fit for me.   At the time I was 100+ lbs overweight and aware that every get skinny quick gimmick or fad was tempting, but I also knew that needing to lose that much weight was an indicator that I probably wouldnt have the determination to stick with it long enough to make that big of a difference.  Plus, I just was afraid to fail again.  I had started Nutrisystem, I can't even count how many times, Weight Watchers even more times than that.  I was feeling all my failures at weight loss and assumed this would also be one of those financially expensive failures.  I told her thank you, but no thank you, for now.  Here it is 2 or so years later, and I reached out to her last week to sign myself up.  I will start on Isagenix tomorrow.  Is this a quick fix weight loss fad?  All of the research I have done on it indicate that those that use it have really loved how it makes them feel.  It has a cellular cleanse that is supposed to be very beneficial as well.  I decided to try it for 30 days, and be faithful in the process and give it a try.  Since I have nothing to lose, and have regained some weight since my WLS from a year ago, it seems like a good plan.  I no longer have 100 pounds to lose, but 20 or so would be great.  I decided this would be a good place to document the process.  Here I go again!

All Hell Breaking Loose

A week or so ago, I "celebrated" my 1 year Surgversary.  I say celebrate pretty loosely because it probably did entail cake and ice cream.  I have been beating myself up pretty badly the last few months but in particular the last couple weeks.  The weight just keeps creeping up on me and my scale.  Yesterday I had to go to my 1 year appointment and I almost didn't do it.  I was having a very hard time facing my failures.

I knew it was going to be bad when I got on the scales in my bathroom, and my weight was the highest I have seen it at 186!!  And, as I knew it would do, it translated to 190 by the time I went to the doctor office, fully clothed.  I was in the 167.7 in June!  I weighed 190 last February.  I just sat in the doctors office and wanted to cry.  In fact, I almost did.

Rachel was very compassionate and asked me what's been going on and why did I think the weight was coming back on again.  We reviewed some things for me to try, which are just common sense, and I already know, but she did bring up a point and that is with my all or nothing mentality, I tend to try to change everything at once.  It's overwhelming to do that, and makes me fail.  She recommended  I try to change just 1 thing for now.  She recommended exercise, because it releases those positive feelings of accomplishment, which in turn, should bring me out of my depression.  But, she reminded me what I already knew and that is that its not going to make me lose weight, that only eating the right kinds of foods will do that.

So, here I am.  I have gone through a lot physically this year.  But, I can do this.  I can try to be more sensible in my actions and eat things more healthy.  I can be more active again.  I can listen to my sleeve and not over-fill it.  I can avoid simple carbs; popcorn, pasta rice and sugars.  I can stop snacking in the evenings.  I can eat slower.  I can blog more.  I can be more positive.  I can update here more regularly for accountability.  One thing I know is that no one wants to hear me go on and on about this, but I NEED to go on and on about this.

So, that's where I am today.

October 2017 Update

 It's been quite some time since I have updated here at my blog.  Time just goes by so fast now and I realize I am only about 4 weeks away from my 1 year since surgery.  What a year!!  So many blessings.

The last 3 or 4 months I have not been as successful as I would like to have been, and there were some pounds creeping back on in the last month or 2.  I had got my weight down to around 165 and then the next thing I know, this past Monday, I am at 183!  That was fairly devastating to me. But, I know what causes that and it's my inattention to what I am eating, the frequency in which I am eating and the portion size.  Basically, every single other reason I had prior to my surgery that would cause me to gain weight as opposed to lose weight.  Or even maintain weight!

As of this morning, after paying attention to this for this week, I am gratefully down to 179.6.  Whew.  I still would like to be closer to 155 pounds and maintain between 155 and 160.  I have decided this would be a good place for this 54 year old body.  Any way I look at it...I am so much closer than I ever was at 250 pounds!

In the past few months I participated in a 5K.  It's not like I ran it, but even participating is more than I would have ever done in the past.  I also have continued to do lots of walking and in general am much more physical than I ever was before and am able to do it without difficulty.  My son visited for a few weeks from Hawaii, and he ahd I went on a trip to the Oregon coast.  We stayed at a fun little bungalow on the beach and walked every day on the beach for miles and miles.  It was so wonderful to spend that time with him and have the stamina to do all of the activities that we did.

Another monumental accomplishment was my visit with my primary care physician.  She did my blood work and officially stated that I am no longer diabetic and all my previous conditions are resolved.  She actually does not even need to see me for another YEAR as opposed to 3 months as I have been doing with her for the last 10 years.  It's amazing!!

My main struggles now are more mental.  I listen to the cravings much more than I need to and find myself snacking too often just because it's there.  And these snack foods are my downfall because I can eat them frequently, without feeling too full and am taking in too many calories than I should be.  Plus, the type of foods they are turn to carbs I don't need to have.  I think my main downfall lately has been popcorn.  It's not a bad snack in general, but I can eat it rather mindlessly and a lot of it.  I recently bought a great big bag of skinny pop from Costco and was afraid to open it all week because I know me well enough to know it would be a constant dive into the bag.  But, I did portion it out into individual servings and now those are there and ready and when the bag is empty I am done.  Makes common sense.  And yet, things that are simple sometimes are harder when the brain is involved. 

The other struggle I have, also mental, is my perseption of myself physically.  I forget how far along I have come and don't give myself credit for the accomplishments and instead dwell on that 10-15 pound gain.  It's not fair.  As soon as I give into that thinking all I am is "fat" and unworthy and etc and so on.  Stupid mind games.  I've done them my whole life.  The surgery definitely did not fix my brain!  I am healthier, I feel better, I look better.  As I said earlier....so many blessings!