60 Day After Photos

Here is my progress photo adding in the new 60 day after picture.  I can see myself thinner in the butt and legs and making more progress on thinning out my thick belly.  Even at 18, I did not have a small waist.  I was always built like a tree trunk, not much definition.

I am happy as can be.  I've just never had something that was so easy to fit into my busy life.  I really feel the difference in how I function on a daily basis.

Oh, and get this...I even got Doug to start taking the 1ounce morning shot of Ionix Supreme, which in the liquid form is really something I look forward to.  He even drank a shake and liked it.  He is taking the Men's Ageless Essentials with Product B vitamin/supplement packs each morning and night.  I may get this junk food junkie healthy yet!!!!

Just A New Way of Life!

It's funny, I haven't come back to post anything for a really long time.  Then again, I am not really sure anyone even comes to read this blog, not that it matters, but I don't think that I have anyone waited with bated breath for my next entry. LOL

But, the last 30 days FLEW by and Isagenix products have been at the core of my lifestyle now.  I feel better than I have in so long, I just cannot remember.  Like more than 15 years....no, really it has to be longer than that.  A few years before baby number 7, Daniel.  That would be in the late 80's.  That is a long time to not feel great all the time.

I continue to contemplate why this has been so easy for me.  And I keep coming back to the same answer:

It matters more to me how I FEEL than how I LOOK!

It really is a paradigm shift of sorts.  Saying "no" to foods that ordinarily tempt me isn't hard now, because   I know how terrible I will feel if I do.  

One of the other things I did this month was the 9 day cleanse plan.  I wanted to be able to have some real experience if anyone asked about how hard it was.  The 9 day cleanse actually covers 11 days:

Days 1 and 2 are "pre-cleanse" Shake Days

Days 3 and 4 are back to back Cleanse Days

Days 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 are Shake Days

and then you end with

Days 10 and 11 Cleanse Days

I was really worried about back to back cleanse days.  These are days you drink the Cleanse for Life 4 times a day at 3 hour intervals with small supplement Isagenix Snacks in between meals and lots of water.  Now, I grew up fasting every first Sunday of the month from the time I was around 8 years old as a part of our worship on what was called Fast Sunday.  (You can ask me about that later if you want.)  This was MUCH easier, because you do get to drink water and the cleanse drink is FILLED with nutrients.

I felt so clean and light after the cleanse days, and boy oh boy did that Shake taste fabulous!!!

And speaking of tasting:  I really like the liquid Ionix Supreme SO much better than the powder mix.  And, it is true that since your body cleanses during the month, your body's PH changes from being acidic to alkaline and so everything tastes better and sweeter.  It's pretty cool.

I love how I feel.  I love how my disposition is so positive. I LOVE LOVE LOVE how I SLEEP so much better.

So I have great results to report on the "physical body" side of the amazing effects of Isagenix.

In the last 60 days I have:

Pounds lost = 20.2

Inches lost = 45

Pants size down "2" sizes.

I even had to go through my closet and take almost all of my clothes to the thrift store.

Some of these are long time favorites, but I am pretty sure I can make friends with some "new" favorites.  I was able to also buy some "new" clothes at the thrift store.  I am pleased and amazed to say that I am back in size 12 pants.  I was in very tight 16's before Isagenix.

I also changed my profile picture.  I am holding my newest grandchild, Lucy Eleanore, who was just born this last Sunday. 

I haven't taken my 60 day "after" photo yet, but that will be coming soon.

Ready for Round Two!

Odd, but I am really excited about the coming month.  It's because I had such a great outcome, I can't wait to see what the 2nd 30 days holds for me.  It's almost like a game now.  And, I am WINNING!!!

I really see how the pillars of healthiness of this program: the Cleanse for Life beverage, the IsaLean Shakes and the Ionix Supreme will be a part of my daily life from now on.  They will help me do what I never could do before.....MAINTAIN my weight and good nutrition.

I am being totally honest.  This is not been hard at all.  I thought it would be a struggle, but the information said it would reduce cravings, and it really has.  Now,  I am wondering why it took me so long to listen to my friends.

This is really great stuff!!!

I finished my first 30 day cleanse yesterday. So, this morning I did my final weigh and measure for the month. And the results are:

Weekly results:

Pounds lost = 2.2 

Inches lost = 4.25

I am incredibly pleased to report my results from the 30 days:

30 day results:

Inches lost = 30

Pounds lost = 12 

Holy cow!  That is 30 inches of FAT gone from my body.

Honestly, it wasn't that hard. Hmm...why wasn't it hard?...

I am thinking that because I went into the cleanse with a primary purpose other than to lose weight it helped me. And, I guess I was just ready.

You know, people who want to lose weight and inches struggle. Well, maybe they struggle to stick to a "new way of life" because all they are thinking about is how they LOOK. I was more concerned with how I FELT. I was desperate for the swelling to go down. Not because of my size, but because it HURT. 

So the question is: "What are you willing to live with?" Is is really easier to live with chronic pain and fatigue than to make changes from the "same old-same old" that obviously isn't working.

I am rambling, but I think I am on to something when it comes to sharing the benefits of Isagenix products.

OH, and BTW, my skin care arrived today! It smells so nice and fresh. I am very excited to see how this works. I have had great skin my whole life, genetics and no sun has helped. Most people really guess me around 10 years younger than I am. But, chemotherapy really made some changes in the texture of my skin that no one notices but me. I can't wait to see what a few weeks on the skin care products will do!

Cleanse Day #3!

So, I am really surprised at how easy the cleanse days are going.  Now, don't get me wrong, there are a few times during the day when my tummy is growling like a grizzly bear.  But, I use the Isagenix Snacks and they really get rid of the growls pretty quickly.  I can't even count how much water I drank today, probably around 100 ounces!!

The thing is, I really feel great!  Seriously.  I feel like I am happy all at the time.  I don't obsess about food anymore, and to be honest, I really, honestly and truly have not had ANY cravings.  And, I love getting dressed in the morning now.  I like seeing my clothes fit so much better, and even putting on clothes that I haven't worn in years.  So much positive enforcement!

I can't believe that my 30 days is ending on Monday.  For those counting, yes, Monday is more that 30 days.  But, because of my days off the plan while I was in California, I added those 5 days to the count.

I cannot wait to see what Monday's results yield.  It's like an AWESOME game, and I AM WINNING!!!

Still Impressed!

So, I was a little worried about my results for a Monday morning, because I always seem to have to be more flexible on the weekends.  More going out to eat and irregular schedule.  I make the best choices I could in every circumstance, but not all the foods that were served to me were as pure as I would have liked.  But, I am working on a "lifestyle" plan and not just something that gives me an instant result that I cannot possible keep up for the rest of my life.  No more passing fads for me!

So, here are my end of week three results:

pounds lost = 3

inches lost  = 5.25

This is a grand total of 9.4 pounds lost and 26 inches in just three weeks.  Are you impressed?  Well, I AM!!

But, the best part is wearing clothes I haven't been able to wear in a long time. AND, when we went to church in the Ward that we used to live in, the people who hadn't seen me in a while were like "Dang, you look amazing!"  They asked what I was doing, and I said, "It's my little secret weapon.....Isagenix!"

I Am Liking What I See!

It's Saturday morning and I took a sneak peak at my weight and my abdominal measurements.  It looks really good for me.  I am liking the ease of the shakes for my breakfast and my lunch.  I really, truly feel full and I don't feel like snacking at all.

I can't say that I have been totally off sugar, because, I have admitted to eating birthday cake and other bites of things from time to time.  But certainly, my white refined sugar, flour category has been reduced significantly.  Also, no more diet sodas.  I really don't miss them.  This surprises me.

Doug and I went out to eat last night, and it was 9:00 p.m. by the time we got there.  We went to Applebee's and I made great choices.  I ordered something that was a special that usually comes with roasted potatoes and a nice buttery roasted garlic sauce.  I asked for them to just grill the chicken breast and to just give me steamed broccoli on the side.  I was very satisfied, and even had a few bites of chicken to take home.

I try to tell myself, it is about the companionship and the experience than the food itself.  I was enjoying a lovely evening with my husband.  I focused on our conversation instead of all the food that I saw passing by to other tables!! LOL

So, today was a relaxing day in the morning, but then we had to go to oversee some auditions for the youth musical for this summer's youth conference at church.  We came home and went out with Catherine and Benjamin to .....wait for it....Applebee's again!  Catherine didn't want to pick, but she said she would pay.  No one else cared where we went.  I already knew that I could choose wisely at that restaurant.

I got a grilled chicken salad.  I used maybe 2 tsp of a no fat Italian.  Usually I leave a restaurant feeling full and heavy and yucky.  Two nights in a row and I leave feeling satisfied and light.  I like this.  I like this very much.

They say it takes 21 days to make a habit.  I am almost there.  I really do believe that I can incorporate these products into my life regularly.  VERY optimistic!

Wens-day is Cleans-day!!

Just wanted to write a bit about my 2nd cleanse day.

Not terrible, but I definitely heard my tummy growl a lot more often than on my first cleanse day last week.  I find it particularly difficult to drink all the water I need to.  I have become so used to NOT eating and NOT drinking water, that I just don't remember to stop and do it.  I drink at least 68 ounces of water a day, often more, but I know I should get in another 30 or so.  However, all that water makes for very interrupted nights for me.  Up and down...up and down....up and down...all through the night.

That's Incredible!

I took all my stats this morning, and I have to say, when I did the math, I was just STUPIFIED!!!  I did my measurements carefully, to make sure that i measured in the same place as before.  I did the calculations over and over, and I just sat there thinking, "this just cannot be possible!!!!"  IMPOSSIBLE!!!  And, so I did the math, again and again.  And yet, I wore a suit to church yesterday that I haven't worn since 2004 when I weighed 25 pounds less.  I have to say, I looked FABULOUS!!!  LOL LOL LOL

I also have to note the while redoing all the math, I saw that for my first week's report, I neglected to add in the lower part of my body, so last week's inch loss was twice as much as I reported, which is equally unbelievable.

OK, so here are my results and corrected results:

Week 1 Results (corrected)

Pounds lost = 4

Inches lost = 12.50

HOLY COW!! (I had only thought it was 6.5" and thought that was great!)

Week 2 Results

Pounds lost = 2.2

Inches lost = 9.75

WHAT THE WHAT????  I am not kidding, or lying, or delusional!!!!

That is a total of 6.2 pounds and 20.25 inches lost in just two weeks. C'mon, really?  And yet, my suit I wore tells the truth of the story.

Have you EVER heard anything like this before?  I mean, I know generally I have found that you lose about an inch or so per pound you lose, so that is what I expect.  I even expect in the beginning that you may lose 2 inches per pound.  But this sounds like something out of a Sci-Fi movie! HA!

Hey, I am not complaining.  It is incredible!  Yes, even unbelievable.  And perhaps it just shows how much inflammation was in my body.  I am thrilled.  I almost do not want to weigh ever again. It just DOESN'T tell the whole story.

OK, I am going to come out of the clouds now.  But, here's just one more little baby (say it in a whisper) "holy cow"!


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
This is a response from Jackie, my coach and good friend.

YESSSSSS!!!!! You are experiencing the Isagenix miracle!  It is common to lose about 3" for every pound on this program.  The whey protein helps build muscle so the scale lies to us.  LOL  I am SOOO excited for you!  You are doing so great. And when you say "holy cow"...it really is the cows!  The miracle of the indentured protein combined with the cleanse.  WHOOO HOOO!

Easy times, tough times

I had a good day today.  Doug and I went over to stay with the little baby twins, Max and Maggie so that Christian and Mary could have some time together.  We love spending time with these sweet and adorable babies.

I had all my appropriate products for breakfast, and brought along my shake mix and supplements. I drank a ton of water.  And, I did not have any problem even when Doug brought home popcorn from the nearby movie theater.  He just goes and gets the popcorn, no movie.  You would have to know my husband. :)

We went home and picked up our youngest son, Benjamin, so that we could all go out and spend some time at dinner.  Usually Friday is our date night, but since we had spent the whole day away, and there was no school for Benjamin, we decided to have a family date instead.  Keeping our budget in mind, and also keeping my nutrition needs in mind, we decided on Panda Express.

I was VERY good.  For my side, I passed on the lo mein (my favorite) and the fried rice and instead, I got the steamed vegetables: broccoli, carrots, zucchini, green beans and cabbage.  Then for my entree I got a small, 3/4 cup serving of green beans and chicken.  I was very proud of myself.  It was quite yummy, but I guess it was because I was eating out I felt like I was cheating.  I felt full.  In fact more full than I should have considering the small amount of food I had.

By the time we got home, and we were sitting on the couch watching a movie, I felt the strong "sweet tooth attack".  Wow, it was intense.  All I could figure is that since the food was just a bit salty from the soy  they cook it with, that my tongue really wanted an opposing taste.  I fought it.  I drank some water with my IsaFlush and came upstairs to by bedroom to type this post.  Away from the kitchen is a good thing!

Tomorrow is going to be a challenge.  We have two baptisms to attend, both with gatherings afterward that we are invited to.  The first is at 10 in the morning with lunch to follow.  The second is at 3 in the afternoon with dinner to follow.  I guess I'll drink my shakes before I go and find the veggie tray when I get there!

Back to Basics

It's now Thursday, and I have had two successful Shake days in a row, and my very first Cleanse day.  I was concerned about the Cleanse day, because I am a Type 2 diabetic on medication.  But, instead of just saying "oh, I can't do that!", I thought I would try it and see how my body responded.

Well, I did great.  I actually didn't feel hungry until about 3:30 in the afternoon.  My tummy did some significant grumbling.  I just at some Isagenix Snacks and drank more water.  Within minutes I was fine.  I went to bed feeling pretty good.  I woke up INCREDIBLY tired, because of being up so often using the bathroom.

Now, on that subject, the Cleanse day on Wednesday was crazy.  Like needing to use the bathroom every 20-30 minutes.  Also, I am 53 years old, have had 8 children, and have to get up a few times a night anyway.  But, with the extra water I am drinking, and the products that really are cleansing your body, the nights are not my friend.  And, I wake up really tired from such interrupted sleep.

Still.....not sorry I am doing this!

I had a good day today too.  I bought a little personal blender from WalMart, so I can leave it at work and make my shake between 12:30 ad 1:00 p.m. so I am not waiting until 2:30 to get my lunch shake in.  It worked great and I felt a lot stronger in the afternoon with this timing.

I feel so empowered.  I can look at sweets and snacks and just pass them by.  I know my body is functioning at a higher level now, and I don't want to mess it up.

Now I have to be strong through the weekend!  When routine is gone, I have more problems, like when I was in California.  It is also Easter.  My goal - EAT NO CANDY!!  Not even one.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Back from California

I spent Wednesday through Sunday traveling to and spending time in California and back.  I went out for my best friend's from college wedding.  And, to make her wedding cake.

I had originally typed the long saga of those 5 days.  But, you don't really need to hear all that. Here's the simple story.  The first three days I made wise choices and the last two, I made some not so wise choices.  But, I didn't go crazy wild, and I certainly didn't eat the way I would have if I had not started the Isagenix products.  So, I didn't feel bad about myself at all.

So, when I woke up on Monday morning, I weighed and measured myself.

The result:  

Inches lost - 6.5 

Pounds lost - 4

even with my riotous living in California.

I was thrilled with these results, knowing that I had not been perfect to the plan.  I was most impressed with how much my belly swelling has gone down. I lost a 1.25 inches in my waist line and 1 inch in my abdomen, just below the navel.

I thought, you know, I could do this forever.  I didn't ever feel deprived.  Once I get myself in a very, very healthy condition, I can still occasionally have some "fun" food, and not have it completely derail me.

This is going to work!

Days Six, Seven and Eight

So, it's Wednesday morning.  I am on my way to California, having only slept about 35 minutes last night.  I didn't get to bed until after midnight, trying to get things ready for our absence.  I couldn't fall asleep.  It was not good.  I finally fell asleep around 3 a.m. only to have to wake up at 3:45 a.m. to be ready to leave for the airport and make our 5:30 a.m. flight.  SO tired.

I almost stopped using the products to save them until after I got back, but I knew that I would be more careful about my choices if I had results even with a not so strict first week.  So, I followed the plan to the letter on Monday and Tuesday (days 5 and 6).

So here is my report for my first week. Since I wasn't true blue, I didn't take the full measurements. I will save that for Monday morning.

Pounds lost = 3

Inches off waist = 1

This is very encouraging! I can't wait to see what comes by next week!

Days Three through Five

So, the last three days have been interesting, and I have had to make some modifications.  I did my best to have my shakes for two meals each day, but honestly, that did not happen.  You see, three of my grandchildren were born this week last year. My son Christian and his wife Mary's twin babies (Max and Maggie) were born on March 20th and my first daughter, Elizabeth had her third (Clark) on March 23rd.

The kids decided that Elizabeth's family would come into town and we would all celebrate the 1 year old's birthdays together on Sunday.  But, family started coming into town on Friday.  It makes for a little insanity, but it's the good kind! :)

I also have to admit, I had birthday cake.  You see, I MAKE CAKES!  I have had a home based business for a long time, and make AWESOME cake.  So everyone says.  I couldn't resist.  But, I only had one piece of cake.  And, I was good all the rest of the day.

What I can totally tell already is that my abdomen is NOT as swollen and firm as it has been.  This is fabulous!  We'll see what the scales reflect on Wednesday morning...

Day Two

I felt good this morning, and slept all right.  Really, it's just because I get up so often to use the bathroom.  I had the day off, since today is my 32nd anniversary.  Happy Anniversary to me.  Doug and I are going to have lunch together.  I am going to be as good as I can.

I drank my Ionix Supreme and was OK with it.  I enjoy the shakes just fine, and they really are quite filling.  I had a doctor's appointment, and then made my way over to pick up Douglas for our anniversary lunch.  We decided to go to Cafe Luna, which is in downtown Raleigh.  This is a place we have delivered wedding cakes to many, many times, but we have never dined there.  It is an Italian Restaurant, more authentic traditional than an Olive Garden style.

We ordered dishes of salmon and roasted potatoes or rice pilaf.  Spring greens on the side.  We had a lovely time, and I felt good not having ordered something smothered in an Alfredo sauce.

I had my other shake for dinner, but I wasn't even really hungry for it.

Handling this all right so far.

Day One!

I had a great first day! I got up extra early to do my weigh in.  I actually got out the digital scale that measures every 10th of a pound.  It is more accurate than my dial scale, too.  My eyes are getting old, and it is hard to see the needle on that scale.  With my glasses on, the dial is too close, with my glasses off the dial is too far!  So, I recorded my weight (which I am NOT going to share) LOL!  I also took all my measurements and recorded them.  I am particularly interested in the three abdomen measurements because of the sudden swelling I had a few weeks post surgery.  My belly looked like I was 5-6 months pregnant.  Now, I don't have a flat tummy by any stretch of the imagination, but it wasn't supposed to look like that.

Good!  Oh, I did forget to have someone take a BEFORE photo.  I really need to do that!

I had to change up the order of when I use the IsaLean Shakes, because my work schedule, and really my life schedule, does not allow for me to have my main meal in the middle of the day.  So, I mixed up the Ionix powder in a few ounces of water.  EEK.  So, I diluted it with some more pure water and added some ice.  BETTER, not great, but I can deal with it!

I made my shake, the chocolate.  It was pretty good.  It really had the consistency of a milk shake and I couldn't detect any aftertaste.  I have had a myriad of different "shake drinks" in my like.  This was among the best.  I also took my Natural Accelerator supplement.

Off to work.  I brought plenty of water and my Isagenix Snacks.  Those little things taste kind of like a chewable version of a sugar free hot chocolate powder mix.  They are all right, and of course, you really want to chew anything! Add another Natural Accelerator  supplement.

I don't have a blender at work, so I didn't get my second shake until I got home at 2:30 p.m.  Then, I prepared a simple and nutritious dinner for the fam!  I had reasonable portions.  I declined the Oreos my son bought at the store.  Good for me!!

More water and IsaFlush! before bed.  I hope I sleep well, that was a lot of water I drank today.

My Products Arrive!

My products arrived today.  They arrived SO quickly!  They only shipped out from Tennessee yesterday.

I took everything out of the box and matched the product to the daily instructions.  I thought, hmm, I'm going to need a little more guidance, so I listened to the introductory CD, which was very helpful.  I uploaded the CD into my iTunes so that I would always be able to have a refresher on hand.  It even came with a brand new tape measure, I guess to encourage us to remember that sometimes the scale may not show the whole story, but inches lost are just as important.

I decided that even though I was leaving for California next week, I would go ahead and start the 30 day cleanse.  I figured that even if I couldn't follow the daily plan 100%, I would be more likely to make better choices while I was gone, and not end up with even more weight to lose! :)

So, I am ready to start my adventure.  I am excited and.....HOPEFUL!!!