After Four Months
Yes, I know I've let this blog kind of falter, but the
Isagenix Cleanse fitness program is going well.
After four months, I've lost 65 pounds and my wife has lost 55 pounds -- she hit her halfway point so it's all downhill from here!
By sometime in the fall my wife will hit her goal weight and by winter I will have hit mine. It looks like I'll celebrate my next birthday about 150 pounds less than I did last year.
Just a Quickie...
I just wanted to relay the news that as of two days ago I passed the 50-pounds lost mark -- I'm now down 51 pounds thanks to the
Isagenix Cleanse system, and 58 pounds from my highest weight ever.
Another couple weeks and I should dip down below 300 pounds for the first time in about 8 years. Woohoo!
The Second Month
Yes, I know I need to update this more than once a month -- I'll try and do two-week updates from now on.
I lost 44 pounds and 38.75 inches and Wanda lost 36 pounds and 34 inches! And we can honestly say that we feel better than we ever imagined we would.
We're continuing to do the 30-day plan and will stay on it until we reach our goal weight -- at that point we'll switch over to the maintenance plan. How long will we stay on that? Pretty much forever, I think. It's
Isagenix that taught us how we should eat, and we know with the products we're getting the nutrients our bodies need -- so why would we quit? =;)
Other family members have started on Isagenix and are starting to see some really good results. The biggest thing is to stop procrastinating and get started -- and the second biggest thing is to keep going until you reach your goal. Nothing else makes sense.
Weight Loss To Date
Oh, I forgot to mention yesterday that I'm now down 30 pounds from where I started with the
Isagenix Cleanse system. I haven't done another measuring, but will do that at the end of the month. I'm hoping to hit a total of 40 pounds lost by the end of my second month!
My Next 9-Day Cleanse for Weight Loss
I'm in the middle of my latest 9-day cleanse using the
Isagenix Cleanse system. I had such great success the first time around that I've decided to to back-to-back cleanses for the next couple months just to see how much weight I can lose quickly.
Also, my wife and I just joined the IsaBody Challenge for a chance to win the $10,000 grand prize. I don't know how many people will enter, but I do know that most people who start something like this NEVER finish, so we have a better chance than most, I think. If you'd like to commit to getting fit for the next couple months and have a chance at a cash prize, let me know and I'll tell you more about the challenge.
Today is a cleanse day so that means no solid food -- just the nutrient-rich Cleanse for Life drinks. And some Scooby Snacks. (Okay, they're actually called Isagenix Snacks but they look like Scooby snacks to us!)
My wife says the biggest surprise for her is how the Isagneix cleanse has taken away her cravings for chocolate, etc. She doesn't even *want* them anymore!.
The biggest change for me (from a food standpoint) is that I no longer have multiple cans of diet Coke every day -- in fact, the last time I had a drink with caffeine in it was february 2, 2007 -- about six weeks ago. If you had told me that would happen, I wouldn't have believed you. Will I ever have a diet Coke again? I don't know, but I don't see why I would. My tastes have changed and they are *healthier tastes* so why would I want to go back?
If you'd like to lose weight and get more fit, you really should try the
Isagenix Cleanse.
After 30 Days
I just finished 30 days on the Isagenix program and I'm really looking forward to the next 30 days (and beyond)! I've never lost this much weight this easily before.
My final totals were a loss of 22 inches and 25 pounds for the month of February! My wife has had great success as well, she lost 16 1/4 inches and 17 pounds, so between us we're down more than 40 pounds in just one month!
Besides looking and feeling better, here are some of the highlights of this weight-loss:
1. I can now sleep more than 6 hours at a time without my back killing me. Before Isagenix, it didn't matter how tired I was, at about the six-hour mark I'd wake up with pain shooting through my back. Now I can sleep even eight or nine hours without any problem.
2. My legs have almost stopped swelling at all. Several months ago I started having problems with my legs swelling, usually within just a few hours of getting up in the morning. I had to spend several sessions a day laying on the couch with my feet propped high in the air. And that has now stopped!
3. After two years of my wedding ring hanging on my key ring, it's now back on my finger where it belongs. I took it off when it started hurting a couple years ago but several days ago I looked at my hand and wondered if some of the weight I'd lost had come from there -- lo and behold, it had!
4. This didn't happen to me, but I introduced my Mom to Isagenix and even though she had given up hope of ever losing any weight, she lost 14 pounds in the first 7 days!
(Partial) Results of the 9-Day Cleanse
Today is the official weigh and measure day after doing the
the Isagenix 9-Day Cleanse. No, it's not a diet, it's a "cleanse" that has the curious side affect of taking off pounds. Whatever. :)
Now, I want to be completely truthful here, so this weight-loss is the result of the 9-Day Cleanse PLUS two pre-cleanse days when I was weaning myself off caffeine and sugar, but no matter how you want to look at it, my total weight-loss at this point is...
Fifteen and a half pounds!
I have *never* lost fifteen pounds in less than two weeks before! It makes my goal of 25 pounds in a month look very likely!
Reading other people's experiences I've seen where the day after a cleanse some people "splurge" and eat things they've been denied -- and I wonder what's going through their heads? Why would you take something you worked for, and knowingly sabotage it?!
Not to say I didn't cheat during my cleanse -- I did. But it wasn't planned, and it wasn't an entire day of cheating. In fact, the dinner at which I "cheated" was teriyaki chicken, rice, and salad, and I left a little of almost everything there. Plus, I didn't order my normal diet Coke or dessert, so I feel pretty good about the experience.
I guess everyone is different, but I don't want to go back to where I was. I don't want to eat the way I used to eat. Okay, sometimes when my wife is cooking something for the kids that's not good for this diet, I'll think, "Man, that smells SO good!" -- but that's just the truth -- it does smell good. But the truth is also that it isn't mine. It's not my food. It's not what I'm going to eat!
One more thing -- I haven't had any caffeinated drinks in about 10 days now. That's a freaking record for me for the past 20 years or so!
Am I Hungry?
Simple answer, no. It's been 4 hours since lunch (my one 400-600 calorie meal of the day) and I haven't even had one of the Isagenix Snacks. I've been glugging water like I'm supposed to, but haven't had anything to eat and I feel fine. No hunger, a good amount of energy...
...and fewer pounds than yesterday, even!
I won't be able to feel the difference in my pants for quite a while I don't think -- because I wear sweat pants all the time (that's about all that fit me well). I guess I might have to tighten the drawstrings every once in a while, but as far as clothing goes, I think it will be my shirts that I look to for signs of progress. For example, the shirt I'm wearing today used to feel much tighter when I would sit, but today it feels like a "normal" shirt. I know I've lost at least 1.5 inches from my belly, so the
Isagenix Cleanse system is already making a real difference.
Friday my son turns 13 and he's having a friend over to watch movies and eat goodies. That might be hard for me, but I'll probably park them in front of the TV and head for another room. The next day could be a killer because it's the family "February Birthdays" get-together with cake and everything. But I have a plan...
I did well at the SuperBowl party last weekend, so I know I can go to a party and survive (not cheat). So for the upcoming party I'll do an IsaLean shake for breakfast and lunch, and save my one meal for dinner. That way I can have a turkey sandwich (no mayo, sad to say), some veggies (I'll take along a fat-free lo-cal dip), and slices of apple for dessert. I won't have any of the cake and ice cream, but I think I'll be fine with that.
If I was really hungry a lot on this diet, I wouldn't chance it -- but honestly, most of the time I don't even feel like eating!
After the Initial Cleanse Days
Yesterday was back to the normal shake-meal-shake routine although I think I could have done another cleanse day with no problem -- which surprised me. Going almost completely without food (each day I did the "approved modification" and had one organic apple and one hardboiled egg) for two days wasn't necessarily easy, but I wouldn't classify it as hard at all.
Yesterday was an "official weigh and measure day" and it showed a loss of 8.1 pounds and 7 3/4 inches lost so far -- which is okay with me! An inch and a half was from my belly, and I can really tell it this morning with the shirt I'm wearing -- much less tightness when I sit down. I won't be able to tell much difference from my pants, because almost all I wear is sweatpants (hmm, wonder why that would be?).
Yesterday I felt really alert but was a bit tired -- I wouldn't attribute it to the diet, though, because I screwed up on going to bed the night before and ended up with only 5 hours sleep. I needed a nap during the day but held off on that because I wanted to be able to go to sleep earlier last night. In general, I feel really alert and "ready to go" on this cleansing system. My wife has said the same thing (although she's mentioned feeling much perkier -- probably because she sleeps when she's tired).
Due to unforeseen circumstances I didn't walk yesterday - argh! Today I'm going to be taking care of that earlier in the day so I don't get stuck again.
Counting today, there's four more days of "shake-meal-shake" and then two more cleanse days -- and then the final weigh-in! I can't wait because so far I'm thrilled with
the Isagenix Cleanse system!
My Second Cleanse Day
Yesterday turned out to be a little harder than I thought it would. Of course, going to a Superbowl party and watching people eat sandwiches, eat chili that smelled out of this world, and snack on stuff probably didn't help. :) But I took half an organic apple and a boiled egg with me in case I *had* to have something, and ended up eating the apple during the 3rd-quarter.
It was actually yesterday evening that seemed to be the worst. I tried to figure out what I was feeling and it didn't seem like actual hunger -- it was more a feeling of being deprived. I just *wanted* something. So far actual hunger pangs have been few and far between -- which is nice!
I just had my first cleanse drink of the day and since my wife and I are both doing this we polished off the bottle of Tropical yesterday (my wife says it does taste/smell kind of like mango) so today it's on to the Berry flavored -- which is much better, I think. I'm going to change my follow-up order to Berry for the cleanse drink. I still like the Vanilla for the IsaLean Shakes, though.
During the game yesterday I briefly talked to one of my sisters about what I'm doing and mentioned the no coffee, no diet Coke part (really, no added caffeine). She said because of that she doesn't think she could do this weight-loss system. I've been told by people who have done this cleanse that afterward they dont even want caffeine. Honestly, I *like* drinking diet Coke and am NOT looking forward to not drinking it. I don't quite believe I won't even want it after this is over, but I'm willing for that to happen if it means I'm losing weight -- finally.
If there was such a thing as a straight-across trade would you trade drinking caffeine for the rest of your life in exchange for being at your normal weight for the rest of your life?
No, there isn't a magical 1-to-1 trade like that, but you have to be willing to give up something (or some things) to get to your goal. After all, it's because I didn't want to give up my desires that I ended up obese.
PS - It's not an official weigh day, but I jumped on the scales anyway just to see what's happening. But I'm not going to post it here yet. Maybe tomorrow. :)
First Taste of the Cleanse
Just a quick note here about the
Isagenix Cleanse drink...
I'd read on someone's blog that it was vile, horrible stuff. And while the directions suggest you pour 4 oz into 8 oz of water and serve over ice, that person said they couldn't stand the taste of 12 oz of the stuff, so they chugged the 4 oz dose, and chased it with gallons of water.
Okay, after having had my first taste of the cleanse drink, I have to say that my fears have NOT been realized. Am I going to mistake it for a glass of diet Coke, or Koolaid? No, not likely. But it's "okay enough" that I went ahead and did the whole glass and ice thing so that it would last longer -- it's all I get for breakfast, after all!
I have the Tropical flavor and I do have to say -- I have no idea why they named it that way. I don't taste anything remotely tropical about it.
So what does it taste like? It's hard to describe, but I'm treating it as if it's iced tea that was served at someone's house and it tastes weird but I drink it anyway to be polite.
And to be completely honest, if it made me gag (it doesn't) I'd drink it anyway if it gets me to my goal. The way I got where I am now is by eating what tasted good (and as much as I wanted). If I need to acquire different tastes for a few months, so be it. The goal is worth it.
Day Two of the Pre-Cleanse
Okay, it's about two hours before I head for bed so I'll call this day done, and a success. :)
I know, it seems kind of silly to think of "success" when you've only done two freaking days of a diet that will last MONTHS, but doing it for two days does one thing -- it says to me I can do it for 20 days, or 200 days if I need to (and I do need to).
I've been hungry a little bit today, but nothing horrible -- the Scooby Snacks actually help more than I thought they would. I also had most of an organic apple as a snack and in about 30 minutes I'm going to have my last snack of the day, a boiled egg. Other than those things and the morning and evening shakes, all I've had that "real food" was a turkey sandwich on whole wheat. No mayo, just some Dijon-type mustard and lots of veggies. I actually probably skimped on the amount of vegetables and need to try and not do that -- because that's probably (partly) why I was as hungry as I was this afternoon.
I'm doing the IsaLean shakes in the blender with 8 oz of water and 4 ice cubes -- any more than that and it seems too diluted. Plus, since you're supposed to drink it within 10-minutes of making it (because of the live bacteria in it or something) if I put more ice cubes in it there's too much to get down fast without getting brain freeze. :)
I'm really nervous about tomorrow -- I'm taking the kids to my sister's house for a Superbowl party -- and there will be a ton of goodies there. And tomorrow is my first cleanse day -- which means I get no real food, no shakes, just the cleanse drink every four hours. My wife has decided not to go to the party because she thinks it will be too hard. I'm going, but told my sister I may not stay too long. Even right now just typing this I'm starting to drool because the thought of a Frito Lay chip flashed through my head. Erk!
Two days of the cleanse, then back on the "normal" days. I'm going to do it, because I want to give
this system a completely fair shot. After the 9-day cleanse we'll see whether the results were worth it.
First Day of the Pre-Cleanse
Today was the first day of the pre-cleanse -- which means it's exactly the same as all of the days when you're not doing the actual cleanse. So for breakfast I had an IsaLean shake, for lunch I had some chicken and vegetables, and for dinner I'll have another shake. I've also had a couple IsaSnacks (or Scooby Snacks as we call them) and a hard-boiled egg.
And I'm hungry.
No, not starving, but I can feel myself moving that way. On the other hand, since most days of my life I've spent eating too much, it serves me right. I do find it weird (and not fair!) that someone with 20 pounds to lose gets the same size lunch as someone with 200 pounds to lose. However, less food means faster weight-loss, so we'll see what happens.
This evening should be interesting because I've gotten into the habit of snacking about every hour or two -- including last night! There I was, just a few hours from starting this cleanse/diet, and I was cruising the cupboards looking for as much stuff as I could find! I would have thought it was funny -- if it wasn't so pathetic!
The IsaLean shakes taste fine, the Ionix Supreme is like medicine (just take it because it's good for you, not because you like it), and the Scooby Snacks are good. I wouldn't mistake them for candy, but they're better than I expected.
This morning was also weigh-in and measuring. I'm not a fan of measuring because I think it's too easy to measure just a little bit differently and get a change of 1/2 to 1 inch. I did most of the measurements twice to try and solidify where I'll be measuring from now on.
The Box Arrived!
Boy, it's a big box, but it has two, 30-day programs inside. I'll include some pictures below so you can see what the whole thing looks like.
So tomorrow is going to start my two pre-cleanse days. Huh? Yeah, instead of going "cold-turkey" the company suggests that you do a couple days of pre-cleanse so your system will be better prepared. Since one of the things I'll be giving up for at least the next 30 days is diet Coke, I expect to have a caffeine headache for a couple days -- but to help head that off, tomorrow I'll have half a can in the morning and half a can in the evening, then the next day just half a can in the middle of the day. So when I hit the actual cleanse days where I get ZERO caffeine, I'll have tapered off a little bit.
Tomorrow morning is my official weigh and measure day -- and no, I ain't posting the information here! Once I have an "after" picture and weight, then I'll do it. But honestly, I'm embarrassed at how big I am and so I'll just stall for a bit. ;)
I'll let you know tomorrow how things are going!
Me and My Thyroid
Oh, just wanted to mention something else I did to get ready for the Isagenix 9-Day Cleanse -- I called my Dr and had him change my thyroid medication. I was listening to an interview from the Isagenix site and the Dr on that call said that people on Synthroid sometimes have a hard time losing with Isagenix because of the interaction between the drug and the cleansing product.
He recommended Armour Thyroid which is a natural product, so I called my Dr. and asked him to switch me. I picked up the new prescription yesterday and started on the new stuff today.
Since my dosage is on the low side, I may not have had problem with the Synthroid, but if I can have better results with a different medication, why not?
Just something to think about if you're on a thyroid medication and want to do the Isagenix 9-Day Cleanse.
Still Waiting...
I think my Isagenix products were mailed from AZ yesterday. Unfortunately, they were shipped USPS Priority -- which is pretty fast, but doesn't offer any tracking options.
I've been doing some reading about the 9-day cleanse and see that they want you to do at least 20 minutes of exercise per day. It doesn't have to be hard-core -- even walking is fine. Since I've been walking 30-50 minutes 4-6 times per week for the last month, I shouldn't have any problems with that part of it (even though today I skipped out at the 25-minute mark -- I just could NOT get going!).
My plan is to increase my walking to at least 45-minutes each of the 9 days of the cleanse. During the rest of the 30-day program, I may go back to the 4-6 times per week, although I'm halfway planning on trying to be really diligent to go every single day.
Yesterday I was all hopped up and ready to go -- today I'm still ready, but the initial excitement has worn down a little. But I keep thinking about what I can accomplish with this system and am still chomping at the bit to get started.
The system I'm using:
Your Last Diet (link opens in a new window)
PS - Someone pointed out to me that this isn't a diet -- it's a cleanse. One of the "side effects" of the cleanse is that you lose 5-15 pounds in 9 days. Okay, whatever words they want to use, that's fine with me -- as long as I lose the weight! ;)
Waiting for my Isagenix products
My Isagenix products were supposed to have been shipped today, so I'm in "waiting" mode.
To bring you up to speed, I found a health product that has so many testimonials (complete with before and after weight-loss pictures) that I just had to try it. You can see it here:
Your Last Diet (link opens in a new window)
I believe that it will work for me, but I don't have any proof of that yet -- which is one reason why I'm doing this blog. If it works and I have good results, you'll see that.
And if it doesn't work for me, you'll see that, too. (Yes, I do expect it to work, but I've also been disappointed enough in the past that I haven't gone out and bought a Speedo to show off my new bod!)
The idea of a "cleanse" seems really stupid to me -- for some reason I equate it with ditzy blondes who hang out in new age shops and whose idea of weight loss is "those 5 stubborn pounds!"
Man, I lose five pounds just by cutting my toenails!
However, some of the testimonials I read were so powerful that I decided to see for myself if those ditzy blondes knew something I didn't.
So here I sit and wait and wonder what's going to happen during my 9 days...
