Journal

S.O.S.

2009-09-25T02:01:32Z

Thought I would catch your eye with the picture...how do you like it? Now that I have your attention, Stay Off the Scales!! This is the very important piece of advice for today--don't weigh yourself every day. When you first start losing weight, getting on the scales will give you a lift in your day. You feel so successful and your weight is just falling off. Then after a few weeks, typically weight loss will slow down a bit. You may also have water retention at certain times of the month. That is when getting on the scales every day gets really discouraging.

A much better way to track your progress is to do body measurements. Muscle weighs more than fat, so when you gain muscle, the scales stay the same or go up. Muscle takes up less space than fat, so when you lose inches, you are making great progress, since muscle helps burn FAT!!!

Try putting the scale up in a closet or out in the shed, or have your husband put it in the trunk of his car when he leaves for work. These are things that I have done to avoid getting on the scales and ruining my mood and even sabotaging my progress.

Product & Order Information

2009-08-20T20:07:17Z

Click on www.glad4job.com to review the product information, educational videos, and sign up to get started on your transformational journey to better health. I will be your coach and will be there to help you get a great start and guide you to a better you!

How to Get Started

2009-08-18T19:53:17Z

Sign up here to receive a 20-minute free consultation from me to learn more about nutritional cleansing and what it can do to improve your health and your life!

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How to calculate your body mass index

2009-07-27T19:02:25Z

Body mass index (commonly known as BMI) is the measure of body fat based on height and weight. Here are the ranges:

<18.5 Underweight

18.5-24.9 Normal

25-29.9 Overweight

30> Obese

You can find BMI calculators on the internet which will calculate your BMI for you, but here is the formula to calculate your body mass index: Weight x 703 divided by height (in inches) divided by height (in inches).

Here is my example: My starting weight was 235.6 and my height is 5'9". So, 235 x 703 divided by 69 divided by 69 = 35 which falls in the obese category.

The First Week

2009-07-02T18:56:46Z

I have made a decision that my progress will not be hindered by my emotional state. That is how I got to an obese weight--by letting my emotions run the show and eating every time something didn't go my way or if I needed a pick-me-up. "How I feel" is no longer in charge of me! I feel so free just making that statement. It is important to have a support system, because it has been shown that people with accountability partners stay on course and have better results than those who go it alone.

So my Isagenix package came before I had a chance to wean off of caffeine completely. I was so excited and ready to go, I got my coach's approval to start the next day. Day 1 was pretty great! The morning shake was actually very good. I have had other protein shakes that were just terrible, but this is one that I can see myself drinking daily. The chocolate is my favorite! I could not believe that I wasn't even hungry until lunchtime. The protein and live enzymes in the shake work to keep you feeling full. I had a healthy lunch of lean protein, veggies, and a complex carb.

Another shake for dinner and then a snack! There are delicious dark chocolates called IsaDelights that are full of B12 and other vitamins, so I had one which felt like an indulgence--who eats chocolate when they are trying to lose weight?! These chocolates are actually good for you. Some days I make a decision to have two, and that is not even called "cheating." I figured out by the formula that I needed to drink half my body weight in ounces of water, which is 118 ounces. That helps to flush out the impurities and fat that I am releasing.

I felt really good emotionally because I was able to stay on the program and not feel hungry, cranky or weak. I did, however, have a headache by the time I went to bed. I had not weaned off of caffeine properly so I was a little concerned how long this headache would last.

Day 2: I got on the scales this morning and was down 4 pounds!! That was such great news! The bad news, though...the headache was still there accompanied by nausea. I realized that my body was withdrawing from fat, sugar and caffeine all at the same time. Oh, what had I done to my body by eating so much junk food just to feed my emotional state. I came to a realization that I had been abusing my body and felt very ashamed of that fact. I had a half shake and took it easy for a while and then felt better later in the day. I did manage to eat a healthy lunch and get back on track with my evening shake. I realized by the end of Day 2 that I could see my ankle bones again! Wow, it has been a while since I saw them. I am feeling very good about my nutritional cleanse working for me. I am looking forward to some great results!

Day 3: I did measurements and weight today: I lost 4.2 pounds and 10.25 inches!! This was after 2 days of treating my body right and feeding it proper nutrients, minerals and vitamins.

So I had the withdrawal symptoms for a total of 48 hours. Considering how long I had abused my body with junk food, I think I got off pretty easy. My eyes have totally been opened to what bad nutrition does to the human body.

It is important that when you have good results like I had on Day 2 that you reward yourself...but it has to be something non-food related, like a pedicure, manicure, some form of pampering, a good book, etc. I am having to retrain myself that rewards do not always have to be food.

My coach and I decided that since I had withdrawal symptoms, I would do another few days of shakes before doing a deep cleanse.

Day 4: I lost 1.6 pounds!!! I woke up with so much energy and no headache! I am starting to remember what it felt like to feel "normal." I feel energetic without that buzz feeling of caffeine or diet pills. I painted my kitchen today and also planted some seeds in my garden and walked on the treadmill for 20 minutes.

I find it hard to believe that I have not been hungry or grouchy and have lost 5.8 pounds already! I do not feel deprived at all.

Day 6: It is my first deep cleanse day and I don't know what to expect. I am supposed to drink 4 ounces of Cleanse for Life four times a day and have the Isagenix snack wafers and my water in between. The Cleanse for Life drink actually tastes fruity. It is jam packed full of vitamins, trace minerals, aloe hearts and a whole lot of other stuff that is great for the body. It purifies the body at the cellular level which releases fat. I followed the schedule and really was surprised that I was not ravenous by the end of the day. I can't wait to see how much weight I released today!!

Day 7: Took my before pictures today. What a dreadful ordeal. I try to avoid the camera as much as possible, but I wanted to document me at my worst. I got on the scales and have released a total of 11 pounds of fat and 15.25 inches!!

These are my before pictures.

I feel kind of grumpy today. I feel like I am mourning the loss of a close friend--FOOD. I am catching myself putting food up to my mouth out of habit. It's time to learn some new habits--good ones! I realize that I am on my way to creating new lifestyle changes that will benefit me and my whole family, as well as being an example to others that healthy weight loss IS possible.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phil. 4:13

Getting Started: My Goals

2009-07-01T21:17:34Z

These are the health goals I set for myself:

1. To have more energy and feel better. I home school my 3 children which takes a huge amount of energy (some days more than others!). I want to be an active mother and be able to keep up with all the activities my children are involved in. We are in the process of getting approved for adoption, so there will be a total of 4 or 5 children in our household soon. Also important to me was to stop needing an afternoon nap.

2. I have set a weight loss goal of 80 pounds. That will put my BMI in the normal range.

3. To have a level of improved health; i.e., to eradicate the weekly migraines and have better mental clarity. Also, I have a family history of heart disease, high cholesterol and aortic aneurysm.

4. To help others by my example to improve their quality of life and achieve their health goals.

I feel that I am going to have to really stretch to meet all these goals, but I know that I can take better care of myself and feed my body in a healthy way. This list may look like realistic goals, but they are just wishes without a plan to execute them. My plan is pretty simple: To follow the Isagenix program of nutritional cleansing until I have lost my 80 pounds and my BMI is in the normal weight category. I am just going to take it one day at a time and have a spirit of excellence. Also of major importance is getting adequate exercise to boost my metabolism and burn fat. I am using a combination of Jillian Michaels Biggest Winner DVDs and walking/jogging on the treadmill.

"Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." 1Cor. 10:31

My Transformation: The Beginning

2009-07-01T21:10:42Z

This is the hardest thing I have had to admit out loud: I weigh 235.6 pounds.

I am a work-at-home mom of 3 girls, all under 8 years old. In addition to working my business part time from my home, I am homeschooling my children. My husband is an over-the-road trucker who is gone for extended periods of time. I found myself eating when I was lonely, stressed out, frustrated, and sometimes just because I felt like I deserved it because I was managing all the household responsibilities, the budget, the children and anything else that came up alone most of the time. After having my last baby at age 40, my weight just seemed to get out of control. I was finding that none of my "fat" clothes would fit me. It was a huge, frustrating struggle every time I had to go out in public...what to wear that hides all my fat. Well, it got to the point that NOTHING was hiding it. I felt that my weight and my bad self image were lowering my quality of life; I didn't feel good about going anywhere that I would be seen and I didn't have the energy to keep up with three very active little girls. I wasn't sleeping well at all and woke up every morning around 3-4 a.m. with body stiffness and aches. I was dependent on caffeinated soft drinks to give me energy to get through the day. I have suffered almost weekly bouts of being bedridden with nausea and sensitivity to light and sound for the past five years. Those days were robbing my family of their wife and mother. I knew I had to do something, but I wasn't willing to starve myself. I knew that wasn't healthy. I also know how hard it is to stay on a "diet" for any extended period of time. What I was looking for was a lifestyle change.

One day while on the internet, I saw a video about being toxic and how toxins come from our environment--from our food, drink, and the air we breathe. I learned how toxins hold onto fat and make it very difficult to lose weight. I knew from the symptoms that I was having and the poor quality of my life that I most certainly was toxic to the core.

I was a little skeptical about this working for me, but since it was not a "diet" I decided to fill out the info and see what happened. In the next day or so, I spoke with an Isagenix leader who set me up with my own personal coach who would walk me through this process. What happened next was...

"My back is filled with searing pain; there is no health in my body." Psalm 38:7