What's for Breakfast?

Monday my weight was down a total of 16.75 pounds and my waist measured 4 inches less than the first of January.  My current BMI is 26.3.  My weight-loss has slowed somewhat, but it is still consistently headed in the right direction. The positive results keep me motivated, but I am not going to lie, I am getting tired of watching everything I eat.  Not giving up, however.  I am going to do this!  Anyone else ready to make a change?

I am pretty much a creature of habit.  Once I find something that works for me, I stick with it.  For example, I eat the same thing for breakfast everyday.  It keeps me filled throughout the morning, fits well within my caloric goals, and is easy to prepare.  And I don't experience the mid-morning blood-sugar drops that I did when I used to eat Frosted Mini-Wheats.  

Breakfast (207 calories total)

1/2 cup oatmeal  (150 calories)

1 pkg. Kirkland dehydrated apple slices, broken up   (35 calories)

1/4 c. skim milk   (22 calories)

My favorite is the apples with cinnamon.  

Plateau

I hit a plateau.  About a week went by with no loss at all.  Grrrrr.  I know part of the reason is I shared a yummy dessert with my daughter, Audrey,  at Red Lobster on her birthday.  I am not kidding you about the negative effect of sweets on weight loss.  Sweets are killers!  I thought that would only set me back a couple of days, but it has taken a full week to get the pounds moving again.

To address the plateau issue, I continued the plan without giving up.  I dropped the Lean Cuisine lunches and went to green salads.  I also spent some time on the treadmill at a very moderate pace.  I have to admit that exercise has not been a big focus of my weight loss plan.  I'm hoping to see how many pounds I can lose in two months with Slenderiix and then change my focus to aerobics and toning as part of my maintenance plan.

Today I was pleased to find that I had lost 2.25 pounds since Saturday.  My total is 15 pounds since the beginning of January.  I'm shooting for another ten with my second bottles of Slenderiix and Xceler8.  A coworker told me today that I was looking trim.  It's motivating to know that the results are noticeable.

Lucky 13

Yesterday was the final weigh-in for my 30-day commitment.  The grand total of weight loss is 13 pounds.  My waistline is 3 inches slimmer and my BMI has gone from to 28.6 to 26.6.    I put on a pair of pants that are two sizes smaller than I had been wearing prior to Slenderiix.  They were a little snug, but wearable.  I am very excited about my results!  This month has gone so well that I am going to do another 30 days.  It was relatively easy.  The product makes it possible for me to stick to the diet plan. One more month should put me at a healthy weight--the likes of which I have not seen in approximately 8 years.

If you are thinking that the time to reach a healthy weight is now, go to my website,  slenderiiz.com/healthandwealth You can read up on the program and order products there.  If you are interested in other health products by Ariix you can go to my other website, ariix.com/product/healthandwealth.  I recommend checking out the Optimals--vitamins and minerals.  Leave me a comment or email me from my website if you have questions.

One more thing…Slenderiix and Xceler8 are not magic.  They will not produce any weight loss on their own.  (I know, I tried that.) The reduced calorie diet and change in the types of food eaten are essential.  But these products make the changes in eating so doable!   If I can do this, anyone can!

Before

After 1 month

Looking forward to sharing another month with you!

Back of the Closet

Today was weigh-in.  I am down 1.75 pounds since Saturday for a total of 12.25 pounds. I have found clothes in the back of my closet that I have not worn in at least a year because they didn't fit.  I tried on a couple of things and they fit!  This is getting kind of fun!

School lunch included the lovely white birthday cake with pink frosting today.  I ate my "cutie" orange for dessert as I sat next to people eating the cake.  It is still surprising to me that I can do that and not go crazy with cravings!  Slenderiix makes this weight loss thing so doable!

They were right!

This is a frequently asked question about slenderiix.

Q: What if I need to cheat, what can I do without completely falling apart?
A. This is one of our most-asked questions. If you are going to cheat, then cheat with lean proteins or green vegetables. Please don’t eat any sweets, ice cream or other types of simple sugars. If you do, it will set you back 3 to 4 days. You are not going to suddenly gain 5 pounds, however you also will not lose any weight for 3 to 4 days. Obviously we prefer that you not cheat, but if you do, be smart in your approach. Whatever you do with this, do it in moderation and don’t let it set you so far back that you give up on the diet all together. Remember, you will not meet your weight loss goal if you quit on the diet. But cheating once or twice will not totally derail you. 

I will attest to this.  The sweets are killers!   Remember how I cheated with fudge cakes on my birthday?  Well, when I weighed in this morning I had only lost 1/2 pound since the 21st, rather than the usual 1/2 pound per day I had been experiencing.  Avoid the sweets!   I cheered myself up by taking a waist measurement.  I have lost 3 inches around my waist!   

Nifty Fifty

Today was the big day!  I am now 1/2 century old…50 years of life on earth.  Hard to believe.  I have had a wonderful day and I started it by stepping on the scale to see if I had met my goal of 10 pounds before 50 years. Good news! I did it!  I have lost exactly 10 pounds!  However, I am not done yet.

My family made me feel loved and appreciated.  Flowers, balloons, gift cards, housecleaning, a movie, cash!  It was a great day!  Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes!

Now the bad news…I ate TWO Sarah Lee Chocolate Fudge Cakes at 200 calories each!  Well, it was my birthday after all.  Right back on track tomorrow.  I'm ready to say goodbye to the next 10 pounds!

Day 15

Weigh-in day was Saturday.  I have lost a total of 8.5 pounds.  That is a bit more than a half pound per day.  I had a goal of ten pounds before my 50th birthday on Tuesday.  It will be close.  Last week I slacked off on water intake.  Getting back on track with that is this week's goal.  Also, I think I need to cut back on the Lean Cuisines.  I don't think the processed foods are the best.  They are just so convenient.

I had a tasty chicken taco salad sans chips for Sunday dinner.  I used a bit of low-fat cheese and fat-free dressing.  My daughter, Ashley, recommended a yummy lime chicken recipe.  It tasted really good, but then I had a craving for tortilla chips.  I resisted.  I guess even some good foods could be a craving trigger for other less healthy foods.  Heaven knows I have always loved tortilla chips with my taco salad!

Treadmill time has been very hit and miss.  Life is incredibly busy right now.  I need to do better on that also.

Thirteen Days!

Today was midweek weigh-in.  Thirteen days into the program and I am down 7 pounds!  I cannot believe how quickly the pounds are coming off.  I really can't. I know I am eating a lot fewer calories than before, but I have never lost weight this fast!  My BMI has dropped 1 point and I am not hungry. I am getting more and more excited about this whole plan!  No one will be able to appreciate this the way I do, but I have not been able to button up this cardigan all the way since I got it!  

Whoever Would Have Thought...

Whoever would have thought that Sunday dinner at my house would involve roast beef, but no mashed potatoes?!?!  Potatoes were replaced with a large green salad and steamed butternut squash.  It was good and I'm full.  I had to try not to dwell on the lack of potatoes…my favorite food.  Keeping the results in mind helps.

The End of Week One

I made it through the first week.  Hunger was never really a problem and the munchies/cravings are letting up.  I went to a movie and had only a bottled water.  I even let my daughter eat McDonald's food in my car while I slowly munched on a protein bar.  It wasn't even hard.  That is crazy to me!

Today was weigh-in day.  I am 4.25 pounds down after the first week!  I am quite excited about that.    If I can keep up that rate, I will definitely reach my 30-day goal!  I have never lost that much weight in one week before.  Years back while on Weight Watchers I dropped three pounds in a week and was ecstatic.  I am feeling good about my progress and motivated to continue.

I still have a couple of boxes of Slenderiix/Xceler8 for at a discounted price, if anyone is interested in joining me in shedding pounds!

Quick Update

I had my first weigh-in today.  Five days after starting the Slenderiix and Xceler8 drops and three days of a reduced calorie diet I am down two pounds.  Anyone who has ever tried to lose weight knows that the first couple of pounds are fairly easy to lose and are usually water weight rather than fat so I am cautiously optimistic about the loss.  Saturday will be eight days into the program.  I am looking forward to see how that weigh-in goes.  In the mean time, I am continuing with 1250 calories.  I have to admit that the last two evenings I have had a turkey and green beans Lean Cuisine.  I am sure the processed frozen dinners are not the best, but they kept me within my calorie range and tasted good.

On a motivational note, I happened to see a guy I had a terrible crush on during jr. high and high school.  My first big crush, you know, the one you never forget.  I swear he looked like he hadn't gained a pound in 30+ years and still had hair!  That was motivational for me.  I would so much rather be the person that people haven't seen in a long time and think, "She's looking good after all these years," rather than, "What happened to her?"  I have got to take better care of myself!  Who's with me?

Day 4 on Program

Today was my first day at work while on the low-cal diet.  I was concerned I would be hungry, but that really didn't happen.  The Slenderiix and Xceler8 are really doing the trick at making the decrease in calories fairly easy.  Sticking to 1250 calories was no problem.  I was really surprised at lunch when I actually couldn't finish all of the cabbage soup I had brought.  It was more filling than I had expected.  I saved some for an after-school snack which worked out well because I was not hungry when I got home.

However, even though I have not been hungry, I do miss my favorite foods--simple carbs and sweets.  All of which, of course, are not particularly healthy.  As crazy as this sounds, it is like my friends have gone away.  I have used food for comfort and enjoyment.  I've seriously got to work on finding these things in something other than food.  If I relapse as a food addict I know any weight I lose will come right back.  Anyone else have this kind of unhealthy relationship with food or am I just crazy?

I am looking forward to weighing in on Wednesday.  That's a feeling I have not had for awhile!  Off to the treadmill for my daily 20 minutes.

First Day of Calorie Reduction

Today was the the first day on reduced calories and approved foods.  I have not been hungry, but have had to battle with the munchy/craving issue.  I know that the longer I go without junk food the less I will crave it so I am hanging in there.  It is going to be worth it!  I looked at some of the clothes in my closet that I have not been able to wear for awhile and I am excited to get into them.  It will be like a whole new wardrobe!

Following is a list of what I have been eating today.  On Sunday I usually only eat two meals so I have found that I need to have a little snack before bedtime tonight to make sure I get in 1250 calories.  I had a harder time getting my minimum of 64 oz. of water today due to being at church and a long Sunday nap, but I am going to keep on it until 9:00.

Breakfast
1/2 c. oatmeal
1/4 c. raspberries
1/4 c. milk

Snack
1/2 c. grape tomatoes

Lunch/Dinner
5 oz. steak
1 1/2 c. steamed green beans
1 apple

Evening Snack
1/2 c. oatmeal
3 strawberries

Ariix Vitamin and Mineral supplements (These are awesome!)

I also have a pot of cabbage soup simmering on the stove for tomorrow.  It is low-cal and filling, but I haven't made it in years.  I recall liking it fine.  I will have to post an update on the taste tomorrow.  Tomorrow I also need to pick up some walnuts to be sure I am getting some healthy fat.

Cabbage Soup (Old Weight Watcher Recipe)
Place all ingredients in large stock pot and bring to boil.  Simmer for 1 hour.  My calculation on calories is about 900 per pot.  It looks like I have about 8-10 cups of soup.  That would be about 100 calories per cup.

1 head of cabbage, chopped
2 medium green peppers, chopped
4 cups chopped celery
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
2 chicken bouillon cubes
2 28 cans diced tomatoes
1 T. fresh lemon juice
3 tsp. minced garlic
48 fl oz. V8 Vegetable Juice
1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix

For more information on this program go to my website and click on The Science of Skinny. www.arrix.com/product/healthandwealth

It's here!

The Slenderiix and Xceler8 arrived today!  The adventure begins.  I've got my Ariix Vitamins, Minerals, and Rejuveniix and a bag of Pure Nourish meal replacement that I may or may not have swiped from my son, Tanner.  (I'm going to sample it and see how I like it.)  Don't forget the kitchen scale because we all know that when it comes to food we have a tendency to underestimate our portions.

Tomorrow begins Phase1:  Preparation--Eat as usual, minus any fast foods.  Begin taking homeopathic supplement drops.  Piece of cake!  Oh, wait. Scratch that. Easy as pie!  Whoops, let me try again.  Phase 1:  No Problem!

Click here for more information on Ariix products.

Before...

This is me in December 2013 as I start this journey.  Posting a picture of the overweight me leaves me feeling very vulnerable, but I am committed to do this.  It's not like people don't see me daily and know what I look like anyway, right?  Somehow I have tried to fool myself into thinking that I don't really appear that overweight.  However, the scale, the tape measure, the camera, and the BMI index don't lie.  I am 30+ pounds overweight.  My BMI is 28.6, well into the overweight category.  My waist is 40.5 inches.  (I can remember it being 28 inches.) How did it come to this?  

It is time to commit.   I am expecting my Slenderiix products to arrive tomorrow. (Don't let me down USPS.) I am committing to 30 days using the product and following the plan precisely.    I don't expect this to be easy.  Making big changes never is.  However, I expect to be successful.  I expect to achieve my goals of real weight loss!