October 2 – October 13,
2007
Lost:
10 pounds and 16.5 inches !
UPDATE #2: As of October 15, 2008, I have been
on the maintenance plan for one year now and have maintained all of my results!
My
before and after -- just of my face (with my hair pulled
back)
NOTE: The
very first time you do a 9-Day or 30-Day Cycle, you do two PreCleanse Days that
are like ramp up days to the system. So your first time out, and only your
first time, is actually 11 days, not 9.PreCleanse, Day 1
Determined. That would
be the best word to describe how I feel this morning. As I stood in
the shower psyching myself up, I realized I was washing away my doubts about
completing the program. I can do this. I’m determined!
I began with my weigh and
measure. I’m only 5’1”, which means weight is quick to show on my
frame. Five pounds can be an entire pant size for me.
According to my BMI calculation, I’m
at 26.4. Not horrible, but definitely in the Overweight
category. I have always been relatively small – until pregnancies
got the best of me. I want to get back to where I was.
I know it’s possible!
To get to a BMI of 22 – smack dab in the middle of the Normal category, I should weigh 116. On the scale
this morning, I weighed 142.5. In other words, 26.5 pounds to
lose. Not as bad as a lot of people out there, but a goal I’ve been
trying 7 years to reach. In fact, I recently completed six weeks of
vigorous, daily, one-hour aerobic/resistance training sessions combined with
eating 1200-1500 calories per day. I only lost two pounds!
According to the program's philosophy, I’m not letting go of the fat
because the fat is holding on to impurities. Let’s see if we can
get rid of the impurities – and get rid of the fat!
OK. First step is
water. Quite frankly, actually drinking enough water is my biggest
concern here. My entire adult life I’ve heard you should drink
eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. Everyone should.
I’ve NEVER been able to do it.
So here’s my plan: I take a glass
pitcher that I have and fill it with 64 ounces of water. The water
goes all the way to the top of the pitcher! Now, I’ll drink from
the pitcher all day until the pitcher is gone. No counting glasses,
no chugging, no getting up and down to refill. Best of all, I’ll
have the sense of accomplishment as the water level in the pitcher keeps going
down. This might actually work!
I start with my first glass of
water, watch the water level drop in my pitcher, and smile.
Next, my first shake.
You definitely must use the blender – there are a lot of proteins in
there and a simple stir does not cut it. I throw in a hefty handful
of ice cubes to boot. The end result is a frothy chocolate
shake. Pretty good. Kind of malty tasting.
By the time I’m ready to leave for
work I’ve gone through another glass of water. I mark the level on
my pitcher, dump it out and head to work. Once there, I fill the
pitcher back up to my mark and plant the pitcher on the end of my desk.
As lunchtime approaches, my pitcher
is about 1/3 gone – this strategy is really working! Hunger is
definitely hitting, so I load up a HUGE salad with roasted chicken strips (Tyson
Shortcuts) and other veggies. I must have some carbs, so I also
have a slice of all natural, fresh-baked bread I picked up. I
estimate 600 calories worth of all the ingredients, including plenty of low-cal
dressing, and dig in. I only make it through about 2/3 of the
salad, but ate all of my bread. I’m stuffed.
More water through the afternoon,
but I feel pretty satisfied. It didn’t help that someone brought in
Dunkin' Donuts this morning and now people are walking around with them for
their afternoon snack. But I ignore them and stay determined!
By the time I get the kids and get
home, I’m pretty starved. That shake is sounding really good right
now!! I head straight to the blender and get myself taken care
of. This shake tastes even better than this morning’s.
I down it pretty quickly and feel much better. I brought my
pitcher back home, after marking my water level before leaving the office.
Turns out I only have one glassful to go. By 7:30, all the
water is gone. For the first time in my life, I drank all the
water. The pitcher system worked – yay!
I never realized how often
I would nibble here and there while cooking and then cleaning up.
Sometimes cleaning up also meant finishing what they left on their
plate. I catch myself reaching for their plates many times, but
stop myself just before I blow it. I’m determined!
Next problem is when the traditional
evening snacking binge habit starts to hit. I say habit, because
I’m not really craving anything in particular – that’s a switch. I
just feel the urge to eat because it’s evening. But, no!
I’m determined. I head to the bedroom and pick up a
book. And then, lights out. Day One PreCleanse is
complete.
PreCleanse, Day
2
My first shock of the day
comes when I found out that I had completely slept through the alarm
clock. I am usually one of those annoying morning people almost
everyone else hates. I pretty much wake up before the alarm
clock. I was dumbfounded and had to be reassured several times by
my husband that I was indeed ‘out cold.’ But I feel
great!
The second shock of the day comes
when I get on the scale. Three pounds!! That’s right,
three pounds down. I am grinning from ear to ear. I
can do this!
Off to the kitchen to fill my
pitcher, have some water and my morning shake. Take the pitcher to
work and blow everyone away when I walk in. Three of my co-workers
literally walk around me, looking me up and down, commenting on how I actually
look like I’ve noticeably lost weight. They are shocked at the
three pounds loss in just one day. I’m not sure I believe them, but
I’m grinning again!
Same routine until lunch.
Another big salad, except not as big as yesterday’s, and a slice of the
amazing bread at my desk. I’m starving as I start eating and
anticipate plowing through the meal. Except about 5 minutes into it
I get a little head rush, some dizziness. I think it’s just the
blood rushing to my stomach to digest some actual food. I focus on
the bread and the chicken for more substance. A couple minutes
later the dizziness passes. Half an hour later, I am still working
on the salad. I haven’t eaten half of it, but I’m feeling like I
can’t eat any more. Very weird. I give my coach a call
and describe what I’m going through. He says some people actually
lose their hunger. Try to eat as much as I can even if it takes
over an hour or more. I follow his advice and get about 2/3
down. I worry I’ll be ravenous by dinner as a result, but make it
through the rest of the afternoon without any problems.
I’m actually happy to be starving by
the time I get home with the kids. I get my shake down quickly and
without any of the problems I had at lunch. I feel satisfied.
My pitcher method is still working, and I’m again down to only one glass
of water for the day. Another yay! Knowing how last
night went, I get the kids fed and their food out of the way as quickly as
possible.
As night time hits, the hunger pangs
are starting up. I’m now paying the price for too small a
lunch. Nothing to do about it now. I won’t have
another chance at that salad for two more days. Yikes!
But I’m still determined!! I go to sleep early in
anticipation of starting my first Cleanse Day tomorrow.
Cleanse, Day 1
I woke up this morning
feeling very excited AND nervous.
Time to start my cleanse. I’m worried I’ll be starving all
day, but, once again, I’m determined! Getting on my scale and
seeing I’m now down a total of four pounds is a great incentive!
I decide to go with the
straight cleanse drink on ice, instead of diluting into a full glass of
water. It’s called Tropical flavor, but honestly, it tastes a lot
like fruity cough syrup. Not so great, but I gulp it down and
follow it with a cold water chaser. OK, I can do this!
I put together my baggie full of
snacks and almonds, get ready for work and, with my pitcher and bottle of
cleanse drink, head out the door. My choice of doing cleanse days
on a work day was strategic so that I wouldn’t be around my kitchen at home all
day.
When I walk in the door, my
co-workers again walk around me commenting on how I am actually looking even
thinner. I grin as I go through my day, popping snacks and almonds
any time a hunger pang hits. At first, everyone else tiptoed around
me. The reason? I am notoriously cranky when I get
hungry. Everyone was afraid I would be a complete bear.
Amazingly, I make it through the day without any crankiness and very
little hunger pangs. The only side effect is feeling a little bit
weak and a touch ‘fuzzy’ on my thinking. But for the most part,
really not a problem.
As I head home, I’m anticipating a
problem with having to cook the kids dinner. Thankfully, my husband
steps up and takes care of everything. I keep up with snacks and
almonds pretty much once an hour or so, which keeps the hunger pangs at
bay. Once I get in bed, I realize I made it – Cleanse Day One is
done!
Cleanse, Day
2
I wake up testing out how I
feel. Actually, really good! Although I am fantasizing
about going in the kitchen and blending up a shake. But, I’m
determined! I practically run to the scale (after emptying a very
full bladder) to see what kind of benefit I got from yesterday’s cleanse.
I am down 6.5 pounds! What a great incentive to get through
this second day!
Today goes pretty much the same as
yesterday – no crankiness whatsoever (to everyone else’s relief) and a slight
feeling of weakness. This morning I do get a little light
headedness around 10:00. I decide I don’t need to be so hard core
about everything and munch down a couple of organic baby carrots along with my
snack and almonds. The dizziness passes within a few minutes and
I’m good to go. The feeling comes back again around 4:00, so I eat
another couple of carrots with my snack and almonds.
My husband again takes
charge of dinner. I’m realizing how much easier this would be if he
and I were doing our programs together. But he’s traveling next
week so has to wait until he gets back. Anyway, he gets the boys
handled so I can go out of food scent range. But around 8:00 my
evening eating habit kicks in. I decide again not to be so hard on
myself and have a half of an apple. This is best tasting apple I
have ever had! Amazingly, the apple completely fills me up and
holds me over until I go to sleep.
Shake Day, Day 1
I’m definitely a little
weaker this morning, but I’m elated at the thought of being able to eat
today! Today is also my first official weigh and measure day.
I know I keep saying I’m amazed, but I have now lost EIGHT POUNDS and
10.5 INCHES! Wow! I am a third of the way to my target
weight in only four days. I can do this!
I get myself into the kitchen for my
shake. I can’t wait! Amazingly, half way through the
shake I am really full. I actually have to force myself to
finish. I’m actually relieved that I didn’t feel the need to gorge
on everything in sight. I am truly stuffed.
Today, I am actually deviating from
the program because of social plans. I’m supposed to have a regular
meal for lunch, like on my Pre Cleanse Days, but I want to be able to eat with
friends over dinner. I call my coach to get his input on it.
He told me to go and enjoy, but understand I may not lose anything more
today because I am deviating from the plan. It’s worth it to me to
be able to join in with everyone tonight, so I stick to my plan.
Shake for lunch it is!
I stay with my snacks and almonds to
make it to dinner. I’m feeling really good about myself as I get
ready for my night out. I’m meeting up with friends from my office,
who all saw me yesterday afternoon. But they all comment on how
great I look and even skinnier again today. I even got hit on by a
very cute guy while on a bathroom run! This program is great for
the ego!
For dinner, I get a chicken Caesar
salad and substitute a vinaigrette dressing on the side. The salad
is delicious, but I only finish about 3/4 of it. I concentrate on
the chicken to keep my protein level up. I realize this is my first
real food in three days. I’m really doing it!
By the time dinner is over, it’s
very late and we head home. At this point, I’m wondering how my
body will react to the food in my system.
Shake Day, Day 2
I slept really hard last
night and wake up feeling almost still full. I realize I need to
get back on track with the program timing, so I will be by the book today.
After my shake, which I have to really work to get all of it down, I am
feeling incredibly full. And then I feel my bowels finally start to
kick into action.
I haven’t ‘gone’ since my first
cleanse drink three mornings ago. This morning, I again experience
a lot of volume, this time everything is almost a black color.
(Sorry to be so graphic.) I feel good knowing that this is
probably a lot of the very old, impacted stuff making its way out of my
colon. I feel much better afterwards and get on with my day.
I keep up with my water and snacks, but don’t eat the optional
almonds. I don’t need to because I feel so full!
I eat a normal lunch today, trying
out an organic burrito and a small spinach salad with grilled chicken.
I’m a little worried I’m eating too much starch, but we’ll see what
happens. I am again getting very full, but make myself eat it
all.
This afternoon, I am feeling kind of
queasy in the gut area. I think my intestines are trying to figure
out what to do with food in there! I persevere, though, and
continue with my water and snacks with no other symptoms. The
queasiness passes after about an hour or so.
I’m feeling good and hungry at
dinnertime, but again feel very full after my evening shake. Lots
of water and another snack an hour later. By 10:00 pm I am more than ready for bed!
Shake Day, Day
3
Today proceeds almost
identical to yesterday. I feel pretty old hat at the program right
now. I’ve even started coaching someone else through the
program. Look at me, the expert!
The big difference today is that I
am greeted at the office door with a major computer issue that keeps me away
from my desk much of the day. That means I am away from my trusty
pitcher of water and baggie full of snacks, too.
I realize by 3:00 that I have not
had nearly as much to drink at this point as I have the previous days.
I’m also starting to feel kind of gurgly in the gut. I
figure that’s a good sign things are working the way they’re supposed to.
I knew it was only a matter of time that I would see an intestinal
response. Now I feel like a ticking time bomb!
I remember that the best way to
stave off bad symptoms is to drink a lot of water to keep the impurities diluted
as much as possible. I start drinking!
By the time I get home, the
queasiness is at a low grumble but definitely manageable. I have no
trouble getting the boys fed while I slowly drink my shake. I laugh
thinking that on the PreCleanse Days I was guzzling the shakes down in one big
gulp. Now, I am actually watching the clock to make sure I drink it
all in under 10 minutes to keep the enzymes active. What a
difference a few days makes!
I keep going on the water, also
realizing that my trips to the bathroom to relieve my bladder have also gotten
less frequent. My body is definitely adjusting. I
still try to taper off toward bed time to avoid any trips during the
night. We’ll see how the gut feels in the morning…
Shake Day, Day
4
I’ll call this hump
day. While I’ve woken up every other morning feeling skinny and
great, I wake up today to the gurgle. I also feel pretty bloated
and a little down. But I give myself a little pep talk, reminding
myself of how far I’ve come. I’m still at the 8 pound mark, which
is still awesome for six days. I remind myself that I recently
finished 6 WEEKS of an intense morning video and calorie restricted diet, losing
only 2 pounds. And that came immediately back as soon as I stopped
working out daily.
I feel a little better, but the
euphoria is definitely gone. Then I get dressed. My
pants are literally hanging on me. Cautiously, I head to the extra
closet where I have stashed all those clothes I’ll ‘never fit into again.’
I pull out a pair – low and behold, they fit! And not only
do they fit, but they fit well!! The euphoria is
back!!
But so is the gurgle. I
try a little water, and within five minutes I’m hitting the bathroom.
It’s not horrible in the least, but I let go of way more than I ate at
lunch yesterday and also get rid of that horrible bloated feeling.
I feel better until I drink my shake, again making sure I get it all down
within 10 minutes. Five minutes later, I’m back in the
bathroom. The colon cleanse is finally here.
Once at the office, I have three
more rounds in the bathroom throughout the morning. I’m finally
done and feel much, much better. Lunch is not a problem at all,
even after I’m done eating. Yay!
I take stock on my progress so far
and realize I am definitely feeling much healthier, not to mention definitely
thinner. I go online and get my maintenance kit. I
figure I will try the maintenance for a month, get back to my exercise routine,
and see how I do. If I still want to lose more in a month, I’ll do
another cleanse cycle. For now, though, I’m just focused on this
9-Day finish line!
By the time I’m ready for my evening
shake I am hungry but not starving. I even cook the boys’ dinner
without any issues. Although their homemade chicken tenders smelled
mighty good! The shake goes down well, but by 8:00 I am really
starving! I remember that an appetite is a good sign that my
metabolism is still going strong. Well, mine is raging.
I go for half an apple, which satisfies me to an extent. I
could easily have the other half, but I resist for another hour and get myself
to bed.
Shake Day, Day
5
This morning I wake up
feeling much better and with a lot of energy. No gurgles so far,
thank goodness. I also have that skinny feeling back, but I’m
holding steady at 8 pounds down. I actually consider doing a
workout, but I got chastised by my coach to keep exercise to a minimum so my
body can devote all its energy to rebuilding my insides. OK, no
workout.
Things are really feeling old hat
now, and totally manageable. The day goes by pretty well, with a
little bit of queasiness late morning. Not really a problem
though. I do have to rush through my lunch so I can give someone a
ride to the airport. It’s on the way back that I realize I just
rushed through my last real meal for three days! Oh
well…
By dinner, I’m hungry but not really
interested in food. I’m almost looking forward to my Cleanse Day
tomorrow so I don’t have to worry about eating. I can’t believe
those words just came out of my mouth! Still, I try to enjoy that
last shake as it goes down. As cavalier as I’m feeling right now, I
know I’ll be missing food tomorrow!
The hunger pangs hit again at
bedtime, and I’m starting to second guess my actual desire to not eat
tomorrow. I remember that I got through the first two Cleanse Days
without any difficulty at all. I’m sure I’ll be fine.
Right?
Cleanse Again, Day
1
Alright - I’m in the home
stretch!! While I was nervous when starting my first Cleanse a week
ago, I’m going into today feeling pretty excited. Still at 8
pounds, but I know that will change for sure after these next two days.
Also, no gurgle at all. Yay!
I have my first cleanse drink and
expect the same laxative effect as the first time, but I am totally fine.
I guess the past few days took care of that!
I follow protocol for today without
any problem. The biggest difference I notice between my first
Cleanse Day and today is that I have no weakness whatsoever. I feel
awesome! And, even though the scale hasn’t moved in the past few
days, I am still looking and feeling thinner. My husband commented
that the ‘cottage cheese’ in my thighs is practically gone!
By dinnertime I am able to cook for
the boys and handle it OK. The smells are tempting, but
resistable. My hunger pangs are a little sharper now, so I grab a
few apple slices when I feed the kids and another couple of slices an hour
later. But at bedtime I am starving! Then I realize I
forgot my last cleanse drink. I race to the kitchen and guzzle that
down. The hunger pangs completely disappear, thank goodness!
NOW it’s time for
bed.
Cleanse Again, Day
2
Last Day!!! I wake up
today feeling really good. I remember last week feeling kind of
weak when I woke up. This morning, I feel the urge to go for a run!
As
I drive to work, I am again struck by how great I feel. It’s almost like a
runner’s high. I literally have a strong urge to go do something physical. I
tell myself that after today it’s back to my workout routine. Now we’ll
see what kind of results I get!!
Based on my results, my husband,
sister and two other co-workers started on their own 9-Day Cleanse.
Today is Cleanse Day 1 for them. I am greeted at the office
door with news of how great they feel and how surprised they are that they
aren’t hungry. Across the board, they are down an average of 3-4
pounds just from their PreCleanses. I’m so relieved that my
experience is being repeated with them.
Today goes well, but I snack a
little bit on some carrot sticks mid-afternoon. I am actually
fantasizing about what I will eat tomorrow. The truly hardest part
is ‘dinner’ at my mother-in-laws. She didn’t put any food out on
the table in consideration of both my and my husband’s cleanse day, but the
wonderful smell of food filled the house. Knowing we just had to
make it through a short evening made it possible. That and half an
apple!
Once home, I take my last cleanse
drink, which takes care of any remaining hunger pangs. Thankfully,
I have already gotten the maintenance kit for the next month, so I am good to go
from a long-term standpoint starting tomorrow. Plus, I get to eat
AND get my final tally on weight and inches!
Maintenance, Day 1 – Final Cleanse
Results
I wake up feeling full of
energy, realizing last week I woke up feeling very weak. Final
tally on pounds and inches is:
10 pounds, 16.5 inches!
Amazing!
Now to keep it all going – I head to
the kitchen for my shake, accelerator, multi-vitamin and antioxidants.
And for lunch and dinner ... whatever I want!!
Want more
information? Explore the Isagenix website or contact Marcy
directly at 443-253-9837 or Marcy@HQChiro.com to find out how you can get
started on your new life -- today!
